Entertainment

Sony’s release of the teaser trailer to Spider-Man: No Way Home topped a high-water mark set by collaborator Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame back in 2019. 

The peek of Tom Holland‘s next adventure as the web-slinger broke the all-time 24-hour record for most global trailer views with 355.5 million, compared to Avengers: Endgame’s, 289 million views.

No Way Home‘s trailer scored double the viewership for its previous entry, Spider-Man: Far from Home, and also shattered Endgame‘s record for the largest 24-hour “social media conversation,” with 4.5 million mentions around the world.

Stateside, Far from Home generated 2.91 million mentions in 24 hours, while in just 12 hours, the new Spider-Man adventure was mentioned 1.96 million times in the U.S. alone. 

Starring Holland, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon, Alfred Molina, Marisa Tomei and Jon Favreau — and a host of still-secret co-stars — Spider-Man: No Way Home swings into theaters December 17, 2021 from Columbia Pictures and co-producer Marvel Studios.

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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On Tuesday, Kathy Hochul was sworn in as governor of New York, replacing a disgraced Andrew Cuomo, who resigned over his sexual harassment scandal. But on that day, he received some more bad news: his Emmy was rescinded. 

The International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences honored the former governor with the 2020 International Emmy Founders Award, for his “exceptional use of television for Public service during the COVID-19 pandemic.” That drew fire from his critics, especially considering that Cuomo and his administration were accused of under-counting the number of elderly New Yorkers who died of COVID-19 in nursing homes.

“[I]n light of the New York attorney general’s report, and Andrew Cuomo’s subsequent resignation as governor, [The Academy is] rescinding his special 2020 International Emmy Award,” IATAS said in a statement. “His name and any reference to his receiving the award will be eliminated from International Academy materials going forward.”

And while celebrities like Robert De Niro and Billy Joel shouted out Cuomo in recorded messages when he received his trophy last year, one star just took to Twitter after the Emmy was taken away: his one-time gubernatorial rival, Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon.

“The difference between me and Andrew Cuomo? Neither of us is governor, but I still have my Emmy(s),” she snarked.

The difference between me and Andrew Cuomo? Neither of us is governor, but I still have my Emmy(s).

— Cynthia Nixon (@CynthiaNixon) August 24, 2021

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Kofi Siriboe and Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing say they both found a deep connection to their Really Love characters in the Angel Kristi Williams-directed film.

Wong-Loi-Sing tells ABC Audio that playing the ambitious law student Stevie, a young woman who’s trying to find herself amid falling in love with an up-and-coming painter, was something that excited her as an actor.

“One of the reasons why I was attracted to Stevie’s character was the very clear dilemmas that she’s dealing with,” she says. “It’s thinking you’re ready to love, but maybe not always having the right emotional skills.”

Those dilemmas, although not hers, were things that Wong-Loi-Sing says were “very real” to her as a woman who’s also navigated the real emotions of love.

“Sometimes, I can be a little pretentious,” she reveals. “And a little arrogant in thinking like I’m the best communicator, when the whole point is that it’s not about how you communicate, but to what extent you’re able to resonate, or say certain things, or act a certain way that resonates with the other person — regardless of how you feel would be ideal.”

The same can be said for Wong-Loi-Sing’s co-star Siriboe, who plays Isaiah, a talented painter also struggling to find himself. Siriboe says he found his role “very self reflective.”

“Because it makes you wonder, ‘Why are you trying to keep up or trying to create something that’s not sustainable?'” he says of the couple’s strained relationship. “It’s nice to…want to…evolve or expand…to another level. But at the same time, you gotta be real with the process, and where you are.”

Really Love is now available to stream on Netflix.

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If you’re looking for any scoop about Levar Burton and his possible future as the host of Jeopardy! following Mike Richards‘ short stint, don’t ask the man himself. 

The affable Star Trek: The Next Generation and Reading Rainbow star was tracked by a TMZ reporter to a Staples store in Los Angeles, where he asked Burton about the gig.

“No comment,” a masked Burton replied, adding, “I’ve got nothing to say.”

The reporter persisted, insisting he — and “so many people” — were pulling for him, to which a giggling Burton noted, “What does ‘no comment’ mean?”

Well, at least he answered that in the form of a question. 

Officially, the search for a new host continues after Richards stepped down last week in light of past insensitive comments he made on a podcast. In the meantime, Mayim Bialik, who was recently announced as a host for Jeopardy! specials, is filling in behind the podium.

Burton is a fan favorite to host Jeopardy! and was one of the guest hosts, along with Bialik, prior to Richards’ being announced as host.

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Whoopi Goldberg is apparently fed up with cancel culture, and she spoke about it during an appearance at the Edinburgh TV Festival on Tuesday, according to Variety.

The View co-host, who was there to deliver the annual International Icon Interview, said, “I feel like the truth doesn’t seem to matter as much these days.”

“Because there is cancel culture, people will call or text and say, ‘I’m not buying your product. This is who you have talking about your product, me and my five million followers — if you keep her — we’re not going to buy your car, or we’re not going to buy your shampoo or we’re not going to buy your toothbrush or we’re not going to buy your Pampers,” Goldberg went on.

The Oscar winner, who said she was out of work for five years after she allegedly joked about President George W. Bush in 2004, was able to restart her career when Barbara Walters offered her a hosting gig on The View.

“Lucky for me, Barbara Walters offered me a job and said, ‘Hey, would you like to do this?’” the 65-year-old comedian and TV personality recalled.  “And I was like, ‘You know, I’m not in favor in the general public.’  [Barbara] said, ‘You’ll be perfect.’”

Asked whether she considered herself as having been canceled at the time because of the Bush joke, Goldberg replied, “No.  I would describe that situation as a lot of people covering their backsides, because the joke was never about him.”

“But no one ever stood up and said, ‘Hey, here’s what actually happened.’  And they put it in the newspaper,” she continued.  “They’d never seen what I exactly said, or what I said at all.  But all somebody has to do is say you said it.”

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Attorneys for 19 Kids and Counting star Josh Duggar have asked a judge to dismiss the child pornography case against him.

E! News obtained copies of the filing, in which Duggar’s attorneys requested the court to dismiss both charges against him, that of possessing and receiving child pornography.

His attorneys argue that investigators failed to preserve “exculpatory evidence” that could have helped exonerate Duggar, 33. In addition, his legal team claims that two acting secretaries of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security were not properly appointed when the Duggar investigation was unfolding, which they claim merits dismissal of the charges.

In addition to seeking dismissal, the reality star’s lawyers also requested the court prevent certain evidence from being shown in court, should it head to trial — such as statements Duggar provided police before speaking to his lawyer, as well as photos of their client’s hands and feet, which they claim were not authorized.

Duggar is accused of downloading child sexual abuse material, some of which depicts children younger than 12, and having it in his possession in May of 2019, according to the indictment.  He has pleaded not guilty. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 40 years in prison.

Duggar has been the focus of several controversies over the years, starting in 2006 when he was investigated for allegedly molesting five underage girls when he was a teenager. Since then, two of his sisters — Jill, 30, and Jessa, 28 — have come forward as two of his victims.

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A family in Warwickshire, England got an unexpected visit from Tom Cruise when his helicopter landed in their garden.

The 59-year-old actor, who is in the U.K. filming Mission Impossible 7, was forced to make the emergency landing while the nearby Coventry Airport was temporarily shut down, according to BBC News.

The owner of the property, Alison Webb, says her family had only been told an unnamed VIP needed somewhere to land as the nearby airport was shut.

“It turned out to be an incredible day,” she adds. “It was surreal, I still now can’t believe it happened.”

Cruise posed for pictures and even gave a free helicopter ride to Webb’s children and her partner’s kids.

“He went straight over to the children for a chat, then came over and elbow bumped us and said thank you very much,” she revealed. “Then he said if the kids would like they could go up in the helicopter.”

Mission: Impossible 7 is expected to open in theaters on May 27, 2022.

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A family in Warwickshire, England got an unexpected visit from Tom Cruise when his helicopter landed in their garden — or as we’d say in the U.S., their yard.

The 59-year-old actor, who’s in the U.K. filming Mission Impossible 7, needed to use the family’s yard to land while the nearby Coventry Airport was temporarily shut down, according to BBC News.

The owner of the property, Alison Webb, says her family had only been told an unnamed VIP needed somewhere to land as the nearby airport was shut.

“It turned out to be an incredible day,” she adds.  “It was surreal, I still now can’t believe it happened.”

Cruise posed for pictures and even gave a free helicopter ride to Webb’s children and her partner’s kids.

“He went straight over to the children for a chat, then came over and elbow bumped us and said thank you very much,” she revealed. “Then he said if the kids would like they could go up in the helicopter.”

Mission: Impossible 7 is expected to open in theaters on May 27, 2022.

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) In a wide-ranging feature chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Michael Keaton drops some hints about his upcoming return as the Caped Crusader in the upcoming Flash film. 

Although the Oscar winner starred in 1989’s Batman, which kicked off the superhero movie craze — and also played the villain Vulture in Spider-Man: Homecoming and appears in the upcoming Mobius — Keaton says he knows nothing about comic books. 

For Mobius, a Sony/Marvel film starring Jared Leto as the vampiric anti-hero, Keaton says the filmmakers walked him through recent MCU lore. “I’m nodding like I know what the f*** they’re talking about,” Keaton admits. 

He adds, “So finally, they were looking at me, and they just started laughing. They said, ‘You don’t know what we’re talking about, do you?’ I said, ‘No, I don’t, no idea what you’re talking about.'”

As for returning as Batman in Flash, Keaton says it was It director Andy Muschietti‘s vision and Birds of Prey writer Christina Hodson‘s script that hooked him. But there was something else, too.

“Frankly, in the back of my head, I always thought, ‘I bet I could go back and nail that motherf*****,” Keaton says of the Dark Knight, after refusing to star in Batman Forever back in 1995.  That said, the script that sees a time-shifting Ezra Miller‘s Flash exposing various timelines — and Batmen, including Ben Affleck‘s — was puzzling to Keaton.

“They had to explain that to me several times,” he confesses.

Keaton also admits, “What’s really interesting is how much more I got [Batman] when I went back and did him [again]. I get this on a whole other level now. I totally respect it…It’s iconic…”

Sony’s Mobius opens in January of 2022; Warner Bros.’ Flash debuts in November of 2022.

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Jake Gyllenhaal is heading to the comic-book world once again. The Spider-Man: Far from Home baddie will star in and produce an adaptation of Oblivion Song, the sci-fi comic series created in 2018 by The Walking Dead‘s creator Robert Kirkman. 

Some time ago, Kirkman explained the Oblivion Song plot to ABC Audio, and it’s clear to see just who Gyllenhaal will be playing.

“Basically, there was an event called The Transference that happened 10 years ago where a large chunk of Philadelphia switched places with another dimension,” Kirkman said, setting the stage. “Nathan Cole is one of the last remaining guys who would…pop into the other dimension and rescue people that were stranded there…in this other dimension that they’ve coined Oblivion now.”

He says of the hero, “[I]t’s a big question as to, you know, what’s wrong with his life that he feels the need to do this and why is he so obsessed.”

Oblivion Song, meanwhile, will be produced by New Republic Pictures, which helped bring the Oscar-winning 1917 to theaters in 2019, with Gyllenhaal’s Nine Stories company and Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment.

Kirkman’s Invincible was recently made into a hit animated series for Amazon Prime, as his first adaptation, The Walking Dead, marches into its final season on AMC.

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