Entertainment

Amazon Studios has announced that the first season of its anticipated The Lord of the Rings series will debut on Friday, September 2, 2022.

According to the studio, the series, which just wrapped production for its freshman season in New Zealand, takes place “thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books,” and “follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-Earth.”

Amazon also revealed a first image from the production. It’s not clear what character is depicted, however — it shows a caped person at a distance, from behind, standing in a field gazing a city in the far distance as the sun rises behind it.

In a statement, Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios enthused, “I can’t express enough just how excited we all are to take our global audience on a new and epic journey through Middle-Earth! Our talented producers, cast, creative, and production teams have worked tirelessly in New Zealand to bring this untold and awe-inspiring vision to life.”

The Lord of the Rings series stars an international cast, including Robert Aramayo, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Owain Arthur, Maxim Baldry, and Nazanin Boniadi.

 

 

 

 

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Lena Waithe had some pretty big news to share during her after-show for the season four finale of The Chi. The series creator revealed to fans that Showtime had officially picked up her Chicago-set drama for a fifth season.

“#TheChi is coming back for Season 5!,” Waithe wrote, captioning a video of her chat with some of The Chi stars, including Luke James, Shamon Brown Jr. and Yolanda Ross. “Thank you to all the special guests for joining me on the Season 4 Finale After Show!” Deadline reports that the renewal “comes amid strong ratings for the series, which is averaging 4.2 million weekly viewers and is on pace to become the most-streamed Showtime series ever.” Season five of The Chi is set to premiere in 2022.

In other news, The Chi star Jacob Latimore has found his next major role. Deadline has learned that Latimore will replace Jorge Lendeborg Jr. in New Line’s reimagining of the 1990 cult comedy House Party. Sources tell Deadline that Lendeborg Jr. recently left the project to focus on his mental well-being, which was supported by the studio and filmmakers. As previously reported, the original 1990 movie, written and directed by Reginald Hudlin, starred Kid ‘n Play‘s Christopher “Kid” Reid and Christopher “Play” Martin as two high school students who decide to throw an epic house party.  A release date for the new House Party has not been disclosed.

Finally, Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny has inked a multi-year overall deal with Disney General Entertainment’s Onyx Collective. Under the new pact, Penny’s A Penny for Your Thoughts Entertainment company will develop and produce projects for all Disney platforms, including Hulu, which serves as the hub to Onyx projects.

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In the past year-plus, William Shatner has recorded a couple of albums, released a movie, served as host on a couple of new shows — including History’s The UneXplained and RT America’s I Don’t Understand — and has taken up a new hobby: slaying trolls. 

The iconic Star Trek star admits to ABC Audio that, of course, he doesn’t have to spend time answering back snarkers online, but he genuinely gets a kick out of it. 

There are countless examples, but his most recent comeback was reserved for Love It or List It co-host David Visentin, who posted to him, “Red rover red rover this tweet about life as theater calls @WilliamShatner over.”

To this, Shatner responded, “David, dear boy — a couple rules of Twitter: One doesn’t post a tweet of questions, then answer their own tweet and tag me in it so I can point out how pitifully sad they are,” complete with a shrugging emoji.

Visentin’s tweet was rather benign, but Shatner often gets sharper ones — and answers in kind. He recently took a Twitter user to task for calling Shatner’s singing Elton John‘s “Rocket Man” the “worst footage I had on my hard drive.”

To him, Shatner retorted, “I looked on my timeline for the dumbest person and found him! A blue checked troll who tagged me in silly tweet and then liked his own tweet! So I blocked him!”

Shatner tells ABC Audio with a giggle, “I find it amusing.”

He adds, “And of course, you know, the stupid people…who try to do stupid things behind an anonymous shield, you have to ignore. But if you take responsibility for your thought, and argue your thought, it could be great fun!”

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Game of Thrones alums Kit Harington and Rose Leslie are notoriously private about their lives, but in a recent interview, the actors provided a rare glimpse of how their lives have changed since becoming first-time parents.

When revealing what was the most surprising thing he’s learned about being a dad, Harington, 34, told Access Hollywood, “Everyone goes, ‘Look, it’s big what you’re about to go through.’ You have no way of knowing that until it happens.”

“What surprises you is: You go, ‘Oh, this goes on forever.’ Like, you don’t get a break from it,” he continued. 

Harington said he was surprised by how his marriage improved in the months since. “Every day, I wake up and I look after this little human and now we’re part of a unit together,” he said. “I think the thing that surprises me most about fatherhood is… you are now a unit, the three of you. And that’s a whole new dynamic you need to find.”

While not revealing too much about his newborn, the upcoming Eternals star gushed, “I pretty much find every day as he grows and changes, how does that change you. It’s a beautiful thing, it really is!”

Meanwhile, Harrington appears to be in a sharing mood; he also told XM’s The Jess Cagle Show about going to rehab for stress and alcohol after his HBO hit ended.

I went through some mental health difficulties after Thrones‘ — and during the end of Thrones, to be honest — and I think it was directly to do with the nature of the show and what I’ve been doing for years,” the 34-year-old actor told the chat show host. 

“I think I took a sort of break after Thrones where I said, ‘I don’t want to work for a year. I want to really kind of concentrate on myself. I’m really happy I did that.”

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Courteney Cox just posted to her 11.6 million Instagram followers a tease of a new line of Friends merchandise, and proceeds are going to a good cause.

“[G]uys some pieces from the first ever @friends merch collection,” the actress posted, noting, “Half of my proceeds from this limited drop will benefit @ebmrf [The Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation], an LA based non-profit that’s near and dear to my heart.”

The charity is dedicated to raising awareness and funds for Epidermolysis Bullosa, a rare and debilitating genetic skin disorder.

Among the shirts, sweatshirts and other items include stylized designs of scenes from the show, including the cast at the fountain from the sitcom’s open, Phoebe playing “Smelly Cat,” Rachel, holding her first paycheck and asking “Who’s FICA?” and other Friends moments from the show’s first three seasons. 

Incidentally, among those who were first to post their support were Two Broke Girls star Beth Behrs, 90210‘s Sara Foster, and Trudie Styler, the producer wife of Sting — and a one-time Friends guest star — who noted she “will support for sure.”

The limited run of merchandise will be available for four weeks only.

 

 

 

 

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After much speculation as to whom the buyer would be, Reese Witherspoon has reportedly sold her production company, Hello Sunshine, for $900 million.

The Wall Street Journal reports a new media company led by former Walt Disney Company executives Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer have scooped up Hello Sunshine, with plans to purchase other high-profile content providers.

The Legally Blonde star’s company produces Reese’s Emmy-nominated hits The Morning Show for Apple TV+ and Little Fires Everywhere for Hulu, as well as HBO’s Emmy-winning Big Little Lies.

Reese’s company also produces a podcast, and is home to Reese’s Book Club.

Dedicated to “shining a light on female authorship and agency,” Hello Sunshine — which Witherspoon runs with her husband, former Hollywood agent Jim Toth, and venture capitalist Seth Rodsky — has developed into a lifestyle brand to boot.

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) Kathy Griffin revealed Monday that she has stage 1 lung cancer.

The 60-year-old comedian and actress shared a tweet announcing her diagnosis and said she will undergo surgery. She did not reveal when she received her diagnosis.

“I’ve got to tell you guys something. I have cancer,” Griffin wrote. “I’m about to go into surgery to have half of my left lung removed.”

Griffin continued: “Yes, I have lung cancer even though I’ve never smoked!”

She said her doctors are “very optimistic” because she said her cancer is “stage one and contained to my left lung.”

“Hopefully no chemo or radiation after this and I should have normal function with my breathing,” she wrote. “I should be up and running around as usual in a month or less.”

“It’s been a helluva 4 years, trying to get back to work, making you guys laugh and entertaining you, but I’m gonna be just fine,” she continued.

Griffin also told her followers she is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. “The consequences for being unvaccinated would have been even more serious,” she said. “Please stay up to date on your medical check ups. It’ll save your life.”

Lung cancer is the third most common cancer in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC estimates that “about 10% to 20% of lung cancers, or 20,000 to 40,000 lung cancers each year, happen in people who never smoked or smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.”

Griffin sat down with ABC News’ Juju Chang to discuss her reaction to her diagnosis, admitting she was “in shock.”

“Once a day, I’ll just turn to nobody next to me and go, ‘Can you believe this s***? Is this a b**** or what?” she said.

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— Kathy Griffin (@kathygriffin) August 2, 2021

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As of last weekend, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds have been a couple for over a decade.  To celebrate the milestone, the famous duo took a step back in time by recreating their first date.

In a series of adorable Instagram Story updates on Saturday, Lively revealed she had taken her husband to O Ya, a Boston-based sushi restaurant.

“If it weren’t for this place. We wouldn’t be together. No joke,” the Gossip Girl alum dished while sharing a photo of Reynolds posing by the location. “No restaurant means more to us.”

Lively, 33, revealed that the two have made a tradition of celebrating their first date every year, adding in a second update, “10 years later, we still go out on our ‘first date.’ But in much more comfortable shoes.”

The actress wore a gorgeous white and black polka dot button-down sundress and black sandals on her anniversary date, while Reynolds opted for a navy print polo over a white undershirt with dark jeans and tan sneakers. 

The Deadpool star also hailed his 10th anniversary on Saturday, taking to his Story to tease his spouse.

“Our favorite restaurant with her 4th favorite date,” he joked while sharing a selfie of the two standing outside the restaurant.

Unfortunately for him, he committed a sin by writing that caption over a portion of Lively’s outfit — so he had to re-post the photo. “Posting this again because I cut out my wife’s cute earrings. She trained me better than this,” Reynolds, 44, shared. “Sorry if I let anyone down.”

Lively and Reynolds wed in September 2012 after meeting the year prior on the Green Lantern set, on which they both starred.  They share three daughters.

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After 40 years, MTV’s Moon Person trophy is getting a makeover.

The reimagining of the familiar image coincides with the network’s 40th anniversary, which was on Sunday. While the original Moon Person features an astronaut on the moon to planting an MTV flag, the new version, designed by artist Kehinde Wiley, takes a botanical twist. 

In a statement, MTV explained, “Kehinde Wiley’s Moon Person sculpture represents inclusivity and diversity marked by the historical, environmental and nature relevance of the botanicals. The design features botanical vines seamlessly flowing up and around the figure’s legs, body, and arms as a commentary on the ethnic histories that surround America. Each intertwined vine or leaf has a different historical relevance, such as the seeds from African slaves, that are woven into the American tapestry.”

“The sculpture complements Wiley’s forthcoming series of portraits, in which he plans to create paintings featuring his subjects lying on their sides as vines encircle their bodies,” MTV added.

MTV launched on August 1, 1981 with footage of NASA’s Apollo 11 expedition, the spaceflight that landed humans on the moon in 1969. To help commemorate the moment, a life-sized version of Wiley’s Moon Person is also available for public viewing at the Kennedy Space Center’s Visitor Complex.

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Disney’s Jungle Cruise, the action comedy based on the popular Disney theme park ride, topped the box office with an estimated $34.2 million in its debut weekend.  The movie is also available on Disney+ Premier Access, where it added an additional $30 million.

Jungle Cruise — starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt — was originally set to open a year ago, but, like many other high-profile releases, it was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The adventure film had a rougher voyage overseas, where it only managed to snag an estimated $27.6 million in 47 overseas markets, bringing its worldwide theatrical total to $61.8 million.

There’s a tight battle for second place, between newcomer The Green Knight and the M. Night Shyamalan thriller, Old.  As of Sunday, The Dev Patel-led Green Knight had the edge, delivering an estimated $6.78 million.

Meanwhile, Old, in its second week of release, slipped from first to second with an estimated $6.76 million, bringing its domestic total to $30.6 million.  The film has added $17.9 million overseas, bringing its global total to $48.5 million.

Disney also nabbed fourth place with Marvel’s Black Widow, earning an estimated $6.4 million from the box office in its fourth week of release. The film’s stateside haul now stands at just shy of $167.1 million.  Its worldwide total hovers around $343.6 million.

As with Jungle Cruise, Black Widow can also be streamed on Disney+ Premier Access, where it raked in $60 million on the streamer in its opening weekend.

Disney is the parent company of Marvel and ABC News.

Rounding out the top five is another newcomer, Stillwater.  The thriller, starring Matt Damon, delivered an estimated $5.1 million in its opening weekend.

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