Entertainment

Netflix has stepped up the fight against COVID-19 by requiring actors and other so-called “Zone-A” personnel — those who interact directly with a cast — to be vaccinated for all of its productions. 

Deadline reports the move comes after Hollywood unions gave producers the option to require vaccines for such personnel on a “case by case” basis, but Netflix has become the first studio to implement it. 

The move was met with mixed responses on social media; WandaVision star Kat Denning replied right away on Twitter with, “Your move, everyone else!”

While she got hundreds of retweets and many supported it, others replied with comments like “Not legal,” and another griped “Soooo get the shot or don’t have a job? Wow.”

Since production resumed in Hollywood after the pandemic shutdowns, all studios have implemented rigorous COVID-19 protocols. These include frequent testing, and dividing cast and crew into various zones in an effort to shield talent from other members of the crew and eliminate any unnecessary interaction. It also better allows productions to quickly isolate anyone who might test positive.

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Lizzo isn’t shy when it comes to showing how she feels about Marvel hunk Chris Evans — especially after she famously slid into his DMs in April after imbibing some liquid courage.  

Taking to TikTok recently, the “Truth Hurts” rapper jokingly responded to a fan that messaged her, “Lizzo baby… we know your [sic] [pregnant emoji] and we know it’s Chris Evans now spill the tea.”

Blasting the Captain America theme behind her as she addressed the so-called rumor, the Grammy winner diplomatically declared, “This is something that I’ve been really trying to keep personal and private just between me and the father of my child, but since we’re airing out all the rumors today…”

Lizzo, 33, then put her phone down so she could walk into full view for the supposed big reveal.

“I’ve been sucking in,” she jokingly confessed before sticking out her stomach.  With a wide grin, she announced while cradling her belly, “We’re going to have a little America!”

Fans went wild with the fake update, with some even joking that Marvel should include Lizzo’s announcement for an upcoming What If…? episode — a Disney+ series that takes the MCU across different universes and theoretical scenarios.

Lizzo and Evan’s rumored relationship first surfaced in April when the “Juice” singer had too much “juice” and decided to shoot her shot with the Knives Out actor.

Evans hilariously responded to her DM and wrote back, “No shame in a drunk DM.”

Prior to that, Lizzo asked Evans to marry her in 2019.  Unfortunately, he never responded to her proposal.

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

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Matt Damon has finally confirmed what everybody has pretty much known for a while now — he’ll be reprising his role as “actor Loki” from Thor: Ragnarok in the Marvel franchise’s upcoming fourth installment, Thor: Love and Thunder.

“I don’t know if it’s secret or not, though everybody knows.  I went down [to Australia] to shoot, and I think they sussed out, ’cause paparazzi took pictures of us, so that they sussed out what we were doing,” he said on SirusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show.

“We were kind of reprising a cameo that Luke Hemsworth [brother of Thor actor Chris Hemsworth] and I did in the last one,” Damon explained. “And we had a ball, and so [Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi] had us back again to kind of run that joke back and upgrade it a little bit.”

Damon also weighed in on his thoughts about Bennifer 2.0.

When asked if he was happy about longtime pal Ben Affleck rekindling his romance with Jennifer Lopez, Damon joked, “How else would I be? Like, would I be unhappy?”

“Like, I hate true love. It sucks. Yeah. Yeah. I wish them nothing, but you know, hardship,” he added sarcastically.

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Bob Odenkirk is in stable condition after experiencing a “heart-related incident” on set, a rep for the Better Call Saul star told ABC News Wednesday.

“He and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side,” the rep said in a statement.  “The Odenkirks would also like to thank everyone for the outpouring of well wishes and ask for their privacy at this time as Bob works on his recovery.”

The 58-year-old actor collapsed while shooting the sixth and final season of the AMC series in New Mexico on Tuesday and was rushed to the hospital, according to a source.

No other details were immediately available.

Nate Odenkirk, the actor’s son, tweeted Wednesday evening that his father was “going to be okay.”

Odenkirk starred as Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad before going on to star in Better Call Saul, a spinoff prequel series focused on the scam artist-turned-lawyer.

He’s going to be okay.

— Nate Odenkirk (@birthdaynate) July 28, 2021

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For Ghostbusters fans — particularly those wary of the infamous 2016 reboot later marketed as Ghostbusters: Answer the Call — the new trailer to Ghostbusters: Afterlife came as a relief. 

Fans already knew the original cast would return — in their original roles, unlike the reboot — but seeing Bill Murray, Ernie Hudson, Dan Akykroyd, and the late Harold Ramis suited up in a vintage photo in the trailer brought all the feels back. 

Now Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman, the son of original Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II producer Ivan Reitman, has partnered with IGN for a deep dive into his new trailer, to show the pains all involved went through to pay honor to what he called the “original sauce” that made the first two films so special to fans. 

Among them, Reitman points out, are the props from the original two films that have been faithfully laser scanned and replicated for use in his film. Also making an appearance in the coming attraction is the “terror dog” as seen in the 1984 original — Reitman explains how their digital effects wizards replicated its wonky running that was due to the limitations of the effects at that time.

Reitman said of the project, “…I feel like I’m not really carrying the Spengler story, but I’m carrying my own family story,” adding he’s “thrilled to share it with everybody.” The filmmaker said, “It’s a movie that was made by a family about a family. My father and I cannot wait for you to see this in theaters.” 

Also debuting along with the trailer was a new line of toys from Hasbro Pulse, including action figures of McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard‘s characters and their friends, as well as the original Ghostbusters, all in their gear. 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits theaters in November.

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Emma Roberts proved she can take a joke as well as anyone after a video she posted on Instagram over the weekend went viral.

The clip shows Roberts striking a glamorous pose while Lana Del Rey‘s “Happiness Is a Butterfly” plays.  At one point, the 30-year-old Scream Queens actress sticks out her tongue at the camera.

The video, which has over a million and a half likes, instantly went viral, with Twitter users adding captions like, “Me trying to get the barista at Pret to give me my coffee for free” and “me looking at myself before everyone else logs into the meeting.”

Emma responded by sharing a snippet of the video on her Instagram Stories, writing, “Me going viral after 30. Thank you gays and whoever else.”

This isn’t the first time Emma made a meme out of herself.  In 2013, when starring in American Horror Story: Coven, her character, Madison Montgomery, uttered a memorable line when revealing she was resurrected from the dead.

The scene where Emma remarks, “Surprise, b**** — I bet you thought you saw the last of me,” has since become a popular reaction image and gif on social media.

 

 

 

 

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Riding on the success of her popular family comedy flick Yes Day, Jennifer Garner is staying in business with Netflix not only for a sequel, but other films for the streaming giant. 

In a statement, Garner said Netflix chiefs Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos “have built a safe, collaborative home for storytellers,” adding, “I am honored to join the awesome group of creatives in the Netflix family, and I am extremely excited to work with their passionate and innovative teams across all departments.”

In Yes Day, Garner and Edgar Ramirez played a married couple who decides to take their Torres family up on any whim by saying yes to anything and everything for a single day.

“Seeing Netflix’s global reach as the Torres family wreaked havoc in homes all over the world makes me eager to dive in with another Day of Yes; I can’t wait,” said Garner. 

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Wilmer Valderrama has lent his voice to projects including the hit kid’s show Handy Manny, and Disney/Pixar’s Onward, among others. But none are as personal to him as his latest podcast project. 

The That 70s Show veteran explained to Variety that his new series, Essential Voices, is dedicated to the essential workers and first responders who helped his father — and millions of others — battle through COVID-19. 

Valderrama’s father contracted the disease and suffered two minor heart attacks in the past year, the actor said, explaining of those who helped, “They showed up and helped my dad be with us for many more years.”

The NCIS star added, “I’m so thankful, and I want to make sure their voices are heard. That’s my small contribution back for what they’ve done for my family.”

His father is still recovering from the disease, “working through his respiratory stuff, and he’s still trying to get his stamina back,” Wilmer said. “He’s working out every day. I always joke with him that he reminds me of Stella because he’s trying to get his groove back.”

The Essential Voices podcast also hails those in the community who fought food insecurity throughout the pandemic, and others who are still doing what they can to save lives and raise spirits.

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More than 80 authentic props from the landmark Discovery Channel science series Mythbusters are hitting the auction block, to benefit the Grant Imahara STEAM Foundation.

The non-profit was established after the engineer, robotics genius and former cast member after his untimely death in 2020, and “provides mentorships, grants and scholarships to underserved youth in the areas of science, technology, engineering, art and math.”

PropStore is handling the auction, which will let fans get their hands on items like the mechanical shark built by Imahara for 2008’s “Shark Week Special,” as well as Grant’s “Robo-cat” for the “Dog Myths” show, and spent rockets from various episodes, pieces of the poor crash test dummy/mascot Buster, and much more.

Many of the items were autographed by Grant’s friend and fellow Mythbuster Adam Savage, to boot.

The auction begins Friday, August 20 at noon Eastern time, and runs through Wednesday, September 1, 2021. To check out previews and register to bid at Propstore.com.

Imahara died one year ago this month of a previously undiagnosed intracranial aneurysm. He was 49.

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) As everyone knows, Twitter isn’t always the place to go to see any semblance of human unity, but it appears news that Bob Odenkirk collapsed on the Albuquerque set of Better Call Saul on Tuesday has managed to do the impossible.

There were the usual well-wishes from present and former fellow cast members, like his Better Call Saul co-star Michael McKean — who tweeted in part “You got this, brother!” — as well as an Instagram post from Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston, who asked for “positive thoughts and prayers” for the actor.

However, so many messages came from regular folks supporting the star that his name is trending on the social media service. 

“I do not pray but I will do it for Bob Odenkirk to please be ok,” tweeted one fan.

“If anything bad happens to Bob Odenkirk, I will fight God,” noted USA Today‘s Barbara VanDenburgh.

“if anything happens to bob odenkirk we blow up the f***ing moon,” offered another.

Yet another added, “hopefully he was just dehydrated or something i cannot deal w a world in which bob odenkirk is experiencing suffering.”

One Twitter user summed it up: “One small positive observation from this troubling news: can you imagine anyone being more universally loved/respected than Bob Odenkirk? Never seen the entire timeline unite and rally behind someone so quickly.”

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