Entertainment

Scarlett Johansson‘s Periwinkle Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company have settled their dispute  regarding the release of Black Widow.

Johansson filed suit last month against Marvel Studios’ parent company, Disney, claiming that the studio’s decision to simultaneously release Black Widow on Disney+ and in theaters was a breach of her contract, which guaranteed Black Widow an exclusive theatrical window before it hit the streaming service. The suit further claims Disney’s decision to do otherwise cost Johansson millions in potential earnings.

“I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team,” the actress said in a statement on Thursday.  “I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come,”

Alan Bergman, Chairman of Disney Studios Content, added, “I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow. We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney’s Tower of Terror.”

Neither side gave any indication of how much money was involved in the settlement.

ScarJo served as an executive producer on Black Widow, and therefore had profit participation “points” tied to the film’s box-office performance.  The movie grossed $367 million at the box office. However, Disney revealed in August that the movie had grossed $125 million on streaming, which some assert detracted from the film’s box-office earnings potential, and Johansson’s bottom line.

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

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If you just can’t get enough of Royal Family drama, Diana: The Musical hits Netflix today. It’s a filmed version of the stage play which opens on Broadway in November. Jeanna de Waal plays Princess Diana and she offered up her opinion on why America is so in love with these stories.

“They’re the ultimate celebrities, right?” she rhetorically tells ABC Audio.

“America loves our celebrities and these celebrities actually live in castles and actually have titles and actually used to be, you know, kings and queens who have power,”  the actress continues. “And there’s something insane and thrilling about that.”

Something else that de Waal finds thrilling is the fact that the musical is heading straight to on-screen viewers., which she says “democratizes the process of experiencing theater.”

“We bypassed some of the tight bottleneck, harsh New York critics, and just say hey world, what do you think? And I think it’s a fantastic way to engage a much wider crowd in theater,” she explains. 

While Princess Diana’s story has been told in various ways, including on Netflix’s The Crown, it’s the “nuances” that de Waal says are not that well known, but “make for fantastic drama.”

“There’s a lot I think people don’t know between Charles, Diana, and Camilla, to be specific, is really what our story is about,” she shares. 

So, will the royals be watching? Roe Hartrampf, who plays Prince Charles, hopes so. 

“We hope that they realize that we’re approaching this from a real human storytelling standpoint and we are big fans of everybody involved.”

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Sarah Michelle Gellar is tired of how pop culture portrays people with asthma — and she’s aiming to change that.

In partnership with the pharmaceutical company Teva, Gellar helped launch the Inhaler Tales campaign, which aims to raise awareness on proper inhaler use and encourage those with asthma to advocate for themselves.

“I think that there’s this stereotype — like any kind of diagnosis — [asthma] is a sign of weakness. And it’s not,” the Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum told ABC Audio. “Our bodies are not machines.”

Asthma is a condition of the lungs, says the Mayo Clinic, where the airways can narrow and swell, which in turn can make breathing difficult or trigger an attack. Asthma can’t be cured but it can be controlled with medication.

Gellar took note of how pop culture makes light of asthmatic characters and that those misguided stereotypes can feed misinformation. For example, Mikey from The Goonies and Albert from Hitch used their inhaler as a prop and were portrayed as defenseless or cowardly. Gellar says those tropes should be “taken with a grain of salt” because asthma is “not something to be ashamed of.”

Gellar also noted how actors who play asthmatic people don’t correctly use an inhaler on screen.

“They just puff into it. Always wrong,” the Cruel Intentions star stressed, noting a recent Teva study that found over 50% of people with asthma or COPD use their inhaler incorrectly.

Gellar said improper inhaler use can exacerbate symptoms, and stressed, “With the right treatment program, you really should be able to live your life to the fullest.”

That’s why she says it’s “so important… to know how to properly utilize that equipment.” Gellar encourages those with asthma to be honest with their doctors when their inhaler isn’t effectively controlling their symptoms.

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In a lengthy interview with Oscar-winning screenwriter and The Newsroom creator Aaron Sorkin, Vanity Fair got him to speak for the first time about producer Scott Rudin, a once frequent collaborator whose career was torpedoed by accusations of bullying and even physical violence against his staff. 

Those accusations from former employees were chronicled in a bombshell Hollywood Reporter feature last April. 

“He got what he deserved,” Sorkin said in part, explaining he previously stayed silent about Rudin because he didn’t think it was “helpful for me to stand on his torso and kind of jump up and down.”

Sorkin says, “…I’ve worked with Scott a lot, three feature films, an HBO series, and a Broadway play. [I]t was painful to read that Hollywood Reporter story, particularly because it’s pretty likely that some of those assistants who were being abused were working on something I wrote while they were being abused. So I took it personally.”

Sorkin insists to Vanity Fair that he knew about Rudin’s “higher class of bullying,” but claims he never personally witnessed any troubling behavior or heard any of the physical violence accusations. The pair last worked on the Tony-winning revival of To Kill a Mockingbird, with Jeff Daniels in the lead.

Sorkin also explained the last time he spoke with the disgraced producer was when he severed Rudin’s ties with To Kill a Mockingbird via Zoom.  The play will re-open after the COVID-19 hiatus on October 5, without Rudin’s involvement.

As for his former collaborator on The Social Network, Steve Jobs, Moneyball and The Newsroom, Sorkin, who’s battled substance abuse problems, said of Rudin, “I feel the way I would with an alcoholic or an addict. I hope he gets better.”

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With the troubling state of affairs that is 2021, why not take a peek back at a time when an American hero could even get the Soviet Union to chant “USA! USA!”…onscreen, at least.

To that end, Slyvester Stallone will be releasing a brand-new director’s cut of 1985’s Rocky IV.

Titled Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago, the movie celebrates what MGM is calling “the greatest fight in cinematic history” — Stallone’s Rocky Balboa against the seemingly unbreakable Soviet menace, Dolph Lundgren‘s Ivan Drago. 

Promising 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage from the blockbuster that Stallone wrote, directed and, of course, starred in, the film is coming to Fathom Events theaters for one day only — November 11 — before it’s released to digital on demand the following day.

As part of the screenings, Stallone himself will appear in a live Q&A session about the making of the film, and restoring it for release in 2021.

Tickets can be purchased online at FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices today. A complete list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website.

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Jay Leno knows a thing or two about being cancelled after past offensive jokes he made came to light, and he’s using that as a warning to his fellow comedians.

In March, during a discussion with the Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA), Leno said that using Asians as a punchline in his old jokes were “wrong” and he has since apologized. The Tonight Show alum also called his past material “a legitimate wrong that was done on my part.”

Speaking to the People Every Day podcast, Leno says cancel culture is a product of the changing times and comics have to adapt with the times.

“I think it’s like any other thing, you either change or die,” the 71-year-old said. “In football, you have certain rules. And when the rules change, if you don’t conform to them, you’re out of the game.”

Leno further explained that homophobic, sexist and racist jokes may have been tolerated back in the day, but his fellow stand-up comedians need to stop living in the past by including that controversial material in their routines.

“Now, everybody has a voice. You have to change the material to the times you live in,” Leno continued. “My attitude is, ‘Look, these are the new rules. You want to adapt. If you don’t, fine. Don’t get up and tell jokes then.'”

Following his March discussion with MANAA, Leno told Variety, “I do not consider this particular case to be another example of cancel culture but a legitimate wrong that was done on my part. MANAA has been very gracious in accepting my apology. I hope that the Asian American community will be able to accept it as well, and I hope I can live up to their expectations in the future.”

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Newly-minted Ted Lasso Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham is looking back at her time on Game of Thrones, where she played the reviled character Septa Unella.

Septa appeared in seasons five and six of GoT, but is best known for parading a naked Cersei Lannister, played by Lena Headey, through the streets of King’s Landing, while ringing a bell and chanting, “Shame!”

During her Wednesday appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, the British actress revealed that she took home a little souvenir that fans closely associate with Septa — the bell she rang while humiliating Cersei.

Clarkson expressed her shock that Waddingham kept the prop, noting it was “kind of messed up” because of what it symbolized.

Waddingham disagreed, however, noting that the prop had sentimental value because it was symbolic of her part in the show.  “That’s when you know your character is really dead; when they give you the hero thing. ‘And thank you very much and goodbye.'”

Whe 47-year-old actress said she’s thankful for the time she spent on Game of Thrones and told Clarkson, “I feel like I’ve been very lucky that these huge shows have just gone ‘Come in and do this.'”

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Tyrese Gibson has apparently broken up with his girlfriend, Zelie Timothy, six months after making their relationship public.

The Fast & Furious star made the announcement Wednesday on Instagram. He posted a video of her naked, covered with soap suds in a bathtub to the music of Jhené Aiko‘s “On My Way.” The singer/actor commented, “We had so much potential. We really did. I wish you well, ending on a good note is a good thing….. I will forever love you @zelietimothy cheers to you!!”

She reposted his video on her page and responded, “You can’t force a man to respect you. But you can refuse to not be disrespected. I wish the very best for you I hope you figure it out.”

Ironically, Tyrese recently surprised Zelie with a vacation in Cancun. She posted a 24-minute video of the trip, also on Wednesday, and commented, “I’m FINALLY back on Youtube with my first ever Baecation Vlog. My baby Tyrese really made this 6 Day Baycay special and I want you guys to join us. Enjoy.”

Gibson encouraged his followers to view the video, using Bible quotes, and a few suggested that the breakup announcement was a publicity stunt to promote Timothy’s YouTube channel.

One person commented, “People who see through the smoke signals won’t hit the link because why TF are u lying and faking it to make it. Just a simple follow my girl would be sufficient enough. It’s the corny lies and acting then using scriptures smh come on u better than this.”

Tyrese and his estranged wife, Samantha Lee, are in the process of divorce. They married in February 2017 and have a daughter, Soraya, who turns three years old on Friday.

 

 

 

 

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When that recently announced remake of The Bodyguard hits theaters, a “young Latina” character will appear in the role Whitney Houston played in the 1991 original.

“When Warner Bros. approached me about the idea, I quickly said I would but I wanted the protagonist to be Latina. They agreed to that,” Matthew López, who made history at Sunday’s Tony Awards as the first Latino playwright to win for Best Play, for The Inheritance, told Variety following the ceremony on Sunday.

He added, “There’s been a lot of speculation about what I’d bring to the remake and some people were assuming that there’d be a gay storyline to it.” López is gay, and The Inheritance follows a group of gay men.

“But I wanted the protagonist to be Latina,” López continued. “Instead of focusing on an established star like the one Whitney Houston played, this is about a young Latina performer who has just become famous… It was important to me to use this opportunity to get Latin faces up on that screen and to get their stories told in a big way.”

“It’s about how her life has changed because she is an overnight sensation,” López told Variety. “In the 21st century, that means she’s in immediate need of protection.”

None of the roles have been cast as of yet and a release date has not been set.

The Bodyguard, originally released in 1992, grossed $411 million during its global box office run.  Its soundtrack was nominated for four Grammys and won three: Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for the title track, the monster hit “I Will Always Love You.” Two other singles, “I Have Nothing” and “Run to You,” were nominated for the Best Original Song Academy Award.

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To commemorate the 50th anniversary of his founding of Lucasfilm, Hasbro has immortalized Star Wars creator George Lucas as part of its hyper-detailed Hasbro Black Series line of collectables. 

The six-inch figure shows the legendary filmmaker “in disguise” in the iconic white armor of an Imperial Stormtrooper. His white hair and beard can be covered by a removable helmet, and he also comes with a standard-issue Imperial blaster to complete the ensemble.

Although the toy tribute to Lucas doesn’t come out until 2022, it’s already sold out.  

This isn’t the first time The Maker was idolized in plastic. In 2002, he was envisioned as a Rebel X-Wing pilot named Jorg Sacul — the surname an anagram of Lucas — which was a limited-edition figure initially sold only at the second Star Wars Celebration expo in Anaheim, California. It now fetches a pretty penny on eBay. Eventually, the exclusive figure was mass-marketed, and the non-Celebration version can be bought at retailers like Walmart. 

Lucas was previously turned into a Stormtrooper back in 2006, initially as part of a mail-away offer. That version, too, is prized by collectors.

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