Entertainment

The Addams Family 2 opens on Friday, and this time, everyone’s favorite spooky family is taking it on the road.

The sequel to the 2019 CGI-animated comedy finds the clan on a road trip while dealing with teenage angst and young love. It’s a time-honored tradition, and Nick Kroll, who voices Fester, has fond memories of his.

“I don’t know if anyone else can relate to your dad putting his hand into the back seat to grab a knee when he’s heard me do annoying voices for hour number five,” he recalls. “Little did he know that I would figure out a way to monetize those annoying voices into a career…now I grab his leg very, very, very hard.”

It’s a familiar scenario but with a super-weird twist, which is one of the reasons, director Conrad Vernon tells ABC Audio, that The Addams Family has endured for decades. 

“There is a relatability to them…they run into the same problems and the same internal conflicts that any family might have. But they handle it…in a really kind of creepy way. And I think people kind of like to be creeped out every once in a while.”

One familiar situation to which people can relate is the difficulty Wednesday Addams — voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz — has relating to her clan.  However, Vernon says it gets a twist when viewed through the Addams Family lens.

“You realize that when you’re hanging out with a family and you’re so much like them, you want to separate yourself from that,” he suggests. “And that separation, it can get sticky. And I think that that’s something that, you know, every teenager can relate to. But…Wednesday Addams does it [in a] very interesting and creepy and funny way.  

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Wendy Williams will not be returning to her purple chair on Monday, October 4 as planned.

In a statement posted on Instagram Thursday morning, The Wendy Williams Show announced that due to Wendy’s ongoing health issues, the season 13 premiere date has once again been pushed back.

“Wendy will not be returning with new shows on Oct. 4,” the message begins. “She has been and continues to be under a doctor’s care and is still not ready to return to work.”

The statement reveals that the new season will now premiere two weeks later on Monday, October 18.

The rescheduled premiere date comes less than two days after The Wendy Williams Show released a promotional video stating that “the wait is over” and new episodes would start on Monday. However, the premiere had already been pushed back from its September 20 premiere due to Williams’ numerous health issues, which included testing positive for a breakthrough case of COVID-19.

While the statement notes that Williams COVID-19 diagnosis “is no longer an issue” because she’s tested negative, it adds that Wendy is “still dealing with some ongoing medical issues.”

 

 

 

 

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Is Tom Hardy the next James Bond?

As Daniel Craig‘s reign as 007 comes to an end with the forthcoming No Time to Die, many have wondered who will be next to embody the secret agent. Among the names being tossed around for the role is Hardy’s, who didn’t have much to say when asked about it. 

“I don’t know about that,” the Venom: Let There Be Carnage actor told Entertainment Tonight. 

Hardy’s co-star, on the other hand, thinks the actor would be a great fit. 

Naomie Harris, who also has played Miss Moneypenny in the Bond films since 2012’s Skyfall and reprises the role in No Time to Die, exclaimed, “He would be amazing.”

“He’s such a phenomenal actor. I’m such a huge fan of his and then working with him on Venom, I have even more respect for him,” Harris continued. “He’s just like, incredible, the physicality that he brings to the role is just extraordinary. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Only time will tell if Hardy will be the successor to Craig’s Bond. Until then, though, fans can catch No Time to Die when it hits theaters on October 8. 

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Dancing with the Stars pro dancer Cheryl Burke had to sit out Monday night’s episode because she contracted COVID-19, despite being fully vaccinated.

Speaking with E!’s Daily Pop, Burke opened up about how her diagnosis mentally affected her.

“I had all types of feelings,” she expressed. “There was a lot of shame behind it for some reason, disappointed, sad, just hopeless, because you can’t really control the situation.”

Burke and her partner, Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby, were unable to perform live on Monday and, instead, were judged based on a recording of one of their rehearsal dances. The judges praised their routine and the audience voted them through to the next round.

Burke is thankful to have been given a second chance, saying,” I would hate for it just to end, so I’m hoping that I’ll be cleared very soon and maybe just go back to the way it was. I don’t know, we’re taking it day by day.”

Burke also revealed that she’s using every moment of her off-time to make sure she and her “talented” partner stay in the competition. “I’m going to be a dance mom officially and Zooming into those rehearsals, you better believe it,” she laughed.

While she’s still unsure how she contracted COVID-19, Cheryl stressed that her mild symptoms are a testament of the effectiveness of the vaccine.

“I’m thankful that I got my vaccinations and I’m fully vaccinated, so that’s maybe, definitely, probably the reason I’m not in the hospital, god forbid,” she said. “I wanted to be able to share it because I wanted people to understand that it’s still out there. Even if you’re fully vaccinated, just stay safe and be careful and mask up.”

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It’s an exciting day for diehard film fans! The long-awaited Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opens to the public Thursday in Los Angeles. Dedicated to the art and process of filmmaking, the museum is run by the organization that puts on the Oscars. And assistant curator Raul Guzman gave ABC Audio a sneak peek at one of the most talked about exhibits, which contains props and costumes from The Wizard of Oz.

“We get to showcase the pair of ruby slippers,” he shares. “We have two dresses of Judy Garland — one was used by her and one was used by the extra in that iconic moment when she enters that magical world of Oz, the lion’s mane, the tin can, and also the witch’s hat.”

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is the first of its kind showcasing props, costumes, and other memorabilia from Orson Welles to Spike Lee to The Wizard of Oz, which Guzman says will give people a thrilling look into the moviemaking process.

“I think our goal is really to be able to showcase the different facets of cinema,” he explains. “Both how it’s made, celebrating different parts of it, the craftsmanship of cinema, but also really highlighting different communities and really how cinema has empowered and really continues to be an incredible art form that really has touched all of us.” 

Tickets to visit the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures are on sale now with prices set at $25 for adults, $19 for seniors, and $15 for students. Children are free. Memberships are also available starting at $100 for an individual and comes with complimentary admission, early access, discounts and more. Visit AcademyMuseum.org for more information. 

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Britney Spears is finally free…of her father.

Judge Brenda Penny — whose main role at today’s hearing in L.A. was determining what is in Britney’s best interests — said that the “toxic environment” between Jamie Spears and his daughter required that he be suspended as her conservator, effective immediately. 

“I believe suspension is in the best interest of Britney Spears,” said Penny.  As per the request of Britney’s lawyer Mathew Rosengart, a CPA named John Zabel has been appointed temporary conservator of Britney’s estate. 

Zabel will now take over control of Britney’s finances, until a decision about terminating the conservatorship is made.  Jodi Montgomery, who is Britney’s conservator of the person — meaning she’s in charge of her medical decisions — will remain in her position.

Rosengart told ABC as he left the courtroom, “I left it all out on the field and [the judge] did the right thing.”  During the hearing, he relied on Britney’s own words from previous hearings, repeating Britney’s belief that Jamie is “abusive, cruel and toxic.”

“Britney Spears, Jamie Spears’ daughter, wants him to be suspended,” Rosengart told the judge. “She will be incredibly distraught if he remains conservator another day. Please hear the plea of my client.”

Rosengart has accused Mr. Spears of “reaping millions of dollars from his daughter’s estate”; Jamie has denied all wrongdoing.  In his latest filing, Rosengart said that Mr. Spears had “crossed unfathomable lines,” if recent reports that he’d hired a security firm to monitor his daughter’s communications were, in fact, true.

As for when the 13-year conservatorship will end, a hearing has been scheduled for November 12 to decide on that. Another hearing on December 13 will focus on financial and accounting matters.

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While taking part in the Code Conference at the Beverly Hilton this week, Netflix chief Ted Sarandos shared some viewer numbers from the normally-secretive streaming service, and also teased a spin-off of one of its hit shows. 

Netflix has traditionally been close to its vest with viewer numbers, which tally how many minutes someone watches a given show or movie — even if they don’t finish it. 

With that in mind, Sarandos says Bridgerton‘s first season topped the list for its shows, with 625 million viewer hours.

When it comes to movies, Sandra Bullock‘s 2018 thriller Bird Box and Chris Hemsworth‘s sequel-bound 2020 action movie Extraction topped their charts with 282 and 231 million viewer hours, respectively.

However, for the many fans of the gang in Hawkins, Indiana, Sarandos let slip that a spin-off from Stranger Things is likely in the offing, according to Deadline. 

He referred to the supernatural show from the Duffer Bros. “a franchise being born,” and said the word “spin-offs,” when mentioning it; it might be an easy connection to make considering series star Millie Bobby Brown just signed her own production deal with the streaming service. 

Stranger Things‘ fourth season drops on Netflix in 2022.

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It seems that a disagreement over Rent put the friendship between Neil Patrick Harris and Miyam Bialik in jeopardy.

On Tuesday night’s episode of The Late Late Show, the newly minted co-Jeopardy! host confessed that, unlike Tony winner James Corden, she really isn’t into musicals, and even having her pal NPH starring in Rent didn’t shake that. 

“People expect that because I worked with Bette Midler and because I’m me, I’m supposed to love musicals. It’s not my thing,” Bialik confessed.

“Why do I have to like it?!” she said of musicals when Corden protested.

And therein lay the problem. 

“When everyone is clapping at the end and you say to your boyfriend next to you, ‘I don’t want to stand for this,’ and then you look up and Neil Patrick Harris is looking right at you…it’s a bad day,” Bialik recalled with a nervous laugh.

Backstage, she said the former How I Met Your Mother star confronted her: “‘Why did you say you weren’t going to stand up?’ He read my lips!”

Bialik admitted that after the incident, “We didn’t speak for a long time,” adding, “[Neil] says that he forgave me and he sent me flowers when he heard I was still carrying this terrible guilt.”

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The CBS adaptation of the 1994 James Cameron hit True Lies now has its main couple.

Variety reports that actress Ginger Gonzaga, who will be seen in the Marvel Studios Disney+ show She-Hulk and currently appears on NBC’s Kenan, will be playing Helen, which was Jamie Lee Curtis‘ role in the movie.

As in the movie, Helen is fed up with her workaday life as her husband travels for his boring day job. But after years of typical married life boredom, she discovers Harry has actually been a bullet-dodging deep-cover operative for a secretive spy agency. 

Arnold Schwarzenegger played Harry in the film; the trade reports Shameless veteran Steve Howey will be filling Arnold’s big shoes for the small-screen version.

Cameron, who adapted True Lies from the 1991 French film La Totale!, will executive-produce the series with his longtime Lightstorm Entertainment producer, Rae Sanchini. 

The original True Lies film, which made more than $378 million worldwide, also starred Tom Arnold as Harry’s bumbling partner, Albert “Gib” Gibson; actor-turned Oscar-winning producer Grant Heslov as their tech expert, Faisal; and the late Charlton Heston as their spy agency boss. The late Bill Paxton also starred as Simon, a “pathetic” used car salesman who pretends to be a secret agent to woo Helen behind her husband’s back.

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Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson has created an entertainment empire with his G-Unit music label, and several TV series, including the Power franchise and his latest production, BMF. Now he’s mentoring future entrepreneurs with a new business program for teenage students in Texas.

On Monday, he inducted 75 students from three Houston high schools into the G-Unity Business Lab, which he created and is partially funding with $300,000 from his G-Unity Foundation.

“When you grow up with the circumstances that I grew up under, it starts to feel like the biggest restraint is the financial restraint,” Jackson told the kids, according to the Houston Chronicle. “I worked really hard against that, like I did things to try to not to be under those circumstances. And I just want to be able to help provide programs that allow you the information to do it the right way.”

The students will attend a 12-week after-school program and learn business concepts. Then 50 Cent will select winners who will receive seed money to start their own companies.

Houston Independent School District Superintendent Millard House II said students “will graduate with critical thinking opportunities and problem-solving possibilities, learning core business concepts, like writing a formal business plan, with the support of HISD teachers, Houston business leaders and the foundation.”

Meanwhile, Jackson, Snoop Dogg, T.I., Flo Rida, Monica, Kash Doll, La La Anthony and Jeremih were among the celebrities attending the BMF premiere on September 23 in Atlanta. The crime drama debuted Sunday night on Starz.

 

 

 

 

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