Entertainment

Jennifer Aniston took to Instagram Stories to defend herself against fans who took issue with her recent interview comments that she cut off “a few people” in her life who “refused or did not disclose” that they’d gotten the COVID-19 vaccine.

One fan opined of Aniston, “But if [she’s] vaccinated she’s protected correct? Why be worried about [having unvaccinated people] around her?”

Showing a picture of herself wearing a mask apparently in her home, Aniston replied Thursday, “Because if you have the [Delta] variant, you are still able to give it to me I may get slightly sick but I will not be admitted to a hospital and or die. BUT I CAN give it to someone who does not have the vaccine and whose health is compromised (or has a previous existing condition) — and therefore I would put their lives at risk.”

She added, “THAT is why I worry. We have to care about more than just ourselves.”

The 52-year-old former Friends star then displayed a picture of a cross stitch embroidery that read, “What doesn’t kill you mutates and tries again.”

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The new dramedy Mr. Corman is very personal for creator and star Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The Apple TV+ series debuts today, and he tells ABC Audio that he knows he’s been very lucky in life, and he wanted to imagine a character that perhaps didn’t have the same kind of advantages.

“I feel so grateful for so much in my life,” he says, naming his family, safety, and health as examples. “And when I think about it, I actually think that a lot of that just comes down to luck. And part of not taking my luck for granted.”

The lead character in the Mr. Corman is a teacher, and there’s a very specific reason for that — Gordon-Levitt wrote the character as an alternate universe version of himself.

“I always thought that teaching was something I would love to do,” the actor revealed. “I find teachers incredibly admirable. I wish that teachers were the heroes and valorized and celebrated in our world much more than entertainers.”

Another detail that is very intentional is the main character’s name, Mr. Corman, which Gordon-Levitt says was well thought out.

“Well, cor is also the word ancient word for heart,” he shares, adding that the character goes through highs and lows. “But I wanted the North Star to be that he’s got heart and that the show would have heart.”

“Because that’s to me, ultimately what I care about most when I’m watching something,” Gordon-Levitt admits. “I don’t care what genre it is I’m watching, if something feels like it’s got a genuine heart, then I’ll get drawn in.” (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)

The first two episodes of Mr. Corman are available to stream now on Apple TV+, with the remaining eight episodes dropping every Friday. 

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In season 2 of Acorn TV’s drama My Life Is Murder, star Lucy Lawless will reunite with her former Xena: Warrior Princess bestie Renee O’Connor, the AMC streaming service confirmed Thursday.

Lawless played the lead in Xena, and O’Connor portrayed her pal Gabrielle in the series, which ran in syndication from 1995 to 2001.

This time, however, their meeting will be less friendly. In My Life Is Murder, Lawless plays a cop-turned-police consultant, and in the upcoming episode in which O’Connor appears, she plays a woman suspected of involvement in the murder of her self-help-guru husband.

A trailer for season 2 of the acclaimed New Zealand-set drama just dropped. The new season starts August 30 on Acorn TV.

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The plight of the poor NPC — that means non-player characters in the background of games like Grand Theft Auto — are at the center of Ryan Reynolds‘ upcoming movie, Free Guy. 

In the film, Reynolds plays one of those, a bank teller named Guy — and, as NPCs often do, Guy often finds himself a victim of random crimes at the hands of online players.

Finally, however, there’s law firm to stand up for these beleaguered characters: The Offices of Bryan Breynolds.

In a take-off of cheesy TV slip-and-fall attorney ads, a mustachioed Reynolds asks injured NPCs: “Have you ever been shot at, body slammed, flame-throwered, hit by a train, or emotionally demeaned? We can tell you if you have a case.”

You can trust him: he calls himself the #1 Xbox NPC Personal Injury Law Firm in all of Free City — the video game Guy unwittingly thinks of as his real life home.

Free Guy hits theaters August 13 from 20th Century Studios, which is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.

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With a hard-hitting teaser that plays like a commercial for the All Valley Karate Tournament, Netflix has announced that its Emmy-nominated Cobra Kai series will return for its fourth season in December. 

“Grab your gi. Tie your belt,” a narrator intones. “The soul of The Valley is on the line.”

The trailer features quick cuts of Karate Kid-turned-Cobra Kai stars Ralph Macchio, William Zabka and Martin Kove, who plays merciless sensei John Kreese, as well as the show’s younger cast members, including Xolo Maridueña, Mary Mouser and Tanner Buchanan.

According to Netflix, “Season 4 finds the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang dojos joining forces to take down Cobra Kai at the All Valley Under 18 Karate Tournament…What tricks does Kreese have up his sleeve? Can Daniel and Johnny bury their decades-long hatchet to defeat Kreese? Or will Cobra Kai become the face of karate in the valley?”

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The animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars spin-off Star Wars: The Bad Batch hasn’t yet finished its 16-episode freshman season, but Disney+ has signed up for a second. 

The series that centers on a squad of enhanced soldiers and a young female clone on the run from the growing Empire was created by Clone Wars Emmy winner and The Mandalorian executive producer Dave Filoni. 

For the uninitiated, the Galactic Republic fielded millions of clone soldiers — hence the name the Clone Wars — to battle the various enemies of the Republic. Most are genetically identical, but Clone Force 99, the so-called Bad Batch, suffered mutations that gave them modified and enhanced abilities for impossible missions. Now, due to a series of events and betrayals, they find themselves being hunted by their former allies.

Part 1 of the two-part finale of Season 1 of Star Wars: The Bad Batch will be available to stream Friday.

The show is produced by Lucasfilm, which is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC Audio. 

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Chris Meloni, star of Law & Order: Organized Crime, got a little cheeky when bringing up the internet’s obsession with his backside.

Meloni, 60, became an online spectacle after on-set photos of his shapely bottom went viral in the spring.  Speaking Wednesday with Men’s Health, the actor admitted he’s likes his newfound sex symbol status and laughed, “How much am I allowed to taste of this fruit? How much am I allowed to enjoy this?”

He also reveled in the fact that he’s on the magazine’s cover, and confessed, “The aspect of age comes into play… and how I feel about it.  A friend of mine said, ‘Did you ever think in a million years you’d be on the cover of Men’s Health?’ I said, ‘Certainly not at age 60.'”

Meloni also addressed why he walked away from Law & Order: SVU a decade ago, bluntly revealing it was over a salary dispute.

“[NBC] literally came to me on a Thursday night and said, ‘This is the deal. We want the answer by tomorrow. It’s our way or no way,” the Emmy nominee explained, adding that he refused to compromise and responded, “This is what I want. If you can’t do it, that’s fine. Let’s figure out my exit.”

Meloni then explained why he returned to the franchise, saying showrunner Dick Wolf wanted him to come back “since the day he left.”  The actor said he heard Wolf’s pitch for Law & Order: Organized Crime — a series about his character, Elliot Stabler — and agreed to return to NBC.

He added that he is “not stressed” about the success of the series, which was renewed for a second season, saying his mentality this time around is “just ride. Just do, just be.”

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Courteney Cox may be besties with Ed Sheeran, but her Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston now has a special bond with another chart-topping British singer: Harry Styles.

Aniston was recently photographed for the new issue of InStyle wearing the exact same color-block brown-toned Gucci suit that Harry wore to the Brit Awards in February of this year.  Harry accessorized the suit with Gucci sneakers and the brand’s bamboo-handle brown leather handbag, while Aniston paired it white, high-heeled Gucci loafers and a Carolina Bucci scarf.

Fans went crazy over the two stars’ twinning moment, especially because, as some pointed out, Harry said that Aniston was his first celebrity crush.  Jennifer has now reacted by posting a side-by-side photo of herself and the “Watermelon Sugar” singer on her Instagram Story, with the caption, “Just call me Harriet Styles.”

And this isn’t the only time the two stars have twinned: Writer Evan Ross Katz posted a side-by-side shot of Harry wearing a white t-shirt that reads “Save the drama for your mama,” which is identical to a t-shirt that Jennifer’s character Rachel Green wore in season 10 of Friends.

“Harry Styles and Jennifer Aniston wore the same outfit not once but TWICE,” Katz wrote. “So don’t you DARE tell me they’re not the same person with the ability to morph between time and space.”  A fan responded, “The multiverse we didn’t know we needed.”

Aniston reposted the t-shirt shot as well, with the side-eye emoji.

 

 

 

 

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In “bound to make you feel old” news, South Park has aired for some 25 years. And in related “bound to make you feel poor” news, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone just signed a reported $900 million deal to continue the show.

The massive agreement the pair just inked with Viacom’s MTV Entertainment Studios will bring 14 South Park movies exclusively to Paramount+, while also keeping the show on the air on Comedy Central through 2027. 

“Comedy Central has been our home for 25 years and we’re really happy that they’ve made a commitment to us for the next 75 years,” joked Parker and Stone in a statement.

The animated series had been on hiatus for most of the pandemic, though the pair managed to produce two specials during the lockdown. “When we came to ViacomCBS with a different way to produce the show during the pandemic [key executives] were immediately supportive and enabled us to try something new that turned out to be really well received,” Parker and Stone said.

March’s The South ParQ Vaccination Special scored 3.5 million total viewers, and last September’s Pandemic Special also scored massive numbers, as well as the show’s 19th Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Animated Program category. 

Parker and Stone commented, “We can’t wait to get back to doing traditional South Park episodes, but now we can also try out new formats. It’s great to have partners who will always take a chance with us.”

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New Jeopardy! host for $1,000, please.

Mike Richards is in “advanced negotiations” to become the new host of Jeopardy!, Variety reports. The classic game show was previously helmed for 36 years by Alex Trebek, who died of pancreatic cancer in November 2020 at age 80. 

Following Trebek’s final episode, Jeopardy! enlisted a rotation of celebrity guest hosts, including Ken Jennings, Aaron Rodgers, Robin Roberts, Anderson Cooper, LeVar Burton and more, to hold down the fort as they embarked on their search for a permanent replacement. 

A spokesperson for Sony Pictures would not comment on Richards but did tell the outlet that they were having conversations with several potential candidates. However, an insider dished that Richards is leading the pack. 

For his part, Richards has previous experience as a host on the game shows Divided and The Pyramid. He also hosted the reality shows High School Reunion and Beauty and the Geek. Aside from his hosting gigs, Richards has also served as an executive producer on shows like Let’s Make a Deal and the celebrity version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. 

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