Entertainment

Michelle Williams‘ narration of Britney Spears‘ memoir, The Woman in Me, in the audiobook edition has left fans clamoring for more after hearing her impersonation of Justin Timberlake. 

After the book’s release on October 24, listeners swiftly commended the Oscar winner for her captivating performance, with a particular passage about and encounter Britney witnessed between Justin and Ginuwine going viral on social media.

In the snippet, Britney recounted her time in New York City with the ‘NSYNC member when they encountered R&B artist.

“One day, J and I were in New York, going to parts of town I had never been to before. Walking our way was a guy with a huge, blinged-out medallion. He was flanked by two giant security guards. J got all excited and said so loud, ‘Oh yeah, fo’ shiz, fo’ shiz. Ginuwine, what’s up, my homie?’”

Williams’ impersonation of Timberlake in this snippet circulated on social media, leaving fans eager to hear the rest of the memoir, with one person noting, “If someone can confirm that the rest of the book is this funny, please let me know, and I’ll buy it ASAP.”

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It was a Dunphy family reunion as Sofia Vergara shared pics with her Modern Family co-stars Julie Bowen and Jesse Tyler Ferguson, along with Ferguson’s husband Justin Mikita, visiting her at home.

“Afternoon with some of my favorite people in the world! I luv u @jessetyler @justinmikita @itsjuliebowen,” she captioned the October 24 post of herself with the quartet on her patio.

Vergara also shared a carousel of photos of the gang admiring her cavernous closet and vast shoe collection, along with the caption, “Cone [sic] back soooon!!!!! I missed uuu.”

“For once, I enjoyed being back in the closet!” Ferguson joked in the comments section.

Another snap showed a mirror selfie of four of them.

Modern Family, which ran for 11 seasons on ABC, starred Bowen and Ferguson as siblings Claire and Mitch, while Vergara played their stepmom Gloria. Three years after the show ended its run in 2020, the entire cast still remains close.

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David E. Kelley is in talks to co-write a TV adaptation of Rufi Thorpe’s upcoming book, Margo’s Got Money Troubles, with Nicole Kidman and Elle and Dakota Fanning’s production companies attached to executive produce the potential series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The plot follows Margo Millet, the daughter of a Hooters waitress and former pro wrestler who has an affair with her junior college English professor and gets pregnant. Struggling to make ends meet, she turns to OnlyFans and becomes a runaway success, thanks to her father, who imparts wisdom he learned in the wrestling ring…

Veteran stand-up comedian Wanda Sykes will embark on her Please & Thank You comedy tour in 2024 — her first major tour in six years. The first 29 dates of the tour will begin on March 1 in Concord, New Hampshire, and wrap up June 15 in Kansas City, Missouri, with more dates to be added into the fall. Sykes hasn’t done a full-blown tour since the COVID-19 pandemic, but did appear occasionally in clubs and venues post-2020 to hone material for her Emmy-nominated Netflix special, I’m an Entertainer, which debuted in May. Ticket info, as well as the full list of dates can be found at WandaSykes.com…

Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph has joined the ensemble cast of the new feature comedy The Fabulous Four, joining Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler and Megan Mullally, according to Deadline. Ralph replaces Sissy Spacek, who was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. The Fabulous Four follows “three life-long friends — played by Sarandon, Mullally and Ralph — who travel to Key West, Florida to be bridesmaids in a surprise wedding of their college girlfriend Marilyn — portrayed by Midler,” per the outlet. The trip will “change all their lives in ways they never expected”…

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Netflix has released the official trailer for its Bradley Cooper-directed, Steven Spielberg-produced film Maestro, based on the life and lifelong love of legendary composer Leonard Bernstein, capturing glimpses of the composer throughout his life.

Cooper plays the maestro himself in this biopic based on the lifelong relationship between Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein, played by Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan.

Being in the circle of the “first great American composer” comes with a price, however, as his sister, portrayed by Sarah Silverman, warns Felicia in the clip. That price, she learns, is having to compete with others for his love and attention.

“I love people so much, it’s hard for me to be alone,” Cooper reveals in a recreation of one of Bernstein’s interviews. “And music, it keeps me glued to life.”

Maestro — also starring Matt Bomer, Maya Hawke, Josh Hamilton, Scott Ellis, Gideon Glick, Sam Nivola, Alexa Swinton and Miriam Shor — opens in select theaters in November, before debuting December 20 on Netflix.

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The beloved British sci-fi series Doctor Who is about to turn 60 years old, and Disney+ is helping to celebrate with a series of specials.

On Wednesday, the streaming service dropped an action-packed trailer to promote the trio of special episodes: The Star Beast debuts November 25; Wild Blue Yonder on December 2; and The Giggle on December 9.

All three specials will reunite David Tennant‘s Fourteenth Doctor with Catherine Tate‘s Donna Temple-Noble “as they come face-to-face with their most terrifying villain yet: the Toymaker,” played by Neil Patrick Harris in his Doctor Who debut.

New cast members include Yasmin Finney as Rose Temple-Noble; Miriam Margolyes as the voice of the Meep; and Ruth Madeley as Shirley Anne Bingham. They join returning characters Sylvia Noble (Jacqueline King), Shaun Temple (Karl Collins) and Kate Lethbridge-Stewart (Jemma Redgrave).

Additionally, the streaming service announces Ncuti Gatwa will take control of the TARDIS as the Fifteenth Doctor. A new season of Doctor Who will stream globally in 2024 on Disney+ and on the BBC in the U.K. and Ireland.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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At 80 years young, legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese just saw his latest acclaimed epic, Killers of the Flower Moon, premiere in theaters — and he’s not slowing down.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Scorsese was asked if he’d ever consider calling it a career, as another Oscar winner, Quentin Tarantino, says he’s going to do after his 10th film, The Movie Critic.

Tarantino won a screenwriting Oscar for 1994’s crime classic Pulp Fiction, but not a Best Director statue, like Scorsese’s long overdue accolade for 2009’s The Departed.

When asked if Scorsese was “built different” for not considering hanging it up, the filmmaker replied, “I am.”

He also added of Tarantino, “He’s a writer. It’s a different thing … I get attracted to stories through other people. All different means, different ways. And so I think it’s a different process.”

That said, Scorsese noted, “I respect writers and I wish I could. I wish I could just be in a room and create these novels, not films, novels.”

And another reason he won’t retire? “I’m curious about everything still,” Scorsese maintains. “That’s one of the things. If I’m curious about something I think I’ll find a way. If I hold out and hold up, I’ll find a way to try to make something of it on film, but I have to be curious about the subject. My curiosity is still there.”

He added of the writer/director, “I couldn’t speak for Quentin Tarantino or others who are able to create this work in their world.”

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Apple TV+ has announced its programming lineup for the holidays, which kicks off in a big way on November 22. That’s when a live-action/animated special based on the classic The Velveteen Rabbit debuts, along with a musical special from Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham, festive episodes of The Snoopy Show and Frog and Toad, and a sing-along version of Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell‘s acclaimed Christmas musical Spirited.

And because for millions of people it’s not the holidays without seeing the Charlie Brown seasonal classics, Apple TV+ will provide subscription-free windows to let viewers revisit the beloved Peanuts specials A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, as well as A Charlie Brown Christmas.

The former will be watchable for free Saturday, November 18, through Sunday, November 19; A Charlie Brown Christmas will be available Saturday, December 16, through Sunday, December 17.

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, had its free window already; it is currently streaming on the platform for subscribers.

As previously reported, the Ted Lasso Emmy winner — along with special guests — will top-line Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas on Wednesday, November 22.

That day will also see the debuts of a special Making of ‘Spirited’ documentary and the debut of the aforementioned Velveteen Rabbit adaptation.

Friday, December 1, will mark the debut of the Frog and Toad Christmas Special; Shape Island: The Winter Blues; The Snoopy Show: Happiness is Holiday Traditions; and the sing-along version of Spirited.

Check out more info at the streaming service’s official website.

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A stage production based on Suzanne Collins‘ acclaimed novel The Hunger Games and Lionsgate’s blockbuster movie of the same name will make its debut in London next fall, ABC Audio has confirmed.

Revered and award-winning playwright Conor McPherson has adapted both works into the live theatrical production, which will be directed by theater veteran Matthew Dunster.

In a statement, McPherson said it was “both humbling and inspiring” to receive the bestselling author’s blessing to adapt the book, which he called “a classic story which continues to resonate now more than ever.”

The playwright continued, “This is turbo charged storytelling of the highest order and I’m hugely excited to bring it to a new generation of theatre goers and to Suzanne Collins’ longstanding and devoted fans.”

For his part, Dunster said, “As soon as the producers said the title, I just said ‘Stop! I’m in.'” A fan of both “this dystopian classic,” he added his kids were avid readers of the books: “It’s definitely the only work call of mine they’ve been excited about.”

The Hunger Games centers on a dark future in which elites watch a battle to the death between young people culled from an oppressed society. Among them rises Katniss Everdeen — played onscreen by Jennifer Lawrence — a fearless tribute who becomes a symbol of hope.

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A who’s who of comedy — including Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Jon Stewart and Amy Schumer — are gearing up to make people laugh for a good cause.

On December 11 at New York City’s Beacon Theatre, the charity Next for Autism will once again be hosting Night of Too Many Stars, with proceeds going toward providing education and more for the 1 in 36 children in the U.S. affected by the disorder.

Stephen Colbert, Ron Funches and Saturday Night Live‘s James Austin Johnson are also confirmed, with other guests expected to perform; past performers ranged from Jerry Seinfeld and Billy Crystal to Seth Rogen and George Clooney.

The event was the brainchild of longtime SNL and Late Night with Conan O’Brien writer/producer Robert Smigel and his wife, Michelle, who struggled to find proper education for their son Daniel.

Over the past 20 years, Night of Too Many stars has raised over $30 million to support programs that “enhance the lives of autistic individuals, specifically in the areas of education, home, work, social, health and well-being,” according to Next for Autism.

Tickets start at $134.55 and will be available to the general public Friday, October 27, at 11 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster.com. They will also be sold in person beginning Saturday, October 28, at the Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall and Beacon Theatre box offices.

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In a New York City courtroom Wednesday morning, a judge denied a request from Jonathan Majors‘ lawyers to dismiss the assault charges leveled against him.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Majors appeared virtually during the hearing, as he was reportedly working out of state.

As reported, the actor was charged with four misdemeanor counts of harassment and assault in an alleged domestic violence incident on March 25 that prompted him to call 911.

Majors’ 30-year-old former girlfriend reportedly sustained minor injuries in the incident, but lawyers for the Ant-Man threequel star claim she attacked him.

Majors was released from police custody later that day, and his attorney Priya Chaudhry said the evidence would prove the actor is innocent. In June, he filed a cross-complaint against the alleged victim.

According to the trade, Majors’ camp also claimed to Judge Michael Gaffey that prosecutors were withholding evidence that could support Majors’ innocence and also cast doubt on his accuser’s claims, which violated their client’s right to a speedy trial.

Ultimately, Gaffey rejected the motion to dismiss the case.

In a statement, a representative for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg noted, “We look forward to presenting our case at trial.”

Majors faces a year in prison if convicted.

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