Entertainment

A model of Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing starfighter, as seen in the climactic Battle of the Death Star in 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, is about to hit the auction block.

And it’s going to fetch a fortune.

Heritage Auctions says the model was just one of four “hero” X-Wings — that is, models with lights and other details for close-ups — known to have been built by George Lucas‘ effects house Industrial Light and Magic.

Once thought lost forever, the model was recovered in a box among the collection of the late Oscar-nominated modelmaker Greg Jein. It will be sold at a Heritage auction on October 14 and 15 in Dallas, Texas, with the bidding starting at $400,000.

Jein’s collection also has a screen-used suit of Stormtrooper armor from the same film, for which bidding will begin at $200,000, as well as props and costumes from Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey and other classic projects.

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Matt Rife, one of the biggest comedians on the planet at the moment thanks to social media, has booked his first comedy special for Netflix.

The comic, whose first sold out world tour, ProbleMATTic, kicked off in July, will headline Matt Rife: Natural Selection for the streamer, dropping before the end of the year.

The special will reportedly be shot during Matt’s two-night stand at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., on September 22 and 23 as the ProbleMATTic World Tour rolls on.

Netflix says it surprised Matt with the news on a billboard for his upcoming birthday, September 10.

For his part, the hunky comedian called it “a dream.”

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Hours after former That ’70s Show star Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on rape charges, an old interview clip resurfaced that viewers are calling either a creepy coincidence or a premonition of things to come.

The clip from Late Night had the star being interviewed by Conan O’Brien, in which the host asked why Masterson doesn’t have a Long Island, New York, accent.

To the comment, Masterson expressed that there are some words you “can’t do anything about,” offering that his friend — and, incidentally, fellow Scientologist — Bodhi Elfman “always” teases Masterson with the imitation, “‘Hi, my name is Danny Masterson, would you like to touch my b****?”

O’Brien counters with, “So why are you asking people to do that? That’s the more important question.” Masterson replies by saying, “I mean ya got ’em … everybody should grab ’em.”

Conan then tells the actor, “I’ve heard about you. And you’ll be caught soon, I know you will.”

“I will,” Masterson jokes.

To the clip, the social media user who posted it to X commented, “Conan knew.”

Another expressed, “He used to write for The Simpsons so of course he would predict it.”

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Scream series creator Kevin Williamson took part in a new installment of the Happy Horror Time podcast, where he weighed in on Neve Campbell‘s decision not to return to the franchise with Scream VI.

As reported, the actress, who currently can be seen in Peacock’s Twisted Metal, cited a salary dispute as her reason not to reprise as Sidney Prescott in the blockbuster series’ sixth installment.

“As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream,” she said at the time. “I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”

For the record, Williamson said, “I know exactly where she’s coming from.”

He added, “I know her well. I love and adore her and that’s what she did. It’s right for her.”

Williamson, also the creator of another ’90s classic,, Dawson’s Creek, expressed, “I love everyone involved in Scream and all I can say is, pay her the money. That’s what I would do, I would give her the money.”

Williamson, who now executive produces the franchise instead of writing the movies, also revealed what his plans for Campbell’s character would have been. “Scream IV, V, and VI, would have been [about] the love story of Sidney Prescott, and it would’ve been this whole thing of she’s falling in love, she’s going to get married, it’s all based around her marriage when these murders start happening again,” he said.

“It’s like, is this man that she’s in love with the killer again?” Williamson teased.

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As reported, former That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday, September 7, after he was convicted of raping two women.

The 47-year-old is a Scientologist and so were his two alleged victims — something that came up throughout the recent trial as well as the 2022 one that ended in a mistrial.

After the verdict, Leah Remini, a former church member-turned outspoken critic of Scientology, tweeted in part, “Over the past seven decades, former Scientologists have sadly become used to Scientology using its financial resources, religious protection, and relationships to snatch justice away from them.”

The former King of Queens star continued, “For over two decades, Danny Masterson avoided accountability for his crimes. While Danny was the only one sentenced, his conviction and sentence are indictments against Scientology, its operatives, and its criminal leader, David Miscavige.”

Adding she’s “relieved” that this “dangerous rapist” will be “off the streets,” Remini claimed, “Scientology managed to cover up Danny’s crimes with the help of its intelligence agency, the Office of Special Affairs, top “church” officials like Kirsten Caetano Pedersen and Julian Swartz, its network of media-hungry unethical attorneys, private investigators, agents, and civilian Scientologists who engaged in a conspiracy to cover up crimes of sexual violence.”

Masterson will serve two 15-year sentences consecutively, one for each charge. He must also register as a sex offender.

His attorney has vowed to appeal.

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Oscar winner Jessica Chastain is at the Venice Film Festival promoting her independent film Memory, but she used her time to also promote the plight of SAG-AFTRA performers who are on strike.

Even though she had the blessing of the union to talk up the movie at the festival, thanks to an interim agreement from SAG-AFTRA, The Hollywood Reporter says it wasn’t an easy decision.

Wearing a “SAG-AFTRA on Strike” shirt, the kind seen on picket lines back home, Chastain admitted she was “incredibly nervous” to attend the festival, even going so far as to say, “some people on my team advised me against it.”

That said, Chastain used her platform to boost the strikers. “I am here because SAG-AFTRA has been explicitly clear that the way to support the strike is to post on social media, walk the picket lines and to work and support interim agreement projects…,” the Zero Dark Thirty vet expressed, according to the trade.

“And when independent producers like the ones here sign these interim agreements, they are letting the world know and letting the [studios] know that actors deserve a fair compensation, that AI protections should be implemented and there should be sharing of streaming revenue,” she continued.

Chastain also said she is “very aware” of “how lucky” she is to have her career. “And we are quite often because of that made to feel like we have to be quiet in order to protect future working opportunities,” she expressed, adding, “And we are often told and reminded how grateful we should be.”

She added pointedly, “That is the environment that I think has allowed workplace abuse to go unchecked for many decades. And it’s also the environment that has saddled members of my union with unfair contracts.”

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On Friday, September 8, Apple TV+ dropped a teaser to Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, the live-action series set in the world of Godzilla and his fellow city-stomping kaiju.

Set in the same universe as the 2014 big-screen film Godzilla; 2017’s Kong: Skull Island; 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters; 2021’s Godzilla vs. Kong and the upcoming sequel Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, the series stars father and son Kurt and Wyatt Russell playing the same character, Army office Lee Shaw, over decades.

Also back from the past is John Goodman‘s Skull Island scientist character William Randa, via film recorded in the 1960s. “I can’t go back in time and fixed all the mistakes I made,” he’s shown saying. “But maybe I can leave something for the future. A legacy.”

That legacy appears to be Monarch, the secretive company that tracks these giant monsters.

As clips of him are shown in both the present and the past, with Wyatt portraying his younger self, Kurt Russell says, “The hope was to protect their world and ours. It’s what we wanted Monarch to be. Not chasing monsters.”

He explains to off-camera characters, “If you come with me, you’ll know everything. I promise.”

The streaming service teases, “Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking revelation that monsters are real, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters tracks two siblings following in their father’s footsteps to uncover their family’s connection to the secretive organization known as Monarch.”

It continues, “The dramatic saga – spanning three generations – reveals buried secrets and the ways that epic, earth-shattering events can reverberate through our lives.”

Monarch also stars Anna Sawai, Kiersey Clemons, Ren Watabe, Mari Yamamoto and Anders Holm.

The show debuts Friday, November 17.

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) Have no fear, your reality roundup is here! Here’s a look at what’s happened in the world of reality television this week.

The Ultimatum (Netflix)
Ultimatum stars Treyvon Brunson and Jeriah Nelson are expecting their first child. “Next Chapter: Motherhood. These past 5 months have been so sweet and special. From hearing your heartbeat to little flutters and kicks. We cannot wait to meet you,” the mom-to-be captioned a heartwarming post with a gray onesie, sonogram pictures, and a due date sign that read: Baby Brunson January 5, 2024.” Brunson shared the same photo and wrote, “EVERYBODY!!! Me and @jeriahnyree are ready to welcome our baby into the world. I fell in love with our little one as soon as I found out she was pregnant Gender reveal coming soon.”

Love is Blind (Netflix)
Love Is Blind star Shaina Hurley, 33, and husband Christos Lardakis are expecting their first child, the couple announced in an Instagram post on September 5. Alongside photos of the parents-to-be cradling Hurley’s baby belly, they wrote, “We are proud to announce Baby Lardakis coming soon… God is so good!”

House of Villains (E!)
The juicy, two-minute trailer for the new series House of Villains dropped Thursday, September 7 and teases a season where the most iconic, infamous supervillain contestants must “outsmart, out-manipulate and out-scheme each other” for a $200,000 cash prize. At one point, Jax Taylor declares, “This is war,” while in another clip Tiffany “New York” Pollard is heard calling Omarosa a “c*** sucking, c** guzzling, Republican c***.” Hosted by Joel McHale, House of Villains premieres October 12 on E!.

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Hulu on Thursday dropped the trailer for Quiz Lady. The comedy, from 20th Century Studios, stars Awkwafina and Sandra Oh respectively as “a brilliant but tightly wound, gameshow-obsessed young woman … and her estranged, train-wreck of a sister [who] must work together to help cover their mother’s gambling debts,” per the studio. “When Anne’s beloved dog is kidnapped, they set out on a wild, cross-country trek to get the cash the only way they know how: by turning Anne into a bona-fide gameshow champion.” Quiz Lady — also starring Jason Schwartzman, Holland Taylor, Tony Hale and Will Ferrell — premieres November 3 on Hulu…

Third time was the charm for Only Murders in the Building. The season 3 premiere of the Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez-led Hulu comedy had its best showing yet on the streaming charts, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The season three debut on August 8, drew 719 million minutes of viewing time for the week of August 7-13 — a series high for the show and 24 percent higher than its previous best, 578 million minutes for the week of its season two finale in August 2022. It finished third among original series and ninth overall in Nielsen’s rankings…

Roku has revealed the first casualties of its cost-cutting drive, according to Deadline. They include the action thriller Most Dangerous Game, originally a Quibi original — starring Christoph Waltz, joined in its first season by Liam Hemsworth — and Slip, a comedy created by and starring Life In Pieces‘ Zoe Lister-Jones, which followed 30-something Mae Cannon through “a fantastical journey of parallel universes, as she enters new relationships, trying to find her way back to her partner, and ultimately, herself.” Despite the cuts, Roku says it will continue to order original series, and sources tell the outlet that this process is part of its regular review of programming. Other scripted titles include the Florida comedy drama Panhandle…

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Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon apologized to staffers on Thursday afternoon following accusations of a toxic culture at the NBC late-night program.

On Thursday, Rolling Stone published a report in which two current and 14 former Tonight Show employees alleged Fallon’s “erratic behavior” made the show a “toxic workplace.”

“It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad. Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends,” Fallon, 48, reportedly said during a Zoom meeting with Tonight employees. “I feel so bad I can’t even tell you. I want this show to be fun, it should be inclusive for everybody, it should be funny, it should be the best show, the best people.”

Insiders tell Deadline that new showrunner Chris Miller has improved the culture of the show and most of these claims are years old.

Miller reportedly sent an email to staff on Thursday stating that he was “lucky” and “proud” to work with this staff, adding, “I don’t believe what is written is reflective of the overall culture of our extraordinary team. The place described in the article is not the place I know. It does not capture the positive and inclusive environment that I believe we have created together.”

NBC, in a statement obtained by Deadline, said, “We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority. As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate. As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.”

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is currently on hiatus due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

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