Entertainment

School is officially back in session. Abbott Elementary has returned for its fourth season, with the premiere episode available to stream on Hulu.

Lisa Ann Walter, who plays second-grade teacher Melissa Schemmenti, told ABC Audio what she’d like to see this season at the Disney Upfront event back in May.

“I would love to have Melissa and Ava go in on something together,” Walter said. “Every woman on the show is an alpha … and it’s fun to see them mix it up.”

Walter even pitched an entire storyline.

“Maybe Barbara and Melissa get into a fight and then Melissa and Ava work on something. And then Barbara gets mad,” Walter said, before referencing her season 3 storyline with Chris Perfetti’s Jacob Hill.

“I’m going to tell you, here’s the truth. When the Jacob character moved in with Melissa and I started to become friends with him, Sheryl Lee Ralph started getting snippy. She really did,” Walter said. “She goes, ‘You’re supposed to be my friend.’ I was like, ‘They wrote lines, Sheryl.’”

Another cast member excited for this season is William Stanford Davis, who plays the school janitor, Mr. Johnson. He says he’s looking forward to more of Mr. Johnson’s “opinionated self about everything.”

“I’m hoping to work in more scenes with Quinta [Brunson],” Davis said. “I worked a lot with the guys and with Melissa, so I’m looking forward to especially getting under Barbara’s skin. I hope I can tell the writers that. Cause I’m afraid of Barbara Howard.”

The show is known for having famous guest stars. So, which actor does Davis wish would join the Abbott Elementary family?

“I’ve often told them I wanted Halle Berry to be my love interest,” Davis said. “So, you know, if you know anybody who can make that happen.”

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HBO has revealed Genius: MLK/X star Aaron Pierre has been tapped to play John Stewart in HBO’s upcoming Green Lantern series, joining Kyle Chandler, who Deadline reports will play Green Lantern/Hal Jordan. Lanterns, DC Studios’ first live-action series under co-chairmen/co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran, “follows new recruit John Stewart and Lantern legend Hal Jordan, two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery as they investigate a murder in the American heartland,” per the studio …

Max has released a teaser trailer for season 3 of Mindy Kaling‘s comedy series The Sex Lives of College Girls, which follows a group of college students at New England’s prestigious Essex College. The series returns Nov. 21, followed by one new episode weekly at 9 p.m. ET through Jan. 23 on Max …

Nate Bargatze, who recently hosted Saturday Night Live for the second time in as many years, is returning to Netflix for a pair of standup comedy specials, according to Deadline. The first, Your Friend, Nate Bargatze, will debut on Dec. 24. Bargatze’s first two Netflix specials, The Tennessee Kid and The Greatest Average American, aired in 2019 and 2021, respectively. He chose Prime Video as the outlet for his last special, 2023’s Hello World …

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The Land of Oz will have more than enough tulips to go around.

Wicked director Jon M. Chu discussed the 9 million tulips planted in making the set for the upcoming film in an interview with Fandango that was published on Wednesday.

“Nine million tulips we planted,” Chu revealed in the interview. He shared that when the studio asked if that many tulips were necessary, “Sorry we already planted them,” was the response.

Chu went into further detail on developing a real-life Emerald City for the film.

“We built the Emerald City,” the director said. “You could walk through the Emerald City, go into the bakery shop and look at what kind of sweets they had. You could go into the salon and sit in a chair.” 

Chu said directing a movie with this level of set design has been a life’s dream.

“This is a spectacle on the grandest scale. I’ve dreamed about making a movie like this since seeing … behind-the-scenes pictures of Cleopatra,” said Chu.

Wicked, hitting theaters on Nov. 22, features a star-studded cast, including Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, with Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum and Peter Dinklage in supporting roles.

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After splitting with Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez says that for the first time in her life she’s happy being alone.

Speaking to comedian Nikki Glaser for Interview magazine, Jennifer said, “Being in a relationship doesn’t define me. I can’t be looking for happiness in other people. I have to have happiness within myself.”

Jennifer said she’s “not looking for anybody” these days, and she’s fine with that.

“For people who are romantics and love being in relationships and want to grow old with somebody, we think, ‘I have to have that to be whole and happy,'” she said. “And you don’t.”

She said she asked herself, “What can I f****** do when it’s just me flying on my own … what if I’m just free?”

“You have to be complete, if you want something that’s more complete. You have to be good on your own,” Jennifer added. “I thought I learned that, but I didn’t. And then, this summer, I had to be like, ‘I need to go off and be on my own. I want to prove to myself that I can do that.'”

And while she says the journey can sometimes feel “lonely, unfamiliar, scary,” “sad” or even “desperate,” she realized she’s “capable of joy and happiness all by myself.” She also says she’s learned not to let the haters affect her too much.

“How can I pay attention to that when I have these beautiful kids and all this amazing stuff going on in my life? I can’t,” she said. “Even in hard times, I just go, ‘You know the truth.’ Head high. Like they said in Finding Nemo: Keep on swimming.”

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The collectible movie concessions war rolls on. 

The recent trend that started with Dune Part 2‘s popcorn bucket, which was spoofed by Saturday Night Live and Deadpool & Wolverine‘s cheeky AMC offerings, continues with the forthcoming releases of Wicked and Gladiator II. 

Regal Cinemas has revealed it is offering a soda conveyance shaped like a pointy witch hat and a glowing lantern to hold your popcorn. The latter shows Ariana Grande‘s Glinda and Cynthia Erivo‘s Elphaba walking the Yellow Brick Road hand in hand. There are also other pieces in the collection, like change purses and clutches.

Incidentally, Regal will also offer themed merch for Gladiator II, with a popcorn bucket shaped like the helmet first worn by Russell Crowe‘s Maximus in the original. In the sequel, Paul Mescal plays his son Lucius, who eventually dons his father’s armor.

Are you not entertained?

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Alan Ritchson‘s hulking hero Jack Reacher will return for a fourth season, Prime Video announced on Wednesday. 

The early renewal comes as the show’s third season is still in production.

The streamer noted in the announcement that the second season of the series based on author and show co-producer Lee Child‘s beloved investigator was the most viewed 2023 release on Prime Video.

“Reacher has become a phenomenon that continues to resonate with our global customers beyond our wildest expectations and we are thrilled to bring the series back for an additional season,” said Vernon Sanders, head of television for Amazon MGM Studios. He added, “We are looking forward to more action and adventure from the immensely talented team behind the series.”

The third season of the action-packed drama series will be based on the seventh book in Child’s bestselling series, Persuader. “Reacher must go undercover to rescue an informant held by a haunting foe from his past,” Prime Video teases. 

Maria Sten will return for season 3, joined by Anthony Michael Hall, Sonya Cassidy, Johnny Berchtold, Brian Tee, Roberto Montesinos, Olivier Richters and Daniel David Stewart.

Meanwhile, as reported, the streamer is also developing a spin-off series centering on Sten’s Frances Neagley, one of Reacher’s allies.

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At a BFI London Film Festival event on Wednesday, Oscar winner Daniel Kaluuya spoke reverently about his friend, Black Panther co-star and former mentor, the late Chadwick Boseman.

To fellow actor, moderator and longtime friend Ashley Walters, Kaluuya said meeting Boseman as they were about to work on Black Panther was a “pivotal moment” in his life.

Boseman died at age 43 on Aug. 28, 2020, after a yearslong, private battle with colon cancer.

“I remember we had a dinner, and I sat opposite him. He could see my life was changing, and I didn’t know,” Kaluuya recalled, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“He leaned in — and I was about to go on a press run, and I didn’t have a publicist,” Kaluuya said with a laugh. “He leaned in and saw I needed help and guidance, and I didn’t have to ask. And I didn’t know how to ask.”

Daniel continued, “He big bro-ed me, he helped me out.”

The English actor offered, “He was an incredible leader on set, and I really felt for him because doing those Marvel things, that’s work. That’s hard. Especially doing the action sequences in those suits in hot weather, it’s hard on the body.”

He added, “Knowing that he did that while he was going through what he was going through, I don’t really have the words for it.”

“He just gave everything, he led in a very noble way. He always brought people together. … He always had time for everyone. Him and Lupita [Nyong’o], they were always back and forth, and they just knew that my life was changing.”

Kaluuya would later win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar in 2021 for Judas and the Black Messiah.

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In a spoof of the viral skit they appeared in to announce that Hugh Jackman would return as Wolverine, the Tony winner took to social media with Ryan Reynolds to announce that he will be playing Radio City Music Hall in New York City. 

In a role reversal from the original, it’s Jackman who appears on a couch, addressing the camera.

“A little over two years ago, Ryan sat in this very seat and announced to the world that I would be coming back for Deadpool & Wolverine,” Hugh began. “It was the time of my life. I’ve been wondering what comes next.”

At this point, as Jackman did in the original video, Reynolds emerges behind him, eating an apple, and nonchalantly walks up a flight of stairs.

“Hey Ryan, you wanna come to one of my live performances at Radio City Music Hall?”

Reynolds replies, “What, you’re gonna be like singing and dancing and joking live? Am I gonna be in it?”

Jackman shakes his head to the camera, but says, “Absolutely!” 

Off camera, Reynolds says, “I’ll break out the eyeliner.”

Hugh whispers, “No. This is my time.”

The bit then announces the title of the shows — From New York with Love, Hugh Jackman — before the pair are found on the couch again, enthusiastically talking about what will happen. But as in the D&W announcement, you can’t hear what they’re spoiling.

“I’m not in it?” Ryan then says, dejectedly. “Onstage, no, but in my heart, yeah,” Hugh says, allowing he “needs” him in the audience and he’ll have to buy his own ticket … for the tech rehearsals.

The 12-show engagement begins on Jan. 24. Full details and early registration for tickets can be found at FromNewYorkWithLoveHJ.com.

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Actress Jenna Fischer announced she is now cancer-free after battling stage 1 triple positive breast cancer.

The actress, 50, shared the news in an Instagram post on Tuesday revealing the diagnosis, detailing her battle against the disease and thanking those who supported her throughout her recovery.

“Last December, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer. After completing surgery, chemotherapy and radiation I am now cancer free,” Fischer wrote in the caption of the post which was shared along with a smiling photo of her.

Fischer began her post by explaining the circumstances of her diagnosis in 2023 after previously posting about her upcoming mammogram.

“Back in October of 2023 I posted a photo of myself on Instagram preparing for my routine mammogram with a joking reminder to ‘take care of your ticking time bags’ a la Michael Scott,” she wrote.

“After inconclusive results on that mammogram due to dense breast tissue, my doctor ordered a breast ultrasound. They found something in my left breast. A biopsy was ordered. Then, on December 1, 2023, I learned I had Stage 1 Triple Positive Breast Cancer,” she wrote. Fischer described the diagnosis as “an aggressive form of breast cancer” that is “highly responsive to treatment.”

Fischer explained in January she underwent a lumpectomy, removing the tumor that had been found. Although the cancer had not spread, she said due to its aggressive nature “it still required chemotherapy and radiation to be sure it didn’t return.”

Fischer shared in February she began 12 weeks of chemotherapy and three weeks of radiation. She also shared that while she is still taking “infusions of Herceptin and a daily dose of Tamoxifen” she is “feeling great.”

She went on to thank the “village” of people who helped her along the way, and implored her followers to get their annual mammograms.

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Netflix has dropped the official trailer for season 2 of The Diplomat, which picks up after right after Kate — played by Keri Russell — learns that Britain’s prime minister was responsible for the attack on one of its warships. She’ll have to prove it in season 2, series creator Debora Cahn tells Netflix’s Tudum. She’ll also have to contend with the bomb that exploded in the season 1 finale, in which Kate’s colleagues and her estranged husband, portrayed by Rufus Sewell, “are victims of a politically motivated attack in London that takes some lives and shatters the rest.” Allison Janney will join the cast for season 2, playing Vice President Grace Penn …

Keke Palmer, Naomi Ackie, LaKeith Stanfield and Demi Moore have been tapped to star in I Love Boosters, the next project from Sorry to Bother You filmmaker Boots Riley, according to Deadline. All that’s known about the film at this time is that it centers on a ring of enterprising shoplifters — or boosters — who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven, per the outlet …

Netflix has pulled the plug on the Jeff Goldblum-led Greek mythology comedy series Kaos after just one season, according to Variety. Goldblum plays a modern-day vengeful Zeus in the dark comedy, described as a “contemporary take on Greek mythology, exploring love, power and life in the underworld” …

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