Anthony Anderson, Taye Diggs and more going ‘The Full Monty’ for Fox in December

Anthony Anderson, Taye Diggs and more going ‘The Full Monty’ for Fox in December
Anthony Anderson, Taye Diggs and more going ‘The Full Monty’ for Fox in December
Fox

Fox has announced exactly when Anthony Anderson, Taye Diggs, James Van Der Beek, Dancing with the StarsBruno Tonioli, Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs and Teen Wolf‘s Tyler Posey will be going The Full Monty: the evening of Monday, Dec. 9.

As reported in May, the sextet will be bearing it all on The Real Full Monty to raise awareness for prostate, testicular and colorectal cancer testing and research.

The network strips it all down: “During the two-hour special, Anderson will lead Diggs, Jones, Posey, Tonioli and Van Der Beek as they train and rehearse for the most revealing performance of their careers, culminating with a big strip-tease dance … in front of a live audience.”

The action will be choreographed by Mandy Moore, veteran of Fox’s So You Think you Can Dance, the Oscar-winning La La Land and Taylor Swift‘s Eras Tour.

The network continues, “Leading up to the final disrobing, the men will expand their limits, test their modesty and strengthen their bond with a series of rehearsals and experiences, both private and public, designed to build confidence and remove them far from their comfort zone and forge a brotherhood.”

“Along the way, each of the celebrities will share their personal stories of how cancer has impacted their lives,” the producers concluded.

Back when the special was announced in May, Anderson noted, “Don’t die of embarrassment. Get checked!”

He added, “I am honored to lead the charge of rallying these fearless men to bare it all, in order to provoke, inspire and in this case, beg you to get screened for cancer. That’s our goal … so what are you waiting for!?”

The Real Full Monty will air Dec. 9 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET on Fox.

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Jenn Tran on her journey as 1st Asian American Bachelorette, how she’s not giving up on love

Jenn Tran on her journey as 1st Asian American Bachelorette, how she’s not giving up on love
Jenn Tran on her journey as 1st Asian American Bachelorette, how she’s not giving up on love
Disney/Richard Middlesworth

Jenn Tran is reflecting on her time as the first Asian American Bachelorette.

The 26-year-old physician assistant, whose journey to finding love on the show ended with a heartbreaking finale, thanked fans for their support all season and shared how she is “still healing” from her experience.

“Thank you for opening your hearts to my story,” she said in an Instagram post on Thursday. “Being the first Asian American bachelorette has been a healing experience for me and I couldn’t be happier to watch my community come alive.”

“No matter where you are in your search for your identity, please remember you are worthy and you are exactly who you need to be,” she added.

During the After the Final Rose special on Tuesday, Tran revealed that Devin Strader, the man she’d proposed to on the Bachelorette finale back in May, had called off their engagement about a month ago.

Tran also came face-to-face with Strader in front of the live studio audience during the episode and confronted him about why after ending their engagement he went on to follow a former contestant on the previous season of The Bachelor, Maria Georgas, on Instagram.

In her post, which featured photos from the finale and her proposal to Strader, Tran said that her heart is “heavy grieving,” but that she has to “make room for forgiveness.”

“While emotions were high on stage, at the end of the day, I will always have love for the person I fell in love with and I am choosing to wish him the best in his journey of life and will always root for him,” she said.

She also acknowledged the “universal experience” of heartbreak, adding, “It is easier to have loved and lost to have never loved at all.”

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In Brief: ‘Reacher’ getting a spin-off, and more

In Brief: ‘Reacher’ getting a spin-off, and more
In Brief: ‘Reacher’ getting a spin-off, and more

Variety is reporting that Prime Video is developing a spin-off of its hit Reacher series. The trade speculates it will center on Frances Neagley, who is played by Maria Sten in the hit adaptation of Lee ChildsJack Reacher books …

The ‘Burbs, a new TV adaptation of the 1989 movie of the same name, has been given a straight-to-series order from Peacock. Keke Palmer is set to star and executive produce, with Brian Grazer and Seth MacFarlane also on board as executive producers. The show follows a young couple who encounter new next-door neighbors with dark secrets … 

The sci-fi film The Assignment, starring Alicia Vikander and Elizabeth Olsen, has been scooped up by Prime Video, Deadline is reporting. The movie centers on a resources-strapped future where the government decides who is allowed to have a baby — and the invasive, psychologically horrifying interview Olsen’s character must endure to prove she’s worthy. The film, which also stars Minnie Driver, will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, which is just getting underway …

 

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Adria Arjona on ‘Blink Twice’ and her very busy summer

Adria Arjona on ‘Blink Twice’ and her very busy summer
Adria Arjona on ‘Blink Twice’ and her very busy summer
Amazon MGM Studios

In a summer of twisters, animated emotions and, of course, superheroes, the modestly budgeted film Blink Twice has performed well and gotten strong reviews.

Many have praised first-time director and writer Zoë Kravitz’s handling of the intriguing thriller about a couple of women who think they’re on a dream vacation on a billionaire’s private island, but soon find it’s too good to be true. 

Kravitz’s real-life boyfriend, Channing Tatum, plays Slater, the cad in question.

One of those praising Zoë is Adria Arjona (AH-dree-ah are-HO-nah), who tells ABC Audio, “This is a hard movie, I think, for any director to direct, let alone the first-time director.” 

She says Zoë “just was a pro at nailing the tone and finding the satire and the comedy and the darkness and the excitement and the element of fun that this island … embodies.”

Adria plays Sarah, one of the beauties on the island competing for Slater’s attention. “I mean, a woman competing with another woman — that’s, like, so gross,” Adria says.

“Like, there’s nothing uglier than a woman competing with another woman. I read it and I was like, ‘Oof.’ But again, that was the part that kind of challenged me.”

Arjona recently starred in the Netflix action-comedy Hit Man opposite Glen Powell; she’s part of the cast of the acclaimed Disney+ Star Wars series Andor; and she has four other films in the works. “It’s really exciting that I get to reach so many people, and people are excited to watch me,” she says. 

That said, she adds, “I’m having really interesting conversations with strangers. Sometimes that can get scary. I’m not gonna lie. … Yeah, it’s really exciting.” 

 

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Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen to star in ‘JonBenét Ramsey’ for Paramount+

Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen to star in ‘JonBenét Ramsey’ for Paramount+
Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen to star in ‘JonBenét Ramsey’ for Paramount+
Photos: Gerhard Kassner — Good Morning America

Clive Owen and Melissa McCarthy will star as John Bennett and Patsy Ramsey, the parents of murdered child pageant contestant JonBenét Ramsey.

Paramount+ says the limited series tentatively titled JonBenét Ramsey will explore “the tragic unsolved murder of [the] six-year-old beauty queen,” who was killed inside her home in 1996.

“It follows the Ramsey family, before and after the tragedy as they go through the painful loss of a child while facing intense public scrutiny caused by a media frenzy that caused this case to captivate an entire nation,” the streamer continues.

“At the heart of the series, it is the story of Patsy and John Ramsey — exploring the unbreakable partnership of these two complex people — as husband and wife, as mother and father — who had committed themselves and their children to building the narrative of a perfect, privileged life only to have it destroyed one Christmas night in 1996.”

The project has been in the works for some time. Paramount Global co-CEO Chris McCarthy is confident his just-announced stars are the perfect fit.

“Melissa McCarthy and Clive Owen are an extraordinary duo to delve into this tragic story that has cast a long, haunting shadow over American culture for nearly three decades,” he said.

Jeff Grossman, executive vice president of programming at Paramount+, said of the titular victim, “The incredible talent of Melissa McCarthy, Clive Owen and the creative team led by Richard LaGravenese will illuminate her story with the acuity and nuance it deserves.”

  

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Ariana, Cynthia and flying monkeys, oh my: Universal Pictures conjures up eye-popping trailer to ‘Wicked’

Ariana, Cynthia and flying monkeys, oh my: Universal Pictures conjures up eye-popping trailer to ‘Wicked’
Ariana, Cynthia and flying monkeys, oh my: Universal Pictures conjures up eye-popping trailer to ‘Wicked’
Universal Pictures

Universal has dropped the most detailed look yet at its star-studded movie adaptation of the smash musical Wicked.

The movie from director Jon M. Chu stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo as, respectively, Glinda and Elphaba aka the Good and Wicked witches of Oz.

The trailer shows the pair meeting and green-skinned Elphaba’s struggle to fit in — even as her “extraordinary” powers are cultivated by Michelle Yeoh‘s Madam Morrible. 

In the coming attraction, both young witches go off to see the Wizard — that is, Jeff Goldblum as the avatar behind a fearsome mechanical face — and yes, they follow the Yellow Brick Road to get there at his direction.

However, he’s scheming an opportunity in splitting the pair apart. “The best way to bring folks together is to give ’em a real good enemy,” he purrs. 

At this, Erivo is seen donning a pointy black hat and apparently breaking bad, flying through the window on a broom.

“It’s the wizard who should be afraid of me!” she later says defiantly.

And while the show’s celebrated music is heard throughout, both Erivo and Grande are heard — but not seen — at the close, blowing the doors off the climax of the production’s showstopper “Defying Gravity.”

The first part of the two-part epic opens in theaters Nov. 22; part two is slated for a Nov. 26, 2025, release.

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Jerry Ferrara throws back to ‘Entourage’, talks new sports podcast ‘Throwbacks’

Jerry Ferrara throws back to ‘Entourage’, talks new sports podcast ‘Throwbacks’
Jerry Ferrara throws back to ‘Entourage’, talks new sports podcast ‘Throwbacks’
ABC Audio

“I got a wild career, man,” former Entourage star Jerry Ferrara tells ABC Audio. “I’m not even saying it’s like the best career ever, but I think it’s one of the more unique ones, that’s for sure.”

Indeed, the guy who got famous playing fast-talking dealmaker Turtle in Entourage has appeared opposite Robert De Niro and Morgan Freeman in Last Vegas, was directed by Clint Eastwood in Sully and recently appeared on the smash series Power.

He now has a new project: Throwbacks, a sports, entertainment and lifestyle podcast he’s co-hosting with Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart.

Ferrara was early to the podcasting game, having started one with his wife back in 2012, but he explains the new project combines some of his great loves. “My side hustles … have always been about, ‘Hey, how can I figure out how to semi earn a living talking and doing things that I like do for fun,’ which was always like video games, golf and talking sports, right?”

He and Leinart share interests in each other’s respective careers, and with kids the same age, they’re “becoming friends in real time.”

Entourage turned 20 years old in July, and Ferrara describes how fondly he looks back at it. “It’s a lot easier to appreciate it now because when it was going on, I remember just being … always worried it was going to get taken away because it was too good to be true, you know?”

He adds, “So now knowing that, hey, look, there’s nothing that could happen. No one can take it away. … It’s nice to look back on it. I have a 16-year-old nephew who’s watching it now … and it’s so funny to see a young person nowadays watching it.”

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Allison Janney revealed in tease to second season of Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat’

Allison Janney revealed in tease to second season of Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat’
Allison Janney revealed in tease to second season of Netflix’s ‘The Diplomat’
Alex Bailey/Netflix © 2024

Netflix has dropped a teaser for the second season of its acclaimed political drama The Diplomat.

There’s no dialogue, but the snippet reveals Allison Janney, who joins the cast for the sophomore frame as Vice President Grace Penn.

As Keri Russell‘s character, U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom Kate Wyler, poses on a red carpet with her husband, fellow career diplomat Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell), Janney turns around and stares icily at Russell, setting up an obviously antagonistic relationship between the pair to come.

Also of note, fans had been speculating about whether Hal had survived a cliff-hanger explosion at the end of season 1 — and while it seems he has, the streamer hints the blowback from the incident will continue to unfold.

Its synopsis reads: “A deadly explosion in the heart of London shatters US Ambassador Kate Wyler’s world. Struggling to rebuild the lives that broke and the team that split apart, Kate’s worst fears unfold: The attack that brought her to the UK didn’t come from a rival nation, it came from inside the British government.”

The new season drops on Oct. 31.

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Liev Schreiber thinks “it’s amazing” fans wanted to see him reprise ‘X-Men’ role in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’

Liev Schreiber thinks “it’s amazing” fans wanted to see him reprise ‘X-Men’ role in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
Liev Schreiber thinks “it’s amazing” fans wanted to see him reprise ‘X-Men’ role in ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’
Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

While Deadpool & Wolverine brought back a host of heroes and villains from Marvel movie past, one actor who didn’t get the call from Ryan Reynolds and company was Liev Schreiber

The former Ray Donovan star played Logan/Wolverine’s ally-turned-enemy Sabretooth in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. But when Sabretooth returned in the Deadpool film, his version was played by Tyler Mane, who originally played the baddie in 2000’s X-Men

Still, before the film came out, fans were speculating Schreiber would turn up — and that’s enough for him, he tells Collider

“It’s amazing,” he said. “I can’t begin to tell you what it feels like when people are thinking about something you did and are so appreciative of it that they want you to do it again.”

Schreiber related that to when “Showtime pulled the plug on” Ray Donovan. “I was just so overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from fans who watched.”

He adds, “When you’re making a television show, or you’re making a film, I’m not in there with the audience, I don’t know that anybody sees it. Of course, if you follow that sort of thing, you can see the numbers, that millions of people have seen it, but I generally don’t follow.”

That said, Liev said with a laugh, “I was so surprised that we had that many fans, and I was so surprised that people were campaigning for me to be in the new Deadpool movie.”

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Michael Keaton reveals plans to start using combo of birth and professional name

Michael Keaton reveals plans to start using combo of birth and professional name
Michael Keaton reveals plans to start using combo of birth and professional name
James MacCauley/Shutterstock

You know him as Michael Keaton, but the actor is planning to change his name in show business.

Born Michael Douglas — just like the two-time Wall Street Oscar winner — the Beetlejuice star opened up in a new interview about choosing his professional moniker when starting out in the ’70s due to the Screen Actors Guild rule that prohibits two members from having the same name.

Keaton told People he doesn’t recall if he found his chosen name in a phone book like the rumors suggest, but added, “I must’ve gone, ‘I don’t know, let me think of something here.’ And I went, ‘Oh, that sounds reasonable.'”

Despite making a name for himself — quite literally — throughout his decadeslong career, starring in movies like Birdman and even playing Batman, the actor said he’d like to go by a combination of his birth name and stage name: Michael Keaton Douglas.

In fact, Keaton said he intended to be credited with the hybrid name on Knox Goes Away, the film he directed and starred in that was released in theaters earlier this year, but simply “forgot.”

“It totally got away from me,” he said. “And I forgot to give them enough time to put it in and create that. But it will happen.”

“Michael Keaton” can next be seen on the big screen in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long-awaited sequel coming more than 35 years after the original, out Friday.

 

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