Entertainment

Variety reports Emma Samms, whose character Holly Sutton was last seen on General Hospital in 2023, will be returning to the ABC soap in early September. Samms, whose initial run on GH began in 1982, joins Jonathan Jackson, who returns as Lucky Spencer, and Rick Hearst, who’ll reprise his role as Ric Lansing after an eight-year absence. Further details on their comebacks are being kept under wraps …

FX has given a series order to Snowflakes, “a twenty-something ensemble comedy following a group of codependent housemates trying to be good people, despite being neither ‘good’ nor ‘people’ yet,” according to the cable channel. The half-hour comedy, from The Tonight Show writers Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw, stars newcomers Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao and Owen Thiele. Snowflakes is set to launch in 2025 …

Netflix has picked up the documentary series Famous Last Words, which showcases “the final major interviews from cultural icons,” according to Variety. Those subjects — including notable musicians, athletes, comedians, actors, business leaders and politicians — secretly film their conversations, which are aired only after the person has died, resulting in “a time capsule containing intimate conversations that capture the heartfelt reflections of luminaries” …

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“I’m very picky about a man being a gentleman,” first-ever The Golden Bachelorette, Joan Vassos, says in a new promo. “Somebody with a big heart, somebody who is generous and also somebody who’s humble.”

The video shows Vassos seated at the dining table with her loved ones, including her son, Nick, and daughter, Ally.

She asks her family for advice, including what questions to ask her suitors. Her son responds, “What are your three top priorities in life?”

At the end of the video, Vassos tells her kids that she isn’t planning on replacing their father, who died in 2021.

“I just want our family to be whole again,” she says. “So let’s cheers! Cheers to a great adventure.”

Vassos, who first appeared on Gerry Turner‘s inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor in 2023, spoke during the show about her 32-year marriage to her late husband and connected with Turner over their shared grief from losing their spouses.

In an Instagram post in January, she marked the three-year anniversary of her husband’s death, writing, “Some days it seems like it just happened and I can’t catch my breath, still feeling the shock of it. Other days it feels like he’s been gone a lifetime, those days are worse because I’m afraid the memories are fading. I think that’s what scares me the most.”

“I always knew that the hole he left in the universe when he passed away could never be filled, but I didn’t realize that maybe people might just stop noticing it was there,” she added. “He was the husband that always made me feel safe and cherished.”

The Golden Bachelorette premieres Sept. 18 on ABC.

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Harrison Ford, if you don’t know by now, is a pretty good actor. 

A chat with Entertainment Weekly reveals he straight-up lied to a reporter from another outlet about his character in Captain America: Brave New World, President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross.

A year ago, Ford was asked by ComicBook.com if the ripped pants he was spotted wearing on set were a hint of his character’s rage-filled alter ego, the Red Hulk. Convincingly seemingly clueless, Ford said, “What is a Red Hulk?”

When told about the character’s origins, Ford said, “Really!?”

To Entertainment Weekly, however, Ford revealed he was putting the reporter on for the sake of spoilers. “I was in on it,” he said. “Yes, I did know, and I thought it was a fabulous secret to keep. Unfortunately, the secret’s out of the bag.”

The 82-year-old added, “But what I do not know is what the Red Hulks do, which is very interesting to me.”

Ford also said he had “the best time” on the movie, noting, “I had seen other actors in the Marvel universe, well respected, really good actors, have a really good time, and I said, ‘I want me some of that.’ And I got some.”

Captain America: Brave New World opens Feb. 14, 2025. 

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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Jennifer Garner‘s Instagram is already famous for her takes on her daily life, and thanks to a new post and a stuck elevator, she’s gone viral again.

Garner was recently making her first trip to San Diego Comic-Con when her elevator stopped, trapping her and the other occupants inside. But in spite of her super-heroics onscreen, Garner called for help — from her costumed colleagues.

“I could use a Wolverine. I could use a Deadpool. I could use someone,” she said in the first video.

Eleven minutes into the ordeal she started filming again, explaining the elevator was getting “toasty” and as a result she was “shvitzy” — i.e. sweaty — and needed “to blot.” She added, “‘Don’t cut the blue wire’ is what I’m hearing.”

She later sat, explaining she heard “that’s what you’re supposed to do” thanks to an “episode of The Office or Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and still later, began singing “99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall” to pass the time.

Forty-five minutes in the occupants called 911, and at the one-hour mark, with Garner folding her hands and quietly singing “Like A Prayer,” lights on the stuck car activated.

But it was another 12 minutes before Madonna‘s intercession helped: Members of the local fire department were able to get the doors open.

Garner’s ordeal, updated July 28, got more than 365,000 likes on Instagram, including from Courtney Cox, Nathan Fillion (who called it “terrifying”) and Gwyneth Paltrow. The Goop maven expressed, “Okay, no way oh my god how are you so calm.”

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Even for a successful TV series, it’s pretty hard to stick the landing come its final episode — see also: the divisive swan songs of Seinfeld and The Sopranos.

With that in mind, and data from IMDB in hand, the online gambling site JeffBet looked into 100 TV finales and compared the show’s overall viewer score to what viewers thought of their final episodes.

The site then rated how poorly the finales fared and ranked them.

Killing Eve, BBC America’s lauded thriller series that saw lead Sandra Oh take home an Emmy, landed at the top of the list. Overall, the series has an average 8.1 rating on IMDB, the analysis says — but its finale was rated 2.4 out of 10, a 58% drop-off.

Second on the list is possibly a no-brainer: Game of Thrones. HBO’s acclaimed sword and sorcery show has an average user rating of 9.2 out of 10, but its finale earned a 4.0 from viewers, a 56.5% drop.

Third was the sitcom Two and a Half Men. While the CBS show starring Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer has a 7.1 average rating from viewers clocking in with IMDB, Men saw Sheen fired and replaced by Ashton Kutcher. In the end, the show’s finale scored a 3.8 out of 10.

Dexter ended up in fourth place: The serial killer series had an average of 8.6 out of 10, but its final episode was rated by viewers as a 4.7.

Netflix’s Bloodline rounded out the top five. While the series starring Kyle Chandler was decently well thought of by fans during its run, with a 7.9 average IMDB user score, its last episode got a failing grade: 5.1 out of 10.

Methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.

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The weekend box office take for Deadpool & Wolverine has been revised upward to $211 million domestically, with its global take now at $444.1 million — making it the sixth biggest opening of all time.

It was already the highest-grossing debut for an R-rated movie.

Even before all the numbers were in, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman were feeling very thankful.

“I couldn’t be happier and more ill-equipped to process any of this,” Reynolds said in part Monday in an Instagram Story.

He continued, “So many people loved this movie into reality. And I’m a f****** mess.” Ryan went on to thank producer Emma Watts for helping launch the first two Deadpool films, in addition to the threequel.

“I’m forever grateful,” Ryan closed.

Over the weekend Ryan and Jackman riffed on a famous image from the old X-Men animated series, which pictured Wolverine stroking a photo of his love, Jean Grey.

Jackman recreated the moment in costume. However, his point of view shows he’s caressing a photo with the words “#1 movie in the world.”

“Thank you ALL!” he captioned the snaps.

Ryan’s version has Deadpool staring lovingly at a framed photo of Jackman’s recreation. “I miss Hugh already,” Reynolds wrote.

On Sunday Guardians of the Galaxy writer-director James Gunn — now the co-head of DC Films — reached across the aisle to congratulate his former employers at Marvel, as well as Hugh, Ryan and director Shawn Levy, for Deadpool & Wolverine‘s success.

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While it’s already well documented that Gwyneth Paltrow isn’t too clear on the details of the Marvel Cinematic Universe — after all, she famously didn’t know which movies she was in — her Iron Man co-star Robert Downey Jr.‘s new role really threw her for a loop. 

When RDJ revealed over the weekend at San Diego Comic-Con that he was re-joining the MCU by playing villain Dr. Doom in two forthcoming movies, Gwyneth hit the pause button. 

To RDJ’s Instagram photo with his new mask, Paltrow asked, “I don’t get it, are you a baddie now?” Her confusion earned more than 14,000 likes.

Paltrow played Pepper Potts, the assistant-turned-eventual wife of Downey’s Tony Stark, who sacrificed himself to defeat Thanos in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

For the record, some of Downey’s other Avengers colleagues were more supportive.

As reported, Mark Ruffalo, who plays Bruce Banner/The Hulk, noted “Hey, Brat: Green suits you.” Downey’s Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo — who are also returning for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars — insisted “green is your color.” 

Jeremy Renner added, “Bringing the DOOM!”

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While Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively only recently revealed the name of their baby who was born last year, the Deadpool franchise star has revealed that little Olin is a boy.

The revelation came as Ryan was hailing the efforts of John Bell, a Nottingham, England man who lost his young son Jake, and who since has celebrated his late son’s love of Deadpool — and shed light on mental illness — by dressing up as the Merc with a Mouth.

Ryan posted to social media a video about Bell, explaining he learned about his quest six months ago: Bell can be seen dressed as the hero, wearing a cut-out, rubber duck-filled bathtub strapped to his shoulders. The heavy prop represents the weight of the grief he carries with him every day, Bell told the star.

Reynolds treated Bell to a Deadpool makeup makeover and sat down for an interview with him about his efforts.

“After I lost my son, it put me into a very dark place,” Bell explains, admitting he had thoughts of suicide for a year. But he now says, “I’ve made my peace with death,” adding, “I’m gonna be reunited with him at some point, but it damn ain’t right now.” 

At the end of the chat, an emotional Reynolds says, “I want to share with you that I, too, have a son, and that if I – Boy, John, if I love him one tenth as much as you love Jake, I feel like I’ve done a pretty damn good job.”

Blake and Ryan also have three daughters, James, 9, Inez, 7, and 4-year-old Betty.

If you or someone you know are experiencing suicidal, substance use or other mental health crises, please call or text 988. You will reach a trained crisis counselor for free, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also go to 988lifeline.org.

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War for the Planet of the Apes star Steve Zahn has been added to the cast of Apple TV +’s sci-fi series Silo, the streaming service has announced. Silo, per the streamer, follows “the last ten thousand people on earth, their mile-deep home protecting them from the toxic and deadly world outside. However, no one knows when or why the silo was built and any who try to find out face fatal consequences.” Rebecca Ferguson executive produces and stars in the series, along with Harriet Walter, Chinaza Uche, Avi Nash, David Oyelowo, Rashida Jones and Tim Robbins. The 10-episode season launches November 15 on Apple TV+ …

“The world ain’t set up for the honest man to succeed,” Colin Farrell‘s Oswald “Ozzy” Cobb, aka Penguin, says in the official trailer to the HBO series The Penguin. “America is a hustle.” The DC Studios series “continues filmmaker Matt Reeves’ The Batman epic crime saga that began with Warner Bros. Pictures’ global blockbuster The Batman,” per HBO. The series centers on the character played by Farrell in the film. The eight-episode limited series debuts weekly beginning September 19 on HBO and will be available to stream on Max …

Twisters star Glen Powell will guest star in the Family Guy Halloween episode making its way to Hulu October 14, according to Variety. He’ll play “Patrick McCloskey,” the reigning champion in Quahog’s annual Pumpkin Contest. The episode follows Peter and his friends, attempt to unseat the McClosky “by any means necessary” …

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Deadpool & Wolverine debuted with an estimated $205 million at the domestic box office — the biggest opening of 2024 so far, surpassing the recent record of $155 million recently set by Inside Out 2.

The film, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as the titular duo, also had the biggest opening weekend for an R-rated film, eclipsing the first Deadpool movie, which grossed $132 million. Deadpool 2 ranks third with $125 million.

Globally, Deadpool & Wolverine has topped $438 million.

Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe is now the first film franchise ever to top $30 billion worldwide, according to Variety, making it the most prolific Hollywood franchise with 34 installments over 15 years.

Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

Twisters finished the weekend in second place, earning an estimated $35.3 million at the North American box office in its second week of release. Its domestic tally now stands at $154.9 million.

Third place went to Despicable Me 3, which delivered an estimated $14.2 million at the domestic box office, bringing its four-week total to $290.9 million.

The aforementioned Inside Out 2 landed in fourth place, collecting an estimated $8.3 million in North America, bringing its seven-week tally to $613.4 million.

Rounding out the top five was the Nicholas Cage thriller Longlegs, adding an estimated $6.7 million in it’s third week at the domestic box office. The film has earned $58 million, surpassing Talk to Me as the highest-grossing indie horror film in North America, per Variety.

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