Entertainment

Mark Consuelos appeared on Live with Kelly and Ryan Friday to discuss his new job as wife Kelly Ripa‘s co-host after Ryan Seacrest departs the show this spring.

Consuelos, who married Ripa in May 1996, joked about working with his wife every day, saying, “I get to share a coffee with you every morning before the show and now I’ll have one with you on the show, as well.”

Seacrest then addressed Consuelos, telling him, “I do want to say you are a brother to me. You are a family member to me. I have become so close with both of you.”

“I couldn’t be happier to see you come in and be next to your wife every day,” he added, calling Ripa “the most amazing human being on the planet.”

Consuelos said he “echoed” Seacrest’s sentiments, adding, “I can’t think of a better person to sit next to my wife the past six years. You’re a true friend, you’re a brother, you’re generous to my wife — to my whole family.”

“I got to meet your family, too … I loved your parents and your niece and your sister and brother-in-law,” he added as Seacrest became teary-eyed.

Consuelos then said he knew he was filling an “iconic” chair on the ABC morning talk show, saying, “I think it’s going to be a blast.”

Seacrest announced during the February 16 episode of Live that he would be leaving the show to focus on hosting American Idol season 21 and other projects.

Seacrest, who joined Live as Ripa’s co-host in 2017, said he’ll be back to guest host in the future.

Consuelos shared a post on Instagram the day of Seacrest’s announcement, in which he congratulated him on his “next chapter.”

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Marvel Studios debuts Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on Friday.

The movie sees Paul Rudd‘s Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly‘s Hope van Dyne/The Wasp, Scott’s daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton), and Hope’s parents Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) sucked into the dangerous subatomic world known as the Quantum Realm.

There they come face to face with Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror, a brutal dictator who shares a past with Pfeiffer’s character, who had been trapped there for decades.

Pardon the pun, but both titular size-shifting heroes say there’s been some growth between them.

“I think that he’s kind of grown a lot as over the course of nine years or so that we’ve been doing these movies,” Rudd explains. “He was, you know, brought into this group [The Avengers], has no innate super abilities. But then he went up and fought Thanos. So he’s he’s he’s experienced a thing or two.”

With Thanos vanquished at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Lang “really does want to be a dad … He is happy that most of all of that … seems to be in the rearview mirror.”

Lilly explains of Hope, “Over the course of these three films, I’ve had this incredible arc … where she has … repaired her relationship with her father. She’s reunited with her long-lost mother. She’s fallen madly in love with Scott, and she’s become a stepmom to Cassie.”

Pfeiffer says her character is secretive about the horrors she’s seen in the Quantum Realm, so her survival skills surprise her stranded family. However, the star remains humble about her action scenes, saying with a laugh, “I have no idea what I’m doing.” She says of her Marvel movie hero co-stars, “I just copy what they do.”

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

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Milo Ventimiglia is back on TV with The Company You Keep — his first post-This Is Us project, which debuts Sunday night on ABC.

Ventimiglia plays a con artist who might be falling for a CIA agent, and he tells ABC Audio the show shares some DNA with a few other popular movies and shows, but with a twist.

“There’s Out of Sight, there’s Ocean’s 11, The Italian Jobs, with a little bit of like kind of Americans spun in there, but I think the goal of what we’ve really wanted to do, and this is also part of the ethos I think on set, is like, have fun, enjoy ourselves,” he explains. “You know, this is entertainment. This is something we want people to turn on for an hour of, you know, appointment television to be like, ‘Wow, I had a great time. Cool. And I can get back to my life and look forward to next week.'”

Ventimiglia jumped at the chance to do another show on broadcast TV, sharing that he’s “kind of a product of broadcast.”

“I’ve done a lot of broadcast in my career, and I think for the hard charge into cable, streaming, superhero type roles, whatever, there’s something very comforting [about being] on every television in the country and extend beyond that,” he says.

Catherine Haena Kim, who plays the CIA agent, agrees there’s “something so iconic about broadcast” because “it’s the way that we all grew up watching TV.”

“There’s such like an intentionality about it when you know you have to be home at a specific time. Like most people don’t do that anymore,” she shares. “But there’s something so special when you get so excited about a show that you want to tune in 10 p.m. nine Central on Sundays.”

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On Thursday, Disney+ released a new clip from The Mandalorian‘s third season, which debuts on the streaming service March 1.

The scene acts as a bit of an expository catchup for viewers, as Pedro Pascal‘s Din Djarin reunites with Carl Weathers‘ Greef Karga in his lavish office on the now-bustling planet Nevarro. While the two converse, Grogu aka Baby Yoda puts his budding Force powers to good use by spinning himself in an office chair.

Karga, meanwhile, offers Din a sweet plot of land on which to kick up his boots.

When he asks Din why he is still with that “same little critter,” the Mando explains, “It’s complicated. I completed my quest,” which was to return him to Jedi, but “he returned to me.”

Catching Karga up further, Din adds, “I removed my helmet, and now I’m an apostate.”

Karga offers, “Which is all the more reason that you stay here with us. Where you’re from, you may be an apostate. But here, you’d be landed gentry.”

As they chat, Grogu spies some snacks on Karga’s desk and uses the Force to grab a bite.

The third season will see Din blast off to the ruins of Mandalore, as directed by The Armorer (Emily Swallows), to cleanse himself of the sin of removing his bucket. Along the way, the streaming service teases, “The Mandalorian will cross paths with old allies and make new enemies as he and Grogu continue their journey together.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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When one thinks of the blockbuster, block-spinning game Tetris, one might not think of international intrigue and Soviet secret police chases through the streets of Moscow. But that’s the story of how the game came to be, as presented in Apple TV+’s tense trailer to its original movie that shares the game’s name.

The ad copy reads, “The game you couldn’t put down. The story you couldn’t make up,” and that’s pretty spot-on.

Taron Egerton reunites with his Kingsman director and Rocketman producer Matthew Vaughn to play Henk Rogers, who in 1988 discovers “the perfect game” that was created in then-Soviet Russia and becomes immediately addicted.

He becomes equally obsessed with bringing Tetris to the masses, but that’s no easy lift, what with skeptical game companies and, of course, the Iron Curtain and all.

“The Soviet Union has worldwide rights. Nothing gets out easily,” he explains, pinning his fortunes on winning over inventor Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov), as well as the USSR’s government.

Pre-Perestroika, however, that’s anything but guaranteed.

“The most powerful men in Communist Party are watching you and your family,” Pajitnov warns him.

The streamer teases, “Based on a true story, Tetris is a Cold War–era thriller on steroids, with double-crossing villains, unlikely heroes and a nail-biting race to the finish.”

Tetris debuts March 31.

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Michael Douglas added some Oscar cred to the Marvel Cinematic Universe when he was cast as Hank Pym, the original Ant-Man, in the size-shifting hero’s first movie in 2015. Two films later, he says he’s still having a blast.

Pym takes a more central role in Friday’s release, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. The movie sees Pym and his wife, Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), sucked into the tiny titular Quantum Realm, along with Paul Rudd‘s Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Evangeline Lilly‘s Hope van Dyne/The Wasp and Scott’s daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton).

The fact that the adventure is a family affair is one of the appeals of the trilogy, Douglas opined at a recent press event. “I think the Ant-Man pictures refer to family a lot. It brings a vulnerability to these superpower characters that we see in a lot of Marvel films. There’s a certain vulnerability and a sense of humor that exists. I think that is really a pleasure.”

The 78-year-old Wall Street star says his corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe appeals to “all different ages,” explaining, “Someone like myself who’s mostly referenced to R-rated movies, this has really been a pleasure to have a younger kids coming up and enjoying it.”

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania puts the Pym and Lang gang toe-to-toe with Jonathan Majors‘ Kang the Conqueror, a powerful being the heroes must stop from destroying the multiverse.

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

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Emma Heming Willis, the wife of Die Hard franchise star Bruce Willis, took to Instagram to share a sad update on the star’s condition.

As reported in March of last year, Willis was forced to step away from his acting career following the diagnosis of a brain condition known as aphasia, but Emma revealed Thursday things have taken a turn for the worse.

The message came in the form of a lengthy caption and a statement, as well as a photo of Bruce smiling on a beach.

The message began with Emma offering “our deepest gratitude for the incredible outpouring of love, support and wonderful stories we have all received since sharing Bruce’s original diagnosis.”

She continued, “Bruce’s condition has progressed and we now have a more specific diagnosis: frontotemporal dementia (known as FTD).”

Emma added, “Unfortunately, challenges with communication are just one symptom of the disease Bruce faces. While this is painful, it is a relief to finally have a clear diagnosis,” directing followers to a longer statement.

She called FTD “a cruel disease” for which there is no treatment.

She added of the Pulp Fiction star, “We know in our hearts that — if he could today — he would want to respond by bringing global attention and a connectedness with those who are also dealing with this debilitating disease.”

The statement continued, “Bruce has always found joy in life – and has helped everyone he knows to do the same. It has meant the world to see that sense of care echoed back to him and to all of us. We have been so moved by the love you have all shared for our dear husband, father, and friend during this difficult time. Your continued compassion, understanding, and respect will enable us to help Bruce live as full a life as possible.”

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Every year, the NAACP Image Awards hand out the President’s Award, honoring an individual for their distinguished public service. Receiving that award this year are Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade.

“We’re thrilled to present this award to Gabrielle Union-Wade and Dwyane Wade who together have consistently utilized their platforms to advance social justice and raise awareness to the inequalities existing in our country,” Derrick Johnson, NAACP president and CEO, said. “We’re proud to recognize the couple’s tireless humanitarian work as they continue to advocate for equality and acceptance for all.”

Gabrielle has supported organizations and nonprofits like Van Ness Recovery House, Leap for Ladies and Deborah’s Place; via her Flawless hair care line, she’s formed the Lift As We Climb initiative to support and share more resources with Black-owned small businesses.

Dwyane co-founded the Social Change Fund United alongside Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, intended “to support critical and timely issues impacting the Black community,” per the site. He’s advocated for stronger gun control, donated money to the Parkland students’ March for Our Lives, and launched an art exhibit to honor the 17 lives lost at the high school shooting. Wade also launched the Spotlight On initiative, which highlights Chicago youth “who are actively changing the city for the better.”

Together, Gab and Dwyane have backed causes advancing racial justice and LGBTQ equality by donating to marginalized communities in need via their Wade Family Foundation. 

“This year’s recipients of the NAACP President’s Award are not just a timely signifier of the issues that matter most to the community; they are a testament to what is possible when one commits themselves to advancement in those areas,” said BET’s president and CEO Scott Mills.

The NAACP Image Awards will air February 25 at 8 p.m. ET on BET.

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Actor Justice Smith is used to dodging dinosaur-sized threats in the Jurassic World movies, but his newest film, Sharper, streaming Friday on Apple TV+, features no computer-generated menaces.

That said, he explains to ABC Audio, looming large in the film is a threat bigger than any dinosaur.

“In another interview, someone was like, ‘ … you ran from dinosaurs and dragons and Pokémon and stuff and, you know, there’s no like big bad guy in this.’ But the big bad guy in this is capitalism and corporate greed,” he explains.

The movie’s title refers to a slang term for a swindler; in the film, his character, Tom, finds himself the target of some pretty sophisticated ones. With billions of dollars at stake from the empire run by his cold father (John Lithgow), Tom soon finds out the hard way that he can’t trust anyone.

“I love how this movie shows how thrilling simple human interaction can be,” Smith continues. “You know, it doesn’t have to be surrounded by all this fluff. You know, it can just be our relationships on screen and still capture an audience.”  

Sharper also stars executive producer and Oscar winner Julianne Moore, The Tender Bar‘s Briana Middleton, and Marvel movie star and Pam & Tommy Emmy nominee Sebastian Stan.

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You can say he’s back. 

Keanu Reeves is fighting for his freedom — and pretty much everybody else, too — in the final trailer to John Wick: Chapter 4. 

As previously reported, the new film will have Wick given a chance to get the mysterious High Table’s target off his back — by facing It star Bill Skarsgård‘s Marquis de Gramont in single combat. 

Along the way, however, there’s lots of multiple combat, of course. Wick is shown dispatching all manner of black-clad baddies, from the desert on horseback to the streets of Paris, with a gunfight amid the notorious traffic that spins around France’s Arc de Triomphe.

It’s there we see the return of what the filmmakers dubbed dog fu: As in Chapter 3: Parabellum, a four-legged friend has Wick’s back.

“The only way John Wick will have peace, and freedom, is in death,” Saïd Taghmaoui‘s returning High Table leader known as The Elder tells Wick. 

“Yeah, not really,” Wick replies before offing him, too.  

The movie also stars Bullet Train‘s Hiroyuki Sanada, English singer/songwriter Rina Sawayama — who is seen getting a gnarly kill of a goon crawling up a staircase, with her on his back — and martial arts legend and Rogue One star Donnie Yen, shown wiping out enemies with a flurry of his katana.

John Wick: Chapter Four blasts into theaters March 24. 

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