L-R: Hale, Schaal, and Hale — Disney/Brendan Meadows
The second season of The Mysterious Benedict Society debuts Wednesday with a two-episode premiere on Disney+. Once again, Veep vet Tony Hale plays the do-gooder, the eccentric Mr. Benedict, and his nefarious twin brother Dr. L.D. Curtain.
Benedict has gathered a new group of talented kids, but the second season sees him and faithful assistant Kristen Schaal‘s Number Two kidnapped, leading the children to call upon their special skills to find their lost comrades.
Hale tells ABC Audio he was excited to see the series return. “It’s really encouraging because what the books bring by Trent Stewart, I just so believe in…the fact that these kids, they don’t have the superpowers,” he says. “Their superpower is their intellect, their creativity and their empathy. And just that idea that everybody has a unique gift and can be a hero. And not to sound cheesy, but the uniqueness of that each child is what they bring to the table. And I love that!”
Season 2 sees some changes, however, Hale explains. “Both Kristen and my characters were kind of thrown for a loop because the guy that we ousted the first season, who is the, quote, bad guy, now all of a sudden, he’s a self-help guru selling happiness. And we’re just like, what?!” he says.
Schaal, who famously voices Louise on Bob’s Burgers, says she gave a lot of autographs out to her young co-stars just for that reason. She also loves what makes Number Two tick. “That character is so fun because she definitely is very efficient, very good at things, which I am not,” she expresses.
She adds of her young colleagues, “They’re so talented and fun and capable…So it’s just been a real pleasure to get to work with them.”
The nominees are in for 2022’s People’s Choice Awards, with movies including Bullet Train and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,and TV shows including Better Call Saul and Stranger Things all in the running.
Hosted again by Kenan Thompson, the telecast will air December 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC and E!
For the full list of nominees and to vote for your favorites, visit VotePCA.com.
Here are a list of the nominees for film and TV:
THE MOVIE OF 2022 Bullet Train Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Elvis Jurassic World Dominion Nope The Batman Thor: Love and Thunder Top Gun: Maverick
THE COMEDY MOVIE OF 2022 Fire Island Hustle Hocus Pocus 2 Marry Me Senior Year The Adam Project The Lost City Ticket To Paradise
THE ACTION MOVIE OF 2022 Black Adam Bullet Train Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Jurassic World Dominion The Batman The Woman King Thor: Love and Thunder Top Gun: Maverick
THE DRAMA MOVIE OF 2022 Nope Death on the Nile Don’t Worry Darling Elvis Halloween Ends Luckiest Girl Alive Scream Where the Crawdads Sing
THE MALE MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Brad Pitt – Bullet Train
Chris Hemsworth – Thor: Love and Thunder
Chris Pratt – Jurassic World: Dominion
Daniel Kaluuya – Nope
Dwayne Johnson – Black Adam
Miles Teller – Top Gun: Maverick
Ryan Reynolds – The Adam Project
Tom Cruise – Top Gun: Maverick
THE FEMALE MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Elizabeth Olsen – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Gal Gadot – Death on the Nile
Jennifer Garner – The Adam Project
Jennifer Lopez – Marry Me
Joey King – Bullet Train
Keke Palmer – Nope
Queen Latifah – Hustle
Viola Davis – The Woman King
THE DRAMA MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Austin Butler – Elvis
Daniel Kaluuya – Nope
Florence Pugh – Don’t Worry Darling
Gal Gadot – Death on the Nile
Harry Styles – Don’t Worry Darling
Jamie Lee Curtis – Halloween Ends
Keke Palmer – Nope
Mila Kunis – Luckiest Girl Alive
THE COMEDY MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Adam Sandler – Hustle
Channing Tatum – The Lost City
Jennifer Garner – The Adam Project
Jennifer Lopez – Marry Me
Julia Roberts – Ticket To Paradise
Queen Latifah – Hustle
Ryan Reynolds – The Adam Project
Sandra Bullock – The Lost City
THE ACTION MOVIE STAR OF 2022
Chris Hemsworth – Thor: Love and Thunder
Chris Pratt – Jurassic World: Dominion
Dwayne Johnson – Black Adam
Elizabeth Olsen – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Joey King – Bullet Train
Tom Cruise – Top Gun: Maverick
Viola Davis – The Woman King
Zöe Kravitz – The Batman
THE SHOW OF 2022 Abbott Elementary Better Call Saul Grey’s Anatomy House of the Dragon Obi-Wan Kenobi Saturday Night Live Stranger Things This Is Us
THE DRAMA SHOW OF 2022 Better Call Saul Cobra Kai Euphoria Grey’s Anatomy Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Ozark The Walking Dead This Is Us
THE COMEDY SHOW OF 2022 Abbott Elementary Black-ish Only Murders in the Building Never Have I Ever Saturday Night Live The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window Young Rock Young Sheldon
THE REALITY SHOW OF 2022 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days Below Deck Sailing Yacht Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta The Kardashians The Real Housewives of Atlanta The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills Selling Sunset
THE COMPETITION SHOW OF 2022 America’s Got Talent American Idol Dancing with the Stars RuPaul’s Drag Race The Bachelorette The Masked Singer Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls The Voice
THE MALE TV STAR OF 2022
Dwayne Johnson – Young Rock
Ewan McGregor – Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ice-T – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Jason Bateman – Ozark
Noah Schnapp – Stranger Things
Norman Reedus – The Walking Dead
Oscar Isaac – Moon Knight
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us
THE FEMALE TV STAR OF 2022
Millie Bobby Brown – Stranger Things
Ellen Pompeo – Grey’s Anatomy
Kristen Bell – The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan – Never Have I Ever
Mandy Moore – This Is Us
Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building
THE DRAMA TV STAR OF 2022
Ellen Pompeo – Grey’s Anatomy
Jason Bateman – Ozark
Mandy Moore – This Is Us
Mariska Hargitay – Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Norman Reedus – The Walking Dead
Sterling K. Brown – This Is Us
Sydney Sweeney – Euphoria
Zendaya – Euphoria
THE COMEDY TV STAR OF 2022
Bowen Yang – Saturday Night Live
Dwayne Johnson – Young Rock
Kenan Thompson – Saturday Night Live
Kristen Bell – The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan – Never Have I Ever
Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary
Selena Gomez – Only Murders in the Building
Tracee Ellis Ross – Black-Ish
THE DAYTIME TALK SHOW OF 2022 Good Morning America Live with Kelly and Ryan
3. The Drew Barrymore Show The Ellen DeGeneres Show The Jennifer Hudson Show The Kelly Clarkson Show The View Today with Hoda and Jenna
THE NIGHTTIME TALK SHOW OF 2022 Jimmy Kimmel Live! Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Late Night with Seth Meyers The Daily Show The Late Late Show with James Corden The Late Show with Stephen Colbert The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen
THE COMPETITION CONTESTANT OF 2022
Charli D’Amelio – Dancing with the Stars
Bosco – RuPaul’s Drag Race
Gabby Windey – The Bachelorette
Mayyas – America’s Got Talent
Noah Thompson – American Idol
Selma Blair – Dancing with the Stars
Teyana Taylor – The Masked Singer
Willow Pill – RuPaul’s Drag Race
THE REALITY TV STAR OF 2022
Chrishell Stause – Selling Sunset
Garcelle Beauvais – The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Kandi Burruss – The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Kenya Moore – The Real Housewives of Atlanta
Khloé Kardashian – The Kardashians
Kim Kardashian – The Kardashians
Kyle Richards – The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills
Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino – Jersey Shore: Family Vacation
THE BINGEWORTHY SHOW OF 2022 Bridgerton Bel-Air Dahmer-Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story Inventing Anna Severance The Bear The Boys The Thing About Pam
THE SCI-FI/FANTASY SHOW OF 2022 House of The Dragon La Brea Moon Knight Obi-Wan Kenobi She-Hulk: Attorney at Law Stranger Things The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power The Umbrella Academy
Wednesday is a good day for Star Wars fans who have Disney+: The streaming service has not only dropped the eighth chapter of its well-received 12-episode series Andor, but it also debuted its animated series Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi.
Lucasfilm’s anthology series of shorts was created by Dave Filoni, the producer of the Emmy-winning Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the co-creator of another Emmy-winning series, The Mandalorian.
Darker in tone than one might expect, the show delves into events that have unfolded in the Star Wars prequels and the Clone Wars series.
Fans will be treated to seeing the earliest days of Ahsoka Tano as well as unseen elements of her training with teacher Anakin Skywalker. Clone Wars vets Ashley Eckstein and Matt Lanter both reprise their respective voice roles.
Also key to the series is the fall of Count Dooku. The villain, played by the late Christopher Lee in the Star Wars prequels, is shown in a different light in the shorts. The Jedi master to apprentice Qui-Gon Jinn — played by Liam Neeson in the prequels and in Tales — is conflicted and fed up with the corruption of the Galactic Senate. This makes Dooku a powerful potential ally to be swayed by his eventual master Darth Sidious, voiced by Star Wars movie veteran Ian McDiarmid.
The show also features the voices of Jurassic World series star and Mandalorian director Bryce Dallas Howard, Clancy Brown, Theo Rossi and another Clone Wars star, James Arnold Taylor.
The cause of death has been revealed for beloved Harry Potter series star Robbie Coltrane. According to U.K.’s Mirror, the Scottish actor’s death certificate reported he passed away last on October 14 from multiple organ failure. He was 72. The performer, born Anthony Robert McMillan, also reportedly suffered from obesity and diabetes, as well as sepsis and a lower respiratory infection…
Jules Bass, who along with Arthur Rankin Jr. produced the beloved stop-motion Christmas classics like Frosty the Snowman and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, has died. Variety reports Bass’ daughter confirmed that her father passed away Tuesday at 87 years old, at an assisted living facility in Rye, New York. Rankin passed way in 2014…
Grey’s Anatomy alum Jesse Williams has been tapped for a role in season thre of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building in a recurring role, according to Entertainment Weekly. He’ll play “a documentarian with a particular interest in the case,” per the streamer. Williams, who played Dr. Jackson Avery on Grey’s for 12 seasons, is returning to direct and appear in a season 19 episode. He’ll next be seen next in Your Place or Mine, alongside Reese Witherspoon, due out in 2023…
HBO has renewed the financial drama Industry for a third season, the cabler announced on Tuesday. The series, per HBO, gives “an insider’s view of the blackbox of ‘high finance’ through the eyes of an outsider, Harper Stern — played by Myha’la Herrold — a talented young woman from upstate New York. Following a group of young grads fueled by ambition, youth, romance and drugs.” Marisa Abela, Harry Lawtey, David Jonsson, Nabhaan Rizwan, Conor MacNeill, Freya Mavor, Will Tudor and Ken Leung also star. Industry wrapped up its second season on September 19. The first two seasons are currently available for streaming on HBO Max…
The nationwideDisney Princess – The Concert is underway, which features Broadway actresses who embodied the beloved princesses on the Great White Way.
“This is an opportunity for all of you who love the movies and the music from movies to come in and celebrate,” Syndee Winters, who played Nala in Broadway’s The Lion King, told ABC Audio. “We have a 40-foot LED screen that projects all of the animation from the films. This is a combination between a Disney show, a Broadway show and a pop concert.”
The cast shares stories about their Broadway experiences while singing more than 30 favorite Disney songs.
“The audience gets to shout back to us, sing along with us, give us feedback. We laugh, we make jokes. It’s super fun, and it’s an opportunity for the audience to relive their VHS glory days,” Winters added.
Sarah Uriarte Berry, Beauty and the Beast’s Belle, noted the show “hit[s] you on so many other levels.”
While the concert is perfect for all ages, the cast revealed it’s the adults who bring the energy and make them feel like they’re the Spice Girls.
Said Isabelle McCalla, Jasmine in Broadway’s Aladdin, “We are these rock stars for them because we just happen to be the vehicles for these songs that are so much bigger than all of us. And it just feels truly magical.”
“My favorite is when we just hint to what Disney princess is next and you hear this eruption from the crowd,” added Christy Altomare, who played Anya in Anastasia.
Altomare also encourages everyone who plans on seeing the show to “wear your best royal attire no matter what!”
Nick Fury had his Avengers, Amanda Waller had her Suicide Squad and now Warner Bros. Discovery has two new leaders for its superhero team: James Gunn and Peter Safran.
As previously reported, Warner Bros. Discovery had been searching for someone to take the reins of its DC Studios in an effort to best capitalize on its deep bench of superhero properties, as Kevin Feige has for Marvel Studios.
In the end, Warner Bros. Discovery tapped its own dynamic duo: writer-director Gunn, and his Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad producer Safran. While the former is arguably most famous for his Guardians of the Galaxy films for Marvel Studios, the latter also produced the DC hero hits Aquaman and Shazam, as well as the successful Conjuring and Annabelle horror franchises.
The pair “will be responsible for the overall creative direction of the storied superhero franchise across film, TV, and animation under [a] new unified banner,” according to the company’s announcement.
In a shared statement, Gunn and Safran noted, “We’re honored to be the stewards of these DC characters we’ve loved since we were children” and that they’re aiming to “create an integrated, multilayered universe that still allows for the individual expression of the artists involved.”
They also commented, “Our commitment to Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Harley Quinn, and the rest of the DC stable of characters is only equaled by our commitment to the wonder of human possibility these characters represent. We’re excited to invigorate the theatrical experience around the world as we tell some of the biggest, most beautiful, and grandest stories ever told.”
Kevin Bacon goes from an inside joke in Guardians of the Galaxy to a bona fide Marvel Cinematic Universe co-star in the new trailer to The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.
Written and directed by Guardians‘ series director James Gunn, and billed as a “Marvel Studios Special Presentation,” the trailer shows Chris Pratt‘s Peter Quill/Star-Lord still bummed about his love, Zoe Saldaña‘s Gamora, going missing at the end of Avengers: Endgame.
To cheer him up just in time for Christmas, Sean Gunn‘s Kraglin, Karen Gillan‘s Nebula, Pom Klementieff‘s Mantis, Dave Bautista‘s Drax, and of course Bradley Cooper‘s Rocket and Vin Diesel‘s Groot hatch a plan.
The Guardians land on Earth and plot to snatch “the legendary Kevin Bacon” as a gift for Star-Lord, but obviously a gray giant and “that chick with the antennae,” as Rocket refers to Mantis, breaking into the star’s home doesn’t sit well with Bacon.
He flees in vain.
Bacon’s connection to the MCU so far has been in name only: Quill, who was snatched from Earth as a child, refers to Bacon as a hero in Guardians and apes Footloose in the “dance off to save the galaxy” at the film’s climax.
In Avengers: Infinity War, Mantis asks Thor if Bacon is one of “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes,” to which Thor suggests he “may have joined” the Avengers in his absence from Earth.
In the same film, Quill asks Tom Holland‘s Peter Parker/Spider-Man if Footloose is “still the greatest movie ever made” on his native planet, to which Peter jeers, “It never was.”
For his part, Bacon told Esquire in 2021 that Gunn name-dropping him into MCU was a happy surprise.
It appears the beef at Balthazar is now just for serving: Keith McNally, owner of the New York City hotspot, took to Instagram Tuesday afternoon to give the “last word” on the James Corden affair, following the chat show host’s apology on Monday night’s The Late Late Show.
As reported, McNally took Corden to task for reportedly berating staff members there. While an apology via phone was both accepted and subsequently rescinded by the restaurateur — when Corden seemed to dodge responsibility during a New York Times interview — McNally has officially buried the hatchet.
“James Corden very graciously apologized for his outburst at Balthazar,” McNally began the new Instagram post. “It takes a real man to do this,” he added, noting, “In the past I’ve behaved much worse than Corden and wasn’t man enough to apologize.”
McNally added, “For this reason I’m going to lift the ban on Corden, and impose one on myself instead.”
Giving himself a two-week timeout, McNally commented, “People in glass houses…”
Following Adidas’ announcement Tuesday that it was cutting ties with Ye, Gap released a statement reiterating why the company ended its partnership with the rapper last month.
“In September, Gap announced ending its Yeezy Gap partnership. Our former partner’s recent remarks and behavior further underscore why,” the statement reads. “We are taking immediate steps to remove Yeezy Gap product from our stores and we have shut down YeezyGap.com.”
The statement continues, “Antisemitism, racism and hate in any form are inexcusable and not tolerated in accordance with our values. On behalf of our customers, employees and shareholders, we are partnering with organizations that combat hate and discrimination.”
There has been growing pressure on major brands to cut ties with the rapper formerly known as Kanye West after he made antisemitic remarks on Twitter a few weeks ago.
Hollywood talent agency Creative Artists Agency announced Monday that it would no longer represent the rapper, while film and television studio MRC said it would shelve a documentary on West.
Several reports have also stated that brands such as Balenciaga will no longer work with Ye.
Forbesconfirmed Tuesday that with the loss of the Adidas partnership, Ye no longer has billionaire status.
The initial critics reviews for Black Adam might have had Warner Bros. Discovery execs biting their nails, but as a new ad touts, “the fans have spoken.”
The superhero movie starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson gained just a 39% critics score on the ratings aggregator Rotten Tomatoes but opened to more than $67 million over the weekend, taking the top slot at the U.S. box office and proving the movie, and its star, to be critic-proof.
Johnson admitted as much in an Instagram post Tuesday, in which he forwarded the TV spot, which also touted the movie’s 90% audience score. “THANK YOU SO MUCH to all of you for making BLACK ADAM a monumental and historical WIN this weekend,” Johnson said before adding, “New Era. Audience First.”
