Entertainment

With trophies in both hands backstage at the 74th annual Emmy Awards Monday night, repeat winner Jason Sudeikis was in the mood to celebrate.

However, he wasn’t in the mood to answer whether Ted Lasso would return for a fourth season.

When a journalist noted that the Apple TV+ show’s cast usually says “Ask Jason” when it comes to a return to the pitch, Sudeikis teased, “I think you’ve been misled.”

“I don’t know, it’s up to more factors than myself,” the former SNL star added coyly.

After jousting amicably with the reporter, Sudeikis allowed, “The response to the show has been overwhelming. We have a tremendous group of writers. We have a tremendous group of actors. We have tremendous people in production, post-production. All of those things are thrown into the jambalaya of possibility. And so I couldn’t say yes or no.”

Sudeikis joked, “… as for season 4, I apologize for not giving you a more direct answer, because I understand that that’s helpful for headlines.”

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The Come Up, a new docuseries coming to Freeform this week, follows six Gen Z creatives as they navigate art and love.

Set in one of New York’s newest, trendiest and possibly tiniest neighborhoods, The Come Up peeks into the lives of some of Gen Z’s foremost artists, such as photographer Sophia Wilson and fashion designer Taofeek Abijako, as they explore art and life in Dimes Square.

Fernando Casablancas, who has graced the runways of Balmain, Bottega Veneta and Ludovic de Saint Sernin, made one thing clear about the show: “We’re not doing a reality show. It’s not about the drama. We’re doing a docuseries. We’re doing an unscripted show that follows our lives.”

The show and its creative cast aim to portray honesty and vulnerability. Wilson, who has shot campaigns for Google, Vogue and Nike, attributes the cast’s openness to their time on social media: “I feel like being Gen Zers we’re so used to being in the spotlight with social media and we’re so used to sharing our lives with everybody anyways that it wasn’t actually that big of a change. It’s also not like we have to do any acting, like, it’s our real lives.”

As the show follows each artist’s journey in redefining what career, love and self means to them, it also hopes to inspire the next cohort of creatives. Wilson explains to ABC Audio, “I want people to be able to see a little bit of themselves in us because even though we’re representative of the downtown scene, it’s more of a mindset of trying new things and being courageous, and taking leaps of faith and being so delusional that you really think you can be that 1% that makes it.” 

The Come Up debuts Tuesday on Freeform.

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A new documentary is taking a look back at the Emmy-winning show M*A*S*H, ahead of the 50th anniversary of its debut on September 17, 1972.

M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever debuts Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on Reelz and promises a never-before-seen look into the Korean War-set show, the 1983 finale of which drew a record 106 million viewers.

“I like to say it’s on the Mount Rushmore of TV syndication because there are very few shows … whose popularity spanned decades,” TV executive/unofficial M*A*S*H historian Dan Harrison tells ABC Audio.

He included I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, The Simpsons and Friends on that metaphorical mountain of “timeless” shows.

The documentary features exclusive interviews from cast members including Jamie Farr, who played Cpl. Max Klinger, and Mike Farrell, who played Capt. B.J. Hunnicutt, as well as some of the others who brought the 11-season-long show to life.

“The storylines stand up,” Farr tells ABC Audio. “And I think because of the writing and the acting and directing of the series, that’s what held everybody’s interest. And you don’t find it to be getting old [today].”

Lasting four times longer than the war in which it was set, M*A*S*H also boasted a roster of guest stars including Ron Howard, Laurence Fishburne and Patrick Swayze. It also dealt with real-life issues from racism to homosexuals in the military, and broke the mold with innovative storytelling.

Harrison explains, “You watch a one-hour drama from the early ’70s, and it can feel very slow because you’re telling one story over that period. And, you know, you get to E.R. in the ’90s and it’s super fast-paced.”

He explains, “M*A*S*H almost always from the beginning started with three stories in an episode … So M*A*S*H, even though it’s a show that is 50 years old, doesn’t quite feel as old as other shows from that era.” 

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Taraji P. Henson made her 52nd birthday unforgettable with a sexy dance with Usher during his Las Vegas residency.

The Hidden Figures star saved her best moves for the eight-time Grammy winner as he serenaded her with Bobby Brown’s “Rock Wit’cha” Saturday night at Dolby Live at Park MGM.

“To@tarajiphenson and all the birthday girls that celebrated with me last night….” the 43-year-old entertainer captioned the video on Instagram. “Do yo dance it’s yo birthday….”

Henson shared a series of videos from the show, commenting, “Soooooo about last night!!! Thank you @Usher #wehadatimelastnight #birthdaybehavior #virgoseason.”

Taraji also posted a video from their dance and thanked Usher for the “amazing birthday turn up.”

The “My Boo” singer is continuing his residency through July 2023.

On Monday, Usher announced he is releasing a special 25th anniversary edition of his 1997 seven-times Platinum My Way album.

The special edition features the original album, plus three “reimagined” versions of the album’s three monster hits: “My Way,” “Nice & Slow” and “You Make Me Wanna.” The new version will be released on September 16 and is now available to presave.

Also on September 16, a mini-documentary about the album will premiere on Usher’s YouTube channel.

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Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis says her new movie, The Woman King, brings Black women to the forefront and is one of the most important works of her career.

The film has a 100% critics rating on the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its wide release Friday.

“First of all, it is a movie that’s led by women, and it’s a movie that’s led by Black women and it’s a movie that’s led by dark-skinned Black women,” Davis said on Good Morning America Tuesday. “There is no white savior and it’s women who are warriors, tapping into not only their physical strength, but also…they’re humanized — and so, when have you seen that ever?”

Davis plays the character of Nanisca in the dramatic epic about the Agojie, an all-women warrior army in the historical African kingdom of Dahomey.

“They were women who were recruited from the age of 8 and 14 in Dahomey, West Africa, which is now Benin, and they were women who were not considered beautiful so they weren’t marriage material. They were unruly. No one can control them. And so they were sort of sold into the kingdom as Agojie,” Davis explained. “They could not have children. They could not get married and they could not have sex. They have to train all day into the night…”

“But what’s interesting is as restrictive as that is, they took great pride in what they did. Because…[i]t made them matter because it gave them a purpose,” Davis continued.

Davis said, “…this is my magnum opus, this is my gift to the 6-year-old Viola — who was always called ‘Black and ugly’ — that 6-year-old girl that was always running from the bullies.”

“This has me sort of reaching back to her and saying, ‘Look, you matter and you surviving and you being tough, you keep being tough,'” Davis said.

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When Sheryl Lee Ralph accepted the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a comedy series at the 2022 Emmys Monday night, the Abbott Elementary star brought the audience to their feet with her powerful acceptance speech.

The 65-year-old actress held up her trophy and belted out the opening lyrics to “Endangered Species” by Grammy-winning jazz singer Dianne Reeves. Backstage, Ralph was asked about what led her to that moment, and her answer, quoting the lyrics she sang, was equally inspirational.

“You know what? I’ve been singing that song for years because I think of myself as an artist, as a woman, especially as a woman of color, I’m an endangered species,” Ralph expressed. “But I don’t sing any victim song. I’m a woman. I’m an artist. And I know where my voice belongs.”

She added, “…there’s so many young actors, artists, even kids that think they know what they’re going to do in life. Find your voice and put it where it belongs.”

The Tony-nominated Emmy winner, who has been a veteran of the showbiz game for decades, was also asked what it meant for her to snag the trophy for the ABC sitcom at 65.

Ralph expressed, “The fact that I am here recognized after all this time as being one of the best of the best in my industry with a group of women, they are all the best. And to top it off, this particular year, tons of great TV — and for my little freshman show to break through to be seen the way it is?”

“Oh, my God. I’ve got the Golden Ticket. Yes, I do. Where’s my chocolate? I’m ready!” she enthused.

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Backstage at Monday night’s Emmy Awards, newly minted Dopesick winner Michael Keaton was asked about the unexpected shelving of Batgirl.

Keaton, who starred in two movies as Batman/Bruce Wayne for director Tim Burton, reprised the role in Batgirl, which starred Leslie Grace as the titular heroine/Barbara Gordon. JK Simmons, Brendan Fraser and Ivory Aquino also starred in the film.

When asked about Warner Bros. Discovery’s decision to shelve the project, Keaton managed, “Ah, it was kind of a business decision. I don’t really follow [that stuff] that much. I assume it was a good one.”

He also seemed to describe working on Batgirl as “great fun.”

Officially, Keaton will appear along with another Batman, Ben Affleck in the forthcoming Flash film, which is reportedly still on track for a 2023 release despite myriad controversies involving its star, Ezra Miller. Perhaps that’s why Keaton demurred, cracking a joke instead about when he’ll be seen next in the cape and cowl.

“A little later tonight, probably, if you’re lucky enough,” Keaton joked, before adding, “No kidding. I don’t know….We’ll see,” and finishing with, “I really have no idea.”

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HBO Max announced on Monday that it has renewed up Rap Sh!t, the comedy from creator Issa Rae and showrunner Syreeta Singleton, for a second season. The show follows two former high school besties — played by Aida Osman and KaMillion — who come together to form a rap group. “We’re so happy to play in the world of Rap Sh!t for another season with this incredibly talented team,” Rae said in a statement. Added Singleton, “This show and cast are one of a kind and I’m thrilled to get to do this again with them. We’re going bigger and harder”…

Euphoria‘s Jacab Elordi has been tapped to play Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola‘s upcoming film adaptation of Priscilla Beaulieu Presley’s 1985 bestselling memoir Elvis and Me, according to Variety. Mare of Easttown and Bad Times at the El Royale‘s Cailee Spaeny is also attached to star as Priscilla. The film will is set to start shooting in Toronto this fall…

Alyssa Milano, Virginia Madsen, Gina Torres, and Milana Vayntrub have signed on for roles in the feature-length anthology Give Me an A, Deadline reports. The project weaves together 15 short films and is a response to the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade. A release date has not been announced…

Starz has ordered a pilot for a documentary-interview style show from Sean “Diddy” Combs and Joseph “Fat Joe” Cartagena, according to Deadline. Fat Joe will host the series, which will see him sit down with celebrities and high-profile guests. LeBron James and Maverick Carter‘s SpringHill will produce the project…

Iconic French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard has passed away at 92. The film-critic turned so-called “enfant terrible” of French new-wave cinema influenced directors both in his native country, and on these shores, with filmmakers from Scorsese to George Lucas to Quentin Tarantino all drawing inspiration from the Breathless director. An honorary Oscar winner in 2010, Godard was active for more than five decades, helming everything from features to documentaries and shorts, with three releases in 2018 alone…

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Bachelor alum Lauren Bushnell Lane and country star Chris Lane are having a baby boy!

Lauren, who is expecting the pair’s second child, shared the sex of the baby in an Instagram post Monday alongside a slideshow of adorable family photos with their one-year-old son Dutton Walker.

“We can’t wait to meet you baby BOY,” she captioned the snapshots.

The comments section was flooded with well wishes, including some from the members of Bachelo rnation, like fellow alum Becca Tilley, who wrote, “Congratulations on a baby boy AND looking like an Angel.”

Over on Lane’s page, the “Big, Big Plans” singer also shared the exciting news, posting a short clip of the gender reveal, which featured him hitting a baseball that burst into a cloud of blue dust.

“Dutty’s gonna have a little brother,” he wrote.

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The 74th annual Emmy Awards, hosted by Saturday Night Live‘s Kenan Thompson, aired Monday on NBC.

Here’s the complete list of winners: 

Outstanding Drama Series

Succession

Outstanding Comedy Series

Ted Lasso

Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series

The White Lotus

Outstanding Variety Talk Series

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Outstanding Competition Program

Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series

Jean Smart, Hacks

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series

Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series

Brett Goldstein, Ted Lasso

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series

Sheryl Lee Ralph, Abbott Elementary

Outstanding Variety Sketch Series

Saturday Night Live

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Michael Keaton, Dopesick

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Amanda Seyfried, The Dropout

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Movie

Murray Bartlett, The White Lotus

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or a Movie

Jennifer Coolidge, The White Lotus

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series

Zendaya, Euphoria

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series

Lee Jung-jae, Squid Game

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series

Matthew Macfadyen, Succession

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Julia Garner, Ozark

Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Mike White, The White Lotus

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series

Hwang Dong-hyuk, Squid Game

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series

MJ Delaney, Ted Lasso

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series 

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary

Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special

Jerrod Carmichael, Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel

Outstanding Writing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie

Mike White, The White Lotus

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series

Jesse Armstrong, Succession

Governors Award 

Geena Davis Institute

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