Entertainment

Actress Sandra Oh was among the many public figures who attended Queen Elizabeth II‘s funeral in London on Monday.

The Killing Eve and Grey’s Anatomy star, 51, who was born in Canada and also has U.S. citizenship, was seen joining the procession inside Westminster Abbey as part of Canada’s delegation to the queen’s state funeral.

Oh was extended an invite to the historic event as an officer of the Order of Canada, a title bestowed on her in June for her “artistic career filled with memorable stage, television and film roles in Canada and abroad,” according to the Canadian governor general’s website.

The Order of Canada is the second-highest civilian honor in Canada and is given to those who have made extraordinary contributions to the country.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the official list of delegation members to the queen’s funeral in a news release on Sept. 15.

Oh joined Trudeau, Governor General Mary Simon, musician Gregory Charles and Olympic swimmer Mark Tewksbury, as well as several others, at the queen’s funeral proceedings.

Following the funeral, the actress took to Instagram to share a post about the day’s event.

The post included a photo of Oh in a black dress, hat and Order of Canada insignia; a snap of the actress with other Order of Canada and Cross of Valour recipients; and a screengrab of herself from Westminster Abbey.

“Proud to represent,” she wrote in the caption with the Canadian flag emoji.

The queen’s funeral on Monday concluded 10 days of mourning and somber events following her passing on Sept. 8 at the age of 96.

Elizabeth was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. She ascended the throne in 1952 and in June celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years as queen.

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When it comes to Hollywood, three words tend to get you what you want — no, not “I love you” — but “I made Titanic.”

According to James Cameron, that’s just what he said to then-20th Century Fox executives who were second-guessing him on his eventual highest-grossing movie of all time, Avatar.

Cameron tells the New York Times, “We clashed over certain things. For example, the studio felt that the film should be shorter and that there was too much flying around on … what the humans call the banshees,” the movie’s flying lizards.

“Well, it turns out that’s what the audience loved the most, in terms of our exit polling,” the filmmaker said.

“And that’s a place where I just drew a line in the sand and said, ‘You know what? I made Titanic. This building that we’re meeting in … this new half-billion-dollar complex on your lot? Titanic paid for that, so I get to do this.’ And afterward, they thanked me.”

Cameron said he feels “that my job is to protect their investment, often against their own judgment.”

The filmmaker recently attended a screening of the newly remastered 2009 film, ahead of a theatrical rerelease on September 23, meant to prep moviegoers for its long-awaited sequel: Avatar: The Way of Water.

“Young film fans never had the opportunity to see it in a movie theater,” the Oscar winner says.

He added, “I was pleasantly surprised, not only at how well it holds up, but how gorgeous it is in its remastered state.”

Those young converts apparently included Cameron’s kids, he explained.

Cameron has four sequels in the works, stretching all the way to 2026. He didn’t stipulate if he got the green light for all the follow-ups by saying, “I made Avatar.”

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A judge on Monday ordered the release of Adnan Syed, the subject of 2014’s wildly popular podcast Serial, after prosecutors requested that his 2000 murder conviction be vacated.

The dramatic turn came in a Baltimore, Maryland, courtroom after new evidence was uncovered by prosecutors.

Syed, who is now 41, has been serving a life sentence for the past 23 years — more than half his life — following his arrest in 1999.

He was just 17 when he was convicted of first-degree murder, robbery, kidnapping and imprisonment of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee in 2000.

He has maintained his innocence and denied any involvement in Lee’s death. A 2019 appeal for a new trial was previously turned down by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office now has 30 days to decide whether to either schedule a new trial date or drop the case. Prosecutors maintain that Syed is not yet cleared of any wrongdoing, but he is entitled to a new trial.

Syed will remain in home detention with GPS location monitoring.

Serial‘s Twitter posted that podcast producer and host Sarah Koenig was at the courthouse when Adnan was released, adding, “a new episode is coming tomorrow morning.”

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While Warner Bros. Discovery’s shelving of Batgirl was to ensure the movie would never see the light of day, one of its stars has leaked a sneak peek.

Trans actress Ivory Aquino was to have a big part in the film, playing Alysia Yeoh, the roommate bestie of Leslie Grace‘s Barbara Gordon/Batgirl. On Twitter, she posted on-set video of one of the stunts in the film, showing Batgirl backflipping midair from a skylight into a building to crash a dinner party, using a Christmas tree to break her fall.

“Just.. WOWWW,” she tweeted at stuntwoman Emely Cartagena, who was wearing the Batgirl suit for the gag. Leslie Grace was tweeted at, too, with Aquino adding, “you make a great tandem fo sure.”

She also added #sistershavingeachothersbacks and #sistershavingeachothersbackflips.

The stuntwoman posted rehearsals for the stunt to her Instagram, about which Grace commented, “My Batgirl.”

Last month, Collider reported Aquino penned a personal letter to Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav, “in a state of grief,” imploring them to release the shelved film for the sake of trans and minority representation.

As reported, the newly acquired studio axed the film, which also starred Michael Keaton and Brendan Frasier, as a cost-cutting move following Discovery’s acquisition of Warner Bros., the keepers of the DC Comics-based universe.

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Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi is hoping to follow in the footsteps of Jada Pinkett Smith with her own Facebook Watch show.

Jada’s Red Table Talk has become one of the most popular shows on social media. Yara will premiere her Facebook Watch series, Yara Shahidi’s Day Off, on September 29, according to Variety.

“Let’s hang with friends. Explore their passion and their dreams, and learn something totally new about them,“ the 22-year-old actress says in the trailer.

Nas and Swae Lee will be among the stars joining Yara in a range of activities reflecting the guests’ interests.

“Much of our world and work as a family has been inspired by the intimate conversation we’ve had with the incredible people we’re surrounded by,” Shahidi said in a statement. “For years, we at 7th Sun have wanted to open the door wide open and share with my peers how moving it is to hear some of my favorite folks talk about their favorite things. We are excited to join forces with Jesse Collins Entertainment, Tiffany Mills and Meta to share these meaningful moments with my peers!”

Yara began her career appearing in TV commercials when she was 6 years old. At age 9, she was featured with Eddie Murphy in the 2009 film Imagine That. Beginning in 2014, Shahidi starred in the first three seasons of Black-ish. She segued to a recurring role for the next five seasons as she became the lead in the spin-off series, Grown-ish.

In addition to hosting Yara Shahidi’s Day Off, the NAACP Image Award winner will also star as Tinker Bell in Disney’s upcoming live action fantasy film Peter Pan & Wendy, due out in 2023.

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As it turns out, Woody Allen will continue to make movies.

In an interview with Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, the Oscar-winning Annie Hall writer-director said he wants to move away from filmmaking and concentrate more on his writing.

However, a rep for the 86-year-old says that’s not the case. “Woody Allen never said he was retiring, nor did he say he was writing another novel,” the statement begins.

“He said he was thinking about not making films as making films that go straight or very quickly to streaming platforms is not so enjoyable for him, as he is a great lover of the cinema experience.”

The message concludes, “Currently, he has no intention of retiring and is very excited to be in Paris shooting his new movie, which will be the 50th.”

That movie, WASP 22, is being filmed entirely in French.

The controversial filmmaker still enjoys a warm reception overseas, and he has already shot a handful of his movies in Europe, including the Oscar-winning Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Stateside, however, Allen’s career suffered from allegations he sexually abused his adoptive daughter Dylan Farrow when she was a child: Amazon canceled a multimillion contract with him, and several of his former cast members have denounced him, including Oscar-winning Mighty Aphrodite star Mira Sorvino, who apologized personally in a letter to Dylan.

The 2021 HBO documentary Allen v. Farrow chronicled the accusations; Allen called it “a hatchet job riddled with falsehoods.”

Incidentally, in an Instagram Live interview with former collaborator Alec Baldwin back in June, Allen admitted of moviemaking, “A lot of the thrill is gone … [N]ow you do a movie, you get a couple weeks in a movie house … and it goes right to … streaming.”

He added, “It’s … not as enjoyable to me.”

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On Wednesday, Andor, the latest Disney+ Star Wars show, blasts off with a two-episode premiere.

The 12-episode prequel series — the longest yet for a Disney+ show — centers on Diego Luna‘s titular Rogue One character, Cassian Andor, a spy for the Rebellion as the Empire tightens its grip on the galaxy.

Written and executive produced by Rogue One‘s Tony Gilroy, the show shares that fan favorite Star Wars film’s darker, more grounded feel.

6 Underground star Adria Arjona plays Bix, a strong-willed salvage company owner whose loyalties to Andor put her in danger.

In the course of the first episodes, her character also does something never seen before in a Star Wars production: She sleeps with another character.

Wary of spoilers, Arjona says with a laugh to ABC Audio: “You’re the first person to point it out, I didn’t want to point it out myself!”

Arjona explains, “Tony Gilroy [was] the reason why everyone is so invested and attracted to this [project].”

“I mean, I’m a huge Star Wars fan, but just being able to be a part of something that Tony has his finger on is quite special and it feels very special.”

Her character will certainly be popping up in cosplay form, something that took Arjona by surprise: “Stop! Stop! I’m getting goosebumps, do you really think so?! That’s kind of amazing,” she exclaimed with a laugh.

That said, she admitted what costume she was dying to don in the show. “I just want to have, like, one shot in the second part of the show that I can be a Stormtrooper and only I will know what scene it was. That’s all I want!”

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Oscar, Grammy and Emmy winner Common hopes to achieve EGOT status when he makes his Broadway debut in the fall.

The rapper/actor announced over the weekend that he will star in the dark comedy Between Riverside and Crazy, which will premiere December 19.

“This has been a dream of mine for a very long time to act in a play, to do theater, and to be be part of a theater company,” Common commented on Instagram alongside a poster for the production. “I can’t wait to begin the process and to love this journey.”

“When I got this role, I called me mother like I had gotten my first record contract,” the 50-year-old entertainer continued. “It was that much joy.”

“I have been told how hard the work is and that there’s nothing like it. This is what I want as an artist and as a being that believes art can heal and inspire,” Common added. “I want to be a part of the theater community to express that light and love.”

This year, Common is celebrating his 30th anniversary as a recording artist and his 25th year as an actor. He won an Academy Award with John Legend in 2015 for Best Original Song, “Glory” from Selma. In 2017, he received an Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for “Letter to the Free” from Ava DuVernay‘s documentary 13th.

Common has also won two Grammys: Best Original Song for “Love of My Life” with Erykah Badu in 2003, and Best Rap Performance by A Duo or Group in 2007 for “Southside” featuring Kanye West.

“The Light” rapper recently appeared in the film Alice with Keke Palmer. For his next film role, he will star with Jennifer Hudson in the movie Breathe.

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Dancing with the Stars season 31 is finally here! The new star-studded season premieres Monday, Sept. 19.

Alfonso Ribeiro and Tyra Banks are co-hosting, and Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough are returning as judges.

Banks became the show’s first solo host for season 29 in 2020. Ribeiro, who rose to fame on the television sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, was announced as her co-host in July. He’s also a former Mirror Ball champion after winning season 19 of the show while partnered with pro Witney Carson.

In a recent interview with Good Morning America, Ribeiro described the upcoming season as “amazing,” “spectacular” and “heartwarming.”

Unlike previous seasons, which were broadcast live on ABC, you’ll be able to see your favorite stars bust a move on Disney+ starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Season 31’s exciting lineup includes actress Selma Blair, The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shangela, CODA actor Daniel Durant, Bachelorette star Gabby Windey and many more.

TikTok star Charli D’Amelio and her mother Heidi D’Amelio are also making DWTS history as the first family members to compete against each other on the show.

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Blake Lively took a different tactic when dealing with the paparazzi over the weekend, flooding her Instagram feed with pics of her baby bump.

She and husband Ryan Reynolds hadn’t commented about her pregnancy, which was on display in New York City Wednesday when she walked the red carpet at the 10th annual Forbes Power Women’s Summit.

Instead, Lively let the new photos speak for themselves: One picture shows her flaunting her baby belly in a red one-piece bathing suit featuring a flower-like cut-out. Another shows Reynolds touching her belly as they sit in chaise lounges by the pool. In another, Blake poses for a mirror selfie in her underwear.

Blake’s pal Taylor Swift even poses with her and her bump in another snap.

But a closer look reveals the pregnant pics aren’t necessarily recent. In one, she’s posing with Reynolds wearing his outfit from Deadpool 2, which likely was taken when Blake was pregnant with their 5-year-old daughter, Inez.

And while a picture is worth a thousand words, Blake spared a choice few for the paparazzi. “Here are photos of me pregnant in real life so the 11 guys waiting outside my home for a [unicorn] sighting will leave me alone,” she vented.

Lively added a thank-you “for all the love and respect and for continuing to unfollow accounts and publications who share photos of children. You have all the power against them. And thank you to the media who have a ‘No Kids Policy’. You all make all the difference.”

The move was hailed by more than 7.6 million followers of the actress, with the first being Gwyneth Paltrow, who commented, “This is fantastic.”

Reynolds and Lively’s family also includes daughters James, 7, and Betty, 2.

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