Entertainment

The United Service Organizations (USO) has named NCIS: Hawaii star Vanessa Lachey as a USO Global Ambassador. She joins longtime USO Global Ambassador and her NCIS franchise co-star Wilmer Valderrama.

“Lachey, who has deep-rooted military connections, will help further the USO mission to strengthen the well-being of the people who serve and their families through its core programs,” the organization said.

In the announcement, Lachey said, “My journey as a military kid, born on a base in the Philippines and raised within the military lifestyle, has instilled in me a deep appreciation for the sacrifices and dedication of all military families, and I am honored to serve as a USO Global Ambassador.”

She continued, “As an ambassador, I am eager to amplify the important work and impact of the USO, bringing my personal experiences to the forefront and inspiring my fellow Americans to join me in expressing gratitude and support for our brave service members and their families.”

J.D. Crouch II, USO CEO and president said, “Vanessa understands the significance of the USO mission and the importance of providing support to our service members and their families. I look forward to working alongside her and seeing her connect with the military community in this new role.”

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What a feeling it is to see Scrubs buds Zach Braff and Donald Faison join Jason Momoa in a new Super Bowl ad for T-Mobile inspired by Flashdance.

The two stars knock on the Game of Thrones veteran’s doors, wings in hand, only for him to tell them his big game party is cancelled because his internet is down.

Braff responds by kicking off a version of Irene Cara‘s Oscar-winning “Flashdance… What a Feeling,” with the lyrics related to Momoa’s connectivity problems.

A quick swap-out with T-Mobile gear naturally fixes the issue, and they dance in celebration.

“What a feeling!” Braff sings triumphantly. “I have WiFi now!” Momoa continues. “Can’t stop streaming!” Zach sings as the song continues.

Momoa even hits an unexpected high note and takes a Flashdance-inpired shower in front of the house.

To that, his neighbor, revealed to be the movie’s star Jennifer Beals, approves, saying, “Do it again with your shirt off.” But she stops Braff and Faison from stripping, saying, “You guys are fine.”

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Cops in Australia are investigating an assault allegation against Saltburn star Jacob Elordi.

Australia’s Daily Telegraph reported over the weekend that Elordi was reportedly in a tussle with Joshua Fox, a producer for The Kyle & Jackie O Show.

The paper reports Elordi was back home Down Under when Fox approached him at a hotel with a Tupperware container marked “Jacob Elordi’s bathwater,” a reference to the movie’s controversial bathtub scene.

According to Fox, who spoke about the incident on air, Elordi demanded he delete the footage, and he said he would because “the joke didn’t land.”

“It was like a switch went off … He’s becoming very aggressive,” Fox recalled, saying he then told the actor that deleting the footage would eliminate “any evidence” the “kinda scary” confrontation happened.

“…And then Jacob kind of just flips and he kind of pushes me against the wall and his hands are on my throat,” he said.

Fox insisted somebody else contacted the New South Wales Police Department. The cops confirmed to the U.K.’s PA news agency, “Officers attached to Eastern Beaches Police Area Command are investigating after a man was allegedly assaulted outside a hotel in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs.”

On the air, Fox insisted he never wanted the police involved and said he wouldn’t press charges.

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A new tease of the forthcoming movie IF calls back a gag from The Office, where Randall Park took John Krasinski‘s place at Dunder Mifflin.

Ryan Reynolds introduces himself as the star of IF, and Park introduces himself as Krasinski, the writer-director of the forthcoming movie, much to Reynolds’ annoyance.

“You’re not John Krasinski!” he fumes. “John Krasinski is much shorter and less Asian than you.”

Park replies, “Uh, Ryan, I know it’s been a while since we shot, but we spent like four months together, like 10 hour days.”

Reynolds starts asking Park questions like who he’s married to. “Emily Blunt,” Park replies, to which Reynolds accuses him of using Wikipedia to find out about the former Office star’s biography.

Park then reveals a sneak peek of IF will debut during the Super Bowl, and they show a behind-the-scenes look at the film. The footage even shows Park in a director’s chair, continuing the Krasinski replacement gag.

Co-producer and star Reynolds explains the project, which he likens to a “live-action Pixar film,” has been in the works with Krasinski “for years.”

It centers on a girl named Bea who is going through a rough patch in her life, and “as a coping mechanism, she starts to see every single person’s imaginary friend,” Park-as-Krasinski continues.

The behind-the-scenes video also shows the voice star behind one of the IFs — or Imaginary Friends — The Office‘s Steve Carell.

Reynolds continues, “It’s about that friend who’s there for them, unconditionally and always.”

IF debuts in theaters May 17 from Paramount Pictures.

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Oscar-nominated Maestro star and director, Bradley Cooper, will be honored this week by the 39th annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Cooper will receive the Outstanding Performer of the Year Award on Thursday, February 8, at an event held at the Arlington Theatre, in honor of his critically acclaimed portrayal of Leonard Bernstein in Netflix’s Maestro.

In a statement, the festival’s director Roger Durling commented, “Bradley Cooper has proven to be an actor of incredible range and versatility. What has impressed me the most is that he has grown to be one of the most indelible directing voices. He’s a renaissance man – an outstanding performer indeed!”

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It’s not known when the pair began dating, but Bob Saget‘s widow, Kelly Rizzo, and Clueless veteran Breckin Meyer hit the red carpet together at a Los Angeles Grammys party Sunday night.

Saget died in his Florida hotel room January 9, 2022. The cause of death for the 65-year-old Full House star and comedian was determined to be head trauma.

At the event at the Hollywood Palladium Sunday, Rizzo told E! that Saget’s adult daughters Aubrey and Lara supported her new romance with the Road Trip star. “It’s wonderful, it just meant so much to have their blessing,” Rizzo said. Calling them “angels,” she added, “to have them support is so meaningful.”

Further, Rizzo, 44, said of her relationship with the 49-year-old Meyer, “[It] took a while to get to the point where I’m like, ‘OK, I think [Saget would] be happy with it.'”

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Comedian Shane Gillis is set to host the February 24 episode of Saturday Night Live, with musical guest 21 Savage. Gillis was actually hired as a cast member on long-running NBC sketch comedy series in 2019, but was fired before he even appeared on the show due to backlash over old jokes that were deemed racist and homophobic.

With Barbie’s “I’m Just Ken” nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song, lots of people are hoping Ryan Gosling will perform the tune at the ceremony — and that includes the song’s producer Mark Ronson. On the Grammy red carpet, Ronson told Variety Gosling hasn’t committed to an Oscar performance yet, but expressed, “It’s my dream.” And Ronson is all or nothing when it comes to the performance, sharing, “I think if Ryan doesn’t do it then we’re not doing it.”

Before his passing on Thursday, February 1, Rocky star Carl Weathers shot a Super Bowl ad for FanDuel. But in the wake of his death, the company has decided to make some changes. “We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Carl Weathers,” it shared on Instagram, alongside photos from his iconic roles. “FanDuel was fortunate to have had an opportunity to work with him during our Super Bowl campaign. We are adjusting our campaign accordingly out of respect for the family during their time of grief.”

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Argylle, starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Sam Rockwell, Bryan Cranston, Catherine O’Hara and Samuel L. Jackson, has topped the North American box office with an estimated $18 million. That’s not great news, however, given its $200 million production budget. The spy comedy added $17.3 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $35.3 million.

The Chosen took second place with an estimated $6 million. Fathom Events is bringing the show’s fourth season to theaters with two-week runs of episodes one through three, followed by episodes four through eight later this year.

The Beekeeper came in third with an estimated $5.28 million in its fourth week of release. That brings its domestic box office gross to $49.2 million and $122 million worldwide.

Wonka finished in fourth place, delivering an estimated $4.7 million. Its eight-week tally now stands at $202 million in North America and over $571 million globally.

Rounding out the top five was the animated feature Migration, which earned an estimated $4.2 million in its fifth week of release. To date, the film has grossed $106.2 million domestically and $210 million worldwide.

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Friends and former co-stars took to social media after news broke that Emmy nominee Carl Weathers had died in his sleep Thursday, February 1, at 76.

In a video shot in front of a LeRoy Neiman painting of Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed clashing in the ring, an emotional Sylvester Stallone expressed, “I’m so torn up, I can’t even tell you.”

Stallone said Weathers was “such an integral part of my life,” adding, “I never could have accomplished what we did with Rocky without him. He was absolutely great. His voice, his size, his power, his athletic ability, but more importantly, his heart, his soul.”

He captioned the video by saying, “My life was forever changed for the better the day I met Carl Weathers. Rest in power and keeping punching.”

Michael B. Jordan, who played Adonis Creed, son of Weathers’ Apollo, in the Rocky spin-off franchise Creed, also called the actor “a legend.”

Weathers’ Happy Gilmore co-star Adam Sandler called him, “A true great man,” noting he was a, “Great dad. Great actor. Great athlete. So much fun to be around always. Smart as hell. Loyal as hell.”

Adam added in part, “Everyone loved him.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred with Weathers in Predator, called the late actor “a legend,” and “An extraordinary athlete, a fantastic actor, and a great person,” adding, “We couldn’t have made Predator without him. And we certainly wouldn’t have had such a wonderful time making it. Every minute with him – on set and off – was pure joy.”

Another Predator co-star, Jesse Ventura, called Weathers “an icon,” and a “phenomenal talent, a true professional, and a dear friend.”

The Mandalorian‘s Pedro Pascal posted a throwback photo of Weathers, adding a heartbroken emoji and simply, “Words fail.”

Mando co-star Giancarlo Esposito called Weathers “a dear friend and brother” and “one of the most wonderful human beings” he’d ever met.

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We apparently haven’t seen the last of Dr. Robotnik.

That’s what Variety said Friday regarding Jim Carrey reprising the mustachioed maniac from the hit Sonic the Hedgehog movies.

Sonic‘s official social media platforms hinted Friday that Carrey’s character survived his climactic fall at the end of 2022’s Sonic sequel.

Seemingly quoting the baddie, a text message reads, “You all thought I was gone, but I’ve just been underground. What you’ve seen from me is only a #shadow of things to come.” As the message plays out, Carrey’s unmistakable laugh as the bad doctor is heard.

The movie’s Instagram Stories also confirmed reports that Sonic the Hedgehog 3 will star Krysten Ritter, Alyla Browne, Cristo Fernández, Jorma Taccone and James Wolk.

Sonic 3, which will also bring back original cast members, including Ben Schwartz, Lee Majdoub and Idris Elba, is set for a December 2024 release.

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