Entertainment

Star Trek veteran Nichelle Nichols, who passed away in July, is getting ready to follow some of her former colleagues into the stars.

Her son Kyle Johnson has signed up with Celestis, the company that has launched some of the cremated remains of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, those of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, and those of James “Scotty” Doohan into space via rocket.

The company is also letting fans pay tribute to Nicholls, who famously played Lt. Nyota Uhura on the show and its spin-off movies, and who in real life recruited diverse applicants for NASA’s ranks.

Celestis is gathering messages to the actress and activist on a special tribute page. The messages — or music or art and other commemorations — will be digitized and stored aboard the Enterprise Memorial Spaceflight that is scheduled for launch later this year.

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As reported back in July, ABC is throwing Norman Lear a party for reaching the 100-year milestone, and as we predicted then, some big names have stepped up to celebrate.

Jimmy Kimmel and Jennifer Aniston will take part in Norman Lear: 100 Years of Music and Laughter, which will air on Thursday, September 22, at 9 p.m. ET and stream the next day on Hulu.

Oscar winner Octavia Spencer has also been put on the guest list for the celebration of the legendary producer of TV classics like All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Good Times. Emmy winner Amy Poehler will also make an appearance.

Kimmel produced star-packed live stagings of Lear shows All in the Family, Good Times, The Jeffersons and The Facts of Life, the latter of which saw his pal Aniston playing the show’s blond beauty queen Blair.

Other famous faces are likely to appear for what the network is calling a “one-night-only celebration” that “features intimate conversations, special performances and surprise reunions that pay homage to the man behind some of television’s greatest stories …”

For his part, Lear said, “I’ve always believed music and laughter have added time to my life. I’ve seen a lot throughout my 100 years, but I would’ve never imagined America having a front-row seat to my birthday celebration.”

“Even this I get to experience,” he concluded.

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One of the hottest tickets in Hollywood right now is to a movie most people will likely never get to see: Batgirl.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the suddenly shelved movie is becoming the subject of what some dubbed “funeral screenings” for the movie’s cast and “select industry insiders.”

The intimate events this week at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California, will allow those who worked on the project to say goodbye before the shelved film is either locked away in a vault or destroyed.

As reported, Warner Bros. Discovery made the nearly unprecedented decision to scrap the movie, in what will be posed as a $90 million or so “write-down” to the company, following WB’s acquisition by Discovery. The move took the film’s cast — including Batgirl herself Leslie Grace; Michael Keaton, who reprised as Batman/Bruce Wayne; and Brendan Fraser, who played the heavy — as well as its directors, Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, by surprise.

Interestingly, the trade notes that WB could choose to keep the movie on ice permanently, which would entitle the studio to a portion of the write-down from the IRS now, with the rest coming in installments.

More unlikely, THR reports, the studio could outright destroy the film to prove it won’t ever be able to profit from it, in an effort to collect its full tax liability from it.

If Warner Bros. Discovery decided to somehow salvage the movie and release it, the trade notes, it would owe the IRS whatever monies it recouped from the write-down.

THR also notes that another shelved project, Scoob! Holiday Haunt, had its “funeral screenings” on the WB lot last week.

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The Hargreeves sibs will fight on, but for just one more season: ABC Audio has confirmed Netflix has renewed The Umbrella Academy for a fourth and final season.

The acclaimed sci-fi show, which first debuted in 2019, is based on the comic book series of the same name created by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way and artist Gabriel Bá.

Season 3 kicked off on June 22 and saw returning cast members Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher and Justin H. Min facing off with the Sparrow Academy, another super-powered sibling group.

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One of the summer’s biggest hits, Thor: Love and Thunder, is coming home.

The Taika Waititi-written and directed fourth Thor film will hit digital streamers for purchase, and free for Disney+ subscribers, on September 8.

The movie, starring Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale, Tessa Thompson, Russell Crowe and Waititi himself, hits Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD formats on September 27.

Marvel Studios also announced its ongoing Assembled series will drop a new chapter, on the making of Love and Thunder, on September 8.

The September 27 releases will come packed with the usual supplemental materials, including a gag reel, and featurettes about the making of the movie that include interviews with the cast and the filmmakers who helped bring the movie to life.

Since its debut in theaters July 8, Thor: Love and Thunder has grossed $738 million worldwide, making it the sixth-highest-grossing movie of 2022 so far.

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Kellogg’s has officially released a tasty bit of promotion for the upcoming Disney+ release of Hocus Pocus 2: a themed breakfast cereal.

Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy and Bette Midler return as the witchy Sanderson sisters from the beloved 1993 hit on September 30 on Disney+, but the cereal is available now via Instacart and other retailers.

Sporting a purple box emblazoned with cartoon versions of the sibling spell casters, every bite of this “limited-edition berry brew” features sparkly purple, yellow and orange stars — the colors of the characters’ garish getups.

Of course, if the sisters had their way, there’d be kiddie bits to munch on in every bowl, so thankfully Kellogg’s chefs went with their own recipe.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Dancing With the Stars pros Emma Slater and Sasha Farber have reportedly separated after four years of marriage.

“They’ve been apart for many months now,” a source tells Us Weekly. “They both have not been wearing their wedding rings and are each leading a single life.”

It was a “tough decision,” notes the insider, adding that the former couple hasn’t filed for divorce yet, and are “figuring out” what life apart looks like.

“It’s been a difficult time since they really care about each other and have been together for so long,” says the source.

Slater, 33, and Farber, 38, are “leaning on friends for support” and will “continue to work together as professional dancers” as they did following their initial split in 2014,” shares the source. “They’re pros and won’t let their personal life get in the way of DWTS.”

The two were first linked in 2011 and initially called it quits after three years of dating in 2014. They subsequently got back together and and tied the knot in 2018.

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Barbie Ferreira, who played Kat Hernandez on the first two seasons of HBO’s Emmy-winning teen drama Euphoria, won’t be returning for season 3.

The 25-year-old model/actress broke the news on Wednesday, writing on her Instagram Story, “After four years of getting to embody the most special and enigmatic character Kat, I’m having to say a very teary-eyed goodbye.”

“I hope many of you could see yourself in her like I did and that she brought you joy to see her journey into the character she is today. I put all my care and love into her and I hope you guys could feel it,” she continued, before she ended her announcement with a sweet message to her character. “Love you Katherine Hernandez.”

Ferreira, who had significantly less screen time in season 2, shot down rumors that she and Euphoria creator Sam Levinson had a falling out on set, telling Insider, “I’ve seen so many different things and a lot of it is untrue and some of it’s kind of like mundane little things.”

Euphoria was renewed for a third season in February.

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We’ll have to wait a little longer for DC’s Aquaman and Shazam! sequels, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom — which stars Jason Momoa returning as the titular superhero, along with Patrick Wilson’s Orm Marius and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Black Manta — has been pushed back from March 17, 2023, to December 25, 2023. Shazam! Fury of the Gods, originally slated to open in December, will take over The Lost Kingdom‘s March 17 spot. Asher Angel returns as foster kid Billy Batson, who transforms into the superhero Shazam — played by Zachary Levi. Lucy Liu, Helen Mirren and Rachel Zegler join the cast for the sequel…

In a summer movie season of superheroes and the air superiority of Tom Cruise‘s Top Gun: Maverick, one summer movie has slipped through to become a bonafide sleeper hit. Deadline reports the adaptation of Delia Owens‘ novel Where The Crawdads Sing, which stars Daisy Edgar-Jones and Taylor John Smith has crossed the $100 million mark in theaters. It’s an impressive milestone for most movies, let alone one made for a reported $24 million…

After playing the titular superhero in Marvel’s 2021 hit Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Simu Liu will turn villain for the upcoming Netflix feature, Atlas, starring alongside  Jennifer Lopez and Sterling K. Brown. The film  follows Atlas, “a woman fighting for humanity in a future where an AI soldier has determined the only way to end war is to end humanity,” according to Deadline. “To outthink this rogue AI, Atlas must work with the one thing she fears most — another AI”…

Hulu dropped the official trailer for season 5 of The Handmaid’s Tale on Wednesday. The new season, per the streamer,  will find Elisabeth Moss‘ June facing consequences for killing Joseph Fiennes‘ Commander Waterford while struggling to redefine her identity and purpose. The widowed Serena — played Yvonne Strahovski — attempts to raise her profile in Toronto as Gilead’s influence creeps into Canada. Bradley Whitford‘s Commander Lawrence will work with Nick and Aunt Lydia — played respectively by Max Minghella and Ann Dowd — as he tries to reform Gilead and rise in power; while June, Luke and Moira — played by Samira Wiley –fight Gilead from a distance as they continue their mission to save and reunite with Hannah — portrayed by Jordana Blake. The Handmaid’s Tale‘s fifth season returns with two episodes on September 14th, with new episodes streaming each Wednesday thereafter…

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Mike, the new Hulu limited series that details the life of former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson, is not afraid to go for it.

Trevante Rhodes, the acclaimed actor known for his lead role in the Oscar-winning film Moonlight, told ABC Audio he took on the role of Tyson without much time to prepare.

Rhodes called the shoot “tumultuous,” saying, “You get hurt, and they don’t care. You know what I mean? So, you just gotta keep it pushing.”

He was otherwise tight-lipped about any on-set injuries, but revealed he got a platelet-rich plasma injection during the shoot, which is used to accelerate healing in body tissue.

Injuries aside, the actor said “everything else was just beautiful” about shooting the series. The chance to portray as complicated a character as Tyson was not something Rhodes took for granted.

“To have the opportunity to … represent all that, that’s a blessing,” Rhodes said. “As a man, just having the chance to walk in those shoes, you know what I mean? It felt good.”

The series covers all aspects of Tyson’s life and career, everything from his unmatched boxing success to his rape conviction. Rhodes did not consult Tyson about the project, but said it was not for lack of trying.

“He’s not involved at all, but I’ll tell you, I shot him a DM, man,” Rhodes said. “He’s out in the world right now and he’s making himself known. Maybe because of the show, maybe not. I don’t know. So hopefully I get a chance to bump into him, and give him a hug and everything. But, I don’t know man, we’ll see.”

The two-episode premiere of Mike drops Thursday on Hulu.

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