‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ series delivers the action of the original, and little more

‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ series delivers the action of the original, and little more
‘Mr. and Mrs. Smith’ series delivers the action of the original, and little more
Amazon MGM Studios

Mr. & Mrs. Smith are back in action. The 2005 movie starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as married spies is now a TV show, debuting Friday on Prime Video. This time around Donald Glover and Maya Erskine star as secret agents in a fake marriage.

Francesca Sloane co-created the series with Glover. She tells ABC Audio that the movie and show are similar, but different, explaining, “I feel like in terms of taking it to television, and taking sort of this very campy popcorn date movie, and really kind of leaning into the characters and the humanity and the in-between moments while still having, you know, the big iconic set pieces and whatnot, that felt like a really big swing and really challenging and really exciting to try and do.”

It’s a delicate balance Sloane thinks they managed to pull off.

“We do have really great foot chases and explosions and shoot-’em-ups and all of that,” she says. “But at the end of the day, what matters to us most is sort of the heart between these two people and their relationship.”

The female half of the spy team, PEN15‘s Erskine, is not so sure she’d make a great spy in real life.

“I’m a horrible liar, so I don’t know,” she shares. “But if I were approaching it — like, I find acting and spying to be very similar. Like, they actually have a good crossover, and you’re playing other characters and you are observing people very closely. So, maybe.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Bradley Cooper says ‘Wedding Crashers’ co-star Vince Vaughn was a major inspiration for him

Bradley Cooper says ‘Wedding Crashers’ co-star Vince Vaughn was a major inspiration for him
Bradley Cooper says ‘Wedding Crashers’ co-star Vince Vaughn was a major inspiration for him
Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Netflix

Bradley Cooper is an acclaimed director and has 12 Oscar nominations, so one might think he’d have some highfalutin answer for his biggest inspirational moment as an actor. 

However, he revealed it was watching Vince Vaughn in the 2005 R-rated hit comedy Wedding Crashers.

During a recent conversation with fellow SAG Award nominees as a part of the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations program, the Maestro filmmaker said that Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin gave him a “huge break” when he cast him against the “nice-guy” roles he was getting. In the film, he played Rachel McAdams‘ jerky preppy ex Sack Lodge.

“Up until that point, I was always just trying to get it right on camera. Be present and get it right,” Cooper admitted. 

He added, “I’m watching Vince Vaughn destroy a scene, just crush it, and then … He’s just like, ‘I want to do another one.'”

Cooper said he was “so in awe of this human” and his “willingness to fail.”

“It was like a diamond through the middle of my head going, ‘That’s it! That freedom to just be absolutely willing to fail,'” he said. “It changed me forever. That was the moment.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tim Burton climbing ‘Fifty Foot Woman’ remake

Tim Burton climbing ‘Fifty Foot Woman’ remake
Tim Burton climbing ‘Fifty Foot Woman’ remake
Netflix

Tim Burton is dipping back into the pulpy roots that gave us 1996’s Mars Attacks! for a remake of the 1958 sci-fi horror film Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman, Deadline reports.

The trade says bestselling Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn will be putting her skills to use on the script.

The original movie with Allison Hayes as the titular titan — as well as its 1993 remake starring Daryl Hannah — center on a wronged lady turned leviathan thanks to an alien encounter.

Burton’s anticipated sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, starring his Wednesday lead Jenna Ortega, Willem Dafoe and the original film’s stars Catherine O’Hara and Michael Keaton, debuts September 6.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Mama Kelce to be featured on ‘The Price is Right at Night’ Ultimate Super Bowl Party

Mama Kelce to be featured on ‘The Price is Right at Night’ Ultimate Super Bowl Party
Mama Kelce to be featured on ‘The Price is Right at Night’ Ultimate Super Bowl Party
CBS

If seeing Travis Kelce‘s family cheer him on during the Super Bowl isn’t enough for you, CBS has invited his mom, Donna aka Mama Kelce, to “come on down” to The Price is Right at Night.

On Wednesday, February 7, at 8 p.m. ET, the evening installment of the hit Drew Carey-hosted game show is hosting the Ultimate Super Bowl party, “giving lucky contestants the chance to win extravagant football-themed prizes.”

“America’s Mom” Donna, a longtime Price fan, won’t be playing, but she’ll be presenting the big prizes. Her NFL star sons, Jason and Travis, will introduce her in a “special video message.”

Up for grabs are a trip to Las Vegas to see Super Bowl 58, a Hummer EV worth more than $100,000 and a chance to win 200 grand.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Patrick Stewart mixes it up with Drew Barrymore, Jeff Probst and more in Paramount+ Super Bowl ad

Patrick Stewart mixes it up with Drew Barrymore, Jeff Probst and more in Paramount+ Super Bowl ad
Patrick Stewart mixes it up with Drew Barrymore, Jeff Probst and more in Paramount+ Super Bowl ad
Paramount+

Paramount+ has mixed it up again for another Super Bowl ad showcasing some of its stars.

The new spot features Picard‘s Patrick Stewart, Drew Barrymore, Thomas Lennon in his Reno 911 character’s short-shorts and Survivor‘s Jeff Probst — as well as animated friends like Knuckles from Sonic the Hedgehog, Peppa Pig and Arnold from Hey Arnold — all in a bit of a pickle.

They’re trying to scale the Paramount mountain, and not even Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa can get them out with a grappling hook.

Tua laments that if the hook was a football, he could do it. “What about a football-shaped head?” Stewart says, glancing over at a surprised Arnold.

Drew protests, “We can’t throw a child!” to which Stewart barks back, “Barrymore, shut your face!”

“Shut my face?” she says to herself.

Suddenly, Stewart removes his coat, revealing an old-timey football uniform complete with soft helmet and a coach’s call sheet on his wrist revealing the play “Throw the child.”

“Watch and learn,” he says, to which Lennon enthuses, “Dang, he’s cool.”

Stewart then declares, “It’s the fifth quarter, and we need a hole in one before the seventh inning stretch.”

Alas, not even the appearance of Creed can send the character tied to a rope “Higher.”

“Now if there were only someone made of pigskin,” Stewart muses. “Bingo,” Lennon says pointing to Peppa.

“Oh dear,” the English porker replies.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Netflix teases ‘Squid Game 2’, Jamie Foxx’s ‘Back in Action’ and more in new 2024 preview

Netflix teases ‘Squid Game 2’, Jamie Foxx’s ‘Back in Action’ and more in new 2024 preview
Netflix teases ‘Squid Game 2’, Jamie Foxx’s ‘Back in Action’ and more in new 2024 preview
‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ – Netflix

(NOTE LANGUAGE) On Thursday, Netflix dropped a teaser for its forthcoming 2024 slate, including the first footage from the sequel to its Korean phenomenon Squid Game, the third season of Bridgerton and the final season of Cobra Kai.

Also included is a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it clip from the Jamie Foxx/Cameron Diaz action comedy Back in Action, production of which was halted last year when Foxx was hospitalized — and near death, Foxx later said — after suffering a “medical complication.”

There’s some footage from Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, with Paul Reiser‘s returning Jeffrey warning Eddie Murphy‘s Axel Foley, “Watch your a** out there, OK?” to which Eddie answers, “Don’t worry about me, they love me in Beverly Hills!”

The live-action Avatar: The Last Airbender also gets some face time in the trailer, as do Jason Bateman, Taron Egerton and Sofia Carson in the airline thriller Carry On; Jerry Seinfeld in Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story; and Jennifer Lopez‘s sci-fi thriller Atlas.

Also shown is footage from Tyler Perry‘s star-studded World War II drama Six Triple Eight, in which Kerry Washington plays one of the Black women of the 6th Army Corps, which kept the mail flowing to our troops.

“We have the most to prove!” she shouts to her assembled cadre. “Now is where you show the proof!”

The trailer also teases live sporting events and another stand-up special from newly minted Beef Emmy winner Ali Wong. It closes with the new Squid Game tease also shown on social media.

“You’re going to regret the choice you made,” a menacing voice tells the game’s winner, Gi-hun (Lee Jung-Jae), to which he vows, “I will find you no matter what it takes.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Welcome to the “cheap” seats: Super Bowl’s nosebleeds going for $5,600

Welcome to the “cheap” seats: Super Bowl’s nosebleeds going for ,600
Welcome to the “cheap” seats: Super Bowl’s nosebleeds going for ,600
Getty Images

If you want to catch the San Francisco 49ers taking on the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 58 at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, you’re in luck.

Well, if you’ve got at least $5,600 on you and you’re not prone to nosebleeds, that is.

That’s the going rate for the cheapest seat for the matchup between Taylor Swift‘s boyfriend’s team and those other guys, according to online ticket resource Gametime.

By contrast, the priciest single ticket on the field will run you more than $35,000 as of Thursday morning — but that gives you prime, 50-yard views of Travis Kelce, the halftime show starring Usher and, if it’s still important to you, the big game itself.

Parents of Swifties, good luck trying to talk your kids down from not going.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Ryan Reynolds, Jimmy Kimmel collab on Groundhog Day ads for Frito-Lay

Ryan Reynolds, Jimmy Kimmel collab on Groundhog Day ads for Frito-Lay
Ryan Reynolds, Jimmy Kimmel collab on Groundhog Day ads for Frito-Lay
Courtesy Maximum Effort

And whether or not Punxsutawney Phil, or any other local marmots, see their shadows, you’ll definitely see a new set of Groundhog Day-themed Frito-Lay ads on ABC.

That’s because Ryan Reynolds‘ Maximum Effort brand has crafted a cheeky set of commercials starring Groundhog Day star Stephen Tobolowsky — best known to fans of the beloved 1993 film as Ned “BING!” Ryerson.

The spots will run all day Friday on ABC and Hulu; in each one, Tobolowsky is seen returning to the same cashier over and over again — each time trying to purchase a different flavor of Lay’s chips and each time getting increasingly suspicious.

But like Bill Murray‘s character, every time he relives the same moment, Tobolowsky’s character gets more and more upset. “I’m never gonna get out of here,” he moans as the time loop continues.

Eventually, the cashier, Always Sunny‘s Artemis Pebdani, gets dark: “Do you know how many flavors of Lay’s there are? You’re never getting out of here. We haven’t event gotten to the Veggie Poppables yet.”

“Ooh, they make Veggie Poppables?” Tobolowsky asks, hopefully.

Apparently, Maximum Effort conceived of the chain of ads just two weeks ago and reached out to Frito-Lay, which approved the quick turnaround. Jimmy Kimmel‘s Kimmelot company helped get them to air.

In keeping with the looping theme, Frito-Lay, Kimmel and Reynolds issued cheeky, identical comments about the spots, noting in part, “Creativity is at the core of everything we do at Maximum Effort and that allows us to bring fun ideas to life over, and over, and over again.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Selma Blair gives health update amid MS remission, says she hurts “all the time”

Selma Blair gives health update amid MS remission, says she hurts “all the time”
Selma Blair gives health update amid MS remission, says she hurts “all the time”
ABC/Eric McCandless

Selma Blair is sharing a health update with fans.

The Legally Blonde actress, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2018 and has been in remission since 2021, shared a video to Instagram earlier this week in which she addressed the ups and downs of how she’s currently feeling.

“I hurt all the time,” she began. “I say that only for you people that hurt also.”

Blair then opened up about living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, which the National Institutes of Health describes as “a group of disorders that affect connective tissues supporting the skin, bones, blood vessels, and many other organs and tissues.”

Defects in connective tissues can cause a range of symptoms from “mildly loose joints” to “life-threatening complications,” the NIH states.

“So the Ehlers-Danlos will make me really, really, really stiff, because I’ll pull my muscles too easily and then they’re, like, slack and sit there, so I get some injuries,” Blair said.

The Mean Baby author continued, “But this is nothing that’s like horrible, scary stuff or anything. It’s just like one of those extra things that turns into a chronic thing, and you have to watch because people think stretching’s so good for you and I’m technically not allowed to stretch because I’m always stretching.”

Blair said her MS is still “fine” and in remission, noting that she is due for another MRI and bloodwork.

MS, according to the NIH, is a neurological disease in which the immune cells in the body injure myelin, the tissue that surrounds nerves, including those in the brain and spinal cord. It is a chronic disease, with no known cause and no known cure.

Blair also suffers from intermittent dystonia, a complication of MS that causes involuntary muscle contractions leading to tremors, voice problems or difficulties in walking.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Richard Simmons reflects on being made fun of, shares message of self-love

Richard Simmons reflects on being made fun of, shares message of self-love
Richard Simmons reflects on being made fun of, shares message of self-love
Simmons in 2013 – Gregg DeGuire/WireImage

Richard Simmons is turning his unpleasant experiences into wisdom.

In a Facebook post Tuesday, the reclusive 75-year-old fitness personality issued a rare public statement.

“For as long as I can remember, people have made fun of me,” Simmons wrote. “And people still to this day make fun of me. But you know what? I am glad to be me!” he added. “And you should be glad that you are you.”

Before signing off “with love,” The Sweatin’ to the Oldies star also recommended three songs to “uplift” his followers during difficult times, including “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor, “I Am What I Am” from the Broadway musical La Cage aux Folles, and “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman.

Earlier this month, Simmons was in the headlines after it was announced that a biopic about him was in development and that Pauly Shore would play him in the feature-length film.

Shore also played Simmons in a short film titled The Court Jester, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 19.

Simmons, who withdrew from public life in 2014, took to Facebook on January 17, writing “I have never given my permission for this movie,” adding, “I no longer have a manager, and I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a quiet life and be peaceful.”

“Thank you for all your love and support,” he expressed.

The production company behind the film, The Wolper Organization, subsequently issued a statement to Variety, reading in part, “While we would love to have [Simmons] involved, we respect his desire to privacy and plan to produce a movie that honors him.”

The project “celebrates … [the] amazing person that changed millions of peoples’ lives, and the effect he has had on the world,” the producers insisted.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.