Entertainment

Deadline reports Taraji P. Henson has been tapped for a role in the Peacock limited series Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist, joining Kevin Hart and Terrence Howard. Set in Atlanta, Fight Night chronicles one of the largest armed robberies in U.S. history, which took place during an afterparty that followed Muhammad Ali‘s historic 1970 comeback fight against Jerry Quarry in Atlanta. Hundreds of guests were robbed at gunpoint. The Color Purple actress will play Vivian Thomas, a savvy businesswoman and the mistress of Hart’s character, who was known on the streets as Chicken Man …

Apple TV+ has renewed the Idris Elba thriller Hijack for a second season. Told in real time, season 1 followed Elba’s character, Sam Nelson, a seasoned negotiator who steps in after a plane traveling from Dubai to London is hijacked by terrorists. Archie Panjabi, Christine Adams, Max Beesley and Ben Miles also starred. Plot details for the second season are “top secret,” Elba said in a statement on Wednesday, but he promised to “bring the high octane back” …

On Wednesday, CBS Studios released a teaser image to signal its forthcoming animated series based on the blockbuster video game Among Us is “progressing nicely.” Among Us, which at one point had some 500 million monthly active users and more than 4 billion views on YouTube, has groups of small, colorful space-suited characters trying to fix a damaged ship — and avoiding a murderous imposter among them. The photo shows an empty room, with pizza pies sitting untouched on its tables, while overhead hangs a celebratory banner reading “We’re Not Dead” — except the “Not” is covered up by a blood stain. “Patient Crewmates are rewarded with a pizza party (totally safe) (not a trap),” reads the caption. …

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With the strikes out of the way, ABC on Wednesday revealed trailers for its delayed lineup, including returning newer shows Will Trent and Not Dead Yet, and veteran shows like Station 19 and Grey’s Anatomy.

Wednesday, February 7 sees the premieres of Emmy winner Abbott Elementary‘s third season, Gina Rodriguez‘s Not Dead Yet and The Conners, the latter of which will return for season 6.

American Idol will return on Sunday, February 18.

Will Trent, The Rookie and the seventh and final season of The Good Doctor kick off Tuesday, February 20.

The 20th season of Grey’s Anatomy begins on Thursday, March 14, along with the seventh and final season of Station 19 and the hit action drama 9-1-1.

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HBO has traditionally allowed the mercurial Larry David to decide whether or not there would be more seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, but to Variety, he now says this is it.

At Tuesday night’s Los Angeles red carpet premiere for the forthcoming 12th and final season, David acknowledged to the trade that he’s said the show was over many times before.

“Yeah, I said it before. But I wasn’t 76 when I said it,” he noted.

The Seinfeld co-creator also expressed of the Emmy-winning show, “It’s time. Twelve years, that’s a lot for a television show — over 24 years. It was time.”

The series, which began in 1999 as a one-off mockumentary about David’s alleged return to stand-up comedy, launched as a series in 2000.

HBO had always given David a wide berth to return for subsequent seasons at his leisure. For instance, there was a six-year gap between seasons eight and nine.

During its run, the show racked up 51 Emmy nominations with two wins, including an Outstanding Comedy Series Emmy in 2002.

Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s 12th season kicks off on Sunday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max.

New episodes will debut subsequent Sundays at the same time, leading up to the series finale on April 7.

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On Wednesday, NBC, Peacock and E! announced that Adam Sandler would be the recipient of the People’s Icon Award at next month’s People’s Choice Awards.

The Saturday Night Live vet “will be honored for his impressive comedic career and dozens of iconic film roles,” according to the producers.

The 2024 People’s Choice Awards air live from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, California, on Sunday, February 18, at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and E!, and will stream live on Peacock. Barbie star Simu Liu will host this year’s festivities.

Uncut Gems star Sandler takes another dramatic turn in the forthcoming sci-fi film Spaceman, which will make its debut at the Berlin Film Festival in February, ahead of a limited theatrical release on February 23 and a Netflix debut March 1.

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The hit musical reboot of Mean Girls apparently has some young fans searching online — and probably their moms’ closets — for the fashions that were worn back in the day.

According to a study from the website NoDepositGuide.com, Google searches for the term “Mean Girls fashion” jumped 227% in recent days, as fans look to emulate the “fetch” fashions as seen in the 2004 original that spawned the new film.

Further, searches on Pinterest for Y2K Fashion and “Y2K outfits” popped by 74%, displaying throwback trends like chunky shoes, low-rise jeans, metallic fabrics, crop tops and day-glow colors, as seen on The Plastics, Cady and the other characters from the beloved film.

A spokesperson for the online gambling resource notes, “Fashion often operates in cycles, with styles from the past coming back into vogue. Y2K fashion particularly appeals to those seeking a retro look that stands out from more contemporary styles. This is why it is perfect for the Mean Girls [characters], allowing each individual to express their creativity and individuality.”

Paramount Pictures’ musical take on the original film — and the staged production that inspired it — has made more than $83 million worldwide since it opened January 8.

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When Elmo, the beloved Sesame Street Muppet, took to social media to ask a seemingly simple question, the responses came flooding in.

“Elmo is just checking in. How is everybody doing?” the iconic character wrote in a post shared Monday on X, formerly known as Twitter, and Friday on Threads.

A wave of emotional responses from Elmo’s followers quickly came pouring in, with the post racking up over 175 million views on X alone.

One person replied, “Honestly Elmo. I need a hug.”

Another wrote, “I shouldn’t have rushed wanting to be an adult. I need a break big guy.”

In other replies, followers described feeling lonely, feeling a sense of “existential dread” and feeling like they’re just “hanging on.”

Celebrities also started to chime in on the post.

Actress Rachel Zegler replied, “Resisting the urge to tell Elmo that I am kinda sad.”

Singer, rapper and producer T-Pain posted, “I’m just looking for somebody to talk to, and show me some love if you know what I mean.”

The conversation started by Elmo’s posts put a spotlight on the mental health crisis facing both adults and young people, particularly when it comes to loneliness.

Last year, the U.S. surgeon general, Dr. Vivek H. Murthy, issued an advisory on the “epidemic of loneliness and isolation” in the United States, writing, “In recent years, about 1 in 2 adults in America reported experiencing loneliness,” adding that was before the “isolation” of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Elmo shared a follow-up post Tuesday about the importance of asking a friend how they’re doing.

“Wow! Elmo is glad he asked! Elmo learned that it is important to ask a friend how they are doing. Elmo will check in again soon, friends! Elmo loves you,” the character wrote on X.

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The Super Bowl is on Sunday, February 11, but Oreo has just released its big game spot, which puts a twist on flipping a coin.

The ad shows how people throughout the ages have made decisions — both good and bad — based on giving their Oreos a twist and guessing which side the creme will end up on, right or left.

According to the ad, it worked out well for cavemen, who decided to leave the dinosaurs as the asteroid approached — OK, so it’s not archeologically accurate. However, for the people of Troy, it didn’t work out as well when a guard allowed the famed Trojan Horse in based on his cookie’s creme.

The commercial then cuts to more modern times, when Kris Jenner takes a throwback phone call. “So every little detail of our family will be on TV? Who would watch that?” she asks, before adding, “All right, lemme twist on it. Creme on the left, we’ll do the show.”

Sure enough, the creme ended up where she predicted. “Hope you can keep up,” Jenner says.

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Demi Moore stopped by Good Morning America on Wednesday to discuss her new show Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, and gave fans an update on how her ex-husband Bruce Willis is doing these days.

Speaking about Willis, who was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia last year, Moore told GMA, “I think, given the givens, he’s doing very well.”

“What I’ll say is what I say to my children, which is it’s important to just meet them where they’re at and not hold onto what isn’t, but what is, because there’s great beauty and sweetness and loving and joy out of that,” she said.

Moore shares three daughters — Rumer, Scout and Tallulah — with Willis, to whom she was married from 1987 to 2000.

The Ghost actress also dished about playing Ann Woodward in Feud season 2, saying the real-life woman was “complicated” and lived “a very tragic life.”

Woodward, a radio actress and socialite, gained the nickname “Bang Bang” from author Truman Capote after shooting and killing her husband, banking heir William Woodward Jr., at their home in 1955, alleging she thought he was an intruder. A grand jury later exonerated her, believing her account that the shooting was an accident; she did not face indictment over the matter.

Woodward died by suicide in October 1975.

“I think there’s great responsibility when you are stepping in to play a real person,” Moore told GMA on Wednesday. “It was important to me to kind of honor the truth as much as possible.”

Moore also praised Tom Hollander for bringing Capote to life, saying he “had probably the biggest job” on the series and he “so embodied the essence of Truman.”

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On Tuesday night’s installment of Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Handmaid’s Tale Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss revealed she’s pregnant with her first child.

To be fair, her very visible baby bump made the announcement before she did.

“So I feel like I need to ask you, are you pregnant, or are you just an incredibly committed Method actor?” Kimmel asked.

“A little bit of both,” Moss laughed.

Jimmy asked how she was feeling, and she replied, “Not bad, actually. I’ve been really lucky, it’s going really well.”

From the father of four — “five, if you count Guillermo,” Jimmy cracked of his sidekick — Moss wanted some advice about the impending big day.

Jimmy passed along advice Bill Murray had given Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney: bring Christmas lights to the delivery room. “Because the lighting is terrible in the room. It’s Walmart-style lighting for this blessed event that’s going to happen and you don’t want that,” he said.

Moss also admitted she “can’t wait to start” using her pregnancy — and her baby to be — to get out of social obligations. “It’s the best,” she enthused.

Kimmel also asked Moss about Handmaid’s, to which she revealed, “We are going back to shoot this summer … our final season.” She joked they last worked on the show “37 years ago.”

Moss continued, “People are really starting to get upset … especially when I tell them we haven’t even started shooting yet,” guessing the sixth season of the show will debut in 2025.

The actress said those fans will really get upset when they find out she “cheated on Handmaid’s Tale” with her new spy series The Veil, which debuts in April on Hulu.

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We can all use a friend like Austin Butler.

During an appearance with his Masters of the Air co-star Callum Turner on The Drew Barrymore Show airing Wednesday, Butler offers to be Drew’s “get out of here free” phone call for an upcoming blind date — her first in a long time.

In the preview clip posted on the hit chat show’s Insta, Barrymore goes to reveal that she’s meeting the guy for dinner, even though “everyone says when you go on a date with someone, don’t do the dinner, do a drink.”

“But I don’t know better,” she admits.

However, Butler disagrees, saying, “I like the dinner. Then you know if it doesn’t work. You get to actually talk.”

He assures her, “Yeah you’re gonna have a great time.”

Barrymore still has her doubts though, asking, “What if you get weird vibes right out of the gate, though? Then what?”

“Then run,” jokes Turner.

“Yeah,” Butler follows up. “You go to the bathroom and you call a friend and you have them give you a surprise call.”

“Please be my ‘get out of here free’ call,” she begs Butler, to which the Elvis Oscar nominee replies, “Yeah, just send me a text and I’ll call.”

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