Entertainment

Apple TV+ has closed the curtains on its musical series Schmigadoon! after two critically acclaimed seasons. Cinco Paul, co-creator of the Lorne Michaels-produced show that starred SNL veteran Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key, announced the “sad” news on social media. “The season is written (including 25 new songs), but we unfortunately won’t be making it. Such is life,” he said in part. The second season of the show also starred singer and actress Dove Cameron, and Tony winners Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming. Cinco also teased the “optimist” in him believes the show will go on — but not at Apple TV+ …

After seeing its first awards show in Los Angeles canceled because of COVID-19 in 2020, then delayed by the writers strike last year, the Peabody Awards has announced it will finally hold its first in-person event on June 7 at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel rather than its traditional New York City home. “For the first time in the history of Peabody, we’re thrilled to recognize the most compelling stories of the year at a joyful and inspiring ceremony in Los Angeles,” said Jeffrey Jones, the organization’s executive director. “By including more talent and honoring the winners in a city that deeply admires the power of stories, we are confident that we will add some tangible excitement to our ceremony,” he continues. Nominees for the 84th annual Peabody Awards will be announced in April …

Hulu has dropped the trailer for season 2 of Life & Beth. The comedy series, written, directed, executive produced and starring Amy Schumer, finds the titular character — played by Schumer — considering the possibilities of tying the knot and starting a family with her boyfriend John — portrayed by Michael Cera. The trailer also teases some of season 2’s guest stars, including Jennifer Coolidge, Amy Sedaris, Beanie Feldstein, Colin Quinn, Margaret Cho and Tim Meadows. Life & Beth returns with all 10 episodes on February 16 …

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In the new space thriller I.S.S., in theaters this weekend, Ariana DeBose stars as a scientist making her first trip to the International Space Station, when tension flare between the Russian and U.S. astronauts after a conflict breaks out on earth.

DeBose’s character has to decide if she’s going to fight for control of the space station, or wait and hide. She tells ABC Audio that she’s “a fighter,” so if she were in that same situation, it’s pretty likely punches would fly.

“I’m very malleable to my surroundings and I’m instinctually driven,” she shares. “So if my gut says I need to start throwing some punches, I will probably just do what I have to do, to be honest.”

While I.S.S. wasn’t actually filmed in space, there have been a few recent or upcoming films that will, including one starring Tom Cruise. But director Gabriela Cowperthwaite says that that after reading about what spending time in space can do to you, she’s happy her production was confined to the ground.

“We’re not supposed to be there,” she explains. “It’s just like zero gravity, [it’s] like terrible. Your eyes, what happens to your … organs, just like, it’s not good.”

Making the zero gravity scenes look realistic wasn’t easy, says Cowperthwaite, who recalls trying a few different methods before getting it right.

DeBose says they finally decided on putting the actors in harnesses. “And for every one of us that’s hooked up there, [there were] like two people behind the scenes operating our particular harness,” she explains.

“It took quite a bit of rehearsal and choreography to figure out how six people fly in a tiny, tiny space,” she says, but it created “more of a real feeling.”

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On his Instagram Stories, Johnny Depp has shared that Modi, a film he directed featuring his Donny Brasco co-star Al Pacino has wrapped.

It was Depp’s first time directing since 1997’s The Brave, and according to a statement from the actor-filmmaker posted by The Hollywood Reporter, the superstar found the experience “transformative.”

Depp called the movie “an incredibly fulfilling and transformative experience” and expressed his “profound gratitude to the entire cast, crew, and producers for their unwavering commitment and creativity.”

As for Pacino, Depp said, “To Al, who requested that I make this film — how could I refuse Pacino? A sincere acknowledgement for generously contributing his talent and dedication to this project.”

The Oscar-winning Godfather actor will reportedly play art collector Maurice Gangnat in the film, a World War I-era project centering on the life of Italian artist Amedeo “Modi” Modigliani. Riccardo Scamarcio, who played the heavy in John Wick: Chapter 2, portrays the titular artist.

Depp says of the project, which has no release date as of yet, “Modi is a testament to the collaborative spirit of independent filmmaking, and I am excited to present this unique and compelling story to the world.”

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Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One will finally be coming to free streaming for Paramount+ subscribers on Thursday, January 25.

Dead Reckoning Part One, or “The one where Tom Cruise motorcycles off a mountain,” came to HD Digital for purchase/rental back on October 10, and DVD and Blu-ray later the same month.

The movie also stars series newcomers Hayley Atwell, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff and Cary Elwes, among others, joining M:I franchise vets Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby.

Christopher McQuarrie‘s movie, which grossed $567 million worldwide, has Cruise’s superspy Ethan Hunt and his IMF team embarking “on their most dangerous mission yet: to track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands.”

An eighth Mission movie, should you choose to accept it, hits theaters May 23, 2025.

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Sofia Vergara was a fan of the show Married with Children when she was growing up in Colombia, but as she reveals in an upcoming installment of the Graham Norton Show, a little was lost in translation when she eventually met her Modern Family TV husband — none other than former Married star Ed O’Neill.

Vergara explains, “Married with Children was one of the most known and loved comedies in the United States … and people adore Ed.”

She continues, “So we would have it in Colombia, translations, but they were usually translated by, you know, Spanish-speaking people. … So to me, in my head, he sounded like Antonio Banderas,” Vergara said to laughs.

“So when I met him the first time … Modern Family was really my first big job, I was a little disappointed, because he couldn’t even say one word in Spanish, he sounded like nothing.”

That said, Vergara said her TV husband is “one of my favorite people in the whole world.”

The episode of The Graham Norton Show, which also features Kevin Hart, Tony winner Alan Cumming and Emmy winner Jodie Comer, airs Tuesday, January 23, at 11 p.m. ET on BBC America, and will stream on AMC+ and Acorn TV.

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Back in May, ABC Audio reported how St. Elmo’s Fire star Andrew McCarthy became a man in motion, documenting on Instagram his reunions with his one-time Brat Pack members as part of a new documentary.

Well, that documentary now has a title, and Brats will have a home on Hulu later this year.

ABC News Studios, in partnership with independent studio NEON and Network Entertainment, announced Thursday that Brats “explores the cultural phenomenon of films such as St. Elmo’s Fire and The Breakfast Club that tapped into teenage angst and connected with young audiences in a way that had never been done before.”

Pretty in Pink and Less Than Zero star McCarthy, who also wrote the New York Times bestselling memoir Brat: An ’80s Story. He directed the documentary, “reuniting with his fellow Brat Packers — friends, colleagues and former foes, many of whom he had not seen for over 30 years — to answer the question: What did it mean to be part of the Brat Pack?”

The producers tease, “McCarthy crisscrosses the country to meet up with some of the stars of those beloved films, including, among others, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Ally Sheedy, Emilio Estevez, Jon Cryer, Lea Thompson, Timothy Hutton and key members of production, including directors, casting directors, screenwriters and producers.”

The announcement calls the “entertaining, intimate and evocative” project “[a] potent mix of Hollywood fascination, movie history and deeply personal revelations” that “reveals how the label caused a frenzy” and the impact it had on the young stars, both professionally and personally.

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Selena Gomez is going back to her roots.

Deadline reports that Selena will guest-star in a pilot for a sequel series to her old Disney Channel show Wizards of Waverly Place, reprising her role as Alex Russo. While she wouldn’t continue to star in the series, if it’s picked up, she’ll executive produce it with her former co-star David Henrie, who played Justin Russo in the original series.

According to Deadline, the sequel series will pick up after “a mysterious incident at WizTech, where an adult Justin Russo has left his wizard powers behind, opting for a normal, human life with his wife and two sons. But he gets a surprise when a powerful young wizard in need of training shows up at his door … and Justin must embrace his past to ensure the future of the Wizard World.”

The original Wizards of Waverly Place aired on the Disney Channel between 2007 and 2012. Selena starred on the show after appearing on two other Disney Channel shows: The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and Hannah Montana.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Fans of the original Star Wars know that many young actresses tried out for the role of Princess Leia before the late Carrie Fisher ultimately landed the part.

One of those who was in the running, now two-time Oscar winner Jodie Foster, is speaking out as to why she wasn’t in that galaxy far, far away.

On The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon, the Nyad star explained it all came down to a scheduling issue. At the time, she was 13 or 14, younger than Fisher who was 19 when she was cast.

“They were going for a younger Princess Leia but I had a conflict,” Foster told Jimmy. “I was doing a Disney movie and I just didn’t want to pull out … because I was already under contract.”

That said, Foster humbly noted of Star Wars, “They did an amazing job … I don’t know how good I would have been.”

She added, “I might have had different hair. I might have gone with a pineapple,” referring to Leia’s cinematic cinnamon-bun ‘do.

Foster didn’t say which Disney film it was, but in 1977, when Star Wars was released, she appeared in theaters in the studio’s adventure Saddleshoe.

Incidentally, in the making-of Star Wars documentary Empire of Dreams, Foster’s name came up when Fisher explained she unexpectedly beat the “incredible” competition and got the job “with the proviso that I go to a fat farm … to lose 10 pounds.”

Fisher went on to joke that she was nervous she’d flub Episode IV‘s famous rope swing scene, imagining the crew saying,”‘Nope! Still too tubby. Let’s bring in Jodie Foster!'”

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Godzilla Minus One, a Japanese kaiju film that has made close to $51 million at U.S. box office, making it the highest-grossing live-action film from the country to invade the States, will soon be coming to theaters in black and white.

The movie, which has earned a unanimous 98% Audience and Critics Score from the aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, will birth a new version, Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color, starting Friday, January 26.

Both the acclaimed color version and the new black-and-white edition of the Toho International release will leave theaters February 1.

In a statement on the atomic lizard’s official website, director, screenwriter, and visual effects supervisor Takahashi Yamazaki said, “I was very happy that the North American audience embraced ‘Godzilla Minus One’ and gave us such positive feedback as ‘It was incredible,’ ‘It was scary,” and ‘It made me cry. And now I am very pleased to be able to release a black-and-white version for North America as well.”

Teasing, “a new and visceral experience to audiences,” he says Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color “is not just a simple black and white version.”

He speaks of “a careful and very complex process,” promising, “the black-and-white images make Godzilla look very realistic and documentary-like, which leads to even more fear.”

He adds, “Even we have seen Godzilla many times, but we felt that something completely different appeared there. It is very scary.”

Godzilla Minus One is also the fifth-highest grossing non-English language film of all time in the States.

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The nominations for this year’s British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Film Awards have been revealed and Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer leads the way with 13 nominations for the ceremony sometimes colloquially referred to as the “British Oscars.” 

Coming in second place for nominations this year was Poor Things, the award-winning Emma Stone dark comedy from Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos; it earned 11. 

Oppenheimer‘s nomination count — including Best Film, Leading Actor for Cillian Murphy, Supporting Actor for Robert Downey Jr., Supporting Actress for Emily Blunt, and Director for Nolan — was one short of the all-time BAFTA nominee leader All Quiet on the Western Front, which earned 14 last year.

Martin Scorsese’s crime epic Killers of the Flower Moon scored nine nominations, including a Film nom, and a Supporting Actor turn for Robert De Niro, but likely Oscars frontrunner Lily Gladstone wasn’t recognized in the Leading Actress category. 

Also scoring nine noms was the drama The Zone of Interest from English filmmaker Jonathan Glazer. 

Bradley Cooper was nominated in the Leading Actor, Director, and Original Screenplay category for his biopic Maestro, while Margot Robbie was nominated both as Leading Actress for Barbie, and as a producer in the Outstanding British Film category for backing Emerald Fennell‘s acclaimed Saltburn.

Here’s a list of the nominations in the main categories. The full list can be found here:

BEST FILM

Anatomy of a Fall
The Holdovers
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

DIRECTOR

Andrew Haigh – All of Us Strangers
Justine Triet – Anatomy of a Fall
Alexander Payne – The Holdovers
Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Christopher Nolan – Oppenheimer
Jonathan Glazer – The Zone of Interest

LEADING ACTRESS

Fantasia Barrino – The Color Purple
Sandra Hüller – Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan – Maestro
Vivian Oparah – Rye Lane
Margot Robbie – Barbie
Emma Stone – Poor Things

LEADING ACTOR

Bradley Cooper – Maestro
Colman Domingo – Rustin
Paul Giamatti – The Holdovers
Barry Keoghan – Saltburn
Cillian Murphy – Oppenheimer
Teo Yoo – Past Lives

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Emily Blunt – Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks – The Color Purple
Claire Foy – All of Us Strangers
Sandra Hüller – The Zone of Interest
Rosamund Pike – Saltburn
Da’Vine Joy Randolph – The Holdovers

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert De Niro – Killers of the Flower Moon
Robert Downey Jr. – Oppenheimer
Jacob Elordi – Saltburn
Ryan Gosling – Barbie
Paul Mescal – All of Us Strangers
Dominic Sessa – The Holdovers

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM

All of Us Strangers
How to Have Sex
Napoleon
The Old Oak
Poor Things
Rye Lane
Saltburn
Scrapper
Wonka
The Zone of Interest

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

EDITING

Anatomy of a Fall
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things 
The Zone of Interest

COSTUME DESIGN

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

MAKE UP & HAIR

Killers of the Flower Moon
Maestro
Napoleon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things

ORIGINAL SCORE

Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
Saltburn
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

PRODUCTION DESIGN

Barbie
Killers of the Flower Moon
Oppenheimer
Poor Things
The Zone of Interest

SOUND

Ferrari
Maestro
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
Oppenheimer
The Zone of Interest

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS

The Creator
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One
Napoleon
Poor Things

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted by the public)

Phoebe Dynevor
Ayo Edebiri
Jacob Elordi
Mia McKenna-Bruce
Sophie Wilde

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