Entertainment

Celebrity Jeopardy! returns this week with the first of the semifinal rounds, featuring Ghost’s Utkarsh Ambudkar, Oscar winner Mira Sorvino and Abbot Elementary’s Lisa Ann Walter.

Early rounds of the show felt a little looser than what you’d see on syndicated Jeopardy!, and host Ken Jennings says the fact that the contestants are used to being in front of a camera may have something to do with it.

“I know firsthand being a Jeopardy! contestant is stressful. It’s not as relaxing a show as it appears,” he tells ABC Audio. “The thing about Celebrity Jeopardy! is those are three people who are already extremely comfortable on camera. Depending on the show, maybe a little too comfortable.”

But now that we are in the semis, Jennings says things are bound to get more competitive.

“It’s not just three people who are a good sport that night and had a fun charity they wanted to play for,” he shares. “On some level, I think they’re the three that really wanted to win. So you’re gonna see that head to head. The games do get more competitive. They do get more intense.”

Jennings acknowledges that part of the appeal of Celebrity Jeopardy! is seeing how smart, or not smart, a star may be, which is why he has a lot of respect for those who participate. 

“It’s a famously difficult quiz show and they’re putting themselves out there,” he explains. “So I really admire the ones who are strong players because you can tell, obviously, these people are either, you know, incredibly intelligent or very big fans of the show or in most cases, both.” 

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Jeremy Renner showed his deepest gratitude to those who helped him during his near-fatal snowplow accident one year after the incident.

In an Instagram post on Friday, the two-time Academy Award-nominated actor shared a picture of himself sitting in a RennerVation Foundation firetruck, while revealing his visit to Reno Hospital in Nevada where he was treated for the accident last year.

“Rollin through Reno, NV with joy, blessings, and [pizza]!!!!” he wrote in the caption. “Stopped by to see kids/superheroes , first responders, and doctors, nurses and staff at Reno hospital Paying my respects and celebrating love, life and the blessings it brings to us all.”

“Thank you and this community for keeping me here.. I’m forever in your debt with gratitude #loveandtitanium,” he added.

Renner suffered “blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries” when he was run over by his unmanned snowcat, a piece of 7-ton snow plow equipment, on Jan. 1, 2022 in Reno, Nevada, officials said. He was airlifted to a local hospital and underwent emergency surgery on Jan. 2.

After being released from the hospital, the Hawkeye actor revealed he broke more than 30 bones from the mishap.

Last month, the Marvel star announced via an Instagram post that he’d be releasing a “new musical diary” called “Wait” which documents the “story of life, death, recovery, all things learned along the way” to mark the anniversary of the New Year’s Day accident.

“I can’t wait to share more with you. #waitforme #laketahoe,” he added in the caption.

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Wonka sweetened its North American box office haul with an additional $22.7 million between Friday and Sunday, and is expected to reach an estimated $29.5 million for the long New Year’s weekend. That brings the Timothée Chalamet-led movie’s three-week domestic gross to $140.2 million and around $400 million worldwide.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom took second place, grabbing an $18.3 million over the three-day weekend and an estimated $23.5 million from Friday through Monday, bringing its two-week domestic haul to $81.8 million and $250 million globally. The first Aquaman movie grossed over $1 billion worldwide, a figure the new film isn’t expected to touch.

Third place belonged to Universal and Illumination’s animated adventure Migration, which delivered $17 million between Friday and Sunday and is expected to earn $22 million over the long holiday weekend, bringing its two-week North American tally $59.1 million. Migration has earned $100 million worldwide.

The Color Purple landed in fourth place, taking in an estimated $11.7 million over the three-day weekend and an estimated $14.8 million through Monday. Its domestic total now stands at $47.1 million.

Anyone but You, starring Euphoria‘s Sydney Sweeney and Top Gun: Maverick‘s Glen Powell, rounded out the top five, collecting $8.7 million for the three-day weekend and an estimated $11 million over the four-day. Its North American tally now stands at $27.1 million.

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Tom Wilkinson, best known for roles in The Full Monty and Michael Clayton, has died at age 75.

According to The Associated Press, a statement from his agent confirmed the British actor passed away suddenly at home on Saturday. No further details were given.

Wilkinson was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar for his role in the 2007 George Clooney-starring film Michael Clayton. He also received a best actor nod for his role in the 2001 film In the Bedroom.

He played Gerald Cooper in the 1997 film The Full Monty, about a group of out-of-work steel mill workers who form a male stripping act to make money. He reprised the role in this year’s FX on Hulu series of the same name.

Wilkinson also appeared in films including Batman Begins, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Valkyrie. On television, he played Benjamin Franklin in the 2008 HBO miniseries John Adams, which won him a Golden Globe and an Emmy for best supporting actor. He also earned Emmy nominations for his roles in the HBO films Normal and Recount, and the Reelz Channel limited series The Kennedys.

In 2005, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire.

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Here’s a look back at those the entertainment community lost in 2023:

January
January 7 – Adam Rich, Eight Is Enough actor, 54
January 12 – Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis, 54
January 17 – Edward R. Pressman, prolific producer, Wall Street, 79
January 25 – Cindy Williams, Laverne & Shirley star, 75
January 28 – Lisa Loring, TV’s original Wednesday Addams, 64
January 29 – Annie Wersching, Bosch, Marvel’s The Runaways, 45

February
February 8 – Burt Bacharach, composer, 94
February 15 – Raquel Welch, One Million Years B.C. actress, 82
February 18 – Tom Sizemore, Saving Private Ryan actor, 61
February 19 – Richard Belzer, Law & Order: SVU star, 78

March
March 9 – Robert Blake, In Cold Blood actor, 89
March 17 – Lance Reddick, John Wick actor, 60

April
April 8 – Michael Lerman, veteran character actor, Elf, 81
April 22 – Len Goodman, Dancing with the Stars judge, 78
April 25 – Harry Belafonte, actor, singer, activist, 96
April 27 – Jerry Springer, talk show host and politician, 79

May
May 21 – Ray Stevenson, Thor and Ahsoka actor, 58
May 24 – Tina Turner, legendary singer, 83

June
June 12 – Treat Williams, Everwood actor, 71
June 29 – Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine actor, 89

July
July 3 – Mark Margolis, Scarface actor; Salamanca in Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, 83
July 21 – Tony Bennett, jazz singer, 96
July 26 – Sinéad O’Connor, Irish singer, 56
July 30 – Paul Reubens aka Pee-wee Herman, 70
July 31 – Angus Cloud, Euphoria actor, 25

August
August 7 – William Friedkin, Oscar-winning director of The French Connection and The Exorcist, 87
August 19 – Ron Cephas Jones, This Is Us actor, 66
August 24 – Arleen Sorkin, Days of Our Lives star, original voice of Harley Quinn, 67
August 26 – Bob Barker, Price Is Right host, 99

September
September 1 – Jimmy Buffett, “Margaritaville” singer, 76
September 27 – Michael Gambon, Dumbledore in Harry Potter, 82

October
October 14 – Piper Laurie, Carrie and The Hustler actress, 91
October 15 – Suzanne Somers, Three’s Company star, 76
October 24 – Richard Roundtree, Shaft actor, 81
October 28 – Matthew Perry, Friends star, 54

November
November 23 – Frances Sternhagen, Tony winner; Emmy nominee for Cheers, Sex and the City, 93

December
December 6 – Norman Lear, prolific TV producer, 101
December 7 – Stan Rogow, Emmy-nominated Lizzy Maguire producer, 75
December 8 – Ryan O’Neal, Love Story Oscar nominee, 82
December 11 – Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Homicide on the Street actor, 61
December 26 – Tom Smothers, Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour star, 86
December 27 – Lee Sun-kyun, Parasite actor, 48

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Variety has compiled its list of the year’s 100-most-watched telecasts, and as always, the NFL remains unchallenged for broadcast viewer supremacy: In fact, 19 of the top 20 in that 100 were football matchups, starting with the most-watched show of every year, the Super Bowl.

Fox’s Super Bowl LVII coverage of the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles was the TV champ, with 114,956,000 viewers, according to the trade.

The only non-football entry in the top 20 was the #15 occupant, March’s Oscars telecast on ABC, which drew 19,412,000 viewers; the Grammy Awards ranked at #36, with 13,376,000 viewers checking the show out on CBS the month prior.

Dropping down a little further — past even more NFL games, and two installments of 60 Minutes — one finds scripted content, with CBS’ Fire Country‘s twelfth episode, “Two Pink Lines.” That drew 12,225,000 viewers back in January, and a #43 ranking.

Tied in the 51st slot was the eighth episode of Yellowstone‘s fifth season, “A Knife and No Coin,” which attracted close to 11.5 million viewers. It was tied with The OT, a Fox Sports show about — what else — football.

Other scripted shows to make the list were installments of CBS’ FBI and NCIS shows, and its cop drama Blue Bloods, which is hanging up its badge in 2024.

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Gary Oldman was already known as one of the best actors in the world before snagging a Best Actor Oscar for playing Winston Churchill in 2017’s Darkest Hour, but he’s apparently in need of convincing.

The actor sat down to talk about his Apple TV+ series Slow Horses at New York City’s 92nd Street Y for a live installment of Josh Horowitz‘ Happy Sad Confused podcast, and dove deep into his other roles, too.

For one thing, Oldman says he was disappointed with his own performance in the four Harry Potter films in which he starred as wizard Sirius Black: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Goblet of Fire, Order of the Phoenix, and Deathly Hallows, Part 2.

Oldman says although fans “most frequently” approach him for autographs with Potter photos, he says of the franchise, “I think my work is mediocre in it.”

Oldman also noted his friend and co-star, the late Alan Rickman, had a “special relationship” with Potter creator JK Rowling. “Maybe if I’d read the books like Alan … if I had known what’s coming, I think I would have played it differently,” the actor mused.

He explains, “It’s so subjective. It’s such a personal thing … It’s not to disrespect someone who says to me, ‘Oh, I really love you in that movie,’ and I’m thinking, ‘I’m terrible in that movie. What are they talking about?’ It’s not that.”

Oldman expresses, “I think if I sat and watched myself in something and said, ‘My God, I’m amazing,’ that would be a very sad day, because you want to make the next thing better.”

That said, he admits about the Potter movies, “They killed me off too early. I’m still upset at that.”

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This year’s edition of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest is bigger than ever: In addition to Times Square and Hollywood, Ryan Seacrest and co-host Rita Ora will manage performances and countdowns from Puerto Rico, Miami, Las Vegas and South Korea.

“I think the challenging part, honestly, is keeping it on time,” Seacrest told ABC Audio. “Because with all the moving parts and all the live components and elements leading up to midnight, you kind of can’t be late.”

“And you also don’t know what’s going to happen, really,” Rita added. “You can plan as much as you like, but on the night, it’s live.”

In Times Square, Ryan and Rita will welcome Jelly Roll, Sabrina Carpenter, Tyla, Megan Thee Stallion and LL COOL J. The rest of the show will feature everyone from Bebe Rexha, Cardi B and Ellie Goulding to Post Malone, Green Day and Nile Rodgers & CHIC.

“We’re always looking for the artists that have had a great year, and this is a big show that includes everyone,” Seacrest says. “We want it to be families, we want it to be for all generations and ages. And so by having artists that represent all of that … it’s what this show’s built on.” 

But if Seacrest wasn’t famous (or hosting the show), would he brave Times Square on New Year’s Eve?

“I would probably do it,” he said. “I remember watching this show growing up, thinking just to be in New York City, to be in Times Square. I couldn’t believe a sea of a million plus people could pack into all these city blocks.”

“I didn’t know the logistics about … the hours and the no going to the restroom and all of that. So I’d have to debate that, but I think I would.”  

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest airs December 31 at 8 p.m. on ABC. 

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As reported, former president turned movie producer Barack Obama had posted to social media his list of his favorite movies for 2023 — including films he co-produced, Rustin, American Symphony and Leave the World Behind.

But some noticed he didn’t include The Color Purple, leading at least one outlet to speculate it was a personal snub of his ardent supporter, the movie’s producer Oprah Winfrey.

Perhaps to nip speculation in the bud, or maybe he just went back to the movies, on Thursday evening Obama posted a presidential pardon of sorts by way of an “update” to his viral list. “I just saw The Color Purple and loved it. I’m adding it to this list as one of my favorite movies of the year,” he said.

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Being a brand spokesperson has its ups and downs, Milana Vayntrub, who has played perky store manager “Lily” in AT&T commercials since 2013, tells The New York Times.

But at least “Flo from Progressive” has got her back.

Vayntrub parlayed her work in the spots to directing commercials herself — including a shot-at-home reintroduction of the character in 2020. But that same year, she went public after seeing photos of her body out of her usually conservative AT&T character’s wardrobe go viral.

It got so bad that the company stepped in to defend the actress from trolls on its social media accounts and, according to the Times, put her in touch with Instagram to try to put a stop to the lecherous pics.

She tells the paper that’s where Flo — portrayed by one-time The Goldbergs recurring player Stephanie Courtney — stepped in.

Courtney has played Flo in Progressive spots for the last 15 years; her face’s silhouette even appears in branding for the insurance company.

Vayntrub says Courtney — who the paper says “counts multiple other brand-character actors as friends” — reached out to her and let her vent about a situation that perhaps only another brand spokesperson could understand. She’s “a good listener,” Vayntrub comments. Courtney made her feel “like there were people on my team.”

Lily’s alter ego says she’s become “protective” of the character and says playing her is “one hundred percent” worth the trouble.

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