Entertainment

Netflix’s manga adaptation One Piece has scored some streaming treasure. The live-action version of Eiichiro Oda‘s pirate saga — Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history — dropped on August 31 at #1 on the streaming service’s English language TV chart.

In just four days, One Piece racked up 140.1 million hours of viewing time, Netflix tells ABC Audio, and has hit its Top 10 in 93 countries — and #1 on that chart in 46.

The series stars Iñaki Godoy as straw hat-wearing swashbuckler Monkey D. Luffy, who sets off with his crew ZZ— Mackenyu as Roronoa Zoro, Emily Rudd as Nami, Jacob Romero as Usopp and Taz Skylar as Sanji — to find the fabled article of treasure that shares the series’ title.

This ranks One Piece right up there with massive hits like Stranger Things season 4 and Wednesday.

Updated numbers are due out Tuesday afternoon, September 12, the streaming service explained.

What’s more, the series is enjoying a 96% audience score on the ratings aggregator Rotten Tomatoes — meaning the series has done what other Netflix anime/manga adaptations like Cowboy Bepop has done: satisfied fans of the source material, which has sold more than 500 million copies worldwide.

In fact, fans were apparently happy to sound off; there were more than 10,000 reviews submitted for the series in just a matter of days.

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Drew Barrymore announced her daytime chat show will return for its fourth season in accordance with the rules of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes, though the WGA has vowed to picket the show’s studios Monday and Tuesday regardless.

“I made a choice to walk away from the MTV, film and television awards because I was the host and it had a direct conflict with what the strike was dealing with which was studios, streamers, film, and television,” Barrymore wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. “However, I am also making the choice to come back for the first time in this strike for our show, that may have my name on it but this is bigger than just me.”

“I own this choice. We are in compliance with not discussing or promoting film and television that is struck of any kind,” she continued. “We launched live in a global pandemic. Our show was built for sensitive times and has only functioned through what the real world is going through in real time. I want to be there to provide what writers do so well, which is a way to bring us together or help us make sense of the human experience.”

However, a spokesperson for the Writers Guild said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, “The Guild has, and will continue to, picket any struck show that continues production for the duration of the strike.”

CBS Media Ventures in a statement of their own states “the show will not be performing any writing work covered by the WGA strike,” similar to ABC’s The View.

The Drew Barrymore Show‘s fourth season is set to premiere September 18.

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Paul Reubens, who passed away July 30 at age 70, died of acute hypoxic respiratory failure, according to a copy of the death certificate obtained by The Blast. The underlying cause of the Pee Wee Herman creator’s death was listed as acute myelogenous leukemia, a blood and bone marrow cancer, and he had been diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer in the months before his passing, which meant his cancer had spread to his lungs…

The 72nd Miss USA Pageant’s first broadcast airing since 2019 is set for September 29 on the CW, while the Miss Teen USA pageant will stream on the CW’s app and website on the same day. Both events will take place at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno, Nevada. Titleholders from each state will compete for the national titles, which will be crowned by Miss USA 2022 Morgan Romano of North Carolina and Miss Teen USA 2022 Faron Medhi of Nebraska, respectively. 2023’s Miss USA titleholder will go on to represent the U.S. at the Miss Universe 2023 competition later this year. Hosts and judges for both pageants have yet to be announced…

Disney’s Haunted Mansion is set to stream on Disney+ on October 4, according to Variety. The movie, which is based on one of Disneyland’s signature rides, follows a single mother and her 9-year-old son — played respectively by Rosario Dawson and Chase Dillon — who move into the titular mansion and enlist the help of so-called spiritual experts to exterminate their home of various ghosts, ghouls and ghastly creatures. LaKeith Stanfield, Tiffany Haddish, Jamie Lee Curtis, Owen Wilson, Danny DeVito and Jared Leto also star…

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The Nun II opened with an estimated $32.6 million to top the domestic box office. The ninth film in the Conjuring universe — starring Taissa Farmiga and Jonas Blouquet reprising their respective roles of Sister Irene and Maurice, along with newcomer Storm Reid — also grabbed an estimated $52.7 million overseas for a global haul of $85.3 million.

The Conjuring is the highest-grossing horror franchise ever, grossing more than $2 billion worldwide.

The Equalizer 3 dropped to second place earning an estimated $12.1 million in its second week of release bringing its North American tally to $61.9 million. Globally, the film has raked in $107.7 million.

The weekend’s second new major release, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, debuted in third place with an estimated $10 million at the domestic box office. The franchise’s third film — once again starring writer-director Nia Versalos, along with John Corbett, Louis Mandylor, Elena Kampouris, Gia Carides, Joey Fatone, Lainie Kazan and Andrea Martin — added an estimated $2.7 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $12.7 million.

The Indian action thriller Jawan opened in fourth place at the North American box office, grossing an estimated $7.6 million, but tacked on an estimated $56.5 million internationally, for a $64.1 million global haul.

Barbie rounded out the top five, earning an estimated $5.9 million at the domestic box office, bringing its eight-week tally to $620.5 million. Internationally, The movie took in an estimated $5.5 million for a global haul of $1.4 billion.

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Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis issued an apology on Saturday in response to criticism over their character letters in support of convicted rapist Danny Masterson, with whom they both starred on That ’70s Show.

Masterson, 47, was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday after he was found guilty of two counts of forcible rape in a retrial.

Kutcher and Kunis were among those who provided character letters in support of Masterson, asking the judge for leniency, with both calling him a “role model.”

The revelation was met with widespread online backlash, including criticism by two of the Jane Does in the case. Jane Doe 3, whose count was ultimately dismissed, also blasted the stars on social media on Friday for their show of support, claiming Kutcher is “just as sick” as his “role model” and that she feels “very sad” for Kunis.

Kutcher and Kunis addressed the criticism in a brief video message posted on Instagram on Saturday.

“We are aware of the pain that has been caused by the character letters that we wrote on behalf of Danny Masterson,” Kutcher began.

Kunis said they have “historically” supported victims and “will continue to do so in the future.”

Kutcher explained that Masterson’s family reached out to them a few months ago and asked them to write character letters “to represent the person that we knew for 25 years, so that the judge could take that into full consideration relative to the sentencing.”

“The letters were not written to question the legitimacy of the judicial system, or the validity of the jury’s ruling,” Kunis said.

Kutcher added that the letters were not intended to undermine the testimony of the victims.

“We would never want to do that. And we’re sorry that that has taken place,” he said.

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The Nacelle Company’s hit Icons Unearthed series will get back underway on Vice TV for a fifth season on Wednesday, October 4, with Icons Unearthed: James Bond.

The special look back at the 60 years of the suave superspy will feature interviews with George Lazenby, who succeeded Sean Connery in the role for just one movie, 1969’s On Her Majesty’s Secret Service. It will also feature narration from and interviews with Gloria Hendry, who played Rosie in 1973’s Live and Let Die.

The series will feature recollections from Caroline Munro, who played femme fatale Naomi in The Spy Who Loved Me; Catherine Schell, Nancy in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service; and another Majesty vet, Terence Mountain.

Also featured will be veteran stuntman Vic Armstrong — whose work was seen in 1967’s You Only Live Twice, 1973’s Live and Let Die and 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies — and Andreas Wisniewski, who played the Walkman-wearing hitman Necros in 1987’s The Living Daylights.

There will also be candid interviews from those who worked behind the scenes to bring Ian Fleming‘s spy to life onscreen.

“This franchise is rich in its history, and we’re honored to be telling this incredible story!” enthused Nacelle Company CEO Brian Volk-Weiss in the announcement.

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A model of Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing starfighter, as seen in the climactic Battle of the Death Star in 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, is about to hit the auction block.

And it’s going to fetch a fortune.

Heritage Auctions says the model was just one of four “hero” X-Wings — that is, models with lights and other details for close-ups — known to have been built by George Lucas‘ effects house Industrial Light and Magic.

Once thought lost forever, the model was recovered in a box among the collection of the late Oscar-nominated modelmaker Greg Jein. It will be sold at a Heritage auction on October 14 and 15 in Dallas, Texas, with the bidding starting at $400,000.

Jein’s collection also has a screen-used suit of Stormtrooper armor from the same film, for which bidding will begin at $200,000, as well as props and costumes from Star Trek, 2001: A Space Odyssey and other classic projects.

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Matt Rife, one of the biggest comedians on the planet at the moment thanks to social media, has booked his first comedy special for Netflix.

The comic, whose first sold out world tour, ProbleMATTic, kicked off in July, will headline Matt Rife: Natural Selection for the streamer, dropping before the end of the year.

The special will reportedly be shot during Matt’s two-night stand at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., on September 22 and 23 as the ProbleMATTic World Tour rolls on.

Netflix says it surprised Matt with the news on a billboard for his upcoming birthday, September 10.

For his part, the hunky comedian called it “a dream.”

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Hours after former That ’70s Show star Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on rape charges, an old interview clip resurfaced that viewers are calling either a creepy coincidence or a premonition of things to come.

The clip from Late Night had the star being interviewed by Conan O’Brien, in which the host asked why Masterson doesn’t have a Long Island, New York, accent.

To the comment, Masterson expressed that there are some words you “can’t do anything about,” offering that his friend — and, incidentally, fellow Scientologist — Bodhi Elfman “always” teases Masterson with the imitation, “‘Hi, my name is Danny Masterson, would you like to touch my b****?”

O’Brien counters with, “So why are you asking people to do that? That’s the more important question.” Masterson replies by saying, “I mean ya got ’em … everybody should grab ’em.”

Conan then tells the actor, “I’ve heard about you. And you’ll be caught soon, I know you will.”

“I will,” Masterson jokes.

To the clip, the social media user who posted it to X commented, “Conan knew.”

Another expressed, “He used to write for The Simpsons so of course he would predict it.”

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Scream series creator Kevin Williamson took part in a new installment of the Happy Horror Time podcast, where he weighed in on Neve Campbell‘s decision not to return to the franchise with Scream VI.

As reported, the actress, who currently can be seen in Peacock’s Twisted Metal, cited a salary dispute as her reason not to reprise as Sidney Prescott in the blockbuster series’ sixth installment.

“As a woman I have had to work extremely hard in my career to establish my value, especially when it comes to Scream,” she said at the time. “I felt the offer that was presented to me did not equate to the value I have brought to the franchise.”

For the record, Williamson said, “I know exactly where she’s coming from.”

He added, “I know her well. I love and adore her and that’s what she did. It’s right for her.”

Williamson, also the creator of another ’90s classic,, Dawson’s Creek, expressed, “I love everyone involved in Scream and all I can say is, pay her the money. That’s what I would do, I would give her the money.”

Williamson, who now executive produces the franchise instead of writing the movies, also revealed what his plans for Campbell’s character would have been. “Scream IV, V, and VI, would have been [about] the love story of Sidney Prescott, and it would’ve been this whole thing of she’s falling in love, she’s going to get married, it’s all based around her marriage when these murders start happening again,” he said.

“It’s like, is this man that she’s in love with the killer again?” Williamson teased.

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