Entertainment

(NOTE LANGUAGE) Have no fear, your reality roundup is here! Here’s a look at what’s happened in the world of reality television this week.

The Ultimatum (Netflix)
Ultimatum stars Treyvon Brunson and Jeriah Nelson are expecting their first child. “Next Chapter: Motherhood. These past 5 months have been so sweet and special. From hearing your heartbeat to little flutters and kicks. We cannot wait to meet you,” the mom-to-be captioned a heartwarming post with a gray onesie, sonogram pictures, and a due date sign that read: Baby Brunson January 5, 2024.” Brunson shared the same photo and wrote, “EVERYBODY!!! Me and @jeriahnyree are ready to welcome our baby into the world. I fell in love with our little one as soon as I found out she was pregnant Gender reveal coming soon.”

Love is Blind (Netflix)
Love Is Blind star Shaina Hurley, 33, and husband Christos Lardakis are expecting their first child, the couple announced in an Instagram post on September 5. Alongside photos of the parents-to-be cradling Hurley’s baby belly, they wrote, “We are proud to announce Baby Lardakis coming soon… God is so good!”

House of Villains (E!)
The juicy, two-minute trailer for the new series House of Villains dropped Thursday, September 7 and teases a season where the most iconic, infamous supervillain contestants must “outsmart, out-manipulate and out-scheme each other” for a $200,000 cash prize. At one point, Jax Taylor declares, “This is war,” while in another clip Tiffany “New York” Pollard is heard calling Omarosa a “c*** sucking, c** guzzling, Republican c***.” Hosted by Joel McHale, House of Villains premieres October 12 on E!.

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Hulu on Thursday dropped the trailer for Quiz Lady. The comedy, from 20th Century Studios, stars Awkwafina and Sandra Oh respectively as “a brilliant but tightly wound, gameshow-obsessed young woman … and her estranged, train-wreck of a sister [who] must work together to help cover their mother’s gambling debts,” per the studio. “When Anne’s beloved dog is kidnapped, they set out on a wild, cross-country trek to get the cash the only way they know how: by turning Anne into a bona-fide gameshow champion.” Quiz Lady — also starring Jason Schwartzman, Holland Taylor, Tony Hale and Will Ferrell — premieres November 3 on Hulu…

Third time was the charm for Only Murders in the Building. The season 3 premiere of the Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez-led Hulu comedy had its best showing yet on the streaming charts, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The season three debut on August 8, drew 719 million minutes of viewing time for the week of August 7-13 — a series high for the show and 24 percent higher than its previous best, 578 million minutes for the week of its season two finale in August 2022. It finished third among original series and ninth overall in Nielsen’s rankings…

Roku has revealed the first casualties of its cost-cutting drive, according to Deadline. They include the action thriller Most Dangerous Game, originally a Quibi original — starring Christoph Waltz, joined in its first season by Liam Hemsworth — and Slip, a comedy created by and starring Life In Pieces‘ Zoe Lister-Jones, which followed 30-something Mae Cannon through “a fantastical journey of parallel universes, as she enters new relationships, trying to find her way back to her partner, and ultimately, herself.” Despite the cuts, Roku says it will continue to order original series, and sources tell the outlet that this process is part of its regular review of programming. Other scripted titles include the Florida comedy drama Panhandle…

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Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon apologized to staffers on Thursday afternoon following accusations of a toxic culture at the NBC late-night program.

On Thursday, Rolling Stone published a report in which two current and 14 former Tonight Show employees alleged Fallon’s “erratic behavior” made the show a “toxic workplace.”

“It’s embarrassing and I feel so bad. Sorry if I embarrassed you and your family and friends,” Fallon, 48, reportedly said during a Zoom meeting with Tonight employees. “I feel so bad I can’t even tell you. I want this show to be fun, it should be inclusive for everybody, it should be funny, it should be the best show, the best people.”

Insiders tell Deadline that new showrunner Chris Miller has improved the culture of the show and most of these claims are years old.

Miller reportedly sent an email to staff on Thursday stating that he was “lucky” and “proud” to work with this staff, adding, “I don’t believe what is written is reflective of the overall culture of our extraordinary team. The place described in the article is not the place I know. It does not capture the positive and inclusive environment that I believe we have created together.”

NBC, in a statement obtained by Deadline, said, “We are incredibly proud of The Tonight Show, and providing a respectful working environment is a top priority. As in any workplace, we have had employees raise issues; those have been investigated and action has been taken where appropriate. As is always the case, we encourage employees who feel they have experienced or observed behavior inconsistent with our policies to report their concerns so that we may address them accordingly.”

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is currently on hiatus due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

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One of the deals that was just made at the Toronto Film Festival saw Lionsgate ponying up big to bring a new version of The Crow to theaters, Deadline reports.

The new film stars Succession‘s Danny Huston, It‘s Bill Skarsgård and singer-songwriter FKA twigs, directed by Snow White and the Huntsman‘s Rupert Sanders. The trade says the studio behind the John Wick franchise reportedly paid eight figures to snag the rights.

The original 1994 film starred Brandon Lee as a musician who comes back to life to get revenge against the murderers who killed him and his fiancée.

Infamously, Lee, the son of legend Bruce Lee, was accidentally fatally wounded in 1993 during filming of what was to be his character’s death scene in the movie. A slug from a prop bullet that had broken off inside a revolver went unnoticed by the prop department and discharged into Lee’s abdomen when the late actor Michael Massee pulled the trigger on a blank round.

After Lee’s death, the modestly budgeted film based on James O’Barr‘s comic book series went on to make $94 million.

With Lee’s character recast, there were follow-up films based on the hero, but The Crow: City of Angels (1996), The Crow: Salvation (2000) and 2005’s The Crow: Wicked Prayer failed to recapture the impact of the original.

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To celebrate the September 22 debut of The Continental: From The World Of John Wick, Peacock is backing an interactive experience in New York City that will let fans step into the prequel series’ shadowy world.

The Continental: The Hotel Bar Experience will be located at 82 Beaver St. in Lower Manhattan and will be open from September 21 to 24. It will also open its doors from September 27 to October 1, and October 4 to October 8.

The “immersive cocktail experience inspired by Peacock’s new three-part event” will let patrons go “back in time to the 1970s to the world’s most chic, sophisticated, and dangerously elite hotel in NYC.”

The tease continues, “Venture into the hotel’s cryptic underworld for an unforgettable evening of decadent cocktails and live, interactive storylines – all with a killer twist.”

As one might expect, gold coins are the currency of choice at The Continental, though patrons won’t have to supply their own.

Ten dollars will buy you one gold coin, exchangeable for “Beer, Mocktails, and Light Bites,” while $20 will snag you a pair of the coins, good for “Wine, Cocktails, and Elevated Bites,” according to the event’s producers, Fever.

Visitors do get to hang onto a keepsake version of the key coins to remember their experience at the hitman hotel, however.

Tickets start at $15 for a two-hour experience. Check out the booking website for more details.

Oh, and don’t forget: No business can be conducted on Continental grounds — even if that guy in the line behind you really deserves it.

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Ruby Franke, a YouTuber who gained online notoriety with her tough and often controversial parenting advice, has been formally charged with six counts of felony child abuse in Washington County, Utah.

The mother of six was arrested last week after her 12-year-old son escaped through a window and ran to a neighbor’s home pleading for food and water, according to authorities.

The boy was severely malnourished and had “deep lacerations from being tied up with rope and from his malnourishment,” according to court documents filed by law enforcement. Authorities said they also found Franke’s 10-year-old malnourished daughter inside the home and allege Franke “had knowledge” of their conditions.

Franke’s business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, was also arrested and charged with six counts of felony child abuse. Authorities allege the 12-year-old boy and 10-year-old girl were under Hildebrandt’s “direct care” at her home when the incidents occurred last week.

In an interview with Good Morning America, Randy Kester, the attorney for Ruby’s husband, Kevin Franke, said that Kevin had been separated from his wife for more than a year and denies any knowledge of the alleged abuse.

“He is a good person,” Kester said. “And no one’s ever made any allegations that he’s ever physically abused those kids, or anyone else.”

The Frankes share six children and rose to fame on YouTube, amassing more than 2 million followers before the channel was taken down.

In one video that has since been deleted, Ruby is heard saying of her children: “Up until now, I was really hoping that keeping them home from school and wiping the floor boards would, like, really bring pain.”

In another since-deleted video, Ruby’s sister, Bonnie Hoellein, says family members “did as much as we could legally” to intervene.

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Former That ’70s Show actor Danny Masterson was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison on Thursday after he was convicted of raping two women.

A Los Angeles jury found Masterson, 47, guilty of two counts of forcible rape in May during a retrial of a case involving three women.

Masterson will serve two 15-year sentences consecutively, one for each charge. He must also register as a sex offender.

At the start of the probation and sentencing hearing, Judge Charlaine Olmedo denied the defense’s motion for a new trial.

Olmedo allowed the three Jane Does in the case to give victim impact statements at the sentencing — the two he was convicted of raping, as well as Jane Doe No. 3, whose count was dismissed.

Masterson pleaded not guilty to three counts of felony rape following accusations by three different women, including a former girlfriend. The alleged attacks took place between 2001 and 2003.

Masterson was deemed a potential flight risk and was remanded into custody following the verdict.

His defense attorney Shawn Holley asked the court to sentence him to 15 years to be served concurrently, as opposed to consecutively, saying that 15 years to life would be fair. She noted that Masterson had no criminal record prior to these incidents and has a young daughter.

The first trial ended in a mistrial in November 2022, with the jury deadlocked and unable to reach a verdict. The three alleged victims were members of the Church of Scientology, as is Masterson. All three women said they were initially hesitant to speak to law enforcement because church teachings discouraged reporting to police. The women eventually left the church.

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Paramount+ just dropped a teaser trailer to the latest show from Yellowstone creator and TV writing-producing mogul Taylor Sheridan, called Lawman: Bass Reeves.

Emmy-nominated Selma star David Oyelowo stars as the titular real-life figure as the show tracks “his rise from enslavement to law enforcement as the first Black U.S. Marshal west of the Mississippi.”

The streaming service notes, “Despite arresting over 3,000 outlaws during the course of his career, the weight of the badge was heavy, and he wrestled with its moral and spiritual cost to his beloved family.”

The project also stars Barry Pepper, Donald Sutherland and Dennis Quaid, who ride with the lawman in the teaser.

Future iterations of Sheridan’s program will follow “other iconic lawmen and outlaws who have impacted history,” the streamer says.

Bass Reeves kicks off with two episodes on Sunday, November 5, on Paramount+, when it will join other Sheridan series, like his Yellowstone prequels 1883 and 1923; Mayor of Kingstown with Jeremy Renner; Tulsa King starring Sylvester Stallone; and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman and Zoe Saldaña in Special Ops: Lioness.

2024 will see Sheridan’s Land Man, starring Oscar winner Billy Bob Thornton, also join the streaming service.

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On Thursday, September 7, Ryan Reynolds‘ Maximum Effort company revealed its upcoming slate of shows bound for the streaming service Fubo.

The lineup includes syndicated shows like Alf, Kids in the Hall, Ryan’s early sitcom Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place as well as newer shows including Betty White‘s Off Their Rockers, starring Ryan’s late friend and former The Proposal costar.

However, the slate also includes a host of original series, including Bedtime Stories with Ryan, Podcats: The Pawdcast and the animated Biker Mice from Mars from producer Brian Volk-Weiss‘ Nacelle Company, which is also co-producing Discontinued.

Discontinued has veteran character actor Bruce Campbell hosting viewers “on a journey through the past using defunct products, subjects, and phrases.” The description continues, “Weaving humanity’s story with once great brands like Blackberry and Blockbuster, Bruce and a team of comedians snarkily comment on the human condition, just before AI destroys it.”

There’s also The Syd + TP Show, an unscripted comedy starring WNBA’s Sydney “Syd” Colson and Theresa “TP” Plaisance, set to premiere on September 18 at 9 p.m. ET. as well as a series called Flip a Coin.

That one is described as, get this, “A human flips a coin.”

“This season has it all – from sports stories to nostalgia to game shows – further fulfilling our programming promise to deliver maximum comfort,” says Fubo head Pamela Duckworth.

The Maximum Effort channel is available to watch on Fubo as well as Amazon Freevee, LG Channels, Plex, Sling Freestream, Tubi, VIDAA, VIZIO Watchfree+ and Xumo Play.

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On Thursday, September 7, Netflix dropped the drama-filled trailer for the fifth season of its reality relationship show Love Is Blind.

The Houston-based couples will be facing “the most shocking season yet,” according to the streaming service, with “new challenges, unexpected twists, and surprising turns that will test their personal resolve, and the strength of their connections, more than ever before.”

The trailer shows some of the singles’ rocky starts in the pods, with one dude making a first impression with a huge burp, another guy calling his “bald-a** head” his biggest insecurity and a woman explaining her past “sounds like 8,000 walking red flags.”

Netflix continues, “Even if the couples can forge a strong enough bond to get engaged sight unseen, can their love survive the challenges waiting for them in the outside world — including protective families, skeptical friends, and the exes they thought they’d left behind?”

One of the females question a potential mate on his financials: “everything: The savings, checking, salary,” while what looks like her dad explains, “Love may be blind, but sometimes love wants to fly first class.”

The streaming giant also released the following schedule for the show, hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey:

Week 1 drops on September 22 with episodes 1-4; September 29 sees episodes 5-7 drop. On October 6, episodes 8-9 air, and on week 4, dropping on October 13, is the 10th episode, focusing on the contestants’ weddings.

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