Entertainment

In a surprise turn, CBS’ The Late Show is once again airing repeats this week as host Stephen Colbert continues to recover following emergency surgery for a ruptured appendix. Colbert shared on Threads that he was “listening to my doctors and continuing to rest and heal” and hope to see audiences “soon.” CBS’ publicity had updated its schedule last Friday to note all new guests for a new round of shows this week. Sarah Paulson, Jason Isbell, Mark Ruffalo, Nicki Minaj, Sara Bareilles and Rep. Liz Cheney were among Colbert’s scheduled guests…

Prime Video has greenlit a series adaptation of the 1999 movie Cruel Intentions. The new take, based on Choderlos de Laclos‘ novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, follows, “two ruthless siblings [who] will do anything stay on top of the cutthroat social hierarchy,” per the streaming service. “After a brutal hazing incident threatens the entire Panhellenic system at their school, they’ll do whatever is necessary to preserve their power and reputation, even if that means seducing the daughter of the vice president of the United States.” The original 1999 film, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, Reese Witherspoon and Selma Blair, spawned a prequel in 2000, a sequel in 2004 and a jukebox musical in 2015…

Apple TV+ has canceled Central Park after three seasons, creator and voice star Josh Gad revealed Monday December 4 on Threads. The animated musical series followed a family of caretakers, who live and work in in the titular New York City landmark, and end up saving the park and the world. In additional to Gad, the all-star voice cast included Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess and Stanley Tucci. Emmy Raver-Lampman was recast as Kristen Bell’s biracial character following a backlash…

HBO has released a new trailer for True Detective‘s fourth season, Night Country, premiering January 14. Per the pay TV network, “When the long winter night falls in Ennis, Alaska, the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station vanish without a trace. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers and Evangeline Navarro — played respectively by Jodie Foster and Kali Reis — will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves, and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice.”…

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During opening statements in Jonathan Majors‘ criminal trial Monday, a prosecutor said the Marvel star inflicted a “manipulative pattern of psychological abuse” and physical abuse on his former girlfriend that culminated with a March 25 assault in a for-hire Cadillac Escalade — after she caught him cheating — that left her with bruising, substantial pain and a laceration to her ear.

Prosecutor Michael Perez said the actor’s girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, saw a message pop up on Majors’ phone from a woman named Cleopatra that said “wish I was kissing you.” When Jabbari grabbed the phone to read the message, Majors “began grabbing Ms. Jabbari’s body,” Perez said.

“He grabbed and squeezed her hand, her right middle finger specifically” and then “struck a blow that swiped across the right side of her head,” according to Perez.

Meanwhile, the defense claimed Monday that Jabbari slapped, clawed and otherwise physically attacked Majors so blatantly that night the driver of their for-hire SUV called her “psycho girl.”

Defense attorney Priya Chaudhry said Jabbari emerged unscathed and unhurt while Majors was left bloodied and ran to a hotel to hide from her.

Jabbari was seen on video “drinking champagne and doing shots” at a club for the next three hours, “taking smiling photos” with people she had just met, according to Chaudhry.

“This is a case about the end of a relationship, not about a crime,” Chaudhry said.

“Even though the world may see him as a movie star, he is a normal person,” Chaudhry said of Majors. “His career was unstoppable until he ended the relationship with Ms. Jabbari and she made these false allegations.”

Prior to the start of opening statements, the two sides agreed to consolidate the multiple assault counts against Majors into a single misdemeanor count. He also faces aggravated harassment charges.

The 34-year-old actor has pleaded not guilty. He faces up to a year in jail if convicted.

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Max subscribers, get ready to feel the Kenergy: The streaming service announced that the biggest movie of 2023, Barbie, will debut on December 15.

The Margot Robbie/Ryan Gosling blockbuster has been available for rent or purchase on digital since September 12, but this is the free streaming debut for the smash — provided you’re a subscriber to the service.

What’s more, the movie will also stream in an American Sign Language version, also debuting December 15. “Grounded in research and feedback from the Deaf community, as well as counsel from community leaders, Barbie with ASL was produced for Max featuring ASL performer Leila Hanaumi,” Max notes of the veteran of Deaf Austin Theatre’s The Laramie Project.

Max will also host a special community screening on December 14 in LA, where Robbie will join Hanaumi onstage for a post-screening conversation for hundreds of hearing impaired community members and Barbie fans.

“Max is the premiere destination for storytelling, so being able to share the biggest movie of the year in ASL, the first language for many, will make this story resonate in a more meaningful way,” said HBO and Max Content Chairman and CEO Casey Bloys.

“By offering sign language interpretation, we will build upon the film’s empowering message of inclusiveness and offer a unique viewing experience for the Deaf community to enjoy with family and friends,” Bloys continued.

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Sylvester Stallone stepped out Sunday in honor of his most iconic film: Rocky.

As the city of Philadelphia marked Rocky Day on December 3, the 77-year-old actor attended the grand opening event of the Rocky Shop at Parkway Visitor Center Outpost, located by the Rocky statue and so-called “Rocky steps” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The event also marked the 47th anniversary of the Oscar-winning film’s wide release in theaters in 1976.

“This day is an amazing day for me, and the people who have taken Rocky into their hearts,” Stallone said in a press release ahead of the event.

“When I come to Philly and stand on the steps, it touches my soul like it did when I was a child,” he continued. “This is a very special place in a very special city … Believe me, there’s no other place like it in the world!”

Stallone was photographed with wife Jennifer Flavin and actor Chevy Chase, a friend of Stallone’s, along with members of the Philadelphia City Council and representatives for the city. Sly also posed with the iconic statue of the fictional movie boxer he created.

The Rocky Shop, per a press release, is the only physical location where visitors and fans can purchase licensed apparel and souvenirs from the Rocky franchise, licensed exclusively by Sly Stallone Shop, the actor’s official brand.

Items for sale include jackets, boxing trunks, boxing robes, T-shirts, hats and other collectables.

Stallone is donating his portion of proceeds earned from merchandise sales at the Rocky Shop to support the restoration of the Rocky steps, according to a press release.

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If you’re keeping up with Kim Kardashian‘s filmography as an actress, Deadline says it’s about to grow again.

According to the trade, Ryan Murphy, who cast the reality star and SKIMS mogul in his American Horror Story: Delicate, will be working with her again, producing a scripted series for her bound for Hulu.

The trade says the legal drama is a “high-end, glossy and sexy adult procedural” that will be produced by Disney’s 20^th Television. It will have Kim playing “Los Angeles’ most successful divorce lawyer and the owner of an all-female law firm.”

Of course, Kim is no stranger to the law: The daughter of famed defense attorney Robert Kardashian, in 2021 Kim passed California’s First-Year Law Students Examination, commonly called the “baby bar.”

Earlier this year at the TIME100 Summit, she told moderator Poppy Harlow that she will take the full exam in February 2025.

Kim has became an outspoken advocate for criminal justice reform, and in 2018 worked with President Donald Trump to commute the sentence of Alice Marie Johnson, a 64-year-old woman who spent nearly two decades of a life sentence behind bars for a nonviolent drug crime.

In fact, Kim told Harlow at the TIME event that she would “absolutely” consider a professional life of law instead of one on-camera — but if this project comes to be, she could have the best of both worlds.

As far as her growing acting career, Kim recently inked a deal with Netflix to produce and star in a comedy called The Fifth Wheel.

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On Sunday evening, December 3, the Los Angeles Press Club held its 16th annual National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards, and a handful of stars were also honored for their work outside the world of journalism. 

Ava DuVernay was presented with the Visionary Award for her humanitarian work, joining the ranks of previous winners, including Jane Fonda and Forest Whitaker.

Picard and Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton was given the organization’s Distinguished Storyteller Award, Literacy, “for excellence in storytelling outside journalism,” and director Roger Corman received the Distinguished Storyteller Award in the film category.

I Dream of Jeannie‘s Barbara Eden was presented with the Legend Award “for lifetime achievements and contributions to society,” and Finding Your Roots host Henry Louis Gates Jr. was honored with the Luminary Award for lifetime achievement. 

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Martin Scorsese‘s Apple Original Film, Killers of the Flower Moon, is coming to digital platforms on Tuesday, December 5.

The acclaimed film was co-written by Scorsese stars Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone, and based on David Grann‘s bestselling book of the same name, which depicts the real-life serial murder of members of the oil-wealthy Osage Nation.

De Niro plays the scheming uncle of DiCaprio’s character, who recruits the younger man in a plan to steal the oil discovered on Osage land — through marriage into the tribe and murder.

Meanwhile, Leo’s Ernest Burkhart is torn between both worlds: his uncle’s plot and his Native American wife, Mollie, played by Gladstone, who begs him to avenge her family.

To date, the October release has grossed more than $154 million worldwide.

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Will Smith says work on the long-awaited I Am Legend sequel is well underway. 

During his appearance at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, Smith gave an update about the film, which he stars in and produces alongside Michael B. Jordan. 

“I have a call with Michael B. Jordan tomorrow,” he said, per Variety, at one of the event’s conversations. “We’re really close, script just came in.”

The actor delved into the storyline for I Am Legend 2, revealing it’ll be a continuation of one of the two endings from the original 2007 film. 

“You have to be a real I Am Legend buff to know this,” he said. “But in the first, theatrical version, my character dies, but on the DVD there was an alternate version of the ending where my character lived. We are going with the mythology of the DVD version.”

Smith noted he can’t say much more about the sequel right now; he did say that “Michael B. Jordan is in.”

News of the remake surfaced back in 2022, with Deadline reporting Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman, who adapted the Richard Matheson‘s 1954 novel for the original 2007 movie, will reprise his role as writer and producer. 

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A new Vanity Fair cover story dives deep into Robert Downey Jr.‘s journey from Hollywood bad boy, to box office superhero, to what many believe will be his third Oscar nomination, for his portrayal of Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer.

Jon Favreau and now-Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige pushed for casting Downey as Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man.

Feige recalled “the Marvel board being nervous at putting all of their chips in their future films on somebody who famously had those legal troubles in the past.”

He adds, “I wasn’t very good — and I’m still not great — at taking no for an answer … I try to figure out ways to make it as clear to other people why we should head in a direction.”

That included a screen test that netted Downey the job.

Billions of dollars at the box office later, Downey said farewell to Tony Stark: With a finger snap, he defeated Thanos and sacrificed himself to save the world in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame.

And despite recent reports, Tony isn’t coming back, Feige says.

“We all worked very hard for many years to get to that [moment], and we would never want to magically undo it in any way,” he insists.

That momentous finger snap — and Tony’s defiant last words: “I am Iron Man” — came via a reshoot after the “tearful goodbyes” when the movie wrapped, director Joe Russo says.

Co-director Anthony Russo says it was “difficult” for Downey, noting, “[W]e were shooting on a stage directly opposite where he auditioned for Tony Stark. So his last line as Tony Stark was shot literally a couple hundred feet from his original audition that got him the role.”

Joe says, “We promised him it would be the last time we made him do it — ever.”

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If you’ve ever wanted to live in the chocolaty “world of pure imagination” of Willy Wonka, Warner Bros. has your ticket.

The studio behind the forthcoming Timothée Chalamet prequel Wonka has teamed up with Booking.com to offer Wonka’s Sweet Suites in New York and Los Angeles.

According to the announcement, suites at the Park Lane New York in New York City and Viceroy Santa Monica in Los Angeles have been “transformed into sugary wonderlands inspired by the highly anticipated film, and complete with activities fit for a candy connoisseur.”

The booking site teases “all-you-can-treat experiences and edible amenities such as limited-edition, fun, and imaginative Wonka Magic Hat Gummies in four fruity flavored combinations, life-sized chocolate confections, a replica of the tree in Wonka’s candy shop, and a decadent chocolate bar bed topped with marshmallows set amidst cotton candy clouds for the sweetest dreams, like those in the new film.”

Also, “the experience will come with tickets to see Wonka in theaters, vintage destination posters and stamp wallpaper inspired by the chocolatier’s travels, candy-inspired beverages, and more.”

You can check out the details for the New York stay here and the Los Angeles suite here.

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