Bad Bunny snags role in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’

Bad Bunny snags role in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’
Bad Bunny snags role in ‘Happy Gilmore 2’
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images

Recording artist and actor Bad Bunny has taken the Bullet Train to work with Adam Sandler

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the star will join Sandler for the anticipated follow-up, but his role is still unknown. 

For that matter, nothing really is known about the project, save original stars Julie Bowen — now an alumna of Modern Family — and Christopher McDonald will both return from the 1996 original with Sandler.

Bowen played Virginia Venit, Happy’s love interest in the film, while the latter played Shooter McGavin, the pro golf player who was the hockey player-turned-golf pro’s nemesis in the original. 

Also, as reported, Sandler confirmed that Happy Gilmore superfan Travis Kelce will be in the movie, but again, it’s not known who he’ll be playing.

Bad Bunny last appeared in film opposite Brad Pitt in director David Leitch‘s 2022 action comedy Bullet Train

Earlier this year, he bowed out of a Sony Pictures plan to play the Marvel Comics luchador superhero El Muerto on the big screen.

Happy Gilmore 2 premieres in 2025 on Netflix.

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Larry David’s live tour widens to 10 new cities

Larry David’s live tour widens to 10 new cities
Larry David’s live tour widens to 10 new cities
HBO/John P. Johnson

Larry David was called a “walking f****** virus” on his show Curb Your Enthusiasm, and now it seems that he’s spreading.

His A Conversation with Larry David shows, which began with a pair of shows in the spring, will expand to 10 new cities.

Aside from a previously announced Sept. 20 gig at Denver’s Paramount Theatre, it has just been revealed that the tour will continue with stops in Seattle, San Fransisco, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Chicago, before ending Dec. 5 in the Hollywood, Florida, Hard Rock Live venue.

David mentioned the update on Instagram. Well, he wasn’t really that specific, to be honest.

“So listen, there are some tickets going on sale for this thing I’m doing,” LD began. “It’s really nothing. It’ll be a total waste of your time. There’s not that many things to do at night. So, I guess if you have nothing to do — but, you could consider bowling.”

“It’s not a terrible idea,” he continued. “I haven’t done it in about 50 years, but now that I mention it, I think I might hit the lanes soon.”

If bowling isn’t your thing, head over to LarryDavidTour.com for more information. Tickets will be available for presale starting Thursday at 10 a.m. local time with the code “PRETTYGOOD”; general sales start on Friday at 10 a.m. local time.

As was the case with the previous shows, a moderator will join David at each stop — although it has been revealed that NFL great Peyton Manning will join Larry at Denver’s date on Sept. 20.

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Lacey Chabert’s daughter asks why people keep trying to make “fetch” happen

Lacey Chabert’s daughter asks why people keep trying to make “fetch” happen
Lacey Chabert’s daughter asks why people keep trying to make “fetch” happen
MediaPunch/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images

Lacey Chabert‘s Mean Girls character, Gretchen Wieners, will forever be tied to the word “fetch,” and apparently so is the actress. 

The star explained to Today on Monday that the word — and the diss that followed, “Stop trying to make ‘fetch’ happen” — follows her everywhere in real life, to the apparent confusion of her now-8-year-old daughter, Julia.

“When she was younger … she was like, ‘What’s “fetch,” why does everyone say that to you?'”

Chabert added, “And she asked me a couple years ago, she goes, ‘Mom, do other people watch those movies that you make?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, baby, they’re not just for you.'”

Chabert did not appear in the recent Mean Girls musical movie, reportedly because of scheduling conflicts, but she did reprise her role in 2023, in a Walmart Black Friday commercial, along with her fellow “Plastics” of a certain age, Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Seyfried

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‘Shang-Chi’ director Destin Daniel Cretton reportedly circling fourth Tom Holland ‘Spider-Man’ movie

‘Shang-Chi’ director Destin Daniel Cretton reportedly circling fourth Tom Holland ‘Spider-Man’ movie
‘Shang-Chi’ director Destin Daniel Cretton reportedly circling fourth Tom Holland ‘Spider-Man’ movie
(L-R) – Cretton, Simu Liu on ‘Shang-Chi’ set/Marvel Studios

Destin Daniel Cretton, who directed the 2021 Marvel Cinematic Universe entry Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and is developing the Disney+ Marvel Studios series Wonder Man, might just swing into the director’s chair on Tom Holland‘s fourth Spider-Man movie.

That’s according to The Hollywood Reporter, which says Cretton is in talks to become the fourth director to tackle the web-slinging hero. He would follow Sam Raimi, who directed Tobey Maguire as Spidey in three films; Marc Webb, who helmed two with Andrew Garfield; and Jon Watts, who directed Holland in three Spider-Man blockbusters.

Officially, Marvel Studios is characteristically mum, but according to THR, getting Holland in the mask again is a priority for Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios, which share the rights to the hero — and if Cretton locks in, cameras could roll early next year.

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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Ryan Seacrest makes ‘Wheel of Fortune’ host debut, kicks off new era with Vanna White

Ryan Seacrest makes ‘Wheel of Fortune’ host debut, kicks off new era with Vanna White
Ryan Seacrest makes ‘Wheel of Fortune’ host debut, kicks off new era with Vanna White
Eric McCandless/Sony Pictures Television

Ryan Seacrest has kicked off a new era of Wheel of Fortune with his co-host, Vanna White.

Seacrest made his debut Monday for season 42 of the iconic game show and began the show by walking out on the new set with White.

“So happy to be here with you,” Seacrest told White. “Let’s have fun.”

Seacrest received a warm greeting from the contestants before welcoming the in-studio audience and those watching at home to Wheel of Fortune.

“I still can’t believe my luck being here with you tonight to continue this legacy of this incredible show with all of you and of course my good friend Vanna White,” he said. “Thank you for the very warm welcome.”

“Hosting Wheel of Fortune is a dream job,” he continued. “I have been a fan of this show since I was a kid watching in Atlanta with my family and I know how special it is that Wheel has been in your living rooms for the past 40 years. And I’m just so grateful to be invited in.”

“I also know I’ve got some very big shoes to fill,” he said before beginning the game.

Seacrest was announced as the new Wheel of Fortune host in June 2023 shortly after longtime host Pat Sajak announced that he would be stepping down from the role.

Sajak officially said goodbye to the show on June 7 after 43 years as host.

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Kevin Costner, Mark Hamill and more pay tribute to ‘Star Wars’ actor James Earl Jones

Kevin Costner, Mark Hamill and more pay tribute to ‘Star Wars’ actor James Earl Jones
Kevin Costner, Mark Hamill and more pay tribute to ‘Star Wars’ actor James Earl Jones
Universal/Gordon/Kobal/Shutterstock

As soon as news broke that legendary actor and voice over artist James Earl Jones died Monday at 93, Hollywood took to social media to mourn.

Jones, who famously voiced Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise and Mufasa in the 1994 and 2019 Lion King films, died on Monday morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York, surrounded by his family, his rep confirmed to ABC News.

Here are just some of those tributes from his famous friends/fans:

His Star Wars co-star Mark Hamill posted in part “#RIP dad 💔.” In the films, Hamill played Luke Skywalker, son of Darth Vader.

Kevin Costner, who starred with Jones in Field of Dreams, took to Instagram to share, “If you’ve seen it, you know that this movie wouldn’t be the same with anyone else in his role. Only he could bring that kind of magic to a movie about baseball and a corn field in Iowa.”

“Rest in peace, friend,” Costner concluded.

Rob Minkoff: Minkoff, the director of the 1994 Lion King film, shared, “His portrayal of Mufasa was perfection. What a powerful man and actor. Gone but will never be forgotten. Rest in power.”

Octavia Spencer: The Oscar winner Instagrammed she is “incredibly saddened” by the news, adding, “Legendary doesn’t even begin to describe his iconic roles and impact on cinema forever.” She added, “His voice and talent will be remembered always. Sending love to his family, friends and countless fans in all galaxies, far, far away. 🤍🕊️”

LeVar Burton: Burton, who starred in the 1980 film, Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones with Jones, posted, “There will never be another of his particular combination of graces.”

Colman Domingo: “Rest. Thank you for everything. Everything. Everything,” the Rustin Oscar nominee wrote on Instagram. “We all looked to you. Thank you King James Earl Jones. Rest well.”

Yvette Nicole Brown: “Besides #StarWars, the first film I remember ever seeing was #Claudine,” Brown said in an Instagram post. “#JamesEarlJones is a part of my cinematic DNA. Heartbroken doesn’t begin to cover it.”

Bob Iger: The CEO of ABC News’ parent company Disney highlighted Jones’ career in a moving tribute shared on Disney’s Instagram page, saying in part, “From the gentle wisdom of Mufasa to the menacing threat of Darth Vader, James Earl Jones gave voice to some of the greatest characters in cinema history.”

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In brief: Michael McKean Broadway bound in ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ and more

In brief: Michael McKean Broadway bound in ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ and more
In brief: Michael McKean Broadway bound in ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ and more

Deadline reports Michael McKean, of This is Spinal Tap fame, is joining his Better Call Saul co-star Bob Odenkirk, Succession‘s Kieran Culkin and comedian Bill Burr in the upcoming Broadway revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross. McKean will play George Aaronow, the timid real estate salesman portrayed by Mike Nussbaum on Broadway in 1984 and Alan Arkin in the 1993 film adaptation. The revival is set to open in the spring of 2025 …

Brendan Gleeson has been tapped to star alongside Nicolas Cage in the upcoming MGM+ and Prime Video live-action series Spider-Man Noir, according to Variety. The series, based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man Noir, follows Cage as “an aging and down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life as the city’s one and only superhero,” per the outlet. A premiere date has yet to be announced …

Floriana Lima has been addd to the season 21 cast of ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy in a recurring role, according to The Hollywood Reporter. She’ll play Nora, a childhood friend of Owen and Megan Hunt — played respectively by Kevin McKidd and Abigail Spencer — who comes to Grey Sloan due to serious complications arising from a routine operation mishandled by another hospital. Grey’s Anatomy returns Sept. 26, with Lima’s first appearance coming in the second episode …

Alan Cumming, host of the Peacock reality competition series The Traitors, will return as host of AARP’s annual Movies for Grownups Awards on Jan. 11, the organization has announced. The star-studded ceremony recognizes the best TV, films and filmmakers of 2024, along with the Career Achievement Honor, to be announced at a later date. Past recipients include Jamie Lee Curtis, George Clooney, Helen Mirren, Michael Douglas, Shirley MacLaine, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Robert Redford, Sharon Stone and Robert De Niro

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Kathy Bates calls ‘Matlock’ reboot her “last dance” before retirement

Kathy Bates calls ‘Matlock’ reboot her “last dance” before retirement
Kathy Bates calls ‘Matlock’ reboot her “last dance” before retirement
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images

Kathy Bates is set to play the titular character in CBS’ upcoming Matlock reboot, and that may be the last we see of her.

The 76-year-old actress told The New York Times in a recent interview that she’s looking to retire after the series ends, saying, “This is my last dance.”

Adds Bates, “It becomes my life. Sometimes I get jealous of having this talent, because I can’t hold it back, and I just want my life.”

However, Matlock, a reworking of the legal drama that ran from 1986 to 1995 and starred the late Andy Griffith, was too tempting for her to turn down.

“Everything I’ve prayed for, worked for, clawed my way up for, I am suddenly able to be asked to use all of it,” Bates noted. “It’s exhausting.”

Matlock, also starring Beau Bridges, Jason Ritter, Skye P. Marshall, David Del Rio and Leah Lewis, premieres Sept. 22 on CBS.

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Legendary actor James Earl Jones dies at 93

Legendary actor James Earl Jones dies at 93
Legendary actor James Earl Jones dies at 93
John Atashian/Getty Images

Legendary actor James Earl Jones, best known for his innumerable movie roles and the booming voice of the character of Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise, has died, his representative confirmed to ABC News.

He was 93 years old.

Jones died on Monday morning at his home in Dutchess County, New York, surrounded by his family, according to longtime agent Barry McPherson.

The thespian, whose powerful, deep voice brought to life the iconic villain, acted for more than six decades. In the 1950s and ’60s, Jones was a Broadway staple. From On Golden Pond to The Best Man, his work earned four Tony nominations, winning for The Great White Hope in 1969 and Fences in 1987.

Almost simultaneously, he was garnering acclaim on TV, as well. The eventual two-time Emmy Award winner earned his first nod in the 1960s for his work on East Side/West Side.

He picked up both his Primetime Emmy wins in 1991, for best supporting actor in the miniseries Heat Wave and best actor for the series Gabriel’s Fire. He also won a Daytime Emmy for the children’s special Summer’s End in 2000. 

Jones later earned his first Oscar nod, adapting The Great White Hope to the silver screen in 1970, playing boxer Jack Jefferson. Jones was just the second Black actor after Sidney Poitier — who was nominated in 1958 and 1963 — to be recognized by the academy with a nomination.

For the better part of the 1970s, Jones continued to juggle his work on stage, TV and film. Then, in 1977, he was cast as the voice of a new villain, Darth Vader, in the space saga Star Wars: A New Hope.

While bodybuilder David Prowse would be the figure behind the black mask of the Sith lord, Jones was the voice that uttered so many iconic lines in the film and its sequels — including “I find your lack of faith disturbing,” and then, of course, to Luke Skywalker in 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, his big reveal, “No, I am your father.”

From 1977 to 1983, the three original Star Wars films would become some of the most revered and original movies of their time, not just for special effects, but also for the shocking plot and themes.

After Star Wars, Jones made memorable appearances in Eddie Murphy‘s 1988 film Coming to America, then starred opposite Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams in 1989. A few years later, he once again lent his voice to a famous character, starring in the Disney animated feature The Lion King as Mufasa.

Jones had almost 200 credits to his name, according to IMDB, as he stayed active for more than 60 years.

In 2011, Jones was given an honorary Academy Award for the breadth of his acclaimed work and in March 2022, it was announced that Broadway’s Cort Theatre would be renamed the James Earl Jones Theatre.

Jones married twice. His second wife, Cecilia Hart, died in 2016 after 34 years of marriage. The couple is survived by their son, Flynn Earl Jones.

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‘Sopranos’ alumna Edie Falco becomes the latest to criticize “trigger warnings” on TV shows

‘Sopranos’ alumna Edie Falco becomes the latest to criticize “trigger warnings” on TV shows
‘Sopranos’ alumna Edie Falco becomes the latest to criticize “trigger warnings” on TV shows
Courtesy HBO

Edie Falco and her former co-star Drea de Matteo can be seen in the HBO documentary Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos, and The Wrap says that in the second installment Falco takes issue with the modern addition of “trigger warnings” to violent content.

“The show was always shocking somebody about something,” Falco says.

“You could push the envelope and let people be uncomfortable — forgive me, but without a trigger warning. The whole point is you want to surprise people and give them feelings that maybe are uncomfortable and have them learn to deal with them. That, my friend, is life.”

For her part, de Matteo says, “Like the episode where the stripper gets killed. It tells a story of Meadow in college against this young girl who would be the same age.”

Falco added that in life, “You’re not going to be given trigger warnings when terrible things happen.”

Matt Smith, the star of another HBO hit, House of the Dragon, recently lamented to The Sunday Times, “I’m not sure about trigger warnings. Isn’t being shocked the point?”

Smith said they’re proof “[e]verything’s being dialed and dumbed down.”

The English actor said, “We should be telling morally difficult stories, nowadays in particular. It’s OK to feel uncomfortable or provoked while looking at a painting or watching a play.”

He added, “We’re telling audiences they’re going to be scared before they’ve watched something. Isn’t being shocked, surprised, stirred the point?” The actor bemoaned “[t]oo much policing of stories,” adding, “being afraid to bring them out because a climate is a certain way is a shame.”

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