Entertainment

In the supplemental materials attached to the forthcoming Blu-ray of Fast X, Vin Diesel and director Louis Leterrier explained one of the movie’s most-talked-about moments.

In the closing moments of the film — and despite a very public tiff with star and producer Vin — fans were treated to seeing Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson reappear as “legendary lawman” Luke Hobbs.

The two stars kept a tight lid on the post-credits “stinger,” with Johnson waiting until the movie opened to explain how he and Vin buried the hatchet last summer.

In his announcement in June, he also vowed to fans, “We’ll lead with brotherhood and resolve – and always take care of the franchise, characters and fans that we love.”

In the supplemental material that was teased by Entertainment Tonight, Diesel said of Fast X, “When you end a movie with a cliffhanger of that magnitude, you only do that when you believe that your audience believes in you.”

He added, “To tie up all these storylines, this character needed to come back into the mythology.”

The Rock’s Hobbs will appear in his second Fast and Furious spinoff, due in theaters before the second installment of Fast X, which has a release date of April 4, 2025 — though Diesel announced that date ahead of the strikes crippling Hollywood productions.

Fast X debuts on Blu-ray on August 8.

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Ray Lalonde, a Jeopardy! winner who won more than $386,000 on the game show in 2022, says he’s boycotting the show’s upcoming Tournament of Champions in solidarity with the Writers Guild of America strike.

In a Jeopardy! Reddit thread, Lalonde, who described himself as a “lifelong devoted fan” of the quiz show, said, “I am and will always be grateful for the experience I had on the show and the opportunity to participate in the TOC [Tournament of Champions] is beyond a dream come true for me.”

He added, “That being said, I believe that the show’s writers are a vital part of the show and they are justified in taking their job action to secure a fair contract for themselves and their fellow WGA members.”

At issue, the player said, were reports the show’s producers would turn to “old and/or recycled material” to make up for striking writers who are unwilling to write new questions.

He expressed, “As a supporter of the trade union movement…and a proud union member myself I have informed the show’s producers that if the strike remains unresolved I will not cross a picket line to play in the tournament of champions.”

Another veteran player, Dan Wohl, agreed, replying in part that although he was “ecstatic” he qualified for a Wild Card slot, he “will certainly never cross the picket line for [it].”

Other former players spotted replying in solidarity to Lalonde’s post include Ben Chan, Hannah Wilson, Troy Meyer, Ben Goldstein, Cris Pannullo, Suresh Krishna and Luigi de Guzman.

When the WGA decided to strike in May, Jeopardy! host Mayim Bialik walked away from the remaining shows of the year, leaving counterpart Ken Jennings to shoot the remaining, still-airing episodes of season 39.

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At a time when Hollywood actors and writers are striking for a bigger piece of the profits in the days of streaming, the settlement of a Chuck Norris lawsuit over Walker, Texas Ranger underlines one of the strikers’ arguments.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a 2019 lawsuit filed by the martial artist, actor and producer behind one of the most-rerun shows in the world claimed he was cut out of profits from Walker on streaming and video-on-demand, or SVOD, platforms.

Norris’ camp claimed the alleged maneuvering from CBS and Sony Pictures — including reportedly hiding their own streaming profits — shorted him at least $30 million in profit sharing he was owed.

The trade reports a Los Angeles Superior Court judge dismissed the case on Monday, July 24, when CBS and Norris’ camp agreed to settle. However, the settlement was not disclosed.

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At a SAG-AFTRA rally in New York City called Rock the City for a Fair Contract, Breaking Bad Emmy winner Bryan Cranston let it rip at the studios against which actors and writers are striking.

According to Variety, Oscar winners Brendan Fraser and Jessica Chastain also took to the stage at the event on Tuesday, July 25, as did BD Wong, Chloë Grace Moretz, Succession‘s Corey Stoll and Emmy/Tony winner Christine Baranski, among others.

According to the trade, Cranston said there was one thing that performers and The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) agree on: “Our industry has changed exponentially.”

“We are not in the same business model we were even 10 years ago. And yet…they are fighting us tooth and nail to stick to the same economic system that is outmoded, outdated!” Cranston said.

“They want us to step back in time. We cannot and we will not do that,” he added.

Cranston specifically called out Disney CEO Bob Iger, whose comments that striking writers and actors were not “realistic” came just as SAG-AFTRA voted to strike. “…[T]hey are adding to the set of the challenges that this business is already facing that is, quite frankly, very disruptive,” Iger also said.

Cranston countered, “We’ve got a message for Mr. Iger….We don’t expect you to understand who we are. But we ask you to hear us, and…listen to us when we tell you we will not be having our jobs taken away and given to robots.”

He added in part, “We will not have you take away our right to work and earn a decent living. And lastly…we will not allow you to take away our dignity!”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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The judges’ table remains unchanged for the upcoming 22nd season of American Idol, which will mark its seventh year on ABC.

Lionel Richie, Katy Perry and Luke Bryan are all back for the new season, which will start in the spring of 2024. Returning as host is Ryan Seacrest, despite the fact that he’s also taking over as host of Wheel of Fortune that year.

Auditions will start August 2 with Idol Across America, where aspiring contestants can sing for an American Idol producer no matter where they live in the world. Contestants will also be given the chance to audition under their genre for the first time. The August 2 audition includes “First 700,” where the first 700 hopefuls can sign up to grab a VIP spot before anyone else.

You can get the full details on how to sign up and how to register to virtually audition in front of an American Idol producer at americanidol.com/auditions. You must be at least 15 years old.

Here’s the Idol Across America schedule: 

First 700 VIP Event (Aug 2)

Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina (Aug 4)

Florida, Michigan, Virginia, West Virginia (Aug 7)

Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas (Aug 9)

Open Call: Singer-Songwriters (Aug 11)

Alaska, California, Hawaii, Nevada, Washington (Aug 14)

Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi ( Aug 16)

Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Maine, New Hampshire (Aug 18)

Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming (Aug 21)

Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania (Aug 23)

Open Call: Country & Rock (Aug 25)

Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin (Aug 28)

The South: Open Call Pt. 1 (Aug 30)

Delaware, Maryland, Ohio, Washington D.C. , Rhode Island, Vermont, Massachusetts (Sep 6)

Open Call: Pop, R&B & Soul (Sep 8)

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Award-winning comedian Dave Chappelle has announced 12 fall dates for his Dave Chappelle Live stand-up tour.

Two back-to-back performances at New York City’s Madison Square Garden will kick off the run starting Tuesday, August 22.

The tour resumes on Friday, September 8, at Cleveland, Ohio’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, followed by dates in Detroit, Michigan; Lexington, Kentucky and Indianapolis, Indiana, before wrapping Wednesday, October 4 in Chicago, Illinois.

Tickets for the Live Nation-produced show will be available starting with local presales on Wednesday, July 26, with general sales set for Thursday, July 27, at 10 a.m. local time at Ticketmaster.com.

The show’s producers note that, as is Dave’s policy, no cellphones, cameras or recording devices will be allowed while he is onstage. “Anyone caught with a cellphone in the venue will be immediately ejected,” Live Nation says, noting patrons will be given Yondr pouches to stow their stuff, which will be unlocked at the end of the show.

In the meantime, Dave is still on the road, with an upcoming date set for Ontario, Canada’s Toyota Arena on August 2.

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Model and Suicide Squad actress Cara Delevingne opened up to Elle UK about her journey to sobriety, saying quitting drinking has made her “stable” and “calmer.”

It has been “worth every second,” she expresses, admitting her nine months sober hasn’t been easy. “It hasn’t, but there have never been moments when I’m like, ‘This isn’t worth it.'”

The 30-year-old explains she checked into rehab after seeing paparazzi photos of herself at the Burning Man festival back in September of last year. The coverage noted her “disheveled” appearance, which led sources to tell outlets like the Daily Mail that her friends were “concerned” for her. 

To Elle UK, Cara calls the coverage a “reality check” that led her to choose sobriety after she was able through rehab “To disappear and come back for air.”

Cara admits, “For a long time, I felt like I was hiding a lot from people who looked up to me. I finally feel as though I can be free and myself, fully,” which included going public about her struggles with substances and with her own mental health — struggles shared by her mother, Pandora.

Despite her successes in modeling, acting and social media, Delevigne continues, “It didn’t feel real. I didn’t feel like I deserved it…I was still stuck in this mindset of not being good enough.”

The 30-year-old adds, “I was doing the best I could…Inside, I felt very different to how I looked.”

The help of Alcoholics Anonymous, a sober sponsor and “instrumental” friends who “have been down this path before” — as well as her relationship with her girlfriend, musician Leah Mason — “have made me so happy and comfortable with who I am,” Cara says.

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Dwayne Johnson lent his support to the SAG-AFTRA strike with a “historic” donation for union members who are currently out of work.

The seven-figure donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s relief fund — the most ever received from one individual at one time — “is going to help thousands of actors keep food on their table, and keep their kids safe, and keep their cars running,” the foundation’s executive director, Cyd Wilson, told Variety.

“We rely on donations and grants to provide services — we have been very fortunate that we raised enough money to be able to cover all of our programs,” Wilson explains. “But when we hit a crisis like this and we’re going to spend millions and millions of dollars in financial assistance, this is when we need our high profile talent who can afford it, who are in a situation to help others.”

The national board of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, or SAG-AFTRA, has been on strike since July 14. Among the issues for both SAG-AFTRA and WGA members is how streaming has lessened payments for their work, and the encroachment of AI in the entertainment industry.

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Results are in for the cause of death for Julian Sands, the British actor who was found dead in June near Mt. Baldy, CA after he went missing in January. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Dept tells ABC News his death has been ruled “undetermined.” The cause was due to the condition of his body, and no other factors leading to his death were found by the coroner. This will be the final determination, which ABC News is told is not uncommon after a body has been in the elements for so many months…

Hallmark Channel’s longest-running scripted series, When Calls the Heart, is set to continue filming after getting an interim agreement by SAG-AFTRA, according to Deadline. This opens the door for season 11 of the series to film ahead of its 10th season premiere on July 30. The family drama joins a number of TV series landing interim agreements from the union following similar arrangements for Apple’s Tehran and faith-based series The Chosen…

Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is set to rise again on DVD after being completely deleted from Paramount+. Entertainment Weekly reports the prequel to the classic 1978 film musical Grease is already available on digital and a DVD release, reportedly including over 30 minutes of special features, will be rolled out on November 7. Rise of the Pink Ladies was one of four original series canceled by the streamer and recently yanked from its roster…

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It was a week of fun dates and tough eliminations on Monday’s episode of The Bachelorette, as Charity tried to gain some clarity before deciding on which four of her six remaining suitors’ families she’ll meet at next week’s hometowns.

A horse and buggy ride through the city ended with Charity asking Joey a lot of “deep questions” about his ability to navigate an interracial relationship, recalling a previous relationship and her partner’s “lack of awareness” and “ignorance” of the situation. She was ultimately satisfied with Joey’s assurance that while it’s something he wouldn’t be able to learn until they tried “to conquer that together,” he never wanted her to doubt that he “could be that kind of person” for her. After offering him the date rose, he told Charity that he was falling in love with her. In a confessional, Charity said she felt the same.

A two-on-one date with Sean and Tanner didn’t go as well. Charity, trying “gauge between someone who could be a boyfriend versus someone who could be a husband,” didn’t find the clarity she needed from either of them and left without giving out a rose. Both were devastated, but Sean took it especially hard, professing his love for her in a confessional. That led him to pay Charity a visit in her hotel suite that confirmed the worst — that she didn’t think she could “get there” with him.

A final group date saw Tanner losing out to Aaron and Xavier, who both got roses.

The final rose went to Dotun, who opened up about his fears regarding relationships and love and that his time with Charity has taught him to put those fears aside and listen to his heart, which was telling him he is falling in love with her. Charity, in a confessional, declared that Dotun felt like that person she could “navigate her life with.”

Here are the four men whose families Charity will meet:

Aaron B., 29, a software salesman from San Diego, Calif.
Dotun, 30, an integrative medicine specialist from Brooklyn, N.Y.
Joseph “Joey,” 27, a tennis pro from Lawai, Hawaii.
Xavier, 27, a biomedical scientist from Carrboro, N.C.

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