The premiere episode of ABC’s The Golden Bachelor marked a three-year high for the franchise, drawing 7.7 million viewers after three days of streaming on Hulu — a gain of 3.34 million viewers, or almost 77% over its 4.36 million viewers for the show’s initial airing on September 28.
The episode also more than tripled its adults 18-49 rating, rising from 0.62 for the initial broadcast to 1.9 after three days. Additionally, ABC says the premiere recorded the equivalent of 1.76 million complete showings on Hulu — the highest three-day total ever for a series premiere of an ABC show on the streamer.
Hulu, like Netflix and Disney+, calculates “views” as total viewing time divided by running time, per the Writers Guild of America’s new contract to help determine a success-based residual for original streaming series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
The legendary improv group The Groundlings will host an improv musical fundraising event on October 26, featuring famous alumni Ana Gasteyer, Kristen Bell, Kristen Wiig and Will Forte. The event, held at the Performing Arts Center at Vista Del Mar, will benefit the Motion Picture & Television Fund to support below-the-line workers impacted by the strikes, according to Variety. The improvisors will attempt to put on a full production of One Night Only, the Broadway musical created and directed by Groundlings Main Company member Andrew Leeds, with just 24 hours to rehearse. The Groundlings Theatre has served as the springboard for Melissa McCarthy, Jennifer Coolidge, Will Ferrell and Lisa Kudrow among many others…
Reptile, the Netflix crime thriller starring Benicio del Toro, Alicia Silverstone and Justin Timberlake, debuted at No. 1 on the streamer’s English films Top 10 during the September 25-October 1 viewing window with 17.7 million total views. The film landed just behind the Spanish dystopian thriller, Nowhere, which drew 23.4 million views. On the TV side, Sex Education season 4 continued to lead the list with 13.4 million views, while season 1 took ninth place with 1.9 million views…
A second trailer for Priscilla, the Sofia Coppola‘s biopic adapted from Priscilla Presley and Sandra Harmon’s 1985 book, Elvis and Me was released on Tuesday, October 3. The movie, starring Cailee Spaeny as the eponymous Priscilla, follows the life of the woman who was married to the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Euphoria star Jacob Elordi takes on the role of Elvis Presley. Priscilla opens nationwide November 3…
Jason Mraz followed up his second place finish on last week’s Dancing with the Stars with a rumba that left him tied for first place on the leader board on the Tuesday, October 3 episode, that ended with the shocking elimination of Jamie Lynn Spears.
Jason and his partner, Daniella Karagach‘s sultry rumba to “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás” by Andrea Bocelli featuring Jennifer Lopez, earned a score of 24 out of a possible 30, tying him for first place with Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness star Xochitl Gomez and her pro partner Val Chmerkovskiy.
“Last week felt like being shot out of a cannon,” Jason recalled during rehearsal, adding that he was “elated” by the results. However, Tuesday’s performance provided a new challenge, according to Daniella, pointing out that the rumba was a slower dance, which left “a lot of room for error.”
“Week one, we set a high bar, and now we set this expectation that I’m great and I don’t know if I am,” the singer shared.
However, the judges thought so, including Derek Hough, who couldn’t cram enough superlatives into his review, but ended it by declaring that Jason “nailed” the difficult dance.
Fellow judge Bruno Tonioli complimented Mraz for having “the right motion,” while Carri Ann Inaba noted that aside from a “tiny little misstep” the performance was “exceptional.”
In a shocking elimination, Jamie Lynn Spears and her partner Alan Bersten were voted off, despite earning a respectable 15 out of 30 points from the judges, who couldn’t hide their shock over the elimination.
Elsewhere, former BacheloretteCharity Lawson‘s dance partner, Artem Chigvintsev, was scratched from Tuesday’s roster after testing positive for COVID-19. Ezra Sosa filled in and the couple danced to a third place finish, with 21 points.
On Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, the anticipated conclusion of Star Wars: Ahsoka drops on Disney+.
The penultimate episode saw Rosario Dawson‘s titular former Jedi hero and Padawan Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) finally reunited with their long-lost friend, Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) on the far-flung planet Peridea.
But finding Ezra a way home means Sabine opened the door for the return of the dreaded Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), who has been stranded there with Ezra since the finale of their animated original adventures in Star Wars: Rebels.
In the closing moments of the seventh episode, Thrawn revealed his strategy was to keep the heroes busy fighting some of his forces on the ground while he finishes packing his dilapidated Star Destroyer with a massive army of troops and gear, and taking the only ride off the planet, via a massive hyperspace ring furnished by arms queenpin Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto).
With the threat of the heroes being stranded and Thrawn in striking distance, there’s also the matter of fallen Jedi Baylan Skoll (the late Ray Stevenson) and his apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno).
The two evil allies seem to have a parting of ways: Skoll leaves his apprentice to try killing the heroes and take her place among a resurgent Empire while setting off on a mysterious different path of his own.
The U.K.-based auction house Propstore is putting another slew of Hollywood treasure up on the block in an event running November 9 – 12, and the items — and their prices — are likely to make any movie fan’s jaw drop.
Among the 1,800 items up for grabs is a light-up, screen-used head of the protocol droid C-3PO from 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The item comes from the personal collection of the actor who played him in every movie in the saga, Anthony Daniels. It’s estimated to fetch anywhere from $575,000 – $1,150,000, but as in nearly every auction, it’s likely this and other items will go for more when the hammer drops.
In fact, Prop Store estimates the haul in this collection could fetch more than $14 million.
Other items include Harrison Ford‘s bullwhip from 1984’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, estimated to go for anywhere from $115,000-$230,000 — the same estimate goes for Leonardo DiCaprio‘s costume as Jack Dawson in 1997’s Titanic.
Other big-ticket items include Ursula Andress‘ Honey Rider bathrobe from 1962’s first official James Bond movie Dr. No ($80,500 – $161,000); Chris Evans‘ shield from 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger ($57,500 – $115,000), and Jennifer Lawrence‘s Katniss Everdeen bow and quiver from 2013’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($23,000 – $46,000).
Check out the full listing at Prop Store’s website. Who knows, there’s a huge Powerball drawing between now and then, so might as well window-shop now.
Vivica A. Fox in Sworn Justice: Taken Before Christmas – BET+
BET’s streaming network BET+ is giving fans a lot for the holidays.
On Tuesday, the streaming network revealed 12 projects, including holiday films, a festive installment of The Ms. Pat Show directed by legend Debbie Allen and TV specials timed for the season.
The slate runs from November 2 to December 21 on BET+.
Among the other projects, Vivica A. Fox appears in the suspense thriller Sworn Justice: Taken Before Christmas. Robin Givens wrote, executive produced and stars in the romantic comedy Christmas Rescue, and she also directed the faith-based drama Favorite Son Christmas.
Tichina Arnold and Jackée Harry will star in So Fly Christmas. Singer and actress Macy Gray will topline Never Alone for Christmas, and Christmas Angel will star Tamar Braxton, Skyh Black and actor/recording artist Romeo Miller.
Here’s the full schedule:
November 2
A Wesley Christmas Wedding
Heart for the Holidays
November 9
Christmas Angel
November 16
Sworn Justice: Taken Before Christmas
November 23
The Ms. Pat Show Holiday Episode “Father Christmas”
The Elf on the Shelf holiday tradition is being baked into an all-new competition cooking series for Food Network.
For the unfamiliar, the tradition’s conceit is that Santa Claus tasks his scout elves with planting themselves about the house and doing recon on who’s naughty or nice so he can adjust his gift-giving accordingly.
For parents, the constant surveillance of the ever-moving elf’s unblinking gaze theoretically grants them some much-needed good behavior from their kids during the silly season.
The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown will see “Santa and his loyal Scout Elves,” along with the help of Ace of Cakes veteran Duff Goldman, “challenge six teams of Sweetmakers in a competition full of surprises,” the network teases.
The contestants will be tasked each week with creating “edible showpieces that bring the holiday season to life” for judges Kardea Brown and Ashley Holt; the title of “The Ambassadors of Confectionery Concoctions” and $25,000 is on the line.
The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown premieres Sunday, November 19,at 8 p.m. ET on Food Network.
AMC has announced it will have a big presence at New York Comic Con, which runs from October 12 to October 15 at the Javits Center.
Thanks to SAG-AFTRA strike, stars won’t be promoting as they usually would. However, the network will be hosting panels, special screenings and Q&As, along with peeks at some of its most anticipated series debuting in 2024.
On Thursday, October 12, from 4:15pm – 6:15pm at the venue’s Empire Stage, AMC will be rolling out the season finale of the spinoff The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon ahead of its debut on AMC and AMC+ Sunday evening at 9 p.m. Eastern.
Afterward, there will be a Q&A with The Walking Dead universe’s Chief Content Officer Scott M. Gimple as well as Executive Producer Greg Nicotero and showrunner David Zabel.
Before the show, Comic Con attendees will get to check out exclusive previews of another TWD spinoff, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, respectively starring Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira as Rick and Michonne.
AMC will also unspool previews for the follow-up series Orphan Black: Echoes starring Krysten Ritter and the second season of Anne Rice‘s Interview with the Vampire.
On Friday, October 13, on the Mail Stage, AMC’s sister screamer streamer Shudder will host a celebration of the V/H/S horror franchise ahead of the release of its latest installment, V/H/S/85, which begins streaming there on Friday, October 6.
David Bruckner, (V/H/S),Jason Eisener (V/H/S/2),Chloe Okuno (V/H/S/94),Tyler McIntyre (V/H/S/99), and V/H/S/85‘sNatasha Kermaniare among those scheduled to appear to talk about the franchise and the horror genre in general.
With a star-studded announcement on social media out of the question thanks to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Hulu posted on Instagram Tuesday that its Emmy-winning Only Murders in the Building is getting a fourth story.
“Only Murders in the Building is coming back for Season 4! Let the investigating begin…,” the streamer captioned a photo of the show’s three leads: Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short.
The no-frills announcement is a stark contrast to the post Selena made to announce the show was renewed for a third season. That video not only featured the trio but also Paul Rudd, Andrea Martin and the reveal of Meryl Streep, who made her debut in season 3.
Aubrey Plaza has been in movies and TV shows for years, but this month the Parks and Rec veteran is making her stage debut: She’s starring in the off-Broadway revival of the romantic drama Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.
“It’s my first professional play … so I’m pretty nervous, but I’m excited, too,” the actress tells InStyle.
She adds, “I was attracted to it for a couple of reasons. One, Christopher Abbott, who’s playing Danny in the play opposite me, we’ve worked together before [in Black Bear]. He’s done a lot of theater and I just think he’s one of the best actors around.”
The two-person play was first staged in 1983.
Plaza adds, “I love the character and I love the play. It’s so heartbreaking. It’s a love story and I love love stories.”
That said, there are still butterflies, Aubrey admits. “I’m nervous about doing it in front of an audience. That’s the thing that I’m trying to wrap my head around right now.”
However, a trick she’s adopted in film and TV work is lending itself to her stage debut. “I have this tiny little version of the play with me at all times in every purse,” Plaza tells the magazine.
“I’ve been carrying it around with me for months. It’s completely battered and falling apart, but it’s kind of romantic, and I sleep with it next to me. It’s been to multiple countries at this point.”
She reveals, “I’m like that with scripts. I keep them around, so that they’re kind of always lingering in the background for me, so that I am doing unconscious work on it or something. I’m always thinking about it.”
The performer adds, “I can’t have a purse that’s too small, because I need to fit the play.”
