Entertainment

Gerry Turner‘s journey to find love as the first Golden Bachelor finally begins Thursday, September 28, and the 71-year-old Indiana native says he remembers getting the call from host Jesse Palmer like it was yesterday.

“I remember the morning it happened very vividly. My family was with me, we were all at the lake, we were enjoying a good sunny day and there was a Zoom call scheduled,” he recalls. “And I didn’t think much of it, but the first face that pops up in the Zoom call is Jesse Palmer. And after a brief chat, Jesse says, ‘Well, Gerry do you want to be the first Golden Bachelor?’ And I go, ‘Well, is that an official request?’ And he goes, ‘Yes it is.” and I go, ‘Yes I do.'”

The retired restaurateur already has a clear picture of what he’s looking for in a partner — someone with “high energy,” who’s a “good communicator” and “somebody who is trustworthy beyond question.”

“I want someone with good life experience, someone who’s intelligent in areas that maybe I’m not,” he adds.

Turner is also out to change the perception that people in their 60s and 70s slow down mentally and physically, explaining, “I want people to see that that demographic still enjoys all the values, all the opportunities that they did 20 years prior.”

The Golden Bachelor premieres Thursday, September 27 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Anything to get Magic Mike co-star Joe Manganiello in a Hawaiian shirt: NBC has announced the hunky actor will host Deal or No Deal Island, a tropical island spin on the show that once featured duchess-to-be Meghan Markle.

NBC teases the new spin on the classic game show will have 13 players “transported to the elusive Banker’s private island to compete for cash in a season-long, fully immersive competition.”

The network says the show, executive produced by former host Howie Mandel, “will combine thrilling challenges, mind-bending dilemmas and the classic game of Deal or No Deal as contestants try to beat the banker. Manganiello will guide them throughout – leading the game play, relaying the Banker’s tempting offers and helping them through the toughest decisions of their lives.”

Further, NBC explains, “In each episode, players vie to get their hands on the highest-value briefcase for a chance to gain immunity and choose a fellow player to enter ‘The Temple,’ where they must play a high-stakes game of ‘Deal or No Deal.'”

At the end of the season, the last player standing will face the Banker to potentially win the biggest prize in the game show’s history.

Corie Henson, NBCUniversal Entertainment’s executive vice president of unscripted content, said in the announcement, “When we took the show out of the studio and transported the game to the Banker’s island, Joe was the obvious choice. He loves all kinds of games, lives for adventure and isn’t afraid to stare down a snake or two to help players win a life-changing payday and, hopefully, beat the Banker at his own game.”

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After scoring a 6.6 million-person audience by bringing Yellowstone to CBS on September 17, a deep dive into the numbers revealed 50% of those viewers had never seen the Paramount Network show. 

The Taylor Sheridan drama starring Kevin Costner was called up by CBS from its sister network in part to make up for a content shortfall stemming from the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. But the debut on the Eye Network attracted new eyes that never moseyed over to Paramount to watch the neo-Western, according to Variety. 

In fact, the trade says viewers of the show’s debut — which grew to 7.5 million folks counting DVR and Video On Demand watchers — was about half greenhorns and half who were already familiar with the goings on at the Dutton ranch. 

That’s especially interesting considering Yellowstone is already a massive hit on the cable network: season 5’s debut drew some 8.8 million fans, four times its debut on Paramount Network in 2018.

That said, CBS chief marketing officer Mike Benson told the trade the network previously polled its viewers and 80% had never seen the show; the strike gave the network a chance to show off the drama to those who weren’t familiar.

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Covering Vogue‘s November 2023 issue, Oscar winner Angelina Jolie opens up about her family, her new fashion outlet and the importance to her of being a mom.

“I was 26 when I became a mother. My entire life changed,” Jolie expressed. “Having children saved me — and taught me to be in this world differently.”

Jolie and her ex-husband Brad Pitt share six children: adopted kids Maddox, 22, Pax, 19, and Zahara, 18, as well as their biological children: Shiloh, 17, and 15-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox.

Jolie and Pitt announced their divorce in 2016 after 12 years together, and messy tabloid headlines about the split still linger.

Jolie said of her clan, “I think, recently, I would’ve gone under in a much darker way had I not wanted to live for them. They’re better than me, because you want your children to be.”

She tells the magazine, “I’m still understanding who I am at 48 … I don’t feel like I’ve been myself for a decade, in a way, which I don’t want to get into.”

Without elaborating, she says of her and her kids, “We had a lot of healing to do. We’re still finding our footing.”

Part of that healing, she mentions, is the creative outlet Atelier Jolie, her new fashion imprint.

“I don’t want to be a big fashion designer,” she says, “I want to build a house for other people to become that.”

She adds, “I find it slightly funny that we are involved in fashion — I don’t think any one of us is overly ‘fashionable.’ But because we live in our clothes, it is so much a part of who we are, and something that’s important to explore, especially for young people.”

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Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! will be released on October 3, but the audio version of the behind-the-scenes book has lined up some impressive comedic talent.

The 1980 comedy from siblings David and Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams was made for just $3.5 million, but it went on to gross more than $170 million.

And by the look of its audiobook cast, it inspired a host of very funny people: Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Kimmel and Barry Emmy winner Bill Hader are among the voices that will be heard sharing their thoughts about the influential movie, Deadline reports.

Also included will be “Weird Al” Yankovic, Saturday Night Live alumna Molly Shannon, comedian and actor Patton Oswalt and actor Beau Bridges, among many others.

Former Airplane! leads Bob Hays and Julie Hagerty are on board, as well.

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The so-called “Strike Force Five” — Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, John Oliver and Stephen Colbert — are still united now that the writers strike that brought them together has ended.

The group announced that Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Late Night with Seth Meyers and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert will all be returning Monday, October 2; Oliver’s HBO series Last Week Tonight will return Sunday, October 1.

As reported, the Strike Force Five podcast was meant to support the hosts’ staffs, who were out of work since the strike began in May.

In a group posting, they noted, “Of course in a greater sense, The Strike Force Five will never end, because…Strike Force Five is an idea. And idea that five men can talk on top of each other for 12 episodes and maybe somebody would listen.”

The message continued, “As we say goodbye, we would like to thank all those somebodies. Truly, you were the heroes. We were mostly the heroes, but you were in there, too.”

The hosts thanked their supporters and had an apology for Conan O’Brien, “who agreed to do the pod, but Stephen forgot to send him any possible dates, and then the strike ended.”

They concluded by saying, “Goodbye for now, and hello for later, because we still have a few more episodes, unless Ryan Reynolds cuts off the cash.”

Reynolds was a supporter of the endeavor; his Aviation American Gin brand and Mint Mobile acted as sponsors.

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It looks like Bill Maher‘s HBO series Real Time will be the first nighttime chat show back to work following the cessation of the writers strike Wednesday, September 27.

On Tuesday evening, the Emmy winner took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and declared, “My writers and Real Time are back! See you Friday Night!”

As reported, Maher hit some turbulence when he said on September 13 that he planned to bring the show back on September 22, before the strike was over. “…The writers have important issues that I sympathize with…but they are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns. Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily,” he said at the time.

Maher’s decision, like Drew Barrymore‘s, drew fire from strikers and their supporters. Even the WGA weighed in, calling his post disappointing and promising the production would be met with picketers.

Maher later changed course, noting, “My decision to return to work was made when it seemed nothing was happening and there was no end in sight to this strike. Now that both sides have agreed to go back to the negotiating table I’m going to delay the return of Real Time, for now, and hope they can finally get this done.”

The show had been dark since the strike began in May.

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced it will replace a lost Oscar award that was presented to the first Oscar-winning Black performer, Hattie McDaniel.

In 1939, when she won for her performance in Gone with the Wind, the Best Supporting category winner was presented with a plaque, not the traditional Oscar statue. The star had left her award to Howard University upon her death in 1952, and it was displayed for over a decade but was subsequently lost.

Now, the Academy will be presenting a new version of the plaque to the Howard University Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts, in a ceremony titled “Hattie’s Come Home” at the institution’s Ira Aldridge Theater on October 1.

In a statement, Academy Museum Director and President Jacqueline Stewart and Academy CEO Bill Kramer noted, “Hattie McDaniel was a groundbreaking artist who changed the course of cinema and impacted generations of performers who followed her,” saying they were thrilled to present a replacement to the school.

They added, “This momentous occasion will celebrate Hattie McDaniel’s remarkable craft and historic win.”

Phylicia Rashad, dean of the Boseman College of Fine Arts, expressed when she was a student at Howard’s Department of Drama, she “would often sit and gaze in wonder” at the award McDaniel bequeathed to the school.

“I am overjoyed that this Academy Award is returning to what is now the Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University,” she added. “This immense piece of history will be back in the College of Fine Arts for our students to draw inspiration from. Ms. Hattie is coming home!”

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Halloween is just around the corner and so is Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween.

The annual spellbinding television event begins Sunday, October 1, with a lineup that includes Scared Shrekless, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, Tim Burton‘s stop-motion classic The Nightmare Before Christmas and the family-friendly haunter Hocus Pocus.

Monday, October 2, will see Hotel Transylvania and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation play, starting at 7 p.m. ET.

On Tuesday, Freeform will showcase Decorating Disney: Halloween Magic at 10:30 a.m. ET, followed by another showing of Hocus Pocus at 5:40 p.m., leading into Cruella at 7:50 p.m.

The festivities for Wednesday, October 4, include two of the Twilight films in the morning, 2003’s The Haunted Mansion at 4:30 p.m ET and a Simpsons Treehouse of Horror marathon at 6:30 p.m.

Rounding out the week will be a Monsters, Inc. double-feature on Thursday and 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors starting at midnight Friday.

Other films that fans can expect to see throughout the month include Disney Channel’s Halloweentown and The Addams Family.

Fan-favorite films during Freeform’s extravaganza also include costume inspiration like Mrs. Doubtfire, Maleficent and some of the Spider-Man films.

Check out the full schedule here.

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

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After 148 days, leaders of the Writers Guild of America have unanimously voted to lift its strike, allowing writers to return to work on Wednesday, September 27. “The WGAW Board and WGAE Council also voted unanimously to lift the restraining order and end the strike as of 12:01 am PT/3:01 am ET on Wednesday, September 27. This allows writers to return to work during the ratification process, but does not affect the membership’s right to make a final determination on contract approval,” Besides raises, the three-year deal includes regulations for the use of Artificial Intelligence and viewership-based streaming bonuses…

For the very first time, all 67 episodes of Moonlighting — the 1980s ABC comedy that propelled Bruce Willis to box office stardom — will be available to stream on Hulu beginning October 10. The series follows Maddie Hayes — played by Cybill Shepherd — a broke former model who finds that one of her few remaining assets is the Blue Moon Detective Agency, and its wise-cracking P.I. David Addison Jr., played by Willis…

Ahead of PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie‘s theatrical release on Friday, September 29, Spin Master Entertainment, Nickelodeon Movies and Paramount Pictures has greenlit a third movie, set for release in 2026, according to Deadline. The franchise, celebrating its 10th year, started out as a TV show about a tech-savvy boy and his heroic group of pups. The 2021 feature adaptation grossed $40 million domestically and more than $144 million globally, despite debuting simultaneously on Paramount+ during the pandemic. The follow-up movie has a voice cast that includes Taraji P. Henson, Kristen Bell, Christian Convery, Brice Gonzalez, Mckenna Grace and Lil Rel Howery…

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