Entertainment

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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Jason Mraz not only felt like dancing when the 32nd season of Dancing with the Stars kicked off on Tuesday, September 26, but he also proved he was pretty good at it.

Jason and his partner, Daniella Karagach, ended the night tied for second place with Ariana Madix and partner Pasha Pashkov, earning 21 out of a possible 30 points for their cha cha to his song, “I Feel Like Dancing.”

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter revealed in a pre-taped segment before the dance that despite his success, he’s “faked his way through dancing all this time.”

“Time to do something about that,” he added.

“In college, I studied musical theater, but then one day I got to the door of the dance studio and said, ‘I’m not going back in there,” he told Karagach, explaining, “I knew what was in that room — humiliation. Because the students had a lot more experience than me and I’d see all my weaknesses.”

“I just went and focused where I could focus and sing immediately, which was like busking on the sidewalk and playing in coffee shops,” he continued.” Since then, I’ve hid behind a guitar, but a part of me still wants to go through that door.”

Waiting on the other side were raves from the DWTS judges, starting with Bruno Tonioli, who declared Jason was “a dancer.” Carrie Ann Inaba hailed it as “the best dance of the night” and Derek Hough called it “spot on.”

Elsewhere, former Bachelorette Charity Lawson topped the leaderboard with 22 out of 30. Reality star Harry Jowsey was at the bottom with the lowest score, 12 out of 30, tied with model and actor Tyson Beckford and Veep alum Matt Walsh, the last of whom was sent home.

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Hamilton stars Daveed Diggs and Emmy Raver-Lampman are expecting their first child together.

The couple, both known for their roles in the original Broadway cast of the smash-hit musical, shared the news in a joint Instagram post on September 26. Sharing a slideshow of photos showing the couple embracing as Diggs cradles Raver-Lampman’s baby bump, the pair captioned the post, “We can’t wait to meet you.”

The parents to be were flooded with congratulatory messages, including some from their fellow Hamilton castmates and other co-stars.

Leslie Odom Jr., who shared the stage with them in the historical musical, expressed his joy with a touch of humor, commenting, “Freshly braided and twisted…we gon all be alright.”

Lin-Manuel Miranda, the creator and star of Hamilton, playfully responded with a meme of Diggs smiling from his appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.

Raver-Lampman’s The Umbrella Academy co-star, Tom Hopper, shared his enthusiasm, writing, “Whaoooo! Let’s go team!” And Kristen Bell, who previously worked alongside Diggs on Central Park before Emmy Raver-Lampman took over her role, chimed in, exclaiming, “EXCUSE ME so happy for u guys!!!!”

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While the competition for content in the streaming world can be cutthroat, many of the major platforms are now united — for better representation versus lawmakers in Washington, D.C.

Axios first reported the creation of the Streaming Innovation Alliance, which brings together Disney+, Netflix, Paramount+, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max, Comcast’s Peacock and others.

CEO and chair of the Motion Picture Association Charles Rivkin brought the companies together.

The SIA was created to be a united front for the streamers “when the industry faces new regulatory threats,” according to the publication.

Other big streaming names like Apple and Amazon’s Prime Video weren’t included as of yet, but the new organization invited them to join.

To help them navigate the Beltway, the group tapped former Republican Rep. Fred Upton and former Democratic Federal Communications Commission acting chair Mignon Clyburn.

In a statement, Rivkin said MPA “looks forward to working with the SIA and its members to ensure federal and state policy propels this incredible innovation [of streaming] forward — and doesn’t undermine the value and diversity consumers are enjoying today.”

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From the creators of Queer Eye and actress and activist Kristen Stewart, the trailer for Living For The Dead has just been summoned by Hulu.

“Think … Gay Scooby-Doo,” the ad copy says of the series, in which “five fabulous, queer ghost hunters criss-cross the country, helping the living by healing the dead.”

Included are Alex, a tech guru, Juju, the “resident witch,” and Logan, a medium.

“As they explore some of the world’s most infamous haunted locations, they’ll shed light on those not seen and illuminate untold stories,” the producers tease.

“Together they’ll push past boundaries to bring acceptance to the misunderstood — living and dead,” it continues.

There’s apparently a lot to be frightened of in their famously haunted locations, including The Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada, and the Copper Queen Hotel in Bisbee, Arizona.

For Logan, however, some things are scarier than others. “The clowns aren’t really bothering me, it’s the bedspread I find horrific,” he quips at the motel.

Back in June 2022, Stewart took to her friend’s social media to put out the call for this show, saying she was “scarily excited” to announce she’s co-producing “the most gayest, most funnest, most titillating queer ghost-hunting show ever.”

All episodes debut on Hulu October 18.

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