Entertainment

Though his company Maximum Effort, Ryan Reynolds has given a new job to a throwback ’80s TV star: ALF.

The furry, wisecracking alien life form from the planet Melmac who appeared on his eponymous NBC sitcom that ran from 1986-1990 can be seen in new commercials produced by the Deadpool star and his company.

As highlighted in Reynolds’s Instagram post, ALF can be seen hawking everything from Ryan’s Mint Mobile cellular service and Ring security doorbells to Hims, an online supplier of nutritional products and erectile dysfunction prescriptions.

The spots are shot to look like scenes from the sitcom, complete with laugh tracks and the voice of Paul Fusco, who created the puppet-turned unlikely sitcom star.

One of the spots plugs the streaming service FuboTV, which, not coincidentally, will begin running reruns of ALF on its dedicated Maximum Effort Channel on Saturday, July 29.

The channel will also be running comedies like Absolutely Fabulous, The Carol Burnett Show, the U.K. version of Ricky Gervais‘ The Office and his other comedy series Extras as well as Two Guys A Girl and A Pizza Place, the ABC sitcom that incidentally starred an up-and-coming Canadian actor named Ryan Reynolds.

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Jill Zarin‘s luxury luncheon is back — and bigger than ever!

The former Real Housewives of New York star is gearing up to host her annual Hamptons Luxury Luncheon which benefits thyroid cancer research — an homage to her late husband, Bobby Zarin, and his battle with the disease — and she dished to ABC Audio about all the surprises in store for guests. 

Jill teamed up with celebrity event planners Brian Kelly and Sean Koski to throw the bash and they all agree that the key to throwing an amazing party lies in the guest list — and theirs is star-studded. 

Vanderpump Rules’ Kristen Doute, Bachelor in Paradise’s Joe Amable, Survivor’s Wendell Holland, Real Housewives of Atlanta‘s Cynthia Bailey, RHONY newbie Brynn Whitfield and The Circle’s Joey Sasso are all expected, as well as, Julia Haart, Kristen Teakman, Margaret Josephs, LeeAnn Locken, Sutton Stracke, stars from Bravo’s Summer House and more.

Not only is the guest list stacked, but so are the swag bags and on-site activations, which Jill, Brian and Sean say include an IV bar, in addition to a gifting suite and beauty bar with brands RéVive, Advocare, FabFitFun and Beachwaver, to name a few. 

To sum it all up, Jill shares, “Guests who come and support the charity get to meet celebrities and get great gift bags. So really, it’s such a win-win that it’s hard to believe why people wouldn’t want to come.” 

The event is invite-only but a few tickets are up for auction on Charity Buzz. 

Jill Zarin’s Luxury Luncheon, produced by Ticket2Events, is scheduled for Saturday, July 29.

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Bachelor alum Raven Gates got quite the birthday present on Sunday — the birth of her second child with Adam Gottschalk.

Sharing a video of herself walking into the hospital in an Instagram Story, Raven wrote, “Literal BIRTHday.”

“It just hit me – 32 years ago my mom was headed to the hospital with me,” she continued. “Super special sharing a birthday with this baby, but what a full circle moment that my mom also did this on the same day.”

Another post shows Adam rocking the newborn where Raven shared, “All went well.”

Raven and Adam, who are already parents to 1-year-old son Gates, have not yet shared the name or gender of the baby. 

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The fate of Oscar winner Kevin Spacey is now in the hands of a U.K. jury.

Variety notes that the 12-person panel in the actor’s sex assault trial have begun deliberations, after the judge in the case highlighted evidence and testimony — including from celebrities like Elton John — that jurors had witnessed since the trial began on June 28.

Spacey faces 12 charges from four accusers, including seven for sexual assault, three counts of indecent assault and counts of sex acts performed without consent. The incidents occurred between 2004 and 2013, when he was acting as the artistic director of London’s famed Old Vic Theatre.

Spacey has maintained his innocence. As reported, he recently granted an interview with the German publication ZEITmagazin, in which he said of the accusations, “The moment scrutiny is applied, these things fall apart. That’s what happened in the [Anthony] Rapp trial, and that’s what will happen in this case.”

The former House of Cards star denied one of the alleged victims’ accusations outright, while referring to two others as consensual, and another the result of a “clumsy pass” at the younger man.

Prosecutors alleged Spacey used his status and “power” as a celebrity to try to take advantage of his accusers.

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Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien says one of his dream projects is a remake of Sidney Lumet‘s 1978 musical The Wiz. “I want to make The Wiz so bad,” the filmmaker told the crowd at San Diego Comic-Con for Collider’s “Directors on Directing” panel. “Oh my God, I want to make it so bad. The Wiz was the first movie I ever saw, so by the time I saw The Wizard of Oz, I didn’t understand why they made a white version of The Wiz. So my vision of the film was a Black-centric universe with Quincy Jones music. It’s a really disturbing movie to watch as an adult, but that’s one I’d love to do.” Haunted Mansion opens in theaters on July 28. Disney is the parent company of ABC News… 

The second season of Invincible has gotten a premiere date at Prime Video. The first four episodes of the animated superhero series will debut November 3. The second half of the eight-episode season will premiere in early 2024. The news was announced, along with a new trailer at San Diego Comic-Con. Invincible is based on the titular comic book created by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley. The voice cast includes Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, Zazie Beetz, Grey DeLisle, Chris Diamantopoulos, Walton Goggins, Gillian Jacobs, Jason Mantzoukas, Ross Marquand, Khary Payton, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Kevin Michael Richardson, Seth Rogen and Oscar winner J.K. Simmons…

Josephine Chaplin, actor and daughter of Charlie Chaplin, died on July 13 in Paris, according to an announcement from her family. She was 74. A cause of death was not revealed. Josephine starred in a number of foreign films over her career, which began at a young age with a role in her father’s 1952 Limelight…

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Warner Bros.’ Barbie scored the biggest domestic opening of the year with an estimated $155 million, surpassing The Super Mario Bros. Movie and every Marvel movie this year. The Margo Robbie–Ryan Gossling-led film also broke the first-weekend record for a film directed by a woman, Greta Gerwig. Barbie added an estimated $182 million overseas for a global haul of $337 million.

Moviegoers also flocked to theaters to catch Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer, which beat expectations with an estimated $80.5 million opening for a second-place debut. The biopic, starring Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr. and Matt Damon, picked up an estimated $93.7 million at the international box office for a worldwide total of $174 million.

The one-two punch, known as “Barbenheimer,” collectively fueled the biggest box office weekend of the pandemic era.

Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning took third-place, earning an estimated $19.5 million in its second week of release. The seventh film in the Mission Impossible franchise has collected $118.7 million in North America and $370 million globally to date.

The thriller Sound of Freedom grabbed fourth-place, delivering an estimated $18.8 million. Its four-week domestic total now stands at $124 million.

Rounding out the top five was Disney’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with an estimated $6.7 million at the North American box office. The movie has grossed $159 million domestically and $335 million worldwide after four weeks.

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“Awww Man!! Who’s cuttin’ onions??” Will Smith posted almost immediately after Jamie’s post went up Friday night, July 21. “Love U Foxx!! Your Light Is Needed ‘n Appreciated Right Now!”

Jamie’s fellow Oscar-winner Viola Davis noted, “God is GOOD!!!!!!!! Sending love Jamie,” with a trio of heart emoji.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson said, “I’m gonna bear hug the f*** outta you when I see you again,” while Michael B. Jordan added, “I love you brother!!”

Justin Timberlake said, “Love you Foxx,” along with the “praise hands” emoji, while model and author Ashley Graham posted, “We all love you Jamie! God is so good!!”

The good vibes kept rolling with Marvel movie baddie and The Purge series star Frank Grillo adding, “amen brother. much more for you to do. warrior.”

LL Cool J expressed, “so glad to see you back my brother,” along with a “muscle” emoji, a fist and a crown.

Paris Hilton replied to Jamie’s message with “Love you bro,” adding a heart emoji and “stay strong.”

Corinne Foxx added, “I love you Dad,” with a heart.

Corinne was first to break the news that Foxx had been sidelined around the time he was working on Back in Action with Cameron Diaz for Netflix, saying only that her dad was recovering from an undisclosed “medical complication.”

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On Friday, July 21, AMC announced there’s more life in The Walking Dead yet: The network has renewed the Negan and Maggie team up, Dead City, as well as the yet-to-debut The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, starring Norman Reedus.

The Walking Dead: Dead City stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Lauren Cohan as former mortal enemies Negan Smith and Maggie Rhee, who join forces on a journey into a post-apocalyptic Big Apple to find Maggie’s kidnapped son, Hershel. The show wraps its first season on Sunday, July 23. 

Reedus’ series, which finds his Daryl Dixon lost in Europe, debuts September 10 on AMC. 

Another project, centering on returning star Andrew Lincoln‘s Rick Grimes and his love, Michonne, played by Danai Gurira, will debut in 2024.

With Dead City‘s first season (almost) in the books, Morgan told ABC Audio before the SAG-AFTRA strike that it “took a minute to get used to” the production’s shift to New York City.

“I was nervous about a new crew,” he admitted. “I liked our family in Georgia. And we would look around and be like, ‘Where’s, you know, Melissa’s chair [Melissa McBride] and Norman’s chair? Where are our people that we know? It was odd.”

He adds, however, “Everybody was so fantastic. I think we lucked out with an amazing crew and that were all 100% on board with this show, too, and busted their a**. … And what a cool experience to again be these characters that we’ve been and know for so long, and to be in this new world.” 

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The entertainment world is mourning the loss of legendary singer Tony Bennett, who has died at age 96.

The tributes continue to roll in, and they’re heartfelt — or in some cases, from felt hearts, as Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog were among those who commented on the crooner’s passing.

Alec Baldwin posted to Instagram a lengthy video, calling Bennett “a sweet guy” and marveled, “He had that first act, then things got a little quiet for him, then he comes back, and the second act of his career is bigger than his first act.”

Baldwin continued, “There are other people of his strata … who were not loved by everybody — in some cases far from it — but everybody loved Tony.”

Baldwin, who impersonated Bennett a few times on Saturday Night Live, called doing so in one sketch in which Bennett appeared as a Tony Bennett impersonator “one of the greatest moments of my life.”

In a statement, Martin Scorsese called Bennett “a consummate artist, whose music quietly wove itself into the fabric of our lives.” He added, “We started to imagine that Tony would live forever…Nobody does. But the music? That’s another story.”

Josh Gad tweeted, “This one shouldn’t sting so much because any of us would take 96 years, but man is it hard to imagine a world without the great Tony Bennett.”

To a picture of him and the “wonderfully talented and truly one of a kind” Bennett, Kermit noted, “Performing the song ‘Firefly’ with him on Muppets Tonight and his album The Playground is one of the highlights of my career. Thanks for the music, Tony.”

Miss Piggy posted a photo of herself with Lady Gaga and the singer, saying Bennett was “as lovely as he was talented.” She added, “I’ll miss his wonderful voice, his marvelous smile, and his unforgettable charm.”

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While his in-production Deadpool 3 is on ice for the time being because of the SAG-AFTRA strike, ABC Audio has learned Ryan Reynolds has signed on to a revival of the beloved quirky animated series Biker Mice from Mars.

The show, which first aired in 1993, centered on the race of anthropomorphic rodents, who had an earth-like civilization — and among them some dedicated gearheads — until they were nearly wiped out by an obese fish-like humanoid alien plunderer race known as Plutarkians.

The toon centered on survivors Throttle, Modo, and Vinnie who crash-land on Earth, in Chicago, and befriend a female Earthling mechanic named Charlene ‘Charley’ Davidson, and together they fight the alien menace on our planet, with hopes of one day returning to their own.

Earlier this year, The Nacelle Company obtained the rights to Rick Ungar‘s toon, which aired its final episode 27 years ago.

Through his company Maximum Effort, Reynolds will co-produce the series with streamer Fubo, along with Nacelle, which is also creating a toy line from the IP.

“Some people know that I am a motorcycle enthusiast, so it was only natural for us to jump on board,” Reynolds says of the “cult classic.”

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