Entertainment

Black-ish alum Anthony Anderson has been tapped to star in the ABC comedy pilot Public Defenders, according to Variety. The pilot follows “four inexperienced public defenders” swimming in student loan debt and “working tirelessly to keep their clients out of jail,” according to the show’s official logline. “Along the way, they have to rely on each other to navigate their first defendants, the absurd court system, and the copy machine that always jams.” Anderson will play Marshall, the public defenders’ angry boss…

Dawson’s Creek alum James Van Der Beek is in talks to star alongside Rebel Wilson and Leslie Mann in the upcoming Netflix comedy Rock the Boat, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The story centers on “four best friends from high school who were obsessed with a famous boy band back in the ’90s. When the band announces a reunion tour aboard a cruise ship, our four women reunite and try to recapture who they were and who they always wanted to be, per the streamer. “…friendships will be tested, alliances will be formed, and bad decisions will definitely be made…” Van Der Beek would play one of the band members. Netflix is reportedly eyeing other 1990s mainstays for the band roles. Rock the Boat is set to start shooting this spring…

Deadline reports Ted Danson will reunite with The Good Place creator Mike Schur in a Netflix comedy series based on the 2020 Chilean feature documentary The Mole Agent. The as yet untitled project, which has landed an eight-episode straight-to-series order, stars Danson as a retiree who gets a new lease on life after answering an ad from a PI and becomes a mole in a secret investigation. Most recently, Danson starred in NBC’s comedy series Mr. Mayor, which aired for two seasons from 2021-22, and continues to appear in a recurring role on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm…

Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Nicole Kidman, Florence Pugh and Sigourney Weaver have been added to the list of presenters at this year’s Oscars ceremony, joining previously announced presenters Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Troy Kotsur, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Deepika Padukone, Questlove, Zoe Saldana and Donnie Yen. The 95th Oscars air live the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood Sunday, March 12 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC…

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Tessa Thompson‘s range has been displayed as she’s taken on a variety of characters. In the latest issue of Look Back At It, she reflects on some of her iconic roles, including Nyla in For Colored Girls, Diane in Selma and, of course, Bianca in the Creed series.

When Tessa portrayed Nyla, she worked with an “incredible ensemble” featuring Janet Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington, Loretta Devine and Thandiwe Newton. It was her “first time working with an all-female cast in terms of the leads.” “It was incredible to be on set with women who defined my idea of Black femininity at every turn,” she says, noting her love for Janet, Ntozake Shange‘s book and Phylicia Rashad.

Selma‘s Diane impacted Tessa’s life, as it “really challenged me to think about how I show up in these moments now as a Black American.” She says the “film was such an honor to work on” and notes she made some lifelong friendships while shooting the movie.

As for Bianca, fans have gotten pretty familiar with the character, as she’s appeared in three Creedmovies. Tessa says “there’s been so much personal growth” in the film’s characters, adding, “They’re postcards to me because I see my own growth inside of the span of these nine years.” She notes she’s “incredibly proud to be part of” Michael B. Jordan‘s journey.

Tessa also discusses being in Thor: Ragnarok, which she believes is connected to Creed. 

“I never ever thought that I would occupy these kinds of spaces or be in big superhero movies,” she says. “But in connecting the dots, I know that Dear White People put me on Ryan Coogler’s radar and I know that Creed put me on Marvel’s radar because all of us joined the MCU.”

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Will the upcoming season 3 of Ted Lasso be the end? The first episode debuts a week from Wednesday on Apple TV+, and the answer about an ending is complicated.

It seems as if this is the end of the story they want to tell, but the show could continue on in either a different iteration or a spinoff or something else. ABC Audio asked star and co-creator Jason Sudeikis if he could clear up the confusion — is this the final season or not?

“It is as far as I know. Yes. Yeah… I’m editing this one and you know, we have not rented any studio space.” Sudeikis declared, before joking, “Everybody is doing different projects. Nobody would call me back. You know, that’s a good sign, right? When the cast stops being, you know, getting back to you right away. I’m like, Oh, it must be over.”

Show writer and co-star Brett Goldstein had even less to offer in the way of clarity, offering only that “It is an ending…a completion of a story. So I’d say prepare for the end. An end. A end. Apple?”

Sudeikis says they always envisioned a three-season arc, which they “sort of modeled it after the British Office, how they had two seasons and then like a Christmas special,” but they never anticipated how popular the show would be.

“You know, things morphed and changed in many, many ways, with the influence of our writers and certainly the people that we cast as these various characters and we got to stay open to the discovery, it would be silly not to,” he explains. “But yeah, at this point the trilogy if you will…you know, we’re trying to wrap up those stories as the best we can.”

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While the gravity of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has pulled in a galaxy of Oscar-winning and Oscar-nominated stars, Nicolas Cage isn’t eager to join them.

According to Variety, while he received the trade’s Legend & Groundbreaker Award at the Miami Film Festival on Sunday, Cage was asked about the superhero movie boom.

The lifelong comics fan, who played Ghost Rider on the big screen before the MCU existed, explained, “I’ve gotta be nice about Marvel movies, because I named myself after a Stan Lee character named Luke Cage.”

The actor, born Nicolas Coppola, added, “What am I going to do, put Marvel movies down? Stan Lee is my surrealistic father. He named me.”

But the Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent star later added, “I don’t need to be in the MCU, I’m Nic Cage.”

Unlike other actors, Cage doesn’t see the superhero genre as a problem for Hollywood. “I understand what the frustration is. I get it,” he said, adding, “I think there’s plenty of room for everybody. I’m seeing movies like [Oscar nominee] Tár. I’m seeing all kinds of artistic and independently driven movies. I think there’s plenty of room for everybody.”

Cage also talked a bit about recruiting Batman director Tim Burton for a Superman film in the ’90s that was infamously scuttled by Warner Bros. “It was more of a 1980s Superman with like, the samurai black long hair. I thought it was gonna be a really different, sort of emo Superman, but we never got there,” he expressed.

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With Ted Lasso returning to Apple TV+ on March 15, Airbnb is offering a chance for some superfans to stay at one of the Emmy-winning show’s locations.

AFC Richmond fan and proprietor Mae — played by Annette Badland on the show — is opening her doors to The Crown & Anchor pub, where AFC Richmond’s fans and players bend the ol’ elbow on the series.

The Prince’s Head is the real name of the show’s Crown & Anchor, and up to four guests will have a chance to experience all the pub has to offer, before retiring for the evening in one of its quaint rooms.

“Located in the city of Richmond, London upon the River Thames, The Crown & Anchor is surrounded by local retail and commercial shops, as well as a quaint residential area (including Coach Lasso’s apartment) on the Richmond Green,” the listing notes.

While guests will have to make their way to Richmond, Mae’s place will be open for stays on October 23, 24 and 25 for only £11 — around $13.

Bookings will open Tuesday, March 21, at 1 p.m. ET at airbnb.com/tedlasso.

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Nick Cannon is expecting, but this time it’s not another a baby. Taking to socials on Tuesday, he shared that he’s got a new show on E!, which happens to play on his multiple baby announcements.

Hosted by Kevin Hart, Who’s Having My Baby with Nick Cannon is set to premiere this spring. As Kev says in the clip, it will feature a group of ladies who’d love to mother Nick’s child.

“You’re gonna get some contestants that wanna have your baby,” Kevin says. Nick then jokingly pretends to choose one using the eeny, meeny, miny, moe method. No other details about the show have been disclosed.

Nick is the father of 12 children: Monroe and Moroccan with Mariah Carey; Rise, Powerful and Golden with Brittany Bell; Beautiful, Zion and Zillion with Abby De La Rosa; Halo and the late Zenwith Alyssa Scott; Legendary with Bre Tiesi; and Onyx with LaNisha Cole.

When asked if he’s done having children, he recently told ET that “God decides when we’re done” having kids.

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Frank Castle is back.

Jon Bernthal, who played the Marvel Comics character and his vigilante alter ego The Punisher in the acclaimed Netflix series of the same name, will rejoin his former co-stars Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio in the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Cox, D’Onofrio and Bernthal were fan favorites in their respective roles as Matt Murdock/Daredevil, Wilson Fisk/Kingpin and Castle in the R-rated Marvel shows formerly on the streaming service, which weren’t part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, Cox’s blind vigilante lawyer officially entered the MCU with a cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home before reprising both in and out of his Daredevil costume in the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. D’Onofrio made his MCU debut as Fisk in Hawkeye.

Bernthal first appeared as The Punisher in Daredevil, before spinning off into his own series for Netflix in 2016; the show ran for two seasons.

The “Netflix Marvel” shows are available for streaming on Disney+.

The Hollywood Reporter explains Born Again will be the longest MCU-based series for Disney+, at 18 episodes. Shooting gets underway this month in all three characters’ stomping grounds of New York City, with an expected debut date of spring 2024.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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In a wide-ranging interview with the Los Angeles Times, Drew Barrymore describes how she turned to alcohol after her marriage to art consultant Will Kopelman fell apart.

The actress-turned-eponymous talk show host, who has battled addiction in the past, explained that before she quit drinking for good in 2019, her therapist quit on her.

“He just said, ‘I can’t do this anymore,'” Barrymore said of counselor to the stars Barry Michels. “It was really about my drinking. I said, ‘I get it. I’ve never respected you more. You see I’m not getting better. And I hope, one day, that I can earn your trust back.'”

Drew’s celebrity friends supported her, the interview says. Her longtime friend and Charlie’s Angels co-star Cameron Diaz called this period “difficult to watch.” She added, “But I knew that if we all stuck with her and gave her the support she needed, she would find her way. I have absolute faith in her.”

The Drew Barrymore Show convinced the star to turn things around. “I think the opportunity at a show like this really hit me,” Drew tells the paper. “I was like, ‘I can’t handle this unless I’m in a really clear place.'”

After a rough start, the show was retooled and rebounded in the ratings; it has been renewed for a fourth season. Her therapist also took her back, she says.

Despite having been in hit movies like Never Been Kissed and 50 First Dates, Barrymore insists she’s stepping back from acting — for now: “I hate when people are like, ‘I’m retiring’ … I don’t want it to come off that way.”

In addition to hosting the show, Drew says being a mom to her daughters with Kopelman — Olive, 10, and Frankie, 8 — is “the role of my life.”

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While he continues to recover at home from his near-fatal New Year’s Day snowplow accident, Jeremy Renner took to Instagram to announce his docuseries Rennervations will debut on Disney+ on April 12.

The four-part series will see the big-screen superhero and real-life renovation expert rehabbing vehicles and donating them to communities that need them the most.

In a press release, Renner said, “I’ve been on this journey for many years, and I started in my community by building vehicles for people in need. But a few years ago, I thought, how can I plus this up and create a bigger impact on a whole community – and that’s what this show does.”

The two-time Oscar nominee adds, “This is one of my biggest passions and it’s a driving force in my recovery, and I can’t wait for the world to see it.”

Disney+ teases, “With his best friend and business partner, Rory Millikin, and an all-star build crew, Renner travels the globe to reimagine decommissioned vehicles and rebuild them to serve a new purpose, such as turning a tour bus into a mobile music studio, a delivery truck into a mobile water treatment facility, a shuttle bus into a mobile recreation center, and a city bus into a mobile dance studio.”

The show will see Renner partnering with celebrity guests, including his Hurt Locker and Marvel movie co-star Anthony Mackie, actress and entrepreneur Vanessa Hudgens, Slumdog Millionaire and Mission: Impossible star Anil Kapoor, and Encanto singer and songwriter Sebastián Yatra, to provide vehicles to charities like Big Brothers Big Sisters, The BASE Chicago and Casa Hogar of Cabo San Lucas.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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The final trailer for Scream VI starts off where it all began: a ringing phone.

Franchise mainstay Courteney Cox takes a call from Ghostface, who comments, “Strange you and I have never spoken on the phone. This is long overdue.”

Intercut with rave reviews from outlets that got a peek, we see the robed killer stalking Scream V‘s survivors — including Jenna Ortega‘s Tara, Melissa Barrera‘s Sam, Jasmin Savoy Brown‘s Mindy and Mason Gooding‘s Chad — both below and above the streets of New York City.

The group also encounters “a shrine” to the murderer, featuring mannequins of his earlier incarnations.

However, they’re not going down without a fight. “We’ve got to lure him in,” Tara says, “and we execute him.”

Judging by the clips that follow, however, that’s apparently easier said than done.

Scream VI opens Friday.

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