Entertainment

The Johnny Depp/Amber Heard defamation case rolled on in a Fairfax, Virginia courtroom today, with the jury listening to hours of pre-taped testimony from various people involved with the former couple. 

As reported, Depp is suing heard for $50 million for defamation, claiming her 2018 Washington Post op-ed devastated his career when it falsely branded him as a domestic abuser. 

One of the tapes the jury heard today was from 2019, when actress Ellen Barkin testified about the actor, whom she briefly dated in the 1990s. “We had a romantic relationship,” Barkin said in the video deposition, before adding, “Actually, can we change that to ‘sexual’?”

Depp’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas co-star said Depp was “always drunk” and witnessed him throwing a bottle against a hotel wall during an argument with some of his associates. 

There was also taped testimony from more recently, January of this year, from the Pirates of the Caribbean star’s former psychiatrist. Dr. Alan Blaustein testified Depp used drugs and alcohol to cope with “psychic wounds” and anxiety. The therapist also claimed the actor told him he was hesitant to marry Heard.

Heard is counter-suing Depp for $100 million, and her attorneys had the jury hear from Heard’s former agent, who claimed Heard’s op-ed actually hurt her own career. 

Jessica Kovacevi noted that Heard’s level of fame should have been on par with that of Bond girl Ana De Armas if it weren’t for blowback she says the actress received in the wake of the bombshell article.

The case resumes Monday morning.

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Daredevil, the beloved Netflix series about Marvel Comics’ Man Without Fear, is being rebooted for Disney+, according to Variety.

Officially, Marvel Studios and Disney+ are still mum, but it’s something of a no-brainer that Charlie Cox will return as the titular hero.

Cox played blind lawyer Matt Murdoch, who moonlights as the red-suited vigilante, to such acclaim that he was brought into the Marvel Cinematic Universe fold with a scene in the blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home.

Similarly, Vincent D’Onofrio‘s bruising baddie Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in the original Daredevil entered the MCU with the Disney+ series Hawkeye and is expected to appear in that show’s upcoming spinoff Echo.

According to the trade, the new Daredevil series was written and will be executive produced by Matt Corman and Chris Ord, who created the USA Network’s spy series Covert Affairs.

The original Daredevil, along with the other formerly “Netflix Marvel” shows, including Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, The Punisher, Iron Fist and the team-up series The Defenders, are available on Disney+.

The addition of the “Mature”-rated shows led the family friendly streaming service to install an age restricted viewing option, but it’s not clear whether a Daredevil reboot will follow the comics-accurate bloodiness of the Netflix show.

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Hwang Dong-hyuk, the creator of Netflix’s global smash Squid Game, is reportedly taking a look at his “overnight” success with a satire show called The Best Show on the Planet.

The creator was penniless when he wrote the show about cash-strapped people chosen to play a series of life-or-death games, only to see the show become a smash years after he created it. His show earned praise from fans and from the likes of Oscar winner Steven Spielberg, who reportedly once said to Hwang, “I want to steal your brain.”

Deadline reports The Best Show on the Planet will be a “satirical comedy … based on his personal experience of being thrust into the limelight.”

Last year, Hwang told the trade, “I feel like I’ve been swept by the Niagara Falls over the course of the last six months and fallen off a cliff. To have such compliments from Steven Spielberg was completely beyond my imagination. I still can’t work out whether this is real or I’m daydreaming.”

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Matt and Ross Duffer, the sibling creators of Netflix’s hit Stranger Things, reportedly had a “total meltdown” when they found out a Monopoly game set in their fictional world spoiled some major surprises.

According to a Reddit thread, a copy of Stranger Things: Monopoly that was bought “fair and square” from Target contained “massive spoilers” for the supernatural show’s forthcoming fourth season. “Nobody stole it; nobody leaked a sample,” the Redditor clarified, but explained it was likely mistakenly put out for sale ahead of time.

The Hollywood Reporter noted the thread turned Netflix and the Duffer bros, well, upside down. The pair had a “total meltdown” at the news, a source explained, adding, “Lessons have been learned and, I expect, there will be more cohesion going into season 5.”

Because toys take longer to create, they’re often a source of secrets for upcoming movies and TV shows for sharp-eyed sleuths out there.

This is the main reason there were no “Baby Yoda” toys out there when The Mandalorian‘s first season debuted — creator Jon Favreau knew toys would spoil Grogu’s surprise appearance.

“I have to thank Disney and Lucasfilm, because the way the cat usually gets out of the bag with that stuff is merchandising and toy catalogs and things like that,” Favreau said at the time.

“We really wanted to have it be that you had to watch it yourself.”

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There’s got to be nothing but love on the brain for Rihanna right now!

The superstar singer and fashion icon welcomed her first baby with rapper boyfriend A$AP Rocky. According to People, a source close to the couple says they are at home in Los Angeles with the baby.

Per TMZ, Rihanna, born Robyn Rihanna Fenty, gave birth to her baby boy last Friday, May 13. The name of the baby is not yet known.

The 34-year-old “Diamonds” singer and A$AP, 33, started dating in July 2020, according to People. The A$AP Mob rapper opened up for Rihanna during the U.S. stops on her Diamonds World Tour. He was also featured on the remix of Rihanna’s 2012 single, “Cockiness (Love It).” The duo was spotted out and about a few times, and rumors really began circulating after Rihanna included A$AP in her 2020 Fenty Skin beauty campaign.

The news of Rihanna’s pregnancy shook the music world. While fans had been patiently awaiting new music from the Barbados native, she was busy planning her preggo debut. In the cute reveal, the couple were photographed in Harlem, New York, A$AP’s hometown, holding hands and showing off Rihanna’s growing baby bump. In one photo, A$AP kisses the mom-to-be on her forehead; in another close-up image, A$AP’s hands adorn hers, showing off not only the bump but also the multicolor jewels that accompanied her stylish foot-length pink jacket.

Throughout the duration of her pregnancy, Rihanna stepped out in style. From multiple chic all-black looks to bump-revealing colorful ensembles and even couture party looks, the singer’s fashion during the nine months was always a topic of discussion.

She opened up about her fashion journey as a mom-to-be to Vogue.

“When I found out I was pregnant, I thought to myself, ‘There’s no way I’m going to go shopping in no maternity aisle,'” she told the magazine. “I’m sorry — it’s too much fun to get dressed up. I’m not going to let that part disappear because my body is changing.”

Rihanna has also opened up about what becoming a mom means to her, saying the experience has changed the way she relates to her own mother, Monica Braithwaite.

“Being on the verge of motherhood, unlocked new levels of love and respect I have for my mommy in a way that I could never explain!” she wrote on Instagram for her mom’s birthday in April. “She’s the true MVP and I wanna give her her flowers every second I can! Love you mumzzzz!!!”

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An Australian bakery found viral fame thanks to a TikTok of its topical creation: a doughut made to look like a hand, middle finger extended, missing the first part of the digit.

The goodie was made to spoof the Johnny Depp trial and the gnarly injury the Pirates of the Caribbean star claims he suffered when his ex-wife, Amber Heard, threw a vodka bottle at him.

“We’re sending Amber Heard a dessert box,” a narrator says in the video, which has been liked more than 610,000 times. “We cut off the finger with a vodka bottle, and we’ll send that to her, too,” the narrator says, packing the pastry with a miniature bottle of the booze.

Showing off the severed sweet, the employee says, “And we’re sending Johnny this piece.” The video was tagged #justiceforjohnnydepp, which has trended since the former couple’s ongoing defamation case began.

The narrator clearly got a kick out of it, but making light of the alleged domestic abuse struck some flat. “Tone deaf,” one viewer said. “Jokes about dv have never been funny,” another commented.

Still, many more had a laugh about it, with one pro-Johnny commenter adding darkly, “missed the perfect opportunity to poison the donut.”

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The CW Network has announced that Riverdale will end with its upcoming seventh season. The announcement came ahead of the network’s Upfront presentation to advertisers Thursday.

“I am a big believer in attempting to give series that have had long runs an appropriate sendoff,” CW Chairman and CEO Mark Pedowitz said Thursday in a network call, according to TV Line. “As a fan myself, I do want to do what is right for the show.”

The supernatural Sunday night teen drama was an unlikely adaptation of Archie comics, starring KJ Apa as Archie, Lili Reinhart as Betty, Cole Sprouse as Jughead and Camila Mendes as Veronica.

Pedowitz explained, “We had a long conversation with [executive producer] Roberto [Aguirre-Sacasa] yesterday, who is thrilled by this news, and we will treat the show in the manner it deserves …. We want to make sure it goes out the right way.” He added, “I think they, too, felt that seven years is the right amount.”

The network also announced a Supernatural prequel called The Winchesters; a Walker spinoff called Walker Independence; celebrity reality show Magic with the Stars starring Criss Angel; a legal drama called Family Law; an action series called The Professionals; and DC Comics-based series Gotham Knights.

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The Book of Boba Fett had the momentum of the title character’s bruising return to the Star Wars universe with The Mandalorian‘s second season episode “The Tragedy” — as well as decades of fan love — but some fans were vocal about the character’s turn in his own Disney+ series.

While the show was billed as the once-feared bounty hunter’s ascension as an intergalactic crime lord, the series, for one thing, didn’t show him doing any crime. In fact, Temuera Morrison‘s faceless, ruthless Mandalorian was routinely portrayed with his helmet off and, arguably, pretty even-keeled.

But while some fans griped their Boba would have left blaster holes in a whole lot of the characters he encountered in the course of the show — particularly those smart-mouthed scooter dandies he later employed — executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni tell Vanity Fair the turn was a natural progression for the “older … wiser” character.

“You think about Don Corleone,” Favreau tells the magazine of Marlon Brando‘s iconic Godfather character. “There’s a tremendous amount of restraint because he knows that to be sustainable, there has to be [peace]. You don’t do well unless there’s some political balance …”

He adds, “You think about what things are off limits. Don Corleone wasn’t just doing everything to line his pockets as he got later into his career. You look at … the flashbacks in The Godfather: Part II, as he’s walking down the streets. He’s seen as somebody … the people respect because of the way he conducts himself.”

Favreau adds, “There’s lots of different ways to run an empire. There’s the Sonny Corleone way, there’s the Michael Corleone way, and then there’s the Vito Corleone way.”

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Shawn Levy may be better known for directing comedies such as Free Guy and Night at the Museum, but he’s mastering the art of horror thanks to Netflix’s Stranger Things.

Speaking with ABC Audio at the Stranger Things season 4 red carpet premiere, Levy compared learning how to direct horror to learning a new language.

“Horror is really challenging to me because it doesn’t come as naturally to me. Comedy comes naturally. Emotionality comes naturally to me. Horror is not my sweet spot,” the Oscar-nominated producer admitted. “I’ve had to learn it like a new language.”

Levy credited Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of Stranger Things, for showing him the ropes. “When you have teachers like that, it gives you a good head start,” he said.

So, what was the most important lesson he learned from the Duffer brothers? “Lean into the darkness and don’t always feel the need to shine a light on. Just let it sit in the darkness.” As a result, Levy says, “[I’ve] become more fluent in the horror genre.”

Stranger Things returns for its fourth season on May 27. Levy says fans should buckle up: “It’s scary as hell,” he said of the new season. “I’m not going to lie. It’s a very creepy, dark season.”

Thrills and chills aside, Levy assured, “I think it’s important to [let] people know it’s still got that Stranger Things‘ heart and soul and the characters that we all love so much.”

Season 4 is also the penultimate season of the horror franchise. “It’s … the beginning of the end,” said Levy, “which is inherently very bittersweet.” 

Stranger Things airs new episodes starting next Friday, May 27, on Netflix.

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Tom Cruise capped off a big day at the Cannes Film Festival by taking home its prestigious Palme d’Or following the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick.

The award honors the best film screened at the festival, but the honor’s presentation was said to be a surprise to Cruise, following a “Masterclass” retrospective of his onscreen career — and a five-minute standing ovation for the long-awaited sequel.

Cruise called the event, “An incredible evening and an incredible time.”

He was thrilled, “Just to see everyone’s faces,” following the COVID-19 restrictions.

“It’s been 36 years since Top Gun and we had to hold this for two years because of the pandemic,” Cruise told the crowd, adding, “I make these movies for all of you.”

Top Gun: Maverick lands in theaters May 24.

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