Entertainment

On Friday, Universal Pictures debuted the new trailer to Fast X, the penultimate movie in the Fast and the Furious saga.

The snippet doesn’t skimp on insane stunts and stars, with EGOT winner Rita Moreno starting things off as Dom’s grandmother, telling Toretto’s clan, “I know that this road has been very hard. And yet here you are. Building this magnificent family.”

However, the peace doesn’t last long. Via flashbacks of 2011’s Fast Five, we learn that when Dom and his crew took out a drug kingpin in Rio De Janeiro, the kingpin’s son Dante, played by Jason Momoa, witnessed it all, and he wants payback.

Momoa’s character says in voiceover, “You built such a beautiful life. Filled with love and family … You stole that from me. My future. My family. And now I’m gonna break yours, piece by piece.”

Later, he taunts, “That’s the problem with having such a big family. How do you choose the ones you save?”

The trailer also shows off series newcomers: Oscar winner Brie Larson, Reacher‘s Alan Richtson and The Suicide Squad‘s Daniela Melchior.

The trailer reveals Jason Statham‘s Deckard Shaw is back, with Academy Award winner Helen Mirren as his mom, Magdalene. And fellow Oscar winner Charlize Theron‘s baddie Cipher goes toe-to-toe with Michelle Rodriguez‘s Leddy.

John Cena returns, too, as Dom’s “little” brother Jakob — this time fighting alongside Dom, after his heel turn in Fast 9.

The coming attraction also teases a start to where it all began: a climactic street race between Dom, Dante and the Toretto clan. “We raced for respect,” Dom says of the past. “Today I race to stop the bloodbath.”

Fast X races into theaters May 19.

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Vanessa Hudgens is going to be a bride.

The High School Musical alum confirmed her engagement to her boyfriend, baseball player Cole Tucker, in a joint Instagram post on Thursday.

Alongside a snapshot of Tucker hugging Hudgens from behind, the couple wrote, “YES. We couldn’t be happier.”

The post also included a second photo of Hudgens’ hand, showing a closer look at the engagement ring, with the Eiffel Tower lit up in the background at night.

Many of the pair’s famous friends flocked to the comments section to congratulate the bride and groom to-be including actress Sarah Hyland, who shared lyrics from “Thank Goodness,” from Broadway’s Wicked, writing, “Couldn’t be happier, right here look what we’ve got a fairy-tale plot, out very own happy ending.”

The social media post comes about a week after news spread that the couple had gotten engaged. It’s unclear exactly when the proposal happened.

Hudgens, 34, and Tucker, 26, have kept their relationship relatively private, though Hudgens confirmed they were dating in May 2021.

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Jennifer Lopez has apparently decided to play along with the posts roasting her husband Ben Affleck‘s apparently less-than-thrilled expressions during last Sunday night’s Grammy Awards, in a seemingly supportive post about Ben’s forthcoming movie, Air.

The actress and recording artist reposted the trailer of her director hubby’s film, about Nike’s creation of the Air Jordan sneaker, noting, “AIR…cannot wait.”

However, Jen slipped in a subtle dig at Affleck, in a scene in the ’80s-set film that featured a glum-looking Affleck as Nike president Phil Knight: A legend under Ben’s face that reads, “My husband’s happy face.”

It’s literally a blink-and-you-miss-it modification to the actual trailer — and judging by the replies from some of her 234 million followers — many people did, commenting only on how excited they were for the Amazon Studios film.

That said, she also Tweeted a snap of the caption, meme-style, on her Twitter, so everyone can get in on the joke.

The Internet started buzzing Sunday night about Affleck’s expressions, and an apparently tense exchange between the celebrity couple that even led some outlets to employ lip readers to see what the problem was.

The moment hearkened back to the famous 2016 “Sad Affleck” meme that came from the actor’s looking distant while reacting to a question about negative reviews of his film Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.

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Amazon has renewed The Peripheral for a second season, according to Variety. Based on sci-fi author William Gibson‘s book of the same name, the series has Chloë Grace Moretz playing Flynn, a young woman who, along with her brother Burton — played by Jack Reynor — scrape a living in a near-future small-town America thanks to her skill as a VR gamer…

Viola Davis will be the recipient of the Film at Lincoln Center’s 48th Chaplin Award at a gala evening in Davis’s honor on April 24 at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in New York City. “Viola Davis brings her tremendous skill and fierce emotional intelligence to everything she does,” Lesli Klainberg, president of Film at Lincoln Center, said in a statement on Thursday. “The range of her accomplishments is remarkable — as an actor in film, television, and theater; as a producer opening doors for new voices; and as an inspirational memoirist. She is truly a force.” Past Chaplin Award Gala Honorees include Helen Mirren, Spike Lee, Robert De Niro, Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks…

The TV Academy and Fox have announced Monday, September 18 as the airdate for the 2023 Primetime Emmys. A host has yet to be announced. A week before the Fox telecast, the 2023 Creative Arts Emmy Awards will take place over two consecutive nights on Saturday, September 9 and Sunday, September 10. An edited presentation of the combined two nights will be telecast on FXX. Nominations for the 75th Emmy Awards will be announced Wednesday, July 12…

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) The Fast and Furious franchise has featured A-list actors such as Charlize Theron, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno and Jason Momoa, and at the Fast X trailer premiere on Thursday, star Vin Diesel told Variety he wants to add Robert Downey Jr. to that list.

Diesel, who plays protagonist Dom Toretto, even has Downey Jr.’s part already picked out.

“Without telling you too much about what happens in the future, there’s a character who is the antithesis of Dom who is promoting AI and driverless cars and a philosophy that with that goes your freedom,” he told the outlet. “There is somebody that believes that’s the future, and that’s at direct odds with the Toretto mentality.”

Asked if he’d approached RDJ yet, Diesel playfully growled and said menacingly, “How dare you ask me this question in front of all these people? I have pride and I have dignity.”

When asked the same question on the red carpet, Diesel’s Fast X co-star, Michelle Rodriguez, went in a different direction.

“Who’s the guy from these amazing Jason Bourne movies? Matt Damon!” she shared. “I f****** want Matt Damon. Matt Damon, would you be in a Fast and Furious movie? C’mon, we got four Oscar winners, man. And you’re an Oscar winner!”

Fast X — also starring Jason Statham, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, John Cena, Jordana Brewster, Brie Larson, Nathalie Emmanuel, Sung Kang, Scott Eastwood, Michael Rooker, Daniela Melchior, Alan Ritchson and Cardi B. — opens in theaters May 19.

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Just in time for the upcoming Valentine’s Day, it’s a romantic comedy from married couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie. He directs, she stars, and they both wrote Somebody I Used to Know, out Friday on Prime Video.

Brie plays a workaholic TV producer who runs into her ex-boyfriend, which makes her question her life choices. Making matters worse, she discovers he’s about to get married. Brie tells ABC Audio she and Franco set out to make a rom-com like the ones they loved growing up.

“…When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle…they are shot like dramas,” she explains. “They’re beautifully acted. The nuance, the writing is excellent. Like at the core, they are just emotional stories about characters in complex relationships.”

Somebody I Used to Know is Franco and Brie’s fourth collaboration, and Franco says the process “[is] usually me at the computer, and…Alison kind of pacing all over the room and me saying, ‘Okay, what would you say in this scenario?’ And her just kind of acting it out and me writing down like word for word what she’s saying and just kind of going back and forth that way.”

Jay Ellis plays the “guy who got away” in the film, and tells ABC Audio that unlike Brie’s character, he’s never been one to romanticize the past.

“I’m like insanely present and future focused. I am very much the there’s no point in crying over spilled milk person. Like, let’s just drink the milk we got. So I’m very much that guy,” he shares. “… This is a dynamic that I don’t walk around with, but exploring that and being able to understand it would be fun.” 

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After Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed during an investment call Wednesday that the company was readying a third Frozen film, a fifth Toy Story adventure and a second Zootopia movie, Josh Gad had a bit of fun on social media.

First, Gad confirmed he’d be returning as Frozen‘s lovable snowman, Olaf, by posting a GIF of his animated co-star Elsa, captioning it, “Excited to head back…into the unknown.”

But then he took things a little further. With a photo featuring Elsa, Toy Story‘s Woody and Zootopia‘s plucky bunny cop Judy Hopps standing on a Frozen background, Gad jokes, “I mean I guess it could also just as easily be a crossover event. ToyFroTopia?”

A Twitter user suggested an “Olaf and Flash buddy comedy,” showing both the snowman and the fan favorite Zootopia sloth; Gad enthusiastically replied, “Let’s go.”

So far, there are no release dates for the three films — or Gad’s Avengers-like crossover one, for that matter.

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The parents and sister of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer killed in the Rust on-set shooting, have filed a new lawsuit against Alec Baldwin and the film’s producers, according to the family’s attorney.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleges negligence, battery, intentional affliction of emotional distress and loss of consortium, their attorney, Gloria Allred, said. The latter legal term refers to the loss of love, companionship, financial assistance and other factors from a loved one’s death.

“Halyna was the light in their lives,” Allred said during a press event Thursday, noting that in filing the lawsuit they hope to “find the truth and hold accountable those who are responsible.”

The Ukrainian-born Hutchins was working on the Western when Baldwin accidentally shot and killed her while he was practicing using a handgun on the New Mexico set in October 2021. Director Joel Souza was also injured in the shooting.

Hutchins’ parents and sister, who still live in Ukraine, are trying to deal with the loss of a family member while living in the midst of the war, Allred said. Hutchins’ mother is an emergency operating room nurse, while her sister’s husband is fighting on the front lines, Allred said. The family’s attorneys said that Hutchins would have wanted to bring her family to the U.S. if she were still alive. Hutchins’ younger sister, Svetlana Zemko, called Halyna’s loss “devastating” to her family.

Baldwin and set armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed have been charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death. They are scheduled to make their first court appearance virtually on February 24.

Prosecutors claim that Baldwin and Gutierrez-Reed failed to correct reckless safety violations in their roles as producer and armorer, respectively, and that Baldwin had his finger inside the trigger and it was pulled — contradicting his statements saying he never pulled the trigger.

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Last year, Ryan Reynolds confirmed that he, Colin Hanks and Ryan’s Maximum Effort company were working on a documentary tribute to a fellow funny Canadian, the late John Candy. “Expect tears,” the Deadpool star said at the time, in a message that was retweeted by Candy’s daughter, Jennifer, and his son, Chris.

Now Variety is reporting Amazon is circling the project for distribution.

Reynolds has spoken highly of Candy in the past; in 2019, he tweeted a “small tribute” to mark the 25th anniversary of the 43-year-old star’s passing in 1994, calling him a comedic genius and a treasure.

Hanks, of course, is the son of Tom Hanks, Candy’s co-star in Ron Howard‘s 1984 hit Splash, one of a string of Candy hits that include Stripes, Spaceballs, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, Cool Runnings and Uncle Buck.

Variety says the project will delve not only into Candy’s big- and small-screen work — he cut his teeth as part of Canada’s legendary SCTV — but also the famously private comedian’s personal life. The documentary will utilize “never-before-seen home videos, archives and interviews” with Candy’s widow, Rose, and their two children, according to the trade.

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Even billionaire pop superstars have to juggle work and family. Rihanna, who welcomed her first child in May 2022, will headline the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday. At a press conference on Thursday, she explained why she decided to take on the challenge, despite not having performed live in years.

“When you become a mom, there’s something that just happens where you feel like you could take on the world. You can do anything,” she told Apple Music’s Nadeska Alexis. “And the Super Bowl is one of the biggest stages in the world. So as scary as that was — because I haven’t been onstage in seven years — there’s something exhilarating about the challenge of it all. And it’s important for me to do this this year, it’s important for representation. It’s important for my son to see that.”

She added that representation is “a big part of why this is important for me to do this show,” saying she wants to represent immigrants, Barbados and Black women everywhere. 

“That’s key: for people to see the possibilities. And I’m honored to be here. I’m honored to be doing this this year,” she said.

Despite the physical challenges of a nonstop 13-minute extravaganza, Rihanna said the hardest aspect of designing the show was trying to figure out how to cram “17 years of work into 13 minutes.”

“Deciding how to maximize 13 minutes, but also celebrate — that’s what this show’s going to be,” she noted. “It’s going to be a celebration of my catalog, in the best way that we could have put it together.”

While the Fenty mogul didn’t say anything about a new album or tour, she did talk about where she is musically.

“Musically, I’m feeling open. I’m feeling open to exploring, discovering, creating things that are new, things that are different … I just want to play. I want to have fun. I want to have fun with music.”

The Super Bowl airs on Fox Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET.

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