As that geek from the IT department might have reminded you, Thursday, May 4, is Star Wars Day. This year, Disney+ is celebrating with another Simpsons short set in a galaxy far, far away … and also in Springfield.
Maggie Simpson stars in Rogue Not Quite One, following the Emmy-nominated Maggie Simpson in The Force Awakens from Its Nap. This time around, everyone’s favorite pacifier sucker gets ahold of Grogu’s hovering pram for a “hyperspace-hopping adventure across the galaxy.”
She also runs afoul of a squadron of TIE fighters and ends up bringing the battle to Springfield in the latest animated bit of synergy for the streaming platform.
Star Wars, The Simpsons and Disney+ are all owned by ABC News’ parent company, Disney.
After airing for one season exclusively on Disney+, DWTS is returning to ABC for its upcoming season 32, airing this fall.
The reality competition show will make history as the first series to simulcast across both ABC and Disney+, and will be available the next day on Hulu, as well.
Dancing with the Stars originally ran for 30 seasons on ABC before it moved to Disney+ last year for season 31.
Also changing for season 32 is the hosting lineup, as Tyra Banks announced in March she was exiting DWTS after three seasons. Replacing her is Julianne Hough, a two-time Mirrorball champion and former judge.
Hough will co-host with Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum and fellow Mirrorball winner Alfonso Ribeiro, who joined the series last season.
It’s still unclear whether anyone will take over for longtime judge Len Goodman, who retired last season after having been with the show since its premiere in 2005.
Goodman died in April at age 78 following a private battle with bone cancer.
Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough are set to return as judges for DWTS season 32.
In a new interview with Esquire, Woody Harrelson followed up on Matthew McConaughey‘s recent bombshell announcement that the two very similarly laid back stars might actually be blood related.
“Well, it’s very much true,” Harrelson commented.
“I learned from Ma Mac, Matthew’s mother, that she did have a relationship with my father for a relatively short period of time that coincided with the time that his father and mother were on a sabbatical, and with the time of Matthew’s, let’s say, origination,” Woody said.
Like McConaughey had said, Woody explained the pair have yet to confirm through DNA if the very suspicious timing of that “relatively short period of time” led to McConaughey’s “origination.”
“We haven’t done a test,” Harrelson said, allowing, “there are too many times that I think to myself, My God, the similarities! The things he does, the things he says — just the way he is. I’ve felt that for years.”
In a related Explain This segment, Woody also claimed McConaughey’s father said “that ain’t my son” when McConaughey’s mother was going to the hospital to give birth to the future Oscar winner — and she went alone.
At this, Harrelson’s White House Plumbers co-star — and Esquire co-cover model — Justin Theroux was stunned. “No. Way,” he exclaimed.
Woody commented, “And I knew that detail years before I ever talked to Ma Mac about the shenanigans.”
In the article, Theroux tried to get in on the family action, saying, “There have been many times where I’ve thought the same thing about Woody, that he’s this abusive older brother. Much older brother.”
He adds, “The next time he sets a glass down or a fork, I am going to pair it against my own DNA to confirm what I suspect is the truth.”
There were those who groused when Kim Kardashian was cast in the anthology series American Horror Story — among them Patti LuPone and Sharon Stone, not to mention the online snarkers. However, Kim K is taking her own advice and getting her butt to work.
And not in the way we’re used to seeing.
On the red carpet for Monday night’s Met Gala, Kim told Variety she’s “of course” taking acting lessons, adding, “It’s a challenge. I like to challenge myself.”
She also noted production has already begun, though she doesn’t start work until the end of May. “It’s really fun to step outside of your comfort zone, and try something new and grow,” Kim commented. “I’m so excited for the experience.”
American Horror Story: Delicate is being compared to the thriller classic Rosemary’s Baby: A woman in the public eye is convinced darker forces are sabotaging her pregnancy journey.
Kim’s fellow cast members include Emma Roberts, Cara Delevingne, Pose‘s Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Hellraiser‘s Odessa A’zion and The Resident‘s Matt Czuchry.
The Conners‘ upcoming sixth season could also be its last, at least according to the ABC sitcom’s executive producer Bruce Helford.
“Sara Gilbert expressed to the network that we don’t want to go out without knowing that we are going out with a series finale so we can build to the right ending — and at this point in time, we feel that [next season] is possibly going to be the last season of The Conners,” he tells TVLine.
“I would not [say that] definitively because the numbers were so good this season, and we’ve all had a really great time… but it’s definitely a possibility,” he adds.
The show could even end up with a shortened sixth season due to the Writers Guild of America strike.
“The conversation right now is about how many episodes can we do [depending on] whatever happens with the writers’ strike,” Helford said, prior to the strike taking effect on Tuesday. “There may only be 13 episodes. Obviously, we always want to do 20 or 22 [episodes], but at this point in time, we’re talking about if we can do 13 — God willing — and if we can do more, we’ll do more.”
The Roseanne spinoff, which features much of the show’s original cast — including Gilbert, John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, and Lecy Goranson — is averaging five million total viewers to date — up from last season. Emma Kenney, Ames McNamara, Jayden Rey and Jay R. Ferguson round out the cast, along with recurring guest stars Katey Sagal and Nat Faxon.
Netflix has announced that the next installment of Ryan Murphy‘s Monsters anthology will be titled Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. Lyle and Erik Menéndez were convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents José and Mary Louise “Kitty” Menéndez. The story of the Menéndez brothers has been the focus of several docs and scripted projects over the years, most recently the 2017’s Law & Order: True Crime — The Menéndez Murders, starring Edie Falco as defense attorney Leslie Abramson, and the Lifetime TV movie Menendez: Blood Brothers, starring Courtney Love as Abramson. Monsters: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story reached 1 billion view hours in its first 60 days, according to Netflix, making it only one of four series to achieve this milestone…
Ahead of its second season, Amazon Freevee has picked up Bosch: Legacy for a third season. The series, per the streamer, follows “Harry Bosch — played by Titus Welliver — a retired homicide detective turned private investigator, as he embarks on the next chapter of his career; attorney Honey “Money” Chandler — portrayed by Mimi Rogers — who struggles to maintain her faith in the justice system after surviving an attempted murder; and Maddie Bosch — played by Madison Lintz — as she discovers the possibilities and challenges of being a rookie patrol cop on the streets of Los Angeles.” Earlier this year, it was reported that Amazon Studios is looking to expand its Bosch universe with a pair of as yet untitled spinoffs — one centered on Hector’s character, Detective Jerry Edgar, and another on Renee Ballard…
Ghostbusters: Afterlife helmer Jason Reitman is working on a yet-to-be-titled film that will take a behind-the-scenes look at the opening night of Saturday Night Live, according to Deadline. The screenplay, based on interviews conducted by Reitman and co-writer Gil Kenan with all the living cast, writers and crew, will purportedly tell “the true story of what happened that night behind the scenes in the moments leading up to the first SNL broadcast, retelling chaos and magic of a revolution that almost wasn’t, counting down the minutes in real time to the infamous words, ‘Live From New York, it’s Saturday Night,’” per the outlet…
The union representing thousands of Hollywood movie and television writers has called for a strike effective 12:01 a.m. PT on Tuesday.
It is the first such Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike since 2007; the latter action began November 5, 2007 and lasted until February 12, 2008.
Picketing for the current strike is scheduled to begin Tuesday afternoon.
WGA representatives have been negotiating unsuccessfully with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) over how writers are paid in the streaming era, which has dramatically changed the way shows are made and monetized. That in turn has effected how writers are hired, for how long, and how they’re compensated.
In its statement, the WGA noted, in part, “The decision was made following six weeks of negotiations with Netflix, Amazon, Apple, Disney, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony…”
The statement continues, “From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a ‘day rate’ in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and on AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession…”
How will a writers’ strike affect what we watch? You may not see the effect immediately in streaming and film, since many studios now have much more content in the pipeline for distribution across multiple platforms, meaning there would not be such an immediate drought of scripted TV.
Late-night TV, on the other hand, will once again be the quickest area to be impacted. Reruns of late-nights shows begin Tuesday night, and production on Saturday Night Live also will likely grind to a halt.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
The 2023 Met Gala has arrived.
On Monday, Hollywood stars, designers and fashion insiders are gathering at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute Benefit in New York City, one of fashion’s biggest nights.
The Met previously announced that the dress code for the benefit will be “In Honor of Karl,” paying tribute to the late famed and often controversial fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who died in February 2019.
The star-studded fundraiser marks the opening of the Costume Institute’s spring 2023 exhibition, “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty.”The co-chairs for this year’s star-studded gala include Dua Lipa, Penélope Cruz, Roger Federer and Michaela Coel, along with Vogue’s own Anna Wintour.
Here are some of the nights looks:
A$AP Rocky: The rapper wore a Gucci look that features a white dress shirt, black tie, and black jacket up top, with red quilted skirt and jeans underneath.
Bad Bunny: The rapper rocked an all white custom suit by Jacquemus with a 26-foot train embroidered with white flowers. He accompanied the look with slicked back hair and pearl studs.
Cardi B: Cardi arrived at the Gala in a classic black-and-white ballgown reminiscent of Lagerfeld’s staple look. Up top, it began with a white shirt collar and fluffed out to a black gown. She wore evening gloves, a black headband , and large dangling pearl earrings.
Doja Cat: The “Kiss Me More” singer paid tribute not only to Lagerfeld, but to his beloved white Burmese cat, Choupette, wearing a form-fitting jewel-encrusted Oscar de la Renta sleeveless dress, complete with a cat-eared hood. She also wore a prosthetic feline nose showing her complete commitment to the look.
Dua Lipa:Lipa opted for a Chanel bridal gown that closed the 1995-1996 Chanel runway show. The sleeveless white dress features black and silver trim, which she paired with an over 200 carat diamond necklace.
Jack Harlow: Jack Harlow arrived in a dark navy Tommy Hilfiger two-piece pant and jacket set. He paired the look with black boots and a red shirt that peeked through the top of the jacket.
Janelle Monae: Janelle pulled off a wild transformation first appearing in a large black and white conical coat before removing it to reveal a sheer wire-framed dress with a sequin black bikini underneath.
Jennifer Lopez: The multi-hyphenate fashionista wore a sultry custom Ralph Lauren gown that was a black silk velvet halter on top and a light pink satin skirt on the bottom. She rocked long black evening gloves.
Jared Leto: Leto also paid tribute to Lagerfeld’s cat, showing up in a full-blown cat costume. His identity wasn’t revealed until he removed the giant cat head.
Kendall Jenner: Jenner glittered on the Met steps in a Marc Jacobs black sequined body suit with a silver crystal-embellished collar. The sleeves were cape like, draping down to the ground behind her. Her hair was in a sleek pony and she wore sky high platform boots.
Kim Kardashian: Showing off her famous figure, the Kardashians star wore a draped skirt and top with a bone-colored corset that consisted of over 50,000 freshwater pearls custom Schiaparelli. She paired the look with pearl drop earrings, a chunky choker and ring made from crystals and unique baroque pearls. The look took 12 artisans over 1,000 hours to create.
Kim Petras: As an homage to Lagerfeld’s Chanel era and the classic black and white color palette, the singer wore a short white dress that had two black strips across it. The dress, by Marc Jacobs, was paired with a white and black pair of the designer’s calf height, chunky heel Kiki boots.
Kylie Jenner: The makeup mogul wore a custom one-shoulder red Jean Paul Gaultier bearing a high thigh slit and asymmetrical neckline. The dress featured a long train that transformed into a shiny blue cape, which Kylie had draped around her shoulders at first.
Lil Nas X:Lil Nas X stunned in a look by Pat McGrath and Dior Men, wearing only a metallic thong as the rest of his body was covered in silver paint and precisely places jewels.
Lizzo: Lizzo owned a full Chanel look, which consisted of a black full-length black dress with the top half featuring a beaded corset. She accessorized with Lagerfeld’s iconic fingerless loves and wore her hair up with short bangs.
Olivia Rodrigo: The “drivers license” singer wore a black-and-white Thom Browne fringe gown that boasts florals at the top. She wore a sleek bun with short bangs and natural makeup with a berry lip.
Rihanna:The Fenty founder wore an all-white custom Maison Valentino look that featured a five-meter train and 30 camelias made of 500 petals.
Game of Thrones veteran Pedro Pascal is reportedly getting back into the swords-and-armor business. Deadline is reporting that The Last of Us and The Mandalorian star might be the next big name to join Oscar winner Ridley Scott‘s anticipated Gladiator sequel.
The project has already attracted two-time Academy Award winner Denzel Washington, as well as recent nominees Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan. The former plays the main character, Lucius, the now-grown son of Connie Nielsen‘s Lucilla, who was the sister of Joaquin Phoenix‘s murderous Emperor Commodus in the 2000 blockbuster.
Nielsen will reprise her role for the follow-up, which is slated for a November 22, 2024, release.
As the hero said in Deadpool 2, “Never underestimate a man with a mustache.” As proof, Rob Delaney will reportedly reprise his role as the decidedly non-super-powered Peter in Deadpool 3.
The character, who auditions for Deadpool’s X-Force team after seeing an ad in the blockbuster, and only brings to the table his mustache and “both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes,” will appear in the anticipated third film, Deadline is reporting.
Delaney joins Hugh Jackman in his first foray into the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the November 2024 release, along with returning ‘Pool players Karan Soni (Dopinder), Leslie Uggams (Blind Al), Morena Baccarin (Vanessa) and Stefan Kapičić (Colossus), and newcomers Emma Corrin from The Crown and Succession Emmy winner Matthew Macfadyen.
