Entertainment

Netflix has announced it will keep the Stranger Things phenomenon going in animated form. The streaming service has just greenlighted a new animated series that’s “set within the Duffer Brothers’ Stranger Things universe.”

In the announcement, Matt and Ross Duffer, the sibling creators of the smash series, say, “We’ve always dreamed of an animated Stranger Things in the vein of the Saturday morning cartoons that we grew up loving, and to see this dream realized has been absolutely thrilling. We couldn’t be more blown away by what Eric Robles and his team have come up with — the scripts and artwork are incredible, and we can’t wait to share more with you! The adventure continues.”

This is the latest medium change for the hit series from Netflix, which announced last month that Stranger Things: The First Shadow will make its debut on London’s West End later this year. To be directed by Tony Award winner Stephen Daldry and Justin Martin, the stage production will be set before the events of the show and show things were pretty much always amiss in Hawkins, Indiana.

Meanwhile, shooting on the fifth and final season of Stranger Things will reportedly commence in May or June of this year, with a debut sometime in 2024.

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The Super Mario Bros. Movie is the number one movie in the world, with an opening weekend haul of more than $377 million. But co-star Jack Black had already become number one at home — when he was cast as Bowser.

“I did get some dad points. It’s true,” Black told ABC Radio, adding of sons Sammy, 16, and 14-year-old Tommy, “The boys were impressed. They’re not easily impressed. But this one, they were like, ‘Nuh uh.’ I was like, ‘Yep.’ ‘Really?’ ‘Yeah,'” he recalled with a hearty laugh. “Oh, yeah. It was good. It was a good day at Casa de Black.”

It’s easy to imagine his role in the most recent episode of The Mandalorian had that same effect at home — but Jack wasn’t allowed to spoil that when he chatted with us.

Black explained his love of the Super Mario saga goes way back. “When I was a kid, I was there for the very first Nintendo video game. Little game. You might not have heard of it: Donkey Kong. It was Mario saving the Princess from the Donkey Kong. And it was incredible. I mean, I — I was obsessed with it. I was 12 and I played the hell out of it. I must have sunk thousands of quarters into the local machine.”

Complete with an imitation of the game’s sound effects, Black recalls, “I never conquered it. It was a tough game. You had to time those jumps of the barrels perfectly.”

He adds, “I have great, great, fond memories of Nintendo. … that was like the seed, the sprout of Nintendo. And to see it grow over the decades into a whole gigantic universe, that’s pretty impressive. Unprecedented in the world of video games.”

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Kim Kardashian had a different kind of update to her Instagram account on Monday: She announced she’s joining the FX anthology series American Horror Story for season 12. 

ABC Audio has confirmed the news, and that season 9 vet Emma Roberts will return for this season. According to The Kardashians star’s tease, season 12’s subtitled “Delicate” — a reference to its apparent source material, Danielle Valentine‘s novel Delicate Condition.

Amazon’s description of the book, due out August 1, calls it a “gripping thriller that follows a woman convinced a sinister figure is going to great lengths to make sure her pregnancy never happens — while the men in her life refuse to believe a word she says.”

Series creator Ryan Murphy told The Hollywood Reporter, “Kim is among the biggest and brightest television stars in the world and we are thrilled to welcome her to the AHS family. Emma and I are excited about collaborating with this true force in the culture.” 

Says Murphy of the season’s scribe, “Halley Feiffer has written a fun, stylish and ultimately terrifying role especially for Kim, and this season is ambitious and unlike anything we have ever done.”

According to the trade, Murphy was impressed with Kim’s acting chops during her appearance as host of Saturday Night Live back in 2021.

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As director Ridley Scott prepares his sequel to his Oscar-winning film Gladiator, the original’s star seems to admit he wishes he could re-enter the arena.

In a chat with Collider, The Pope’s Exorcist star Russell Crowe, who won an Academy Award for playing Roman Army General-turned gladiatorial champion Maximus Decimis Meridias in the original film, was asked what he thought of the sequel project.

“I mean, look, the only thing that I really feel about it is slightly jealous, you know?” he admitted. “Because I was a much younger man, obviously, and it was a huge experience in my life. It’s something that changed my life, really. It changed the way people regarded me and what I do for a living, and, you know, I’ve been very lucky to be involved in lots of big movies, but the legs on that film are incredible.”

Crowe continued, “Here it is, it’s 2023, and we made that film in 1999. I guarantee you, somewhere around the world tonight, Gladiator is going to be showing on primetime TV. And you don’t always get that kind of longevity with every film you do, so, it obviously holds a special place in my heart.”

Recent Oscar nominee Paul Mescal is Ridley’s star this time around, reportedly playing a now-grown Lucius, the son of Connie Nielsen‘s Lucilla and the nephew of Joaquin Phoenix‘s murderous Emperor Commodus in the original film. In Gladiator, the character was just a boy, played by Unbreakable and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. veteran Spencer Treat Clark.

The Banshees of Inisherin‘s Barry Keoghan is apparently also circling a role in the Gladiator sequel, which is set for a November 22, 2024, release.

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When Halle Berry decided to take a break with a glass of wine — and from wearing clothes — people were watching.

The Oscar winner on Saturday posted to social media a snap of herself standing on a balcony in her birthday suit, sipping from a wine glass, captioning it “I do what I want.”

The caption was short, but the picture, as they say, was worth a thousand words — and more than 268,000 likes on Twitter. On Instagram, it earned more than 661,000 likes and counting.

For the record, Halle is posed in such a way as to somewhat protect her modesty.

That said, for all the supportive comments, plenty took the 56-year-old star to task, likening the photo to Madonna‘s recent naked snaps as thirsty. One Twitter user snarked in part, “What’s wrong Halle is the girl playing the little mermaid taking all your attention???”

Still, many were all in, including one commenter who said, “How I want to spend my 50s…”

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Hilary Swank is officially a mom.

The Million Dollar Baby and Boys Don’t Cry Oscar winner took to Instagram on Sunday to announce that she has welcomed her twins.

“It wasn’t easy. But boy (and girl!) was it worth it,” the Alaska Daily actress captioned a photo of her cradling her new bundles of joy, adding, “Happy Easter! Posting from pure Heaven.”

The sweet snap shows Swank standing on a balcony in her robe, back facing the camera, as she holds her two babies, one on each side, and stares off into the sunset.

The babies, whose names have yet to be revealed, are Swank’s first children with her husband, Philip Schneider, whom she married in 2018.

Swank first announced she was expecting her twins on Good Morning America in October, saying, “I’m going to be a mom— and not just of one, but of two. I can’t believe it.”

Swank’s Sunday post garnered well-wishes from fellow celebrities, including Kate Hudson, Sharon Stone and Juliette Lewis.

“Welcome home angels,” Mariska Hargitay wrote in the comments adding a heart emoji, while Swank’s fellow Oscar winner Viola Davis added, “Aaaaahhhh!!!!! Congratulations,” and her own hearts.

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Netflix has decided to cancel the hit drama series Sex/Life after two seasons, according to Deadline. A Netflix spokesperson tells the outlet that the show’s second season brought the series to a happy conclusion, wrapping up the main character storylines. They added that the streamer is proud of the work by all the cast, crew, and those involved. Sex/Life, which stars Sarah Shahi, Margaret Odette, Mike Vogel and Adam Demos, and is based on a book by B.B. Easton, follows the complicated love life of a woman named Billie…

Michael Lerner, an actor known for his work in films such as Barton Fink and Elf, has died at the age of 80, his nephew and The Goldbergs actor Sam Lerner announced in an Instagram post Sunday. “We lost a legend last night,” he wrote. “RIP Michael, enjoy your unlimited Cuban cigars, comfy chairs, and endless movie marathon [sic].” Lerner was best known for his role as the intimidating Hollywood studio boss Jack Lipnick in the Coen brothers’ Barton Fink, a performance that earned him critical acclaim and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Lerner also appeared in numerous other films, including Godzilla, Harlem Nights, Blank Check, and Eight Men Out, as well as in TV shows such as The Twilight Zone and Law & Order…

Season 14 of Valerie Bertinelli‘s cooking show Valerie’s Home Cooking will be its last. Taking to Instagram on Saturday to promote the show’s 14th season, which started airing Sunday, Bertinelli revealed, “Yeah, Food Network canceled us last summer. I have no idea why. I didn’t say anything last summer because, honestly, I was hoping they would change their mind.” Valerie’s Home Cooking first aired in 2015 and features Bertinelli sharing her favorite recipes and cooking tips with viewers…

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Molly Shannon, former Saturday Night Live cast member, hosted the show’s April 4 episode, with the Jonas Brothers as musical guests.

This marks the second time Shannon has hosted the sketch comedy show, where she was a cast member between 1995 and 2001. She last hosted in 2007.

“It’s so great to be back,” she began in her monologue, before reflecting on her family and the memoir she put out last year.

Shannon appeared in several sketches throughout the night, including a “Sally O’Malley” skit that brought back one of her most popular SNL characters. She also reprised her stand-up comedian character Jeannie Darcy in a bit about a Netflix comedy special.

In addition to appearing in the “Sally O’Malley” skit alongside Shannon — in which they hired the high-kicking 50 year-old as their choreographer — the Jonas Brothers hit the stage to perform two songs: Their newly released single “Waffle House” and closing out with “Walls.” This marks the group’s third appearance on SNL, having previously been musical guests in 2009 and 2019.

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Let’s go, Mario! The Super Mario Bros. Movie topped the box office delivering an estimated $146.4 million domestically in its three-day opening weekend and $204.6 million in its first five days. 

The impressive debut makes the animated adventure film the biggest opening of 2023 with a $377.6 million worldwide tally. It also broke records for the biggest animated film surpassing Frozen 2’s record of $358 million and became the top-grossing video game adaptation ever over Warcraft‘s $210 million.

Super Mario Bros., which featured characters voiced by Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jack Black, Seth Rogan, Keegan-Michael Key, Charlie Day, and more, also now stands as the highest-grossing debut for an Illumination film and the second-biggest debut ever for an animated title over Finding Dory. 

Remaining in second at the box office was John Wick: Chapter 4. The Keanu Reeves-led movie added another $14 million to its tally, bringing its total to $147 since opening three weeks ago. 

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves dropped to the third slot in its second week of release with $14.5 million, while Mat Damon’s Air came in fourth with $14 million. 

Scream VI rounded out the top five, adding $3.3 million to its total.

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On Friday, Universal Pictures gave fans a peek under the hood of the upcoming 10th adventure in the Fast and the Furious franchise.

The snippet shows not only action-packed scenes from the movie, but interview segments with its stars, including Vin Diesel, Jason Momoa, Charlize Theron, Michelle Rodriguez and John Cena.

“I’ve never seen a movie like this,” Diesel teases.

Cena, returning as a good guy after his heel turn as Dom Toretto’s brother Jakob in Fast 9, notes, “Everything is bigger, better, and it hits you like a right hand to the jaw.”

Director Louis Leterrier adds, “It is true entertainment on a massive canvas. … With a new villain, new stakes — real stakes.”

Momoa plays the baddie Dante, who is seeking revenge on Diesel’s Dom and his “family” for killing his drug kingpin father during the events of Fast 5.

“It’s exciting to be a piece in the puzzle of something so very important to pop culture,” Momoa notes.

“I do suggest for the audience out there to prep. It’s a big one,” warns Rodriguez, returning as Letty.

See for yourself May 19.

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