Entertainment

Leonardo DiCaprio testified in federal court in Washington, D.C., on Monday in the trial of Pras Michel — a founding member of the ’90s group the Fugees — on charges Michel ran an illegal multimillion-dollar influence scheme, which he denies.

DiCaprio, called as a prosecution witness, answered questions from the government about his relationship with alleged fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low.

“He would have a multitude of lavish parties,” DiCaprio said.

Low had been inquiring about projects DiCaprio was interested in pursuing when DiCaprio broached the idea of financing his movie The Wolf of Wall Street, the actor testified. At the time, DiCaprio said he only knew of Low as an “incredibly successful” businessman.

After DiCaprio and the studio conducted background checks, DiCaprio said, his representatives gave the “green light” to proceed with Low financing the film through his production company, Red Granite Pictures.

At one point, DiCaprio described a discussion with Low about politics in which he said the financier discussed making a “significant donation” to the Democratic Party of about “$20 to $30 million.”

“I said, ‘Wow, that’s a lot of money,'” DiCaprio recalled.

The defense questioned DiCaprio directly about potential problems with the foreign financing of The Wolf of Wall Street. DiCaprio said he was aware of “complications” with the money, but that he was never asked to give any of it back.

Prosecutors appeared to use DiCaprio’s testimony to show the jury how Low allegedly leveraged money to gain access to powerful and wealthy people, including celebrities.

DiCaprio is not accused of criminal wrongdoing.

Michel is charged with conspiring to commit fraud, making illegal campaign contributions and falsifying records, among other counts. He declined to comment on DiCaprio’s testimony when asked by ABC News on Monday.

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Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Shailene Woodley and Richard Madden are set to star in the Amazon Studios thriller Killer Heat, according to Variety. The movie, per the streamer, “follows twin brothers — played by Madden — caught in a violent love triangle on a remote Greek island, and a damaged detective known as ‘The Jealousy Man’ portrayed by Gordon-Levitt who is called in to investigate.” Gordon-Levitt will also executive produce the project…

Following his Oscar-nominated turn as Elvis Presley in the biopic Elvis, Austin Butler has been tapped to star in City on Fire, an adaptation of the first title in a novel trilogy by Don Winslow, according to Deadline. The goal is to build a movie franchise around the series, with Butler as the lead. The trilogy takes elements of The Iliad, Odyssey, Aeneid and Greek tragic dramas and places them in a contemporary setting. City on Fire, per the outlet, “follows two criminal empires — one Irish, the other Italian — that control all of New England. A modern-day Helen of Troy event tears them apart and starts a brutal war.” Butler will play a street soldier-turned-ruthless leader “to protect his friends, his family and the home he loves” and “build a dynasty or die trying”…

Paddington in Peru, the third installment of the popular film franchise, is set to begin production on July 24, according to Deadline. The previous two Paddington movies, which starred Ben Whishaw as the voice of the titular character, with Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins, grossed more than $280 million and $225 million worldwide, respectively…

Entertainment Weekly has confirmed a Bloomberg report that Warner Bros. Discovery is working on a deal for a TV series based on J.K. Rowling‘s Harry Potter books, with each season of the show based on one of the seven books in the series. Rowling is in talks to assist in making sure the content is loyal to her books, but will not serve as showrunner or primary creator of the series…

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Hugh Jackman is reminding fans about the importance of sunscreen, after having two biopsies on his nose. 

Appearing in an Instagram video Monday with a bandage on his nose, the 54-year-old actor explained, “I wanted you to hear it from me just in case someone sees me on the street or whatever. I’ve just had two biopsies done.”

“I just went to my doctor… and she just saw the little things could be or could not be basal cell,” he continued, adding that he will find out there results in about “two or three days” and will share the as soon as he knows.  

“Just to remind you, basil cell in the world of skin cancers is the least dangerous of all. However, if I can just take this opportunity to remind you summer is coming,” the Greatest Showman alum said. “Please, wear sunscreen. It is just not worth it, no matter how much you want a tan. Trust me.”

“This is all stuff that happened 25 years ago that’s coming out now,” he shared.”Please be safe.”

Jackman echoed the same sentiment in the caption, writing, “I know you’ve heard me talk about my basal cell carcinomas before. I’m going to keep talking about them, if need be. And if it reminds even one person to put on sunscreen with a high SPF, then I’m happy.”

Basel cell carcinomas, as described by Mayo Clinic, “are thought to be caused by long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight” and “occurs most often on areas of the skin that are exposed to the sun, such as your head and neck.”

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Gladiator‘s Oscar-winning director, Ridley Scott, is returning to the big screen with that film’s villain, Joaquin Phoenix, in the title role for the historical epic Napoleon.

The Apple TV+ project will debut in theaters worldwide on Wednesday, November 22, through Sony Pictures, ahead of its release date on the streaming service.

The streamer teases: “The film is an original and personal look at Napoleon’s origins and his swift, ruthless climb to emperor, viewed through the prism of his addictive and often volatile relationship with his wife and one true love, Josephine, played by Vanessa Kirby. The film captures Napoleon’s famous battles, relentless ambition and astounding strategic mind as an extraordinary military leader and war visionary.”

Phoenix was nominated for an Oscar for playing the ruthless regicide-committing Emperor Commodus in Gladiator, which incidentally is getting a sequel with Scott back in the director’s chair.

Over half (52%) of fans surveyed have a favorite team, and of those, 52 percent said they watch every single one of their team’s games. Forty-two percent of those with a favorite team aren’t picky — they’ll watch any sport when any team is playing. On the other hand, 40 percent will watch any sport, but only when their favorite teams are playing. And it might not be for their favorite team, but 44 percent already have a trip planned in 2023, to see a specific sporting event. http://studyfinds.org/spend-to-see-favorite-sports-team/

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A reimagining of Moana as a live-action feature film is currently in development.

In a video released Monday by Walt Disney Studios, Dwayne Johnson, who voiced the character of Maui in the 2016 animated movie, said the live-action version of the film is in the works.

“As you know, Hawaii means so much to my family and me, and the traditions of our ohana, or aiga, as we say in Samoa, were shaped by these incredible islands,” Johnson says in the recorded video featuring his two daughters, Jasmine Johnson and Tia Giana Johnson, from the Hawaiian island of Oahu.

Johnson continued, “The Pacific Islands and their cultures inspired a very special story, one that you all know very well. And that story is, drum roll please …”

“Moana!” the trio exclaim.

“Moana, Gramma Tala, the music, the dance, Te Fiti, Pua the pig, the village, the beautiful powerful ocean and one more … what’s that guy’s name? Oh! Yours truly, Heihei the chicken,” Johnson jokes. “Kidding, Heihei will be in it, but of course, Maui will be in it, too.”

Disney CEO Bob Iger also shared the announcement during The Walt Disney Company’s Meeting of Shareholders webcast.

The upcoming project will be produced by Johnson, Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia via their Seven Bucks Productions, and Beau Flynn via Flynn Picture Co.

Moana star Auli’i Cravalho, who voiced the titular character in the 2016 movie, will be an executive producer.

“The film will celebrate the islands, communities and traditions of Pacific Islanders as seen through the eyes of a young woman eager to pave her own path,” a Disney press release states. “Moana’s journey of self-discovery and reflection on the lives of her ancestors won hearts worldwide, as did her newfound friendship with an exiled demigod named Maui.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Brooke Shields is telling her truth in the new Hulu two-part documentary Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields.

The Lana Wilson-directed doc takes a look back on Shields’ rise to fame as a child model and actress, and the objectification she faced. Ultimately, Shields, now 57, finds her voice and takes her power back.

“I wasn’t afraid that my truth would be twisted,” Shields tells ABC Audio of putting it all out there in a documentary. “And I think … it was time for me because I’ve done a lot of the work on myself. I’m at a place now that really is a turning point … It just felt like it was time to sort of really regard the past, really own it, be proud of it, look at it. And it sort of closes a circle for me.”

She says people have been reacting positively to the documentary “for so many reasons.”

“As much as my life has been played out on large screens and it’s been very public, the experience itself is so much more common than I think people would anticipate before seeing it,” she says.

As for anyone who may be struggling to find their own voice, Shields has a message of encouragement and inspiration for them.

“That it’s not arrogant,” she says. “You deserve it, you are owed this. And sometimes it’s really hard to do it on your own. Surround yourself with people who see the powerful, beautiful side of you that you might not really be in touch with. And let them help lift you up.”

Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields is streaming on Hulu now.

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On Monday, Warner Bros. Pictures debuted an action-packed trailer to its upcoming DC Comics-based movie Blue Beetle — the first Latino-led superhero movie for the studio.

Cobra Kai‘s Xolo Maridueña [SHOW-low Mar-i-DWANE-ya] plays Jamie Reyes, an everyday teenager who finds himself the recipient of an alien scarab that gives him super abilities and an Iron Man-like exoskeleton. 

The trailer shows that his transition into a superhero takes some getting used to, however. “It’s some kind of world-destroying weapon,” he’s told. “It’s designed to protect its host — sometimes it does what you want, and some times it doesn’t.”

Susan Sarandon plays the villainess, Victoria Kord, who will stop at nothing to get the power back. “The scarab chose you, but it belongs to me,” she hisses. 

As we’re treated to shots of Blue Beetle in action, we hear George Lopez as his Uncle Rudy advising, “The universe has sent you a gift, but you have to figure out what you’re gonna do with it.”

Jamie later says of his new gear, “It’s like Batman stuff.” Lopez fires back, “Batman’s a fascist.”

The movie also stars What We Do in the Shadows‘ Harvey Guillén, Belissa Escobedo, Bruna Marquezine and Mayans M.C.‘s Raoul Max Trujillo as one of the baddies, Carapax the Indestructible Man.

Blue Beetle is set to hit theaters on August 18.

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On Monday, Netflix dropped a bone-crunching teaser to the sequel of its 2020 Chris Hemsworth action hit Extraction.

Opening right in the middle of a brutal prison riot escape, Hemsworth’s Tyler Rake is hit from behind with a brick, stunning him and slowing time down just long enough for an explainer.

The snippet mentions how Hemsworth’s character did in fact die after the first film’s cliffhanger ending — for a bit.

“You were clinically dead nine months ago,” a voice intones. “But you fought your way back for this.”

Evidently, “this,” in part, is to save the life of the young woman he’s trying to ferry from the scene of absolute chaos, with the Marvel movie star fending off attackers left and right — including using his own burning fist as a weapon.

It’s the kind of thing one might expect when a stuntman becomes a director, as was the case with Sam Hargrave, who directed Hemsworth in Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, once again calling the shots for producers Joe and Anthony Russo.

Netflix teases of Extraction 2, “After barely surviving the events of the first movie, Rake is back as the Australian black ops mercenary, tasked with another deadly mission: rescuing the battered family of a ruthless Georgian gangster from the prison where they are being held.”

The sequel drops on Netflix June 16.

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There is an old saying “tragedy plus time equals comedy,” but Marlon Wayans had little time to mourn the passing of his father, Wayans family patriarch Howell, before he took the stage Friday night at Flappers comedy club in Burbank, California.

TMZ reports Marlon was between sets when he learned his father had died at 86.

Fans in attendance noted Marlon spoke of his mother’s 2020 passing during his set and acknowledged at the end of the second set that his father had died three hours before he took the stage. The site reports he was “very emotional” and received a standing ovation.

Marlon, about to appear in the drama Air, memorialized his father afterward on Instagram, captioning a photo, “Legend.”

In part, Wayans wrote, “Thank you Pop for being an example of a Man to all your boys. I pray all young black boys can grow up to be a Man like you. Baby boy loves you. And if ever I need you I know exactly where to find you… in my Bible that now sits by bed. Rest well. Kiss Ma for me. Tell her her babies miss her. I got two angels. I feel y’all lifting me already. If there’s a heaven i know you sitting in VIP sippin’ the best wine jesus can make…”

Elvira and Howell had 10 children, including Marlon: In Living Color creator and star Keenan Ivory; actor Damon; Marlon’s Wayans Bros. co-star Shawn; film composer Dwayne; In Living Color player Kim; Nadia; screenwriter Elvira; producer and writer Diedra; and Devonne “Vonnie” Wayans, who is also a screenwriter.

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As was speculated, what Lucasfilm is calling the “highly-anticipated final installment” of the Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, will make its debut at the Cannes Film Festival.

The film starring Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Antonio Banderas, John Rhys-Davies, Toby Jones, Boyd Holbrook, Ethann Isidore, and Mads Mikkelsen will screen for the first time May 18.

Oscar nominee James Mangold directed the “big, globe-trotting, rip-roaring cinematic adventure,” which will screen out of competition before it opens in theaters June 30.

In the announcement, Mangold noted, “In 1995, I was honored to come to Cannes with my first film as part of [the annual showcase] Director’s Fortnite. Twenty-eight years later, I am proud to return with a slightly larger spectacle. My legendary collaborators and I are very excited to share a brand new and final Indiana Jones adventure with you!”

Lucasfilm is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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