More revelers have joined Eddie Murphy‘s holiday comedy Candy Cane Lane, which is bound for Prime Video.
A day after it was announced that black-ish alumna Tracee Ellis Ross and 22 Jump Street‘s Jillian Bell have joined the cast, came word from the streaming service that A Black Lady Sketch Show creator Robin Thede, former Saturday Night Live star Chris Redd, and Parks and Rec veteran Nick Offerman have also signed up.
Other cast additions include Reasonable Doubt’s Thaddeus J. Mixson, Would it Kill You to Laugh?veteran Madison Thomasand BlackAF‘s Genneya Walton, according to the streamer.
Plot details for the film are still under wraps, but the project was said to be based on the real-life holiday experiences of writer Kelly Younger.
Being an assistant for a famous, powerful person is tough — but it’s even worse if your boss is Dracula. That’s what Nicholas Hoult is going through in the trailer for the action comedy Renfield, starring Nicolas Cage as the infamous bloodsucker.
As the title character, Renfield is shown at a group therapy session trying to unpack his “toxic relationship” without actually saying what he does for a living — seeing as his job entails tending to a vampire’s day-to-day needs, such as gathering his victims.
“I want a handful of nuns. A busload of cheerleaders,” Cage requests through his fangs.
“And I just want a normal life again,” Renfield laments.
Awkwafina plays a cop whose life is saved by the beleaguered, super-powered assistant. “You’re the guy who gets him people to eat? You’re like the guy who gets the villain’s Postmates!” she exclaims.
Cage himself is fully revealed at the end of the trailer, levitating in the group session. “I am Dracula,” he proclaims dramatically. “OK, obviously we’re dealing with something a little more than narcissism here,” a therapy friend offers.
The movie from The LEGO Batman Movie and The Tomorrow War‘s Chris McKay opens in theaters April 14.
Dave Bautista, now starring in Netflix’s Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, tells GQ he’s relieved to be done playing Drax The Destroyer in Marvel’s TheGuardians of the Galaxy movies.
The former pro wrestler-turned-actor told the magazine the story of his rags-to-riches career, from broke wannabe wrestler to WWE superstar who gave it up to be a struggling actor.
After appearing in November’s The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special as the gray-skinned, overly literal alien, Bautista has one more go-round as Drax, in May’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which has already wrapped.
“I’m so grateful for Drax. I love him,” the actor says. “But there’s a relief [that it is over]. It wasn’t all pleasant. It was hard playing that role. The makeup process was beating me down. And I just don’t know if I want Drax to be my legacy — it’s a silly performance, and I want to do more dramatic stuff.”
That said, Bautista fondly recalls how he learned he landed the role that helped launch his career: A phone call from Marvel Studios as he was on his way to the gym. “I had to pull over because I was crying so hard,” Bautista says. “I turned right back around and walked into my house shaking to tell my wife I had gotten the role, and we were both standing there freaking out.”
Bautista followed the Guardians movies with more dramatic parts, like director Denis Villenueve‘s 2017 film Blade Runner 2049. Heworked with the Oscar-nominated director again in 2021’s Dune reboot.
He’ll soon be seen in the next film from another acclaimed director, M. Night Shyamalan, in the thriller A Knock at the Cabin, which debuts in theaters February 3.
Jeremy Renner is still in the ICU following his New Year’s Day snowplow accident, but his latest post to social media shows his sense of humor certainly survived the ordeal.
In a short Twitter video Thursday morning, a bruised and battered Renner is smiling through an oxygen mask as his sister washes his hair in a shampoo cap, used in hospitals for patients who can’t get to running water.
“So sexy,” she teases as she washes his hair, noting that she’s washing blood out of his hair.
“It’s my first shower in definitely a week or so,” a woozy Renner says, adding, “Gross.”
The Oscar-nominated Hurt Locker actor captioned, “A ‘not no [sic] great’ ICU DAY, turned to amazing spa day with my sis and mama❤️. Thank you sooooo much.”
Renner suffered what were described as blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries when he was accidentally run over by his Snowcat near his Nevada home. He remains in critical but stable condition.
Meanwhile, his Hawkeye protégé Hailee Steinfeld posted well wishes on an Instagram Story. “Come on partner!!!” she wrote in the now-vanished post, according to People. “Thank God you’re healing. We are sending you love and prayers for a speedy recovery.”
Steinfeld played Kate Bishop, an archer and fan of Renner’s Clint Barton/Hawkeye; Hawkeye reluctantly takes the young woman under his wing in the Disney+ show.
As reported Tuesday, Renner’s other Marvel co-stars sent their own messages to the 51-year-old actor when he posted a photo to Instagram. “Thank you all for your kind words. Im too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all,” he wrote.
Former child star-turned fashion entrepreneur Ashley Olsen reportedly tied the knot to artist Louis Eisner, according to Page Six.
Their ceremony was a “hush-hush” one held at a private Bel-Air home on December 28, sources tell the publication. Olsen, 36, and Eisner, 33 have been together since 2017, but have tried to keep their relationship out of the press and social media, for the most part. Just “50 people or so” reportedly attended their Big Day, the source explains.
Page Six reports the pair only made things “red carpet official” last September, at an event benefiting Eisner’s father Eric‘s Young Eisner Scholars nonprofit.
Ashley’s twin sister Mary-Kate — also the sister to Marvel movie star Elizabeth Olsen — settled her divorce with ex-husband, financier Olivier Sarkozy, last year after four-and-a-half years of marriage.
Benedict Cumberbatch is in final talks to star in the Netflix limited series Eric, sources tell Variety. Cumberbatch would star as Vincent Sullivan, a puppeteer who finds his only companion is Eric, a seven-foot tall blue puppet, who leads him on a journey to find his missing son. This would be the latest limited series lead role for Cumberbatch, following his titular role in Showtime’s Patrick Melrose in 2018. He also played legendary detective Sherlock Holmes in the 2010 BBC series Sherlock…
Jillian Bell, star of the 2019 film Brittany Runs a Marathon, has been added to the cast of the Amazon holiday comedy Candy Cane Lane, opposite Tracee Ellis Ross and Eddie Murphy, according to Deadline. As previously confirmed by ABC, Murphy will also produce the film, directed by Oscar- and Emmy-nominated Django Unchained and Boomerang producer Reginald Hudlin. Candy Cane Lane, written by Kelly Younger, whose Muppets Haunted Mansion debuted on Disney+ in 2021, was reportedly based on the writer’s own holiday experiences. Further plot details are under wraps…
Entertainment Weekly reports Stephen Amell is set to reprise his role as Oliver Queen in the ninth and final season of The Flash. “…It was Oliver who originally launched [The Flash/Barry Allen, played in the series by Grant Gustin] on his heroic path. That’s why everyone on Team Flash felt so strongly that it was important to create a full-circle moment with Oliver’s return in the final season of The Flash,” executive producer Eric Wallace said in a statement. “The result is an epic-yet-emotional episode we hope Arrowverse fans will enjoy.” That episode — the ninth of season 9 — will also feature returns from David Ramsey as John Diggle/Spartan, Keiynan Lonsdale as Wally West/Kid Flash and Sendhil Ramamurthy as Ramsey Rosso/Bloodwork. The Flash season 9 launches February 8, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on the CW…
After more than 40 years, the sequel to Mel Brooks‘ classic comedy History of the World Part I is almost here. Now an eight-part TV series streaming on Hulu, each episode of History of the World Part II will feature a variety of sketches that take us through different periods of human history. Co-creator, writer and executive producer Mel Brooks stars in the series, alongside Nick Kroll, Wanda Sykes and Ike Barinholtz. History of the World Part II hits Hulu this spring…
The 30 ladies who will compete for Zach Shallcross‘ heart on The Bachelor season 27 have been revealed.
The 26-year-old tech executive from Anaheim Hills, California, will meet a group that includes four nurses, along with a few other medical professionals, a nanny from Vienna, a child and family therapist and a rodeo racer.
Zach — who was first introduced to Bachelor Nation on Season 19 of The Bachelorette, starring Gabby Windey and Rachel Recchia — endeared himself to audiences by putting himself and his desire to meet “the one” first after being dumped by Recchia on national TV.
Viewers already met five of Shallcross’ ladies during the live The Bachelorette finale last year. In a franchise first, they voted on “America’s First Impression Rose” via Twitter, The winner was Brianna, who will now be safe from elimination during week one of season 27.
Former Bachelor star Jesse Palmer returns for his second season as host.
Shallcross’ season of The Bachelor premieres Monday, January 23 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Meet the 30 women who will vie for Zach’s heart:
Aly, 26, a healthcare strategist from Atlanta, Ga.
Anastasia, 30, a content marketing manager from San Diego, Calif.
Ariel, 28, a marketing executive from New York City, N.Y.
Bailey, 27, an executive recruiter from Nashville, Tenn.
Rebecca, “Becca,” 25, a nursing student from Burbank, Calif.
Brianna, 24, an entrepreneur from Jersey City, N.J.
Brooklyn, 25, a rodeo racer from Stillwater, Okla.
Cara, 27, a corporate recruiter from Pittsburgh, Penn.
Cat, 26, a dancer from New York, N.Y.
Charity, 26, a child and family therapist from Columbus, Ga.
Christina Mandrell, 26, a content creator from Nashville, Tenn.
Davia, 25, a marketing manager from Charleston, S.C.
Gabriella “Gabi,” 25, an account executive from Pittsford, Vt.
Genevie, 26, a neonatal nurse from Baltimore City, Md.
Greer, 24, a medical sales rep from Houston, Texas.
Holland, 24, an insurance marketer from Boca Raton, Fla.
Jessica “Jess,” 23, an e-commerce coordinator from Winter Springs, Fla.
Kaitlyn “Kaity,” 27, an ER nurse from Austin, Texas.
Katherine, 26, a registered nurse from Tampa, Fla.
Kimberly, 30, a hospitality manager from Los Angeles, Calif.
Kylee, 25, a postpartum nurse from Charlotte, N.C.
Chandralekha “Lekha,” 29, a financial advisor from Miami, Fla.
Madison, 26, a business owner from Fargo, N.D.
Mercedes, 24, a nonprofit owner from Bloomfield, Iowa
Olivia L., 24, a patient care technician from Rochester, N.Y.
Olivia M., 25, a stylist from Cincinnati, Ohio
Sonia, 29, a project manager from Long Island, N.Y.
Vanessa, 23, a restaurant marketer from Baton Rouge, L.A.
Victoria J., 30, a makeup artist from Fort Worth, Texas
Viktoria E., 29, a nanny from Vienna, Austria
Time to cook: Walter White is coming back. No, not in another spin-off to the Emmy magnet Breaking Bad, but reportedly in an ad for this year’s Super Bowl.
The man himself — well, his real-life alter ego, Bryan Cranston — teased the promotion on Instagram, showing himself in the desert, decked out in the costume of Walter’s drug-lord alias Heisenberg, holding a bag of White Cheddar PopCorners chips.
Truth told, the chips bag looks Photoshopped in, but nonetheless, Cranston hinted, “Breaking soon.”
The Hollywood Reporter notes the actual ad will debut February 12 for Frito Lay-owned PopCorners’ first Super Bowl spot and in-game commercial.
The blue-skinned people of Pandora have done what no Russian MiG ever could: They’ve shot down Maverick.
Specifically, Deadline reports the long-awaited Avatar: The Way of Water will become the highest-grossing movie of 2022 after Tuesday’s box office receipts are tallied, having earned $1.5 billion and counting worldwide.
It’s a feat for any movie, but one that’s especially dizzying considering the movie starring Kate Winslet, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldaña and Sam Worthington only premiered in theaters the week of December 16.
Top Gun: Maverick held the top spot of the box office for much of the year since debuting in May, ending 2022 at #1 with a global haul of $1.48 billion. However, the Paramount Pictures film saw its air superiority challenged ever since James Cameron‘s sequel, from Disney-owned 20th Century Studios, took off.
Rick Singer, mastermind of the college admissions cheating scheme known as Varsity Blues that involved Hollywood stars Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, was sentenced Wednesday afternoon to 42 months in prison. Singer will then be on supervised release for three more years.
Singer’s sentence comes nearly four years after the former college admissions consultant pleaded guilty in March 2019 to helping parents of dozens of well-to-do high school students cheat their way into elite universities. As part of his plea, Singer helped prosecutors convict his former clients.
Singer, 62, pleaded guilty to charges of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice.
Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of six years in prison — much more than the six-month maximum Singer’s lawyers requested.
The scandal saw wealthy people, including Huffman and Loughlin,use Singer’s expertise to fraudulently get their children into sought-after colleges.
“Singer was the architect of a massive, decade-long scheme to use fraud and bribery to secure the admission of high school students to elite colleges and universities across the country,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum, calling his scheme “Staggering in scope” and”breathtaking in its audacity.”
Huffman was ultimately sentenced to 14 days in prison and served 11 after pleading guilty in the scandal. Loughlin and her designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, pleaded guilty in May of 2020 after paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into the University of Southern California as crew recruits, when neither child participated in the sport.
Loughlin pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud and served two months behind bars. Giannulli was sentenced to five months in prison with an additional two years of supervised release, in addition to a $250,000 fine and community service.
