Luke Wilson doesn’t understand plot of brother Owen Wilson’s series ‘Loki’

ABC/Marvel Studios

Luke Wilson and Owen Wilson may be brothers, but that doesn’t mean they necessarily understand everything the other does. Case in point — Luke doesn’t quite understand Marvel’s Loki, the popular Disney+ series in which his brother stars. 

Luke, who plays Justice Society of America sidekick Pat Dugan on DC’s Stargirl, shared at the show’s virtual press conference on Wednesday, that he just doesn’t understand the plot of the Marvel action series, according to Entertainment Weekly.

“I had it explained to me a number of times. Never got the plot of it,” he said of the show, which sees Owen in the role of Mobius, who works at the so-called Time Variance Authority to ensure the events of time don’t get out of hand.

Despite not understanding Loki, Luke did say that his brother “really enjoyed” working on it. 

“Like me, he had not worked on a superhero project and had not worked on a show before, but I know he had a great time and really enjoyed working with Tom Hiddleston. It seems like that show turned out great too,” the actor added. 

Loki has been renewed for a second season.  Marvel is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘Resort to Love’: Christina Milian explains why singing Alicia Keys’ songs in the film made her “nervous”

David Bloomer/Netflix

Christina Milian says she could really “relate to” her Resort to Love character Erica, an aspiring pop star who ends up singing at her ex-fiancé’s resort wedding following a music career meltdown.

“I’ve had dreams shattered when it comes to the music industry,” Milian tells ABC Audio. “It happens to us all in some way or another. And sometimes we make sacrifices of love. So, it’s definitely something I relate to.”

In fact, Christina says Erica was so relatable that she often felt they were “like twins” because of their similar “drive… passion to sing…and be on stage and to dream big.”

While it wasn’t much of a challenge for Milian to channel her character’s persona, the actress says when it came to belting out producer Alicia Keys‘ ballads for the film, she felt the “pressure.”

“I sing her songs in the movie and there’s other songs that I sing,” Milian shares. “So, she had a lot to do with the direction of what we were doing musically, as well as even just the approval. And that’s something even as a singer — and I’ve been doing this forever — I still get nervous about it.”

“[Especially] when you’re singing… the actual artist’s record,” she continues. “The Alicia Keys record. [It] does put a little bit of pressure on yourself, but that’s a natural thing. And I like to be better and do things well…it’s kind of like hoping your teacher gives you an A plus. So, I guess she gave me an A, because we made a movie and I got to sing her song and it was a lot of fun to do it.”

Resort to Love, also starring Jay Pharoah and Sinqua Walls, is now available on Netflix.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

George Clooney tours damage after his Italian getaway is spared from historic flooding

ABC

George Clooney visited with Laglio, Italy Mayor Roberto Pozzi in the wake of flooding and mudslides there that devastated the historic community.

Clooney and his wife, Amal, own an 18th-century villa in Lagio, and while his property reportedly was spared any damage, Clooney pledged his support to get the community back on its feet. 

“It’s so much worse than anybody thinks,” Clooney told Italian media, according to video posted by The Sun. “We were in Cernobbio and it was very bad, but here in Laglio it’s much worse. They think it could be years and millions of dollars before they fix it up.”

Days of torrential rain led to a river swelling over its banks, causing mud and tree trunks to sweep through Lagio, leveling homes in their wake. “All hell broke loose,” the Oscar winner recalled.

Clooney vowed, “This town has been here forever, it’s going to continue and it’s going to be stronger and come back better, this is a very resilient town.”

 

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Netflix will require stars to be vaccinated for all its productions

Netflix

Netflix has stepped up the fight against COVID-19 by requiring actors and other so-called “Zone-A” personnel — those who interact directly with a cast — to be vaccinated for all of its productions. 

Deadline reports the move comes after Hollywood unions gave producers the option to require vaccines for such personnel on a “case by case” basis, but Netflix has become the first studio to implement it. 

The move was met with mixed responses on social media; WandaVision star Kat Denning replied right away on Twitter with, “Your move, everyone else!”

While she got hundreds of retweets and many supported it, others replied with comments like “Not legal,” and another griped “Soooo get the shot or don’t have a job? Wow.”

Since production resumed in Hollywood after the pandemic shutdowns, all studios have implemented rigorous COVID-19 protocols. These include frequent testing, and dividing cast and crew into various zones in an effort to shield talent from other members of the crew and eliminate any unnecessary interaction. It also better allows productions to quickly isolate anyone who might test positive.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Lizzo jokes that she and Chris Evans are “going to have a Little America!”

Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for JBL

Lizzo isn’t shy when it comes to showing how she feels about Marvel hunk Chris Evans — especially after she famously slid into his DMs in April after imbibing some liquid courage.  

Taking to TikTok recently, the “Truth Hurts” rapper jokingly responded to a fan that messaged her, “Lizzo baby… we know your [sic] [pregnant emoji] and we know it’s Chris Evans now spill the tea.”

Blasting the Captain America theme behind her as she addressed the so-called rumor, the Grammy winner diplomatically declared, “This is something that I’ve been really trying to keep personal and private just between me and the father of my child, but since we’re airing out all the rumors today…”

Lizzo, 33, then put her phone down so she could walk into full view for the supposed big reveal.

“I’ve been sucking in,” she jokingly confessed before sticking out her stomach.  With a wide grin, she announced while cradling her belly, “We’re going to have a little America!”

Fans went wild with the fake update, with some even joking that Marvel should include Lizzo’s announcement for an upcoming What If…? episode — a Disney+ series that takes the MCU across different universes and theoretical scenarios.

Lizzo and Evan’s rumored relationship first surfaced in April when the “Juice” singer had too much “juice” and decided to shoot her shot with the Knives Out actor.

Evans hilariously responded to her DM and wrote back, “No shame in a drunk DM.”

Prior to that, Lizzo asked Evans to marry her in 2019.  Unfortunately, he never responded to her proposal.

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

 

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Matt Damon confirms cameo in Thor: Love and Thunder; calls Bennifer “true love”

Lorne Thomson/Redferns

Matt Damon has finally confirmed what everybody has pretty much known for a while now — he’ll be reprising his role as “actor Loki” from Thor: Ragnarok in the Marvel franchise’s upcoming fourth installment, Thor: Love and Thunder.

“I don’t know if it’s secret or not, though everybody knows.  I went down [to Australia] to shoot, and I think they sussed out, ’cause paparazzi took pictures of us, so that they sussed out what we were doing,” he said on SirusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show.

“We were kind of reprising a cameo that Luke Hemsworth [brother of Thor actor Chris Hemsworth] and I did in the last one,” Damon explained. “And we had a ball, and so [Love and Thunder director Taika Waititi] had us back again to kind of run that joke back and upgrade it a little bit.”

Damon also weighed in on his thoughts about Bennifer 2.0.

When asked if he was happy about longtime pal Ben Affleck rekindling his romance with Jennifer Lopez, Damon joked, “How else would I be? Like, would I be unhappy?”

“Like, I hate true love. It sucks. Yeah. Yeah. I wish them nothing, but you know, hardship,” he added sarcastically.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘Better Call Saul’ star Bob Odenkirk in stable condition after “heart-related incident”

Jesse Grant/Getty Images for AMC

Bob Odenkirk is in stable condition after experiencing a “heart-related incident” on set, a rep for the Better Call Saul star told ABC News Wednesday.

“He and his family would like to express gratitude for the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, as well as his cast, crew and producers who have stayed by his side,” the rep said in a statement.  “The Odenkirks would also like to thank everyone for the outpouring of well wishes and ask for their privacy at this time as Bob works on his recovery.”

The 58-year-old actor collapsed while shooting the sixth and final season of the AMC series in New Mexico on Tuesday and was rushed to the hospital, according to a source.

No other details were immediately available.

Nate Odenkirk, the actor’s son, tweeted Wednesday evening that his father was “going to be okay.”

Odenkirk starred as Saul Goodman on Breaking Bad before going on to star in Better Call Saul, a spinoff prequel series focused on the scam artist-turned-lawyer.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Director Jason Reitman dives deep into ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’ trailer as new round of toys appear

Columbia Pictures

For Ghostbusters fans — particularly those wary of the infamous 2016 reboot later marketed as Ghostbusters: Answer the Call — the new trailer to Ghostbusters: Afterlife came as a relief. 

Fans already knew the original cast would return — in their original roles, unlike the reboot — but seeing Bill MurrayErnie HudsonDan Akykroyd, and the late Harold Ramis suited up in a vintage photo in the trailer brought all the feels back. 

Now Ghostbusters: Afterlife director Jason Reitman, the son of original Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II producer Ivan Reitman, has partnered with IGN for a deep dive into his new trailer, to show the pains all involved went through to pay honor to what he called the “original sauce” that made the first two films so special to fans. 

Among them, Reitman points out, are the props from the original two films that have been faithfully laser scanned and replicated for use in his film. Also making an appearance in the coming attraction is the “terror dog” as seen in the 1984 original — Reitman explains how their digital effects wizards replicated its wonky running that was due to the limitations of the effects at that time.

Reitman said of the project, “…I feel like I’m not really carrying the Spengler story, but I’m carrying my own family story,” adding he’s “thrilled to share it with everybody.” The filmmaker said, “It’s a movie that was made by a family about a family. My father and I cannot wait for you to see this in theaters.” 

Also debuting along with the trailer was a new line of toys from Hasbro Pulse, including action figures of McKenna Grace and Finn Wolfhard‘s characters and their friends, as well as the original Ghostbusters, all in their gear. 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife hits theaters in November.

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Emma Roberts hilariously responds to becoming a meme

Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb

Emma Roberts proved she can take a joke as well as anyone after a video she posted on Instagram over the weekend went viral.

The clip shows Roberts striking a glamorous pose while Lana Del Rey‘s “Happiness Is a Butterfly” plays.  At one point, the 30-year-old Scream Queens actress sticks out her tongue at the camera.

The video, which has over a million and a half likes, instantly went viral, with Twitter users adding captions like, “Me trying to get the barista at Pret to give me my coffee for free” and “me looking at myself before everyone else logs into the meeting.”

Emma responded by sharing a snippet of the video on her Instagram Stories, writing, “Me going viral after 30. Thank you gays and whoever else.”

This isn’t the first time Emma made a meme out of herself.  In 2013, when starring in American Horror Story: Coven, her character, Madison Montgomery, uttered a memorable line when revealing she was resurrected from the dead.

The scene where Emma remarks, “Surprise, b**** — I bet you thought you saw the last of me,” has since become a popular reaction image and gif on social media.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Emma Roberts (@emmaroberts)

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jennifer Garner lines up for ‘Yes Day’ sequel as part of new Netflix deal

Netflix

Riding on the success of her popular family comedy flick Yes DayJennifer Garner is staying in business with Netflix not only for a sequel, but other films for the streaming giant. 

In a statement, Garner said Netflix chiefs Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos “have built a safe, collaborative home for storytellers,” adding, “I am honored to join the awesome group of creatives in the Netflix family, and I am extremely excited to work with their passionate and innovative teams across all departments.”

In Yes Day, Garner and Edgar Ramirez played a married couple who decides to take their Torres family up on any whim by saying yes to anything and everything for a single day.

“Seeing Netflix’s global reach as the Torres family wreaked havoc in homes all over the world makes me eager to dive in with another Day of Yes; I can’t wait,” said Garner. 

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.