Entertainment

Henry Cavill appeared as Superman technically four times, starting with 2013’s Man of Steel, and following it up with both 2016’s Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice as well as 2017’s Justice League — which was re-cut and re-released in 2021 as Zack Snyder‘s Justice League.

But the actor tells The Hollywood Reporter he’d love to give it another shot. “The cape’s still in the closet,” he jokes. 

The British star of Netflix’s The Witcher feels he felt he was just scratching the surface with the character at the end of Man of Steel, which was far better received critically and than Warner Bros.’ comic movie follow-ups, excepting Snyder’s do-over.

“There is still a lot of storytelling for me to do as a Superman, and I would absolutely love the opportunity,” Cavill reasoned. He cited the ending of Man of Steel, explaining, “The killing of Zod gave a reason for the character never to kill again.”

Cavill revealed, “Superman falling to the ground and screaming afterward — I don’t think that was originally in the script, but I wanted to show the pain he had. I did far more emotional takes they didn’t choose; tears were happening.”

He added, “There’s an opportunity for growth after that, to explore the psyche of Superman as a deep, seemingly invulnerable god-like being but with real feeling on the inside.”

Officially, Cavill’s future as the gravity-defying hero is, well, still up in the air.

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Amazon Studios has released the full trailer for its upcoming film about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, Being the Ricardos. Nicole Kidman plays the famous redhead, and fellow Oscar winner Javier Bardem plays her husband and I Love Lucy co-star/co-producer. 

While the first teaser showed Ball supremely confident, and at the top of her game as a TV icon and top producer, the trailer delves into the enormous pressure she was under, not just from television execs, but from fans, the paparazzi and the FBI, the latter of which investigated her when it was revealed she had once registered to vote as a Communist. 

There’s also the matter of her marriage to Arnaz, which was picture perfect as Lucy and Ricky Ricardo onscreen, but which in reality became anything but. 

Academy Award-winning writer Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed the drama, which also stars another Oscar winner, Whiplash‘s JK Simmons, as well as Veep Emmy winner Tony Hale.

Amazon says the film is set during a critical week of shooting I Love Lucy, when “Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz are threatened by shocking personal accusations, a political smear and cultural taboos.”

Being the Ricardos debuts on Amazon Prime on December 21.

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After much speculation, Paul Rudd has been announced as People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” 2021.

The big announcement came Tuesday night via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Before confirming Rudd’s status, though, Colbert put him through a rigorous — and hilarious — sexy evaluation. The test included an interview in which Rudd was asked a series of questions, including when he first realized he was sexy.

“When I was a baby,” Rudd answered. “I was a baby. I didn’t know what sexy was. I just felt different. I wore a thong diaper and I knew the other kids didn’t.”

The Ant-Man star was also tested on his ability to successfully conduct a sexy photoshoot. At the end of it all, Colbert shared that Rudd’s test results came back “negative” for sexy. However, after Rudd humbly accepted that fate, it was revealed that “humility” was the final test, and he passed — thus crowning him as People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2021. 

Rudd succeeds Michael B. Jordan, who held the coveted title for 2020. Others who have been named People‘s “Sexiest Man Alive” include John Legend, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, David Beckham, and Chris Hemsworth.

The full People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” issue hits newsstands this Friday. 

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Britney Spears is wasting no time planning her wedding to Sam Asghari. 

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, the pop star, 39, revealed that her wedding dress is in the process of being made by none other than luxury fashion house Versace. 

“No … this is not my wedding dress  bahahah,” Britney teased alongside an array of photos and videos of herself wearing a light-pink gown.

She then revealed, “Donatella Versace is making my dress as we speak” before wishing her 35 million followers “good night.” 

The wedding update comes just two months after Britney shared that Asghari, 27, popped the question. 

“I can’t f****** believe it,” she gushed at the time, while sharing a video of the sparkler on her left ring finger. 

Britney and Sam first met while filming Britney’s 2016 music video, “Slumber Party.” As for the couple’s wedding date, that is still under wraps. 

 

 

 

 

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Following Jamie‘s departure last week for spreading lies, The Bachelorette continued on Tuesday with Chris S. emerging as the new villain after throwing frontrunner Nayte under the bus.

It all started with a group date that had the men joining Michelle Young for a slumber party that ended in a “Teddy Bear Showdown” hosted by WWE stars the Bella Twins, where the contestants pounded each other with stuffed teddy bears. The men seemed to be too involved in their own fun to spend time with Michelle.

Young, who just a week ago had shared a poem about not feeling seen, was disappointed by the men’s behavior, and shared her concerns with them at the after-party. One-by-one, each of the men apologized, with Olu, who compared Michelle’s feelings to those of his and his sisters, earning the date rose.

Just as the drama seemed to have subsided, Chris S. — who wasn’t a part of the date but heard the others talking about it — interrupted the pre-rose ceremony cocktail party to accuse some of the men of being too cocky and not caring enough about her. He challenged the men who thought they “had it in the bag” to “speak up or…go home,” leaving them shocked and angered.

During a private conversation with Michelle, Chris S. singled out Nayte as the chief offender. Michelle confronted Nayte with Chris’ claims, which led to a fight between the two suitors.

The move paid off for Chris — at least for now — as he received the last rose of the night.

The Bachelorette returns Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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With the release of the final trailer to Ghostbusters: Afterlife — featuring the voices and brief appearances of some of its original series stars including Dan Aykroyd, the late Harold Ramis, and Bill Murray — comes news IMAX is doing the movie big. 

Well, “big” is not a surprise for the giant format theaters, but in the case of the new film, they’re hosting a Ghostbusters Fan Event in the U.S. and Canada to celebrate the movie’s launch on November 19. 

The special event will be live-streamed from Los Angeles at 8pm Eastern in select theaters, and will not only show the new Sony Pictures movie, but will also feature a Q&A with director Jason Reitman and his dad, producer — and original Ghostbusters director — Ivan Reitman. 

The select theaters will also treat fans to commemorative posters and other goodies. 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife stars the original cast, which also includes Sigourney Weaver, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts, as well as series newcomers Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and McKenna Grace.

Here’s a list of the participating IMAX locations: 

United States

California

AMC Metreon 16 & IMAX Theatre – San Francisco, CA
Esquire IMAX Theatre – Sacramento, CA
Regal Edwards Irvine Spectrum & IMAX – Irvine, CA
TCL Chinese Theatres IMAX – Hollywood, CA
AMC Mission Valley 20 & IMAX Theatre – San Diego, CA

Washington DC
AMC Georgetown 14 & IMAX Theatre – Washington, DC

Florida
AMC Aventura 24 & IMAX Theatre – Aventura, FL

Georgia
Regal Atlantic Station & IMAX Theatre – Atlanta, GA

Illinois
AMC Oakbrook 12 & IMAX Theatre – Oak Brook, IL

Minnesota
AMC Rosedale 14 & IMAX Theatre – Roseville, MN

Massachusetts
AMC Boston Common 19 – IMAX – Boston, MA

New York
AMC Empire 25 & IMAX Theatre – New York, NY

North Carolina
Regal Stonecrest At Piper Glen & IMAX – Charlotte, NC

Pennsylvania
Regal UA King of Prussia & IMAX Theatre – King of Prussia, PA

Texas
AMC Northpark 15 & IMAX Theatre – Dallas, TX
Regal Edwards Houston Marq*E & IMAX – Houston, TX
Santikos Palladium IMAX Theatre – San Antonio, TX

Tennessee
Malco Paradiso Cinema Grill & IMAX Theatre – Memphis, TN

Washington
Regal Thornton Place & IMAX Theatre – Seattle, WA

Canada

Cineplex Cinemas Winston Churchill & IMAX Theatre – Oakville, ON

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Entertainment Weekly has shared the first-look images of Viola Davis as former First Lady Michelle Obama in Showtime’s The First Lady, an anthology series about women in the White House.

As previously reported, the new series, told from the perspective of the women “at the heart of the White House” will also star Michelle Pfeiffer as Betty Ford, Cailee Spaeny as Anna Roosevelt, and Gillian Anderson as Eleanor Roosevelt. The First Lady is scheduled to be released on Showtime in the spring of 2022.

In other news, Deadline is reporting that Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen has set his next feature film. McQueen has signed on to write, direct, and produce Blitz, a project based on his original idea. He will produce the project with New Regency, the company that helped to made his Oscar winning film 12 Years a Slave. Plot details on Blitz are being kept under wraps. The new film will begin production sometime next year.

Finally, Will Smith was apparently in the giving spirit during the making of his upcoming film, King Richard. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Smith, who was reportedly paid up to $40 million for his role as Richard Williams, gifted cash bonuses to his costars who worked with him on the critically-acclaimed drama. Those co-stars included, Saniyya Sidney and Demi Singleton, who play his daughters Venus and Serena, as well as Tony Goldwyn, Jon Bernthal and Aunjanue Ellis, among others. Smith’s bonuses to the cast came after Warner Bros. changed the release plan for the upcoming movie to debut simultaneously in theaters and on its streaming service HBO Max on November 19.

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Actor Scott Bakula posted to Instagram a heartfelt tribute to his Quantum Leap co-star Dean Stockwell, who died Saturday at age 85. ABC News’ Los Angeles affiliate KABC-TV reported the Oscar nominee’s death was from natural causes. 

Bakula, who in Quantum Leap played an accidental time-traveler whose only contact was Stockwell’s Admiral Al Calavicci, a hologram advisor, remembered the actor fondly.

He explained Stockwell read for the adventure show after Bakula was already cast. “We connected immediately and my career and my life were changed that day,” he recalled. 

Bakula said his co-star became a “dear friend and mentor” over five “very intense years” on the series; a man whose passions included, “life, his work, his art (he was an amazing artist!), his family, all kinds of causes, people, music, the planet, cigars, golf, and on and on!”

Bakula noted his former co-star was a former child actor himself, and as such had a “soft spot” for the young performers who appeared on Leap, a series that earned Stockwell a Golden Globe.

“He was very protective of their rights and safety and always checked in with them to make sure that they were ok,” Scott noted, adding, “His big hearted response to the kids made all of us take notice and be better guardians ourselves.” 

In closing, Bakula said, “I loved him dearly and was honored to know him. He made me a better human being…”

 

 

 

 

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Ken Jennings revealed the “lovely” gift he received from Alex Trebek‘s widow, Jean, when he first guest hosted “Jeopardy!” after the longtime host’s death.

“The first day I came in to guest host was just a few weeks after Alex had passed and it was a really rough time,” Jennings said in a video posted to the Jeopardy! YouTube page on Monday. “I got to the studio and one of the producers handed me a little box and Alex’s wife, Jean, had given me a pair of his cuff links that he had worn on the show.”

“What a lovely gesture that was from Jean,” he continued. “You know, at a time that was very hard for her family, dealing with a lot of grief and a lot of challenges, she thought about ‘Jeopardy!’ and she thought about me, a person she had never even met.”

Jennings concluded: “My Alex Trebek cuff links are the only cuff links I own. They’re kind of a good luck charm for me here.”

The video was shared on the one-year anniversary of Trebek’s death following a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 80.

Monday also marked the return of Jennings, who holds the Jeopardy! records for the number of consecutive games won, at 74, and the highest winnings in regular-season play, at $2,520,700, as guest host of the quiz show, taking over from Big Bang Theory alum Mayim Bialik. Jennings was also the first guest host after Trebek’s passing.

Elsewhere in the video tribute, Jennings shared how Trebek’s memory is still alive and well on Jeopardy! behind the scenes.

“I miss Alex a lot. When I’m here, I feel like he’s probably in the building somewhere,” he said. “It’s hard not to talk about him in the present tense.”

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An Instagram post from actor Shamier Anderson, who co-stars in the upcoming fourth John Wick movie, seems to suggest that shooting on the film is over. 

Anderson’s post features a series of photos, including one of him smiling next to Matrix‘s Mr. Anderson himself, Keanu Reeves.

Shamier jokes, “When 2 Canadians link up and make an action movie,” adding, “That’s a wrap on John Wick 4!” and calling the movie “such a rewarding experience for me.” 

In addition to thanking the producers, including Reeves’ Thunder Road company, Anderson’s pics might have let slip the name of the movie: A bit of crew SWAG in the shot, a drawstring bag visible in the shot reads, “John Wick 4: Hagakure.”

The word Hagakure means “falling leaves” or “what’s behind falling leaves,” in Japanese, but it’s also referenced in the title of the three-century-old Japanese classic from Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure: Book of the Samurai.

The tome details the bushido, or code of honor of the Samurai. 

While it’s arguable that the assassins in John Wick are more like masterless samurai, or ronin, they certainly have their own code of honor in the Wick-verse, like the rule against killing anybody at their hotel, The Continental.

For the record, Anderson’s post isn’t the only one telling fans that Wick 4 was winding down: Last month, Keanu’s stunt team revealed on Instagram that the generous actor had gifted his main stuntmen with matching Rolex Submariner watches. Each was engraved with their first name and their collective nickname, “the John Wick 5,” along with a thank-you from Reeves, and “JW2021.”

John Wick 4, which also stars Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, Scott Adkins and Clancy Brown, opens May 27, 2022.

 

 

 

 

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