Entertainment – Page 797

Jay Ellis says real-life experiences helped set the tone for episode three of ‘Insecure’

November 5, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Jay Ellis says he stepped into the fifth and final season of Insecure with some real life connections to his character Lawrence.

Ellis tells ABC Audio that when he started to film the new season, he and co-star Christina Elmore, who plays his ex and soon-to-be baby mother Condola, both found themselves identifying with their characters because they were both new parents in real life.

“At the time, Christina and I were the only parents on set,” he says, before explaining some of the things that new parents say to their partners. “So I think there were a lot of things that we were like, ‘Oooh, if you ever! Oooh, you bet not never — Ooh!’ … Especially new parents [who] don’t even realize they’re doing it.”

As first-time parents, Ellis says he and Elmore could easily empathize with their characters and the challenges they faced in co-parenting.

“We were realizing all these things that come up when you’re new parents that could only be 20 times more difficult if you and someone you’re co-parenting with aren’t on the same page,” he shares. “So… a lot of that stuff… came out as we got into shooting episode [three]. And just the feeling of, ‘What does it feel like for a new mother to be away from her kid, or for a new father, to be away from his kid?'”

Ellis believes that those real life connections are what make Issa Rae‘s HBO comedy series so relatable.

“Season after season, Issa and Prentice Penny would bring us into the room and they would tell us what the arc was for the season and we would talk about [our] stories — [and] how [to] infuse [them with]… what our characters were going through.”

Insecure airs Sunday on HBO at 10 p.m. ET.

Anna Faris fans drag Chris Pratt over praising his “healthy” daughter

November 5, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Chris Pratt found himself in hot water yesterday by not only angering fans of his ex-wife Anna Faris, but also took some heat from his own followers for calling his baby daughter “healthy.”

The Jurassic World star recently took to Instagram to mark wife Katherine Schwarzenegger‘s birthday ahead of schedule, but some took issue with one of his compliments when speaking about their daughter, one-year-old Lyla.

Some believe Pratt’s remark, “She’s given me an amazing life, a gorgeous healthy daughter,” is a veiled dig at his ex, whom he divorced in 2018.

He and Faris share a nine-year-old son, Jack, who was born premature and suffers from several medical issues.

Some of his fans admitted the remark made them “wince,” but felt that was not the actor’s intention. Meanwhile, others said the word seems deliberate considering his son’s traumatic birth.

Faris previously opened up about Jack’s medical issues and his premature birth in her Anna Faris Is Unqualified podcast, and said in 2018, “Jack had a few surgeries — he had a few hernia surgeries, he’s had a few eye surgeries and he had a little heart issue as well,” according to E! News.

The Scary Movie star revealed Jack was born “two months early” and weighed three pounds and 12 ounces. She said the experience inspired her and Pratt to become supporters of the Global Alliance to Prevent Prematurity and Stillbirth (GAPPS).

Faris nor Pratt have responded to the controversy and the Guardians of the Galaxy star has yet to change the language in his controversial post.

“Pink goes good with green”: Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande to star in ’Wicked’ movie musical

November 5, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The beloved Broadway musical Wicked is finally heading to Hollywood and, on Thursday, Universal announced the two leading ladies who’ll bring Elphaba and Glinda to life on the big screen.

Taking on the mantle — or long black cape — of Elphaba, aka the Wicked Witch of the West, will be Tony award-winning actress Cynthia Erivo. Starring opposite of her will be Ariana Grande, donning Glinda’s signature pink sparkly dresses.

The two shared their excitement on social media by shouting each other out and raving over how excited they are to be starring in the beloved movie musical. Erivo shared the gorgeous bouquet Ari sent to her, which contained the note “Dear Cynthia, honored doesn’t even begin to cover it. I cannot wait to hug you. See you in Oz!”

Also in the picture slideshow, the Harriet star shared screenshots of the two learning they nabbed the roles and celebrating over a Zoom call. She captioned it, “Pink goes good with Green” followed by three green heart emojis.

As for the “Positions” singer, Ari shared an emotional photo taken the moment she learned she landed the role of her dreams. She also included a snap of the bouquet of pink roses Erivo sent her, along with the sweet note, “Congratulations Miss A, the part was made for you. I look forward to sharing this musical journey with you.”

Fans of Grande know that she had long dreamed of playing Glinda, the role her mentor, Kristin Chenoweth, originated on Broadway. She tweeted nearly a decade ago, in December 2011, “Loved seeing Wicked again… amazing production! Made me realize again how badly I want 2 play Glinda at some point in my life!”

Wicked, originally starring Chenoweth and Idina Menzel as Elphaba, made its Broadway debut in 2003.

Guy Fieri accepts Kristen Stewart’s proposal to officiate her wedding

November 5, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Kristen Stewart is in the beginning stages of planning her wedding to fiancée Dylan Meyer, but the Spencer actress already knows who she wants to officiate her big day. Here’s a hint: He has bleached spiky hair and drives his 1968 Chevy Camaro to Flavortown.

Stewart was asked about her dream wedding during her Thursday appearance on Today, where the hosts pounced upon a comment she made in passing about wanting Guy Fieri to officiate… because the Food Network star himself is intrigued by the possibility.

“I heard through the Flavortown grapevine that you are looking for a sweet spiky-haired officiant for your wedding,” Fieri said in a pre-recorded message to the Twilight star. “I’m all in!”

Stewart was struck speechless by the unexpected surprise and, with a wide grin, confirmed she “absolutely” wants him to be there on her big day. Although, she admittedly was unsure if he was being serious.

The 31-year-old actress hinted she wants to send him a wedding invite and asked aloud, “Do you know where he lives? What’s his address?… We should talk about this!”

As for Fieri, he tweeted at the actress and affirmed, “Oh that offer is legit!”

The Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives host is an outspoken gay rights advocate. In 2015, he famously married 101 same-sex couples in a single day and threw the attendees a massive wedding feast, free of charge, after Florida lifted its ban on gay marriage.

Report: Chris Evans to be named ‘People”s next Sexiest Man Alive

November 5, 2021 by WDNY Radio

The time has come once again for People magazine to crown its new “Sexiest Man Alive.” While an official announcement is forthcoming, an alleged leak claims that the publication has already decided who will succeed their current champion, Michael B. Jordan.

Page Six claims that Marvel star Chris Evans is the next Sexiest Man Alive and said they’ve heard the news from “multiple sources.”

Those same sources claim that the 40-year-old actor was supposed to take home the title last year, but the timing wasn’t that great considering his September 2020 faux pas concerning scantily clad photos Evans accidentally shared to his Instagram — which resulted in a media frenzy and proved just how fast fans can take a screenshot.

But, according to insiders, the incident did not influence People‘s decision to ultimately hand the crown to Jordan.

The official “Sexiest Man Alive” announcement is expected next week.

‘Dickinson’ producer and star Hailee Steinfeld says final season of series is the “best one yet”

November 5, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Hailee Steinfeld is back as America’s rebel poet Emily Dickinson in the third and final season of the Peabody Award-winning Dickinson, which kicks off on Apple TV+ today.

Steinfeld is an executive producer on the series, which takes liberties with the author’s real life, imagining her in a new way for modern sensibilities, and often set to modern music.

Season 3 takes place with the Civil War raging, and Emily trying to find her voice in a forever-changed world.

“It’s been amazing just to see each season come full circle,” Hailee says. “And as an executive producer of the show as well, I feel like I’ve been more involved in really knowing what it takes and knowing what it’s like being a part of seeing it through.”

Looking back, she adds, “I am so proud of this show, and I’m so proud, and I feel very lucky to have been a part of something that feels very special.”

Steinfeld says all involved knew this season would be the last one, so they left it all on the field.

“We have only ever showed up every day at work wanting to deliver the best possible product,” she notes. “And I think when we knew that this was going to be it, we all came in ready to go!…I have felt this way about the show since day one, [and about] every single person in our cast and on our crew who have continued to come back for three seasons. I am so grateful for that.”

Reflecting on the series coming to an end, Steinfeld says, “I am sad, of course…but I’m so excited for this final season to be out. I think it’s our best one yet.”

‘Eternals’ star Don Lee on the “very important message” of the film

November 5, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Marvel’s latest massive superhero film, Eternals, is in theaters this weekend! Don Lee stars as Gilgamesh, one of the Eternals who is tasked with protecting humans from outside forces that want to destroy them. As for how they do that, Lee tells ABC Audio that each Eternal has their own unique power.

“Gilgamesh is most powerful and strongest fighter among Eternals, and then his superpower is he’s got courageous strength. Also he has this one punch knockout power,” he spills.

Although Lee’s character has super strength, he says that’s nothing compared to when the Eternals work together as one — a message he hopes resonates with people after the film.

“Each of us have this unique superpower, but we are more powerful when we are together. That’s a very important message and that is about diversity,” the actor explains. “We are showing that no matter what gender or race is, we are stronger when we are together.”

Speaking of diversity, Lee, who is a famous South Korean action star with a massive following, admits that he jumped at the opportunity to reach a worldwide audience by being in the film, because he “saw the potential of inspiring younger generation as a first Korean superhero.”

“And then hopefully I can open up some more space for my actor friends in Korea,” he adds.

Another perk of the gig was getting to work closely alongside Angelina Jolie, who plays Thena in the film.

“She’s one of the greatest actress in history and also she’s a great person. I was a big fan of her. She’s a goddess of action film,” Lee raves.

Bad Mother Fungible Tokens: Tarantino to release unseen ‘Pulp Fiction’ scenes as NFTs

November 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

What if the mystery glow from the briefcase in Pulp Fiction was a cache of never-before-seen scenes from the Oscar-winning film?

Quentin Tarantino has announced that a collection of unreleased material from his 1994 crime classic will be up for grabs, in the form of Secret NFTs — encrypted Non-Fungible Tokens — in partnership with Secret Network.

According to a new website, “Each NFT contains one or more previously unknown secrets of a specific iconic scene,” and promises the purchaser “will get a hold of those secrets and a glimpse into the mind and the creative process of Quentin Tarantino.”

Seven never-before-seen clips will be up for grabs, along with annotations and other notes from the writer-director himself.

The site adds, “The owner will enjoy the freedom of choosing one of these options: To keep the secrets to himself for eternity…to share the secrets with a few trusted loved ones,” or, “To share the secrets publicly with the world.”

The filmmaker himself spoke this week at the crypto art gathering NFT.NYC, where he explained his fellow director — and Inglorious Basterds star — Eli Roth first told him about NFTs, and the more he learned about them, the more intrigued Tarantino became about the technology, reports Artnet.

Tarantino’s certainly not the first filmmaker to embrace the collectable format. MGM recently released James Bond-related NFTs tied to the release of No Time to Die, and Warner Bros. announced fans will be able to collect NFTs from the upcoming The Matrix Resurrections.

Anthony Hemingway to helm ‘The Preacher’s Wife’ remake; Regina King to direct, produce ‘A Man in Full’ for Netflix

November 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Emmy winner Anthony Hemingway has signed on to direct the upcoming The Preacher’s Wife remake.

According to Deadline, the new film will be a present-day “reimagining” of the 1996 original film and will feature original cast member Courtney B. Vance. As you may recall, the original film, directed by Penny Marshall, starred Denzel Washington as Dudley, an angel who comes to Earth to help a preacher, played by Vance, and his wife, Julia, portrayed by the late Whitney Houston, save their church and family. The film became a popular holiday staple and its soundtrack remains one of the best-selling gospel albums of all time. Additional casting on the new The Preacher’s Wife has yet to be announced.

In other news, Regina King is teaming up with producer David E. Kelley to adapt Tom Wolfe’s novel A Man in Full for Netflix, Deadline has learned. King will direct and exec-produce the limited series as part of her first-look deal with the streamer. Published in 1998, the book follows Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker who, after facing sudden bankruptcy, must “defend his empire from those attempting to capitalize on his fall from grace.” Casting details on A Man in Full have not been revealed.

Finally, ICYMI, fans will get to see Kid Cudi open up about his years of battling depression, anxiety and drug abuse in the highly-anticipated Amazon documentary A Man Named Scott. The new doc, which features commentary from Kanye West, Timothée Chalamet, Shia LaBeouf, Willow Smith, and more, which chronicle his rise to fame as well as his troubled upbringing. A Man Named Scott hits Amazon Friday, November 5.

‘The Boys’ posts gag reel of Jack Quaid doing a terrible job of being unconscious

November 4, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Season three of the Emmy-nominated superhero skewing series The Boys has wrapped, and all involved have a reason to smile — in fact, co-star Jack Quaid was way ahead of them.

The producers of the Amazon series just posted a gag reel from the second season of the show, and it consists of one single scene that a giggly Quaid messed up over and over again.

All he had to do was pretend to be unconscious in a hospital bed, after his character Hughie had suffered a serious injury. But his co-stars Karl Urban and Erin Moriarity ad-libbing about Hughie had Quaid figuratively in stitches, while Hughie was literally in stitches.

It didn’t help that Urban’s Billy Butcher was trying to tell Moriarity’s Annie/Starlight about Hughie’s child-like grooming habits, including his need to apply the diaper cream Desitin to his behind.

Butcher’s trademark use of nearly non-stop profanity didn’t make it any easier for Quaid to keep a straight face, and even after they gave up trying to have Quaid in focus, Urban’s ad-libbing the sensitive details proved too much for his co-stars.

“Wow, @jackquaid92 takes his job WAY too seriously,” the post reads.

A release date for season 3 of The Boys has not yet been revealed.

(Video contains uncensored profanity.)

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