Entertainment

Oscar, Grammy and Emmy winner Common hopes to achieve EGOT status when he makes his Broadway debut in the fall.

The rapper/actor announced over the weekend that he will star in the dark comedy Between Riverside and Crazy, which will premiere December 19.

“This has been a dream of mine for a very long time to act in a play, to do theater, and to be be part of a theater company,” Common commented on Instagram alongside a poster for the production. “I can’t wait to begin the process and to love this journey.”

“When I got this role, I called me mother like I had gotten my first record contract,” the 50-year-old entertainer continued. “It was that much joy.”

“I have been told how hard the work is and that there’s nothing like it. This is what I want as an artist and as a being that believes art can heal and inspire,” Common added. “I want to be a part of the theater community to express that light and love.”

This year, Common is celebrating his 30th anniversary as a recording artist and his 25th year as an actor. He won an Academy Award with John Legend in 2015 for Best Original Song, “Glory” from Selma. In 2017, he received an Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for “Letter to the Free” from Ava DuVernay‘s documentary 13th.

Common has also won two Grammys: Best Original Song for “Love of My Life” with Erykah Badu in 2003, and Best Rap Performance by A Duo or Group in 2007 for “Southside” featuring Kanye West.

“The Light” rapper recently appeared in the film Alice with Keke Palmer. For his next film role, he will star with Jennifer Hudson in the movie Breathe.

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Dancing with the Stars season 31 is finally here! The new star-studded season premieres Monday, Sept. 19.

Alfonso Ribeiro and Tyra Banks are co-hosting, and Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough are returning as judges.

Banks became the show’s first solo host for season 29 in 2020. Ribeiro, who rose to fame on the television sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, was announced as her co-host in July. He’s also a former Mirror Ball champion after winning season 19 of the show while partnered with pro Witney Carson.

In a recent interview with Good Morning America, Ribeiro described the upcoming season as “amazing,” “spectacular” and “heartwarming.”

Unlike previous seasons, which were broadcast live on ABC, you’ll be able to see your favorite stars bust a move on Disney+ starting at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.

Season 31’s exciting lineup includes actress Selma Blair, The Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice, RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shangela, CODA actor Daniel Durant, Bachelorette star Gabby Windey and many more.

TikTok star Charli D’Amelio and her mother Heidi D’Amelio are also making DWTS history as the first family members to compete against each other on the show.

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Blake Lively took a different tactic when dealing with the paparazzi over the weekend, flooding her Instagram feed with pics of her baby bump.

She and husband Ryan Reynolds hadn’t commented about her pregnancy, which was on display in New York City Wednesday when she walked the red carpet at the 10th annual Forbes Power Women’s Summit.

Instead, Lively let the new photos speak for themselves: One picture shows her flaunting her baby belly in a red one-piece bathing suit featuring a flower-like cut-out. Another shows Reynolds touching her belly as they sit in chaise lounges by the pool. In another, Blake poses for a mirror selfie in her underwear.

Blake’s pal Taylor Swift even poses with her and her bump in another snap.

But a closer look reveals the pregnant pics aren’t necessarily recent. In one, she’s posing with Reynolds wearing his outfit from Deadpool 2, which likely was taken when Blake was pregnant with their 5-year-old daughter, Inez.

And while a picture is worth a thousand words, Blake spared a choice few for the paparazzi. “Here are photos of me pregnant in real life so the 11 guys waiting outside my home for a [unicorn] sighting will leave me alone,” she vented.

Lively added a thank-you “for all the love and respect and for continuing to unfollow accounts and publications who share photos of children. You have all the power against them. And thank you to the media who have a ‘No Kids Policy’. You all make all the difference.”

The move was hailed by more than 7.6 million followers of the actress, with the first being Gwyneth Paltrow, who commented, “This is fantastic.”

Reynolds and Lively’s family also includes daughters James, 7, and Betty, 2.

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Woody Allen has announced his retirement from filmmaking. In an interview with Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia, Allen says he wants to move away from filmmaking and concentrate more on his writing. At 86, he’s in Europe working on his latest — and what now looks to be his final — film, WASP 22. Allen has previously declared that he s become disenchanted with the movie business. Additionally, ongoing allegations of sexual abuse concerning his adoptive daughter, Dylan Farrow, which he s denied, have made him a polarizing figure in Hollywood. Allen’s award-winning career spans six decades…

Sony’s Columbia Pictures has set a release date of June 7, 2024 for a new Karate Kid kid film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Details surrounding the project have not been released, however it has been described as “the return to the original Karate Kid franchise.”  The first Karate Kid film, starring Ralph Macchio in the title role and the late Pat Morita as his teacher, Mr. Miyagi, debuted in 1984 and has launched three sequels, a 2010 reboot and, most recently, the popular Netflix series Cobra Kai, starring Macchio…

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Oscar-winner Viola Davis reigned at the top of the box office with the historical action drama The Woman King. The film, currently riding a “Certified Fresh” score on the ratings aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, earned a better-than-forecast $19 million in its debut in theaters.

Tellingly, the audience for The Woman King‘s debut was 60% female, according to industry stats.

Coming in second was last week’s #1 finisher, the horror film Barbarian, starring Justin Long and Georgina Campbell. The film scared up another $6.3 million in its sophomore frame.

The horror movie Pearl opened in third place with $3.1 million, neck and neck with another new release, the murder mystery See How They Run, which ended up in fourth place.

Rounding out the top five was Brad Pitt‘s action comedy Bullet Train, which made $2.5 million.

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Christina Milian saluted the start of Latin Heritage Month and explained how she honors her culture through her work.

“It’s part of who I am … I’ve always been so proud of my Cuban upbringing,” she told ABC Audio. “We’re storytellers … my mom was the type that, whether you are in the grocery store or anywhere, she talked to everyone!”

“I think part of the Latino community is telling your story, and knowing where you came from and making a better life for your children’s children. That’s why we strive to have dreams and to actually attain our dreams,” Milian said. 

She added, “We’re pretty lively, so I think we bring our energy to our work ethic!”

The Resort to Love star teased she’ll celebrate her culture further by bringing her energy behind the camera.

“I’m looking to do more stuff behind the scenes,” she revealed. “I would like to produce more films and series and have the opportunity [to] open up the doors for more people to be able to show their talents and tell more stories.”

Milian is shining the spotlight on Latino-owned businesses across the country with Yelp’s Latinx Ones-to-Watch in 2022 list. The “Am to Pm” singer, who co-owns Beignet Box with business partner Elizabeth Morris, celebrated the growing number of Latino-owned businesses and wants to see more.

“I’m happy to see that we’re bridging the gap more,” she said.

To those dreaming of owning their own business, Milian offered this advice: “Go for it. The process is really important. You can learn so much along the way. And when you get there, you can pat yourself on the back and you’ll appreciate how hard you worked to get there!” 

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Kate Winslet was hospitalized after suffering a fall while filming in Croatia.

Winslet, who is shooting her upcoming film Lee, slipped while on set and was taken to the hospital as a precautionary measure required by production, Entertainment Tonight reports. 

A rep for the British actress told the outlet, “She is fine and will be filming, as planned, this week.”

Winslet will star in the historical drama Lee as Lee Miller, a fashion model who became an acclaimed photographer working for Vogue as a correspondent during World War II. 

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The curtain will permanently fall on Andrew Lloyd Webber‘s The Phantom of the Opera in February, The New York Times is reporting.

The Tony-winning production, the longest running in Broadway’s history, has reportedly been losing money since performances resumed at the Great White Way’s Majestic Theatre on October 21, 2021, following the pandemic shutdown. 

The musical will celebrate its 35th birthday in January; that iconic chandelier will fall one last time on February 18, 2023.

The Times reports that some 19.8 million people have seen the musical since it launched on January 26, 1988, and the production has grossed over $1.3 billion in that time. 

The musical will live on elsewhere, however, including at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. The publication notes Phantom has been seen by more than 145 million people in 183 cities around the world.

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Dear Evan Hansen, the show that won the 2017 Tony Award for Best Musical, will end its six-year Broadway run on Sunday.

The production will close after 1,678 performances at the Music Box Theatre, making it one of the 50 longest running shows in Broadway history. The show, with songs from Oscar winners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and a book by Tony winner Steven Levensen, centers around the life of a teenage boy whose want for a sense of belonging causes him to get swept up in a lie. It was nominated for nine Tony Awards in 2017 and won six.

One of those awards went to performer Ben Platt, who won the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for originating the role of Evan Hansen. In 2021, Platt returned to the role in Stephen Chbosky‘s Dear Evan Hansen film adaptation. Actor Sam Primack currently portrays the musical’s titular teen, and he will close the show in the role.

“It’s been such an amazing roller coaster of a ride to be a part of for the last 3 1/2 years,” Primack told ABC Audio. “This has been, for me, a gateway into this community that I have dreamed of being a part of for so long.”

According to Primack, the show, which touches on themes of anxiety and depression, has helped audiences know that they are not alone.

“People are coming to the show looking for an outlet to see themselves,” Primack said. “They come with their own problems and their own anxieties and their own depressions. And something that I have been really fortunate enough to be able to tell the audience every night is that you will be found.”

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A battle has begun over Anne Heche‘s estate, and the first salvo has been fired in a Los Angeles court.

Heche died following a fiery car crash last month and reportedly passed without a will.

Entertainment Tonight reports that James Tupper, the actress’s ex-boyfriend and the father of her 13-year-old son, Atlas Heche Tupper, has objected to a request from Heche’s eldest son to be placed in charge of the estate.

Twenty-year-old Homer Heche Laffoon is Heche’s son with ex-husband Coley Lafoon, to whom she was married from 2001 to 2009.

For his part, Tupper submitted paperwork he says proves Heche wanted him to be in control of her estates, including an email purportedly from Heche with the subject line “WILL.”

According to papers obtained by ET, the email from Heche reportedly says, “In case I die tomorrow and anyone asks. My wishes are that all of my assets go to the control of Mr. James Tupper to be used to raise my children and then given to the children. They will be divided equally among our children, currently Homer Heche Laffoon and Atlas Heche Tupper, and their portion given to each when they are the age of 25.”

The Six Days, Seven Nights star suffered severe blunt force injuries, as well as severe “inhalation and thermal injuries,” when she crashed her blue Mini Cooper into a Mar Vista, California, home at high speed on August 5.

The car burst into flames with the actress still inside, and the wreck set the home on fire around her. She was subsequently declared brain-dead. Representatives noted she was taken off life support on August 15.

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