Entertainment – Page 827

In theaters now: ‘Venom: Let There Be Carnage’

October 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

After multiple pandemic delays, Venom: Let There Be Carnage is now in theaters.

The sequel to the critically-panned but $856 million-plus-grossing 2018 movie Venom again stars Tom Hardy as journalist Eddie Brock, who shares a body with the shape-shifting, trash-talking alien symbiote, Venom.

This time around, the Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man universe spin-off sees the unlikely pair having to face off with another of their kind: Woody Harrelson‘s serial killer Cletus Kasady, who infects himself with Eddie’s blood to get his own symbiote, Carnage.

But before Eddie and Venom can fight Carnage, they need to stop fighting each other.

“In this movie, it’s like the ‘seven-year-itch’ cycle of the relationship,” director Andy Serkis says. “You’ve got two characters who are literally stuck with each other — that Odd Couple relationship was what this movie was always going to be about.”

“They have had enough of each other,” Serkis says with a smile. “Watching Tom as Venom and Eddie and was so much fun,” the Marvel movie and Lord of the Rings series veteran says.

Venom: Let There Be Carnage also stars returning player Michelle Williams, Spidey series star J.K. Simmons, and 007 movie alumna Naomi Harris.

The film’s off to a good start: it earned $11.6 million in Thursday night previews in the U.S., putting it ahead of preview numbers for F9 and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and only a few million behind Black Widow.

Jerry Seinfeld explains why he’s not interested in a ‘Seinfeld’ reunion or revival

October 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Jerry Seinfeld says it’s important to know when to gracefully bow out. Twenty-three years after his iconic sitcom, Seinfeld, aired its last show on May 14, 1998, Seinfeld says he’s still convinced that there’s no need for a revival.

“Has it happened, could it happen, is it happening, or is it in motion — what kind of motion? When will we see something?,” Seinfeld tells ABC Audio of the questions he’s often asked about a potential revival. “There’s absolutely nothing going on.”

Although the award-winning actor considers himself a “nostalgi[c] person” since he still visits his childhood home in Long Island and supports the New York Mets, Seinfeld believes it’s important not to live in the past.

“I believe in going forward,” he says, before sharing that even if he did do some sort of Seinfeld reboot, he’s not sure what it would be about or if it would even “be as good.”

“I think we did a good job,” he says of the original series.

In fact, Seinfeld believes a reboot could even possibly tarnish his legacy.

“I remember I was in a cab one time and the cab driver said to me, ‘Why did you stop doing that show? It was very successful,” he recalls. “And I said to him, ‘Well… we had done it for nine years and I realized I could go off the air right now. And… I could be a legend in the sitcom world, or I could risk that to make some more money.'”

He continues, “[And] I said, ‘What would you do?’ to the cab driver. He said, ‘I’d go for legend.’ I said, ‘Yeah, that’s what I thought.’ So we went for a legend. That’s why we’re not coming back.”

The entire Seinfeld catalogue is now available to stream on Netflix.

Haunting Disney+ today, the animated musical show ‘The Ghost and Molly McGee’

October 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Launching on Disney+ today is the animated series The Ghost and Molly McGee.

Featuring the voice of Emmy-winning writer and Mythic Quest co-star Ashly Burch, the series has her starring as Molly, an ever-optimistic tween girl whose family moves into a new home, only to find her attic room haunted by a curmudgeonly ghost named Scratch.

“He curses her and says, ‘Wherever you go, whatever you do, I will be there haunting you.’ But Molly, being unflappable, kind of goes, ‘Well that just sounds like you’re my best friend now!’ Burch tells ABC Audio with a laugh.

“So it’s basically like an Odd Couple kind of thing of these two people that are forced to be together…But… over the course of several episodes, form this really cute, funny friendship.”

Burch explains she was first just called in to consult on the show, by creators Bill Motz and Bob Roth, but soon hooked into the character. “They were sort of like, ‘We’re we’ve never been a tween girl. Do you want to take a look at this…?’ And…I might have just flat out said, like, ‘Can I audition for this character?'”

For Burch, the show, which has already been renewed for a second season, is a dream gig.

“It’s so surreal,” the actress and writer admits. “I loved Disney when I was a kid, I mean, I had Little Mermaid bed sheets, I wanted to be Ariel…So it’s really, really cool to be part of not only part of a Disney show, but to be the lead of a Disney show and [not] only the lead…but it’s a musical!”

“10-year-old Ashly would be losing her mind if she knew,” she laughs.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Jon Bernthal says ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ is “its own thing” and not another episode of ‘The Sopranos’

October 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

It’s the weekend Sopranos fans have been desperately waiting for — the prequel movie The Many Saints of Newark is out today.

Instead of picking up where The Sopranos ended nearly 15 years ago, the movie delves into the past and explores the life of a young Tony Soprano and the circumstances that led him to become the DiMeo crime family’s boss.

Jon Bernthal plays Tony Soprano’s father, known as Johnny Boy, in the film. He tells ABC Audio that fans of the original series shouldn’t treat the movie like two extra episodes of the award-winning HBO series.

“It’s absolutely its own thing. And I think that’s very smart. Those are shoes that are impossible to fill,” Bernthal explained, while keeping details about why that is to himself. “That’s something that exists on its own.”

There are whispers the movie does address what really happened to Tony Soprano in that controversial cut to black series ending, but don’t ask Bernthal to reveal what really happened to James Gandolfini‘s character.

“I think there’s a there’s a myriad of potential answers. And, yeah, I got no interest in answering it,” he teased.

And while The Many Saints of Newark will delight fans of the original series, Ray Liotta, who plays “Hollywood Dick” Moltisanti in the film, says the movie will also entertain those who haven’t tuned into the series –and that’s coming from someone who hasn’t watched The Sopranos.

“You don’t have to have been a fan of the show or even watched the series in order to appreciate what goes on in this movie,” Liotta assured. “You don’t have to be a big Sopranos fan or know everything that happened in order to appreciate and like it.”

The Many Saints of Newark is now in theaters and on HBO Max.

Scarlett Johansson and Disney have settled ‘Black Widow’ dispute

October 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Scarlett Johansson‘s Periwinkle Entertainment and The Walt Disney Company have settled their dispute regarding the release of Black Widow.

Johansson filed suit last month against Marvel Studios’ parent company, Disney, claiming that the studio’s decision to simultaneously release Black Widow on Disney+ and in theaters was a breach of her contract, which guaranteed Black Widow an exclusive theatrical window before it hit the streaming service. The suit further claims Disney’s decision to do otherwise cost Johansson millions in potential earnings.

“I am happy to have resolved our differences with Disney. I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team,” the actress said in a statement on Thursday. “I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come,”

Alan Bergman, Chairman of Disney Studios Content, added, “I’m very pleased that we have been able to come to a mutual agreement with Scarlett Johansson regarding Black Widow. We appreciate her contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and look forward to working together on a number of upcoming projects, including Disney’s Tower of Terror.”

Neither side gave any indication of how much money was involved in the settlement.

ScarJo served as an executive producer on Black Widow, and therefore had profit participation “points” tied to the film’s box-office performance. The movie grossed $367 million at the box office. However, Disney revealed in August that the movie had grossed $125 million on streaming, which some assert detracted from the film’s box-office earnings potential, and Johansson’s bottom line.

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

‘Diana: The Musical’ stars explain why storyline makes for “fantastic drama”

October 1, 2021 by WDNY Radio

If you just can’t get enough of Royal Family drama, Diana: The Musical hits Netflix today. It’s a filmed version of the stage play which opens on Broadway in November. Jeanna de Waal plays Princess Diana and she offered up her opinion on why America is so in love with these stories.

“They’re the ultimate celebrities, right?” she rhetorically tells ABC Audio.

“America loves our celebrities and these celebrities actually live in castles and actually have titles and actually used to be, you know, kings and queens who have power,” the actress continues. “And there’s something insane and thrilling about that.”

Something else that de Waal finds thrilling is the fact that the musical is heading straight to on-screen viewers., which she says “democratizes the process of experiencing theater.”

“We bypassed some of the tight bottleneck, harsh New York critics, and just say hey world, what do you think? And I think it’s a fantastic way to engage a much wider crowd in theater,” she explains.

While Princess Diana’s story has been told in various ways, including on Netflix’s The Crown, it’s the “nuances” that de Waal says are not that well known, but “make for fantastic drama.”

“There’s a lot I think people don’t know between Charles, Diana, and Camilla, to be specific, is really what our story is about,” she shares.

So, will the royals be watching? Roe Hartrampf, who plays Prince Charles, hopes so.

“We hope that they realize that we’re approaching this from a real human storytelling standpoint and we are big fans of everybody involved.”

Sarah Michelle Gellar reveals how she’s combating harmful stereotypes and misinformation about asthma

September 30, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Sarah Michelle Gellar is tired of how pop culture portrays people with asthma — and she’s aiming to change that.

In partnership with the pharmaceutical company Teva, Gellar helped launch the Inhaler Tales campaign, which aims to raise awareness on proper inhaler use and encourage those with asthma to advocate for themselves.

“I think that there’s this stereotype — like any kind of diagnosis — [asthma] is a sign of weakness. And it’s not,” the Buffy the Vampire Slayer alum told ABC Audio. “Our bodies are not machines.”

Asthma is a condition of the lungs, says the Mayo Clinic, where the airways can narrow and swell, which in turn can make breathing difficult or trigger an attack. Asthma can’t be cured but it can be controlled with medication.

Gellar took note of how pop culture makes light of asthmatic characters and that those misguided stereotypes can feed misinformation. For example, Mikey from The Goonies and Albert from Hitch used their inhaler as a prop and were portrayed as defenseless or cowardly. Gellar says those tropes should be “taken with a grain of salt” because asthma is “not something to be ashamed of.”

Gellar also noted how actors who play asthmatic people don’t correctly use an inhaler on screen.

“They just puff into it. Always wrong,” the Cruel Intentions star stressed, noting a recent Teva study that found over 50% of people with asthma or COPD use their inhaler incorrectly.

Gellar said improper inhaler use can exacerbate symptoms, and stressed, “With the right treatment program, you really should be able to live your life to the fullest.”

That’s why she says it’s “so important… to know how to properly utilize that equipment.” Gellar encourages those with asthma to be honest with their doctors when their inhaler isn’t effectively controlling their symptoms.

“He got what he deserves”: Aaron Sorkin on former co-producer Scott Rudin following bullying scandal

September 30, 2021 by WDNY Radio

In a lengthy interview with Oscar-winning screenwriter and The Newsroom creator Aaron Sorkin, Vanity Fair got him to speak for the first time about producer Scott Rudin, a once frequent collaborator whose career was torpedoed by accusations of bullying and even physical violence against his staff.

Those accusations from former employees were chronicled in a bombshell Hollywood Reporter feature last April.

“He got what he deserved,” Sorkin said in part, explaining he previously stayed silent about Rudin because he didn’t think it was “helpful for me to stand on his torso and kind of jump up and down.”

Sorkin says, “…I’ve worked with Scott a lot, three feature films, an HBO series, and a Broadway play. [I]t was painful to read that Hollywood Reporter story, particularly because it’s pretty likely that some of those assistants who were being abused were working on something I wrote while they were being abused. So I took it personally.”

Sorkin insists to Vanity Fair that he knew about Rudin’s “higher class of bullying,” but claims he never personally witnessed any troubling behavior or heard any of the physical violence accusations. The pair last worked on the Tony-winning revival of To Kill a Mockingbird, with Jeff Daniels in the lead.

Sorkin also explained the last time he spoke with the disgraced producer was when he severed Rudin’s ties with To Kill a Mockingbird via Zoom. The play will re-open after the COVID-19 hiatus on October 5, without Rudin’s involvement.

As for his former collaborator on The Social Network, Steve Jobs, Moneyball and The Newsroom, Sorkin, who’s battled substance abuse problems, said of Rudin, “I feel the way I would with an alcoholic or an addict. I hope he gets better.”

“I must break you”: Sylvester Stallone releasing director’s cut of ‘Rocky IV — Rocky vs. Drago’

September 30, 2021 by WDNY Radio

With the troubling state of affairs that is 2021, why not take a peek back at a time when an American hero could even get the Soviet Union to chant “USA! USA!”…onscreen, at least.

To that end, Slyvester Stallone will be releasing a brand-new director’s cut of 1985’s Rocky IV.

Titled Rocky IV: Rocky vs. Drago, the movie celebrates what MGM is calling “the greatest fight in cinematic history” — Stallone’s Rocky Balboa against the seemingly unbreakable Soviet menace, Dolph Lundgren‘s Ivan Drago.

Promising 40 minutes of never-before-seen footage from the blockbuster that Stallone wrote, directed and, of course, starred in, the film is coming to Fathom Events theaters for one day only — November 11 — before it’s released to digital on demand the following day.

As part of the screenings, Stallone himself will appear in a live Q&A session about the making of the film, and restoring it for release in 2021.

Tickets can be purchased online at FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices today. A complete list of theater locations is available on the Fathom Events website.

Jay Leno urges his fellow comedians to adapt their comedy “to the times you live in”

September 30, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Jay Leno knows a thing or two about being cancelled after past offensive jokes he made came to light, and he’s using that as a warning to his fellow comedians.

In March, during a discussion with the Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA), Leno said that using Asians as a punchline in his old jokes were “wrong” and he has since apologized. The Tonight Show alum also called his past material “a legitimate wrong that was done on my part.”

Speaking to the People Every Day podcast, Leno says cancel culture is a product of the changing times and comics have to adapt with the times.

“I think it’s like any other thing, you either change or die,” the 71-year-old said. “In football, you have certain rules. And when the rules change, if you don’t conform to them, you’re out of the game.”

Leno further explained that homophobic, sexist and racist jokes may have been tolerated back in the day, but his fellow stand-up comedians need to stop living in the past by including that controversial material in their routines.

“Now, everybody has a voice. You have to change the material to the times you live in,” Leno continued. “My attitude is, ‘Look, these are the new rules. You want to adapt. If you don’t, fine. Don’t get up and tell jokes then.'”

Following his March discussion with MANAA, Leno told Variety, “I do not consider this particular case to be another example of cancel culture but a legitimate wrong that was done on my part. MANAA has been very gracious in accepting my apology. I hope that the Asian American community will be able to accept it as well, and I hope I can live up to their expectations in the future.”

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