Entertainment

Laurie Strode herself, Jamie Lee Curtis, took to social media Tuesday to announce that her final film in the Halloween franchise, Halloween Ends, will debut on streaming platforms and in theaters on October 14.

In an Instagram post, Curtis was shown stalking through a creepy forest in black and white, before colors returned to the screen. The actress addressed fans, saying she’s “so proud” of the “fitting conclusion” to the Halloween saga.

“Now last year, when we put out Halloween Kills, we were in the thick of the COVID crisis, so we made that movie available in theaters and in homes at the same time,” she explained, saying they got “great results” from both releases.

“This year, we want to make sure people get to see Halloween ;Ends before Halloween, so we decided to give that same gift to the fans again. So starting on October 14, you can go to the theater to see Laurie and Michael confront each other for the last time, or you can watch it at home on Peacock.”

“Or, really, you can do what I would do, which is go to the theater, then watch it at home again.”

Curtis added, “It has been the honor of my life to play Laurie Strode, and no matter how you watch that final chapter, I hope you’ll get people together and scream and cheer and hold your breath til the end. Because we created this for you, and I thank you for your years of support and how much you care about this story, and me, your ‘final girl.'”

She concluded with a smile, “So I’ll see you soon, stay safe and happy Halloween everyone,” before walking out of frame — revealing Michael Myers was hiding behind a tree the whole time.

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Jennifer Lopez wed Ben Affleck last month — and then held a bigger celebration in Georgia last weekend.  Now, she’s sharing an exclusive close-up of her gorgeous wedding dress.

Vogue shared a behind-the-scenes look of the “On The Floor” singer’s August 20 nuptials, which took place at her and Affleck’s Riceboro, Georgia, home.  

Lopez wore a custom Ralph Lauren Collection gown that took over 500 meters of fabric to construct. The turtleneck column dress was customized with ruffles, from the top of the collar to the matching sleeves. In all, over 1,000 handkerchiefs were stitched into the fabric, and were used to create a cascading effect on the skirt and train. 

The gown was backless, with only a strand of buttons coming down from the top of the collar to the small of her back. It was accessorized with a cathedral veil.

In all, the singer had three separate dresses commissioned for her big night. One dress was draped in strings of pearls while the other had a keyhole neckline and back straps embossed with Swarovski crystals.

Ralph Lauren shared a video of how they constructed her elaborate bridal looks.  

As for Affleck, Ralph Lauren Couture constructed his tuxedo. He wore a white jacket, a black bow tie and black pants. Their children were also fitted with white Ralph Lauren Couture clothing.

When it came to the actual ceremony, Lopez hired wedding planner Colin Cowie to bring her romantic vision to life.

The two overlooked the North Newport River as they shared their vows under a white metal church framework that was covered in delphiniums. The ceremony was officiated by author Jay Shetty.

The pair were first engaged in 2002, but split up a few years later. They rekindled their relationship in 2021. 

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Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, released the premiere episode of her long-awaited podcast Tuesday and did so with the help of a celebrity friend.

Meghan’s first Archetypes podcast episode features the duchess in conversation with tennis superstar Serena Williams, a longtime friend who attended Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

The two talked about ambition, and the stereotypes and criticisms they’ve faced as women in the public eye — the focus of Meghan’s podcast — and chatted about how they became “fast friends” after meeting at the 2014 Super Bowl.

“We have a lot in common,” Williams said of their friendship.

“So much,” said Meghan. “… you experience behind closed doors the pain that I’m going through and vice versa.”

Meghan, 41, and Williams, 40, spoke about Williams’ recent announcement that she plans to “evolve” away from professional tennis. The duo also revealed that Meghan’s husband, Harry, helped counsel Williams as she considered her next career move.

“He was trying to knock some sense into me and I’m just like, ‘Uh,'” said Williams.

“I think, you know, I think both of us, or the three of us, really know that sometimes the right decision isn’t the easiest decision,” said Meghan. “It’s a hard decision. And it takes a lot of thought, and a lot of counsel and a lot of support to just go ‘uh uh uh’ and then just make the choice.”

Harry and Meghan made the decision to step down from their roles as senior working royals in 2020, and now live in California with their children Archie and Lilibet.

Meghan’s next episode of Archetypes will feature a conversation with Mariah Carey and is set to be released next week.

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The Emmy-winning comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm will be back for a 12th season.

The series, which stars Seinfeld co-creator Larry David playing an over-the-top version of himself, has always operated at his whim. It’s up to Larry when he wants to shoot more episodes and, according to a cheeky statement, it seems he’s uncharacteristically more eager than ever.

“Playing the role of Larry David has been the greatest honor of my life,” LD begins.

“In researching this multi-faceted, multi-talented man, I discovered that there’s more to him than I ever could have imagined: He speaks six languages, brines his own pickles, and spearheads a national movement to install a bidet in every home. I’ve also been told from numerous sources that he is the most generous of lovers.”

Larry David concludes of Larry David, “I am so excited to once again transform into this force of nature. I only pray that I can do him justice.”

Curb began in 2001 and has run on HBO for 110 episodes so far. The cast also includes Jeff Garlin as Larry’s manager, Jeff Green; Susie Essman as Jeff’s hot-tempered wife; scene stealer JB Smoove as Leon; Cheryl Hines as TV Larry’s ex-wife Cheryl; and Ted Danson as, well, Ted Danson.

In the season 12 announcement, HBO’s Executive Vice President Amy Gravitt noted, “Larry outdoes himself season after season and always manages to come back when the audience needs him most.”

She said the network is thrilled all involved will “continue making us laugh and cringe in equal measure.”

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Ahead of the December 16 release of the long-developed sequel to James Cameron‘s Avatar, the 2009 original is headed back to theaters.

According to a new trailer, the release will only run for a limited time in both 3D and traditional formats. It will take advantage of “stunning 4K High Dynamic Range,” meaning the movie’s then-bleeding edge digital effects will appear as they were “meant to be seen” on the big screen.

Given the time passed since the original film’s debut, the rerelease would give some fans their first taste of the movie in theaters. Avatar was briefly brought back to theaters in 2019 so it could regain the all-time box office crown from Avengers: Endgame.

2009’s Avatar has made more than $2.8 billion in theaters worldwide to date; Endgame was briefly the highest-grossing movie of all time with a $2.79 billion take.

The Academy Award-winning movie stars Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldaña and Stephen Lang, who will return for Avatar: The Way of Water in December. Joining them for the sequel will be Cameron’s Titanic star Kate Winslet, big-screen legend Michelle Yeoh and Emmy winner Edie Falco, among others.

A third Avatar film, which finished shooting in April, will arrive in 2024; the fourth and fifth chapters are scheduled for 2026 and 2028.

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After making a cameo in the season 2 finale of the Emmy-nominated Only Murders in the Building, Paul Rudd is officially moving in for season 3.

In a statement to Variety, series co-creator John Hoffman noted, “Paul Rudd, after making an auspicious entrance into the world of our show at the end of Season 2 as Ben Glenroy, is someone we clearly want to know more about and see in our upcoming Season 3.”

Of Rudd’s Broadway star character, Hoffman called him “a clear source of many upcoming questions and, as ever with our show, many twists yet to come!”

It’s not clear how many episodes Rudd will appear in as yet.

Only Murders is headed into September’s Emmy Awards telecast with 17 nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series.

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Alison Brie plays wide-eyed ingenue Amber in the new dark comedy Spin Me Round, which parodies the classic adult novel formula.

Amber works for an Italian food chain and is selected to fly to Italy for a “luxurious” immersion program, but things spiral into chaos when she catches the eye of the hunky CEO Nick, played by Alessandro Nivola.

Amber is swept into Nick’s fancy world and, up until the very end, she misses all the ominous red flags signaling his perverted ulterior motives. His sordid fantasies are finally revealed when Amber is asked to participate in a massive orgy.

So, what was it like to film the X-rated scene?

“I did not mentally prepare myself — and it was jarring!” Brie told ABC Audio. “It’s funny when you write a scene like that, so you know what’s coming.”  

She added of when she saw the live set for the first time, “That was certainly a new one for me.”

Dirtiness aside, in addition to Spin Me Round flipping common adult novel tropes on their head, Brie revealed the movie was partially inspired by real-life events. 

She said director Jeff Baena came up with the movie after reading an article about an “Italian food chain in America that sends their managers to an exemplary managers program in Italy to experience food, wine and culture” — but the trip turns out being a week spent “living in dorm style housing … learning how to make a Bolognese.”

“I think we just thought there’s something really inherently funny about thinking that you’re going on a really exotic European adventure, only to find this sort of lackluster, still very Americanized experience,” the actress added. 

Spin Me Round — also starring Molly Shannon, Tim Heidecker and Aubrey Plaza — is now streaming on AMC+.

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HBO reports Sunday’s premiere of House of the Dragon drew 9.986 million viewers across linear and HBO Max platforms in the U.S. — the largest audience for any new original series in the premium cable network’s history.

The premiere also represented the largest series launch on HBO Max across the U.S., LatAm, and EMEA.

House of the Dragon was also the longest trending Twitter topic on its premiere day, ranking #1 for 14 hours straight, and trended #1 on Google Trends.

“It was wonderful to see millions of Game of Thrones fans return with us to Westeros last night. House of the Dragon features an incredibly talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into the production, and we’re ecstatic with viewers’ positive response,” said Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer, HBO & HBO Max. “We look forward to sharing with audiences what else [showrunners George R. R. Martin, Ryan J. Condal and Miguel Sapochnik] have in store for them this season.”

Additionally, the original Game of Thrones series wrapped up its strongest week on HBO Max to date.

New episodes of House of the Dragon air Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

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One of the biggest hits of the year — in fact, the biggest hit of Tom Cruise‘s blockbuster-filled career — Top Gun: Maverick, will finally be available for purchase on digital today (Tuesday). 

As reported, the actor/producer was adamant that Paramount Pictures delay the film during the height of the pandemic, until it could be released in theaters. That gamble paid off to the tune of more than $1.4 billion worldwide. 

However, if you stayed home — or, if you just want to feel the need for speed again from the comfort of your couch, you’re in luck: It’s now available for purchase on Amazon Video, Vudu, Apple TV, and other platforms.

One of the reasons Cruise and co-producer Jerry Bruckheimer pushed for a theatrical release was because of the film’s acclaimed aerial sequences. Pilot Cruise, as well as co-stars including Miles Teller and Monica Barbaro were strapped into real fighter jets, and filmed pulling real high-G maneuvers. 

Bruckheimer explained to ABC Audio, “Look, it’s much easier and safer obviously to do CGI. But you don’t get the real experience.”

“I mean CGI is brilliant, and they do some amazing things now, but an audience can tell if it’s the real deal,” Bruckheimer says.

He adds, “when they see the faces of our actors in those F-18s — how they’re contorted, and what they went through. That’s not acting, they’re actually feeling that. So that’s what makes this movie so special.” 

Top Gun: Maverick will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on November 1, while it’s still in theaters. So far, there are no plans for it to streaming for free via subscription-based Paramount+.

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ABC has given a series order to the spy drama The Company You Keep, starring This Is Us alum Milo Ventimiglia, according to Variety. Based on the Korean series My Fellow Citizens, the American version follows Ventimiglia as a con-man and a CIA agent — played by Catherine Haena Kim — whose night of passion “puts them on a collision course when he ramps up the family business so he can get out for good and she closes in on a vengeful criminal who holds Charlie’s family debts in hand — forcing them to reckon with the lies they’ve told so they can save themselves and their families from disastrous consequences,” per the outlet. The show is set as a mid-season replacement in 2023…

Netflix has dropped the trailer for Love Is Blind‘s After the Altar special. The first look at season 2 of the special offers a glimpse at what happened to Jarrette, Iyanna, Deepti, Shayne, Natalie and more. As previously reported, the two couples that got married on the show are now splitting up. Iyanna and Jarrette announced their split last week and days later Danielle and Nick announced they were divorcing as well. Love Is Blind: After the Altar season 2 premieres September 16…

Deadline reports ABC is developing a spinoff of The Good Doctor, called The Good Lawyer. The spinoff will center on Joni, “a 20-something woman who battles OCD, but is a brilliant lawyer.” She’ll be introduced during The Good Doctor‘s upcoming sixth season as a defense attorney for Freddie Highmore‘s character Dr. Shaun Murphy, “who finds himself in legal trouble”…

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