Entertainment – Page 905

O-T Fagbenle says he’s “happy to fit in” Rick Mason wherever the MCU will have him

July 22, 2021 by WDNY Radio

O-T Fagbenle says he had to brush up on his Marvel Cinematic Universe knowledge when he first landed the role of Rick Mason, an ally and close friend of Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow in the Marvel action-film Black Widow.

“I was in the conversation once with [screenwriter] Eric Pearson and a couple of the producers and it was revealed that I had a certain ignorance gap in my MCU knowledge,” Fagbenle tells ABC Audio. And they all went, ‘N[ope]. That’s not what happened, because of da da da dah, da da da dah.'”

Embarrassed, O-T says producers then mandated him to “watch” a certain Marvel film “before… speaking to fans.’ And I was like, ‘I’m going to do that.'”

While it was a bit of a learning curve for O-T to fully understand the intricacies of the MCU, the bigger challenge was keeping mum on potential spoilers — especially when it came to the future of Rick Mason in other MCU properties.

“I got off an interview… and the Marvel guy came up… with the dark glasses and I was like, ‘Did I say something wrong?’ And he was like, ‘You cannot talk about those things.’ And I was like, ‘I won’t talk about those things then.’ And he was like, ‘Good.’ And so I’ve been told specifically I can’t talk about what happens in other spaces.”

“What I would say,” Fagbenle continues, “Is that like with streaming services and that, the possibility of expanding this universe and people getting to explore different characters is… immense. And I’m happy to fit in wherever they want me.”

Marvel Studios’ Black Widow is in theaters and available to stream with Premier Access on Disney+.

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

Matt Damon reveals why re-teaming with Ben Affleck on ‘The Last Duel’ felt different

July 22, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Matt Damon reunited with his childhood pal and fellow Good Will Hunting Oscar winner Ben Affleck to write, produce and star in the upcoming medieval drama The Last Duel. He says the experience of working together was much different this time around.

“I think that writing process for Good Will Hunting was so inefficient,” he shared. “You know, because we didn’t really understand structure so we wrote thousands of pages,” Damon, 50, tells Entertainment Tonight. “We’d be like, ‘Well, what if this happened?’ And then we’d just write different scenes. So, we had all these kind of disparate scenes and then we kind of tried to jam them together into something that looked like a movie.”

“We just found that… making movies for 30 years, we actually learned something about structure along the way and the process went along a lot faster,” Damon continues, referring to present day. “And so I think we’ll write a lot more in the future just because it didn’t turn out to be as time-consuming as we thought. It was actually a lot of fun.”

Set in the 14th century, The Last Duel centers on two best friends who turn against each other after one accuses the other of assaulting his wife. They’re ordered to fight a duel to the death, with serious consequences for the wife as well as the loser.

Jodie Comer and Adam Driver also star in The Last Duel, from director Ridley Scott. It’s due out October 15.

Damon will next be seen in the drama Stillwater, opening July 30.

Hayden Panettiere reportedly “working on a friendship” with ex Brian Hickerson

July 22, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Panettiere and Hickerson in 2019 — Hollywood To You/Star Max/GC Images

Hayden Panettiere‘s ex, Brian Hickerson, revealed the former couple have reunited, although they haven’t gotten back together following his recent release from jail for domestic violence.

After an eyewitness told E! Online that Brian and the 31-year-old actress were spotted “enjoying beers” and “line dancing” with friends at a restaurant in West Hollywood, California on Saturday, he spilled the details on what went on that night.

Hickerson says that, while he was “enjoying a Miller [Lite], Hayden — who entered treatment for alcohol abuse in 2020 — was not drinking.” Added Brian, “We went to a new restaurant that is Texas-based, and being a Southern guy, I’m a big fan of country music. So yes, there was some line dancing involved.”

However, Brian stresses that “Hayden and I are not back together but are working on a friendship.”

“We have a long history together, and the first step in my recovery as an abuser is making amends,” he continued. “That’s exactly what Hayden has been gracious enough to allow me to do.”

An insider tells E! that Hayden is focusing on her sobriety and her relationship with Kaya — her six-year-old daughter with her ex, Wladimir Klitschko — while healing from her relationship with Brian.

“Hayden is open to forgiving Brian and starting a new chapter, despite her loved ones concerns,” according to the source. “Hayden has a huge heart and wants to see the best in everyone.”

Panettiere accused Hickerson of abusing her multiple times and, in April, he was sentenced on two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend after pleading no contest. He was sentenced to 45 days before serving four years of formal probation.

Robin Williams honored by son on what would be his 70th birthday

July 22, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Seven years after his death, Robin Williams‘ son is commemorating what would be a milestone for the late actor — his 70th birthday.

On Wednesday, the comedian’s 38-year-old son, Zachary or “Zak,” shared a heartfelt Instagram post remembering his father.

Alongside a black-and-white still of Robin, Zak wrote, “Dad, on what would be your 70th birthday, I would want you to know that your incredible spirit lives within us.”

“Our family will be celebrating you and your memory today,” he added. “We miss you and love you always!”

Zak wasn’t the only one missing the Academy Award winning actor, as his comments were flooded with users sharing they missed the Mrs. Doubtfire star as well. Robin died by suicide at the age of 63.

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 [TALK] for free confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even if it feels like it, you are not alone.

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‘SNL’ producer Lorne Michaels, Bette Midler, Berry Gordy among this year’s class for 44th Kennedy Center Honors

July 21, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Lorne Michaels – Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Longtime Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels, stage and screen legend Bette Midler, and Motown founder Berry Gordy are among the 2021 class for the 44th Annual Kennedy Center Honors.

Among those names who will be honored “for lifetime artistic achievements” will be singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, and opera baritone Justino Diaz, when the awards show gets underway on December 5 in Washington D.C.

“This year’s Honorees represent the unifying power of the Arts and surely remind us of that which binds us together as human beings,” said Kennedy Center President Deborah F. Rutter. “These artists are equal parts genius, inspiration, and entertainment.”

Chairman David M. Rubenstein said Gordy, “brought the quintessential soulfulness of Detroit into every home in America, elevating the Motown sound to become a national treasure.”

He said Michaels, “created the most enduring ‘must-see television’ with Saturday Night Live,” which is “a show that is both mirror and muse for life in America.”

Rubenstein called Midler, “an artistic tour de force and America’s Divine Miss M…entertaining millions with her wondrous voice and trademark comedic wit,” and described Mitchell as, “one of the most influential singer-songwriters and cultural figures in 20th-century popular music.”

The 44th annual honors in December will likely be broadcast by CBS in 2022.

Anthony Mackie, Jahi Di’Allo Winston to star in Netflix’s ‘We Have a Ghost’; HBO announces 3-part doc on Obama & more

July 21, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Anthony Mackie and Jahi Di’Allo Winston have been tapped to star in Netflix’s upcoming family adventure We Have a Ghost, Variety has learned.

They join Tig Notaro, Jennifer Coolidge and Black Widow star David Harbour who have also been cast. Written and directed by Christopher Landon, the film will be an adaption of Geoff Managuh’s short story Ernest, which follows a young man whose family finds a ghost named Ernest haunting their new home. The film will also star Erica Ash, Isabella Russo, Niles Fitch, Faith Ford and Steve Coulter. A release date for We Have a Ghost has yet to be announced.

In other news, HBO has announced a three-part documentary on former president Barack Obama. Titled Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union, the new doc will tell of Obama’s early beginnings including “his political rise to become a historic figure as the U.S. continues to grapple with its racially divisive history.” Released as a three part event, Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union, will debut on HBO on August 3, with subsequent installments airing the following two nights.

Finally, a teaser for Lin-Manuel Miranda‘s new animated Netflix film Vivo has been released. The film follows Miranda as Vivo, a musically gifted kinkajou, aka a rainforest honey bear, who goes on a journey to deliver a song to his cherished owner’s long-lost love. The film also stars Zoe Saldana, Juan de Marcos, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Rooker, Nicole Byer and Gloria Estefan among others. Vivohits Netflix on August 6.

Harvey Weinstein indicted in Los Angeles on charges he sexually assaulted 5 women

July 21, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Alec Tabak/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

(NOTE CONTENT) Disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein has been indicted on five counts of sexually assaulting five women in California over the course of a decade, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón.

“Anyone who abuses their power and influence to prey upon others will be brought to justice,” Gascón said.

Weinstein, 69, appeared in court Wednesday after being extradited from New York. He pleaded not guilty to four counts each of forcible rape and forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint and one count of sexual penetration by use of force, the district attorney’s office said.

A grand jury returned the indictment on March 15 for the charges for the sexual assaults, which allegedly occurred at hotels between 2004 to 2013. The indictment was unsealed Wednesday.

Weinstein is scheduled to return to court for a hearing on July 29.

The former producer is already serving a 23-year prison sentence for rape and sexual assault stemming from charges in Manhattan; he has been serving his time at New York’s Wende Correctional Facility.

Exes and Oh!s: Andy Cohen’s new reality show sees contestants graded by their former lovers

July 21, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NOTE CONTENT) Andy Cohen has already proven skilled at getting people to spill the tea on his Bravo show Watch What Happens Live!, but now he’s doing the same when it comes to former flames, on his upcoming dating show Ex-Rated.

The occasionally NSFW trailer for the upcoming Peacock series just dropped, and it reveals the show’s premise: people are put on the hot seat by their exes, who judge their former partners on everything from their kissing and cuddling techniques to more intimate activities.

Joining Andy to try to smooth things over is sexpert and author Shan Boodram, who gives tips on how people — and the viewers at home — could potentially boost their numbers.

The dating show also lets guests give a potential ex another shot.

Peacock says Ex-Rated, “challenges adult singles of all ages and backgrounds to face raw, candid feedback on everything from their personality to sexual prowess and relationship skills in order to find out where they went wrong and how they can improve.”

The series debuts August 12. (VIDEO CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE)

Citing rising COVID-19 infections, Television Academy cancels Governors Ball dinners for second year in a row

July 21, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Just when the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences thought — or maybe, hoped — this year’s Emmys would be back to normal, comes a new pandemic cancellation.

In a statement, the organization behind the awards show noted that for the second year in a row, the Governors Balls that have traditionally followed both the Emmys and Creative Arts Emmys have been scrapped.

The reason cited was “ongoing concerns and public health mandates regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Infection rates have been rising in nearly every state, ABC News has reported. The highly contagious Delta variant’s rise has led to mask mandates being reinstated in many cities, including the Emmys’ home in Los Angeles County, even for the vaccinated.

In place of the balls, “The Academy will host a series of enhanced Emmy nominee celebrations in advance of the Emmys,” which the organization calls “intimate-themed gatherings” to honor its nominees “across the numerous peer groups.”

As recently reported, the 73rd Emmy Awards will return with a limited live audience on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 8 p.m. Eastern time. The telecast will be hosted by Cedric the Entertainer and broadcast on CBS, and also streamed live and on demand on Paramount+.

‘John Wick’, ‘Mad Men’, ‘Dirty Dancing’ NFTs are coming, thanks to new deal with Tom Brady’s Autograph platform

July 21, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Lionsgate, the studio behind the hit John Wick and Hunger Games movie franchises, has just inked a deal with legendary quarterback Tom Brady‘s Autograph platform to create non-fungible tokens, or NFTs, of those and other entertainment properties.

Autograph announced a “new era of collecting” by also revealing NFT arrangements with the Super Bowl champ’s fellow sports icons, including Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Derek Jeter, Naomi Osaka and Tony Hawk, who sit on the company’s advisory board.

Autograph’s just-announced partnering with digital sports entertainment company DraftKings Inc. will let fans “seamlessly buy, sell and trade digital collectibles across sports, entertainment and culture using their existing DraftKings account.”

The first wave of content developed by Autograph and Lionsgate will focus on franchises including John Wick, The Hunger Games and The Twilight Saga, as well as Mad Men and Dirty Dancing.

Just don’t put your NFT of Baby in a corner. Nobody does that.

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