Entertainment

There’s a whole lot of Mike Myers in the new Netflix comedy series The Pentaverate, which debuts Thursday. It’s about a secret society that has been controlling the world for centuries. So as a powerful man in media, is Myers himself part of a real-life secret society?

“Well, I can neither confirm nor deny the existence or nonexistence of any secret society that I am or not in,” Myers tells ABC Audio, adding, “I’ve been obsessed with secret societies my whole life. My mom was in the Royal Air Force and had a top security clearance, so I knew that there were secrets in the world.”

Myers plays eight characters in The Pentaverate, the most he’s ever done in one project. While that sounds exhausting, he says it’s more of a release for him. 

“I always have characters in me that are kind of circling the airport and looking for a place to land,” he shares. “I love performing…and I love playing characters. And that has its own energy that gets you going.”

Citing previous works like Austin Powers, the actor adds, “I’m kind of used to multiple characters.”

In The Pentaverate, instead of being evil or power hungry, the secret society’s five leaders are known for being nice. Myers says the show comes during an interesting time in comedy and “it’s good that people are being conscious of not saying things that marginalize, disempower or ridicule.”

Myers himself is known for his trademark brand of humor that is often silly but never mean, which he uses to uncover truths.

“The truth shall set you free, but at first it’s going to upset you…And it’s important that the truth be told,” Myers expresses. “Now I love speaking the truth faster with kindness, but that’s just me.”

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Amber Heard took the stand for the first time today, on the 14th day of her ex-husband Johnny Depp‘s defamation trial against her.

The trial day began with the continued testimony of a psychologist hired by Heard’s defense, Dawn Hughes. The domestic violence expert claimed Heard suffered PTSD from sexual and physical abuse at the hands of the former Pirates of the Caribbean actor.

Previously, a psychologist hired as an expert by Depp’s camp claimed in her estimation Heard was faking her PTSD symptoms, and suffered from histrionic personality disorders. For her part, Hughes disputed that testimony Wednesday.

When Heard took the stand around 2 p.m. Eastern time, she recalled meeting Depp on their 2011 film The Rum Diary and having instant chemistry with him, although they were both apparently still married to other people.

Both before and after her separation, Depp pursued her, Heard alleged, and when they were both single, they began seeing each other. Their relationship see-sawed between “sweet velvety love” to physical abuse, brought on by Depp’s abuse of drugs and alcohol, the actress claimed.

Heard described in detail being allegedly physically and sexually assaulted by Depp, and living with what she called, “the rage, the uncontrolled violence.”

Heard’s testimony painted herself as the blameless victim, willing to do anything to try to keep their relationship together in spite of nearly constant abuse from the actor — quite the opposite of testimony from Depp last week.

“When it was good it was so good…there was just something there that — he was the love of my life,” Heard testified.

“But he was also this other thing! This awful, awful thing that would come out and take over, and you couldn’t see the Johnny I love underneath it.”

Heard’s testimony will resume Thursday, after which Depp’s lawyers can cross-examine her.

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Kim Kardashian wore a dress made famous by Marilyn Monroe to the Met Gala on Monday night, and people are still buzzing about it.

On Wednesday morning, ABC Audio caught up with director Emma Cooper and author Anthony Summers, who collaborated on Netflix’s new documentary The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes, and asked what they thought.

Summers, whose exhaustive recorded interviews with those who knew Monroe make up both the documentary and his 1985 book Goddess: The Secret Lives of Marilyn Monroe, wasn’t impressed, noting, “It was glamorous, but I don’t know, wearing the dress of a dead person — and apparently it was the real dress — I don’t think that’s very funny, but maybe I’m dumb to think that.”

He added, “I just thought it was a bit sick.”

Cooper for her part, disagreed, asking Summers, “Don’t you think Marilyn would have had a bit of a sense of humor about that?”

The filmmaker then drew a parallel between Kim’s fame and Marilyn’s.

“I was really amazed to look at Kim Kardashian’s Instagram — talk about, you know, modern life — and she’s got 309 million followers who all saw her in that dress,” Cooper declares. “So maybe there’s a world where we can say, you know what, Marilyn maybe would have done that herself, Tony. Who knows? She was a pretty smart player.”

Summers, 79, allowed, “Maybe you’re right, and I’m a boring old sod.”

The author, incidentally, once spoke with designer Jean-Louis, who originally made the dress for Monroe, which she wore when she serenaded President Kennedy on his 45th birthday.

“[H]e apparently had to literally sew it on to her it was so tight,” Summers recalled, adding dryly, “How it was later removed is not in the record.” 

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes is streaming on Netflix now.

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Actor Benedict Wong became a real-life hero during an interview alongside his Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness co-star Xochitl [SOH-chee] Gomez.

Gomez plays America Chavez in the film, a teen who has the ability to travel across dimensions and who, the film presents, has two moms. That LGBTQ nod was enough to get the movie banned from Saudi Arabia, China and other countries.

“It’s a big deal that America is in this movie. It’s just huge,” she tells Asia One. “And I’m just so happy that Marvel has stuck to it and kept the scene in there.” She added, “…Although, yes, my name may be circled within hate and stuff but it’s okay.”

Wong, a British national born of Hong Kong immigrants, responded, “It’s not okay. It’s not okay. We have to all collectively understand that.”

Thea actor, who plays the sorcerer also named Wong in the film, said of Gomez, “She auditioned aged 13 and she joined us aged 14, one of the youngest actors to join the MCU of a film of that magnitude. You know, she’s just a young girl playing her role and full praise for that.”

He went on: “There’s a real level of shame for all those trolls that are cowards not to actually put their face [out there], and they should feel a deep shame of what they’re doing.”

Wong added, “Let’s all just play nice. Let’s all just enjoy what we are representing. It’s sad that fans in that country won’t get to see this. But all we are doing is radiating representation, voicing the voiceless. And that’s all that we can do — represent people so that they can be seen.”

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness opens Friday from Marvel Studios, which is owned by Disney, parent company of ABC News.

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As he usually does when he appears on The Late Late Show, Tom Cruise poked fun at his pal James Corden on Tuesday night.

The Top Gun star appeared in the show’s green-room introduction segment, and chimed in on Corden’s recent announcement that this would be his last season in The Late Late Show‘s host chair.

“James! It’s such a privilege to be here, and I’m sorry about the news,” Cruise shared in his segment. “I’m sorry you got fired.”

Cruise, who was there to promote his new film Top Gun: Maverick, along with co-star Monica Barbero, added, “But I just wanted you to know that I’m here for you. I’m here for you tonight, and for whatever you need.” He also told James,”I would not have fired you.”

Corden countered with, “Well, I would love it if you could lend me some money,” drawing laughter from the audience.

Cruise responded, “I told you, anything, James, anything.”

On the couch with the Top Gun stars later, Corden explained that it was great to finally have the pair in person, following the COVID-restricted remote interviews.

Barbero admitted that she got unexpectedly star-struck meeting Cruise, which surprised the Mission: Impossible superstar. “I thought she was so cool,” he said.

The actress, who underwent rigorous flying training for the film in an F-18, and also said that Tom, an avid pilot himself in real life, was her best instructor.

Top Gun: Maverick opens in theaters May 27.

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Benedict Cumberbatch can’t reveal much about Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, but he did tease it as the “scariest” installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe yet.

Directed by Sam Raimi, the filmmaker behind the Evil Dead franchise and the Tobey Maguire-led Spider-Man trilogy, the sequel to 2016’s Doctor Strange sees the titular hero exploring the multiverse — in some cases unwillingly.

“It’s kind of got a little bit of everything for everybody,” Cumberbatch said Wednesday on Good Morning America, calling it “a bit of a genre-buster” and sharing his hope that it becomes “one of the jewels in the crown of the MCU.”

The two-time Oscar nominee said the sequel is a “really fun ride” that has all of Raimi’s “trademarks,” which he listed as “darker tones,” “jump scares” and “schlock horror,” paired with his experience in the superhero genre.

“I think it’s definitely the scariest of the Marvel films so far, so that was a fun element to bring,” Cumberbatch said.

In addition to bringing back characters like Rachel McAdams as Dr. Christine Palmer, and introducing fans to new characters like Xochitl [SOH-chee] Gomez as America Chavez, there are also numerous rumored cameos — none of which Cumberbatch said he can discuss, save teasing the cast is “phenomenal.”

He added, “I then get to play a couple variants of the character himself to turbocharge his development, which was great fun.”

Cumberbatch says of his magical alter-ego, “I think he’s becoming one of the well-established characters in the pantheon and this sort of phase four that Marvel’s going into with the multiverse he’s the guy cracking it open, so I’m having great fun playing him.”

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

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Entertainment Tonight reports Meg Ryan is making a return to rom-coms for the first time since 2008.

The When Harry Met Sally star is set to direct and star opposite David Duchovny in the upcoming film, What Happens Later, based on Steven Dietz‘s play, Shooting Star.

The movie adaptation, which she co-wrote with Dietz and playwright/novelist Kirk Lynn, follows Ryan and Duchovny as Willa and Bill, an ex-couple “who are reunited when they find themselves snowed in at an airport overnight.” Through the course of the evening, Willa, a free spirit, and Bill, who’s coping with a recent separation, “look back on their shared past and revisit any feelings that still linger between them.”

The producers, in a statement obtained by the outlet, say the rom-com takes “a look at life and love that audiences the world over will relate to and hunger for in these uncertain times when connection and reconciliation feel more important than ever.”

What Happens Later is slated for release in 2023.

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Wednesday is May 4th, known the world over as Star Wars Day, as in “May the Fourth be with you” — a punny salutation created by fans who chose the date to celebrate George Lucas‘ galaxy far, far away.

The Walt Disney Company purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, and has officially observed the holiday since 2013. And this year, Disney+ is helping fans celebrate with a new trailer for its forthcoming new series, Obi-Wan Kenobi.

The new coming attraction shows the desperate state Ewan McGregor’s titular Jedi Knight is in following the events of Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith and the rise of the Empire, as he fights to keep himself — and a young Luke Skywalker, now with his aunt and uncle on Tattooine — out of the Empire’s clutches, while the Empire also hunts him. We also get another glimpse of Kenobi’s former student, Anakin Skywalker, now transformed into the evil Darth Vader.

As reported, Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Anakin/Vander for Obi-Wan Kenobi, and for the follow-up, Ahsoka. Obi-Wan Kenobi debuts May 27 with two episodes on Disney+.

Speaking of which, Disney+’s Star Wars channel has a different look for Star Wars Day, and new content, including a behind the scenes look at the making of The Book of Boba Fett; Star Wars Biomes, described as “a virtual vacation” to some of the franchise’s fictional locations like Hoth and Tatooine; Star Wars: A Galaxy of Sounds, an ambient noise channel for the vehicles and locations from the movies; and more.

Of course, you can also find all of the Star Wars films, as well as all of its live-action and animated spin-off shows, on Disney+.

For the record, here are the five highest-grossing Star Wars movies at the time of their release, according to FinanceBuzz:

• Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens (2015) — $936,662,225
• Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017) — $620,181,382
• Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) — $532,177,324
• Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker (2019) — $515,202,542
• Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace (1999) — $431,088,295

And here are the five highest-grossing Star Wars movies, adjusted for inflation:

• Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope (1977) — $1,340,662,479
• Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens — $1,041,106,174
• Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace — $682,414,475
• Star Wars: Episode V (1980) — The Empire Strikes Back — $673,343,092
• Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi (1983) — $669,547,048

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Paramount+ announced that the Bryan Cranston/Annette Bening comedy Jerry & Marge Go Large will be coming to the streaming service on June 17. The film, which will debut at the Tribeca Film Festival in June, has the pair starring in the real-life story of a couple who hit it big gaming the Massachusetts lottery. They then use their windfall to help their Michigan town. The film also stars Michael McKean, Larry Wilmore, Rainn Wilson, and Anna Camp…

A spin-off to the hit Jackass: Forever is coming to Paramount+. The Hollywood Reporter says Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish revealed the news after an earnings call on Tuesday. “…[W]e’re working with the creators to continue the partnership with a new series, bringing even more ridiculous antics straight to Paramount+,” the exec said. To date, the modestly-budgeted Jackass: Forever has made more than $80 million in theaters, making it one of the highest grossing films of 2022…

(NOTE LANGUAGE) Dead to Me, Netflix’s dark comedy starring Christina Applegate, Linda Cardellini and James Marsden, will return for its third and final season in the fall. “And… that’s a wrap on @deadtome Season 3!” series creator Liz Feldman tweeted next to a photo of a director’s chair sitting alone on a beach. “Filming is complete. Editing is underway. The final season is coming. And holy. f******. s***. @1capplegate & @lindacardellini knocked it out of the park. Can’t to share it with you.” Netflix also announced Feldman’s next project for the streamer, the dark comedy titled, No Good Deed…

David Birney, the actor best known for playing Dr. Ben Samuels on season one of the 1982 NBC medical drama St. Elsewhere, as well as CBS’ short-lived, controversial 1972 sitcom Bridget Loves Bernie, has died of Alzheimer’s disease at his home in Santa Monica, His life partner Michele Roberge tells The New York Times. He was 83. Birney appeared on St. Elsewhere for just one season, before leaving due to a Broadway commitment. Bridget Loves Bernie, an interfaith sitcom that met with criticism from Jewish groups due to accusations of stereotypes, lasted just one season, but also introduced him to his co-star Meredith Baxter, to whom was married from 1974-1989. They shared three children. Birney also had guest spots and recurring roles on many classic TV shows, including Murder, She Wrote, The Love Boat and Hawaii Five-0…

Mom alum Allison Janney has been tapped to star alongside Kristen Wiig in Apple TV+ comedy series Mrs. American Pie, according to Deadline. Mrs. American Pie revolves around Palm Beach high society in the 1970s. Wiig plays Maxine Simmons, “an outsider” trying to “cross that impermeable line between the haves and the have-nots,” according to the streaming service. “Mrs. American Pie asks the same questions that still baffle us today: ‘Who gets a seat at the table?” Janney will play Evelyn, a full-time Palm Beach resident and member of the high society. Executive producer Laura Dern is also “eyeing a key role” in the comedy…

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It’s no joke: Dave Chappelle was tackled on stage while playing the Netflix Is A Joke festival at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles Tuesday night.

According to KABC-TV, the unidentified man rushed the stage when Chappelle was performing, and shoved Dave to stage floor, where the comic tussled with the unknown assailant. The suspect then ran away behind a screen on stage, where he was tackled by security.

The 48-year-old comedian and Mark Twain Award winner was apparently uninjured in the altercation, and actually ran towards the scrum with security, where it appeared the suspect was getting “stomped.” Chappelle repeatedly demanded he be ejected from the historic venue, according to the ABC News affiliate.

Authorities say the suspect, who was wheeled out of the venue in a hospital gurney, was reportedly armed with a gun and a knife.

The show continued, with Chris Rock joining Dave after the attack, joking, “Was that Will Smith?” — of course a callback to the slap he suffered at the hands of the star during this year’s Oscars telecast.

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