Entertainment

(SPOILERS AHEAD)We’re down to the last two episodes of the Disney+ series Loki, and director Kate Herron recently teased what we can expect in the final installments; episode five of Loki drops on Wednesday.

Herron explained to Hollywood Life the purpose of Loki’s first post-credit scene, in which Tom Hiddleston‘s titular character finds himself in a strange place where he confronts three other Lokis after being pruned by Gugu Mbatha-Raw‘s Ravonna.

“I just felt like it would just give it a bit more punch, basically,” she explains. “It was meant to have that kind of surprise intention, obviously, but I just felt prolonging it and giving that gap really gave it the punch that we were after.”

As for the post credits scene, where Loki asks “Is this Hell?” — referring to one of the nine realms — Herron says the significance “is just that he doesn’t know where he is, and he’s wondering if it could be that.”

Regarding Ravonna’s reason for pruning Loki, Herron promises, “We’re going to find out so much of what she knows and where her head is at as the story continues.”

“I love how Gugu played it when Mobius — played by Owen Wilson — is deleted. She’s doing it for the greater good, but she has that moment after where she takes a breath,” she continues.  “It wasn’t an easy decision.  So I think, for me, more of Ravonna and how she feels about everything is to be answered, but there are definitely questions that we will answer in regards to that.”

Herron also says the series will explore Loki’s reaction to seeing different variations of himself, as well as if he and Sylvie — played by Sophia Di Martino — will be reunited by the end of the series.

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Today, Disney+ launches its Monsters, Inc. spin-off series Monsters at Work with two episodes. Billy Crystal returns as one-eyed would-be funnyman Mike Wazowski and John Goodman reprises his role as his fuzzy buddy, James P. “Sully” Sullivan. 

The series is based on the Oscar-winning 2001 Disney/Pixar hit Monsters, Inc., which created a world in which monsters scaring kids at night generated energy for the City of Monstropolis. But the movie closed with the Monsters finding a new source of energy: comedy.

For motor-mouthed Mike, he sees it as a great opportunity. For Crystal to play him, however, it’s a fun challenge.

“He’s he’s on speed dial, isn’t he?” Crystal tells ABC Audio. “It’s such a thrill to play him and it’s so exhausting at the same time. After like four-hour sessions of being him with such high energy. I’ll take a nap for three or four days,” adding, “But that’s what I love about him. You know, it’s one of my favorite characters of anything I’ve done.”

Crystal also says of Monsters at Work, “[T]he great thing about it is families can watch it together.”

Goodman agrees. “It’s a rare thing now to sit down with a family, be able to watch something. Everything’s so splintered. But This stands, the test of time. People that I run into, that’s usually the first thing they say is ‘Monster’s Inc.! Where’s Sully?’ And I am I’m proud of that, to be able to be a part of these artists’ world.” 

Monsters at Work also features the voices of Jennifer Tilly, Pixar veteran John Ratzenberger, Henry Winkler, and comedian Gabriel Iglesias.

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Not everything in life — or movies — is black and white, there can be some gray areas, which is a big part of Scarlett Johansson‘s Black Widow character’s past. 

The 36-year-old actress stars as Natasha Romanoff in the upcoming Marvel film that takes a deep dive into her background. Speaking with Entertainment Tonight about the movie, which she says is one of her “greatest accomplishments,” she elaborated on the struggles that her character is faced with. 

“Natasha is really reckoning with the trauma she has faced and she’s been running away from,” Johansson shared.

“She’s been a part of a large organization for her entire life, and I think that there’s a lot of gray in that,” she said. “You’re working towards a greater goal — for better or worse — and it’s not driven by any personal desire. We’ve alluded to that — I mean, that was Thanos’ big argument, right? — and the Marvel universe has played with that idea a lot.”

“In Ultron, [it was] how many casualties for a greater good is acceptable? And Cap has always said zero. It’s been a big debate, that’s what Civil War was about,” she explained. “It’s a gray area that she had no active choice in but has felt so guilty about, and [she’s] not understood or been able to really deal with the trauma that she’s experienced because of that. And it’s Yelena who allows her to — even, like, forces her to — reflect on that, so she can move past it.”

Black Widow will hit theaters and be available on Disney+ with Premier Access on July 9.

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

Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Amazon Prime has released the trailer for its upcoming documentary about the life of Val Kilmer, called Val.  Culled from thousands of hours of film and video footage that Kilmer shot himself over his many years in Hollywood, the doc also details his battle with throat cancer, which has left his voice slurred, but his spirit unbroken.

The footage also is a time capsule: It takes viewers behind the scenes of iconic movies in which Kilmer starred, including Top Gun, The Doors, Heat, Tombstone and others. 

Amazon says of Val, “This raw, wildly original and unflinching documentary reveals a life lived to extremes and a heart-filled, sometimes hilarious look at what it means to be an artist and a complex man.”

The film debuts on Amazon Prime on August 6.

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Disney+ launches its Monsters, Inc. spin-off series Monsters at Work with two episodes dropping on Wednesday. Billy Crystal returns as one-eyed would-be funnyman Mike Wazowski and John Goodman reprises his role as his fuzzy buddy, James P. “Sully” Sullivan. 

The series is based on the 2001 big screen hit Monsters, Inc., which posited that monsters scaring kids at night generated energy for the City of Monstropolis. But the movie closed with the Monsters finding a new source of energy: comedy.

Crystal tells ABC Audio, “The show starts the next day after the first movie ended, and so now they’re harvesting laughs.” 

He explains, “Now the slogan is ‘It’s laughter we’re after,’ so the Scare Floor is gone. So now they have to find ways to be funny. And for monsters to try to be funny is really funny.” 

Crystal adds, “For Mike, he fancies himself [a comedian], ‘Oh, I’ll teach a comedy class…I’ll teach these monsters how to be funny.’ And Mike’s not that funny, which makes it funny.”

Series newcomers Mindy Kaling, who voices Val Little, and Superstore‘s Ben Feldman, who plays new employee Tylor Tuskmon, leapt at the chance to join the Monsters world.

“I just love the movie so much…it’s so timeless,” Kaling said. “I showed it to my daughter recently, and she loved it. I was actually prepping her for the show so that I’ll be regaled as a hero, but she loved it.”

Feldman adds, “I can’t believe the movie was 20 years ago…And so, you know, I guess the goal is for our show to be as timeless?” 

Monsters at Work also features the voices of Kelly Marie Tran, Jennifer Tilly, Pixar veteran John Ratzenberger, Henry Winkler, and comedian Gabriel Iglesias.

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With the premiere of Black Widow just days away, the dating app Plenty of Fish conducted a survey to see what its users thought of the super spy and other comic characters when it comes to dating. 

No pressure, ladies, but Wonder Woman remains the ideal “girlfriend or wife” for the guys on the app, according to the non-scientific poll of more than 2,000 users. 

In fact, 55% of the guys polled say they’d prefer the DC Comics heroine over Scarlett Johansson‘s Black Widow from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with 26% saying they’d prefer the former Russian super-spy over the Amazonian princess.

The poll also revealed that 28% of comic movie fans would most like to see Black Widow and Hawkeye as a couple. The Incredible Hulk shipped with Black Widow was sought after by 24%, and 23% want to see Black Widow dating Black Panther. 

However, if Widow could date outside the Marvel Universe, 17% said they’d like her to date Batman. 

And while 59% said they’ve all but hidden their Marvel fandom on their dating profile, the survey surprisingly revealed maybe they shouldn’t: More than half of men on the app and 37% of women say it’s a turn-on if someone says they’re a Marvel fan. What’s more, 20% say they’ve used Marvel references as a pick-up line, and 30% say they’ve bonded with a date over Marvel. 

Black Widow opens July 9 in theaters and on Disney+ Premiere Access.

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

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Lucy Hale, who recently celebrated Pretty Little Liars‘ 11th anniversary, wishes nothing but the best for the show’s upcoming reboot.  

Speaking with ABC Audio, the actress weighed in on Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin — a reboot that comes not even four years after PLL aired its final episode on Freeform.

“I personally don’t have a problem with it. This is the honest truth,” said Hale, who starred as Aria Montgomery in the original series. “I’m very curious to see what it is even going to be [about]… I don’t know if it’s the same characters or the same storyline or what’s even happening!”

“I love Pretty Little Liars, so I think I’ll like the reboot,” Hale continued.  “I wish them well. I truly do. I hope it’s a major success.”

Hale, 32, noted that reboots allow new actors to get their start in Hollywood and, as a reminder to PLL fans, referenced her own big break.

“I’ve been a part of reboots, I did the Bionic Woman reboot,” she explained, referring to the 2007 re-do of the series that originally ran between 1976 and 1978.  Hale played Becca Somers, the teenage sister of the titular character.

“I know some friends that have been a part of reboots and got trashed for even being a part of it, but I think as an artist, you always have to be supportive of other people,” Lucy continued.

Hale, who recently partnered with the sustainable dog food brand KARMA, said the reboot will allow more people falling in love with Pretty Little Liars.

“I think a lot of people will be discovering it for the first time, too, like they won’t even know the original people, which is really funny,” she smiled. “I only have well wishes for everyone involved.”

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Sure, Fast 9 proudly wears its ridiculousness on its sleeve, but social media took it to the next level over the weekend, with endless memes inserting Vin Diesel‘s character, Dom Toretto, into scenes from what seemed to be every film. 

While members of Dom Toretto’s “family” launched themselves into space this time around, is it any stretch to think Dom could have taken on Thanos in Avengers: Endgame? Or perhaps tackled dinosaurs in Jurassic Park? Or helped young Kevin McCallister in Home Alone?

The running gag usually shows Dom in a t-shirt, wielding a shotgun, against which any foe is no match.  It begins with a character from the film declaring, “Dom, no! That’s suicide!”

“Thanos is strong,” one picture touted. “But family is stronger.”  

“A T-Rex is strong…” another picture showed. “But not as strong as family.”

An early example poked fun at F9‘s space scene, picturing Dom in his muscle car, flying wingman to Anakin Skywalker during the epic opening battle in Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith. “How are you in space?” Anakin asks. “You don’t need logic when you have family,” is Dom’s captioned response.

You get the idea.

As of Monday, “Fast 9 family memes” calls up some 43,400,000 Google search results. But who needs search engines when you’ve got family?

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Paul Rudd has been known for playing pranks — for example, his years-long habit of playing the same clip from the 1988 movie Mac and Me whenever he appears on Conan to promote a new film — but he gets kudos for what comics call “commitment to a bit” for a gag he pulled on his pal Seth Rogen. 

On Twitter, Rogen admitted that his 40-Year-Old Virgin co-star clowned him big time, but honestly, it’s not really obvious who got the last laugh.

“Once I was in the spa in a hotel in Vegas getting a massage,” Rogen recalled. “When I finished I turned over and to my shock Paul Rudd was massaging me. He saw me go in and convinced the masseuse to let him take over, thinking I’d notice immediately.”

It’s not known when the prank happened, but the story Seth posted immediately went viral. 

“Suddenly Paul Rudd turning out to be my masseuse is the thing I want most in the whole world,” one person  responded. Another wrote, “Seriously how do I get in on this prank?!”

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Leslie Odom Jr. is thrilled to be part of Knives Out 2, the sequel to the 2019 hit movie, especially since he’ll be working alongside some familiar faces.

Odom, 39, raved to ABC Audio about the A-list cast, which includes his Central Park co-star Kathryn Hahn, as well as Janelle Monáe and Kate Hudson, with whom he starred in Harriet and Music, respectively.

Despite that, the Hamilton star finds it “funny” he’s nervous about the opportunity.

“There comes a time in the business where you just feel like you don’t know anybody,” said Odom. “There is a part of me that still feels like that 23- or 24-year-old kid that just got to LA and nobody knows me and I’m still trying to make it.”

Nerves aside, Leslie disclosed he’s most looking forward to working Knives Out 2 director RianJohnson.

“To work with Rian on his new film is what I’m most excited about” the Oscar nominee declared, noting Johnson is primed to “deliver something that is exciting and surprising to the fans, just like the first one!” 

Asked if he could tease anything about the sequel, Leslie grinned, “I’m not giving away a thing. No way!” However, he did note some of his Knives Out 2 co-stars are talented singers.

“I feel like there could be a musical number. I’ve got to get to work on that,” he joked, and urged fans to “write a fake fan letter” demanding one be included. (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)

Knives Out 2, also starring Daniel Craig, Dave Bautista and Ethan Hawke, is slated to premiere next year.

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