Krysten Ritter calls herself the newest “Disney princess” now that ‘Jessica Jones’ is on Disney+

Krysten Ritter calls herself the newest “Disney princess” now that ‘Jessica Jones’ is on Disney+
Krysten Ritter calls herself the newest “Disney princess” now that ‘Jessica Jones’ is on Disney+
Netflix

Count Krysten Ritter as one of the fans who are psyched that Netflix’s Marvel shows are now available on Disney+. 

Ritter, who played the titular heroine Jessica Jonesposted to Instagram a photo of herself in costume, noting, “Guess who’s a Disney princess now?” along with a winky, and the “bicep flex” emoji. 

She also reminded her 1.4 million followers to “(re)watch” her character’s adventures “now streaming on her new home.”

Ritter became a fan favorite for playing Jones, who was blessed/cursed with super-strength by a shadowy organization’s experimentation on her. Jones for the most part tries to hide her powers — although as the series shows, they come in handy during her day job as a private eye.  The series won acclaim for its frank portrayal of weighty topics like addiction and sexual abuse, and Ritter’s portrayal of the hard-drinking, no-nonsense character.

The well-reviewed Jessica Jones ran for three seasons on Netflix, ending in 2015 as part of a move to consolidate all Marvel content under the Marvel Studios umbrella.  Ritter told ABC Audio the character was the “role of a lifetime” for her, and one she’d be willing to revisit. 

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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‘A Measure of Revenge’ stars Bella Thorne and Melissa Leo enjoy a mutual admiration society

‘A Measure of Revenge’ stars Bella Thorne and Melissa Leo enjoy a mutual admiration society
‘A Measure of Revenge’ stars Bella Thorne and Melissa Leo enjoy a mutual admiration society
Vertical Entertainment

(NOTE LANGUAGE) New on demand is the thriller A Measure of Revenge, in which Oscar winner Melissa Leo plays a heartbroken actress looking to avenge the overdose death of her musician son. 

Leo’s character, Lillian, strikes up an unlikely partnership with Bella Thorne‘s Taz, as the grieving mom hunts down the guys who led to her son’s death. 

Thorne, who was a late addition to the cast, said working opposite someone of Leo’s caliber was “F***ing amazing!”

The outspoken singer and actress went on: “I’ve been such a fan of her work for so long that when Jen Gatien our producer brought it to me, I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll work with her, like totally! Whatever role it is, I will work with her!”

She adds, “I learned so much from her that that will help me in my future. That was really important. And you know, how do I soak in someone’s just effortlessness of the way they do what they do?”

Thorne admits, “I just got so lucky that it was her and how sweet and endearing [she was] and immediately takes me in and makes me feel so welcome… I was just constantly blown away.”

The admiration goes both ways. For her part, Leo explained, “The thing about it is, is that Bella was the very best thing about shooting this movie. When you get a young actor who is hungry and eager and willing and open and talented and delightful and dear, well, that’s that’s the cherry on top of Bella.” 

 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Trevor Noah says Kanye’s recent conduct “breaks my heart”

Trevor Noah says Kanye’s recent conduct “breaks my heart”
Trevor Noah says Kanye’s recent conduct “breaks my heart”
Comedy Central

(NOTE LANGUAGE) After Kanye West was suspended from Instagram for his racist digs at Trevor Noah, the Daily Show host says the recording artist’s recent behavior “breaks my heart.”

Ye went after Noah for his support of Kim Kardashian in light of attacks Kanye made against his ex wife and her current boyfriend Pete Davidson. Noah, who grew up with an abusive father, said in part on his show, “What [Kim is] going through is terrifying to watch, and it shines a spotlight on what so many women go through when they choose to leave.”

TMZ posted a screencap of Noah’s Instagram Story about the situation.

While admitting the racist version of “Kumbaya” that Kanye used to diss him was “funny as s***,” Noah said that West was still an “indelible” part of his life. 

“I thought differently about how I spent my money because of you, I learned to protect my child-like creativity from grown thoughts because of you,” Noah wrote. “S***, I still smile every time I put on a seatbelt because of you,” he continued, a callback to West supporting the devices for saving his life in a serious car accident.

“It breaks my heart to see you like this,” Noah expressed, adding, “I don’t care if you support Trump and I don’t care if you roast Pete. I do however care when I see you on a path that’s dangerously close to peril and pain.”

Noah also commented, “I’ve woken up too many times and read headlines about men who’ve killed their exes, their kids and then themselves. I never want to read that headline about you.”

Trevor also added optimistically, “hopefully, one day we’ll all be laughing about this.”

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Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher reach $30M goal to help Ukrainians amid Russian invasion

Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher reach M goal to help Ukrainians amid Russian invasion
Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher reach M goal to help Ukrainians amid Russian invasion
NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Two weeks after Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher started a GoFundMe for Ukraine, the couple updated their followers on Instagram to say that their $30 million goal has been met.

“We just want to say, we hit our goal,” Kunis said in a video posted Thursday. “Over 65,000 of you donated. We are overwhelmed with gratitude for the support. And while this is far from a solution for the problem, our collective effort will provide a softer landing for so many people as they forge ahead into their future of uncertainty.”

“Our work is not done,” Kutcher added. “We’re gonna do everything we can to ensure that the outpouring of love that came from you all as part of this campaign finds maximum impact for those in need.”

The couple went on to thank those who donated and promised to make sure the money goes toward those in need overseas. They also encouraged people to continue donating to them or other foundations working to help Ukraine.

The couple announced they started the GoFundMe earlier this month in the wake of the Russian invasion. They kickstarted their “Stand With Ukraine” effort with $3 million of their own money.

Kunis also opened up about being “proud” of her Ukrainian roots.

“I was born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, in 1983. I came to America in 1991 and I have always considered myself an American. A proud American,” she said. “I love everything that this country has done for myself and my family, but today I have never been more proud to be a Ukrainian.”

Kutcher chimed in, “And I’ve never been more proud to be married to a Ukrainian.”

The GoFundMe fundraiser benefits Flexport and AirBnB’s relief efforts, the couple said. The freight transporter and the rental service “are actively on the ground providing help to those who need it most,” they said.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Report: ‘Loki’ star Tom Hiddleston is engaged

Report: ‘Loki’ star Tom Hiddleston is engaged
Report: ‘Loki’ star Tom Hiddleston is engaged
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images

Tom Hiddleston, star of Marvel’s Disney+ series Loki, is engaged to actress Zawe Ashton, according to Us Weekly.

The couple sparked engagement rumors at Sunday’s 2022 BAFTA Awards, where the 37-year-old actress was photographed with a diamond ring on her left hand.

Hiddleston, 41, and Ashton reportedly met on the set of the West End’s 2019 production of Betrayal, in which they both starred.

Tom and Zawe have reportedly been living together in Atlanta Georgia, according to the outlet, but have been keeping their relationship low key. They made their red carpet debut at the 2021 Tony Awards.

Hiddleston briefly dated Taylor Swift in 2016.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Pete Davidson won’t be going to space

Pete Davidson won’t be going to space
Pete Davidson won’t be going to space
Mary Ellen Matthews/NBC

Pete Davidson won’t be blasting off to space this month after all.

Late Thursday evening, Jeff Bezos‘ space exploration company Blue Origin tweeted that the 20th flight of its New Shepard rocket will now be blasting off on Tuesday, March 29, and “Pete Davidson is no longer able to join the NS-20 crew on this mission.” 

The company added, “We will announce the sixth crew member in the coming days.”

The stand-up comic, Saturday Night Live cast member and King of Staten Island star was supposed to be aboard the space exploration company’s fourth human flight on March 23.

His fellow travelers were to be Party America CEO Marty Allen; property developer Marc Hagle and his wife Sharon Hagle, who runs a science education non-profit; entrepreneur Jim Kitchen; and Commercial Space Technologies president Dr. George Nield.

For the record, former Obama White House staffer and Designated Survivor actor Kal Penn tweeted a “raised hand” emoji in response to Blue Origin’s announcement, to try to fill Pete’s seat.

 

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

In Brief: ‘New trailer for ‘Flight Attendant’ takes off; Alice Eve in ‘Early Edition’ reboot, and more

In Brief: ‘New trailer for ‘Flight Attendant’ takes off; Alice Eve in ‘Early Edition’ reboot, and more
In Brief: ‘New trailer for ‘Flight Attendant’ takes off; Alice Eve in ‘Early Edition’ reboot, and more

The Flight Attendant‘s second season takes off April 21 on HBO Max. The premium cable channel dropped the new teaser trailer on Thursday. Kaley Cuoco returns as flight attendant Cassie Bowden, who is now “living her best sober life in Los Angeles while moonlighting as a CIA asset in her spare time,” per HBO. “But when an overseas assignment leads her to inadvertently witness a murder, she becomes entangled in another international intrigue”…

Squid Game breakout HoYeon Jung has been tapped for a role in writer-director Alfonso Cuarón’s upcoming thriller series Disclaimer, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The South Korean model-turned-actress joins stars Cate BlanchettKevin KlineSacha Baron Cohen and Kodi Smit-McPhee in the series that follows Blanchett’s “successful and respected television documentary journalist whose work has been built on revealing the concealed transgressions of long-respected institutions.”  However, she herself ends up as the key character in a novel written by a widower — played by Kline — that reveals a dark secret she thought was buried in her past. Hoyeon plays Kim, who is described as an “ambitious, hardworking, and eager-to-please” employee of Blanchett’s character…

CBS has cast Alice Eve as the star of its Early Edition reboot, according to Variety. She’ll play an “ambitious but uncompromising” journalist named Beth, who “starts receiving tomorrow’s newspaper today and finds herself in the complicated business of changing the news instead of reporting it.” Eve’s credits include recurring roles on the TV series Entourage and Iron Fist. She’s also appeared the films She’s Out of My LeagueMen in Black 3Star Trek Into Darkness and Before We Go

Hulu has revealed a first look at the upcoming original limited series Candy, starring Jessica BielTimothy SimonsMelanie LynskeyPablo Schreiber and Raúl Esparza. The series, set in 1980, is based on the true story of Texas killer Candy Montgomery, a wife and mother who seemed to have it all before inexplicably killing her church friend with an ax. Candy premieres May 9, kicking off a five-night event leading up to the finale on May 13…


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Jared Leto talks ‘WeCrashed’ and why it was “one of the most challenging roles” of his career

Jared Leto talks ‘WeCrashed’ and why it was “one of the most challenging roles” of his career
Jared Leto talks ‘WeCrashed’ and why it was “one of the most challenging roles” of his career
Courtesy o Apple TV+

It’s the inside story of the spectacular rise and flaming failure of WeWork -– the series WeCrashed is out today on Apple TV+.

The miniseries stars Jared Leto as WeWork co-founder Adam Neumann and the actor tells ABC Audio he was fascinated by the story of Adam, his wife/co-founder Rebekah, and the journey of this business.

“This is a guy, an immigrant, who came to this country and built something out of nothing — into a $47 billion empire,” the Morbius actor says. 

“They did build a very real business. The business is incredible. It’s actually doing great from what I hear. But I’m also not Adam’s defender,” he adds. “He’s an imperfect person, just like we all are, but a very fascinating one.”

Although fascinated, Leto doesn’t excuse anything Neumann did, but understands how things could go sideways when an investor cuts a $4 billion check, as SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son did for WeWork.

“You’re going to find out who people are once they have that kind of money floating around and it changes everything,” Leto says. “You start seeing stars…it’s easy to see how you could get carried away.”

WeCrashed isn’t an action movie, however, Leto states that playing the Israeli immigrant was “one of the most challenging roles” of his career.

“The way that this character spoke, the way that he got in front of an audience and stood on stage and gave speeches. He was incredibly verbose and really physical,” he explains. “Every day I was at home just beat up and my back is killing me.”

But, Leto “loved every single second of it.”

“I’m in a bit of a masochist…I love to dive deep and I love a good challenge. And this was all of that,” he shares.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tom Cruise will be honored at Cannes Film Festival before premiere of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’

Tom Cruise will be honored at Cannes Film Festival before premiere of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’
Tom Cruise will be honored at Cannes Film Festival before premiere of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’
Karwai Tang/WireImage

It was previously reported that Top Gun: Maverick will finally land at the Cannes Film Festival, but now Deadline is reporting the star himself, Tom Cruise, will be the focus of a retrospective about his career before the movie screens.

The event will take place May 18.

The 75th annual Cannes Film Festival runs from May 17 to May 28 in France. Incidentally, Cruise’s honor comes 30 years after his first trip to the event, the trade points out, when he was promoting the Ron Howard-directed film Far and Away.

Top Gun: Maverick has been delayed multiple times: The movie, which was initially scheduled to premiere back in 2019, will now fly into theaters on May 27.

The follow-up to the 1986 blockbuster also stars Top Gun veteran Val Kilmer, Oscar winner Jennifer ConnellyEd HarrisJon HammMonica Barbero and Miles Teller

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Ryan Reynolds squirms when young fan asks if ‘Adam Project’ kiss with Zoe Saldaña “was real”

Ryan Reynolds squirms when young fan asks if ‘Adam Project’ kiss with Zoe Saldaña “was real”
Ryan Reynolds squirms when young fan asks if ‘Adam Project’ kiss with Zoe Saldaña “was real”
Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix

Celebrities often gripe that promoting their new movie means answering the same questions over and over, but Ryan Reynolds can’t say that after a young fan stumped him during a Netflix Q&A panel for The Adam Project

In referencing a love scene between Reynolds, who plays Adam, and Laura, played by Zoe Saldaña, the young man asked Ryan, “In the scene where you were kissing the girl, was that real?”

“How do I explain this?” squirmed Reynolds, the dad to daughters James, 7, Inez, 5, and 2-year-old Betty with wife Blake Lively. While he tried to compose an answer, his Adam Project co-star Jennifer Garner enthused, “This is the best Q&A ever!”, to which Reynolds agreed. 

The panel moderator suggested Lively was somewhere throwing her voice behind the query, making Ryan squint and scan the crowd in mock confusion: “Honey? What the…?” he asked.

To the youngster, Reynolds did his best. “I guess it was kind of real. How do I answer this? I didn’t mean it?” he offered, to applause.

Incidentally, his own kids have asked the same question when seeing their dad onscreen, Reynolds explained: “‘Daddy, what are you doing?'” 

“It’s like exactly the tactic I would use on them,” said Reynolds.  “Not anger, but just disappointment.”

Reynolds then thanked the fan, adding, jokingly. “The exit’s that way.”

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