Entertainment

Out of the blue clear sky, the trio behind the 1994 film Forrest Gump is reuniting for an adaptation of Richard McGuire‘s 2014 graphic novel, Here. Deadline reports Eric Roth will co-write the script with Robert Zemeckis, who will also direct, and Tom Hanks will star. All three won Oscars for Forrest Gump. “Set in one room,” Here “focuses on the many people who inhabit it over years and years, from the past to the distant future,” according to the outlet…

Disney+ has tapped Oscar-winning composer John Williams to write the theme for Obi-Wan Kenobi, its newest small-screen Star Wars project, premiering May 25. Williams recorded last week with a Los Angeles orchestra under tight security, sources tell Variety. It marks the first time Williams has composed the theme for a weekly dramatic series since Steven Spielberg‘s Amazing Stories for NBC in 1985, although he wrote two for PBS: Masterpiece Theatre in 2000 and Great Performances in 2009. His news and Olympics themes, written decades ago, continue to air on NBC. He won an Oscar for the original Star Wars score in 1977 and received nominations for five of the sequels — The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi in 1980 and 1983, followed by The Force Awakens, The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker in 2015, 2017 and 2019. Disney is the parent company of ABC News…

Amanda Seyfried has joined Tom Holland in Apple TV+’s “seasonal anthology” series centering on mental illness, The Crowded Room, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The first season follows Billy Milligan — played by Holland — the first person to ever be acquitted of a crime because he suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder, which was known then as Multiple Personality Disorder. Milligan was indicted for a string of rapes and kidnappings in 1977 but ultimately acquitted, after claiming he had 24 personalities living inside him. The court at the time found he committed the crimes but wasn’t responsible for them. Having avoided prison thanks to the successful defense, Milligan spent his life at a psychiatric hospital in Ohio, where he died in 2014. Seyfried’s role has not been revealed…

FX announced on Thursday that the award-wining Donald Glover series Atlanta will end with season four, according to Variety. The show’s third season, which takes place almost entirely in Europe with the characters in the midst of a successful European tour, premieres March 24, while season four, which is already in the can, is set to air in the fall. “Death is natural,” Glover said during FX’s portion of the Television Critics Association winter press tour. “I feel like when the conditions are right for something, they happen, and when the conditions aren’t right, they don’t happen. I don’t feel any longevity. Because then things start to get weird”…

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Nearly one year after undergoing emergency surgery following a serious car accident, Tiger Woods is giving fans a health update. 

During news conference at Wednesday’s Genesis Invitational, the professional golfer told reporters, “I wish I could tell you when I’m playing again,” according to Golf.com. 

“I want to know, but I don’t,” he continued, adding, “My golf activity has been very limited. I can chip and putt really well and hit short irons very well, but I haven’t done any long stuff seriously. I’m still working… I’m still working on the walking part.”

Tiger shared that while he can walk on a treadmill “all day” due to it being a continuous flat surface, he has a “long way to go” before he can walk on a bumpy golf course. 

Even though Woods admittedly has some more work to do to get back in playing shape, he remains grateful. 

“I’m very lucky, very lucky,” he said. “As a lot of you guys know, I didn’t know if I was going to have the right leg or not. So to be able to have my right leg still here, it’s huge. I still have a lot of issues with it, but it’s mine and I’m very thankful for that.”

Tiger was injured in a rollover car crash in Southern California last February. He underwent emergency surgery on his right leg and later received follow-up procedures for his injuries.

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How do you balance the time between your work and your life? That’s one of the central questions of the new Apple TV+ series Severance, in which employees voluntarily undergo a procedure that allows them to segment their brain, so the work and non-work parts of their lives are completely separate.

Ben Stiller directs and executive produces the series, and he tells ABC Audio the balance between the two is an ongoing struggle.

“I think the last few years with the pandemic has affected everybody in terms of that and looking at our priorities and what’s important and how much of your life you want to spend away from your family,” he explains. “It’s hard also when you do something you love because you spend time doing it and love doing it, and then you have to sometimes pull yourself away from it.”

Parks and Recreation alum Adam Scott plays one of the “severed” office workers in the series, although he’s never actually worked in an office, thanks to “a really sweet, generous grandmother” who paid his way until he got on his feet.

“I had little like busing table jobs here and there, but I never had to have an office job. The closest I’ve come is Severance, he admits.

Some might assume Severance is a workplace comedy, but Scott says they’d be wrong.

Notes Scott, “I feel like one of the unique things about it is that it has the feeling of workplace comedy when you start the series and it kind of dips into that throughout the season as well. But there’s something sort of sinister kind of bubbling underneath, something uneasy about this particular workplace.” 

Severance debuts today on Apple TV+.

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Amazon Studios announced Thursday that its Emmy-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has been renewed for a fifth and final season, ahead of Friday’s fourth-season premiere.

In a statement, Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, noted, “This series has meant so much to Prime Video and the effects of its success will be felt long after its final season.” She added, “I can’t wait for fans…to savor each moment as we embark on the culmination of this groundbreaking and unforgettable series.”

The studio also announced that The Terminal List, an eight-episode adaptation of the Jack Carr thriller novel starring and co-produced by Chris Pratt, will debut July 1. 

Pratt, who last year starred in the streaming service’s The Tomorrow War, will be joined onscreen by Constance Wu, Taylor Kitsch, Jai Courtney, Jeanne Tripplehorn, and Sean Gunn, among others. Also starring is Patrick Schwarzenegger, who’s also Pratt’s brother-in-law.

According to Amazon, Jurassic World and Marvel movie vet Pratt will be playing Navy SEAL James Reece, who survives an ambush on a secret mission only to find “dark forces working against him” when he returns home, putting him and his family in danger.

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Evidently, part of an interview with Kanye West‘s reported ex-girfriend Julia Fox is going viral for the wrong reasons, but she’s being a good sport about it.

Earlier this month, the actress and model was on the Call Her Daddy podcast when she referenced the 2019 hit Uncut Gems, in which she played Adam Sandler‘s mistress. But her pronunciation of the film’s title varies — according to the many people who goofed on her for it on social media.

Fox was pontificating about being a “muse” for West — something she claimed to be for Uncut Gems‘ co-director Josh Safdie when she pronounced the crime thriller’s name as something sounding like “UNCO JIAMS” or “UNCLE JENNS,” or various others offerings from online snarkers.

“Omggggg I was stoned leave me alone!!!! Hahahahahah,” Fox said in protesting the online spoofing. For some, though, even that excuse wasn’t enough.

“I ain’t never smoked a weed that makes me speak a new language,” one follower replied.

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Following rumors that she will not return this year to her talk show, Wendy Williams provided an update on her health in a five-minute Instagram video posted Wednesday, shot by her son, Kevin, as she walked along a Florida beach.

“I am going back stronger,” Wendy declared. “At 56 years old, there are things that happen to people,” she said, although she turned 57 in July. After some people suggested it was an old video, the clip was deleted.

Wendy has recovered from COVID-19, but she continues to suffer from Graves’ disease. There are unconfirmed reports that Sherri Shepherd will be named the permanent host of her show if Wendy isn’t ready to return to work in September.

In other news, after having eight children with multiple women, Nick Cannon admits he does want a monogamous relationship. Even so, he’s got his doubts.  “We choose to be monogamous because we value this so much, we don’t want anyone to be a part of this energy we have, and I don’t feel like that’s healthy,” The Masked Singer host said Wednesday on The Language of Love podcast with Dr. Laura Berman. “I don’t think monogamy is healthy. I feel like that gets into the space of selfishness and ownership.”

Finally, TMZ reports that former Scandal star Columbus Short is facing facing one charge of domestic violence and one charge of child endangerment after being arrested on February 2. The incident involved his wife, Aida Abramyan, at their California home. Short was released on bond on Thursday and is due to appear at Los Angeles Superior Court on June 6. The actor has been arrested numerous times, including for domestic violence in 2018, and served 34 days in jail after pleading no contest in court.

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The trailer has arrived for ELVIS, Baz Lurhann‘s movie about the King of Rock ‘n Roll and his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.

The trailer begins with a voiceover by Tom Hanks, who plays Parker, intoning, “There are some who’d make me out to be the villain of this here story.”  He then muses, “Are you born with destiny, or does it just come knocking at your door?”

Footage follows of Elvis as a kid being exposed to gospel music, and then a pre-stardom Elvis, played by Austin Butler, taking the stage at the Louisiana Hayride in 1954. We hear Parker say, “At that moment, I saw that skinny boy transform into a superhero.”

What follows shows that the movie appears to cover Elvis’ entire life — his early success, the Army, Priscilla, the Comeback Special, the Vegas years and more — with Parker there to guide him.

At the end of the trailer, Parker says to Elvis, “We are the same, you and I!  Two odd, lonely children, reaching for eternity.”

ELVIS arrives in theaters on June 24.

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After starring in the Super Bowl halftime show with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, and 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige will perform at the 53^rd NAACP Image Awards. Hosted by Anthony Anderson, the show will air live Saturday, February 26 at 8:00 PM ET/PT on BET.

It was also announced Thursday that Issa Rae, Kerry Washington, LL Cool J, Michael Strahan, Morgan Freeman, Paula Patton, Questlove, Tiffany Haddish and Zendaya will be among the presenters.

As previously reported, Samuel L. Jackson will receive the Chairman’s Award. The honor recognizes individuals who “demonstrate exemplary public service” and use their “distinct platforms to create agents of change.” Past honorees include the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis, Danny Glover, Tyler Perry and Barack Obama.

Jennifer Hudson, Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion, Regina King and Tiffany Haddish are the nominees for Entertainer of the Year. The Harder They Fall, starring King, has received 12 nominations, including Outstanding Motion Picture. In the television category, Insecure was the top nominee with 12 nods.

In music, H.E.R. snagged the most nominations with six; Drake, Chlöe and Jazmine Sullivan also scored multiple nods.

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The family drama Promised Land on ABC is very near and dear to creator Matt Lopez’s heart. It’s a story of first and second generation Latino immigrants fighting for their piece of the American dream, with many parallels to Lopez’s family. And he tells ABC Audio that’s why he’s surprised that in the few weeks it’s been on the air, people from all walks of life have told them how much they like it.

“Obviously it’s a show with a predominantly Latino cast. The characters come from that background…So you would sort of expect or at least not be surprised if it resonated with that audience,” he explains. “But the extent to which it’s resonated with a broader audience is really kind of cool and gratifying.”

An example of others who have resonated with the show is the stunt coordinator, who is Vietnamese-American, “walked up to [Lopez] and said, I just want to say thank you because this is my parent’s story. And I haven’t seen it like on a network drama before.”

Even though the show resonates with many, Lopez admits that there’s pressure to doing a show like this, because there aren’t a lot of them.

Remembering what one of his directors, Felix Alcala, told him he says, “Each one of these scripts has to be a gem…because if you fall on your face, it’s going to make it that much harder for the next one.”

Promised Land draws “huge inspiration” from East of Eden and themes of the American dream.

“The beauty of the American dream. The cost of the American dream. And what it costs you sometimes to chase it and get it. That’s that kind of universal thing I think all audiences respond to,” Lopez shares. 

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Ryan Reynolds is promoting his new Netflix movie The Adam Project, but he took some time to address a Marvel-related rumor: He insists his alter ego Deadpool won’t appear in Doctor Strange: In The Multiverse of Madness.

“Tell me everything about your appearance in the Doctor Strange movie,” Variety‘s Marc Malkin nonchalantly asked the star, cracking him up.  “That’s the least covert trap I’ve ever seen in my life,” Ryan laughed. He then insisted with a smirk, “I guess I’m really not supposed to say anything about that, but I’m really not in the movie.” 

When Malkin countered that it wasn’t exactly the most convincing denial ever, Ryan replied, “I may be an ‘unreliable narrator,’ but I promise you I’m not in the movie.”

Marvel fans are right to be skeptical, considering how many times Andrew Garfield, and Charlie Cox continuously denied their roles as “Peter Parker 3” and Matt Murdock/Daredevil in Spider-Man: No Way Home. 

But even without Deadpool, there are plenty of Doctor Strange rumors to go around ever since some reportedly cameo-heavy reshoots were announced.

Among the rumors are Tom Cruise playing a version of Iron Man — a role Cruise once wanted to play in real life — and Chris Evans reprising his role as The Human Torch from the Fantastic Four movies. Some geeks are even buzzing about a cameo from Hugh Jackman‘s Wolverine, who died in 2017’s Logan.

Sure, all of those seem far-fetched, but then again, so was the idea fans would see all three Spider-Men in one movie — until it happened.

Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness debuts May 6, 2022.

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