Entertainment

(NOTE LANGUAGE) Chevy Chase has one thing to say regarding what his former Community co-stars — and pretty much anybody — may think about him: “I don’t give a crap.”

That’s the word from the 78-year-old former Saturday Night Live and Caddyshack star, who has a long-held reputation for being difficult at best, and, some say, a racist at worst.

Interviewed by CBS This Morning, well-traveled tales of those Chase has tangled with on set came up, starting with Saturday Night Live.

“I felt pretty strongly that I was the funniest,” Chase said with a laugh of his former SNL co-stars. A bold statement, considering that cast included John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Garrett Morris and Bill Murray, the latter of whom who replaced him on SNL and with whom he once came to blows behind the scenes.

Chevy’s former cast mates on NBC’s Community had complained about him as well. Although he started on the series when it launched in 2009, he was asked to leave before season five began, following an argument on set during which he reportedly used a racial slur. Community‘s Donald Glover complained about Chase in a 2018 New Yorker piece, accusing him of trying to throw the eventual Atlanta star off with racially insensitive language and jokes between takes.

Additionally, in a recent chat with Sirius XM’s The Howard Stern Show, SNL‘s Pete Davidson called Chase “a f***ing d*****bag,” noting “I hate that guy.” Pete also called Chase “a genuinely bad, racist person,” adding, “I don’t like him.” 

For his part, Chase seems unbothered by the criticism.  He told CBS’ Jim Axelrod, “I don’t give a crap. I’m who I am, and I like who I am. And it’s a part of who I am that I don’t care.”

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Sony Pictures accountants’ Spidey senses were tingling over the weekend, as Spider-Man: No Way Home swung over Avatar to become the third-highest grossing domestic release of all time. 

Only Star Wars: Episode VII — The Force Awakens and Avengers: Endgame sit above Spidey, with domestic performances of, respectively, $936.6 million and $858.3 million.

No Way Home, which is also boasting an A+ on ratings aggregator Cinemascore, earned an additional $7.2 million over the weekend and $1.6 million on Valentine’s Day, bringing its domestic haul to $760.9 million and counting. 

By comparison, 2009’s Avatar made $760.5 million in the States, and that included a 2020 re-release that helped the James Cameron sci-fi film snatch back the “highest grossing movie ever” title from Avengers: Endgame. 

When considering worldwide box office, Spider-Man: No Way Home earned $1.8 billion in record time — just nine weeks in theaters — making it the sixth-highest-grossing film of all time globally. Avatar‘s total take sits on top with $2.84 billion, and Avengers: Endgame is in second place, with $2.79 billion globally.

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The first trailer for Lucy and Desi, a new documentary from Amy Poehler, dropped on Monday. The clip features Hollywood legends, including Bette Midler, Carol Burnett and Norman Lear, attempting to describe the Hollywood couple’s impact on the entertainment industry. Per Amazon, “Lucy and Desi explores the unlikely partnership and enduring legacy” of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. “One of the most prolific power couples in entertainment history,” Ball and Arnaz “risked everything to be together. Their love for each other led to the most influential show in the history of television.” Lucy and Desi premieres March 4 on Amazon Prime Video…

HBO has renewed The Gilded Age, the period drama from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, for a second season. Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson, Simon Jones, Harry Richardson, Thomas Cocquerel, Jack Gilpin, Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski. star in the series, set in “a period of immense economic change, of great conflict between the old ways and brand-new systems, and of huge fortunes made and lost,” according to HBO. The Gilded Age debuted in January, and will air its season finale on March 21…

Whoopi Goldberg returned to The View on Monday following her two-week suspension and promised that the show would keep having “tough conversations.” Whoopi faced criticism after saying on the show that she did not believe the Holocaust was about race, but instead about “man’s inhumanity to man.” She later apologized but was removed temporarily from her duties as co-host…

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The 94th Academy Awards will have a triple dose of comedy from its three hosts.

Good Morning America revealed Tuesday that the 2022 Oscars will be hosted by Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes.

“I’m not sure who thought this was a good idea,” Schumer joked on GMA.

All three entertainers have previous awards show hosting experience. Hall hosted the 2019 BET Awards, Schumer hosted the 2015 MTV Movie Awards and Sykes hosted the 2018 GLAAD Media Awards.

Never before have three women hosted the Oscars.  The last time there were at least three hosts for the Oscars was 35 years ago, at the 1987 Academy Awards, when Chevy Chase, Goldie Hawn and Paul Hogan emceed. The only time there have been multiple women hosting the Oscars was 45 years ago, at the 1977 Academy Awards, when Ellen Burstyn and Jane Fonda hosted alongside Warren Beatty and Richard Pryor.

Hall is known for appearing in the Scary Movie franchise as well as films like The Best Man, and Girls Trip, as well as shows like Ally McBeal, and Nine Perfect Strangers.

Schumer is a stand-up comedian known for the comedy series Inside Amy Schumer, which won her an Emmy Award in 2015, as well as for starring in movies like Trainwreck, and I Feel Pretty. She can next be seen in the Hulu show Life & Beth.

Sykes is a stand-up comedian known for starring on shows like Curb Your Enthusiasm and black-ish. She also hosted an eponymous talk show from 2009 to 2010 and won an Emmy Award in 1999 for her writing on The Chris Rock Show.

The 2022 Academy Awards will air Sunday, March 27, on ABC.

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Monday’s episode of The Bachelor opened with the conclusion of last week’s two-on-one date that finally put an end to Shanae‘s time on the show.

Clayton arranged the date with Shanae and Genevieve in an effort to settle a dispute between the two rivals and bring an end to the drama in the house.

Shanae, who thus far had succeeded in convincing Clayton that she was being bullied by the other women, and not the other way around, failed to convince him that Genevieve feelings for him were an act. The 29-year-old Ohio native was stunned when he handed Genevieve the date rose.

Upon seeing her suitcase being wheeled out, the other ladies also celebrated with champagne toast.

“Here’s to finally curing the herpes outbreak,” cheered Marlena, recalling a joke she made about Shanae during during last week’s group date in which the women were asked to roast each other.

“Ding-dong the shrimp is dead,” added Hunter, referring to the infamous “shrimp-gate” incident that ended with Elizabeth‘s departure.

Ironically, the rose ceremony would send Marlena and Hunter packing.

The journey to find love then headed overseas to Hvar, Croatia. However, with hometowns looming and the competition heating up, Mara, who lost a one-on-one date to Sarah, who had already had one, felt she needed to step up her game.

During a group date, Mara took Clayton aside to warn him that the 23-year-old wasn’t ready for marriage, causing him to doubt if there were others stringing him along as well.

Clayton, without revealing its source, confronted Sarah with the accusation, which she tearfully denied. He believed and gave her the date rose, though she was left wondering who would do such a thing.

Elsewhere, Teddi picked up a rose following a one-on-one date, and Rachel snatched the group date rose. 

Here are the other women remaining after the rose ceremony:

Eliza, 25, a marketing manager from Berlin, Germany
Gabby, 30, an ICU nurse from Denver, Colo.
Genevieve, 26, a bartender from Los Angeles, Calif.
Mara, 32, an entrepreneur from Collingswood, N.J.
Rachel, 25, a flight instructor from Clermont, Fla.
Sarah, 23, a wealth management advisor from New York City, N.Y.
Serene, 26, an elementary school teacher from Oklahoma City, Okla.
Susie, 28, a wedding videographer from Virginia Beach, Va.
Teddi, 25, a surgical unit nurse from Highland, Calif.

The Bachelor returns Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Bobby Crosby had an idea in 2001 when watching a televised concert and seeing fans holding up signs asking the singer to marry them: What would happen if that worked?  That, he says, became the basis for his webcomic Marry Me, now a movie starring Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson.

Marry Me debuted February 14, 2007, and Crosby tells ABC Audio he knew his story had movie potential — the “early URL” was MarryMeMovie.com — because “there was always a great reaction” when people heard the plot. “They could just see the movie.”

Crosby adds he “didn’t shop” Marry Me to studios: they “came to me.” He admits, “Early on, I was really picky,” rejecting pitches that took too many liberties, such as in 2009 when Nicolas Cage wanted Justin Timberlake to play the role that eventually went to Lopez. Crosby felt the story “worked better with a female singer.”

Crosby credits Transformers writer John Rogers for getting the ball rolling after “walking by my San Diego Comic-Con booth in 2008 or 2009… and [saying] ‘Hey, what’s this?'”  Rogers would check in periodically on Marry Me‘s availability after that and he asked to option it “in late 2012.”  Soon enough, “J. Lo became interested” and the rest is history.

Rogers wrote the Marry Me screenplay and, although it deviates from “the original concept” — for example the main characters were aged up and renamed — Crosby is “glad” the journey is complete.

“A lot of stories are just remakes. And I’m glad [this movie] is based on something… A somewhat obscure webcomic,” he said. “It feels a lot more original than most movies Hollywood is making nowadays. So I like that… especially that it’s mine.” 

Marry Me debuted in theaters over the weekend, grossing $8 million for a third-place finish.

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The Los Angeles Rams and Pitch Perfect‘s Anna Kendrick came out on top on Super Bowl Sunday. 

The Rams defeating the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20 was the outcome on the gridiron, but Kendrick’s spot for Rocket Mortgage, which saw the beloved toy vying for her dream home amid stiff plastic competition, was ranked as viewers’ favorite spot. 

According to the USA Today Ad Meter, which tracks reactions to each Super Bowl commercial, Kendrick’s ad topped all comers — incidentally, the second year in a row a Rocket Mortgage Big Game ad did so. Last year, the company’s two “Certain is Better” spots starring Tracy Morgan ranked #1 and #2 with on the annual post-Super Bowl list. 

The worst-performing ad in the eyes of viewers was the 60-second spot for Coinbase, which showed nothing more than a bouncing QR code, which pointed to the crypto company’s website. 

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In an attempt to get viewers more engaged with the upcoming 94th Annual Academy Awards, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has announced its looking to everyday moviegoers to select their favorite film of the year. 

The Oscars Fan Favorite Award winner will be announced during the Academy Awards telecast March 27 on ABC.

The Academy urges fans to vote by entering the name of their favorite film of 2021 at OscarsFanFavorite.com, or on Twitter, using the hashtags #OscarsFanFavorite and #Sweepstakes. 

What’s more, voters can give thumbs up to their fave up to 20 times a day. 

The move could direct some attention during the Oscars telecast to popular films that traditionally get overlooked come awards time.

Last week, Jimmy Kimmel raised a flag about this common gripe: Why are blockbusters like Spider-Man: No Way Home seldom considered for Best Picture? Kimmel vented, “Even if you go by the critics reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, [nominee] Don’t Look Up got a 46% and Spider-Man: No Way Home has 90%…”

Kimmel added, “Why do best picture nominees have to be serious? You wanna know what happened? [Academy] voters looked at the list and saw the names Leonardo DiCaprio and Meryl Streep [from Don’t Look Up] and they checked the box and then they put their kids in the car and went to see…Spider-Man and they loved it.”

Regina Hall, Amy Schumer and Wanda Sykes will host the 94th Academy Awards, airing live March 27 on ABC.

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Just in time to get hearts aflutter for Valentine’s Day comes the trailer to the much-anticipated second season premiere of Bridgerton. 

As reported, with the exit of resident heartthrob Regé-Jean Page from the Netflix phenomenon, the sophomore season will center on Jonathan Bailey‘s Anthony Bridgerton and his relationship with new cast member Simone Ashley‘s character, Kate Sharma. 

In the coming attraction, once again Julie Andrews can be heard voicing the series’ resident gossip writer Lady Whistledown, who was revealed to the viewer in the first season finale to be Nicola Coughlan‘s character Penelope Featherington. “Dearest gentle reader,” Andrews intones, “Did you miss me?”

As her fevered columns speed all over the countryside — to the delight of court members — Whistledown explains how people are desperate to reveal her secret identity. In the meantime, she explains, she’s been sharpening her skills — or, as she corrects, “sharpening my knives…for all of you.”

The second season of Bridgerton will premiere on March 25 in Netflix.

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Actress Susan Lucci is opening up about her battle with heart disease.

The 75-year-old, best known for her role as Erica Kane on the ABC daytime drama All My Children, told Good Morning America‘s Amy Robach that she recently underwent an emergency heart procedure for the second time.

“I was having kind of a shortness of breath,” said Lucci, adding that she soon also felt discomfort around her ribcage and her back, similar to symptoms she had three years ago with her first heart scare.

“I thought, ‘This is crazy. These are the same kind of symptoms that I had three years ago but it can’t be,'” she said. “But when I lay down, I started to feel a sharp coming-and-going pain in my jaw.”

After undergoing several tests, Lucci’s doctor told her that she experienced an 80% blockage in one of her arteries due to plaque buildup. She was rushed to a cardiac catheterization lab, where another stent was put in to open up the blockage.

“She wasn’t having a heart attack this time and she wasn’t unstable,” Lucci’s doctor, Dr. Richard Shlofmitz, chairman of cardiology at St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, New York, told GMA. “But she had symptoms that were certainly concerning to me that something might be wrong.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. About 1 in 16 women age 20 and older have coronary artery disease, the most common type of heart disease in the U.S.

Now Lucci, an advocate for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign, is urging other women to listen to their bodies.

“Listen to your heart and act on [the symptoms],” Lucci said. “Give yourself permission to take good care of yourself. Be your own best friend. Be your own advocate. You’ll save your life.”

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