Some Hollywood stars — and one former president — are among this year’s Grammy nominees in the Best Spoken Word Album categories.
Reading Rainbow icon and Star Trek: The Next Generation veteran LeVar Burton was recognized for his reading of the audiobook version of Aftermath.
Don Cheadle was nominated for his work on the spoken-word version of Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation from the late John Lewis, about the trailblazing congressman.
Dave Chappelle and Amir Sulaiman were jointly nominated for Dave’s moving musings on the George Floyd murder, 8:46, while former president Barack Obama was highlighted for reading his own book A Promised Land.
Poet J. Ivy rounded out the list for his album Catching Dreams: Live at Fort Knox Chicago.
On her Instagram on Tuesday, Zendaya announced that Euphoria, the show that made her the youngest Emmy winner in the lead actress category, will be back January 9.
The preview of the second season of the HBO series shows Zendaya‘s Rue blissfully dancing by herself to a version of the standard “Call Me Irresponsible.”
But the good times quickly come to an end, with clips of domestic abuse, a convenience store holdup, and cops bashing down somebody’s door.
In voice-over, Rue notes, “When you’re younger, everything feels so permanent. But as you get older, you begin to realize nothing is, and everyone you love could drift away.”
At the end of the trailer, Storm Reid as Rue’s younger sister Gia asks her, “Are you high?”
Rue spits something she’s been drinking back into a glass, and then sheepishly replies, “I mean…”
Universal has officially released an extended preview of Jurassic Park: Dominion, which previously was shown in theaters earlier this year before IMAX screenings of Fast 9.
The studio is calling it a “prologue” to the movie, which hits theaters next summer — and much of it is quite a look back…some 65 million years ago, to be exact.
The snippet begins with a long look at a day in the life of a bunch of dinosaurs, before jumping forward to the present, when a T-Rex is being stalked by guys in a helicopter attempting to tranquilize it.
Things don’t go as planned, however, as the dino stomps his way through a packed drive-in theater, tossing cars and scattering moviegoers — except for one couple making out with each other, oblivious to the disruption.
Jurassic Park: Dominion, featuring Chris Pratt and his Jurassic World series co-star Bryce Dallas Howard — along with original Jurassic Park stars Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, Laura Dern and BD Wong — opens June 10, 2022.
Rita Moreno became the first Latina to win a best supporting actress Oscar in 1961 for her portrayal of Anita in the iconic musical West Side Story. Now, half a century later, the 89-year-old actress is starring in Steven Spielberg‘s version of West Side Story.
“I don’t think of it as a remake….I think of it as Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story. It’s a reimagining,” Moreno told ABC News.
The musical, which is inspired by Shakespeare‘s Romeo and Juliet, is set in New York City in the 1950s and tells the story of rival gangs — the Sharks, who are Puerto Rican, and the Jets, who are white. At the story’s heart is the relationship between Tony, a former member of the Jets, who falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks.
Anita, who is Bernardo’s girlfriend and Maria’s friend and confidante, is played by Ariana DeBose in the new film. Moreno and DeBose told ABC News that Moreno gave DeBose advice about something she regrets not doing in a certain scene, but neither actress would say what scene that was.
“[Moreno] was very graceful with me, because, I’ll be very candid — I was awkward AF,” DeBose admitted. “She was, like, ‘I think there’s more power in a different delivery. So if that is helpful to you.’ “And I took the note. It was a good note.”
Moreno said, “I said, ‘I think it’s immensely effective, and I never — it never occurred to me to do the scene that way.’ Well, I’m thrilled that she used it.”
You can see more of the interviews in the primetime ABC News event Something’s Coming: West Side Story – A Special Edition of 20/20, airing on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.
Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio both star in Netflix’s upcoming comedy Don’t Look Up, but Lawrence’s paycheck was $5 million less — and here’s why she’s okay with that.
Speaking with IndieWire, the actress, 31, candidly said of her 47-year-old costar, “Look, Leo brings in more box office than I do.”
“I’m extremely fortunate and happy with my deal,” Lawrence explains. “But in other situations, what I have seen — and I’m sure other women in the workforce have seen as well — is that it’s extremely uncomfortable to inquire about equal pay. And if you do question something that appears unequal, you’re told it’s not gender disparity, but they can’t tell you what exactly it is.”
Don’t Look Up, which was directed by Adam McKay, tells the story of two astronomers, played by Lawrence and DiCaprio, who try to warn people about a comet that could destroy the Earth. Although the Hunger Games star took a lesser payout for the film, she did receive top billing, which means her name will appear before the Titanic star’s in the credits.
“I was number-one on the call sheet,” Lawrence shared. “[Am I ok] with being number one on the call sheet? Yeah. And I thought [the credits] should reflect that.”
“Leo was very gracious about it,” she continued. “I think we had something called a Laverne & Shirley, which is this billing they invented where it’s an equal billing. But I guess maybe somewhere down the line, I kicked the stone further, like, ‘What if it wasn’t equal?'”
Wendy Williams‘ brother, Tommy, is speaking out after reports emerged that the talk show host has been confined to a wheelchair and is showing signs of dementia.
According to The Sun, Tommy said Wendy is not “displaying that type of behavior to the family.”
“We haven’t had any alerts like that and I haven’t seen anything like that or have had conversations with her that would lead me to believe that,” he said, adding that he and the rest of their family, all of whom reside in Florida, “routinely” visits and checks on Wendy.
Tommy continued, “So no, we don’t have any concerns concerning her mental state. It’s all physical.”
Wendy’s brother even shared that his sister could possibly be traveling down to Florida to spend the upcoming holiday with the family, adding, “I am trying to find out if she’s coming down for Thanksgiving. I mean, she’s normal like that.”
Tommy’s update comes after The Ricky Smiley Morning Show’sToine The Don, also known as Antoine Edwards shared the supposed update on Wendy’s health. “It is being reported that the 57-year-old talk show host has completely lost all blood circulation in her legs and in her feet,” he said.
Wendy last gave fans an update on her health on November 8.
“HOW YOU DOIN’? I MISS YOU ALL! As everyone knows, my health has been a hot topic,” Williams said in a statement. “I’m making progress but it’s just one of those things that’s taking longer than we expected.”
Due to Wendy’s absence, The Wendy Show has aired its 13th season with a slew of celebrity guest hosts, including Leah Remini, Michael Rappaport and Sherri Shepherd. Fat Joe and Remi Ma are co-hosting for Thanksgiving week.
One new movie opening this week may get you in the mood for Thanksgiving — or just happy that you’re not stuck in this family.
The Humans stars Beanie Feldstein, Amy Schumer, Steven Yeun and Richard Jenkins in a tense, funny, and dark drama. Stephen Karam wrote and directed the film, based off his own play, and he tells ABC Audio why it’s a great movie to watch on Turkey Day.
“Because it’s not your family, the joy of, I think, the entertainment value of this story is that no matter how bad things get, it’s not your family, he explains. “So I feel safe recommending it at any moment, both before or after eating.”
Karam says the beauty of The Humans is that while people relate to different characters, they always identify with someone.
“Maybe some people are the mother and are likewise this daughter’s so spoiled, and some people are 25 going, ‘Oh my God, I feel similarly clinically insane when I go home and I become like a teenager again. Like, what is this insanity, I’m 25. I shouldn’t be doing this anymore,'” he explains.
Jenkins tells ABC Audio that the squabbling family at the center of it may not be that different from your own.
“They make horrible mistakes. They do, they say, mean things to each other,” he says. “But you know, I think if we saw a film of our own Thanksgiving dinner, we’d be a little surprised at, it may not be exactly what you think it is.”
The Humans opens Wednesday in theaters and on Showtime.
Iman Shumpert is this year’s champion of Dancing with the Stars, taking home the Mirror Ball Trophy on Monday night’s season finale. Iman’s victory is historical, as he is now the first NBA player to ever compete in the DWTS finals…and win it all!
His pro dance partner, Daniella Karagach, praised Iman’s tremendous improvement over the past season, noting that he was one of the few competitors who never danced “a day in [his] life” and but worked hard to defy all expectations by making it into the finale.
Iman says his status as this season’s underdog fueled his desire to come out on top, and lead to him performing never-before-seen stunts on the ballroom floor with perfect execution.
Aside from a glittering new trophy, he ended his DWTS journey with two perfect scores for his foxtrot/cha-cha fusion, which saw judge Bruno Tonioli declare him the “king of the ballroom,” and for his Chicago-themed freestyle that was deemed one of the best in show’s history.
JoJo Siwa, who also made history by becoming the first contestant to compete with a same-sex partner, came in second. Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby ended the season in third and The Talk co-host Amanda Kloots took fourth place.
The finale also saw a small change at the judges’ table. After Derek Hough tested positive with a breakthrough case of COVID-19 last week, his sister and a former DWTS pro dancer, Julianne Hough, rose to the occasion to fill in for her big brother.
Julianne enjoyed doling out advice and praise to the competitors because, as she said, “I’m so excited to be here in person, so I don’t have to yell at the TV anymore!”
That wasn’t the only welcome return to the ballroom. Spice Girls‘ Melanie C belted out an emotional rendition of the girl group’s pop ballad, “2 Become 1,” as the show revisited some of the season’s most memorable and tear-jerking moments.
Country star Jimmie Allen also took the floor to help bring the season to a close, performing his hit “Good Times Roll.”
While another year of Dancing with the Stars may be over, fans can relive the magic of season 30 when the cast hits the road on a nationwide tour, which kicks off January 7, 2022 in Richmond, Virginia. Jimmie, Amanda and last year’s champion, Bachelorette star Kaitlyn Bristowe,will also be part of the fun.
James Van Der Beek and his wife, Kimberly, have a long-awaited new baby to add to their family. They now have five children.
The pair has been very open with their fertility struggles, including the losses of two pregnancies at 17 weeks, and so they’re celebrating the birth of their new son, little Jeremiah Van Der Beek, with their fans as well.
In a darling Instagram post, which includes a video clip of his daughter Annabelle cradling the baby — who his parents call “Remi” and who she calls “dinosaur” — Van Der Beek says, “After experience late-term pregnancy loss twice in a row…we kept this one quiet.”
He continues, “But we found a doctor here in Texas who diagnosed the last two as having been caused by an: ‘incompetent cervix’ (I asked him what kind of misogynistic old dude invented that term and he laughed — which made me like him even more),” the Dawson’s Creek veteran joked, noting thatthe condition is now known as a “weakened cervix.”
James then notes, “A simple surgical cerclage was done, removed at full-term, @vanderkimberly gave birth naturally on the ranch… and here we are.”
The actor wanted to “spread the word” about the procedure to spare other prospective parents of the heartbreak of losing a child in utero.
“Each child brings their own energy, their own manifestation of consciousness, their own lessons,” he says. “The ones we lost each gifted us with different pieces of the puzzle…leaving us that much more grateful for the ongoing master class we get to enjoy with this sweet, wise little one.”
In the past, Kimberly told her followers that her fall 2019 and June 2020 miscarriages were “so tough,” and “one of them almost killed me.”
Former NBA player Iman Shumpert is competing in the Dancing With the Stars season 30 finale Monday night at 8 p.m. on ABC with his pro partner, Daniella Karagach, and he says his popularity from the show is far different from his fame on the court.
“In basketball, it’s more so, ‘Did you guys win? That determines if I like you till the next game.’ With Dancing with the Stars, people fall in love with your story,” the 31-year-old athlete tells the NY Post. “They fall in love with you as a person, as an individual. I think Dancing With the Stars has done a tremendous job of promoting me as a father and husband, and that’s one of the most relatable things in the world. The fame is more personal in this regard.”
Shumpert, who is married to Teyana Taylor, has followed in her footsteps into the music business. He released his Substance Abuse EP in 2018, and now is planning to drop his first studio album titled, This Car Ain’t Stolen. Ironically, Teyana recently announced she is retiring from music after releasing three solo albums.
In other news, Kevin Hart and Damon Wayans will star in a live reenactment of the ’80s sitcom Diff’rent Strokes in Live in Front of a Studio Audience on December 7 on ABC, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hart will portray Gary Coleman‘s character, Arnold Drummond, and Wayans will play his brother Willis, originally portrayed by Todd Bridges.
Finally, following the success of 50 Cent’s new BMF series and the season finale Sunday on Starz, he will also produce an eight-episode BMF documentary series. BMF tells the true story of brothers Demetrius and Terry Flenory who led an infamous crime family in Detroit in the 1980s.
