Entertainment News

Season finale of 'Star Wars: Ahsoka' debuts Tuesday night on Disney+

Posted yesterday at 4:30pm

On Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET, the anticipated conclusion of Star Wars: Ahsoka drops on Disney+.

The penultimate episode saw Rosario Dawson's titular former Jedi hero and Padawan Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) finally reunited with their long-lost friend, Ezra Bridger (Eman Esfandi) on the far-flung planet Peridea.

But finding Ezra a way home means Sabine opened the door for the return of the dreaded Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), who has been stranded there with Ezra since the finale of their animated original adventures in Star Wars: Rebels.

In the closing moments of the seventh episode, Thrawn revealed his strategy was to keep the heroes busy fighting some of his forces on the ground while he finishes packing his dilapidated Star Destroyer with a massive army of troops and gear, and taking the only ride off the planet, via a massive hyperspace ring furnished by arms queenpin Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto).

With the threat of the heroes being stranded and Thrawn in striking distance of escaping, there's also the matter of fallen Jedi Baylan Skoll (the late Ray Stevenson) and his apprentice Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno).

The two evil allies seem to have a parting of ways: Skoll leaves his apprentice to try killing the heroes and take her place among a resurgent Empire while setting off on a mysterious different path of his own.

If the finale gets you too excited, you can always chill out with a brand-new livestream of Sabine's Loth-cat snoozing to some Lo-Fi beats.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

C-3PO's head and Indiana Jones' whip expected to fetch a fortune at auction

Posted yesterday at 4:15pm

The U.K.-based auction house Propstore is putting another slew of Hollywood treasure up on the block in an event running November 9 - 12, and the items — and their prices — are likely to make any movie fan's jaw drop.

Among the 1,800 items up for grabs is a light-up, screen-used head of the protocol droid C-3PO from 1977's Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope. The item comes from the personal collection of the actor who played him in every movie in the saga, Anthony Daniels. It's estimated to fetch anywhere from $575,000 - $1,150,000, but as in nearly every auction, it's likely this and other items will go for more when the hammer drops.

In fact, Prop Store estimates the haul in this collection could fetch more than $14 million.

Other items include Harrison Ford's bullwhip from 1984's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, estimated to go for anywhere from $115,000-$230,000 — the same estimate goes for Leonardo DiCaprio's costume as Jack Dawson in 1997's Titanic.

Other big-ticket items include Ursula Andress' Honey Rider bathrobe from 1962's first official James Bond movie Dr. No ($80,500 - $161,000); Chris Evans' shield from 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger ($57,500 - $115,000), and Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen bow and quiver from 2013's The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($23,000 - $46,000).

Check out the full listing at Prop Store's website. Who knows, there's a huge Powerball drawing between now and then, so might as well window-shop now.

BET+ unwraps full holiday lineup

Posted yesterday at 4:00pm

Vivica A. Fox in Sworn Justice: Taken Before Christmas - BET+

BET's streaming network BET+ is giving fans a lot for the holidays.

On Tuesday, the streaming network revealed 12 projects, including holiday films, a festive installment of The Ms. Pat Show directed by legend Debbie Allen and TV specials timed for the season.

The slate runs from November 2 to December 21 on BET+.

Among the other projects, Vivica A. Fox appears in the suspense thriller Sworn Justice: Taken Before Christmas. Robin Givens wrote, executive produced and stars in the romantic comedy Christmas Rescue, and she also directed the faith-based drama Favorite Son Christmas.

Tichina Arnold and Jackée Harry will star in So Fly Christmas. Singer and actress Macy Gray will topline Never Alone for Christmas, and Christmas Angel will star Tamar Braxton, Skyh Black and actor/recording artist Romeo Miller.

Here's the full schedule:

November 2

A Wesley Christmas Wedding

Heart for the Holidays

November 9

Christmas Angel

November 16

Sworn Justice: Taken Before Christmas

November 23

The Ms. Pat Show Holiday Episode "Father Christmas"

So Fly Christmas

November 30

A Royal Christmas Surprise

The Christmas Ringer

December 7

Never Alone for Christmas

December 14

Christmas Rescue

Favorite Son Christmas

December 21

Whatever It Takes

Food Network cooking up holiday competition series 'The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown'

Posted yesterday at 2:50pm

The Elf on the Shelf holiday tradition is being baked into an all-new competition cooking series for Food Network.

For the unfamiliar, the tradition's conceit is that Santa Claus tasks his scout elves with planting themselves about the house and doing recon on who's naughty or nice so he can adjust his gift-giving accordingly.

For parents, the constant surveillance of the ever-moving elf's unblinking gaze theoretically grants them some much-needed good behavior from their kids during the silly season.

The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown will see "Santa and his loyal Scout Elves," along with the help of Ace of Cakes veteran Duff Goldman, "challenge six teams of Sweetmakers in a competition full of surprises," the network teases.

The contestants will be tasked each week with creating "edible showpieces that bring the holiday season to life" for judges Kardea Brown and Ashley Holt; the title of "The Ambassadors of Confectionery Concoctions" and $25,000 is on the line.

The Elf on the Shelf: Sweet Showdown premieres Sunday, November 19,at 8 p.m. ET on Food Network.

AMC all-in on New York City Comic Con, with 'Daryl Dixon' finale, peeks at 'Orphan Black' spinoff and more

Posted yesterday at 2:20pm

AMC has announced it will have a big presence at New York Comic Con, which runs from October 12 to October 15 at the Javits Center.

Thanks to SAG-AFTRA strike, stars won't be promoting as they usually would. However, the network will be hosting panels, special screenings and Q&As, along with peeks at some of its most anticipated series debuting in 2024.

On Thursday, October 12, from 4:15pm – 6:15pm at the venue's Empire Stage, AMC will be rolling out the season finale of the spinoff The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon ahead of its debut on AMC and AMC+ Sunday evening at 9 p.m. Eastern.

Afterward, there will be a Q&A with The Walking Dead universe's Chief Content Officer Scott M. Gimple as well as Executive Producer Greg Nicotero and showrunner David Zabel.

Before the show, Comic Con attendees will get to check out exclusive previews of another TWD spinoff, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live, respectively starring Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira as Rick and Michonne.

AMC will also unspool previews for the follow-up series Orphan Black: Echoes starring Krysten Ritter and the second season of Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire.

On Friday, October 13, on the Mail Stage, AMC's sister screamer streamer Shudder will host a celebration of the V/H/S horror franchise ahead of the release of its latest installment, V/H/S/85, which begins streaming there on Friday, October 6.

David Bruckner, (V/H/S), Jason Eisener (V/H/S/2), Chloe Okuno (V/H/S/94), Tyler McIntyre (V/H/S/99), and V/H/S/85's Natasha Kermani are among those scheduled to appear to talk about the franchise and the horror genre in general.

'Only Murders in the Building' renewed for a fourth season

Posted yesterday at 1:29pm

With a star-studded announcement on social media out of the question thanks to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Hulu posted on Instagram Tuesday that its Emmy-winning Only Murders in the Building is getting a fourth story.

"Only Murders in the Building is coming back for Season 4! Let the investigating begin...," the streamer captioned a photo of the show's three leads: Selena Gomez, Steve Martin and Martin Short.

The no-frills announcement is a stark contrast to the post Selena made to announce the show was renewed for a third season. That video not only featured the trio but also Paul Rudd, Andrea Martin and the reveal of Meryl Streep, who made her debut in season 3.

Aubrey Plaza "nervous" but "excited" for her off-Broadway debut

Posted yesterday at 12:54pm

Aubrey Plaza has been in movies and TV shows for years, but this month the Parks and Rec veteran is making her stage debut: She's starring in the off-Broadway revival of the romantic drama Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.

"It's my first professional play ... so I'm pretty nervous, but I'm excited, too," the actress tells InStyle.

She adds, "I was attracted to it for a couple of reasons. One, Christopher Abbott, who's playing Danny in the play opposite me, we've worked together before [in Black Bear]. He's done a lot of theater and I just think he's one of the best actors around."

The two-person play was first staged in 1983.

Plaza adds, "I love the character and I love the play. It's so heartbreaking. It's a love story and I love love stories."

That said, there are still butterflies, Aubrey admits. "I'm nervous about doing it in front of an audience. That's the thing that I'm trying to wrap my head around right now."

However, a trick she's adopted in film and TV work is lending itself to her stage debut. "I have this tiny little version of the play with me at all times in every purse," Plaza tells the magazine.

"I've been carrying it around with me for months. It's completely battered and falling apart, but it's kind of romantic, and I sleep with it next to me. It's been to multiple countries at this point."

She reveals, "I'm like that with scripts. I keep them around, so that they're kind of always lingering in the background for me, so that I am doing unconscious work on it or something. I'm always thinking about it."

The performer adds, "I can't have a purse that's too small, because I need to fit the play."

'The Umbrella Academy's' final season to premiere in 2024

Posted yesterday at 12:45pm

The Umbrella Academy is set to come to an end in 2024.

The fourth and final season of the Netflix show, an adaptation of the comic book series created by My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way, is set to premiere next year.

A post to The Umbrella Academy Facebook reads, "On October 1, 1989, our extraordinary super-powered babies were born. In 2024, they return."

In The Umbrella Academy, an eccentric billionaire adopts seven children who were all born on October 1, 1989, who turn out to have superpowers. The show follows the now grown-up heroes, who have to navigate their family dysfunction while trying to stop the apocalypse.

The first issue of The Umbrella Academy comic was published in 2007, and the Netflix series premiered in 2019. It was renewed for one last season in 2022.

The cast of The Umbrella Academy includes Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher and Justin H. Min.

"Workaholic" Idris Elba talks Hollywood strikes and tackling "unhealthy habits" through therapy

Posted yesterday at 11:40am

Actor, recording artist and producer Idris Elba had a wide-ranging discussion on the Changes with Annie Macmanus podcast earlier this week, in which he touched on his childhood, fatherhood, the Hollywood strikes and why he found himself in therapy.

"It's not because I don't like myself or anything like that," the 51-year-old Luther star says. "It's just that I have some unhealthy habits that I've just really formed and they, you know, I work in an industry that I'm rewarded for those unhealthy habits."

Idris added, "I'm an absolute workaholic. And that isn't great for life generally ... but I'm rewarded massively to be a workaholic, to [be] someone that can go, 'Oh, I'm not going see my family for six months.' I'm in there grinding and making new family and then leave them."

The performer expresses, "I've got to adjust. Got to adjust."

However, Idris admits, "The thing is that the things that make me relaxed end up being work," adding, "I could have worked 10 days on a film, underwater sequences holding my breath for 6 minutes and come back and sit here [relaxed] more so than sitting on the sofa watching TV with the family, which is bad, right?"

Elba adds that's what he needs to adjust in his life. "Can't be all work," he says.

Regarding the studios' treatment that prompted the Hollywood strikes, Idris called it a tragedy, adding of acting, "Yes, it is a living, but we do it from our souls. When you and I give our souls to the work that we do, it's not like punching a bunch of numbers in a calculator, you're giving a part of yourself and that should be sacred and treasured and remunerated properly."

Elba underlined, "And that's why we're striking."

'Mean Girls' musical adaptation hitting theaters January 12

Posted yesterday at 9:43am

Tuesday is Mean Girls Day — "It's October 3," as Lindsay Lohan's Cady famously says in the 2004 hit film — and Paramount is celebrating with some big news.

The studio has revealed that the big-screen version of the movie's Broadway musical adaptation will come to theaters January 12.

Senior Year and Spider-Man: Homecoming co-star Angourie Rice has been tapped to fill the role Lohan originated: the daughter of a pair of anthropologists who finds herself transplanted from the wilds of Africa into the social jungle of a typically cliquey Chicago high school.

Reneé Rapp, who on Broadway played Rachel McAdams' role of Regina George, the head of the clique The Plastics, reprises for the movie, as previously reported. The cast also will star Moana's Auli’i Cravalho as Janis, played by Lizzy Caplan in the movie.

Another Mean Girls on Broadway vet, Jaquel Spivey, will reprise as Damien. Damien, Janis' bestie, was played by Daniel Franzese in the film.

Mean Girls writer and co-star Tina Fey penned the script for the movie musical. She will appear in this version, too, along with The Office's Jenna Fischer and Cougar Town's Busy Philipps.

In related news, Paramount is hosting a live watch party of the original film at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday, October 3, on the studio's TikTok account, @ParamountPics.

Mean Girls opened on Broadway in April 2018 at the August Wilson Theatre and ran for 833 performances before the curtain finally fell on March 11, 2020 — the day before the COVID pandemic officially shuttered the Great White Way.

Adam Devine and wife Chloe Bridges expecting their first child

Posted yesterday at 9:00am

Adam Devine and his wife, Chloe Bridges, are gearing up to embrace parenthood!

The Pitch Perfect star, 39, and Pretty Little Liars alum, 31, announced they are expecting their first child together. Taking to Instagram with a playful post of the couple each holding their bellies, Devine quipped, "Look, we're pregnant! Well, I'm just fat now, but Chloe is all preggo with a human baby!"

"Obviously, very exciting stuff! This will mostly be a baby page now, as I will be dedicating my life to my child in hopes he doesn't use my decades of recorded dirty jokes against me," he added.

Meanwhile, Bridges posted two charming photos from a Newport Beach dock. She captioned it with, "We have news!! can't wait to get this lil family started."

The couple, who began dating in 2015, tied the knot in October 2021 after several setbacks due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selena Gomez coming 'Home for the Holidays' with four Food Network specials

Posted yesterday at 8:30am

Selena Gomez is making sure that her fans will have a very happy — and delicious — holiday season this year.

Starting November 30, Food Network is debuting a series of four specials under the collective title Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays. In each one, Selena will welcome a famous chef to her home kitchen to help her create holiday meals.

Alex Guernaschelli, Michael Symon, Eric Adjepong and Claudette Zepeda are the chefs who'll be slicing and dicing next to Selena and her best friend Raquelle Stevens. Selena + Alex will focus on preparing roast beef and mashed potatoes for a tree-trimming party, while Selena + Michael will see the trio creating a surf & turf steak and lobster dish.

Selena + Claudette will prepare a Mexican feast with traditional dishes like tamales, and Selena + Eric will ring in the new year with brunch items like shrimp and banana grits. Selena's grandparents and sister Gracie will also be on hand for the fun.

“The holidays have always meant so much to me. It was an honor to have these amazing chefs in my kitchen to introduce some of their favorite foods and what makes the holidays special for them,” Selena says in a statement.

Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays will also be available to stream on Max, and exclusive interviews and sneak peeks will be posted on Food Network's socials.

Anya Taylor-Joy and Malcolm McRae marry in Italy

Posted yesterday at 8:00am

Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for Tiffany & Co.

Anya Taylor-Joy and her musician beau, Malcolm McRae, are reportedly married, tying the knot in a lavish Italian ceremony over the weekend.

The Daily Mail reports that the pair exchanged vows in front of approximately 150 guests, including fellow celebrities Cara Delevingne and Julia Garner.

Taylor-Joy, 27, and McRae, 28, who began dating in May 2021, have kept it a relatively private affair, with the couple choosing to keep the details of their romance under wraps.

However, in a rare insight into their bond, Taylor-Joy shared with British Vogue in March 2022 that their compatibility stems from their shared passions and personalities.

"We're basically 80 years old and 7 at the same time, and it works really well," she joked.

"Taylor Effect" brings huge numbers for NFL game on NBC, and more

Posted yesterday at 7:30am

NBC experienced the "Taylor effect" on Sunday when Taylor Swift brought her celebrity friends -- including Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively -- to watch her rumored boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his teammates squeak by The New York Jets. NBC, which leaned heavily into Swift's appearance, got a win as well, reporting an average of 27 million people watched the broadcast across NBC, Peacock and various other platforms -- the most watched Sunday game of the season so far and the biggest streaming audience ever for a regular season game on NBC.

CBS confirmed on social media Monday, that The Talk -- the daytime talk show hosted by Akbar Gbaja-Biamila, Amanda Kloots, Jerry O'Connell, Sheryl Underwood and Natalie Morales -- will return for its 14th season on Monday, October 9. The series, which went dark in May due to the writers' strike, previously announced an early September return, before the Writers Guild of America had struck a new deal with the AMPTP. Following backlash and picketers, the show paused its season premiere...

Nearly six months after former Dancing With the Stars judge Len Goodman died at the age of 78, his cause of death has been attributed to prostate cancer spreading to his bones, according to his death certificate obtained by The Daily Express. Last November, Goodman announced his exit from the U.S. show after 17 years. Ahead of DWTS' season 32 premiere, the ABC dance competition show announced that their famed Mirrorball trophy would be renamed and redesigned in Goodman's honor...

Late night talk shows are back: What Jimmy Kimmel, Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers had to say

Posted yesterday at 5:00am

Monday, October 2 marked the long-awaited return of late-night TV following the writers strike, and the hosts addressed it in their respective monologues.

Stephen Colbert applauded the new contract "that includes protections from A.I., cost of living increases, [and] better pay for streaming."

"Plus, thanks to the picket lines, my writers got fresh air and sunshine -- and they do not care for that," he quipped. "Now they’re back safely in their joke holes, doing what they do best: Making my prompter word screen full of good and ha-ha!"

Over at The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon joked, "My dad called me up and said, 'Finally I can watch [Jimmy] Kimmel again.'"

Fallon went on to express his joy over the writers "getting the fair deal they deserved," and added, "You have to hand it to them, only writers would spend the whole summer fighting to go back to the office."

Meanwhile, Kimmel opened his show laying down on a therapist's couch. "And the thing is the strike has been going on for so long, I just don't know if I'll be back," he wondered.

The camera panned out to show Monday's guest, Arnold Schwarzenegger, telling Jimmy, "You'll be back" and "Get to the chopper," his classic Terminator lines.

Kimmel later joked during his monologue, "We've been gone so long, The Bachelor is now a grandfather."

Seth Meyers took a more serious tone, saying, "I never take this show for granted, but being away from it for as long as I was away from it really hits home how much I love having this as a workplace." He then thanked the WGA negotiating committee and the guild leadership "for all the time they put in ... negotiating for the very fair deal that all the writers deserved."