Category: Entertainment

Blake Lively’s The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-stars are supporting the actress amid her legal action against her It Ends with Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni.

America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Alexis Bledel, who starred with Lively in the 2005 hit movie, signed a joint statement on Sunday, offering Lively “solidarity” in her fight “against the reported campaign waged to destroy her reputation.” The message was posted in a joint post to Ferrera and Tamblyn’s social media accounts.

On Friday, Lively filed a complaint with the California Civil Rights Department accusing Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios of waging a smear campaign against her and accusing the actor of sexual harassment, allegations which Baldoni has denied via a lawyer.

“Throughout the filming of It Ends with Us, we saw her summon the courage to ask for a safe workplace for herself and colleagues on set, and we are appalled to read the evidence of a premeditated and vindictive effort that ensued to discredit her voice,” read the statement from Lively’s former co-stars.

The statement from the group called out “the unabashed exploitation of domestic violence survivors’ stories to silence a woman who asked for safety,” adding, “The hypocrisy is astounding.”

“We are struck by the reality that even if a woman is as strong, celebrated, and resourced as our friend Blake, she can face forceful retaliation for daring to ask for a safe working environment,” continued the statement.

The group also said they were “inspired” by Lively’s “courage to stand up for herself.”

The author of It Ends With Us, Colleen Hoover, also offered support for Lively on social media. “Blake Lively you have been nothing but honest, kind, supportive and patient since the day we met…Never change. Never wilt,” she wrote on Instagram over the weekend.

Robyn Lively, Blake Lively’s sister, also posted a message of support on Instagram Story, linking to The New York Times‘ initial coverage of the complaint writing “Thank you, the truth is finally out.”

Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, denied the allegations in a statement to ABC News:

“It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions,” Freedman said. “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”

Lively starred alongside Ferrera, Tamblyn, and Bledel in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, a story of four friends who buy a mysterious pair of pants that fits each of them despite their differing sizes. The film, released in 2005, was based on the popular book of the same name by Ann Brashares. A sequel came out in 2008.

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Denzel Washington‘s next phase of life includes sharing the word of God as a minister. Days before his 70th birthday, the actor rededicated his life to God on Saturday, getting baptized at Harlem’s Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ. He also received a minister license that will allow him to be ordained and lead spiritual services in the future.

“In one week I turn 70,” he said, according to Archbishop Christopher Bryant, Page Six reports. “It took a while but I’m here.”

He added, “If [God] can do this for me, there’s nothing He can’t do for you. The sky literally is the limit.” 

Denzel’s wife, Pauletta Washington, also spoke to the congregation, expressing how proud she was of his spiritual journey.

“Forty-six years later, here I’m still standing next to him as only God will have it,” she said. “So I’m very proud of you. You are the head of our house and you have set a great example for our children, who are now adult children who know the difference because we have shown them the difference.”

Denzel has long been open about his faith and Christianity, recently sharing a story about seeing the face of God while on a yacht listening to a song called “The Face of God.”

“I was put on this earth to share, and to be an example, of the power, and wisdom, and grace, and mercy of God in my life,” he previously shared to BBC’s 1Xtra Breakfast host Nadia Jae, later adding, “So my life is not the movies I make. That’s what I’ve been put here to do, or that’s proof of the source of what I’ve been given to do on this earth, and it’s not acting.”

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Season 2 of Apple TV’s Shrinking is coming to an end, with its finale dropping on Christmas Day. The season saw the addition of Damon Wayans Jr. as Derrick, a friend of Ted McGinley‘s Derek and the new love interest of Gaby, played by Jessica Williams. But Damon admits he knew nothing about the show when producer Bill Lawrence pitched it to him.

“He was like, ‘Wanna come do this show?’ And I was just like, ‘What is it about?’ He’s like, ‘It’s about shrinks who don’t have their s*** together.’ I was like, ‘Oh.’ He’s like, ‘Harrison Ford is in it.’ I was like, ‘Oh!’ And so I watched,” Damon tells ABC Audio. “I sat and I watched the first episode and I wound up watching the entire first season just in one sitting. And I was just like, I have to be a part of this show. And so I went and I went willingly. And I was just so happy. It was a great decision that I made.”

He adds working with Harrison was “everything that you’d imagine”: “He’s so professional. He’s so quick and he likes to laugh.” With that in mind, he made it his goal “to try and make him break character,” which he did a few times.

“He actually made me break several times, too,” Damon says. “So, yeah, it was fun. It was a lot of fun.”

He praises everyone on the cast, including Jason Segel, who he says “is amazing in the show”; Michael Urie, who is “crushing it”; and his “fave” Williams, noting, “That woman is just … perfect.”

“I’m just so happy to be a part of it because it’s just like you’re sitting there with some titans,” Damon says.

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We now have a release date for the thriller Hurry Up Tomorrow, which finds The Weeknd making his big-screen debut. The movie, which also stars Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, will be released on May 16. It was directed and written by Trey Edward Shults for Lionsgate. The film is tied to the release of The Weeknd’s new album and its accompanying tour …

A24 has bought the domestic rights to the new horror movie Victorian Psycho, which will star Margaret Qualley and Thomasin Mckenzie. Zachary Wigon is set to direct the movie, which begins filming in March 2025, Deadline reports. Virginia Feito wrote the script based on her upcoming novel of the same name. The story follows a governess living in Victorian England who arrives at a remote manor, where strange happenings cause her to believe everything is not what it seems …

In other A24 news, the studio has announced their movie Marty Supreme, about a 1950s ping-pong ball champion, will be released on Christmas Day in 2025. Timothée Chalamet stars as Marty Reisman in the film, which was directed by Josh Safdie. Gwyneth Paltrow, Tyler the Creator, Fran Drescher, Penn Jillette, Odessa A’zion, Kevin O’Leary, Abel Ferrera and Sandra Bernhard also star in the film, which will serve as counter-programming to Avatar: Fire & Ash, which opens Dec. 19, 2025 …

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In the battle of animated new releases, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 beat out Mufasa: The Lion King at the box office this weekend. 

The third installment in the Sonic series brought in $62 million to land in first place according to Box Office Mojo, with Mufasa a distant second with $35 mil.

Coming in third was Wicked with $13.5 million, which was a 40% drop from last week, with last week’s box office winner, Moana 2, in fourth with $13.1 mil, down about 50% from the previous week.

Rounding out the top five was another new release, Homestead, which brought in a little over $6 million.

Here are the top 10 films at the box office:

1. Sonic the Hedgehog 3 – $62 million
2. Mufasa: The Lion King – $35 million
3. Wicked – $13.5 million
4. Moana 2 – $13.1 million
5. Homestead – $6.06 million
6. Gladiator II – $4.45 million
7. Kraven: The Hunter – $3.1 million
8. The Lord of the Rings: The War of Rohirrim – $1.27 million
9. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever – $825,000
10. Queer – $364,240

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Blake Lively is taking legal action against her It Ends with Us co-star and director, Justin Baldoni, for alleged sexual harassment during the filming of the adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling novel.

This comes months after rumors of tension behind the scenes first surfaced.

In the complaint filed with the California Civil Rights Department and obtained by ABC News, Lively claims Baldoni’s alleged behavior caused her “severe emotional distress.”

A representative for Lively said in a statement that “Blake was retaliated against because she raised concerns about sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior that she and other members of the cast and crew experienced on the set of the film.”

The complaint further alleges that a meeting was held to address Lively’s concerns, adding that it was attended by key stakeholders in the film and Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds.

According to the complaint, Lively said she laid out specific demands at the meeting to ensure a safe and professional working environment, including “no more showing nude videos or images of women to Blake” and “no more discussions about sexual conquests in front of Blake and others, no further mentions of cast and crew’s genitalia, no more inquiries about Blake’s weight, and no further mention of Blake’s dead father.”

Lively claims Baldoni and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, then engaged in a “social manipulation” campaign to “destroy” Lively’s reputation, according to the complaint. The complaint includes alleged texts from Baldoni’s publicist to a Wayfarer publicist, whom the complaint alleges said Baldoni “wants to feel like [Ms. Lively] can be buried,” and “We can’t write we will destroy her.”

In a message to his publicist, according to the complaint, Baldoni allegedly wrote, “We should have a plan for IF she does the same when [the] movie comes out. Plans make me feel more at ease.”

Bryan Freedman, an attorney for Baldoni and his production company Wayfarer Studios, denied the allegations in a statement to ABC News:

“It is shameful that Ms. Lively and her representatives would make such serious and categorically false accusations against Mr. Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and its representatives, as yet another desperate attempt to ‘fix’ her negative reputation which was garnered from her own remarks and actions during the campaign for the film; interviews and press activities that were observed publicly, in real time and unedited, which allowed for the internet to generate their own views and opinions,” Freedman said. “These claims are completely false, outrageous and intentionally salacious with an intent to publicly hurt and rehash a narrative in the media.”

Freedman added, “Wayfarer Studios made the decision to proactively hire a crisis manager prior to the marketing campaign of the film, to work alongside their own representative with Jonesworks employed by Stephanie Jones, due to the multiple demands and threats made by Ms. Lively during production which included her threatening to not showing up to set, threatening to not promote the film, ultimately leading to its demise during release, if her demands were not met. It was also discovered that Ms. Lively enlisted her own representative, Leslie Sloan with Vision PR, who also represents Mr. Reynolds, to plant negative and completely fabricated and false stories with media, even prior to any marketing had commenced for the film, which was another reason why Wayfarer Studios made the decision to hire a crisis professional to commence internal scenario planning in the case they needed to address. The representatives of Wayfarer Studios still did nothing proactive nor retaliated, and only responded to incoming media inquiries to ensure balanced and factual reporting and monitored social activity. What is pointedly missing from the cherry-picked correspondence is the evidence that there were no proactive measures taken with media or otherwise; just internal scenario planning and private correspondence to strategize which is standard operating procedure with public relations professionals.”

In the film, Lively plays a woman with a traumatic upbringing who enters into a relationship that turns abusive.

Baldoni previously told Good Morning America that Lively was an integral part of the film and that he partnered on the project with a foundation dedicated to ending domestic and sexual violence.

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Jack Black and Paul Rudd will star in a new, reimagined Anaconda film.

The duo announced the news in a hilarious video on Friday, which features the two actors on a fun set enthusiastically talking about the new project.

“Hey, what’s up people, we’re making a movie,” Black says in the video.

“Guess what it is?” Rudd continues, before Black says, “Paul Rudd and Jack Black star in the Anaconda!'”

Black then says the film will have a big snake and that “it’s going to rip!”

“You want to get scared? You want to laugh? You want to celebrate with your friends? Or maybe you’re alone and sad and have nobody but just want to forget about that,” Rudd adds before sharing the film’s 2025 release date.

“Come see our movie, Anaconda!'” Black adds.

The duo end their video with Black asking Rudd if he saw the snake for the film yet before they head off screen to see it.

Tom Gormican and Kevin Etten wrote the script for the upcoming movie, and Gormican will be directing, according to a description of the film. Brad Fuller and Andrew Form also join the film as producers.

Details about the film’s plot are still under wraps.

The first Anaconda movie, an adventure horror film, was released in 1997 and was directed by Luis Llosa. It starred Jon Voight, Jennifer Lopez, Eric Stoltz, Ice Cube and Owen Wilson. The film followed a National Geographic film crew “taken hostage by a hunter who forces them along on his quest to capture the world’s largest and deadliest snake,” according to a description of the film.

Anaconda, starring Black and Rudd, will slither into theaters Dec. 25, 2025.

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We now know who will join Anne Hathaway in the film adaptation of Colleen Hoover‘s bestselling book Verity.

Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett will star opposite Hathaway in the drama, which will be directed by Michael Showalter with a script by Nick Antosca.

Hartnett will play Jeremy Crawford, the husband of bestselling thriller author Verity Crawford, played by Hathaway. After Verity is unable to complete the remaining books in her successful series, Jeremy hires struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh, who will be played by Johnson, to finish them.

The film will be released in theaters by Amazon MGM Studios.

Verity was first self-published by Hoover in 2018. It then grew in popularity and was acquired by Grand Central Publishing in 2021. It sold more than 1 million copies in 2023.

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It’s almost time to say goodbye to our friends in Hawkins, Indiana.

Production has ended on the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, Netflix announced on Friday. While a release date for season 5 has yet to be revealed, the show is confirmed to return in 2025.

“THAT’S A WRAP ON STRANGER THINGS. See you in 2025,” Netflix shared to the social platform X on Friday.

On the same post, the streamer shared a collage of eight behind-the-scenes images from the creation of season 5. Pictures of the main cast, including Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Joe Keery, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke and Priah Ferguson, were seen in the collage.

The show’s creators Matt and Ross Duffer were also pictured, along with director Shawn Levy. While Brett Gelman and Jamie Campbell Bower were not pictured, they are confirmed to return in season 5. Linda Hamilton is also joining the cast in an unspecified role.

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Ready, set, binge! Here’s a look at some of the new movies and TV shows streaming this weekend:

Apple TV+
The Secret Lives of Animals: Watch the documentary series that shows off never-before-seen animal behaviors.

Max
Fast Friends: Whitney Cummings hosts a trivia game show to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Friends.

Peacock
Laid: A woman’s former lovers start dying in mysterious ways in the new romantic comedy series.

Netflix
Virgin River: In need of a comfort watch? Say “I do” to season 6 of the TV series.

The Six Triple Eight: Kerry Washington is an Army captain leading a team of female soldiers in the new film.

Disney+
What If …?: Stream the third and final season of the animated Marvel series What If …?

That’s all for this week’s Weekend Watchlist – happy streaming!

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