Category: Entertainment

It’s time for a new school year on Abbott Elementary.

The trailer for the Emmy-winning ABC sitcom’s fourth season, premiering Oct. 9, debuted online Wednesday and is full of laughs as Janine (Quinta Brunson), Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), Gregory (Tyler James Williams), Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), Jacob (Chris Perfetti), Ava (Janelle James) and Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) do their best to deal with a variety of issues.

“We want books. We want paper towels in the class,” Ava says mockingly. “I bet y’all want raises, too.”

“I like money,” Melissa replies, while Barbara notes, “I’m still waiting on the paper towels.”

Janine laments that after asking the district for more money for after-school programs they “gave us $50 for class pets instead,” and she is promptly bitten on the finger by a guinea pig.

Barbara, on the other hand, seems pleased with her fishbowl, telling it, “We are going to get along swimmingly.”

Elsewhere in the sneak peek, Jacob tells everyone that a kid in his class has a case of ringworm, prompting an extreme response from the staff, including Mr. Johnson, who tells him, “I love you like a son … but I will beat you down” if he doesn’t stay quarantined.

“Cancel classes,” Gregory proclaims. “Burn Abbott down!”

Abbott Elementary season 4 premieres Oct. 9 on ABC. 

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Los Angeles Police Department sources tell ABC News that they’re investigating a possible “swatting incident” at the home of The Morning Show star and producer Jennifer Aniston on Sept. 20.

Unlike so many other such incidents that have made headlines in the past few years, this one was relatively tame: An unknown person called the cops to perform a welfare check on the former Friends star’s Los Angeles home, but didn’t mention her by name, according to TMZ, which broke the news. 

When the police arrived, they were quickly informed that the call must have been a prank. The gossip site said cops made note of Aniston’s address and would call security first before dispatching units if another call came in about the same residence. 

Swatting has become a common prank against celebrity homes, schools and other locations; in some cases, the calls say there is an active shooter situation inside, prompting more extreme police responses than was used in this case.

While the case at Aniston’s home was quickly closed, the investigation is ongoing as to whom placed the call. 

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Ryan Reynolds posted to social media a heads-up that his blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine is coming to HD digital to rent or own on Oct. 1.

It will be released on Blu-ray and HD DVD on Oct. 22. 

“Enjoy @thehughjackman’s abs from the comfort and privacy of your home,” Ryan jabbed at his buddy Hugh Jackman, whose shirt is conveniently blown off at the climax of the movie. 

The advert for the digital release teases “loads of extras,” including making-of clips and deleted scenes, one of which evidently centers on Wolverine’s reaction to the heretofore unseen oversized bulge sported by Nicepool — one of Ryan’s variants.

“Hey cowboy: My eyes are up here,” he gently admonishes the razor-clawed hero. “I know it’s tempting,” he smiles. “I look at it myself sometimes.”

Marvel Studios’ Deadpool & Wolverine made more than $1.3 billion worldwide since its release on July 26. 

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News. 

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Shailene Woodley is opening up about her plans to play Janis Joplin on the big screen.

The actress’s plans to produce and star in a biopic about Joplin were announced in early September. During an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark Wednesday, she discussed how important it is to her to get things right. 

“It’s been over six years of putting it together,” she said of the film. “To me, it’s important to do these things with a lot of integrity and a lot of care. Janis is someone I just have always deeply respected and admired, like the spirit in her, and the soul she was on this planet and kind of the light that she was on this planet.”

She added, “It’s been a really fun journey getting to know her better through the process of finding all the creative elements.”

As for whether she can tackle the singing needed for the film, Shailene shared, “I’m not like a trained singer, but … I can sing in my shower. It turns out I can also sing outside of the shower, which I didn’t really know until I started working on the Janis project.”

She says she’s been working with hit songwriter Linda Perry getting ready for the film, noting, “She’s really encouraged me and helped me find my center in my own voice, which is incredible.”

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Julia Roberts was “so moved” by the late Lisa Marie Presley‘s memoir that she’s lending her voice to the star in an audiobook version of From Here to the Great Unknown. 

Lisa Marie’s actress daughter, Riley Keough, will also co-narrate the memoir, People is reporting.

Presley died in January 2023 of a small bowel obstruction. She was 54.

In a statement to the magazine, Riley said, “I’m so thrilled to have Julia be a part of this and read the voice of my mother. I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect to help share her story with the world.”

People says Presley had previously asked Riley for assistance with the work, which explores her growing up as the only child of Elvis and Priscilla Presley, as well as “her romantic relationships, motherhood and becoming a grandmother.”

Also addressed are Lisa Marie’s grief over losing her famous father, her own “struggles with addiction and the loss of her son Benjamin, Riley’s brother, who died by suicide in 2020.”

Riley’s father, Danny Keough, helped finish the book using voice recordings Lisa Marie left for her daughter, People says. 

In a statement to the magazine, Roberts said, “I was so moved by Lisa Marie’s incredible memoir. It was a real privilege to give voice to her wild and beautiful life and I deeply appreciate Riley entrusting me with her mother’s story.” 

For her part, Riley expressed of her mother, “What … I hope I’ve done in finishing it for her, is to go beneath the magazine headline idea of her and … turn her into a three-dimensional human being: the best mother, a wild child, a fierce friend, an underrated artist, frank, funny, traumatized, joyous, grieving, everything that she was throughout her remarkable life.” 

The audiobook debuts on Oct. 8.

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The last time Niecy Nash-Betts worked with producer Ryan Murphy, she won an Emmy for her role in Netflix’s DAHMER: Monster – The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. She can now be seen as the lead in Murphy’s follow-up, FX’s new serial killer series Grotesquerie, which debuts Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.

“DAHMER was unexpected. I said yes before I knew what I was saying yes to with that one,” the actress tells ABC Audio. “With this one, I had the luxury of reading the script and then saying yes.”

“But I love Ryan. I love collaborating with him. He’s a great partner. And so because of that, he will always have me at hello,” Niecy shares.

The new series has her playing Lois Tryon, “a big-deal detective in a small town,” Niecy says. 

“She … has a very troubled home life. She’s battling alcoholism, all while hunting a serial killer who is seemingly taunting her. So there’s a lot going on.”

She adds, “And then her partner in crime, if you will, the Cagney to her Lacey, ends up being a nun named Sister Megan, played by the lovely Micaela Diamond.” 

Along the way, Lois and Sister Megan run across a creepy suspect, played by acting newcomer but veteran famous person Travis Kelce. 

Nash-Betts, who is also a producer on the series, says of the newbie actor, “He’s charming, well-prepared, takes notes well and he’s greedy.”

She deadpans, “He can eat a lot, you know — and I’m going to be the first one to let you know. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot.”

In all seriousness, she calls Taylor Swift‘s better half “a very, very wonderful guy.”

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Artem Chigvintsev will not be criminally charged following his arrest for felony domestic violence on Aug. 29, the Napa County District Attorney’s Office announced in a press release Tuesday.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, the decision not to charge the Dancing with the Stars pro “was made after a thorough review of the criminal investigation and careful evaluation of the evidence presented to the DA’s Office.”

“While we take every arrest seriously and stand firmly against domestic violence, we have an ethical obligation to only file charges when supported by the evidence,” Napa County District Attorney Allison Haley said in a statement included in the release.

It continued, “We are required to prove any and every criminal charge ‘beyond a reasonable doubt,'” adding, “If the available evidence doesn’t rise to this level of proof, then we cannot ethically file charges.”

The District Attorney’s Office said it “does not typically issue press releases when it declines to file charges against any given individual,” but “did so for this case due to the intense media interest it has received since Mr. Chigvintsev’s arrest.”

A representative for Artem told Good Morning America in a statement Tuesday, “Mr. Chigvintsev has maintained his innocence from the beginning. He is grateful that the district attorney accurately assessed what took place, and determined he should not be charged. He enjoys tremendous support from the community, and requests privacy for the pending divorce matter. He loves his son, wants the best possible for him, and looks forward to the next chapter in his life professionally and as a father.”

Artem was arrested for felony domestic violence on Aug. 29, just before 10 a.m., according to Napa County, California, jail records.

His wife, WWE Hall of Famer Nikki Garcia, filed for divorce shortly afterward. 

The couple married in August 2022 and share one child, 4-year-old son Matteo.

ABC News reached out to Garcia’s representative for comment but did not immediately hear back.

If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.

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Dancing with the Stars brought the glamour and magic of the movies to the ballroom Tuesday for an Oscars-themed night.

The stars of season 33 hit the dance floor and jived, quickstepped, foxtrotted and more in dances inspired by Academy Award-nominated films as they vied for perfect tens from the judges.

But only one couple was able to achieve the highest score of the night with their scene-stealing choreography, and two couples were sent home in a double elimination.

At the end of the night, Beverly Hills, 90210 alum Tori Spelling and her pro partner, Pasha Pashkov, as well as notorious scam artist Anna Delvey and her pro partner, Ezra Sosa, were sent home.

Spelling called her experience on DWTS an “unbelievable” one and told her five children, “I love you. You can do anything you put your mind to.”

For her part, when asked what she was going to take away from her time on DWTS, Delvey replied, “Nothing.”

Delvey later told Good Morning America her favorite part of her DWTS experience was “getting eliminated.”

The top score of the night went to actress Chandler Kinney and her pro partner, Brandon Armstrong. The duo performed a moving rhumba to “What Was I Made For?” from the Barbie film.

Combining the scores from the premiere episode and Tuesday’s episode, these are the scores for all remaining couples:

Chandler Kinney and Brandon Armstrong – 47
Dwight Howard and Daniella Karagach – 44
Joey Graziadei and Jenna Johnson – 43
Stephen Nedoroscik and Rylee Arnold – 43
Danny Amendola and Witney Carson – 41
Phaedra Parks and Val Chmerkovskiy – 40
Ilona Maher and Alan Bersten – 39
Brooks Nader and Gleb Savchenko – 38
Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber – 38
Reginald VelJohnson and Emma Slater – 31
Eric Roberts and Britt Stewart – 30

Dancing with the Stars season 33 will return for a two-night event on Oct. 7 and Oct. 8, with both episodes airing at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and Disney+ and streaming on Hulu the next day.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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MGM+ has greenlit a new drama series titled Robin Hood, a modern take on the classic adventure tale. The reimagining, described by the streaming service as “a smart, sweeping, romantic adventure that brings historical authenticity, psychological depth, and a heightened focus on the relationship between Rob and Marian to the beloved story,” takes place after the Norman invasion of England, as Rob and Marion “fall in love and work together to fight for justice and freedom … and bring peace to the land.” Robin Hood is set to debut on MGM+ in 2025 …

Hamilton star Daveed Diggs has been added to the cast of The Boys for the show’s fifth and final season, according to Deadline. Details on his character have yet to be announced. Developed by Seth Rogen and his partner Evan Goldberg, The Boys is based on the graphic novel series from Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson and follows the eponymous team of vigilantes who set out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers. Antony Starr, Karl Urban, Erin Moriarty and Jack Quaid star …

Netflix has dropped the official trailer for season 4 of Outer Banks. The drama series follows a group of teens dubbed the Pogues on the treasure hunt of a lifetime. After finding the treasure in season 3, the Pogues are committed to having a normal life, but soon accept a proposal to go on a brand new treasure-hunting adventure. The trailer reveals some of the dangers awaiting them on their new mission. The first five episodes of Outer Banks season 4 debut Oct. 10, with the second five coming Nov. 7 …

The New York Comedy Festival will kick off its 20th anniversary on Nov. 7 with a tribute to the late comedian Joan Rivers, titled Dead Funny – An All-Star Tribute to Joan Rivers Benefiting God’s Love We Deliver.  The lineup includes Michelle Buteau, Rachel Brosnahan, Nikki Glaser, Matteo Lane and Randy Rainbow. God’s Love We Deliver is a nonprofit provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition counseling for people living with life-altering illnesses. Rivers was a member of the organization’s board of directors for 25 years, up until her death in 2014 at the age of 81 …

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The third installment of FX’s American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez is now streaming on Hulu. Based on the podcast Gladiator: Aaron Hernandez and Football Inc., the series “explores the disparate strands of his identity, his family, his career, his suicide and their legacy in sports and American culture.”

The third episode, “Pray the Gay Away,” features Patrick Schwarzenegger as Tim Tebow, who was Hernandez’s former college teammate. The Gen V star tells ABC Audio his involvement all comes back to the show’s producer Ryan Murphy.

“It’s so funny because so many people asked me why was I interested in doing something that was only in the show for two episodes when some of the other stuff I’ve done before was bigger,” Patrick says.

He says one of his goals as an actor is “to surround myself with really great talent and showrunners and producers.” He notes, “I’m a huge fan of what Ryan’s done in the industry, he’s been a powerhouse for decades on end, and to be able to work with him in any capacity for me is a great win.” 

When reminded that Murphy often recasts actors he’s previously worked with, Schwarzenegger laughed, adding, “That’s exactly what I was thinking.” 

Tebow’s Christian faith is famously important to him, and how he lives his life couldn’t be a sharper contrast to the one that Hernandez infamously led off the field.

“He’s faith first, faith forward,” the actor says of Tebow. “[He] notices that there’s something else happening off the field, and how can he reach out and be a lending hand to try to make Aaron a better human and to learn from his mistakes? And … Tim understands those mistakes to be, you know, drugs and alcohol and partying.” 

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