Category: Entertainment

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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Disney has announced two new limited Pixar Productions shows that will stream exclusively on Disney+: Dream Productions and Win or Lose.

Dream Productions takes place between the events of Inside Out and its new hit sequel — and once again between the ears of their main character, Riley. This time it’s time “to explore the innerworkings of the studio behind her dreams.”

The studio teases, “Riley is growing up and when her memories need some extra processing, Joy and the rest of the Core Emotions send them to Dream Productions. Acclaimed director Paula Persimmon (Paula Pell) faces a nightmare of her own: Trying to create the next hit dream after being paired up with Xeni (Richard Ayoade), a smug daydream director looking to step up into the big leagues of night dreams.”

The mockumentary-style show features the voices of Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Liza Lapira, Tony Hale, Lewis Black and Phyllis Smith.

The four-episode series comes to Disney+ beginning Dec. 11.

Feb. 19 will see the launch of the eight-episode Win or Lose, which “features the intertwined stories of different characters as they each prepare for their big championship softball game.”

Each of the eight installments tracks a different character in the lead-up to the big game. 

Pixar’s chief creative officer, Pete Docter, noted, “Dream Productions offers up a treasure trove of jokes and fun as it digs deeper into one of our favorite parts of the first film, the making of Riley’s dreams.”

He calls Win or Lose “a major, first-of-its-kind tentpole series, one that really showcases … bold, imaginative storytelling; laugh-out-loud humor; and characters that we can all relate to.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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The upcoming Santa Fe International Film Festival has announced it will be honoring Bryan Cranston with its Lifetime Achievement Award. 

Not coincidentally, his drama Breaking Bad was set in Santa Fe, New Mexico — a fact mentioned by SFiFF Executive Director Liesette Bailey in the announcement.

“Bryan Cranston’s work has inspired generations of actors and captivated audiences worldwide, cementing his place as one of the most respected and accomplished figures in the industry,” she said.

“We are truly honored to present him with the Santa Fe International Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award, not only in recognition of his exceptional body of work, but also for the deep connection he shares with the people of New Mexico and the lasting impact he has made on our community with his role in the iconic series ‘Breaking Bad.'”

Cranston will be honored on Oct. 19; the event takes place Oct. 16 through Oct. 20.

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After Thanos is defeated at the end of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, Chris Evans‘ Captain America takes a trip through time to return the six Infinity Stones back to the timelines from whence they came. 

And although the movie explains the trip seems instantaneous, to Cap it would be anything but — and returning the Soul Stone would bring him face to face with its keeper, The Red Skull, who happens to be Cap’s archenemy.

Since the end of that film, fans have been wondering exactly what Cap would have encountered on that important mission. 

One of those fans is apparently Ross Marquand, The Walking Dead veteran and gifted celebrity voice impersonator who played Red Skull in the last two Avengers movies.

According to Graham Mosimann, who moderated a panel with Marquand at the fan convention the Edmonton Expo, the actor reiterated he “keeps pitching” to Marvel a Disney+ show that would follow Cap on this final mission. He’s mentioned it at cons before.

Evans already returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe after Endgame — but as his Fantastic Four character Johnny Storm, not Cap, in Deadpool & Wolverine. 

In the past, he’s said he didn’t want to mess with Cap’s Endgame endgame: His trip through time ends with him finally in the arms of his love, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell).

In 2023, Evans told GQ about a return as Steve Rogers, “I’ll never say never. … But I’m also very precious with it.”

He added, “I wouldn’t want the black eye if it felt like a cash grab or if it didn’t live up to expectations or if it just felt like it wasn’t connected to that original thing.”

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

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Blumhouse, the studio behind the horror hits like The Purge franchise, M3GAN and the Insidious movies, has partnered with Peacock for Overnightmare — a real-life horrifying, interactive weekend experience. 

The companies are opening the doors to the Stanley Hotel in Colorado, the haunted spot that inspired Stephen King‘s Overlook Hotel in his classic The Shining and the 1980 Stanley Kubrick fright fest of the same name.

Taking place Oct. 18 to Oct. 20, Overnightmare is available to book now. The spine-tingling two-night stay will put guests up in a Stanley Hotel room themed to one of four Blumhouse shockers — Insidious, The Purge, Happy Death Day and Freaky. 

Also promised are “spooky spaces throughout the hotel,” as well as “nightly immersive experiences.”

The announcement says, “Come sundown, things will quite literally go bump in the night. Each evening will feature an after-dark experience as guests are pulled from their rooms for one of four personalized, fully immersive activations, inspired by each of the Blumhouse films and featuring interactive characters, narratives, and scares.”

The ad copy continues, “Experiences will be geared toward different horror levels to allow guests to face their fears no matter their terror threshold – from Freaky and Happy Death Day for those who want just a taste of the terrifying, to Insidious and The Purge for a full nightmare experience.”

There will also be two nights of exclusive screenings, including episodes of Peacock’s upcoming original thriller series Teacup, from James Wan‘s Atomic Monster studio, which hits the streamer Oct. 10.

If you’d rather be scared at home, Atomic Monster, Blumhouse and Peacock also collaborated on the screamer’s — er, streamer’s — Face Your Fears lineup of scary movies, just in time for the spooky season.

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Ian Somerhalder is opening up about his reasons for stepping away from acting.

After starring in high-profile shows like Lost and The Vampire Diaries — shows that celebrate their 20th and 15th anniversaries this year, respectively — the actor opened up in a new interview with People about why he left show business to focus on his passion projects and to raise his family.

“August 19th makes five years since I was professionally on camera as an actor/producer,” Somerhalder told the outlet. “I stepped away from that after V Wars to build these companies, launch films like Kiss the Ground, Common Ground and Ground Swell and raise my kids.”

The actor has focused on environmental activism-themed documentaries in the years since leaving Hollywood behind and shares two children with wife Nikki Reed, from the Twilight franchise.

Somerhalder said he recalled telling his management he was walking away from acting “at this sort of peak” where he “could have gone and done anything,” but that the things he’s pursuing today “mean way more to me.”

“I say this in all humility, in all respect, but I would much rather do this than go spend two months in some city, shooting a TV show away from my family or transporting my family back and forth,” he said. “I don’t need to chase awards and anything that would make me feel better about myself.”

All that said, Somerhalder said he looks back fondly on shows like Lost and The Vampire Diaries, which have garnered even bigger audiences in recent years thanks to streaming, and said he has “enormous gratitude” for them.

“That path has gotten me to where I feel most authentic anyway, which is in a pair of cowboy boots, feeding the cows and running horses.”

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Everything is not what it seems — unless it’s the official trailer for Wizards Beyond Waverly Place.

The trailer for the Wizards of Waverly Place spin-off series debuted Tuesday, and it reunites Selena Gomez with her onscreen brother, David Henrie.

Henrie takes center stage, reprising his role as Justin Russo alongside Janice LeAnn Brown‘s Billie. The series follows an adult Justin, who is married with two sons and has chosen to live a mortal life without magic. That is until his sister, Alex, shows up with the powerful young wizard Billie and asks for his help in her wizard training.

“You’re a powerful wizard. Some people see that as a threat. But I promise, I’m not gonna let anything happen to you,” Henrie’s Justin tells Brown’s Billie in the trailer.

Alkaio Thiele, Max Matenko, Taylor Cora and Mimi Gianopulos also star in the brand-new sitcom. Along with serving as an executive producer, Gomez guest stars in the series’ pilot episode.

Wizards Beyond Waverly Place debuts with a two-episode premiere on Oct. 29, only on Disney Channel. The first nine episodes of the season will be available to stream on Disney+ and Disney Channel On Demand the following day, Oct. 30.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Johnny Depp was speaking about his latest directorial effort, Modi – Three Days On The Wing Of Madness, at the San Sebastian Film Festival and alluded to his messy court battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. 

When asked if he saw parallels to his life and the life of the movie’s subject, artist Amedeo “Modi” Modigliani, Depp said he did, but claims it’s not about him.

“Sure, we can say that I’ve been through a number of things here and there, but I’m alright,” he said, according to Variety.

Depp continued, “I think we’ve all been through a number of things, ultimately. … Maybe yours didn’t turn into a soap opera, televised in fact, but we all experience and go through what we go through.”

Al Pacino also stars in the film, which Depp said was “infinitely more positive” than his last directing experience with The Brave 27 years ago — and so far, critics have been more positive about this one, as well.

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Michael B. Jordan has once again teamed up with director Ryan Coogler, with whom he worked on Fruitvale Station, Creed, Black Panther and Wakanda Forever, for a new supernatural horror film called Sinners. 

The very creepy trailer to the Prohibition-era Warner Bros. film has just dropped and shows Jordan in a dual role as twin brothers facing an unseen evil force.

The plot details are being kept under wraps, but the studio teases, “Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.”

The trailer starts with Jordan so shaken he can’t even roll a cigarette, sitting atop a crate. He’s wearing World War I dog tags and is seen opening the box, which contains an automatic rifle and other gear he would have carried overseas.

Using a Southern accent, Jordan says, “I’ve been all over this world. I’ve seen men die in ways I ain’t even know was possible. Of all the things that I’ve seen, I ain’t ever seen no demons, no ghosts, no magic — till now.”

A title card teases “A new vision of fear” from Coogler, as we see Jordan’s character take shelter in a building surrounded by slowly shambling zombie-like people. One civilian is caught outside and begs to be let in. 

Meanwhile, Jordan and the townsfolk inside arm up and get ready.

A preacher’s voice is heard saying, “You keep dancing with the devil, one day he’s gonna follow you home.”

Coogler’s Oscar-winning Black Panther composer Ludwig Göransson returns to score Sinners, which hits theaters March 7.

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Freddie Prinze Jr. is on board to appear in the follow-up film to the 1997 horror flick I Know What You Did Last Summer, ABC News has learned.

The She’s All That actor starred in the original film as Ray Bronson, a teen desperately trying to cover up a tragic accident he and his friends caused.

Prinze joins the cast of the new Sony Pictures film alongside Bodies Bodies Bodies actress Chase Sui Wonders, Outer Banks star Madelyn Cline, Tiny Beautiful Things alum Sarah Pidgeon, Atlanta and Tell Me Lies actor Tyriq Withers and The Little Mermaid star Jonah Hauer-King. The film will arrive in theaters July 18.

Jennifer Love Hewitt, who starred in the original I Know What You Did Last Summer as Julie James, is also in talks to return in the new film.

Thor: Love and Thunder co-writer and Someone Great director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is slated to direct the upcoming movie. Robinson and Sam Lansky joined forces to write the follow-up movie off of Leah McKendrick‘s draft. Neal Moritz, who has produced each installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise, as well as the original I Know What You Did Last Summer and its sequel, is slated to produce.

I Know What You Did Last Summer which starred Hewitt, Prinze, Prinze’s now-wife Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe, followed a group of friends stalked by a hook-handed maniac after hoping to hide a tragic accident.

The film earned over $125 million worldwide and spawned the 1998 sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.

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