Category: Entertainment

Edward Norton and Monica Barbaro are sharing how they got into character to play music icons Pete Seeger and Joan Baez in the new film A Complete Unknown.

Though it’s a biopic centering on Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) in the early ’60s, Norton told Good Morning America the film is “a very intensive look at that window [of time] and the collisions between [Dylan] and Pete Seeger and Joan Baez and a number of others who were at the heart of that folk music scene” in New York City.

Luckily, the two were able to speak to 83-year-old Baez herself to glean more about who their characters were back in the day, as Seeger died in 2014 at the age of 94.

“I had met her through musician friends, and so I felt comfortable enough to call her,” Norton said of Baez. “It’s funny, there are people who were around at that time who maybe are a little tired of talking about Dylan, but nobody’s tired of talking about Pete Seeger. They really revered and loved Pete, and Joan gave me some wonderful insights into him.”

Barbaro said she spoke to Baez as well, saying she was “lucky that she was willing to give me some of her time.”

“When I got on the phone with her, she said she was saying to a friend she was hoping I would reach out, so I felt very validated in my decision, because you never know,” Barbaro said. “It can be a really daunting task to take on a role like this when you admire someone so much.”

“She’s still on a pedestal for me,” she continued, “I felt so lucky that she was willing to speak to me.”

Aside from his and Barbaro’s roles, Norton praised Chalamet for being in an “amazingly consumed and profoundly committed state” during his performance, adding that he was “existing within the skin of the character.”

“The whole company, I think, benefited from the bubble of concentration that he created,” Norton said. “Timothée’s transformation in it is really a monumental performance. It’s just truly a phenomenal performance.”

A Complete Unknown hits theaters Dec. 25.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The upcoming Friday Night Lights reboot has landed at Peacock. Netflix lost out to the NBCU streamer for the new adaptation of the high school football-centric drama series in a battle that played out over the last several days. Jason Katims, the original series’ showrunner, will helm for Universal Television, while original director Peter Berg and producer Brian Grazer are also set to return …

Hold on to your horses: there’s more Yellowstone on the way. The universe is expanding, as Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser are set to star in a brand-new spin-off series as their characters, Beth and Rip, Variety reports. The news comes just days before the season 5 finale of Yellowstone airs …

Eddie Redmayne will join Julia Roberts in the new thriller Panic Room. Deadline reports that Elizabeth Olsen is also attached to the Warner Bros. film, which will be directed by Sam Esmail. While the plot is being kept under wraps, it has been described as a paranoid thriller similar to Esmail’s previous Emmy-winning show, Mr. Robot …
 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Tangled is getting the live-action treatment.

Disney is working on an adaptation of the 2010 animated film centered on Rapunzel, Good Morning America has confirmed.

This time around, The Greatest Showman director Michael Gracey is directing with a script from Thor: Love and Thunder screenwriter Jennifer Kaytin Robinson.

Casting for the film has yet to be announced.

Tangled was directed by Nathan Greno and Byron Howard with a screenplay by Dan Fogelman. It starred Mandy Moore as Rapunzel, Zachary Levi as Flynn Rider (aka Eugene Fitzherbert) and Donna Murphy as Mother Gothel.

The film, which earned more than $582 million at the worldwide box office, according to The Numbers, won a Grammy for the song “I See the Light,” which also earned a best original song nomination at the Academy Awards.

Other songs featured in the film included “When Will My Life Begin?”, “Mother Knows Best” and “I’ve Got a Dream.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner is opening up about being diagnosed with a blood cancer earlier this year.

Turner, 72, revealed in an exclusive interview with People published on Wednesday that he was diagnosed with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia.

Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia is a rare blood cancer that results in an excess of abnormal white blood cells in the bone marrow, according to the National Institute of Health.

The NIH estimates that the disease affects three in 1 million people per year in the United States, and the condition occurs twice as often in men than women.

Turner told the outlet that there being no cure for Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia “weighs heavily in every decision I make” and that the diagnosis “was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me.”

“And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn’t want to admit it,” he said.

All of this occurred while he was still married to Theresa Nist, whom he proposed to on The Golden Bachelor, which aired its finale in November 2023, and whom he married in a televised wedding on ABC in January.

The couple revealed to GMA in April they were divorcing.

Turner said that after his diagnosis, “the importance of finding the way with Theresa was still there, but it became less of a priority” compared to spending time with his family.

“When you are hit with that kind of news and the shock wears off after a few days or a few weeks and you regroup and you realize what’s important to you, that’s where you start to move forward,” he told the outlet. “And I hope that people understand in retrospect now that that had a huge bearing on my decisions and I think probably Theresa’s as well.”

Turner said he’s embracing the fun of life and not living with regrets these days and wishes Nist “all of the good luck in the world, that she finds everything she wants to.” He said he holds their brief relationship as “a cherished memory.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Keke Palmer and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor have been named among the honorees for the seventh American Black Film Festival Honors, which recognizes excellence in film and television.

Keke will be honored for being a “trendsetting content creator” with “outstanding work and commitment to championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the motion picture and television industry, through their work,” receiving the Renaissance Award at the ceremony.

Aunjanue will be presented with the Excellence in the Arts Award for her body of work and career wins, including her role as Oracene Price in King Richard and its accompanying awards.

Also being recognized is Giancarlo Esposito, best known for his roles on Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. He’ll receive the male award for Excellence in the Arts.

“For decades, these incredible ABFF honorees have captivated audiences and shaped the cultural landscape with their groundbreaking work,” said Jeff and Nicole Friday, CEO and president of NICE CROWD, which is presenting the ABFF Honors. “It’s a privilege to honor Aunjanue, Giancarlo and Keke for their extraordinary contributions to both the industry and our shared culture. … We look forward to recognizing their remarkable achievements and coming together with our amazing ABFF community to honor their lasting impact.”

The ABFF Honors will take place Feb. 17 at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills. Zainab Johnson will take on hosting duties. 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Will Ferrell and Reese Witherspoon go toe-to-toe in a brand-new chaotic trailer.

In the new look at the upcoming comedy You’re Cordially Invited, released Wednesday, the two stars play concerned family members of brides-to-be in the film about double-booked weddings. Also featured in the trailer is an appearance from NFL legend Peyton Manning and a rogue alligator.

Along with Ferrell and Witherspoon, the film, which comes to Prime Video on Jan. 30, stars Geraldine Viswanathan, Meredith Hagner, Jimmy Tatro, Stony Blyden, Leanne Morgan, Rory Scovel, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Ramona Young, Jack McBrayer and Celia Weston.

The trailer shows the point of contention in the film with Ferrell and Witherspoon both arriving in the hotel lobby as McBrayer, who plays a hotel employee, informs them, “We’ve double-booked your weddings.”

This realization kicks off a wild battle between Witherspoon and Ferrell’s characters to make sure each of their family’s special weekends goes off without a hitch.

The trailer concludes with Ferrell holding down an alligator in a hotel bed as Witherspoon looks on in horror.

Ferrell and Witherspoon both serve as producers on the project alongside Nicholas Stoller, Conor Welch, Lauren Neustadter and Jessica Elbaum. Stoller also wrote and directed the project.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Jim Carrey stars as the evil Dr. Robotnik in the upcoming third Sonic the Hedgehog movie, and he recently shared why he was motivated to return to the franchise.

“You know, I came back to this universe because, first of all, I get to play a genius. Which is a bit of a stretch,” he told The Associated Press in a video shared Tuesday. “And, you know, it’s just I bought a lot of stuff, and I need the money, frankly.”

Carrey previously said he would only return to make more Sonic movies — or any acting project, for that matter — if he received a script “written in gold ink by angels,” saying he was serious about taking a break from acting.

“I feel like — and this is something you might never hear another celebrity say as long as time exists — I have enough. I’ve done enough,” he told Access Hollywood in 2022 after Sonic 2 was released. “I am enough.”

Carrey plays two characters in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Not only does he reprise his role as Dr. Ivo Robotnik, he also plays that character’s grandfather.

Sonic the Hedgehog 3 races into theaters everywhere on Dec. 20.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Looks like Paul Mescal is going from playing a gladiator to a Beatle.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, during a conversation between Mescal’s Gladiator II director Ridley Scott and director Christopher Nolan at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles Tuesday, Scott revealed that Mescal has been cast in Sam Mendes’ upcoming films about The Beatles.

When talking about his next project, the movie The Dog Stars, Scott was asked if Mescal was going to be in the film. At first Scott said that he was, before suggesting Mescal’s schedule may be an issue.

“Paul is actually stacked up, doing the Beatles next,” he said. “So I may have to let him go.”

While Ridley didn’t say who Mescal would be playing, The Hollywood Reporter notes that rumors have suggested he was the frontrunner to play Paul McCartney.

Mendes’ Beatles project was announced back in February, with the director revealing he planned to make four separate films, one for each member of the group — McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison.

Sony Pictures is the studio behind the movies, and it marks the first time Apple Corps Ltd. and The Beatles have granted a studio the rights to the life stories of band members and their legendary catalog of music. 

No official casting has been announced for the films, although Ringo recently let it slip in an Entertainment Tonight interview that Barry Keoghan had been cast to play him.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Movie fans will have more ways to watch the 2025 Oscars next year.

For the first time ever, the Academy Awards will stream live on Hulu, beginning with the 97th annual awards show on Sunday, March 2.

In addition to the telecast airing live on ABC and streaming on Hulu, the show will also be available to stream on Hulu the next day.

It was announced last month that Conan O’Brien will host the 2025 Oscars, marking the comedian’s first time hosting the Academy Awards.

“America demanded it and now it’s happening: Taco Bell’s new Cheesy Chalupa Supreme. In other news, I’m hosting the Oscars,” O’Brien said in a statement at the time.

Nominations for the forthcoming Academy Awards will be announced Friday, Jan. 17.

The 2025 Oscars will be held at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood.

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

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Have you ever wondered what Jabba the Hutt’s son might look like? Apparently, it’s Jeremy Allen White. The actor has been tapped to star in the upcoming Star Wars film Mandalorian & Grogu as Jabba the Hutt’s son, Rotta the Hutt. Deadline confirmed the news, writing that White’s role will be sizable and not a cameo. He joins Pedro Pascal and Sigourney Weaver in the Jon Favreau-directed feature, headed to theaters on May 22, 2026 …

Ian McKellen, Michaela Coel and James Corden have been cast in Steven Soderbergh‘s latest film, The Christophers. Deadline reports that the movie, which starts production in February 2025, is a dark comedy about the estranged children of a once-famous artist who hire a forger to complete his unfinished works …

Jake Bongiovi is the latest to join Maude Apatow‘s directional debut film, Poetic License, according to Deadline. The film, which follows a former therapist who becomes the unexpected point of tension between two best friends and college seniors, also stars Andrew Barth Feldman, Cooper Hoffman, Maisy Stella and Leslie Mann …

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.