Martin Short reveals how long he’d continue doing ‘Only Murders in the Building’

August 23, 2024

Patrick Harbron/Hulu

Martin Short has earned another Emmy nomination for his role as Oliver Putnam, the ambitious but financially struggling Broadway director on Only Murders in the Building, opposite Selena Gomez and his buddy and longtime comedy partner Steve Martin.

The 74-year-old actor and comedian discussed his six-decade career in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, including how long he’d continue appearing in the Hulu comedy.

Says Short, “In the ’70s, I remember watching Tony Randall on Johnny Carson, and The Odd Couple had been going for four years, and Johnny said, ‘Tony, how long will you stay with this show?’ And Tony just looked at him and said, ‘John, that’s the dumbest question I’ve ever been asked. I will stay with the show as long as it exists because it’s a hit, and a hit is a fluke. In show business, there are singles, there are doubles, there are triples, and there are strikeouts. But a home run is very, very rare.'”

“I totally agree with that,” he tells the outlet.

Short also seemed to dispel rumors of an offscreen romance between him and Only Murders in the Building guest star Meryl Streep, saying they’re just friends.

Only Murders in the Building returns for its fourth season Aug. 27 on Hulu.

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

In brief: ‘Lioness’ season 2 to launch in October and more

Paramount+ has announced that season 2 of Lioness will launch Oct. 27 with two episodes. Based on a real-life CIA program, Taylor Sheridan‘s espionage thriller follows Laysla De Oliveira as a new Lioness operative to help bring down a terrorist organization from within, according to the streaming service. Genesis Rodriguez and Morgan Freeman have been added to the season 2 cast, joining returning stars Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman and Michael Kelly …

Rebecca Ferguson has been tapped to star alongside Andrew Garfield and Claire Foy in the film adaptation of Enid Blyton‘s The Magic Faraway Tree, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film follows Polly and Tim Thompson — played respectively by Foy and Garfield — and their three children, who are forced to relocate to the remote English countryside. “There, the children discover a magical tree and its extraordinary and eccentric occupants,” per the film’s synopsis. Ferguson will play Dame Snap, the villainous headmistress in the beloved children’s story …

Jason Biggs, best known for playing Jim in the American Pie movies, is making his directorial debut in the action comedy Getaway, according to Deadline. Biggs also stars in the movie, alongside Meaghan Rath, Arturo Castro, Justin H. Min and Anna Konkle. Getaway stars Biggs as Kevin Stanwell, an actor who is recruiting one of his friends to stage a home invasion in an attempt to save his marriage. When the plan goes awry, the couple find themselves caught up in a murder investigation. The film is currently filming in Ontario, Canada …

Sonic and Robotnik team up in new trailer to ‘Sonic The Hedgehog 3’

Paramount Pictures and Sega of America

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend” seems to be the order of the day in the action-packed new trailer to the forthcoming Sonic The Hedgehog 3.

According to Paramount Pictures, “Sonic (Ben Schwartz), Knuckles (Idris Elba), and Tails (Colleen O’Shaughnessey) reunite against a powerful new adversary, Shadow, a mysterious villain with powers unlike anything they have faced before.”

Shadow is voiced by none other than Keanu Reeves, and his character goes John Wick mode on the heroes: He can teleport, fly and has the strength to best even Elba’s punchy Knuckles in hand-to-oversized-hand combat.

“Shadow’s story began much like yours did, Sonic,” a military man advises the heroic hedgehog. “But where you found family and friends, Shadow found only pain and loss.”

The producers continue, “With their abilities outmatched in every way, Team Sonic must seek out an unlikely alliance in hopes of stopping Shadow and protecting the planet.”

“He’s too powerful,” Sonic says. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we need you-know-who.”

That “you-know-who” is Jim Carrey‘s nefarious Dr. Robotnik, looking a little worse for wear when we first see him.

However, after a much-needed makeover to get him looking like his old self, he declares, “If I can’t rule the world, I might as well save it!”

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 opens in theaters in December.

76th Emmys: Jean Smart wins Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Jean Smart nabbed her sixth Emmy Sunday night, winning Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Deborah Vance on Hacks.

After receiving a standing ovation, Smart called the win “very humbling,” joking, “I appreciate this because I just don’t get enough attention.” After more laughs, she added, “I’m serious.”

Smart then thanked people associated with the show, before throwing in a jab about the change in the name of the comedy’s network from HBO to Max. “Just what we needed another network,” she said.

This was Smart’s third win for her Hacks role; she previously earned the honor in 2021 and 2022. She also won two Emmys for her work on Frasier and another for her role in the comedy Samantha Who?

Smart had some stiff competition in the Lead Actress in a Comedy category, including Quinta Brunson, Ayo Edeberi, Selena Gomez, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig.