‘Yellowstone’ star Luke Grimes on making his Grand Ole Opry debut, family and more
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Yellowstone actor and country singer Luke Grimes made his debut at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on Friday.
“I can’t believe it’s happening, first of all,” Grimes told Good Morning America backstage before he hit the iconic stage. “I’ve always loved music. I’ve played music since I was really young. I never thought I would do it to a level where I got to play the Opry, and it means the world.”
Grimes said he was equal parts honored and “so nervous” for the moment “because so many of my heroes have done it.”
“Just to feel like I’m part of that community at all is amazing,” he continued.
Grimes released his self-titled debut album in March, a milestone he said “feels like a dream come true.”
He explained of the music, “This is kind of who I really am. This is my real story.”
That story is told through songs like “No Horse to Ride” and “Hold On,” which he performed during his Opry debut.
Grimes said one of his biggest musical inspirations came from growing up playing music in church, saying gospel music had a “huge influence” on him, as well as the music from his childhood.
“My dad loved all the ’70s outlaw country stuff. That was huge in our house. Elvis was huge in our house. So anything sort of Americana, that kind of thing,” he explained. “And then, growing up … ’90s country radio — like Alan Jackson, Tim McGraw, you know, all those guys.”
Grimes and his wife, Bianca Rodrigues Grimes, announced the arrival of their firstborn child, a son named Rigel, in October.
“I’m still processing how it’s changing me, you know, day by day,” he said, calling fatherhood “the biggest event that’s ever happened in my life.”
Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans are on a mission to save Christmas.
In Amazon MGM Studios’ new action-packed trailer for Red One, a bounty hunter, played by Chris Evans, is kidnapped and brought to the North Pole, where he is informed Santa has been abducted.
Also starring in the Jake Kasdan-directed film are J.K. Simmons as Santa and Kiernan Shipka, Bonnie Hunt and Lucy Liu, among others.
Evans and Johnson, the latter of whom plays the North Pole’s head of security, team up in the trailer for the action-comedy, which follows the duo on the search for the missing jolly man.
“Are you saying Santa Claus has been kidnapped?” asks Evans after being informed that “Red One” had been abducted.
The trailer explains Evans will be working with Johnson, whom he vocally expresses distaste for, to track down everyone’s favorite Christmas icon.
The magic of the North Pole is in full effect throughout clip as a polar bear with human qualities dominates the screen for several shots, supply closets double as portal systems and several fantasy creatures appear throughout the quest to “save Christmas.”
According to a synopsis for the film, when Santa is kidnapped, Johnson’s character “must team up with the world’s most infamous bounty hunter,” played by Evans, “in a globe-trotting, action-packed mission to save Christmas.”
Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Billy Crudup won the Emmys for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, respectively, during Sunday night’s 76th annual Emmy Awards.
Moss-Bachrach won for his role as Richie in the FX series The Bear, while Crudup was awarded for his portrayal of Cory Ellison in the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.
The other nominees for Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series were Lionel Boyce, Paul W. Downs, Paul Rudd, Tyler James Williams and Bowen Yang.
In the Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category, the other nominees included Tadanobu Asano, Mark Duplass, Jon Hamm, Takehiro Hira and Jack Bowden.
The 76th Emmy Awards, which aired Sunday night on ABC, had quite a few memorable moments — but perhaps none as memorable as the acceptance speech centered around a dead dog.
While accepting the Emmy for Outstanding Scripted Variety Series for Last Week Tonight, John Oliver thanked the usual people and then shifted gears, paying tribute to his family’s “fantastic” dog, who’d recently passed away. She was at our wedding and she got us through the pandemic. She was with us for two pregnancies,” he said. At that point, the “playoff” music started, indicating that Oliver should wrap it up, but he wasn’t having it.
“Perfect choice of music,” he noted. He then continued, “I feel like Sarah McLachlan right now. She was an amazing dog.” The music continued, to which Oliver shouted, “F*** you! This isn’t just for her. This is for all the dogs! All dogs, you are all very good girls. You are very good boys. You all deserve a treat. Play me off now!”
Some other memorable moments:
—Murphy Brown star Candice Bergen, a presenter, took a shot at J.D. Vance by recalling that during the show’s heyday, then-Vice President Dan Quayle attacked her character for having a baby and raising it as a single mother. “Oh, how far we’ve come,” she said sarcastically. “Today, a Republican candidate for vice president would never attack a woman for having kids. So as they say, my work here is done.” She then added, “Meow.”
–One of the many TV reunion segments during the evening brought together Ron Howard and Henry Winkler to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Happy Days. Speaking from a replica of the show’s hangout, Arnold’s, Howard complained that they didn’t have any theme music introducing them. After some encouragement, Winkler adopted his “Fonz” persona from the show, went over to the jukebox and wrapped it with his fist, causing the Happy Days theme to start up.
–Will Smith accepted the Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for Slow Horses. No, not THAT Will Smith, as the British showrunner acknowledged. Taking the podium, he said, “First of all, relax. Despite my name, I come in peace.”
—The Bear’sLiza Colón-Zayas became the first Latina to win the Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and she recognized that moment by saying, “To all the Latinas who are looking at me? Keep believing. And vote. Vote for your rights.”
—John Leguizamo did a lengthy monologue about diversity in Hollywood, noting that he didn’t see a lot of Latinx representation on TV and movies growing up. “Everybody played us but us,” he noted. Then, he praised the diversity of this year’s nominees, saying it made him “almost happy and certainly less angry.”
–Along those same lines, presenter Diego Luna announced the nominees for Outstanding Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series in Spanish, directly addressing the “more than 50 million Spanish speakers in this country.”
— A number of actors from The West Wing, including Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Dulé Hilland Richard Schiff, reunited to present the Emmy for Best Drama Series and joked about modern politics. Schiff noted that today, interesting storylines could be “plucked right off the news — storylines that writers would have deemed a bit far-fetched, if not utterly ridiculous, 25 years ago.”
–Baby Reindeer‘s Richard Gadd had a message for the entertainment industry. At the podium to accept the Emmy for Best Limited or Anthology Series, he said, “If Baby Reindeer has proved anything, it’s that there’s no set formula to this — that you don’t need big stars, proven IP, long-running series, catch-all storytelling to have a hit. The only constant across any success in television is good storytelling that speaks to our times. So take risks, push boundaries, explore the uncomfortable. Dare to fail in order to achieve.”
