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Randy Brooks
Randy Brooks
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ABC - Entertainment News

Now on Netflix: 'Dead Boy Detectives'

Netflix/Ed Araquel

On Thursday, Netflix dropped all eight episodes of the supernatural series Dead Boy Detectives, based on the beloved comic series from The Sandman's Neil Gaiman.

Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) and Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) are best friends — and as the title suggests, they're dead. However, as ghosts, they're tasked with solving paranormal mysteries.

One of their allies in their quests is Tragic Mick, sort of the Q to the specter sleuths' James Bond.

The actor who plays him, Michael Beach, says there's more to the eccentric character, however.

"He's a man who used to be a walrus, but because of some mystical thing — and it will come up in the show —he has been a human for 200 years," Beach says. "And he spent that time, all of that time trying to find potions and spells ... to turn him back into a walrus, because he misses living in the sea."

Beach explains, "He's developed this shop where people can come and get potions and spells to help themselves out of whatever. So, the two main characters, the dead boys, they often come to him because they are trying to help other dead people move on to whatever the next realm is that they're going." 

The actor adds with a laugh, "You know, I spent some time on YouTube looking up ... video of these huge, hulking walruses hanging out. And, you know, how they sounded, how they moved and tried to incorporate that into who Tragic Mick was."

He adds, "That's part of the joy about being an actor, right? If the writing is good and the people are open to ... you trying crazy stuff sometimes, then that's the real fun of it."  

 

 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


'The Bear', 'Bluey', 'Judy Blume Forever' and 'Marvel's Moon Girl' all nominated for Peabody Awards

'The Bear' - FX/Matt Dinerstein

On Thursday, the Board of Jurors of the Peabody Awards announced the 27 nominees for the organization's 84th annual honors in the categories of Arts, Entertainment, Children's/Youth and Interactive & Immersive.

More than 1,100 entries from TV shows to podcasts were in the running; this year, FX's Emmy-winning The Bear was among those singled out as "the most compelling and empowering stories" released in 2023. 

Other shows that were singled out in the Entertainment category included FX's Reservation Dogs; HBO's dramedy Somebody Somewhere and its hit video game adaptation The Last of Us; Netflix's Lupin, Blue Eyed Samurai and The Fall of the House of Usher; and Amazon Freevee's Jury Duty.

In the Children's/Youth category, Bluey on Disney+ was singled out, as was Disney Channel's animated Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, executive produced by and starring the voice of Laurence Fishburne.

The winners of the 84th annual Peabody Awards will be announced on May 9 and then celebrated on June 9 at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

Here are the nominees in the Entertainment, Arts and Children's/Youth categories; the full list can be found here:

ENTERTAINMENT

The Bear - (FX)
Blue Eye Samurai - (Netflix)
Dead Ringers - (Prime Video)
The Fall of the House of Usher - (Netflix)
Fellow Travelers - (Showtime)
Jury Duty - (Amazon Freevee)
The Last of Us - (HBO | Max)
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver: Israel-Hamas War - (HBO | Max)
Lupin - (Netflix)
Poker Face - (Peacock)
Reality - (HBO | Max)
Reservation Dogs - (FX)
Somebody Somewhere - (HBO | Max)

CHILDREN’S/YOUTH

Bluey - (Disney+)
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur - (Disney Channel)
Summer Camp Island - (Cartoon Network)

ARTS

Can You Bring It: Bill T. Jones and D-Man in the Waters - (World Channel and APT)
Judy Blume Forever - (Prime Video)
Little Richard: I Am Everything - (CNN Films, MAX and Magnolia Pictures)

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Sophia Bush opens up on finding unexpected love with Ashlyn Harris: "I didn't see it until I saw it"

Lauren Dukoff/Glamour

Actress Sophia Bush is opening up about finding new love with former soccer player Ashlyn Harris.

"I didn't see it until I saw it," Bush wrote in her cover story with Glamour that was published Thursday.

Bush filed for divorce from husband Grant Hughes on August 4, 2023; they'd tied the knot on June 11, 2022. Bush cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

Bush explained how friends in her support group, which was formed to help each other through the life change, began to point out the obvious compatibility forming between her and Harris, who filed for divorce from her ex-wife, former professional soccer player Ali Krieger, in September 2023.

"It really took other people in our safe support bubble pointing out to me how we'd finish each other's sentences or be deeply affected by the same things," she wrote.

After much consideration, Bush said she finally asked Harris to spend time individually.

"It took me confronting a lot of things, what felt like countless sessions of therapy, and some prodding from loved ones, but eventually I asked Ashlyn to have a non-friend-group hang to talk about it," wrote Bush.

Bush said the public reaction turned negative quickly, as people on the outside were not aware of the time and work it took her to find love again.

"There were blatant lies. Violent threats. There were accusations of being a home-wrecker. The ones who said I'd left my ex because I suddenly realized I wanted to be with women — my partners have known what I'm into for as long as I have."

She added of Harris, who is a mom, "Falling in love with her has sutured some of my own childhood wounds, and made me so much closer to my own mother."

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Rebel Wilson's accusations against Sacha Baron Cohen won't appear in UK version of book 'Rebel Rising'

Brendon Thorne/Getty Images for AFI

While her new book, Rebel Rising, sees Rebel Wilson making some headline-grabbing accusations against Borat star Sacha Baron Cohen, readers across the pond won't get to read them.

According to the The New York Times, publisher HarperCollins confirms edits will be made to the chapter in question, "Sacha Baron Cohen and Other A*******," for the U.K. version of the book.

"We are publishing every page, but for legal reasons, in the UK edition, we are redacting most of one page with some other small redactions and an explanatory note," the publisher said in a statement to the paper. "Those sections are a very small part of a much bigger story," it continued.

Cohen had previously called Wilson's written accusations of harassing behavior on the set of The Brothers Grimsby "demonstrably false."

"While we appreciate the importance of speaking out, these demonstrably false claims are directly contradicted by extensive detailed evidence, including contemporaneous documents, film footage, and eyewitness accounts from those present before, during and after the production of The Brothers Grimsby," the statement read at the time.

In response to HarperCollins' decision, a spokesman for the actor told The Times, "Printing falsehoods is against the law in the UK and Australia," adding that the decision "confirms what we said from the beginning — that this is demonstrably false, in a shameful and failed effort to sell books."

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


'Beef' cast, Lucy Liu, Padma Lakshmi, Cynthia Erivo and Saweetie among honorees for 3rd Gold Gala

Ali Wong and Steven Yeun, 'Beef' - Andrew Cooper/Netflix © 2023

The nonprofit Gold House, which celebrates Asian Pacific creatives, companies and communities, has assembled an A-List set of honorees for its third annual Gold Gala.

The event, which will take place on Saturday, May 11, at the Music Center in downtown Los Angeles, will honor its 2024 A100 List celebrating "the 100 most impactful Asian Pacific changemakers in culture and society over the past year."

Among this year's honorees will be the cast of Netflix's Emmy-winning series Beef, receiving the Gold Icon award for its "groundbreaking representation of the Asian American experience."

Saweetie will perform and receive the first-ever Billboard Gold Music honor "recognizing boundary-pushing musical accomplishments that redefine cultural narratives," while her fellow Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo will be presented with the Gold Ally award "for her award-winning work to advance inclusive representation in front of and behind the camera."

Other honorees include Lifetime Achievement winners Lucy Liu and Padma Lakshmi — who is doing double-duty that evening as the Gold Gala Culinary Director, overseeing a three-course meal for the event's 600 invited guests.

Other honorees will include Maui's first responders following the devastating fires there in August. On a lighter note, the iconic character Hello Kitty will receive the Gold Generation award for her 50th anniversary.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


"Sonorus!" All seven 'Harry Potter' books to be released as full-cast audio productions

Audible

Audible announced Thursday that it has partnered with the Wizarding World's Pottermore Publishing to produce full-cast audio recordings of all seven original Harry Potter books. 

Scheduled for late 2025, the endeavor will tap more than 100 performers and promise to "bring these iconic stories to life as never heard before, offering immersive audio entertainment through high-quality sound design in Dolby Atmos, stunning scoring, a full range of character voices, and real-world sound capture," Audible claims.

Each of the seven English language audiobooks will be released sequentially, the company notes.

The original English language Harry Potter audiobooks were first published in 1999, starring the voices of Jim Dale and Stephen Fry. Since they launched on Audible in 2015, the audio adaptation of J.K. Rowling's creation have reached 1.4 billion global listening hours on the platform.

Bob Carrigan, CEO of Audible, said of the new productions, "Together with Pottermore Publishing, best-in-class producers, and over one hundred actors, we will introduce a groundbreaking new soundscape for the Wizarding World, as well as performances that will inspire our listeners’ imaginations and redefine these quintessential characters for a new generation."

Chairman of Pottermore Publishing Neil Blair added, "J.K. Rowling's storytelling lends itself perfectly to the application of new audiobook technologies, and we’re certain this sophisticated, immersive audio experience will not only add a new listening dimension for existing fans but will introduce a whole new generation of listeners to the wizarding world."

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Study claims 'Hell's Kitchen' is the easiest reality show to get on

Fox

If you wanna be a reality show star, learn to cook.

That's because a new study claims two chef Gordon Ramsay-fronted Fox shows have your best shot of appearing as a contestant.

The website HelloMillions tracked Google data for the number of people who searched phrases like "apply for" and "casting call" related to 19 of the top reality shows, then compared that to the number of contestants on a given show per season — aka your competition for a slot.

With that in mind, Hell's Kitchen had the lowest number of monthly searches for applications — an average of 1,598 national searches — and each season has 18 participants.

The search number is likely the lowest because unlike other reality shows, you have to have a skill to be in the kitchen with Chef Ramsay.

Coming in second was The Bachelorette. Despite the show's popularity, one still has a decent shot of getting on it, considering each season has 26 contestants and there's only 2,400 or so monthly searches inquiring how to apply. 

Coming in third was Squid Game: The Challenge: While there are 42,843 monthly searches for how to join up, the show has the largest pool of contestants per season: 456. 

The fourth easiest show to get on, according to the site, was another Ramsay reality hit Master Chef: 2,359 monthly searches were related to getting on, with 20 wannabe winners a season.

Rounding out the top five was The Bachelor. Nearly 5,000 monthly searches were related to applying to the ABC show, with slots for 33 hopefuls.

For the record, the hardest show to get on was CBS' Love Island. Per month, there are 16,322 casting searches and 33 contestants.

Methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction overturned in New York

Weinstein outside of court in New York City in 2020 - Brendan McDermid/Reuters, FILE

The rape conviction of movie producer Harvey Weinstein has been overturned by New York's highest court.

The New York Court of Appeals, in a scathing 4-3 opinion, overturned Weinstein's conviction on sex crimes against three women, finding the trial judge "erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes."

The court said that testimony "served no material non-propensity purpose" and "portrayed defendant in a highly prejudicial light."

Weinstein spokesperson Juda Engelmayer told ABC News, "We are happily surprised and we are studying the ruling."

The Weinstein team, which was eagerly awaiting a ruling, was not expecting it to be in Weinstein's favor after a succession of rulings in different courts all went against Weinstein.

Weinstein was also convicted of sex offenses in Los Angeles and sentenced to 16 years in prison there.

Because Weinstein is already convicted in California, he will not be released but instead transferred to the custody of prison authorities in California.

Weinstein, 72, was a well-known, powerful man within the entertainment industry, and prosecutors said he abused his power to take advantage of aspiring female actors, like the alleged victims, to coerce them into unwanted sexual encounters — a well-known secret in Hollywood, prosecutors alleged.

An explosive New York Times article in October 2017 reported Weinstein had reached at least eight settlements with women who accused him of sexual misconduct over decades. The story sparked an avalanche of accusations from women who came forward with similar accounts and largely kicked off the #MeToo movement, targeting prominent celebrities for sexual misconduct.

Weinstein was arrested on May 25, 2018, and charged with first-and third-degree rape for one victim and first-degree criminal sex act for another woman. He was found guilty in February 2020 of two felonies — criminal sexual assault and third-degree rape — but acquitted of the two most serious charges of predatory sexual assault. He was also acquitted of first-degree rape.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Ryan Seacrest and girlfriend Aubrey Paige call it quits after three years

Dia Dipasupil/FilmMagic

Ryan Seacrest and Aubrey Paige have split after three years of dating, a rep for the American Idol host confirms to People.

"After three beautiful years together, Ryan and Aubrey have mutually decided to part ways," an insider tells the outlet, adding, "They plan to stay in each other’s lives as good friends and support one another’s endeavors."

Seacrest, 49, and Paige, 26, went public with their relationship back in 2021 when they were spotted together celebrating Memorial Day in the Hamptons, according to People.

Seacrest previously dated actress and Dancing with the Stars cohost Julianne Hough and model Shayna Taylor.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Jennifer Aniston working '9 to 5' into a reboot for 20th Century Studios

ABC

The Morning Show producer and star Jennifer Aniston is reportedly working on rebooting the classic workplace comedy 9 to 5 for 20th Century Studios.

In a story that first broke on the subscriber-based InSneider website, the former Friends star will reportedly be working with her Echo Films production company partner Kristin Hahn and Lisa Frankenstein writer Diablo Cody for the project.

The 1980 hit starred Dolly Parton, Lily Tomlin, and Jane Fonda as office workers who plot to get even with their chauvinist boss, played by Dabney Coleman. It's Parton-sung theme that shared the movie's title was nominated for an Oscar, and became a smash.

The legendary leading ladies revisited the beloved movie in the 2022 documentary Still Working 9 to 5.

The property was made into two TV projects in the 1980s, and also became a Tony-nominated musical.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Emma Stone denies calling Jimmy Kimmel a "p****" at the Oscars

Disney/Scott Kirkland

Emma Stone recently addressed rumors that she was annoyed over a joke host Jimmy Kimmel made about Best Picture nominee Poor Things at the Oscars back in March

“Those were all the parts of Poor Things that we’re allowed to show on TV," quipped Kimmel following the film's Best Picture nominee montage.

The camera then panned over to Stone, who leaned towards her husband, Dave McCary, and commented something. Some people thought it looked like she was calling Kimmel a p****.

During an interview with The Hollywood Reporter published on Wednesday, April 24, however, the 35-year-old actress denied the rumor.

"No! I didn't call him a p****," she shared. "What did I say? I didn't call him a p****. I wasn't upset with him at all. I'll have to look that up. I’m near-unoffendable."

Stone managed to get the last laugh by winning her second Best Actress Oscar.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


In Brief: Ryan Gosling's 'SNL' huge for Peacock, and more

Variety reports the April 13 episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Ryan Gosling, drew the biggest Peacock audience ever in a seven-day period. The exact number of Peacock viewers isn't available, but the episode’s seven-day total across all platforms is 8.9 million — a 1.7 million viewer increase from the night it originally aired, based on a combination of Nielsen’s measurement of linear viewers on NBC and NBCUniversal’s own data regarding streams on Peacock. It's also SNL’s best seven-day viewership since Billie Eilish served as both host and musical guest in 2021 ...

Amy Adams has signed on to star in the upcoming drama At the Sea, from Pieces of a Woman director and filmmakers Kornel Mundruczó and Kata Wéber, according to Deadline. Adams will play Laura, who has to readjust to the complicated life she left behind and face the future following a long rehabilitation. Production is set to begin in Boston in June ...

Roku has greenlit the original docuseries Tracee Travels, hosted by black-ish alum Tracee Ellis Ross. "A champion of solo travel," Tracee "invites viewers on her journey, as she meticulously, laboriously, and sometimes ridiculously prepares for and travels solo to spectacular locations," per the streamer. During her travels, Tracee "charts her own path, as she explores the intersection of beauty, fashion, design, food, and culture at each stop of her trip" ...

 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


"He really is a superhero": Jeremy Renner's 'Kingstown' co-star Michael Beach on star's near-fatal accident

Dennis P. Mong Jr./Paramount + © 2022 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved.

As reported back in January, nearly a year to the day he was almost killed in a snowplow accident, Jeremy Renner revealed he was back on the set of the Paramount+ show Mayor of Kingstown.

Renner suffered more than 31 broken bones and had other serious injuries from the accident, but to this day, his co-stars are as in awe of his recovery as Renner's fans are.

Michael Beach plays Kareem Moore in the series and told ABC Audio he was shocked to learn how close Renner came. "Things that he told me that I didn't know that, you know, like the fact that he actually died and they brought him back. I didn't know that," the award-winning actor says.

Beach added, "It's remarkable to see what he is doing. And pretty much I don't think ... anyone watching will have any idea. You can't see anything different."

Beach continues, "On set, of course, he needs — he needs a little more breaks. He's always got to exercise. He's got to stretch. He's got special chairs to sit in and stuff like that. But, you know, it's so quick ... from his accident — to see the things that he can do is incredible."

Beach adds with a laugh, "So, yeah, he really is a superhero, man. He really is."

Mayor of Kingstown returns to Paramount+ for season 3 on June 2.

 

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


"It hurt": Ben Stiller talks the negative and positive effects of 'Zoolander 2' tanking

Pablo Cuadra/FilmMagic

In the forthcoming May 7 episode of David Duchovny’s Fail Better podcast, Ben Stiller unpacked what Zoolander 2 bombing did for him — for better or worse.

The 2016 movie tanked at the box office and was critically drubbed, which took a toll on him, Stiller says in the interview.

"It hurt," Stiller said, according to The Wrap.

“I thought everybody wanted this, and then it’s like, 'Wow, I must have really f***** this up. Everybody didn’t go to it. And it's gotten these horrible reviews."

Stiller adds, "It really freaked me out because I was like, 'I didn’t know [it] was that bad?'"

The director of the 2008 comedy Tropic Thunder recalls, "What scared me the most on that one was l’m losing what I think what's funny, the questioning yourself,” he added. “It was definitely blindsiding to me. And it definitely affected me for a long time.”

That said, there was a silver lining. "The wonderful thing that came out of that for me was ... if that had been a hit, and they said 'Make Zoolander 3 right now' ... I would have just probably jumped in and done that."

Stiller added, "Even if somebody said, 'Well, why don’t you go do another comedy or do this?’ I probably could have figured out something to do. But I just didn’t want to."

What came from that break was developing some limited series, like 2018's Escape at Dannemora, for which he was nominated for an Emmy in the directing category, and the Emmy-nominated Apple TV+ series Severance.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


Tina Fey, Steve Carell to reunite for Netflix comedy series 'Four Seasons'

Sylvain Gaboury/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images

Date Night co-stars Tina Fey and Steve Carell will reunite for Fey's eight-episode Netflix comedy series called Four Seasons, ABC Audio has confirmed. 

The series is based on actor/director Alan Alda's 1981 film of the same name, which also starred Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Sandy Dennis and Len Cariou.

Fey co-created and will star in the show, which centers on three married couples who vacation together every season and how the collective relationship is strained when one of the partners strays with a younger woman. 

The film was also adapted into a CBS TV show in 1984. 

Fey co-created the show with Lang Fisher and Tracey Wigfield, with whom she worked on her Emmy-winning NBC comedy 30 Rock. Fisher co-created Never Have I Ever, which ran for four seasons on Netflix, and Wigfield created Great News and Saved by the Bell for the streaming service.

Emmy and Oscar nominee Carell previously appeared in Netflix's comedy series Space Force.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.


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