December 16, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Disney+(NEW YORK) — Star Wars fans will have a present from Disney+ under the tree this year: the streaming service has announced that the second season of Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian, will debut on December 25. 

The Gallery series is a deep dive behind the scenes of the hit show, featuring sneak peeks of the tech, the tools, and the talent that brings creator Jon Favreau’s Emmy nominated show to life. The first installment featured interviews with episode director and star Taika Waititi, as well as Favreau, co-producer Dave Filoni, and Deborah Chow, who is calling the shots on the just-announced Obi-Wan Kenobi series on the streaming service. Season one’s Gallery also included chats with director Bryce Dallas Howard, Rick Famuyiwa, and the cast, including Pedro Pascal, Carl Weathers, and Emmy nominee Giancarlo Esposito. 

The second installment of the documentary series covers, logically, the show’s surprise-filled second season, which wraps up this Friday. 

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

December 16, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Rick Rowell(NEW YORK) — With small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, now’s the best time to show your support, Lin-Manuel Miranda tells ABC Audio. 

The Grammy, Emmy, and Tony–winning Hamilton creator has teamed up with American Express as part of its Share Joy — Shop Small campaign.

While his collaboration started in November with the company’s eleventh-annual Small Business Saturday, it’s more important than ever right now. 

“Particularly in [the] big holiday seasons, I think it’s really about realizing that your your neighborhood is as strong as its local businesses, and putting your hard-earned money back into your community.”

Miranda adds, “I know it’s tempting when you’ve got a website that lets you buy something in one click, but I swear that [local] business is online like everyone…like just give it two clicks and find that local place where you can get what you’re looking for.”

Lin-Manuel says his family has luckily been healthy amid the pandemic, and he admits he’s lucky, too, “to have the privilege to be able to hole up.” Still, “it’s been an adjustment,” he admits.

He says the “silver lining” has been to watch the bond between his two sons, the oldest of whom, Sebastian, is six, and taking virtual classes.

“[M]y two-year-old [is] basically so advanced because he’s basically going to school with his older brother,” Miranda says.  “He’s in that phase where he’s just like a little baby duck behind his older brother.”

He adds of little Francisco, “I think he’s going to be reading really fast because his brother is just learning to read. He is competitive and he wants to learn everything.”

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

December 16, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Rick Rowell(LOS ANGELES) — Kristen Bell admits that her life isn’t perfect and revealed the one thing husband Dax Shepard does that drives her up a wall.

Bell, 40, joined the Backstory with Jason Bentley podcast Tuesday and discussed why she doesn’t shy away from opening up about her life.

“Peace of mind with my own authenticity I think is the best way to describe it,” the Frozen series star admitted and credited her husband, whom she wed in 2013, for being the one who opened her up to the mindset.

That admission led her to disclose a bone of contention with Shepard, as she cheekily confessed, “What’s funny is… this is what I say is the most annoying part of my husband, he’s almost always right. When I say almost always, I mean like really almost always.”

“It’s so annoying,” quipped The Good Place alum, who went onto admit that Shepard also encouraged her to discuss her mental health when she began fearing she was becoming too monotonous in her interviews.  So, when a long-form interview came along, her husband pointed out that was the perfect opportunity to discuss that personal topic.

“My husband was like, ‘Yeah, talk about that,’ and I realized I had been presenting this like, bubbly individual, and it just wasn’t the full story,” said Bell, who says she suffers from depression and anxiety. “It didn’t have the dimension and I felt this sickening wave of fraudulence and inauthenticity, and I went on and I brought it up.”

Bell was also joined by psychologist Adam Grant on the podcast, who praised the actress for allowing herself to be publicly vulnerable.

“I want to be the person who talks honestly,” the actress said. “I’m going to start being who I want to be on my death bed.”

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.