December 16, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Joseph Lederer/Netflix(LOS ANGELES) — Eleven-year-old Jahzir Bruno is taking a well-deserved break for the holidays.

The young actor starred in two major films this year: Witches, alongside Octavia Spencer and Anne Hathaway; and Christmas Chronicles 2with Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn. Bruno tells ABC Audio that after a busy work season he’s ready to relax and celebrate the holiday with his family.

“We all have this huge breakfast at my grandmother’s house,” he says of his Christmas tradition. “We all eat, we have a good time, and then we open our gifts after. We do that every Christmas.”

For the ambitious preteen, Christmas doesn’t just mean racking up the presents. Bruno says after “a lot of hard work and dedication” to his craft, he’s just glad to take a break and be around those he loves.

“Well to me, it’s just gathering with your family and seeing like the happiness and joy on their faces,” he says.

“That’s just the best part for me, to be honest,” he smiles. 

Witches is available to stream on HBO Max; Christmas Chronicles 2 is now available on Netflix.

By Candice Williams
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/Image Group LA(LOS ANGELES) — (NOTE LANGUAGE) Jameela Jamil is so over Hollywood. So much so, that she’s planning her escape. 

While chatting with Angela Scanton on the Thanks A Million podcast, Jamil, 34, expressed that she never wanted to be famous and that, in a few years, she would like to become a therapist specializing in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing or EMDR. 

“I want to leave TV when I’m 40 entirely and become an EMDR therapist,” The Good Place actress explained. “And I might well f****** do that. I might just go away and become a therapist.'”

“Look at my career. It’s been one giant f***-it bucket. I was on TV, didn’t like being on TV because everyone was telling me I was dumb and good looking… So I was like ‘F*** this, I’m going to go where no one can see me. I’ll go on the radio,'” she explained. “After the radio, I was like ‘I want more. I want to try something new. I want to go and be a writer. I don’t even want to be famous anymore. I want to be a writer.'”

“And so I moved to America to go and do that, accidentally end up on a really massive show, turns out to be a global hit, which I didn’t expect,” she continued. “Now I’m moving on, writing my first book and producing my own content, and I started by own company.”

Additionally, Jamil said that celebrities have been “exposed” amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I think that celebrities have been exposed. We’re useless. Sorry we’re crap,” she laughed. “I’ve always thought we were crap so it’s been quite exciting to watch the rise of the people who are actually going to make a real difference in this world.”

By Danielle Long
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.