March 18, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Marvel Studios/Disney+(NEW YORK) — As a huge Marvel fan, being the head writer on The Falcon and The Winter Soldier was a dream come true for Malcolm Spellman. But to have the project center on Marvel movie frenemies — but real life buddies — Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan made it all the more sweet. 

The pair’s characters, Mackie’s Sam Wilson and Stan’s Bucky Barnes — the latter the formerly brainwashed assassin The Winter Soldier — were both friends of Captain America’s Steve Rogers in the MCU, and their competition over that led to some huge laughs onscreen in Captain America: Civil War.

In the Disney+ series, Mackie and Stan’s chemistry shines again, and for Spellman, it was easy to capture that magic.

“Everybody knows that moment in Civil War: ‘Can you move your seat up?’ ‘No.” Spellman recites. “It is crazy that in 14 seconds the entire planet Earth knew they could carry a movie or a series.”

He enthuses, “Literally, for us, it was the same thing, whatever it is that those two guys have: it was a cheat code, you know, what I’m saying? Because you could spend 42 million dollars on a set piece or you could put those two [characters] in therapy together and it’s going to be just as valuable.”  

See for yourself when Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier debuts on Disney+ Friday. 

Disney is the parent company of Marvel and ABC News.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 18, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Shannon Finney/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — (NOTE LANGUAGE) Tenured late night host Jay Leno is enjoying cars more than comedy these days, but that doesn’t stop him from revealing the secret of his success.

Appearing Wednesday on the Ask Iliza Anything podcast, Leno, 70, explained why his comedy never revolves around “the obvious joke.”

“It’s the same rule I used when I was working clubs and I would talk to the audience. If there’s a big fat guy in the audience and he’s heckling me; I make fun of his tie, or something else,” explained the former Tonight Show host. “I’m not there to kill a guy, I’m just there to have fun with the guy.”

Leno reflected on a time where he did allow his comedy to go too far, which happened after a “road rage incident” where a man gave him the finger as the two were sitting in traffic.  

The Jay Leno’s Garage star admits he did go for the obvious, mocking the man’s appearance and lack of a love live, which caused the driver to start sobbing.

Leno said he “felt so bad” for what he did, adding his words “literally stabbed the guy in the heart,” so he made things right. 

After making the man pull over, Leno learned from their chat that the man had a daughter who loved Taylor Swift, so the comedian extended an olive branch by inviting the man and his family to the late night show to meet Swift back stage.

Leno said that turned everything around and reflected, “It’s easier to be nice. It’s too much trouble to be a [jerk.]”

The Emmy winner also expressed that comedians rarely fail because of a lack of talent, saying they sink their own ship when they treat others poorly or let bad habits or bitterness rule their life.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 18, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Christopher Polk/Getty Images for VH1(LOS ANGELES) — As it’s known today, 13 Going on 30 is a 2004 romantic fantasy that starred Jennifer Garner and Mark Ruffalo but it almost didn’t end up that way.

During a recent interview with The Skimm, Garner revealed that her co-star considered dropping out of the project all because of that iconic “Thriller” dance scene he had to learn. 

“We started to learn the dance. Our first rehearsal, I think it was Mark and Judy [Greer], and Judy and I were both dancers growing up and poor Mark didn’t know that,” the actress shared. “And he came in and he hated the rehearsal process so much he almost dropped out of the movie.”

Obviously, we know that Mark stuck with it and, as it turns out, the scene is Garner’s favorite memory from 13 Going on 30. 

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.