July 22, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Seacia Pavao/AMC(LOS ANGELES) — San Diego Comic-Con@Home, kicking off today, is one of the many festivals and conventions pivoting in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic, and, while NOS4A2 star Zachary Quinto won’t be on a stage in front of thousands of fans, he’ll do his best under the circumstances.

Quinto tells ABC Audio, “We’re excited to be sharing the show with them, with the world under the circumstances, you know, giving people a place to maybe escape a little bit and and and go into a bit of a ride with us on the show is something that I think we’re all grateful to be able to offer.”

That said, the 43-year old actor says he’ll miss the excitement of a live event.

“You know, there’s something really electric about those giant convention halls and people’s energy and excitement, enthusiasm and questions,” he explains. “I think as with anything in this current climate, you know, the immediacy and the connection is removed from the experience. And that’s always a little bit of a bummer, isn’t it?

So what will the show’s Comic-Con panel look like in the age of COVID-19?

“We did a virtual panel for this year’s Comic-Con. So it was a conversation, you know, between Jamie O’Brien, our show runner, and Joe Hill, who wrote the book on which NOS4A2, the series is based and myself. And it was a great moderated conversation.”

Adds Quinto, who plays the show’s vampire villain Charlie Manx, “Hopefully, you know, people who are relegated to their homes will feel somehow a little bit more connected to us than they would otherwise.”  

NOS4A2 airs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on AMC. 

By George Costantino and Jason Nathanson
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

July 22, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Mitch Haaseth(LOS ANGELES) — The final episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs in a few weeks, but Wednesday night’s episode marks the directorial debut of Elizabeth Henstridge, who stars as Jemma Simmons on the ABC sci-fi adventure.

Tonight, the S.H.I.E.L.D. team’s caught in a time loop, repeating the same actions over and over.  As they try to prevent their own destruction, only two characters are aware of what’s happening: Daisy and Coulson. 

“I think it’s a big deal for them to give somebody new an episode,” Henstridge tells ABC Audio about stepping behind the camera. “And it’s a very complicated show…so I think I really had to prove that I was serious about it.”

“They gave me an episode that has Daisy and Coulson at the center,” she laughs. “And I think they just knew  I would absolutely love that!”

And the time loop episode was especially challenging, Hentsridge explains.

“How do you make a scene interesting when we’ve kind of seen [it] five times already?…How do you keep the audience engaged?” she says. “[T]here was definitely a lot of a lot of planning!”

This episode has a lot of humor but also a lot of heartbreak — and a few hints about the ultimate fate of our heroes.

“This final season has felt like a love letter to the fans…and I think the writers have done an amazing job,” says Henstridge, revealing that she loves the final episode and feels the fans will, too.

And here’s some good news: We’ll soon see fan favorite Leopold Fitz, who’s been absent the entire season.

“We’ll…soon hear from Fitz directly about where the heck he’s been, what’s going on and how serious the situation is,” promises Henstridge. 

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday on ABC.

By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

July 22, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Marc Piasecki/WireImage(LOS ANGELES) — Kim Kardashian addressed husband Kanye West’s bipolar disorder Wednesday, calling for “compassion and empathy.”

“Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand,” Kim wrote in a statement on her Instagram Story. 

“I’ve never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I’m very protective of our children and Kanye’s right to privacy when it comes to his health,” she continued. “But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.”

Over the weekend, Kanye, who last month announced a desire to run for president, left fans concerned following an emotional appearance at a rally in South Carolina. His social media activity in the days since has also sparked worry.

Kardashian noted that in cases like these, “family is powerless unless the member is a minor.” She added that no matter how hard family and friends try to help, people experiencing mental health struggles must “engage in the process of getting help” themselves.

“I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions,” she wrote, calling her husband a “brilliant but complicated person.” She said he has the “pressures of being an artist and a black man,” on top of the loss of his mother in 2007.

“We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most,” Kardashian concluded. “I kindly ask that the media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this.”

By Carson Blackwelder
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.