Ed Asner Family Center(LOS ANGELES) — Perhaps it makes sense, considering his track record of dating A-list stars, but Saturday Night Live‘s Pete Davidson is going to star in It’s A Wonderful Life.
Davidson will fill Jimmy Stewart’s shoes in a star-studded live virtual reading of the film’s script on December 13 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
He will be joined by Maude Apatow, Mia Farrow, Ellie Kemper, Diedrich Bader, Bill Pullman, Richard Kind, B.D. Wong, Michael Shannon, Carol Kane, Ed Begley Jr., and Ed Asner at the event, which will be hosted by Tom Bergeron. It benefits the Ed Asner Family Center, which is dedicated to people with special needs.
Tickets for the event are tax deductible and range from $50 to $250, with the high-end ticket including special autographed goodies.
Courtesy Sony Pictures(LOS ANGELES) — On Wednesday, the Hulu holiday romantic comedy Happiest Season debuts on the streaming service
The Sony Pictures romantic comedy — directed and co-written by actress and filmmaker Clea Duvall — features an all-star cast including Kristen Stewart, Mackenzie Davis, Alison Brie, Dan Levy, Victor Garber, and Mary Steenbergen.
In the film, Stewart’s Abby and Davis’ Harper are a couple who travel together to Harper’s family for their annual Christmas festivities, with Abby secretly plotting to pop the question. But there’s a big catch — once they’re on the road, Harper confesses to Abby that not only has she not told her conservative family that they’re a couple, they don’t even know she’s gay.
Oscar-winnerSteenbergen plays Tipper, Harper’s high strung mother, who’s obsessed with her husband’s political future and all the parts her seemingly perfect family must play in it. Steenbergen tells ABC Audio that while she didn’t grow up wealthy in Arkansas, the character was very familiar to her.
“I grew up knowing this Southern version of this woman,” the actress explains. “I would occasionally meet these kind of wealthy Southern women, and I felt like Tipper was a version of that — who long ago started focusing on this idea of perfection that was going to make everything fine in her life if she ever achieved it. And of course, it’s ridiculous, but it was important to her.”
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — After initially denying he would, director Tristam Shapeero has come forward to apologize for being the British voice behind a now infamous Zoom audition in which he seemingly shamed actor Lukas Gage’s small apartment.
The director apparently forgot to mute himself while giving the Euphoria actor’s apartment a critical once-over, saying to a colleague, “These poor people live in these tiny apartments…”
For his part, Gage didn’t miss a beat, agreeing he lived in a small place, and would upgrade if he got hired.
Comments supporting the actor poured in, and speculation began as to who the snooty speakerphone guy was, with many mistakenly fingering Rocketman producer Matthew Vaughn.
However, TMZ nabbed Shapeero after the video went viral, and he told the gossip site this weekend that he didn’t need to apologize, because he “didn’t say anything bad.”
In a new statement to Deadline, however, the veteran of shows like The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Brooklyn Nine-Nine fessed up, and said, “…I offer Mr. Gage a sincere and unvarnished apology for my offensive words, my unprofessional behavior during the audition and for not giving him the focus and attention he deserved,” insisting, “Lukas deserved better.”
Shapeero added that the audition took place in August, “after four months of lockdown,” and that, “It was emotional to see actors work so hard to win the few parts available and we were deeply moved by the passion of these young people under the extraordinary circumstances.”
Shapeero claims, “I was using the word ‘poor’ in the sense of deserving sympathy, as opposed to any economic judgment. My words were being spoken from a genuine place of appreciation for what the actors were having to endure…” and vowed to, “move forward from this incident a more empathetic man.”
Courtesy Sony Pictures (LOS ANGELES) — Kristen Stewart is counting down the days until her holiday film, Happiest Season, premieres on Hulu on November 25. The film, an LGBT rom-com, is a project that is very near and dear to the actress’ heart for many reasons.
When speaking Monday with Variety, Stewart opened up about the privilege she’s had to act in some of major Hollywood blockbusters — like the Twilight saga — but also expressed how much she enjoyed bringing Happiest Season to life.
“If you boil down the story to what it’s actually about, it’s a full-grown woman, like a 31-year-old woman, coming out to her family. I mean, generationally speaking, that is remarkable,” the Charlie’s Angels star noted. “And it is so unremarkable in terms of how accelerated that growth has occurred — we didn’t have a movie like this just a couple years ago.”
However, with Hollywood aiming to include more LGBT voices in the future, the 30-year-old actress hesitated when asked if gay characters can only be played by gay actors.
At first, Stewart admitted she “would never want to tell a story that really should be told by somebody who’s lived that experience,” but quickly saw the issues that could potentially arise from implementing such restrictions.
“It’s a slippery slope conversation because that means I could never play another straight character if I’m going to hold everyone to the letter of this particular law,” she elaborated. “I think it’s such a gray area.”
While Stewart adds, “There are ways for men to tell women’s stories, or ways for women to tell men’s stories,” she added that actors “actually have to care” about the character they play.
She later amended that if a community has an issue with an actor cast in a particular role, they should bow out.
Marvel Studios(LOS ANGELES) — Chris Pratt has a few words of advice for his co-star Chris Hemsworth — stop working out.
Hemsworth recently shared a shirtless Instagram photo of himself lifting a giant tire with the witty caption, “Cheat day today. Decided to treat myself to this extra large donut, gosh it’s heavy.”
In response, Pratt — who will appear on-screen alongside the Australian actor in Thor: Love and Thunder — commented with some unsolicited advice.
“Hey bud. Just heard from my trainer and he needs you to stop working out,” he joked. “Since we’re gonna be in the same movie and everything he doesn’t want me to stand next to you if you look like that. So I’m gonna need you to put on 25 pounds real quick. Cool, thanks.”
Hemsworth quipped back, “Don’t worry mate we can just both use the same fancy filter thats been applied here. It’s called instashred.”
Thor: Love and Thunder is scheduled for release in early 2022.
Ed Asner Family Center(LOS ANGELES) — Perhaps it makes sense, considering his track record of dating A-list stars, but Saturday Night Live‘s Pete Davidson is going to star in It’s A Wonderful Life. 
