August 24, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Warner Bros. Pictures(NEW YORK) — With COVID-19 shuttering major pop culture events like San Diego Comic-Con, some might have been skeptical that the 24-hour online DC Fandome event could match the hype of an in-person convention. 

However, Warner Bros.’ DC Comics universe put that skepticism to rest over the weekend, with a marathon online event that showed fans sneak peeks of upcoming projects on the small and big screen, including director Matt Reeves’ anticipated The Batman, as well as Wonder Woman 1984, and writer-director James Gunn’s reveal of his star-studded cast of The Suicide Squad.

Also revealed was a teaser to the fan-hyped “Snyder cut” of Justice League, which will run on HBO Max, as well as video games set in the DC Universe.

Earlier in the event, Ezra Miller, who played Barry Allen/The Flash in Justice League, introduced a new costume for his scarlet speedster, and explained his upcoming stand-alone film’s time-bending Flashpoint event could bring together various iterations of beloved characters, like two Batmen, played by Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton.

The peek of Wonder Woman 1984 not only gave fans a look at Chris Pine’s time-transplanted WWI hero Steve Trevor grappling with the finer points of ’80s fashion, while Gal Gadot’s Diana Prince/Wonder Woman grapples literally with Kristen Wiig’s supervillainess Cheetah. “You’ve always had everything,” Wiig’s Barbara Minerva says to Wonder Woman, “Well, now it’s my turn.” The movie tracks her transformation from human to a human-like cheetah, tail and all. And yes, in her final form, the felonious feline looks worlds better than the cats in CATS. 

James Gunn and his cast of The Suicide Squad also appeared via Zoom. The stand-alone sequel will again feature Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Oscar winner Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag, and Jai Courtney’s Captain Boomerang.

However, this time around, Waller’s squad of villains also includes several recurring Gunn players like Guardians of the Galaxy vet Michael Rooker as the super-smart fighter Savant, Nathan Fillion as TDK, and Gunn’s brother Sean, who performed Rocket Raccoon on set in the Marvel movies as the man-sized rodent Weasel.

The cast also includes Idris Elba as the armored vigilante Bloodsport, Pete Davidson as Blackguard, David Dastmalchian as the dot-slinging Polka-Dot Man, Daniela Melchior as the rodent-controlling Ratcatcher II, 
Steve Agee motion-capture performing the shark-headed baddie King Shark, John Cena as the ruthless extremist Peacemaker, Flula Borg as the spear-throwing Javelin, Mayling Ng as the super-strong Mongal, and Peter Capaldi playing criminal mastermind The Thinker.

Gunn also unveiled a behind-the-scenes clip of his squad in action, and it doesn’t skimp on the action, to say the least. “It’s going to different from any superhero movie ever made,” he promises.

However, it was Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson introducing The Batman that really got fans hyped; with the help of co-host Aisha Tyler, Pattinson explained his debut as the Caped Crusader was about 25% completed shooting before COVID-19 shut down production. The actor explained he was a “massive fan” of the hero all his life, and “now he’s very anxious to get back to work and continue to form this beloved character.” 

Reeves revealed the movie will follow the second year of Bruce Wayne’s donning the cape and cowl. Reeves introduced a teaser for the film, set to Nirvana’s “Something In The Way,” that shows Jeffrey Wright as Commissioner Gordon, as well as Paul Dano’s The Riddler, here re-imagined as a duct taped-masked seeming serial killer obsessed with matching wits with the Dark Knight. Also glimpsed is Zoe Kravitz as Selina Kyle, the cat burglar who becomes Catwoman.

Of course, we also see Pattinson as Bruce Wayne, and as Bats himself, fully suited up, and beating the snot out of a thug. “The hell are you supposed to be?” one of the victim’s comrades asks, with RPat’s Batman answering “I’m vengeance.” 

Wonder Woman 1984 is — so far — set for theatrical release October 2, 2020.

Justice League: The Snyder Cut debuts on HBO Max sometime in 2021. 

The Suicide Squad is set for launch in theaters August 6, 2021. 

The Batman hits theaters October 1, 2021.

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

August 24, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Courtesy of Netflix(LOS ANGELES) — Cheer, the smash-hit Netflix docuseries, is up for several Emmy Awards and the first week of voting has officially commenced.

Social media was set ablaze when the series dropped on January 8; partly fueled by enthusiastic celebrity endorsements from A-listers such as Reese Witherspoon and Chrissy Teigen.  

The series, which follows the true story of a community college that defied the odds to house one of the best cheerleading programs in the country, could win six Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Cinematography for a Reality Program.

Melissa Langer and Erynn Patrick, co-Directors of Photography for the series, had a lot to say to ABC Audio about what those Emmy nominations mean to them.

Patrick noted that while the multiple Emmy nods are incredible, more needs to change in regards to putting more women behind the camera. In addition, out of the 47 people nominated in her category, she and Langer are the only women.

While saying “the film industry has been pretty exclusive for a very long time,” Patrick believes the nominations are a step in the right direction to benefit women in her industry.

“We really want to be hired for our skills as camera women, not as a qualifier to fill a diversity quota,” she explained. “The more visibility that we have, the easier it becomes for that playing field to be leveled.”

As for Langer, she says “it’s just validation across the board” to be nominated.

The first-time Emmy nominee also added “it’s a good feeling” that Cheer resonated with such a large audience.

“There is something to be said for seeing a group of people come together in a very collective and supportive way in a climate that is oftentimes not that,” added Langer, explaining how the show garnered its massive following.

August 21, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Ryan Miller/Getty Images for CinemaCon(LOS ANGELES) — Director Joss Whedon is under investigation after being accused of creating a toxic work environment.

Variety reports that WarnerMedia is looking into the accusations that the 56-year-old Whedon exhibited “abusive” behavior on the Justice League movie set.

The investigation was triggered after actor Ray Fisher, who played Cyborg in the DC film, repeatedly accused Whedon and two producers, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, of misconduct.

The 32-year-old actor, who is Black, announced WarnerMedia’s response on Thursday, writing on Twitter, “After 5 weeks of interviews with various cast/crew, @WarnerMedia has officially launched an independent third-party investigation to get to the heart of the toxic and abusive work environment created during Justice League reshoots. This is a MASSIVE step forward!”

Continued Fisher in a followup tweet, “I believe this investigation will show that Geoff Johns, Joss Whedon, Jon Berg (and others) grossly abused their power during the uncertainty of AT&T’s merger with Time Warner.”  He then thanked WarnerMedia and ATT for “making strides to ensure a safer workplace for all!”

The Justice League star first blew the whistle on July 1 that Whedon exhibited “gross, abusive, unprofessional, and completely unacceptable” behavior.

Fisher also accused Johns on August 12 of making “a thinly veiled threat to my career” after he attempted to “take grievances up the proper chain of command.”  

According to Variety, a source maintains that WarnerMedia is approaching their internal investigation with objectivity and has not “prejudged” any of the parties involved.  The source also attests that the company expanded its review to encompass people beyond just Whedon, Berg and Johns.

The probe will be internal, as to preserve the integrity of the investigation.

Whedon is behind several renowned works, such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly and for directing Marvel’s The Avengers and Age of Ultron.

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

August 21, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Lori Loughlin and husband Mossimo Giannulli, to her right, leave the John Joseph Moakley United States Courthouse in Boston on Aug. 27, 2019; John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe via Getty Images(BOSTON) — Former Full House actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, were sentenced today to two months and five months in prison, respectively, on conspiracy charges stemming from the so-called Varsity Blues college admissions cheating scheme.

Loughlin and Giannulli pleaded guilty May 22 of this year via video conference before a federal judge in Boston after maintaining their innocence since their March, 2019 arrest.

Giannulli was sentenced first, not long after the hearing’s 11:00 a.m. ET start.  Judge Nathaniel Gorton called Giannulli’s actions “motivated by hubris” and part of “a breathtaking crime on the nation’s higher education system.” 

Appearing via video before sentencing, Giannulli told the court “I deeply regret the harm that my actions have caused my daughters, my wife and others.  I take full responsibility for my conduct.”

In all, Giannulli was sentenced to five months in prison, two years of supervised release during which time he must complete 250 hours of community service, and was ordered to pay a $250,000 fine.

Of the two parents, prosecutors portrayed Loughlin’s husband as more active in the scheme, though they called the actress “fully complicit.”  Loughlin’s sentencing came several hours later, with Judge Gorton also accepting Loughlin’s guilty plea and sentencing her to two months in prison, as well as a $150,000 fine and 100 hours of community service.

“I am truly, profoundly and deeply sorry,” Loughlin told the court before her sentencing, appearing to hold back tears.  “I am ready to face the consequences and make amends.  I made an awful decision.  I allowed myself to be swayed from my moral compass”

The sentences and fines are in line with what federal prosecutors recommended earlier this week in a sentencing memo.

Loughlin, 56, and Giannulli, 57, pleaded guilty for their roles in the massive college admissions scam, the investigation of which the FBI dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. They had both been accused of paying Rick Singer $500,000 to get their daughters Isabella Rose and Olivia Jade into USC as crew recruits — even though neither girl had ever rowed competitively.  Singer also pleaded guilty to his role in facilitating the fraud.

Prosecutors have charged over 50 suspects, including parents and coaches, in the investigation.  Former Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty to related charges in May of last year and was sentenced to two weeks in prison, 250 hours of community service and a $30,000 fine.

Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

August 21, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Shawn Theodore/SHOWTIME(NEW YORK) — Ahead of the season three finale of The Chi, Miriam A. Hyman is sharing what she hopes fans will leave with after they watch the final episode.

“I really hope fans will be extremely satisfied, completely satiated with just everything that we’re giving them,” Hyman, who plays Dre, tells ABC Audio. “And I also hope that it becomes very clear in terms of who I am within their family.” 

Even though Hyman just joined the series this season as the new wife of Nina, the actress and artist has already established herself as an integral character on the show. 

“I mean, I would hope that by the first episode, it’s pretty doggone clear [who I am],” she says of her character’s addition.

Still, Hyman notes that like in previous seasons of the The Chi “a lot of questions will probably be answered,” but many will not.

“We want to leave room for those questions that aren’t answered, so hopefully [in] season four we’ll be able to answer some more of those questions,” she explains. “But yeah, I think that the fans and supporters will be very, very pleased.”

While Hyman wants fans to be entertained by the unpredictable drama of the season, she also wants them to feel represented.

“And I think it just raises more awareness in terms of the climate that we’re in right now,” she says. “And so I just think these stories are just extremely important and really necessary.”

The season three finale of The Chi, also starring Jacob Latimore and Birgundi Baker, airs Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime.

By Candice Williams
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.