August 10, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Rick Rowell(LOS ANGELES) — Antonio Banderas didn’t get the best gift for his 60th birthday: he revealed online that he tested positive for COVID-19.

“I want to make public that today, Aug. 10, I am obligated to celebrate my 60th birthday following quarantine, having tested positive for the COVID disease, caused by the coronavirus,” the Pain and Glory star said Monday, in a statement written in Spanish.

Banderas added that he’s doing “relatively well” and is “only a little more tired than usual.” He added that he’s “confident” he will recover soon by following the advice of medical professionals.

“I will take advantage of this isolation by reading, writing, resting and continuing to make plans to start giving meaning to my 60 years, which I arrive at full of illusion and joy,” he concluded. “A big hug to all.”

The Oscar-nominated actor shared the statement alongside a black-and-white photo of a baby, presumably him. 

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

August 10, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Melinda Sue Gordon; ©2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved(IRELAND) — By now it’s no surprise that Robert Pattinson was selected as the new Batman, however, how he got in shape for that role might be.

In an interview with The Irish Times, the 34-year-old actor dished that his Tenet costar, John David Washington, inadvertently helped prep him for his role as the fictional superhero.

Pattinson told the publication, “When I’m running on screen I’m generally paired with John David who is an ex-NFL player so it was the most unfair thing in the world. The maximum workout I do most of the time is a casual stroll.”

Washington wasn’t only a former professional football player, the Times notes that he was also a high-school track star.

“John David can run all day long,”  Pattinson continued. “It was good that I ended up being pretty fit. But definitely, at the beginning, there were days I just could not walk afterwards.”

Directed by Matt Reeves, The Batman is scheduled to be released October 1, 2021. 

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

August 10, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.(NEW YORK) — The long-awaited Friends reunion special for HBO Max was delayed once again due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but Jennifer Aniston has found a silver lining in this latest snag.

Aniston, who starred in the series, alongside Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry, tells Deadline, “This has also given us more time to make it even more exciting and more fun than it would have been.  So I choose to see it as the glass is half-full that it got postponed.”

“Look, we’re not going anywhere,” she insists.  “You’re never going to get rid of Friends, sorry.  You’re stuck with us for life, guys.”

The special was initially supposed to shoot back in March with a live audience, with the plan it would be a main attraction for the new streaming service that launched in May.  However, the pandemic shut down production, which was just starting to ramp up in Los Angeles and elsewhere.  That in turn nixed plans the Friends special’s completion by the summer’s end.

As of now, there’s no date set to start production.

“Unfortunately it’s very sad that we had to move it again,” says Aniston, but insists safety is their major concern.  “It was, ‘How do we do this with live audiences?’  This is not a safe time.  Period.  That’s the bottom line.  It’s not a safe time to do it.”

As for 2020, Aniston says it can’t end soon enough.  “I’m supposed to renew my drivers license and I don’t want it to say 2020 on it,” she jokes.  “I just want to get 2020 out and behind us.”

By George Costantino and Stephen Iervolino

Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

August 10, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC News(NEW YORK) — Celebrity chef Rachael Ray and local authorities are assessing the damage done to her home after a fire broke out Sunday evening.

A representative of Ray, Charlie Dougiello, confirms to ABC News that firefighters were combatting a blaze that tore through her home on Chuckwagon Trail in Lake Luzerne, New York, around 8 p.m. ET.

Dougiell said in a statement, “Hi and thanks for the concern.  Rachael, her husband and their dog Bella are safe.  The house is unfortunately damaged and we don’t yet know to what extent.”

No further information, such as the origin of the blaze or the extent of the damage, has been made public.  Ray’s representative says he will “provide updates as I know.”

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2019, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

August 10, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

NBC(LOS ANGELES) — Following surgery to repair a broken back he suffered in an electric bike accident, Simon Cowell took to social media to offer a word of warning about safely using electric bikes and to thank the medical staff who treated him.

“Some good advice…” the America’s Got Talent judge shared on his Twitter and Instagram accounts. “If you buy an electric trail bike, read the manual before you ride it for the first time. I have broken part of my back. Thank you to everyone for your kind messages.”

“And a massive thank you to all the nurses and doctors,” he continued. “Some of the nicest people I have ever met.”

Cowell, 60, is recovering from undergoing back surgery he underwent on Saturday evening following his accident that afternoon.

Cowell was testing the vehicle at his Malibu home with family, his reps said in a statement obtained by Deadline. The TV personality is reportedly doing fine.

On Sunday, Cowell’s fellow AGT judges, Heidi Klum, and Sofia Vergara both offered well wishes for their partner.

“Wishing you a speedy recovery,” Klum wrote next to a photo of herself, Vergara and Mandel seated together with an open spot for Cowell.

“We miss our boss!! Come back fast,” Vergara captioned the same photo.

Cowell will miss Tuesday and Wednesday’s upcoming live episodes of AGT.

There has been a significant surge in electric bike sales during during the COVID-19 pandemic.  While many experts point to the obvious environmental benefits, they also warn that riding an e-bike is very different than riding a regular bicycle, and that presents some real safety concerns.