August 5, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Karwai Tang/WireImage(LOS ANGELES) — Hot on the heels of their reboot of Perry Mason getting renewed at HBO, Robert Downey Jr. and his wife Susan Downey’s Team Downey production company has inked a drama deal with Apple TV. 

Variety reports the pair will produce the as-yet-untitled show about a frustrated detective’s attempts to crack a cold case that spirals out of control. Based on “The Sting,” an article from Toronto Life written by co-producer Michael Lista, the project will center on what Lista called “the inside story of a brutally botched undercover operation.” 

Variety says there could be a supporting part for now-Marvel movie icon Downey in the Apple TV project as well.  If so, it would be his first TV role since he was fired from Ally McBeal following a drug arrest in 2001 before his massive career comeback as the star of Iron Man in 2008.

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

August 5, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Mike Rosenthal(LOS ANGELES) — While most of the original cast of Grey’s Anatomy has moved onto other projects, series lead Ellen Pompeo says she is perfectly content staying where she is.

The 50-year-old actress, who plays Doctor Meredith Grey on the long-running medical drama, appeared on the Jemele Hill Is Unbothered podcast on Monday and spoke about why she chose not to pursue other acting opportunities.

“For me, personally, a healthy home life was more important than career. I didn’t grow up with a particularly happy childhood. So the idea that I have this great husband and these three beautiful children… a happy home life was really something I needed to complete, to close the hole in my heart,” Pompeo explained. “And so I made a decision to make money, and not chase creative acting roles.” 

In addition to wanting to settle down and collect a steady paycheck, Pompeo also felt that her acting options were limited due to her age.

The People’s Choice Award winner was 35 when the series began.  Had she been 10 years younger, however, Pompeo believes she probably would have exited the series when her initial six-year contract expired. 

“I knew coming up on 40, it’s like…I don’t want to be out there chasing things, running after things [and] begging. I’d rather just see this as the blessing that it is,” she dished.

In the end, the decision to stay paid off — literally. 

Pompeo is now the highest-paid television actress, revealing that she makes $575,000 per episode — or $20 million per year. 

Because of that, the actress reveals that she’s not even tempted to consider what other opportunities she might have because “I’m never that thirsty because I’m financially set.”

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

August 5, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Richard Harbaugh(LOS ANGELES) — Hilary Duff may have a toned beach bod, but the Lizzie McGuire star attests that she has been eating her way through quarantine.  

Saying she’s been able to indulge in her favorites like chocolate and wine, Duff took to Instagram on Tuesday to show off her fantastic physique and discuss how she found balance.

Posing in a strapless bikini, the 32-year-old revealed how she was able to obtain her enviable figure, “I’ve still been counting my macros with my man @theflexible.dieting.coach and it’s truly helped me stay lean even while eating bread, chocolate, and wine!”

Duff revealed that slimming down during quarantine was due to trial and error, revealing she is working with a fitness studio alongside a nutrition coach.

Shouting out Novo Body Fitness, which also offers online workouts, the Younger star said that she is “grateful I have found what works for me.”

Duff then offered advice to her fans who might also be struggling with weight loss, encouraging, ” I know it’s extra hard to keep up and find normalcy in quarantine but I truly hope you make at least 30 mins a day for yourself to stay connected.”

The “So Yesterday” singer also reminded her 15.3 million followers that mental health is equally as important as nutrition by concluding, “do whatever feels good for you even if it’s not food or fitness related.”

Duff’s nutrition coach Erik Young shared her post on Instagram and further elaborated on what kind of diet he created for his client, writing that she is on a non-restrictive weight loss plan that allows her to eat whatever she likes as long as she minds her macros. 

He also added to that Duff consumes 1,500 calories a day to stay lean.

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

August 5, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Disney+(LOS ANGELES) — “What are we going to do today?” Well, if the day in question is August 28, you can check out the brand-new animated film Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe, which debuts then on Disney+.

The streaming service debuted the trailer today for the adventure that will see stepbrothers Phineas and Ferb trekking across the stars to find their older sister, Candace, “who after being abducted by aliens, finds utopia in a far-off planet, free of pesky little brothers,” according to Disney. 

The movie reunites most of the voiceover cast of the beloved animated series, including Vincent Martella as Phineas, Ashley Tisdale as Candace, Caroline Rhea as their mom, Linda, Dee Bradley Baker as the mysterious pet/super-spy Perry the Platypus, and Dan Povenmire as the scheming scientist Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz. David Errigo Jr. joins the cast as Ferb Fletcher for the new film. 

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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

August 5, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Walmart(ARKANSAS) — With COVID-19 keeping most theaters in the country closed, the drive-in has seen a resurgence, thanks to its perfect combination of entertainment and social distancing.

Retailer Walmart announced it will be turning the parking lots of 160 of its locations into a movie experience, with the Walmart Drive-In. 

Free for Walmart customers, the initiative that will run from August 14 through October 21 “promises families a fun, contact-free experience where they can watch popular films thoughtfully curated by the Tribeca Film Festival,” according to a press release. 

The series will be virtually hosted by Drew Barrymore, and feature other celebrity guests either virtually or in-person, including Friday Night Lights director Peter Berg, Jennifer Garner, LeBron James, and This Is Us star Chrissy Metz.

Starting today at 5:00 p.m. Eeastern time, families can visit TheWalmartDriveIn.com to find out dates and participating locations, and information on how to register to get in on the fun.  

The Walmart Drive-In will feature short films as well as dozens of movies, from beloved classics like Ghostbusters and Back to the Future, to new blockbusters like Black Panther and Pokemon: Detective Picachu.

Here is the list of films that will screen during the event: 

Friday Night Lights
The Karate Kid
Space Jam
Black Panther
Pokémon Detective Pikachu
The Lego Batman Movie
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Spy Kids
Teen Titans GO! To the Movies
Wonder Woman
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Ghostbusters
Men in Black: International
Back to the Future
Beetlejuice
The Goonies
The Wizard of Oz
Dolphin Tale
Selena
Cars
The Iron Giant
The Lego Movie

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