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People would trust Arnold Schwarzenegger the most to lead world out of an alien invasion

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Photo by CBS via Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — When — or if — the aliens attack, there is one celebrity the world trusts most to act as the best leader. A recent poll from the U.K. found the majority would put their faith in Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger.

British publication Express found that a poll of 2,000 Brits asked respondents to weigh who they’d most want to lead them out of a possible Armageddon.

Schwarzenegger was the top choice, but Independence Day star Will Smith was close behind in second place.

Sir David Attenborough, Bruce Willis and Tom Cruise rounded out the top five.

Other celebrities with “alien” experience, such as Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford and Gillian Anderson all made the top 10.

Said the study’s commissioners, BLAZE TV, they were not happy with the findings, saying, “It’s worrying to see that so many celebrities with fictional alien experience are considered by many to be better candidates than our current crop of world leader.”

However, when speaking about who was ranked the most trustworthy, BLAZE allowed, “Arnold Schwarzenegger is a strong choice for dealing with an alien invasion, bearing in mind he’s not only a screen action hero but was also Governor of California.”

Schwarzenegger reacted to the study by tweeting Thursday, “I want to thank the people for putting their faith in me. I am ready to serve.”

As for the actual politician Brits would trust most during an alien invasion, former President Donald Trump ranked the highest in eighth place while British politician Nicola Sturgeon ranked higher than the country’s own Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, who ranked in 12th place.

As for the current U.S. President and Vice President, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, came in at the bottom of the list at 20th and 19th place, respectively. 

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Cynthia Erivo tackles Aretha Franklin in 'Genius: Aretha'

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ABC/Rick Rowell(LOS ANGELES) — What made Aretha Franklin a genius?  That topic is explored in the limited series Genius: Aretha, premiering Sunday night on National Geographic, and then the next day on Hulu.

Emmy-winner Cynthia Erivo, who plays Franklin in the series, had some answers when she spoke to ABC Audio.

“She didn’t read music…but was able to compose it,” she says. “And she was basically a concert pianist without being able to read music, which is, how do you do that? I don’t know.”

Erivo met the Queen of Soul a couple of times.  First in 2015 when Franklin praised Erivo’s performance in the Broadway revival of The Color Purple.  They met again at the Kennedy Center Honors a year later, where she recalls Franklin saying, “You’re the girl that can sing, right?”

The Harriet star was obviously flattered by the compliment, but that made playing the legendary artist an even more daunting task.

“I’m thinking she told me that, I better do her justice.  And I hope that she was right.  Because I don’t want to do her an injustice and I don’t want to not make her proud,” she explains.  “So it’s definitely a lovely vote of confidence.  But there’s part of me that’s just like I hope I do this in the right way.”

You’re bound to learn some things about Aretha from watching the show that you didn’t already know.  Some things even surprised Erivo.

“I did know, but I guess I didn’t know in as much detail about the activism that she had a part of,” notes Erivo.  “I didn’t know that she was so serious about civil rights and that she was so involved in it.”  

By Jason Nathonson and George Costantino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

'The Courier' star Benedict Cumberbatch reveals what makes good spy

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Roadside Attractions(LOS ANGELES) — From everyday business man to Cold War spy – that’s the character Benedict Cumberbatch plays in his new film The Courier, out Friday. It’s based on a remarkable true story, and Cumberbatch tells ABC Audio he was fascinated by the story of this man, Greville Wynne, who said “Yes” when his country came calling.

“[It] doesn’t matter how flat or dull or every day or routine your life is, you can suddenly be called step up to the plate and have an unexpected challenge in life, even in the middle of your life,” the 44-year-old actor says.

“We’re seeing that now left, right and center, which makes, despite its historical potency, it makes it very current and relevant film I feel,” he adds. 

Unlike the very visible calls to action that Cumberbatch mentions, Wynne wasn’t as obvious. In fact, he was a man you probably wouldn’t look twice at in the street and that’s exactly the point.

“The people who do practice spy craft are every day folk, they are people who you will sit next to on a bus or a tube or, you know, get the taxi they just got out of, people you’ll brush past in the street,” he explains. “They don’t scream out James Bond to George Smiley even. They go unnoticed and they go home to live normal lives.”  

By Jason Nathanson and Danielle Long
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Now on Disney+: "The Falcon and The Winter Soldier"

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Marvel Studios(LOS ANGELES) — Just two weeks after WandaVision wrapped on Disney+ comes today’s debut of the second Marvel Cinematic Universe spin-off, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier. 

The series — obviously centering on Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson/Falcon and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes, the formerly brainwashed assassin known as The Winter Soldier — takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. 

That film ended with a very old Steve Rogers passing his Captain America shield and mantel to Wilson, and a central part of the series is Sam’s doubt he’s worthy of it.

The show also hinges on what the world is like after The Blip: when half the world’s population suddenly reappeared, five years after Thanos snapped them out of existence. 

Director Kari Skogland is a veteran of shows like The Handmaid’s Tale and The Walking Dead, but the six-episode series was her first jump into the MCU. She tells ABC Audio that Mackie and Stan made her job easier.

“Oh, my gosh, it was so fun because they are also very good friends in life…They love to crack each other up. And so from that perspective, really, I just had to sit back and watch.”

Head writer Malcolm Spellman said the series is in the vein of classic buddy films, known in the industry as “two-handers.” 

“On the spectrum of ‘buddy two handers’, you have Defiant Ones and 48 Hours on the dramatic end, and there’s an arc that takes you all the way to the most comedic end with Rush Hour and Ride Along; somewhere in between there lives Lethal Weapon 1 and Bad Boys. And that was sort of a created such an easy bullseye for this … creative team to aim at.”

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

Armie Hammer accuser comes forward; actor's attorney counters by releasing alleged, graphic texts

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Todd Williamson/E! Entertainment/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — (NOTE CONTENT) The woman who first accused actor Armie Hammer of assault and who apparently leaked salacious DMs allegedly from him came forward Thursday — and now his attorney is firing back.

The 24-year-old woman, who identified herself as Effie, flanked by attorney Gloria Allred at a press conference Thursday, accused Hammer of rape, saying, “I thought that he was going to kill me.”

She alleged that she and the former Lone Ranger star had an on-and-off four-year relationship.

“On April 24, 2017, Armie Hammer violently raped me for over four hours in Los Angeles,” Effie declared, adding, “[H]e repeatedly slapped my head against a wall bruising my face [and]… other acts of violence against me to which I did not consent.”

In response, Hammer’s attorney, Andrew Brettler, released a statement, and images of graphic texts he claimed were from Hammer’s accuser. 

“[Her] own correspondence with Mr. Hammer undermines and refutes her outrageous allegations,” the attorney said in a statement to ABC News.  “As recently as July 18, 2020, [Effie] sent graphic texts to Mr. Hammer telling him what she wanted him to do to her. Mr. Hammer responded, making it clear that he did not want to maintain that type of relationship with her.  The screenshot…is just one of hundreds [she] sent to Mr. Hammer.”

The statement continued, “It was never Mr. Hammer’s intention to embarrass or expose [the accuser’s] fetishes or kinky sexual desires, but she has now escalated this matter to another level by hiring a civil lawyer to host a public press conference. With the truth on his side, Mr. Hammer welcomes the opportunity to set the record straight.”

The attorney added, “From day one, Mr. Hammer has maintained that all of his interactions with [the accuser] —  and every other sexual partner of his for that matter — have been completely consensual…and mutually participatory. [The accuser’s] attention seeking and ill-advised legal bid will only make it more difficult for real victims of sexual violence to get the justice they deserve.”

Before Effie came forward, another woman, Paige Lorenze, made similar behavioral accusations against Hammer to the Daily Mail, including Hammer statements of allegedly cannibalistic urges.

Although Hammer’s attorney denied the mounting accusations, the actor in February was dropped by his talent agency and his personal publicist quit, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The negative headlines caused the actor to step away from two projects: Shotgun Wedding, with Jennifer Lopez, and a series called The Offer, about the making of The Godfather.

The Los Angeles Police department released a statement on the matter of the first accuser, which read: “On February 3, 2021, investigators at the LAPD’s Operations-West Bureau, Special Assault Section, were contacted by an attorney representing a female community member. After speaking with the community member, the Department initiated a Sexual Assault Investigation which is being investigated by the Special Assault Section. This is an on-going investigation and no other details are available at this point.”

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.