July 22, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Mitch Haaseth(LOS ANGELES) — The final episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs in a few weeks, but Wednesday night’s episode marks the directorial debut of Elizabeth Henstridge, who stars as Jemma Simmons on the ABC sci-fi adventure.

Tonight, the S.H.I.E.L.D. team’s caught in a time loop, repeating the same actions over and over.  As they try to prevent their own destruction, only two characters are aware of what’s happening: Daisy and Coulson. 

“I think it’s a big deal for them to give somebody new an episode,” Henstridge tells ABC Audio about stepping behind the camera. “And it’s a very complicated show…so I think I really had to prove that I was serious about it.”

“They gave me an episode that has Daisy and Coulson at the center,” she laughs. “And I think they just knew  I would absolutely love that!”

And the time loop episode was especially challenging, Hentsridge explains.

“How do you make a scene interesting when we’ve kind of seen [it] five times already?…How do you keep the audience engaged?” she says. “[T]here was definitely a lot of a lot of planning!”

This episode has a lot of humor but also a lot of heartbreak — and a few hints about the ultimate fate of our heroes.

“This final season has felt like a love letter to the fans…and I think the writers have done an amazing job,” says Henstridge, revealing that she loves the final episode and feels the fans will, too.

And here’s some good news: We’ll soon see fan favorite Leopold Fitz, who’s been absent the entire season.

“We’ll…soon hear from Fitz directly about where the heck he’s been, what’s going on and how serious the situation is,” promises Henstridge. 

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. airs at 8 p.m. ET Wednesday on ABC.

By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

July 22, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Marc Piasecki/WireImage(LOS ANGELES) — Kim Kardashian addressed husband Kanye West’s bipolar disorder Wednesday, calling for “compassion and empathy.”

“Anyone who has this or has a loved one in their life who does, knows how incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand,” Kim wrote in a statement on her Instagram Story. 

“I’ve never spoken publicly about how this has affected us at home because I’m very protective of our children and Kanye’s right to privacy when it comes to his health,” she continued. “But today, I feel like I should comment on it because of the stigma and misconceptions about mental health.”

Over the weekend, Kanye, who last month announced a desire to run for president, left fans concerned following an emotional appearance at a rally in South Carolina. His social media activity in the days since has also sparked worry.

Kardashian noted that in cases like these, “family is powerless unless the member is a minor.” She added that no matter how hard family and friends try to help, people experiencing mental health struggles must “engage in the process of getting help” themselves.

“I understand Kanye is subject to criticism because he is a public figure and his actions at times can cause strong opinions and emotions,” she wrote, calling her husband a “brilliant but complicated person.” She said he has the “pressures of being an artist and a black man,” on top of the loss of his mother in 2007.

“We as a society talk about giving grace to the issue of mental health as a whole, however we should also give it to the individuals who are living with it in times when they need it the most,” Kardashian concluded. “I kindly ask that the media and public give us the compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this.”

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

July 22, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Hulu/Christopher Willard(NEW YORK) — Rising star Tongayi Chirisa [TAHN-gai chee-REE-sah] says it was a “joy” to play his “fun-loving… life-of-the-party” character Jake in the new Hulu romantic comedy, Palm Springs.

The film, which follows comedian Andy Samberg as Nyles, a wedding guest who somehow manages to get himself stuck in a time-loop, was a rare opportunity for Chirisa to work with someone he personally admires.

“I love Andy Samberg’s comedy,” Chirisa tells ABC Audio. “And I think it’s just kind of fits in well with my style of what I deem to be funny.”

Even though playing a quirky character was a welcomed experience for the Zimbabwean actor, Chirisa isn’t at all surprised that fans still have many questions surrounding Jake — including his use of the word “shukran,” which means ‘thanks’ in Arabic. 

“I think the obvious is going to be a lot of people coming up with conspiracy theories,” Chirisa says. “But, when I first got this script, Jerry is actually adopted. So, that’s a word that he uses from his native country…. Uganda, or something like that.”

“[T]hat obviously stayed in the script,” he continues. “But the explanation or a little bit of the background…got chopped out.”

Conspiracy theories aside, Chirisa says the fans’ response to the film and his character has been humbling.

“I think I’m still getting used to it,” he says, “because a lot of times it’s just my friends are like, ‘Oh, man, we saw your movie. That was great. That was fun.'” 

“But to see fans of Andy… responding to this film… and then more particularly, to you know the character that I played, is kind of a surreal,” he adds. 

Palm Springs is now streaming on Hulu.

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

July 22, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Walt Disney Television/Heidi Gutman(LOS ANGELES) — The food delivery company DoorDash is touting the importance of keeping local eateries in business with take-out during the pandemic, and some Hollywood stars are piping in on behalf of struggling actors.

“DoorDash wants to thank you for helping restaurants,” a voiceover begins.

“Actually, you’re helping actors!” interrupts Ant-Man and Boardwalk Empire star Bobby Cannavale.

“Without restaurants, we wouldn’t even have actors!” Rocketman‘s Tate Donovan adds.

“Most actors got started in restaurants, like me!” George Lopez says. “Same here!” Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star Ming-Na Wen adds.

“No actors means be no surperhero movies!” says Luge Cage himself, Mike Colter.

“So keep your orders coming to help actors,” Cannavale says.

“You’re really helping restaurants,” the DoorDash voiceover guy says. “…And we’re partnering with the National Restaurant Association to lend a hand.”

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

July 22, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Netflix(LOS ANGELES) — Tory Belleci and Kari Bryon are honoring their late colleague and friend Grant Imahara. 

Imahara died unexpectedly on July 13 at the age of 49 and, in wake of his passing, Belleci and Bryon, who worked alongside Imahara on Mythbusters and Netflix’s White Rabbit Project, remembered their former colleague and shared touching tributes with Variety on Tuesday. 

Bellici’s tribute began with a memory of how the two first met back in 1997 when he “stepped through the doors of the ILM model shop.” He recalled being nervous but stated that he was put at ease the moment he encountered Imahara. 

“That was Grant, always welcoming, always helpful and always ready to solve a problem,” he wrote.

Belleci continued to praise Imahara for his “brilliant mind,” his generosity, and his passion for creating before leaving fans with a line that was sure to resonate.

He shared, “A wise Vulcan once said, “Change is the essential process of all existence.” This is the hardest change to accept.”

Meanwhile, Bryon admitted to both “crying and smiling” as she typed out her piece before sharing some of her heartwarming memories with Imahara.

She wrote, “If you drank too much you became the life of the party, doing your signature Pee-wee Herman dance on the bar, but still somehow got home early. You loved my dogs so much you let them lick you in the mouth, which was gross and incredibly sweet.” 

After stating that herself, Belleci, and Imahara were “beyond friends” she closed, “I am mad that you are gone. We weren’t done yet.”

“You should have at least dared me to eat a bug one more time,” Bryon added. “I’d eat all the bugs in the world to have you back.”

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