March 12, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

(LOS ANGELES) — Dwayne Johnson can add a new title to his impressive resume — emoji creator.

The actor/tequila mogul/XFL owner revealed late Thursday that a brand new truck emoji is coming out all thanks to him.

Johnson, 48, shared a cheeky video to his Twitter, proving that his January 5, 2016 tweet is what inspired the new addition apparently heading to smartphones everywhere.

The Jumanji actor wrote at the time, “Good mornin’ from the south.  Lets get to work.. (insert non existent pick up truck emoji)”

From there, whenever Johnson wanted to convey he was hard at work, he’d pointedly include “(insert non existent pick up truck emoji)” in his tweets, which apparently caught on with fans and sparked a national dialogue about the need for the new emoji.

Johnson also jokingly referred to past magazine covers that flaunted his importance, from being an “influential” celebrity to being the “Sexiest Man Alive.”

“Sometimes you have to speak & tweet things into existence,” he captioned the video. “I (and the world) needed a truck emoji. Ladies & gents – I give you, the NEW TRUCK EMOJI.”

Playing off the song he sang in Disney’s Moana, Johnson closed out the announcement by using the hashtag “#YoureWelcome.”

Those interested in seeing the new blue pickup truck emoji can check out Johnson’s video, where he unveils it at the end of his announcement.

The Hobbs & Shaw star hinted that he may have a hand in creating other emojis in the future, as the video briefly showcased his emoji wishlist.

Included in his hastily written down list, Johnson expresses that he wants a “bigger bicep emoji,” “double fist protein shakes,” a “throwing body through wall emoji” and an “even bigger pancake stack” — among others.

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

March 12, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Monty Brinton/CBS @2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.LONDON — (NOTE LANGUAGE) Sharon Osbourne has apologized after a heated exchange on The Talk in which she defended her friend Piers Morgan’s right to say whatever he wants about Meghan Markle.

However, that didn’t sit well with Morgan, who quit Good Morning Britain rather than apologize for saying he didn’t’ believe “a word” of the Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.

Morgan re-posted Osbourne’s apology Friday morning, adding, “Sharon’s been shamed & bullied into apologising for defending me against colleagues accusing me of racism because I don’t believe Meghan Markle’s bulls***…I demand an apology from those @TheTalkCBS bullies for their disgraceful slurs against ME.”

Osbourne had tweeted early Friday morning, “After some reflection, after sitting with your comments & sitting with my heart I would like to address the discussion on ‘The Talk’ this past Wednesday.”

She added in part, “…I have deep respect & love for the Black community. To anyone of colour that I offended and/or to anyone that feels confused or let down by what I said, I am truly sorry.”

She went on: “I panicked, felt blindsided, got defensive & allowed my fear & horror of being accused of being racist take over. There are very few things that hurt my heart more than racism so to feel associated with that spun me fast! I am not perfect, I am still learning like the rest of us & will continue to learn, listen and do better.”

Her exchange on CBS chat show earlier in the week saw an exasperated Osbourne saying to co-host Sheryl Underwood, “Educate me! Tell me what [Piers] said that was racist!”

Underwood replied that Morgan’s negative comments about Markle had “the implication” of being racist.

For his part, Morgan doubled down on his comments Wednesday morning, calling Markle’s comments “contemptible” and a “diatribe of bilge.”

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

March 12, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Apple TV+(NEW YORK) — Marvel movie directors Joe and Anthony Russo get back to their modest-budget beginnings with their new film, Cherry, which is now streaming on AppleTV+.

The movie, which stars Spider-Man actor Tom Holland, is based on Nico Walker’s 2018 novel of the same name. Holland plays a young man who drops out of college and joins the Army after suffering a broken heart, only to return home returns to his true love stricken with combat PTSD. He soon turns to a life of crime when both become hooked on opioids. 

The opioid crisis hit close to both the Russo family personally, and to their hometown of Cleveland, where the movie is set, Joe Russo explained to ABC Audio.

“This was a city that saw a great economic depression 30 years ago…” said Russo, but as it recovered, opioid addiction moved in.

Calling it “an existential blight,” Joe says, “these drugs have been scientifically engineered to make people addicted to them. And they were peddled by doctors who are paid to prescribe them….[I]t’s ballooned into a crisis of utterly tragic proportions.”

Cherry was a true family affair, with the Russos’ sister, Angela Russo-Otstot, co-writing with Jessica Goldberg.

“[S]he’s a bit younger than Joe and I,” Anthony says of their sister, “but…over the years…we’ve had the opportunity to work with her in a variety of ways… And this has definitely been the most intimate and most exciting way…”

Anthony adds, “It was a really special experience for all of us and I think really appropriate because…the primary motivation to make this movie was so deeply personal and did have to do with our…family experiences.” 

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

March 12, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Disney XD(NEW YORK) — The beloved reboot of Disney’s DuckTales will take its final adventure Monday night with a super-sized 90-minute series finale on Disney XD.

“It is officially the biggest episode, both in terms of length that we’ve ever done, and in terms of scope,” co-executive producer Francisco Angones tells ABC Audio.

Executive producer Matt Youngberg adds, “I think the big tease for us — there are things that we want the audience to experience and enjoy discovering for themselves.

The animated series, which ran three seasons, stars David Tennant as Scrooge McDuck, and Danny Pudi, Ben Schwartz and Bobby Moynihan as Scrooge’s mischievous nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie, respectively.

Pudi, who was a huge fan of the original ‘80s series, says he had a blast recording for the show, which was his first-ever TV voiceover gig as a series regular.

“[It was] really joyful, an escape, something different for me,” the former Community star says. “A place to kind of go into a booth, you get to scream a little bit, you know, and try stuff and play.” (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)

Thankfully this isn’t the last we’ll hear from the denizens of Duckburg. A new kids and family podcast called This Duckburg Life, hosted by Pudi as Huey Duck, will debut March 29.

The DuckTales series finale airs Monday at 7 p.m. ET/PT on Disney XD. Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

By Andrea Tuccillo
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 12, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Marvel Studios(LOS ANGELES) — Like it did for The Mandalorian with its documentary series Disney: Gallery, Disney+ is giving fans a peek behind the curtain of its latest hit, WandaVision with Marvel Studios: Assembled.

The series goes behind the scenes of the series, showing how producers pulled it off and just how deep they went into recreating classic sitcoms that framed it. It also features interviews with stars Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Teyonah Parrish, Kathryn Hahn and others, and shows the special effects that it took to bring the MCU’s first live-action TV show to life. 

A trailer is now available; the show is now streaming on Disney+.

It’s likely that the second Marvel Studios TV show, Falcon and the Winter Soldier — which debuts next Friday — will likely get the Assembled treatment after its run is done.

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

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