Month: August 2022

ABC has named Alyssa Farah Griffin as the new conservative co-host on The View.  The network has also signed Republican commentator Ana Navarro, who has appeared on the program regularly for the past 4 years, as a recurring co-host. Navarro, who has been a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump, also appears regularly on CNN and is not expected to appear on the The View every day. Both Farah Griffin and Navarro made their debuts on Thursday’s show.

Farah Griffin succeeds Meghan McCain, who had been the show’s primary conservative voice before leaving the series last summer (and was also a frequent critic of  Trump).  Farah Griffin, despite working for the former president, has become critical of his actions since Jan. 6, 2021. The View has been ‘auditioning’ for a co-host since McCain’s departure and had a number of prominent conservative co-hosts filling in, with Farah Griffin among them, and appearing frequently on the program.

Navarro, who has been a guest go-host for the past four years, will step in to replace the other hosts during their absences.  Navarro explained on Thursday’s show she “wasn’t ready to make a full-time commitment” to the show, citing her life in Miami and how frequently she flies back and forth.

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Lady Gaga confirmed on Twitter that she will co-star with Joaquin Phoenix in the sequel to the film  ‘Joker’, titled  Joker: Folie à Deux. The tweet showed a black-and-red video of Phoenix and Gaga’s shadows joining together, along with the caption announcing the sequel’s title and release date: ‘Joker: Folie à Deux 10.04.24’

Joker is the origin story of was Batman’s arch nemesis, Arthur Fleck, and follows as he goes from comedian to villain. The film grossed an estimated $1 billion at the box office and earned Phoenix an Academy Award for Best Actor.

It’s unclear who Lady Gaga will portray, but it was long rumored she has been in talks to play Harley Quinn – — the Joker’s psychiatrist at the asylum who becomes his partner in crime. Variety reports the film will be a musical, although plot details are unknown at this time. Director Todd Phillips, and co-writer Scott Silver are returning for the sequel to the 2019 film that grossed more than $1 billion worldwide.

Joker: Folie à Deux opens in theaters on October 4, 2024.

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The DC film Batgirl, which was scheduled to be released on HBO Max later this year, has been shelved. Warner Bros. Discovery announced they will no longer be releasing the film, starring Leslie Grace in the title role.  Batgirl was directed by ‘Bad Boys for Life’ filmmakers Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah.

The announcement comes after the project, which costs nearly $90 million to make due to COVID-19 protocols, had already completed shooting. Grace, 27, was set to make her return to the big screen as Batgirl after her breakthrough role in the movie adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony Award-winning musical In The Heights. Michael Keaton was also set to return to his Batman role, and the Batgirl cast also included Brendan Fraser as villain Firefly, and J.K. Simmons as Commissioner Gordon.

Insiders say that Warner Bros. CEO David Zaslav believed Batgirl “simply did not work,” adding that the decision had nothing to do with the cast or directors.  It is also rumored that Warner Bros. made the decision on Batgirl due to its desire to refocus on theatrical releases rather than creating movies for HBO Max.

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Chrissy Teigen and husband John Legend are expecting a rainbow baby after suffering a pregnancy loss nearly two years ago. Teigen and Legend also share 6-year-old Luna Simone, and 4-year-old Miles Theodore.

The 36-year-old Teigen announced the happy news on Instagram, sharing her IVF journey to get pregnant with the couple’s fourth child, alongside photos of her baby bump. Teigen’s post read: “​​The last few years have been a blur of emotions to say the least, but joy has filled our home and hearts again. 1 billion shots later (in the leg lately, as u can see!) we have another on the way. Every appointment I’ve said to myself, ‘ok if it’s healthy today I’ll announce’ but then I breathe a sigh of relief to hear a heartbeat and decide I’m just too nervous still. I don’t think I’ll ever walk out of an appointment with more excitement than nerves but so far, everything is perfect and beautiful and I’m feeling hopeful and amazing. Ok phew it’s been very hard keeping this in for so long!”

Nearly two years ago, Teigen announced that she and Legend had experienced the loss of their third child, Jack, in September 2020 during her pregnancy.  Teigen announced at the time on Instagram: “We are shocked and in the kind of deep pain you only hear about, the kind of pain we’ve never felt before. We were never able to stop the bleeding and give our baby the fluids he needed, despite bags and bags of blood transfusions. It just wasn’t enough. Jack worked so hard to be a part of our little family, and he will be, forever. To our Jack – I’m so sorry that the first few moments of your life were met with so many complications, that we couldn’t give you the home you needed to survive. We will always love you.”

Teigen shared on Instagram in February 2022 that she and Legend, 43, were undergoing in vitro fertilization to try and conceive again after the loss of Jack: I wanted to let you guys know I’m balls deep in another IVF cycle to save as many eggos as I possibly can and hopefully make some strong, healthy embryos.”

Pregnant! Chrissy Teigen and John Legend Are Expecting Their Rainbow Baby

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Showtime has canceled the anthology series ‘The First Lady‘ after just one season.  The First Lady explored the lives of former first ladies, including Michelle Obama (Viola Davis), Betty Ford (Michelle Pfeiffer) and Eleanor Roosevelt (Gillian Anderson). The series was created by Aaron Cooley and also featured Kiefer Sutherland, O-T Fagbenle, Aaron Eckhart and Dakota Fanning.

Showtime confirmed the cancellation in a statement to Variety: “Showtime can confirm that the anthology series The First Lady will not be moving forward with another season. We would like to applaud the artistry and commitment of our showrunner Cathy Schulman, director Susanne Bier, their fellow executive producers, our amazing cast, led by executive producer Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson, and our studio partner Lionsgate for their dedicated work in telling the unique stories of three remarkable leaders.”

The First Lady concluded its first season on Showtime this past June. The series is nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Period Costumes. The Primetime Emmys will take place Sept. 12.

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Pedro Pascal and David Harbour have signed on to star in the HBO limited series “My Dentist’s Murder Trial”. The series is inspired by the 2017 New Yorker article “My Dentist’s Murder Trial: Adultery, False Identities, and a Lethal Sedation,” written by James Lasdun. The article told the true story of how Dr. Gilberto Nunez was indicted for the death of his friend, Thomas Kolman.

My Dentist’s Murder Trial is written by Steve Conrad, who will direct the pilot episode. The true crime drama explores the story of Nunez, who was indicted in 2015 for killing his friend Thomas Kolman by having him “ingest a substance that caused his death.”  In addition to starring, both Pascal and Harbour will executive produce the series.

Pascal is known for his starring role in the the title role in the hit Disney+ Star Wars series “The Mandalorian,” which will return for its third season in early 2023.  Pascal’s other TV credits include “The Book of Boba Fett,” “Narcos” and “Game of Thrones,” as well as features like “Wonder Woman 1984,” “Triple Frontier,” and “Kingsman: The Golden Circle.”

Harbour currently stars in the Netflix series “Stranger Things,” which has earned him two Emmy nominations for his work on the show. He has also starred in shows such as “Q Force,” “Manhattan,” and “Rake” as well as films like “Black Widow,” “Black Mass,” “The Equalizer,” and “Hellboy.”

David Harbour & Pedro Pascal To Headline ‘My Dentist’s Murder Trial’ True Crime Limited Series In Works At HBO

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