Month: May 2023

NCIS: Los Angeles star LL Cool J will reprise his role of Sam Hanna on Season 3 of NCIS: Hawai’i. The actor tweeted along with a photo of him with his new co-star Vanessa Lachey: “Let’s do this!!!”  The cast of Hawai’i also includes Alex Tarrant, Noah Mills, Yasmine Al-Bustami and Jason Antoon.

LL Cool J had a cameo in the Season 2 finale NCIS: Hawai’i on CBS. Executive producers Matt Bosack, Jan Nash and Christopher Silber said in a joint statement: “All of us at NCIS: Hawai’i have been huge fans of LL Cool J for years and couldn’t be more thrilled or honored to be adding his spectacular talent to our ohana for Season 3” 

NCIS: Los Angeles wrapped up its 14-season run this year; CBS announced in January that it was not renewing the series for a 15th season.  Los Angeles starred Chris O’Donnell, Linda Hunt, Daniela Ruah, Eric Christian Olsen, Medalion Rahimi, Caleb Castille and Gerald McRaney.

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The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards returns to New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Tuesday, September 12, airing live at 8 p.m. ET and PT. The VMAs will air across MTV linear and digital platforms in more than 150 countries and territories, the network said.

Bruce Gillmer, President of Music, Music Talent, Programming & Events, Paramount and Chief Content Officer, Music, Paramount+ said in a statement: “Celebrating one of our biggest nights in music with the Garden State’s incredible fans has been our goal since last year’s highly successful event.”

Last year’s show was hosted by Nicki Minaj, who was honored during the show with the Video Vanguard Award, while the Global Icon Award was given to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Performers for last year’s show included Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Blackpink, Bad Bunny, Anitta, Jack Harlow, Kane Brown and others.

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Warner Bros. Studios have shared the new official trailer for “Barbie”, set to hit theaters on July 21.

In the trailer, Margot Robbie’s Barbie and Ryan Gosling’s Ken venture out beyond the borders of their homeland ‘Barbieland’.  The new footage shows Barbie and Ken exploring the modern world; while people in our world are starting to freak out that a real-life Barbie is walking the streets of L.A.

Greta Gerwig serves as director and co-writer of “Barbie” alongside her husband, Noah Baumbach. Alongside Robbie and Gosling, “Barbie” features a star-studded cast including Will Ferrell, Connor Swindells, Nicola Coughlan, Emerald Fennell, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, America Ferrera, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Rhea Perlman, Sharon Rooney, Ana Cruz Kayne, Ritu Arya, Jamie Demetriou, Emma Mackey, Dua Lipa, Issa Rae, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Simu Liu, Scott Evans and Ncuti Gatwa.

Watch the trailer for “Barbie” – here.

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Disney’s live-action film version of The Little Mermaid film topped the Memorial Day weekend box office with $118 million in its opening weekend.

Directed by Rob Marshall and starring Halle Bailey, the film broke the record for the fifth-highest Memorial Day opening in history. Tony Chambers, Disney’s head of distribution, said: “It’s a classic. You ask a lot of women or men of my age and it’s ‘Little Mermaid’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ that rank as their favorite animated movie. It’s a story that takes them back to their respective childhoods and this movie is the perfect opportunity for a lot of people to pass that love on to the next generation.”

Bailey’s performance as Ariel has drawn praise from critics; the cast also includes Daveed Diggs, Awkwafina, Javier Bardem, Jacob Tremblay, Noma Dumezweni and Art Malik.

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Indiana native Adam Driver will wave the green flag as the honorary starter for the 107th Indy 500 on May 28.  The Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced: “The force will be with us on Race Day. Indiana native and former Marine Adam Driver will serve as honorary starter for the 107th #Indy500 presented by @gainbridgelife on Memorial Day Weekend.#INDYCAR | #ThisIsMay”

Indianapolis Motor Speedway president J. Douglas Boles said in a release: “Adam is going to experience one of the most exhilarating, powerful and exciting moments in all of sports as he stands atop the flag stand and waves the green flag to officially start the world’s greatest race. Indy 500 Race Day is full of meaning for our drivers, our fans across the globe and most especially our active-duty military members and veterans. Adam is not only a star recognized across the world but also a former U.S. Marine who will be a very fitting addition to ‘The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.’”

Driver, a Julliard graduate and former Marine, attended the University of Indianapolis for a year. He co-founded Arts in the Armed Forces, a non-profit organization that staged theatrical and musical performances for members of the military. Driver is perhaps best known for playing Kylo Ren in the last three “Star Wars” movies. He has been nominated for two Academy Awards, four Emmy Awards and a Tony Award.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway previously announced that singer-songwriter Jewel will perform the National Anthem, while ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ actress Stephanie Beatriz will serve as grand marshal. Coverage of the 107th Indy 500 will begin Sunday, May 28 at 9 a.m. ET exclusively on Peacock. At 11 a.m., NBC and Peacock will broadcast pre-race through post-race interviews.

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Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg have reunited to create a musical remake of The Color Purple, nearly 40 years after the original film was released. The new remake stars Fantasia, making her big feature film debut, as well as Halle Bailey, Danielle Brooks, Taraji P. Henson, H.E.R., Corey Hawkins, Ciara and more.

Winfrey, who played Sofia in the original film, shared what makes the forthcoming project so special: “The reason this moment is so important is as long there is a need for self-discovery, self-empowerment, as long as there is a need for victory in someone’s life as long, as there is a need for people to know what it feels like to be loved up and to be made full and hold to somebody else’s love, there will be a need for ‘The Color Purple.’”

The Color Purple will premiere on December 25.
Watch the trailer – here.

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