Above, Fast and Furious continues with F9 The Fast Saga, opening this weekend, June 25th!
Friday, 6/25/2021
Friday Night TV
48TH ANNUAL DAYTIME EMMY AWARDS (8p ET, CBS) — Sheryl Underwood hosts this salute to daytime television.
U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS (8p ET, NBC) — Coverage of the women’s gymnastics trials.
WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN (8p ET, FOX) — New.
PREMIERE: THE CHOE SHOW (10p ET, FX) — Artist David Choe hosts this five-episode interview show.
PREMIERE: BOSCH (Amazon) — The seventh and final season of this cop show catches up with Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) as he and Jerry Edgar (Jamie Hector) pursue two separate murder investigations that will take them inside the dangerous world of the drug trade. IMDb TV is making a spin-off and Welliver is set to reprise his role.
SEASON PREMIERE: CENTRAL PARK (Apple TV+) — Season 2 of this animated musical comedy features the voices of Leslie Odom Jr., Kathryn Hahn, Loren Bouchard, Josh Gad, and Stanley Tucci.
FALSE POSITIVE (Hulu) — Ilana Glazer (Broad City) stars in this 2021 horror drama about a woman who, after struggling to get pregnant, finally finds success with an illustrious reproductive specialist (Pierce Brosnan). Throughout her pregnancy, Lucy begins to notice a pattern of unsettling, supernatural occurrences and suspects that the doctor, his nurse (Gretchen Mol), and even her own husband (Justin Theroux) could all be in on it.
FATHOM (Apple TV+) — This 2021 documentary follows Dr. Ellen Garland and Dr. Michelle Fournet, two scientists focused on the study of humpback whale songs and social communication.
THE ICE ROAD (Netflix) — Liam Neeson stars in this 2021 disaster film as a man who heads up a mission traversing an iced-over ocean in order to rescue people trapped in a collapsed Canadian mine. Laurence Fishburne also stars.
MARY J. BLIGE’S MY LIFE (Amazon Prime) — This 2021 documentary features the artist reflecting on the making of her influential 1994 album My Life. The film also features Blige performing the album live for the first time in celebration of its 25th anniversary, and features appearances by Alicia Keys and Taraji P. Henson
THE MYSTERIOUS BENEDICT SOCIETY (Disney+) — This family-friendly fantasy series, based on the best-selling book series, follows four gifted orphans who are sent off on a secret mission after being recruited by an eccentric benefactor (Tony Hale, VEEP).
SEX/LIFE (Netflix) — Sarah Shahi (Person of interest) stars in this new comedy-drama, as her daring sexual past collides with her married life when the bad-boy ex she can’t stop fantasizing about crashes back into her life.
WHO ARE YOU, CHARLIE BROWN? (Apple TV+) — Cartoonist Charles M. Schulz and his beloved creations are celebrated in this special.
WOLFGANG (Disney+) — This documentary profiles celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck.
SATURDAY
U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS (9p ET, NBC) — Track and Field finals events include women’s javelin, men’s 400m hurdles, women’s 10000m, women’s 200m, and men’s 110m hurdles.
WONDER BOY (Netflix) — This documentary follows fashion designer Olivier Rousteing’s rise to creative director at luxury fashion house Balmain.
SUNDAY
2021 SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE (7p ET, ESPN2) — In the preliminaries, spellers will compete virtually to earn their sports in the finals.
PREMIERE: A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES (7p ET, AMC) — After its premiere on AMC+ earlier this year, Season 2 begins its network debut with the first two episodes airing back-to-back. The rest of the season will air weekly on Sundays at 8p ET.
U.S. OLYMPIC TRIALS (7:30p ET, NBC) — Coverage includes Track and Field and Women’s Gymnastics finals.
2021 BET AWARDS (8p ET, BET, VH1, MTV) — The BET awards return in a more standard format as Taraji P. Henson hosts in person at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Musical guests include Tyler, the Creator, City Girls, Migos, Roddy Ricch, DJ Khaled, H.E.R. and Lil Baby.
LADY BOSS: THE JACKIE COLLINS STORY (9p ET, CNN) — The British author Jackie Collins, who died in 2015 at 77, became a household name by writing romance novels for modern women that pushed the boundaries. This documentary looks at the experiences that led Collins to start writing, and what her life was like after her career took flight.
Showbiz News and Gossip!
IN THEATERS AND STREAMING _ New movies in (select) theaters, streaming, and video on demand.
• F9 Vin Diesel and team hit the big screen. Watch the trailer here!
• I Carry You with Me (Theaters)
• Werewolves Within (Theaters)
KEVIN HART AND SNOOP DOGG WILL BE RECAPPING THE OLYMPICS IN THEIR OWN WAY
Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg will be recapping the Olympics in their own way. The pair are making Olympic Highlights with Kevin Hart and Snoop Dogg for Peacock. The commentary series will see the pair recap the Olympics’ most impressive displays of athleticism, as well as the moments that don’t go as planned.
JERRY SEINFELD IS MAKING A MOVIE ABOUT POP-TARTS FOR NETFLIX _ Jerry Seinfeld has been refining a stand-up comedy bit about Pop-Tarts for more than 10 years, and now he’s preparing to take it to an entirely different level by making a film about it. A new report says Seinfeld will direct, produce, co-write, and star in Unfrosted, a movie about the creation of the most reliable of boxed breakfast staples, the Pop-Tart.
… Seinfeld said, “Stuck at home watching endless sad faces on TV, I thought this would be a good time to make something based on pure silliness. So we took my Pop Tart stand-up bit from my last Netflix special and exploded it into a giant, crazy comedy movie.”
… There’s no word yet on when the movie might hit the streamer.
HARRISON FORD INJURED WHILE FILMING INDIANA JONES 5
Even Indiana Jones is susceptible to bumps and bruises. Star Harrison Ford sustained a shoulder injury on the set of Indiana Jones 5, requiring the actor to take a break from filming while treatment is evaluated.
… A Disney spokesperson said, “In the course of rehearsing for a fight scene, Harrison Ford sustained an injury involving his shoulder. Production will continue while the appropriate course of treatment is evaluated, and the filming schedule will be reconfigured as needed in the coming weeks.” The extent of Ford’s injury is unknown, though it’s hardly the first time he’s hurt himself while making a movie. In the past, Ford suffered a serious back injury on Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom and endured leg trauma on Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
ARROW STAR STEPHEN AMELL REMOVED FROM DELTA FLIGHT AFTER ARGUMENT WITH WIFE
Arrow star Stephen Amell is speaking out after being removed from a Delta flight following an altercation with his wife, Cassandra Jean Amell. The 40-year-old actor, who’s best known for playing hooded vigilante Green Arrow in CW’s Arrow from 2012-2020, said he was asked to “leave” a Delta flight from Austin to Los Angeles Monday afternoon after the couple got in a squabble.
… Amell later said on social media: “My wife and I got into an argument Monday afternoon on a Delta flight. I was asked to lower my voice and I did. Approximately 10 minutes later I was asked to leave the flight. And I did so immediately. I was not forcibly removed. Although Amell didn’t go into detail about the argument with his wife, the actor admitted that he “let my emotions get the better of me, end of story.” He added, “I rebooked myself on a Southwest flight 2 hours later and traveled home without any further issue.”
NFL TO MATCH CARL NASSIB’S $100,000 DONATION TO LGBT ORGANIZATION
The NFL announced that it is matching Las Vegas Raiders player Carl Nassib’s $100,000 donation to an LGBT organization, a day after the defensive lineman made history by becoming the first active league player to come out as gay.
GODZILLA VS. KONG CROSSES $100 MILLION AT THE DOMESTIC BOX OFFICE
In a long-awaited box office milestone, Godzilla vs. Kong has finally hit the $100 million mark in the U.S.
The film opened in theaters and on HBO Max in early April, collecting a then-pandemic best $32 million over the weekend. It remained a worthy theatrical draw, with ticket sales quickly climbing to — and then plateauing — around $98 million. Godzilla vs. Kong hovered just below $100 million for some time before finally scraping together the final $220,000 needed to cross the coveted box office milestone. Now, after playing in multiplexes for 12 weeks, its domestic tally sits at $100.113 million.
… Godzilla vs. Kong is only the second movie of the COVID-19 era to earn more than $100 million in the U.S. The sequel A Quiet Place Part II, which debuted over Memorial Day weekend, smashed that pandemic benchmark in 15 days.
FTC WILL REVIEW AMAZON’S ACQUISITION OF MGM
The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly preparing to review Amazon’s planned $8.45 billion deal with MGM. Both an FTC and Amazon spokesperson had no comment when reached out to by Deadline, so it’s unknown just how long the investigation could last.
… MGM currently has ownership of over 4,000 film titles and 17,000 hours of television programming. This includes big franchises such as the James Bond films, Rocky, The Hobbit, Pink Panther, as well as acclaimed TV series The Handmaid’s Tale and Stargate.
BLACK WIDOW TRACKING FOR $90 MILLION OPENING WEEKEND JULY 9th
No movie has opened to over $50 million at the domestic box office since Sonic the Hedgehog was released over sixteen months ago, although A Quiet Place Part II did come close with a $48 million debut. That’s inevitably going to change when Fast & Furious 9 arrives this Friday, and two weeks after that Black Widow is guaranteed to follow suit.
… Black Widow will be the first feature-length installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in two whole years. It’s not only coming to theaters, but also Disney+ Premier Access the same day. The latest tracking indicates that Scarlett Johansson’s long-awaited Black Widow film will open somewhere between $65 million and $90 million, but most analysts are expecting it to end up landing closer to the higher end of those estimates.
MARK HARMON EYES VERY LIMITED PRESENCE IN SEASON 19 OF NCIS
Back in mid-April I told you that Mark Harmon would not appear in all episodes of season 19 of NCIS. Now I have an update. Multiple sources says that Harmon is scheduled to appear in a relatively small number of episodes next season. One insider close to the CBS drama reveals of Harmon’s Season 19 episode count: “It’s going to be in the low single digits.” Another source says the actor will make only “a few” appearances throughout the season.
… To fill the Harmon-sized hole, CBS is in talks with TV veteran Gary Cole to join the cast in a major Season 19 role.
CARL NASSIB IS FIRST ACTIVE NFL PLAYER TO COME OUT AS GAY
Carl Nassib, a defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders, has made history as the first active player in the NFL to come out as gay. Nassib made the announcement in a candid video posted to his Instagram account on Monday. Nassib continued by saying that he hopes coming out publicly eventually won’t be necessary for those in the LGBTQ+ community, but that he decided to do so to promote acceptance. • VIDEO
… Nassib also announced that he is donating $100,000 to the LGBTQ+ suicide prevention organization the Trevor Project
AMC THEATRES OFFERING ALL YOU CAN EAT POPCORN
AMC Theatres, the nation’s largest cinema chain, is offering its customers “all you can eat” popcorn with the purchase of any size tub starting today (June 22). The promotion, one of several deals that AMC is running through the first-ever Cinema Week, will extend through June 30. It will be available at all AMC locations in the country.
… Cinema Week, a six-day event that’s aiming to get people back to the movies, is running in partnership with several U.S. movie theater chains and Hollywood studios including Disney, A24, Paramount, Netflix and Universal. As part of the celebration, participating venues will be hosting exclusive in-theater content, giveaways and special guests.
STEVEN SPIELBERG’S COMPANY TO MAKE MOVIES FOR NETFLIX
What a difference two years and a global pandemic make. Steven Spielberg, who a couple of years ago was quoted drawing a clear line between theatrically released films and streamer films, has signed a partnership with Netflix that will cover multiple new feature films per year.
… Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment has been collaborating with Netflix for some time in an informal capacity. Netflix released the Amblin-produced, Aaron Sorkin-directed The Trial of the Chicago 7, a film that garnered six Oscar nominations. Netflix stepped up to acquire to finance and distribute Maestro, the film that Bradley Cooper is directing and starring in on the iconic composer Leonard Bernstein. That film is in pre-production.
NBC IS ASKING A RECORD $6 MILLION PER 30-SECOND SUPER BOWL AD for 2022.
We’re eight months away from the Super Bowl but NBC’s ad rate has already been set. The network wants a reported $6 million per 30-second commercial. The average ad rate for this year’s Super Bowl was $5.6 million.
FRANK BONNER DIES AT 79
Frank Bonner, the veteran actor who became famous for portraying Herb Tarlek on the TV sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati, died last Wednesday. He was 79. Bonner’s family confirmed to TMZ that the actor died as a result of complications from Lewy body dementia.
… Bonner’s daughter posted in a WKRP In Cincinnati Facebook group, saying that the actor “loved his fans and was still signing autograph requests up until the last few weeks of his illness.”
… Bonner appeared in 88 of the 90 episodes of WKRP in Cincinnati, which aired for four seasons from 1978-82.
WILL SMITH TO HOST A NETFLIX COMEDY VARIETY SPECIAL
Netflix announced that Will Smith will star in a special that will include comedy sketches, musical performances, surprise celebrity guests and noteworthy conversations — among other things. Netflix didn’t reveal any other details, other than that it will launch later this year. There is no indication whether or not it will be tied to a specific holiday, like Bill Murray’s Netflix Christmas special or Michael Bolton’s Netflix Valentine’s Day special before it.
JIMMY KIMMEL FULFILLS DREAM OF HAVING A COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL GAME NAMED AFTER HIM
Jimmy Kimmel announced on his late-night show that he’ll be the sponsor of the inaugural Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl game on ABC on December 18. Kimmel said, “Never has a bowl game been named after a human being — and Papa John doesn’t count, he’s barely human.”
SCI-FI WESTERN SETTLERS TRAILER
The first trailer for an intriguing sci-fi western thriller titled Settlers has landed. On a remote homestead amongst the Martian frontier, a refugee family from Earth clings to hope for a better life. But when strangers appear in the surrounding hills and attempt to run them off, they must deal with the truth about who they really are. Settlers was filmed on location in the isolated desert area of Vioolsdift, situated in the Northern Cape in South Africa. • VIDEO
… No word on a release date, but Settlers will premiere at the 2021 Tribeca Film Festival in the next few days
PAUL RUDD AND WILL FERRELL REUNITE FOR NEW DRAMEDY
Everything is not fine between Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd’s characters in the first look at Apple TV+’s The Shrink Next Door. On Thursday the streaming service released a new trailer for the upcoming dramedy and proved that this Anchorman reunion is far from funny. Instead, viewers watch as Dr. Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf (Rudd) inserts himself into the life of his patient Marty (Ferrell). • VIDEO
… Apple TV+’s description says the series was “inspired by the true story of Marty and the therapist who turned his life around… then took it over. When he first meets Dr. Ike, Marty just wants to get better at boundaries. Over 30 years, he’ll learn all about them—and what happens when they get crossed.”
… The Shrink Next Door will premiere November 12 on Apple TV+ with the first three episodes, with subsequent episodes to follow on Fridays.
THE TOMORROW WAR TRAILER 2
Chris Pratt’s The Tomorrow War finally comes to Amazon Prime on July 2, and this week we got the sci-fi action film’s final trailer. • VIDEO
… The plot: Time travelers arrive from 2051 to deliver an urgent message: 30 years in the future mankind is losing a war against an alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians to be transported to the future to join the fight. Determined to save the world for his daughter, Dan Forester (Pratt) teams up with a scientist and with his estranged father (J.K. Simmons).
MEN ON CAMEO CHARGE MORE
A new analysis of rates charged on Cameo — a service for the mildly famous where celebs can sell personalized messages directly to fans — found that male celebs were charging more for their time than women were. According to an analysis of the top-20 highest-priced active actors on Cameo, the average man was charging $626 while the average woman charged $326. Among musicians, the average fee for a man to cut a quick video was $590, while the average woman in the top-20 charged $362.
THE MATRIX 4 REPORTEDLY TAKES PLACE 60 YEARS AFTER REVOLUTIONS
The Matrix 4 is one of the most eagerly anticipated movies coming this year, even though we hardly know anything about it. It’s due out this December and will be titled The Matrix Resurrections. And a source says the film will take place 60 years after The Matrix Revolutions.
VIN DIESEL SAYS PAUL WALKER’S DAUGHTER COULD JOIN FAST & FURIOUS
In case you hadn’t noticed, one of the most subtle recurring themes in the Fast & Furious franchise is the importance of family. Following the death of Paul Walker, his brothers Cody and Caleb were brought in to act as body doubles for the seventh installment. In a new interview, Diesel was asked about Walker’s daughter Meadow potentially following in the footsteps of her father and two uncles by getting involved in The Fast Saga, and he definitely didn’t rule it out: “I would not count anything out. Let me just, without giving you all of the secrets of Fast 10. Let’s just say, nothing’s ruled out.”
… The ninth film in the franchise opens in the U.S. this Friday (June 25).
WILL SMITH WRITES AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Will Smith has written an autobiography. “Will” will be published on November 9. What’s unknown is how candid and forthcoming Smith will be about starting a private school with his wife in Calabasas, California in which they placed their own kids, Jaden and Willow. The school was run by a Scientologist. Eventually the school went under. More recently, rumors of the Smiths’ open marriage bubbled upon on Jada’s Red Table talk show on Facebook. So as an honest autobiography from Will Smith would be welcome, who knows what “Will” will reveal. But almost certainly, we’ll get the story of how Will became a rare Hollywood mega star.
INTERN’S EMAIL GOOF AT HBO MAX INSPIRES HUNDREDS TO SHOW SUPPORT
A mysterious and puzzling email with the subject line of “Integration Test Email #1” landed in the boxes of some HBO Max subscribers on Thursday. Just hours later, the company said that the message was intended to be an empty test email, and “yes, it was the intern.” The unnamed intern quickly became the new star of HBO Max on social media, as hundreds of encouraging messages poured in to reassure the intern that mistakes happen, in all phases of careers… And instead of subscribers responding with angry messages about an inconvenience, they used the opportunity to tell their own stories of work snafus…
… One individual wrote about how they “once globally took down Spotify. It almost happened twice.”
… “When I was 25 I made a PDF assigning each employee to the Muppet they reminded me of the most. I meant to send it to my work friend, but I accidentally sent it to the entire company. My supervisor (Beaker) wanted to fire me, but the owners (Bert & Ernie) intervened.”
… “When I was an intern once I accidentally powered off every device during a complicated laser experiment at MIT.”
… (CAUTION?) “In the first month of my new HR job with a major defense contractor, I sent out an email about shirt orders that included the division president and several corporate leaders. Title of email: Your S-H-[blank]-[blank] is in the HR Office…”
BINDI IRWIN DETAILS ALLEGED ‘PSYCHOLOGICAL ABUSE’ FROM ESTRANGED GRANDPA
Bindi Irwin, the late Steve’s daughter, is making some unsettling allegations against her grandfather, Bob Irwin. In a Father’s Day post dedicated to her own father, her husband, Chandler Powell, and her father-in-law, Irwin was asked why she left Bob out of the tribute. The 22-year-old new mom did not hold back with her response: “Unfortunately my grandfather Bob has shown no interest in spending time with me or my family. Publicly he continues to claim that he wants to spend time with us while privately me entire life has been psychological abuse from him.”
… Irwin goes on to claim that Bob has even gone so far to return gifts she’s sent him over the years — after opening them.
… Irwin also alleged that the family has been supporting Bob financially since 1992 and is still sending him weekly payments. Despite how he has purportedly treated Irwin and her family for decades, she maintains she still wants to make sure he is taken care of: “We built him a house on a beautiful property and will always do our best to ensure his well-being.”
THE BATMAN’S RESHOOTS ARE REPORTEDLY SIGNIFICANT
Reshoots are built into the schedule of any major blockbuster, with a couple of weeks typically marked out several months into the editing process, in the event that the filmmakers need to add some insert shots, character moments or additional dialogue to tie everything together in the neatest possible fashion. On the other side of the coin, sometimes the additional photography can cost tens of millions of dollars, stretch on for months and often result in a near-total overhaul of the project The Batman will be getting back in front of cameras in the not too distant future for some additional filming, and the real question is how significant they’ll turn out to be.
… The production dragged on for over fourteen months as a result of the pandemic, and in the interim there’s been plenty of speculation and chatter about behind the scenes disagreements and arguments. However, a source is reportedly downplaying the scale of The Batman‘s reshoots.
… At the end of the day, reshoots aren’t always a bad thing, so at least we can still hold on to the hope that The Batman will deliver when it comes to theaters in March of next year.
RADIO CITY REOPENS WITH DAVE CHAPPELLE
Fifteen months after shuttering for the pandemic, New York’s Radio City Music Hall reopened its doors Saturday for the Tribeca Festival premiere of a new Dave Chappelle documentary for a full-capacity, fully-vaccinated audience. The debut of Dave Chappelle: This Time This Place, which chronicles Chappelle’s pandemic stand-up series held in rural Ohio cornfields, marked the first time the hallowed venue was yet again packed since closing in March 2020 — a shutdown that put a year-plus’s worth of concerts, including Radio City’s famous Rockettes, on ice for easily the longest spell since it first opened in 1932.
… After the screening, Chappelle dramatically took the stage to a thumping beat and a raucous standing ovation. The comedian paused for a moment to apologize for those who lost someone during the pandemic before signaling a note of revival.