Showbiz News Weekend Edition, 4/23/21 – Oscars on Sunday, Lee Majors Turns 82!

Calendar ahead

• April 25: 93rd Academy Awards
• May 5: Cinco de Mayo
• May 9: Mother’s Day
• May 16-17: MTV Movie & TV Awards
• May 17: Tax deadline day
• May 23: Billboard Music Awards (NBC)
• May 31: Memorial Day
• June 12: Record Store Day
• June 20: Father’s Day
• June 21: Summer begins (5:02AM ET)
• July 4: Independence Day (Sunday)

Birthdays, April 23, 2021

• Lee Majors (Six Million Dollar Man) is 82

• Blair Brown is 74

• Joyce DeWitt (Three’s Company) is 72

• Michael Moore is 67

• Judy Davis is 66

• Valerie Bertinelli is 61

• George Lopez is 60

• Melina Kanakaredes (The Resident, Providence) is 54

• Scott Bairstow (Party of Five) is 51

• John Cena is 44

• John Oliver is 44

• Kal Penn (House M.D., Harold and Kumar) is 44

• Lee Soffer (Chicago P.D., Chicago Fire) is 37

• Dev Patel (Lion, The Newsroom) is 31

• Model Gigi Hadid is 26. Charlie Rowe (Salvation) is 25

FRIDAY NIGHT TV:

SHARK TANK (8p ET, ABC) — New. Products include an innovative cleaning tool, a portable and rechargeable solar-powered device, and an update on Bug Bite Thing, an insect sting treatment company.

THE BLACKLIST (8p ET, NBC) — New. In a look back at key turning points, steps are retraced that lead Elizabeth to align with a powerful enemy.

WWE FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN (8p ET, FOX) — New.

DATELINE (9p ET, NBC) — A new, 2-hour edition.

SEASON PREMIERE: A BLACK LADY SKETCH SHOW (11p ET, HBO) — The second season will feature a fresh set of sketches and more celebrity guests including Gabrielle Union, Issa Rae, and singer Miguel.

MORTAL KOMBAT (HBO Max) — This reboot will have a simultaneous release in theaters. Lewis Tan and Jessica McNamee star.

SHADOW AND BONE (Netflix) — This fantasy series, based on the  bestselling YA trilogy, is set in Ravka, a country split by a deadly strip of land and its people divided between magical Grisha and those without powers. Alina’s (Jessie May II) parents died crossing the strip known as the Fold, but nothing prepares her for what will happen when she tries it and finds out who she truly is.

SATURDAY TV

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (11:30p ET, NBC) — Repeat.

SUNDAY TV

THE 93rd ACADEMY AWARDS (8p ET, ABC) — This year’s Oscars will be held at Los Angeles’ historic Union Station, with additional events at the show’s traditional home, the Dolby Theatre. Once again there will be no host. The best picture nominees are Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Mank, Sound of Metal and The Trial of the Chicago 7.

MY GRANDPARENTS’ WAR (8p ET, PBS) — New. Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan learns how her grandfather fought the Japanese in the final months of World War II.

FEAR THE WALKING DEAD (9p ET, AMC) — New. Morgan calls for unity and invites all survivors to his settlement, tasking Daniel to keep the peace.

IN THEATERS THIS WEEKEND In (some) theaters and VOD.

• Mortal Kombat (Theaters + HBO Max)

• Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street (Theaters)

• Together Together with Ed Helms (Theaters)

• Vanquish with Ruby Rose, Morgan Freeman (VOD)

SHOWBIZ NEWS & GOSSIP…

HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER SEQUEL SERIES WILL STAR HILARY DUFF _ A How I Met Your Mother sequel series titled How I Met Your Father has been ordered at Hulu with Hilary Duff lined up to star. In the near future, Sophie — played by Duff — is telling her son the story of how she met his father: a story that catapults us back to the year 2021 where Sophie and her close-knit group of friends are in the midst of figuring out who they are, what they want out of life, and how to fall in love in the age of dating apps and limitless options. According to an individual with knowledge of the project, it remains unclear how/if the new show will tie into the original.

PIERCE BROSNAN SELLING $100 MILLION MALIBU HOME _ For $100 Million, you can own the former home of Pierce Brosnon. His massive Malibu mansion has been listed for sale for the past 8 months, and he can’t seem to find a buyer. Brosnan and his partner, Keely Shay Smith, have been enjoying all the perks and benefits of their 12,000 square foot home for quite some time. When they first moved in to the home 20 years ago, they had young children, but now that the kids are all grown up, a change in residence is what the couple is seeking. Opting to spend their time in Ireland, the couple put their home up for sale in September of 2020, but haven’t had any luck finding a serious buyer

… There’s a guest house as well as the main house, which has five bedrooms and 14 bathrooms on the property. The master suite spans about 4,000 square feet — larger than many houses — with his-and-hers fireplaces, an art studio and an expansive deck overlooking the ocean. Other features include a theater, a climate-controlled wine cellar for roughly 200 bottles of wine, a gym, and a music room.

LISA LING’S TAKE OUT TO PUT SPOTLIGHT ON AMERICA’S ASIAN RESTAURANTS _ Lisa Ling’s docuseries Take Out will delve into the lives of some of the people responsible for the more than 45,000 Asian restaurants in the United States, and explore the “complicated journey of the Asian community, past and present.” HBO Max says the docuseries comes at a “critical time,” alluding to the recent wave of anti-Asian violence. Ling has been one of the vocal Asian-American stars calling to #StopAsianHate.

NATURE CALLS IN FIRST DEXTER SEASON 9 TEASER _ Showtime’s 10 episode Dexter revival is quickly coming together. Back in the fall, we learned that Michael C. Hall was set to return for a ninth run of the hugely popular serial killer drama, with the next batch of episodes looking to land on Showtime later this year. So far, though, there hasn’t been much in the way of footage or photos. However, on Thursday Showtime released a teaser video. What we see is an axe stuck in a tree stump as Hall’s voice is heard saying, “There really is nothing like getting back to nature. My nature.” • VIDEO

TIKTOK’S HYPE HOUSE IS GETTING A NETFLIX REALITY SHOW _ Hype House is getting a Netflix reality show. Hype House is a squad of TikTok creators who have millions of followers and make some nice money. The show will star a group of social media stars that will, according to Netflix, “reveal a side of themselves (and their relationships) that we rarely see.” The show will star Kouvr Annon, Nikita Dragun, Sienna Mae Gomez, Chase Hudson, Larri Merritt, Thomas Petrou, Alex Warren and Jack Wright.

AT LEAST FOUR MORTAL KOMBAT SEQUELS _ Contracts are being signed for Mortal Kombat sequels. The action flick is in theaters and on HBO Max this weekend and already at least four sequels are planned.

THE SIMPSONS RECASTS A HANK AZARIA GAY CHARACTER WITH A GAY ACTOR _ The Simpsons will recast a Hank Azaria gay character with a gay actor. The gay character Julio, who previously dated Waylon Smithers, has been recast with the voice of Tony Rodriguez, who is gay and of Cuban descent like his character. Rodriguez made his debut in the role last month. The casting change was partially prompted by a viral video showing every LGBTQ joke on The Simpsons. Rodriguez responded by making a video pleading to join The Simpsons, which caught the attention of producer Matt Selman.

OSCAR NOMINATIONS _ The Oscars are Sunday night at 8PM ET on ABC.

THE HOST — The Academy has decided to continue to trend of skipping a host. The last person to host the Oscars was Jimmy Kimmel in 2018.

THE PRESENTERS — Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Bong Joon Ho, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Renée Zellweger and Zendaya have all been confirmed to present.

THE NOMINEES — Up for Best Picture, Mank has the most nominations with 10 opportunities to take home a trophy. Films The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari, Nomadland, Sound of Metal and The Trial of the Chicago 7 scored six nominations each.

… Due to pandemic-related delays, the Oscars’ eligibility period was expanded to cover films released through the end of February 2021.

Best Picture

  • The Father
  • Judas and the Black Messiah
  • Mank
  • Minari
  • Nomadland
  • Promising Young Woman
  • Sound of Metal
  • The Trial of the Chicago 7

Actor in a Leading Role

  • Riz Ahmed – Sound of Metal
  • Chadwick Boseman – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • Anthony Hopkins – The Father
  • Gary Oldman – Mank
  • Steven Yeun – Minari

Actress in a Leading Role

  • Viola Davis – Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
  • Andra Day – The United States vs. Billie Holiday
  • Vanessa Kirby – Pieces of a Woman
  • Frances McDormand – Nomadland
  • Carey Mulligan – Promising Young Woman

Animated Feature Film

  • Onward
  • Over the Moon
  • A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon
  • Soul
  • Wolfwalkers

SOUL PREQUEL IS COMING TO DISNEY+ THIS MONTH _ Move over Justice League. Get lost Godzilla vs. Kong. Here comes 22 vs. Earth, a prequel to Pixar’s Soul. This short film from Pixar Animation Studios shows us 22, the soul voiced by Tina Fey, before she met Soul character Joe Gardner. Fey returns to voice 22 once again. The short is headed to Disney+ on April 30.

FINAL JEOPARDY GUEST HOST LINEUP _ Jeopardy is entering the endgame when it comes to the search for a permanent host. The final few guest hosts for the program have been announced, and fortunately, there aren’t any controversial additions this time. Instead, the show will finally let another television icon try their hand for a week-long stint.

… The show officially announced its next line-up of guest hosts: Joe Buck, George Stephanopoulos, Robin Roberts, David Faber, and Star Trek’s LeVar Burton. While he certainly hasn’t drawn the same amount of resentment as Dr. Oz did during his run, Joe Buck’s habits as a Fox Sports commentator have some dreading his run. Robin Roberts, of course, is best known for her role on Good Morning America, while Faber is a finance reporter and anchor for CNBC. Burton comes as no surprise, as he’s the one person with a 100,000 signature strong petition declaring that he should be the next permanent host of Jeopardy.

FLOOR IS LAVA RENEWED FOR SEASON 2 AT NETFLIX _ Netflix has picked up a second season of the game show Floor Is Lava. The 10-episode game show debuted in June 2020 and challenged teams to navigate rooms “flooded with lava by leaping from chairs, hanging from curtains and swinging from chandeliers.”

RONDA ROUSEY IS EXPECTING A BABY _ Former UFC star Ronda Rousey has revealed that she has been pregnant since January. On her YouTube channel Rousey announced: “Baddest baby on the planet, coming to you soon. September 22.”

ENOLA HOLMES 2 REPORTEDLY MOVING FORWARD _ Netflix is moving forward with Enola Holmes 2, and both Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill have signed on with the streaming giant for a sequel. The original film arrived last year to positive reception and spent many a week on the Netflix Top 10 lists across the globe. In fact, the flick went on to rope in 76 million viewers within the first month of its release.

… Based on the mystery fiction novel series of the same name, the story follows an alternate timeline where the Holmes brothers have a 14-year-old sister who’s been gifted with the same intellectual prowess and deduction skills as her siblings, thus making Enola a prime candidate to share in detective adventures of her own.

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