In a clever — and cuddly — bit of corporate synergy, Warner Bros. Discovery has announced the beloved Animal Planet docuseres Meerkat Manor is becoming a movie for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation.

The film's executive producers are Caroline Hawkins and Clare Birks of Oxford Scientific Films, who created the original series that debuted in 2005, and followed the trials and tribulations of the Whiskers family of the titular mammals.

As it did with its Oscar-winning 2006 film Happy Feet, the studio will use photoreal animation to bring the creatures in the Meerkat Manor movie to life.

"It’s 20 years since we experimented with a wildlife soap opera in a London basement, and now here we are. What greater evidence could there be of the enduring appeal of meerkats?" Hawkins said.

She added, "I am sure they would be thrilled at attaining stardom in Hollywood!"

Co-producers Seth Green and Tracy Falco agreed, saying, "Meerkats have been secondary characters in animated feature films and it's time they get the star treatment they've deserved."

They added, "We believe that the heartwarming and entertaining story of Meerkat Manor, replete with all the drama, emotion and humor of the human experience, will resonate with audiences of all ages."

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After reports that he was in talks for the job, Travis Kelce has landed it. Taylor Swift's other half is the new host of Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity? — a spin-off of the popular game show Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader? — which will stream on Prime Video.

The show will feature a contestant who will get help from a group of celebrities in answering 11 questions on subjects taken from an elementary school curriculum, with a $100,000 prize hanging in the balance. For the final question, which will be on a sixth-grade level, the contestant will pick one celebrity to talk through the answer before making their final decision.

“I grew up loving game shows, and I’m excited to be following in the footsteps of so many TV icons by hosting my very first one with Are you Smarter than a Celebrity," the Kansas City Chiefs tight end said in a statement. "The original show is a great success, so to be bringing a new format with everyone’s favorite celebrities to the screen, will definitely be entertaining."

He adds, "I’m just happy to be on the hosting side of the equation here and excited to see how these famous faces keep up.”

No word yet on when the show will premiere, or how it might fit into Kelce's training or playing schedule — or into Taylor's recording and touring schedule.

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In a sit-down organized by Fandango and Rotten Tomatoes, Ridley Scott, the director of 1979's sci-fi classic Alien, and Alien: Romulus director Fede Álvarez discussed the reaction to the original film's most memorable scene.

Scott, who produced the forthcoming Romulus, broke down the iconic scene that shows John Hurt unwillingly giving birth — through his sternum — to the movie's acid-bleeding xenomorph, and what the first audiences thought of it. 

"There's an eruption in the theater of outrage. Of outrage!" Scott recalled. "People were incensed that it was so violent."

On set, it was also a stunner. Famously, Scott didn't warn the cast about the gag to record their genuine shock. And it worked: actress Veronica Cartwright passed out soon after a 3-foot-long spurt of blood shot across her face.

Scott even revealed that after the film came out, he got a phone call from legendary director Stanley Kubrick, which he at first assumed was a prank. 

Kubrick had but one question for Scott, the filmmaker remembers: "How the hell did you get that thing to come out of his chest?"

After breaking down the special effect, Kubrick replied, "Got it, thank you," then "he hung up," Scott laughs.

Also on Tuesday, Scott revealed that Alien is returning to select theaters starting April 26, in honor of its 45th anniversary. 

It's a good warm-up for Álvarez's Romulus, which stars Cailee Spaeny, Isabela Merced and Spike Fearn. That movie opens in theaters August 16. 

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AThe voice stars of the animated prequel film Transformers One, Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry, have announced an out-of-this-world debut for the movie's trailer.

In an Instagram post Tuesday, the Marvel movie veterans revealed the trailer will launch -- literally -- in space.

The film has Hemsworth and Henry voicing, respectively, the robots Orion Pax and Henry D-16; the prequel shows how they "went from brothers-in-arms to become sworn enemies, Optimus Prime and Megatron."

Paramount Pictures explains that on Thursday, April 16 at 9 a.m. ET there will be a live-streamed countdown, and a spacecraft will be launched. "After one hour, the craft will reach its peak at 125,000 feet above the Earth, revealing the trailer with a custom introduction video" from the pair, the announcement said.

The event will be streamed from @TransformersMovie social accounts, The Paramount Pictures YouTube channel and co-streamed by Hemsworth on Instagram.

"With this movie, the sky's the limit," says Hemsworth in Tuesday's tease. "I mean it literally really is, though," Henry adds.

Transformers One, which also features the voices of Scarlett Johansson, Jon Hamm, Laurence Fishburne, and Keegan-Michael Key, opens in theaters back on earth on September 13.

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Henry Cavill is going to be a dad — no, make that a super dad.

The Man of Steel actor, 40, is expecting his first child with his girlfriend, Natalie Viscuso, Good Morning America confirmed.

Cavill first opened up about becoming a father while speaking to press at the premiere of his new movie, The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, on Monday.

"I'm very excited about it," he told Access Hollywood on the red carpet. "Natalie and I are both very excited."

Speaking to E! News at the star-studded event, Cavill shared what a date night for him and Viscuso typically looks like.

"We're not shy of a kitchen dance party, I'll tell you that much. A bottle of wine goes down range. Obviously not now -- but previously," he said, alluding to her pregnancy.

Cavill and Viscuso made their public debut as a couple at the premiere of his film Enola Holmes 2 in October 2022.

Since then, she has joined him at the premieres of his Netflix series The Witcher in June and his film Argylle in January.

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West Side Story's Rachel Zegler and Heartstopper heartthrob Kit Connor will make their Broadway debuts in a modern twist on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. 

The pair cheekily hinted at the collab by posting the first initial of their respective characters' names, along with the location tag "Verona," the setting of the famous play.

Connor also posted the details to his Instagram of the "strictly limited engagement" of Romeo + Juliet, which will be directed by Tony winner Sam Gold and feature music by Grammy winner Jack Antonoff.

The announcement temporarily crashed the forthcoming play's official website.

Noting in the tagline, "The youth are f*****," this version of "Shakespeare's timeless tragedy now belongs to a new generation on the edge."

A description reads, "Left to their own devices in their parents’ world of violent ends, an impulsive pair of star-crossed lovers hurtle towards their inescapable fate. The intoxicating high of passion quickly descends into a brutal chaos that can only end one way."

Gold won a Tony for the musical Fun Home in 2015, but he also has experience with The Bard's work, including an adaptation of Othello in 2016 starring David Oyelowo and Daniel Craig. He then worked with Craig again, along with Preacher's Ruth Negga, for Macbeth in 2022. 

In a statement, Gold said of the new project, "With the presidential election coming up in November, I felt like making a show this fall that celebrates youth and hope, and unleashes the anger young people feel about the world they are inheriting."

As reported, Romeo & Juliet will also be staged this summer on London's West End, starring Tom Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers.

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Fans of the TV shows Beverly Hills, 90210 and Scrubs were treated to a nostalgia hit on Monday, when some of the stars of the shows posted their respective hang out sessions.

Tori Spelling took to Instagram to share a photo of herself in between Beverly Hills, 90210 co-stars Brian Austin Green and Jason Priestley.

"It's a Donna sandwich. And, we are in Pittsburgh so don't hold the pickles," wrote the 90210 alum who played Donna Martin in the hit show. Green, who played David Silver, flanked Spelling on the left of the shot, and Priestley, who played Brandon Walsh, appears on the right.

Beverly Hills, 90210 aired for 10 seasons between October 1990 and May 2000 and spawned numerous spin-offs, including Melrose Place -- which itself is getting a new reboot -- and a 2019 effort, BH90210, which reunited the original cast, minus the late Luke Perry who died in March 2019

Not to be outdone, in an Instagram post from Zach Braff's friend Amanda Klootz, she's pictured with Braff, and his fellow Scrubs cast members John C. McGinley, Christa Miller, and Sarah Chalke.

"Impromptu pizza party with my Scrubs," wrote Miller, who appears on Apple TV+'s Shrinking, and was Emmy nominated as a music supervisor for Ted Lasso.

Scrubs ran for nine seasons from 2001 to 2010, and the cast have remained close over the years. Zach's Scrubs buddy Donald Faison, who was absent from the pic, has appeared in commercials with his friend, and co-hosts their podcast Fake Doctors.

Kloots' friendship with Braff goes back to 2014 when they starred in Bullets Over Broadway together in 2014 with Kloots' late husband, Nick Cordero, who died in 2020 after battling complications from COVID-19.

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Miami Vice and Nash Bridges alum Don Johnson has been tapped to star alongside Joshua Jackson in Ryan Murphy's new ABC drama Dr. Odyssey, according to Deadline. Details are being kept under wraps, though the series is believed to be a medical procedural set on a ship, per the outlet. Dr. Odyssey is set for a fall debut ...

Suits, the former USA Network series that set streaming records when it was added to Netflix last year, is now heading for another broadcast TV run in syndication, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Starting this fall, all nine seasons will be available via the Fox-owned MyNetwork TV programming service. Suits currently streams on Netflix and Peacock ...

As first reported on The John Campea Show and confirmed by a source to Variety, Keanu Reeves has joined the voice cast of Sonic the Hedgehog 3. He'll reportedly play Shadow, an anthropomorphic hedgehog and frequent antagonist to Sonic, voiced by Ben Schwartz. Additional voice actors include Jim Carrey as the villainous Dr. Robotnik, along with Krysten Ritter, Alyla Browne, Cristo Fernández, Jorma Taccone and James Wolk ...

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Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega’s fourth child has died during birth, the couple announced on Monday in a heartbreaking post.

The Spy Kids star and the Big Time Rush member said in a joint statement shared to Instagram that their daughter, named Indy, was "born at rest."

"There are never the right words to say when it comes to loss," they said in their message. "After a beautiful and peaceful delivery our daughter Indy was born at rest. It has been a painful journey. But in the pain we have found peace."

"God continues to comfort and hold us in his arms,” their statement continued. "The prayers from the community around us have been so sustaining in this difficult season. This little girl has already changed our lives in so many ways. She was absolutely beautiful. And looked just like daddy. Dark hair and all."

"Grief has come to us in waves," they said. "Moments of feeling absolutely gutted… then moments of feeling blessed by just getting a moment with her."

The couple, who got married in 2014, are parents to sons Ocean, 6, and Kingston, 4, and daughter Rio, 2. They announced in November that they were expecting again, sharing the news in a sweet Instagram post and said, "Oh baby here we come! Número cuatro!"

Despite the heartbreaking news, Alexa PenaVega and Carlos PenaVega ended their post by saying that their daughter, Indy, has changed them in more ways than one.

"We can’t understand why things like this happen and we may never get those answers," they added. "Indy Rex PenaVega, you completely changed our world. You moved us to a new place. You gave us the community we have been longing for. We love you can’t wait to see how many other lives you change."

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On Monday, ABC announced it was renewing its cop drama The Rookie for its seventh season.

No longer a rookie after six seasons, the show centers on Nathan Fillion's John Nolan, who takes on a career change later in life to walk the beat for the Los Angeles Police Department.

Weighing into the decision undoubtedly were the show's ratings: Its sixth season started with its most-watched episode since 2018, with 11.9 total viewers after 35 days on TV, on-demand and streaming.

Also, the network says the debut jumped 27% in the key 18-34 demographic over the prior season and snagged the highest ratings in that viewer group since 2018.

This season's debut of the drama, which also stars Richard T. Jones, Melissa O'Neil, Shawn Ashmore and Alyssa Diaz, also performed well on linear — that is, non-streaming — with more than 7.2 million viewers.

The Rookie airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Hulu.

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At Sunday evening's Writers Guild Awards, Drew Carey said he didn't want applause for footing the bill for food for out-of-work writers during last summer's writers strike — but he got it anyway. 

The former Drew Carey Show star said it was simply "the right thing to do."

That said, he didn't realize his open tab at Bob's Big Boy and Swingers would be so spendy.

One estimate put the bill from Bob's Big Boy at $500,000; Swingers, another burger joint, was reportedly charging him $10,000 a week.

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Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez was given the maximum sentence Monday of 18 months in prison for involuntary manslaughter in the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins.

Gutierrez's attorneys asked for probation in a sentencing memorandum filed last week, citing her "complete lack of prior criminal history" and "relative youth." Prosecutors, meanwhile, requested a sentence of 18 months with the designation of serious violent offender due to her "extreme recklessness" while working as an armorer on the Rust set in New Mexico.

"You alone turned a safe weapon into a lethal weapon," Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer said. "But for you, Ms. Hutchins would be alive. A husband would have his partner, and a little boy would have his mother."

Gutierrez said to the court, "My heart aches for the Hutchins family and friends and colleagues, as well."

"Your honor, when I took on Rust I was young and I was naive. But I took my job as seriously as I knew how to, despite not having proper time, resources and staffing, I just did my best to handle it," she said. "Today I humbly ask you to consider probation. ... I beg you, please don't give me more time."

Gutierrez, dressed in tan jail clothes, watched on as Hutchins' friends addressed the court before the sentence was imposed.

Hutchins’ friend Jen White told the court, "I still expect to see her. I still wonder what adventures she’s on … then my heart drops through my feet."

"Halyna was a force," White said.

"She inspired me. And I don’t think she knew that because I never got to tell her. She was one of my favorite people in the world," White said, as Gutierrez wiped away tears.

White said if Gutierrez "had properly done her job, Halyna would still be alive." She addressed the judge, "I beg you to impose the maximum sentence. She needs to be held accountable."

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Deadpool vs. Wolverine doesn't come out until July 26, but even back in December, Fandango users voted it as their most anticipated movie of 2024.

Rumblings about the movie's showcase at last week's CinemaCon only added fuel to the fire, and there, its director, Shawn Levy, weighed in to Screen Rant about what the film is — and what it's not.

"It's the third Deadpool movie, but it's not Deadpool 3," says the veteran of Free Guy. "It's a different thing that's very much Deadpool and Wolverine," he explains, "and it's not trying to copycat anything from the first two movies. They were awesome, but this is a two-hander character adventure."

A "two-hander" is Hollywood-speak for what most people know as a "buddy movie," like '80s classics Lethal Weapon or 48 Hours, the latter of which Levy has previously compared to his new movie. Instead of Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte, however, he has Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman.

Levy explains, "I just felt privileged every day because you're talking about two massive movie stars in their most iconic roles."

The filmmaker adds of the R-rated film — a Marvel Studios first — "I'll tell you that the guiding thought in crafting the movie was audience joy. That was always the North Star. Yeah, it's going to be gnarly. Yeah, it's gonna be funny. That's a given. But we wanted to build a great time at the theater for audiences, and that's our goal."

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

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Tamron Hall's eponymous, Emmy-winning syndicated daytime talk show has been renewed for a sixth season, it was revealed on Monday.

Tamron Hall currently ranks third out of the nine one-hour syndicated talk shows and has already become the second longest-running talk show produced by ABC News' parent company Disney.

"From the start, I saw the show as a chance to build a community. Now, here we are, preparing for season six. Wow!" enthused the show's host and namesake.

She added, "Thank you to my team and my beloved Tam Fam for nurturing my dream and growing this community. We are a daily destination to talk, laugh, learn and be inspired together. From the biggest celebrities in the world to the most incredible people in their own neighborhood, they all come here to talk, and I am grateful."

The show's executive producer Quiana Burns commented, "We are at season six because there is no other show like Tamron Hall in daytime."

Promising "a few surprises" in store for the forthcoming season, Burns added, "From exclusive road trips with Miranda Lambert, Usher and former first lady Michelle Obama to exclusive sit-downs with Erykah Badu, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Grey, Lynda Carter and Angela White, our Tam Fam has come to expect impactful interviews, as well as in-depth conversations on important issues like only Tamron can do."

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Will Smith channeled his Men in Black character in a surprise appearance at Coachella over the weekend.

During J Balvin's alien-themed set Sunday night, the Oscar-winning actor was dressed in a suit just like his character Agent J from the 1997 sci-fi action comedy and two sequels.

Smith, backed by other suited-up dancers and green extraterrestrial dancers, performed his song "Men in Black" from the film's soundtrack.

As the dancers in suits carried J Balvin off the stage, Smith pulled out a device like the one the agents in Men in Black use to erase people's memories, and a white light lit up behind him.

Tyler, the Creator, Doja Cat and Lana Del Rey are this year's Coachella headliners.

With the first weekend of the 2024 music festival in the books, the next weekend is set for April 19-21 at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

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