Sad news to report today as it has been confirmed that legendary character actor Bill Cobbs has died at the age of 90. The actor’s publicist, Chuck I. Jones, told TMZ that Cobbs passed away at his home in Riverside. He recently celebrated his 90th birthday.
Cobbs leaves behind an incredible body of work, with memorable roles in movies such as The Hudsucker Proxy, The Bodyguard, That Thing You Do!, Ghosts of Mississippi, Night at the Museum, and so much more.
Some actors just can’t watch themselves on screen, and Friends star Lisa Kudrow is one of them. The actress has previously admitted that she rarely watched reruns of the iconic sitcom, but she recently told THR that she’s begun rewatching the series in memory of Matthew Perry, who passed away last year.
“Honestly, I wasn’t able to watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch yourself. But if I make it about Matthew, then that’s OK,” Kudrow said. “And it’s just celebrating how hilarious he was — and that is what I want to remember [about him].“
As she rewatches the series, Kudrow finds herself struck by how funny the show still is. “I’m laughing out loud, and everyone is hilarious. I’m blown away by Courteney Cox. I’m blown away by Jen. Matthew, obviously, is just uniquely hilarious. No one ever knew that cadence or comedic rhythm before him. Matt LeBlanc is hilarious. And David Schwimmer, too. Sometimes I even laugh at what I’ve done,” Kudrow said. “So yeah, I mean, that’s my own little way of celebrating [the anniversaries], just watching it. But it’s embarrassing. At home, if anyone walks in the room and I’m watching Friends, that’s a horrible look, I think, don’t you?“
Friends was a big success upon its premiere in 1994 and only grew bigger as it went on, transforming Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, and Matthew Perry into superstars. The series ran for 10 seasons and is frequently touted as one of the best sitcoms of all time. Friends will also be making the leap to UHD later this year, with a 4K Ultra HD release of the entire series set to be released on September 24 to mark the thirtieth anniversary.
Matthew Perry died on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54, from the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine. An investigation into the actor’s death has been launched by the LAPD and DEA and is ongoing.
Kudrow will next be seen in Taika Waititi’s upcoming Time Bandits TV series. She plays Penelope, the de facto leader of a ragtag group of thieves who journey through time and space with their latest recruit: an 11-year-old history nerd named Kevin (Kal-El Tuck). The series will premiere on July 24th on Apple TV+.
We’re exactly one month out from the release of Deadpool & Wolverine, but there was a time when the project just wasn’t going to happen. While speaking with Vanity Fair, Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy revealed they were on the verge of pulling the plug on Deadpool 3 until they got a call from Hugh Jackman.
The pair had been working on the script for several months with Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese, and Zeb Wells, but they were struggling to create a story that didn’t feel like a retread of the previous movies. “Ryan and I were right at the edge of saying to Kevin [Feige], ‘You know what? Maybe now is not the right moment because we’re not coming up with a story,’” Levy said. “And that is the moment when Ryan’s phone rang, and it was Hugh calling from his car.“
Reynolds couldn’t believe the timing of the call because they were just about to go into a meeting with Kevin Feige and didn’t know what to tell him. “On the Zoom with Kevin, we just cut right to the f***ing chase,” Reynolds explained. “We said, ‘Look, this call just came in. I feel like we’d be idiots to look this gift horse in the mouth and ignore it. This is a one-in-a-billion chance. I really feel like this is what we’ve been looking for.’” And thus, Deadpool & Wolverine was born.
Hugh Jackman added that the film allowed him to explore a different side to Wolverine, and it didn’t hurt that he got to hang out with his buddies. “I’d be sharing it with Ryan and Shawn, who are two of my best friends,” Jackman said. “The three of us together are like the Three Amigos. There was not a day where I wasn’t in tears laughing. I felt so rejuvenated playing the part. I mean, I’m 25 years in, man, and it feels better than ever.” Levy added, “This friendship between the three of us also made the movie better. You’re not embarrassed to try weird, dumb shit. And some of it is going to fail. Some of it doesn’t work. But if you’re comfortable failing in front of your buddies, you’re also going to be comfortable trying stuff that will be inspired.“
Deadpool & Wolverine will hit theaters on July 26th.
Back in February, we learned that the EC Comics brand is being revived by Oni Press – and now The Wrap has revealed the upcoming EC Comics title Epitaphs from the Abyss will be introducing three new horror hosts, following in the footsteps of iconic EC Comics horror hosts like the Crypt Keeper, the Old Witch and the Vault Keeper. These new characters, designed by artist Dustin Weaver, are the Grave-Digger, the Tormentor, and the Grim Inquisitor. As the brand moves forward, the Grim Inquisitor – who “is part of a complex bureaucracy and answers to an unseen Supreme Inquisitor,” is expected to take the lead in his own title.
Oni Press editor-in-chief Sierra Hahn said, “We’ll have the Grave-Digger setting the stage, but with a little bit of that fun EC edge that’s a little bit dark, that’s a little bit playful.“
Oni president and publisher Hunter Gorinson added, “What we’ve tried to do is figure out how we create new horror hosts who aren’t Xeroxed facsimiles of the original trio, in the same way that we’re trying to create books that exist in a spiritual lineage with the original EC canon without directly replicating it or creating some sort of nostalgic simulacrum. There will be areas where they’re very similar to the classic three. My fave’s the Old Witch — the Old Witch, for life. But there’ll be areas where they definitely carve — no pun intended — their own path.“
The double-sized Epitaphs from the Abyss #1 will be reaching store shelves on July 24th, and Gorinson confirmed that issues of this comic will be, as can usually be expected from anthologies, packed with short, standalone stories. “One-and-done, very, very tight. Six, eight and 10-page stories.“
While the new EC Comics has access to the classic characters and could revive the classic titles if they wanted to, they want to get the brand revival started with new characters and new titles, to give readers something totally fresh.
Founded by Maxwell Gaines in 1944, the Entertaining Comics brand initially specialized in educational comics and stories aimed at children. But after Gaines died in a boating accident in ’47, his 25-year-old son William took control of the company and changed its direction, exploring the genres of horror, sci-fi, and satire while bringing us classic titles like Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror, The Haunt of Fear, Weird Science, WeirdFantasy, and Mad. Sadly, EC Comics was at its peak when parents started to worry about the negative effects reading comic books could have on their children, leading to things like a Congressional hearing that blamed comic books for juvenile delinquency – a claim that was backed up by the book Seduction of the Innocent, written by psychiatrist Fredric Wertham. So by 1956, EC Comics ceased publishing all of their titles except for Mad. This revival aims to answer the question, “What would have happened if EC Comics had lived to create another age of comics?”
William Gaines remained the publisher of Mad until he passed away in 1992. Even though EC stopped publishing horror comics in the ’50s, stories told in the comics they did publish have been brought to the screen in films (Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror) and on TV (Tales from the Crypt), and were a source of inspiration for Creepshow.
To hear more about this revival of EC Comics, click over to The Wrap at the link provided above. Images of the Grave-Digger, the Tormentor, and the Grim Inquisitor can be seen below.
Are you looking forward to reading the comics in the EC Comics revival, and to meeting these new horror hosts? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
Paul Walter Hauser is the man of the hour, with a bevy of projects lined up that will surely make him a household name. But you better believe Hauser won’t be turning up in any Fast & Furious flicks – or Vin Diesel movies for that matter, as he has no respect for the star’s alleged work ethic.
In an interview with CinemaBlend while promoting Inside Out 2 (in which he voices Embarrassment), Paul Walter Hauser’s character’s arc of emerging as a hero was compared to Vin Diesel, to which the actor replied, “Please don’t say that.” Hauser elaborated, calling Diesel out directly with, “I like to think I am on time and approachable. I love people, but when I hear stories about Hollywood actors who get paid really well and mistreat people, I out them constantly and it’s a blast.”
Paul Walter Hauser calling out Vin Diesel like that as a direct slam is sort of refreshing. Here is an industry where people tend to be quite privileged, especially once they become the star – or at least think they’re the star. With stories of Diesel’s on-set behavior emerging over the past couple of years and the subsequent feuds that have resulted from it, maybe he deserves an ego check. Even if we remove Diesel himself from the equation, that kind of alpha mentality within Hollywood could use a good callout, so good for Hauser.
While Vin Diesel has his own MCU roots, Paul Walter Hauser will be joining in on the franchise with Phase Six launcher The Fantastic Four next year, although his role has yet to be disclosed. He, too, will appear in the reboot of The Naked Gun as well as The Instigators, which stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck. In addition to those, Hauser has the lead part in two biographies: one on Michael Larson’s infamous Press Your Luck swindle and another on tragic comedian Chris Farley. Now we just need that Mick Foley biopic to get off the mat…
What do you think of Paul Walter Hauser directly calling out Vin Diesel? Was it the right thing to do or could it come back to bite him? Drop your take in the comments section below.
Star Wars is a lot of things, but it is rarely sexy. A few things spring to mind: Anakin Skywalker’s bare chest after a nightmare, Padme’s midriff in the fighting pit, or a sidelong glance from Han Solo, but in recent history the franchise has been somewhat devoid of sex and death. Kylo Ren and Rey Skywalker had some…
Star Wars is a lot of things, but it is rarely sexy. A few things spring to mind: Anakin Skywalker’s bare chest after a nightmare, Padme’s midriff in the fighting pit, or a sidelong glance from Han Solo, but in recent history the franchise has been somewhat devoid of sex and death. Kylo Ren and Rey Skywalker had some…
A new beta update for Steam adds a robust and useful gameplay recording tool to the popular PC launcher, letting you record, edit, and share amazing moments or horrible mistakes with ease on both desktop and Steam Deck.
