Buddy almost had a different Jovie. Zooey Deschanel revealed that she originally was not cast as Will Ferrell’s love interest in the beloved holiday hit “Elf.” Instead, Katie Holmes was offered the part. Zooey Deschanel talking about “Elf” on “Call Her Daddy.” Call Her Daddy “When I met with Jon Favreau, the director, I walked … Read more
Lizzy Caplan nearly didn’t play Janis Ian in “Mean Girls.” The actress, 43, appeared on the latest episode of Penn Badgley’s “Podcrushed” podcast and revealed how she “fought” to be cast in the beloved teen comedy film — and that her role nearly went to someone else. “It was just the funniest script I had … Read more
Oh, Brandy? Fifty years later, i’s hard to hear “Mandy” — Barry Manilow’s first No. 1 that topped the charts in January 1975 — any other way. But the woman who came and gave without taking was originally named “Brandy.” Told he needed a “career-making single,” Barry Manilow came up with “Mandy,” his first No. … Read more
The authorities in New Mexico have recovered evidence that Betsy Arakawa, the wife of the actor Gene Hackman, died at least one day later than they had previously estimated. The New Mexico authorities initially believed that Ms. Arakawa had likely died of a rare viral infection on Feb. 11, because that was when she was … Read more
They’re in it for the long haul. John Howard will never forget his first Hess tanker truck gifted by his grandfather many Christmases ago — a green, yellow, red and white 1968 model with a fuel hose and working lights. The oil company had only just begun selling its now-iconic holiday toy in 1964 — and … Read more
He wasn’t feeling the Kenergy. Ryan Gosling revealed he almost didn’t perform his viral song “I’m Just Ken” at this year’s Oscars, but was persuaded to do so because of his daughters’ love for Barbie. The Canadian actor, who starred alongside Margot Robbie in the summer hit film, initially told the Academy he wasn’t interested … Read more
Actor Donald Glover — aka Grammy-winning music maker Childish Gambino — has revealed his hit song “This Is America” was originally an attempt to put a fellow rapper on blast. “The idea for the song started as a joke — and it started as a Drake diss, to be honest,” Glover, 39, told GQ in … Read more
Kratos voice actor Christopher Judge has revealed that he initially quit when he learned that someone other than God of War (2018) director Cory Barlog was directing God of War Ragnarök. Longtime Santa Monica Studios lead Eric Williams directed the sequel, which released last month. Fortunately for all of us, though, Barlog was able to … Read more
What a difference a song makes — especially when it’s sung by the Greatest Voice of All. That was no doubt the case when Whitney Houston’s epic rendition of “I Will Always Love You” hit No. 1 before “The Bodyguard” — the blockbuster flick that spawned the smash single — was even released 30 years … Read more