Here's the Scoop...
'The Meg' eats up the North American box office!
The Meg -- a giant shark tale starring Jason Statham and Ruby Rose -- is the No. 1 movie in North America, earning $44.5 million this weekend, BoxOfficeMojo.com announced Sunday.
Coming in at No. 2 is Mission: Impossible -- Fallout with $20 million, followed by Disney's Christopher Robin at No. 3 with $12.4 million, Slender Man at No. 4 with $11.3 million and BlacKkKlansman at No. 5 with $10.8 million,
Rounding out the top tier are The Spy Who Dumped Me at No. 6 with $6.6 million, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again at No. 7 with $5.8 million, The Equalizer 2 at No. 8 with $5.5 million, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation at No. 9 with $5.1 million and Ant-Man and the Wasp at No. 10 with $5.1 million.
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Steve
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Idris Elba teases fans amid James Bond casting rumors
Idris Elba took to Twitter Sunday to weigh in on revived rumors that he could be the next actor to play secret agent James Bond.
"My name's Elba, Idris Elba," he captioned a selfie, referencing the character's signature introduction, "Bond, James Bond."
As the tweet made headlines, he returned to his feed and posted, "Don't believe the HYPE..."
Daniel Craig is set to appear in the as-yet-untitled, 25th Bond picture, which is due in theaters in late 2019.
Craig, 50, previously played the globe-trotting hero in Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall and Spectre.
His successor has not been named yet.
Elba, 45, is best known for his work on the television dramas Luther and The Wire, as well as in the films Molly's Game, The Jungle Book, Thor, Pacific Rim, Zootopia and Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.
Gal Gadot to voice character Shank in 'Ralph Breaks the Internet'
Wonder Woman icon Gal Gadot revealed on Twitter Friday that she is lending her voice to a character in the upcoming sequel to 2012's Wreck-It Ralph.
"I'm so excited to finally announce that I am playing a character named Shank in Disney's #RalphBreaksTheInternet hitting theaters this November! Such an amazing experience to be apart of this project with such great creators and cast! Welcome to Slaughter Race!" Gadot tweeted.
The post included an image of her animated character, who has a determined look on her face as she drives a street-racing car. She has a tattoo of a dagger on her forearm, long hair and is wearing a leather jacket, fingerless gloves and hoop earrings.
The video game-themed adventure Ralph Breaks the Internet is set for theatrical release Nov. 21. It will also feature the voice talents of John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman.
LOOSE LIPS:
"It was the best moment of my career...But I got divorced and my personal life fell apart."
--Ethan Hawke, on scoring an Oscar nomination amid his split from ex Uma Thurman, to GQ
??? Guess Who ???
Which comedian says Martin Scorsese never heard of him before his 'Vinyl' audition?
Justin Timberlake's book 'Hindsight' due out Oct. 30
Singer and actor Justin Timberlake announced via Twitter he has a book coming out this fall.
"Guys, I have some news! I've been working on this for a while now and I am happy to finally give you a first look at my first book, #Hindsight. I'm looking forward to sharing these pictures and stories with you. It's coming out October 30th!" he tweeted Friday.
The post includes a photo of him holding the book, the cover of which shows part of his face, up to his real visage.
"HINDSIGHT & All the Things I Can't See in Front of Me -- the first book written by Justin Timberlake -- will give readers a peek into Timberlake's creative process through an intimate collection of images from his personal archives that range from childhood to present day," Timberlake's website said.
Bethenny Frankel's beau Dennis Shields dead at 51
Dennis Shields, who is known for dating reality TV personality Bethenny Frankel, has died at his home in New York at the age of 51.
The father of four was the chief executive officer of LawCash and knew Frankel for nearly 30 years. He reportedly began dating the Real Housewives of New York star in 2016, but they had broken up and reconciled several times since that time.
Frankel had been friends with Shields' ex-wife Jill since high school.
"The medical examiner's office is investigating the death of a man believed to be Dennis Shields, found at the Trump Tower. The investigation is ongoing, and we will release cause and manner of death when completed," the representative for the office told E! News in a statement Friday.
The New York Post cited police sources as saying Shields died of a suspected OxyContin overdose.
TMZ reported Shields' assistant had administered Narcan, but was unable to revive him.
??? Guess Who ???
Which comedian says Martin Scorsese never heard of him before his 'Vinyl' audition?
Everybody Loves Raymond and Parenthood alum Ray Romano told UPI that filmmaker Martin Scorsese had no idea who he was before Romano auditioned via videotape for the pilot of Scorsese's 2016 drama series Vinyl.
"I put myself on tape and then the feedback came back a day or two later from the casting director, 'He likes it and he's never heard of him.' So, my agent thought, 'Well, you mean, so, he's never seen the show (Everybody Loves Raymond.)' And the casting director clarified: 'No, no, no. He's never heard of him.'"
"I wasn't insulted by it," Romano said in a recent interview. "It actually worked in my favor because he was just looking at the tape."
Vinyl was canceled after one season and Romano went on to star in Get Shorty, which is back Sunday for its second season. But Scorsese, who directed Taxi Driver and Goodfellas, remembered Romano and cast him as Jimmy Hoffa's lawyer Bill Bufalino in his upcoming film, The Irishman, opposite the CGI-youthened actors Al Pacino, Harvey Keitel and Robert De Niro.
"It was surreal to be in Vinyl. It was even more surreal to be in The Irishman with De Niro and Pacino and Harvey Keitel and all that," Romano said. "It was scary. It was very frightening. ... It was crazy fun. It's not going to be out for a year and a half."
Romano's most recent roles, including his critically acclaimed turns in The Big Sick and Men of Certain Age, mark a shift toward a more serious tone for the 60-year-old standup comedian.
When did he realize his talents extended beyond comedy?
"What time is it? I'll let you know...
"Am I comfortable with it yet? Yeah, I think I'm experiencing as we go and I'm learning and getting better as we go. So, I think it's a work in progress," he said. "I still like doing comedy. I like the mixture. I like the dramedies now. I know this show is labeled a comedy, but it has its moments. So, the answer is, I'm still getting comfortable."
Co-starring Chris O'Dowd, Sean Bridgers, Lidia Porto and Goya Robles, Get Shorty is inspired by the novels of Elmore Leonard. Season 2 premieres Sunday on EPIX.