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Robert Downey Jr. Is Returning To ‘Avengers’ Films As A Villain In 1 Of Marvel’s Comic-Con Twists

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Downey | AP News Image

SAN DIEGO — Marvel Studios returned to San Diego Comic-Con with dancing Deadpool versions and a choir for a panel with news about the next two “Avengers” films as well as surprise guests like Harrison Ford and Robert Downey Jr.

Downey will return to Marvel’s films, but not as Iron Man. He will play the villain Victor Von Doom, also known as Doctor Doom, in at least one of the next “Avengers” films. Downey, who began Marvel’s film triumph with “Iron Man” and has since played the iconic role in nine films, arrived on Saturday donning Dr. Doom’s mask and a green cloak.

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Downey | AP News Image

Robert Downey Jr. Is Returning To ‘Avengers’ Films As A Villain In 1 Of Marvel’s Comic-Con Twists

“New mask, same task,” Downey added, to wild shouts.

The Russo brothers, who will helm the film starring Downey, described his appearance as “proof of the unimaginable possibilities in the Marvel multi-universe.”

The unveiling capped Marvel’s triumphant return to Comic-Con’s Hall H.

Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige began the event by announcing that the huge Marvel Cinematic Universe had now surpassed $30 billion in box-office earnings, thanks to the success of “Deadpool & Wolverine” over the weekend. A choir sang Madonna’s “Like a Prayer” before Feige spoke, evoking a scene from the film.

“Deadpool & Wolverine,” which opened Thursday, has already broken one record and likely break others in its first weekend. Feige used Saturday’s panel to map the course for the MCU, revealing Ford’s character in the next “Captain America” picture as well as the names of the next two films in the epic superhero team-up series, “Avengers: Secret Wars” and “Avengers: Doomsday.” “Doomsday” will enter theatres in 2026.

Feige confirmed that all the actors announced on Saturday would participate in the future “Avengers” films, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. The brothers led the “Avengers” franchise through its enormous storyline, culminating in “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, which featured the death of Downey’s Tony Stark/Iron Man character.

“When we directed “Avengers: Endgame,” Joe and I truly believed that it was the end of the road for us in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because we had put all of our passion, love, and imagination into “The Winter Soldier,” “Civil War,” and “Infinity War,” climaxing all of it with “Avengers: Endgame,” Anthony Russo said. “That four-picture run was wonderful, and it left us creatively exhausted, focussing all of our emotions on the film. Joe and I have come to see a way forward with you due to a really special narrative.”

They dubbed “Secret Wars” the “biggest story that Marvel Comics ever told,” and Joe claimed it was the first comic book run he read as a child that made him “fall in love with comics.”

Saturday’s session follows Marvel’s decision to boycott the convention last year due to Hollywood strikes that barred authors and performers from presenting on panels.

The actors of “Captain America: Brave New World” (Giancarlo Esposito, Tim Blake Nelson, Danny Ramirez, and Anthony Mackie) took the stage first and revealed details about the next film. Esposito confirmed that he will portray the villain, Seth Voelker, also known as Sidewinder.

When asked what working on a Marvel project was like, Esposito described it as a “dream come true.”

“When your dreams come true and you get the call, you walk through the door,” he said afterwards. “I have a great deal of gratitude for all the fans who really had this dream come true, because it was fan casting that linked us together.”

The ensemble then stepped aside to present a scene from the film on the big screen, revealing that President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, played by Ford, wants to reconstitute the Avengers with Mackie’s Sam Wilson. It also featured Ford’s persona transforming into the Red Hulk.

Ford attended the discussion after showing fans snippets from the film and flexing his muscles in front of a raucous audience. He also expressed excitement about his new position, adding, “I am delighted and proud to become a member of the Marvel Universe.”

The cast and director of “Thunderbolts(asterisk)” also delighted fans with a sneak peek from the film. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Florence Pugh, Sebastian Stan, and David Harbour (in full costume and initially speaking as the Red Guardian) stormed the stage and revealed more about their characters.

The film is set to be released in May 2025.

The final film teased at the panel was “The Fantastic Four,” which stars Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. Feige announced that production will begin in London on Tuesday.

He stated that the film will be released in theatres in almost exactly one year, in July 2025.

Following a video directed by Matt Shakman for Comic-Con that featured the ensemble in full 1960s glory, he and Feige unveiled the film’s official title, “The Fantastic Four: First Steps.”

The session made no mention of Jonathan Majors, who played the villain Kang the Conqueror and was previously a key member of Marvel’s “Avengers” preparations. The studio sacked the actor after he was convicted in December of abusing a former lover. In April, he was sentenced to a year of counselling rather than jail time.

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Downey | AP News Image

Robert Downey Jr. Is Returning To ‘Avengers’ Films As A Villain In 1 Of Marvel’s Comic-Con Twists

Marvel already took over Hall H on Thursday with an electrifying panel promoting “Deadpool & Wolverine,” which included a full screening and unexpected guests joining actors Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman onstage.

The growing excitement for the film at Comic-Con was mirrored throughout the country as fans hurried to see it in theatres, establishing the film as the new record holder for the Thursday preview for an R-rated film. The comic book film sold an estimated $38.5 million in theatre tickets during preview showing Thursday.

The triumph of “Deadpool & Wolverine” shook up Marvel’s sleepy year and alleviated concerns about its box-office underperformance in late 2023. The superhero factory reached a new low in November with the release of “The Marvels,” which grossed only $47 million.

SOURCE | AP

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Jason Kelce Smashes Football Fan’s Phone

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Jason Kelce Smashes College Football Fan's Phone

Retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce destroyed a Penn State football fan’s phone after the alleged heckler called his brother, Travis Kelce, a fag.

In now-viral footage published on X (previously Twitter) on Saturday, Nov. 2, the retired Philadelphia Eagles great was seen accompanied by football fans outside Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa., for the Penn State-Ohio State game.

As the individual capturing the tape lifted a fist to Jason, 36, and called his name for a fist bump, another man nearby hurled the homophobic slur at the retired Philadelphia Eagles star.

Hey, Kelce. How does it feel that your brother is a queer dating Taylor Swift?” the man questioned, referring to Travis, 34, who has been seeing Swift since 2023. Jason turned around seconds later, snatched the man’s phone, and crushed it to the ground.

“Looked like a Penn State student was getting in Kelce’s face for no reason,” the original X user who submitted the video remarked. “Wild scene in State College.”

Additional footage on X shows Jason smashing the phone on asphalt before picking it up and walking away. The phone’s owner, wearing a Penn State hoodie at the time of the incident, was shown in many videos strolling closely behind Jason and recording him before the conflict occurred.

Another footage published on X, which appears to have been filmed after Jason shattered the man’s phone, showed the hooded Penn State supporter trudging through a mob to pick up his phone off the ground.

“Give me my phone, bro,” he seemed to say to Jason.

The NFL alum seized the gadget first, then stood in front of the man and asked, “Who’s the fag now?” Others appeared to interfere.

The incident occurred while Jason was at Beaver Stadium for an appearance on ESPN’s College GameDay. The Ohio State Buckeyes won Saturday’s game 20-13 over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

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Shaun White’s Proposal To Nina Dobrev Was Romantic Gold

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Shaun White, the Olympic snowboarding champion, already has an impressive medal tally, but his surprise proposal to Nina Dobrev deserves a gold medal.

On Wednesday, the couple announced their engagement on Instagram. Dobrev posted photographs of the two hugging under an arch of white roses and showing off her five-carat Lorraine Schwartz engagement ring.

“RIP boyfriend, hello fiancé,” Dobrev said in the caption.

However, the photographs only tell half the tale, as Shaun devised an elaborate plan to surprise Dobrev with his proposal.

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Shaun White’s Proposal To Nina Dobrev Was Romantic Gold

According to a Vogue interview published Wednesday, Shaun said he assembled a team of people from the couple’s inner circle and Vogue personnel to trick Dobrev into thinking she had been invited to an intimate dinner party with Anna Wintour.

White claimed that his publicist emailed Dobrev a forged invitation to the event, which was scheduled to take place at the Golden Swan in New York City.

Dobrev accepted the invitation, joking that Shaun made it “look so legitimate.”

He even asked Dobrev’s stylist to outfit her in Chanel for the event.

Dobrev said she recognized what was happening when she entered the venue and saw White standing beneath the flowery arch.

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Shaun’s Proposal To Nina Dobrev Was Romantic Gold

“I went into shock,” Dobrev admitted, later adding that White “said all the right things” before she agreed.

According to the publication, after Shaun proposed, the couple partied into the early morning hours with close friends and relatives.

“Best night of my life,” Shaun captioned his Instagram story on Wednesday.

The duo first became romantically involved in 2020, and they have since publicly recorded their relationship, globe vacations, and White’s Olympic farewell on social media.

SOURCE  | CNN

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Hollywood Actress Teri Garr Passes Away at 79

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Hollywood Actress Teri Garr Passes Away at 79
Teri Garr, known for her roles in classics like "Young Frankenstein" and "Tootsie," has passed away at 79.

Hollywood actress Teri Garr, known for her roles in classics like “Young Frankenstein” and “Tootsie,” has passed away at 79. She died Tuesday of multiple sclerosis “surrounded by family and friends,” said publicist Heidi Schaeffer.

Admirers took to social media in her honor, with writer-director Paul Feig calling her “truly one of my comedy heroes. I couldn’t have loved her more” and screenwriter Cinco Paul saying: “Never the star, but always shining. She made everything she was in better.”

Throughout her career, the performer, often known as Terri, Terry, or Terry Ann, seemed destined for show business from a young age.

Her father was Eddie Garr, a well-known vaudeville comic, and her mother was Phyllis Lind, one of the original high-kicking Rockettes at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. Their daughter began dancing classes at six and was performing with the San Francisco and Los Angeles ballet companies by age fourteen.

She was 16 years old when she joined the road crew of “West Side Story” in Los Angeles, and she began starring in small roles in films as early as 1963.

In an interview from 1988, she described how she landed the role in “West Side Story.” After being rejected at her initial audition, she returned the following day dressed differently and was accepted.

Teri Garr, a comedian

Teri Garr then found steady work as a movie dancer, appearing in the chorus of nine Elvis Presley films, including “Viva Las Vegas,” “Roustabout,” and “Clambake.”

She has also appeared on various television shows, including “Star Trek,” “Dr. Kildare,” and “Batman,” and was a featured dancer on the rock ‘n’ roll music show “Shindig,” the rock concert performance “T.A.M.I.,” and a cast member of “The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour.”

Her breakthrough role was as Gene Hackman’s girlfriend in Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 thriller The Conversation. This led to an interview with Mel Brooks, who offered her the Gene Wilder’s German lab assistant role in Young Frankenstein if she could speak with a German accent.

“Cher had this German woman, Renata, making wigs, so I got the accent from her,” Garr once said.

The film established her as a great comic performer, with New Yorker film writer Pauline Kael calling her “the funniest neurotic dizzy dame on screen.”

Her big smile and off-center appeal helped her land roles in “Oh, God!” with George Burns and John Denver, “Mr. Mom” (as Michael Keaton’s wife), and “Tootsie,” in which she played the girlfriend who loses Dustin Hoffman to Jessica Lange and discovers he has dressed up as a woman to revive his career.

 A gift for spontaneous humor

Teri Garr, best known for comedy, has shown in films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Black Stallion, and The Escape Artist that she can also tackle drama.

She had a gift for spontaneous humor, frequently playing David Letterman’s foil during early guest appearances on N.B.C.’s “Late Night With David Letterman”.

Her appearances grew so frequent, and the pair’s good-natured bickering so convincing that rumors of romantic involvement circulated for a while. Years later, Letterman acknowledged those early appearances with helping the program become a success.

During those years, Garr began to experience “a little beeping or ticking” in her right leg. It started in 1983 and expanded to her right arm, but she thought she could handle it. By 1999, her symptoms had gotten so bad that she saw a doctor and was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

After disclosing her diagnosis, Garr became a spokesman for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, giving hilarious remarks at events in the United States and Canada.

Source: AP

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