Awkwafina Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

It’s been eight years since “Kung Fu Panda 3,” but the fourth installment in the series finally returns in 2024 with the simply titled “Kung Fu Panda 4.” To be fair, “Kung Fu Panda” didn’t really go anywhere. The franchise pivoted to a Netflix series during the pandemic and even featured Jack Black again.

after 16 years and a quartet of films, where else is there for Po to go? “4,” while nice enough, suggests that the smartest move would be to let the fuzzy guy retire to a calming bamboo forest rather than embark on yet another predictable adventure.The decent animated film still boasts the formidable voice talent of Black, Dustin Hoffman, Bryan Cranston, James Hong and Ian McShane. Now they’re joined by Awkwafina, Viola Davis and Ke Huy Quan. Not too shabby.This go-round, Po is reveling in his mini celeb status — swanning around town, posing for (hand-drawn) pictures with fans and cutting the ribbon at the Dragon Warrior Noodle and Tofu restaurant.

Since the original “Kung Fu Panda” debuted in 2008, Po, voiced by Jack Black, has been a very busy Dragon Warrior. There have been two sequels, 2011’s “Kung Fu Panda 2” and 2016’s “Kung Fu Panda 3,” and 123 episodes of television centered on the DreamWorks Animation franchise.

“What sort of father would I be if I put my young fowl in harm’s way for no reason except a chance at a Caribbean vacation?” From Benjamin Renner, the co-director of the charming Academy Award-nominated “Ernest and Celestine,” comes the animated family comedy “Migration.” Produced by the computer animation studio Illumination (“Despicable Me,” “Sing,” “The Super Mario Bros.

TIFF 2023 kicks off today, and this weekend is flush with all sorts of intriguing world premieres. On the comedy front, one such debut is “Quiz Show,” a comedy from director Jessica Yu which hits Hulu later this Fall.

Disney’s live-action “The Little Mermaid” — the highly anticipated and revamped musical starring Halle Bailey — is finally here to take us back under the sea. The music by Oscar-winner Alan Menken that made the first one a hit is also back, but these songs have been rewritten for the live version with help from Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Stuck in a movie theater seat watching “Renfield” plod along, the answer is a resounding meh.As the Count from “Sesame Street” would say, “‘Renfield’ gets TWO stars! Ah, ah, ah.”Cage — whose career has become so goofy he recently played a parody version of himself who gets kidnapped by a Spanish drug lord — is as funny and self-aware as the evil old vampire. Crazy, it would seem, has become Cage’s new normal. But don’t come looking for a wacky sendup of the story in the vein of Mel Brooks’ “Young Frankenstein.” It’s actually not even as hilarious as that director’s much-worse 1995 movie “Dracula: Dead and Loving It,” and outside of a few basic details the film has little to do with Bram Stoker’s book.“Renfield,” directed by Chris McKay, has more in common with the (far better) “Zombieland” series, with high-body-count action sequences, quick-cut comedy and an unlikely, socially awkward hero. That would be Robert Montague Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), Count Dracula’s beleaguered “familiar,” who has been gifted an unnaturally long life in exchange for bringing the vamp fresh victims.

Awkwafina has a big 2023 ahead of her, with “Renfield” and “The Little Mermaid” hitting theaters this year. But don’t let that overshadow the return of her Comedy Central sitcom “Awkwafina Is Noria From Queens” for its third season next month.

We’ve seen so many filmmakers take on the legend of Dracula. However, it’s safe to say that no one has yet to come up with a version of the quite like the upcoming “Renfield.” READ MORE: The 25 Most Anticipated Horror Films Of 2023 As seen in the final trailer for the film, “Renfield,” as the title suggests, follows the story of Dracula’s servant as he reckons with the mental anguish stemming from a 90-year relationship with an undead monster.

What’s next for Paul Feig after directing “The School For Good And Evil” last year? It’s “Grand Death Lotto,” an action-comedy for Prime Video with a pretty dark premise. In the near future, California starts a Grand Lottery to help with its economic challenges, albeit with a catch: if anyone kills the winner before sundown, they get to collect the massive multi-billion dollar prize.

Since the 2009 release of “Coraline,” Laika has made a name for itself as a legitimate alternative to Pixar for animated feature films. All of their titles, including “ParaNorman,” “The Boxtrolls,” and “Kubu And The Two Strings” are critical darlings.

Does anyone remember “The Animatrix?” Released in 2003, it is an anthology film of nine animated shorts that expanded the universe of the Wachowskis’ “The Matrix” with new characters, varying styles, and unique visions. Almost two decades later, something similar has been produced for Prime Video’s smash hit “The Boys,” Eric Kripke’s critically acclaimed adaptation of the graphic novels by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.

Awkwafina's addressing criticism over her «blaccent» use in films, saying she never intended to «mock» or «belittle» anyone for speaking in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE).The  star posted a lengthy statement Saturday on Twitter, saying she acknowledged the «historical context of the African American community in this country» and that «in life, the linguistic acculturation, immigrant acculturation, and the inevitable passage of globalized internet slang all play a factor in the fine line between offense and pop culture.»For years now, the 33-year-old Golden Globe winner had been taken to task over her «blaccent» use, which is defined as «a manner of speaking used by nonblack individuals that is indicative of AAVE.» One of the most prominent examples came in 2018's when she played Goh Peik Lin.Awkwafina says she's listened to the criticism and working to understand AAVE's context. «But as a non-Black POC, I stand by the fact that I will always listen and work tirelessly to understand the history and context of AAVE, what is deemed appropriate or backwards toward the progress of ANY and EVERY marginalized group,» she said in her statement. «But I must emphasize: To mock, belittle, or to be unkind in any way possible at the expense of others is: Simply.

Awkwafina is quickly becoming a huge star in Hollywood. From her breakout (and underrated) role in “The Farewell” to her recent Marvel debut in “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” the comedic actress is quickly rising to that coveted A-list ranking.

Not to be confused with the Udo Kier movie released earlier this year with the same name, this “Swan Song,” has a much more star-studded cast (no disrespect to Mr. Kier) and features Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Awkwafina, Glenn Close and Adam Beach.

Margaret Cho drops by Comedy Central's as a caftan-wearing commune member who crosses paths with Nora (Awkwafina) in the final two episodes of the season. For the veteran comedian, boarding the series -- which airs its final episode of season 2 on Wednesday — was a no-brainer.

Emmys 2021 presenters have been announced, and it looks like the awards ceremony will definitely be (LL) Cool (J).Country music legend Dolly Parton and actresses Awkwafina (“Awkwafina is Nora From Queens”) and Ellen Pompeo (“Grey’s Anatomy”) will be among the stars tasked with doling out awards at the Emmys Sunday night at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.This new batch of presenters also includes: Tony winner and “Impeachment: American Crime Story” star Annaleigh Ashford, filmmaker Ava

Awkwafina just meet her love match?On Wednesday's new episode, Nora (Awkwafina) fears that her maniacal imaginary friend is taking things too far when he helps her plot revenge against Wally's (B.D. Wong) sweet-natured girlfriend, Brenda (Jennifer Esposito), during a weekend trip to the country.In ET's exclusive sneak peek, a hot stranger named Chuck ('s Ross Butler) unexpectedly appears just as Nora struggles to light her cigarette late in the evening at her family's retreat in the woods.

, Marvel's new joint ushering the Master of Kung Fu from the comics into the MCU: Of the months of training star Simu Liu took on to master those martial arts and look the part of a Marvel superhero. Of the long weeks spent shooting even one of the set pieces, with much of the stunt work done by the cast themselves.

Black Panther,” is based on a comic book most moviegoers barely knew anything about when they first walked into the theater. Didn’t matter.

Awkwafina in your project, you know you're going to come out on the other end with a happy bestie-ship between her character and someone else. In, that someone is Shang-Chi himself, with Awkwafina as his best friend, faithful fellow slacker and would-be hero, Katy.«Aww, man.

Awkwafina is doing something different in her new Marvel movie, . The actress and comedian covers the September issue of , where she shares how her role in the action-adventure film differs from her usual «funny best friend» roles.«Dangling off of things and flying, falling backward…it’s really different from, say, an indie rom-com.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been more than just a movie for Meng'er Zhang. During Monday night's premiere for the Marvel movie, the actress shared her on-set love story with ET, recalling how the family threw her and her now-husband, Yung Lee, a surprise wedding reception after they met on the film and spontaneously got married.«I was cast single and wrapped married,» Zhang told ET.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings has been more than just a movie for Meng'er Zhang. During Monday night's premiere for the Marvel movie, the actress shared her on-set love story with ET, recalling how the family threw her and her now-husband, Yung Lee, a surprise wedding reception after they met on the film and spontaneously got married.«I was cast single and wrapped married,» Zhang told ET.

Awkwafina. As summer comes to a close, the 33-year-old performer is busy celebrating the back-to-back releases of season 2 on Comedy Central and her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut in . Opening in theaters on Sept.

Awkwafina is back as Nora.Comedy Central's returns for season 2 on Wednesday with back-to-back episodes, and in ET's exclusive sneak peek, Nora (Awkwafina) has a (hilarious) chance encounter with 's Chloe Fineman while at the doctor's office for «a potpourri of things.»After Nora fibs her way through most of the iPad questionnaire about smoking, vaping and drug use, she makes herself comfortable in one of the chairs where she meets the quirky Greta (Fineman). «Long story short, I swallowed a