Being both a sports fan and a movie fan, I have seen a lot of sports movies – and while there are certainly a lot of classic cliches, there is also plenty of variance in the genre. That being said, the new 2026 film GOAT does something I’ve never seen before: it features a young male protagonist with a female sports idol. It’s a unique aspect of the story that really impressed me, and I felt compelled to ask the stars of the movie about it when I spoke with them earlier this month.

As captured in the video up top, I interviewed Caleb McLaughlin and Gabrielle Union earlier this month during the virtual press day for GOAT, and my first question was about the special dynamic between their two characters: Will, an aspiring roarball player who gets the opportunity of a lifetime to play with his hero, Jett Fillmore. McLaughlin explained that he could very personally relate to the relationship purely because he saw his co-star in a similar light:

There are plenty of sports movies featuring young protagonists, but if that protagonist is male, and they have an icon they look up to, it’s always a man. It’s a pattern that echoes the strict gender divisions we see in all professional sports, but in inventing the basketball-esque sport roarball, GOAT creates its own rules, and it doesn’t discriminate based on the sex of its athletes.

McLaughlin added that he is hoping that young boys in the audience will register what the movie is going to get across in this respect and diminish any kind of immature taboo:

Following her co-star’s comments, Gabrielle Union noted that while GOAT is special in its cinematic presentation of the relationship between Will and Jett, she has seen that dynamic play out in real life. He told me about her experiences going to WNBA games and seeing not just girls awed by the star athletes:

A major obstacle in this conversation is the fact that women’s professional sports don’t get anywhere near the same kind of attention as men’s professional sports. But greater exposure can lead to great and beneficial change.

It’s change that Union, as a mother, wants to see in the world, as respecting women as stars and leaders goes far beyond the world of sports and entertainment:

Arriving this past weekend on the big screen and placing second at the domestic box office, GOAT is now playing in theaters everywhere.

During this past weekend’s onslaught of exciting new 2026 movie releases, GOAT provides some family-friendly fun that basketball fans will especially appreciate. While it’s called roarball in the animated movie from the Spider-Verse studio, it’s absolutely a love letter to the sport. One thing I particularly enjoyed was seeing the sport feature a co-ed team in a world where male-led sports is still the most dominant. The GOAT filmmakers shared some interesting insight about how they made that decision.

CinemaBlend attended a press day at Sony Animation Pictures where the co-directors Tyree Dillihay, Adam Rosette and producer Michelle Raimo-Kouyate sat down for a Q&A. As Dillihay explained:

GOAT, which is obviously a play on the “greatest of all time” acronym, follows a goat named Will, who’s hero is a black panther roarball champion named Jett Fillmore. Fillmore happens to be a female character (voiced by Gabrielle Union) who is dealing with her career starting to slow down due to age.

There’s been a ton of sports movies over the years about a male idol and/or a male mentor/mentee relationship, but in the animal kingdom, there’s a variety of female animals that are considered more sporty than the males, so it presents the perfect opportunity. For example, female black panthers are responsible for hunting and taking care of their young, while the males hunt purely for their own survival.

During the conversation about the co-ed team in GOAT, we learned that it took seven years to produce. Within that time, the filmmakers got to experience the huge surge of the WNBA in the past couple of years, which only helps underline the movie’s messages. Dillihay said the “world caught up” with them while they were in production before saying this:

More than ever, sports fans are watching women play sports such as basketball in a huge way, and it’s pretty awesome that GOAT is part of that. Caitlin Clark has specifically helped increase the popularity of women’s basketball in a term coined the “Caitlin Clark effect” specifically after she set tournament records due to her long-range three-point shooting.

Other female players, like Angel Reese, Paige Bueckers, Sabrina Ionescu and A’ja Wilson, have shown it’s no longer just a man’s game. The movie also features Reese as Propp (a polar bear player from the Shivers team) and Wilson as Kouyate (an American alligator from the Shadows team) in cameo roles. Dillihay also added:

While men and women are separate in most sporting events, there’s something really cool about seeing male and female characters on the same team in GOAT, especially with the storyline of Jett being the star player. I love learning it was a concept made for the movie very early on and only strengthens the movie’s messages. You can check out our GOAT review here on CinemaBlend and see it in theaters now.

If you have any vague familiarity with how film and TV productions work, then chances are you know what a call sheet is. That document includes the vital details for any given day on a production, and that includes call times for actors. When it comes to the cast, one particular actor is No.1 on that sheet, and that distinction comes with a lot of weight. Now, many of Hollywood’s great leading Black actors are sharing their thoughts on that subject for a two-part documentary film, and Morgan Freeman’s take is particularly great.

Apple TV+ subscription holders will soon be able to stream Number One on the Call Sheet. The Reginald Hudlin-directed movie features in-depth interviews with a wide array of talented performers including Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Halle Berry and Eddie Murphy. Each talk about the dynamics that come into play when an actor finds themself being the first on the sheet. The significance of that distinction is discussed as well. When talking about the strength of Black talent, Gabrielle Union shared a direct message:

That’s certainly a true statement as, for years now, African American actors have been putting in fantastic work and garnering some strong box office receipts as well. Anyone in need of proof of that should consider some of the best Black family films or a number of the greatest Black-led biopics. Stars such as Will Smith, Jamie Foxx and Whoopi Goldberg (who are all in the doc) have led such films and been No. 1 on the call sheet.

Being in that position is a big deal, and said star has a massive responsibility to set the tone for those around them. Someone who certainly knows that better than most is the incomparable Morgan Freeman. He’s led many films in his time, and I’m eager to hear all of his thoughts and recollections when I watch the documentary. And, as you can see in the trailer above, he had a funny take on what it’s like working with others when you’re No. 1 on the sheet:

Don’t let the A+ joke fool you, as Morgan Freeman is well known for his humility. By all accounts, he has a lot of respect for fellow actors, with his recent tribute to the late Gene Hackman being just one example of that. Also, as imposing as the 87-year-old actor himself is, even he’s gotten starstruck. That happened when he worked with Jack Nicholson on the 2007 dramedy film The Bucket List.

Mr. Freeman’s joke quip aside, though, this is a much-needed discussion in regard to Black leads. Yes, when they’re No. 1 on the call sheet, they are put in situations similar to their white counterparts, yet there are more nuanced aspects of that job that vary for people of color. What I’m hoping to see is a doc that provides some illuminating commentary from some cerebral stars – as well as a few funny anecdotes or comments similar to Freeman’s.

You can check out Number One on the Call Sheet when it hits Apple TV+ on March 28. In the meantime, find out what some of Hollywood’s Black talent have on the doc by checking out the 2025 movie schedule.

Sometimes an actor just explodes on the scene with their first movie. Many of the people on this list have even been nominated and won awards for their first roles. Most, of course, have gone on to have long, successful careers, so let's look back at these actors who absolutely crushed it in their first roles. 

Lupita Nyong'o - 12 Years A Slave

It didn't take long for Kenyan native Lupita Nyong'o to make a huge splash in Hollywood. After a little time working on movie sets behind the camera, she studied acting at Yale and landed her seminal role in 12 Years A Slave almost immediately after graduating. The performance speaks for itself, and Nyong'o deservingly took home an Oscar for it. Amazingly, three years later, she won a Tony in her Broadway debut in Eclipsed.

Sean Penn - Taps

Sean Penn has had a long, storied career and while many may assume his breakout role came as the stoner Spicoli in Fast Times At Ridgemont High, but a year before cracking up audiences in that cult classic, he played a very different role as a would-be soldier at a military academy in Taps. Notably, Tom Cruise also made his breakthrough role in the movie alongside Penn. 

Reese Witherspoon - The Man In The Moon

Over the last 4 decades or so, Reese Witherspoon has not only become one of the most acclaimed actresses in Hollywood, but a major force behind the scenes as a producer. It all started for the Nashville native with her debut in The Man In The Moon in 1991. It's always impressive when a newcomer can lead a personal film like this, and Witherspoon showed early how good she is by doing so. 

Natalie Portman - Leon: The Professional

There are a few actors in Hollywood who broke big when they were very young. From the moment you see Natalie Portman on screen in her first role as Mathilda in Leon: The Professional, you know she's going to be big. Yeah, it's an uncomfortable movie to watch for obvious reasons - Portman was just 13 - but seeing how brave she was to take on a complicated role like that, it was clear she was destined for greatness. 

Edward Norton - Primal Fear

Has there ever been a more terrifying and convincing debut performance from an actor than Edward Norton in Primal Fear? It's one of the all-time great grifter films and Norton's performance is the major reason why. He's scary, both in character and in talent. 

Florence Pugh - The Falling

It's hard to believe Florence Pugh made her debut in The Falling in 2014. It seems like the actress has been around forever as she keeps picking amazing roles and crushing the performances, just like her first. 

Kevin Bacon - National Lampoon's Animal House

Every actor in Hollywood is connected to Kevin Bacon, as the game claims, and that's because for more than five decades he's been giving amazing performance and amazing performance. His first movie, the classic comedy National Lampoon's Animal House is certainly no exception as he plays a snobby, snarky, frat boy to perfection. There is nothing he can't do.  

Halle Berry - Jungle Fever

In 2001 Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to win the Best Picture Oscar for Monster's Ball. That was just 10 short years after she made he incredible debut in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever. The former beauty pageant contestant has been one of the most reliably great stars in the years since, starring in some of the biggest franchises in Hollywood including the X-Men, James Bond, John Wick, and much more. 

Jennifer Hudson - Dreamgirls

After finishing seventh in the third season of American Idol, we all knew Jennifer Hudson could sing. When she was cast as Aretha Frankin-like Effie White in Dreamgirls, it didn't surprise anyone. At least, we weren't surprised until we all saw just how her powerful voice was matched by her powerful acting. She took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in her big-screen debut. 

Eddie Murphy - 48 Hrs.

By the time Eddie Murphy starred in 48 Hrs. alongside Nick Nolte in 1982, he was already a bonafide TV star from his time on SNL. Known for his great characters and hilarious lines on SNL, it wasn't clear if he could carry a movie. 48 Hrs. settled that, he definitely could and he's been leading them ever since. 

Marlee Matlin - Children Of A Lesser God

Marlee Matlin has been breaking down barriers since the very beginning of her career. Deaf from the time she was a small child, there must have been many people who told her she could pursue her dreams. Instead, she became not only the deaf actor to win an Oscar in his debut movie, Children Of A Lesser God, but the youngest woman to take home the statue as well. 

Anne Hathaway - The Princess Diaries

From the very beginning, Anne Hathaway has been wowing audiences. Her first movie is still one of her most beloved, The Princess Diaries. She even got to star alongside true film royalty. Julie Andrews. She didn't seem intimidated then, and she never has been since. 

Tim Curry - The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Tim Curry's first movie has become the dictionary definition of a cult classic. The Rocky Horror Picture Show was a flop when it was released, but in the decades since, it's become one of the most popular movies of all time with a fanbase that is not just dedicated, but rabid in its love for the movie and for Curry's character, Frank-N-Furter.

Emma Stone - Superbad

Superbad is one of those comedies that very really gets old, especially if you grew up with it as a staple of your DVD rotation. Emma Stone's character Jules is not the kind of character you'd expect to be as funny as she is, which makes Stone pretty much perfect for the role, as she is as effortlessly funny as she is effortlessly beautiful. She's gone on to tackle some characters with incredible depth, but she set the foundation in Superbad. 

Oprah Winfrey - The Color Purple

There is really nothing Oprah Winfrey can't accomplish. She was already on her way to becoming the biggest daytime talk show in history by the time she landed a role in Steven Speilberg's classic The Color Purple. It turns out Winfrey can do a whole more than coax the most out of guests on her talk show, she can act really act, earning an Oscar nomination in her film debut. 

Julie Andrews - Mary Poppins

It's really hard to believe that Julie Andrews didn't make her true film debut until she was nearly 30 years old, when she appeared as the legendary Mary Poppins in the film of the same name. Of course, Andrews was well-established as a stage actor at that point, but still, it was the golden age of Hollywood, you'd think she would have been cast in something well before Mary Poppins. At least we can be grateful she was cast here. 

Alan Rickman - Die Hard

Hans Gruber in Die Hard is, without a doubt, one of the greatest villains of the 1980s. Knowing that it was the film debut of the incredible Alan Rickman makes it all that more impressive. He plays the role with such confidence and panache, that it's almost too much to believe it was his first movie role, but it was. 

Anna Paquin - The Piano

Anna Paquin won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Piano. She was just 11 years old! Anyone who does that deserves a spot on any list like that. She's the second youngest ever to win an Oscar and in the years since she's continued to wow us with her work. 

Jamie Lee Curtis - Halloween

Jamie Lee Curtis basically invented the modern scream queen in horror movies in her debut in Halloween. It's a genre she's only returned to a few times in her long, impressive career, but we're sure glad it's where she got her start. 

Hailee Steinfeld - True Grit

It's a little remarkable how many young girls pop up on a list like this. One of the most recent examples of a teenager just crushing her film debut is Hailee Steinfeld. Not only did she have the pressure of playing a beloved literary character like Mattie Ross in True Grit, but she also had to act alongside legends like Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Josh Brolin. She doesn't just hold her own, either, she steals the movie. She rightly received an Oscar nomination for her work.  

Glenn Close - The World According To Garp

Glenn Close burst on the scene with award-winning performances on Broadway before transitioning to film with her debut on the silver screen in The World According To Garp where she picked up where she left off on the stage, getting nominated for an Oscar. She would earn Oscar nominations (but sadly no wins) for her next two movies as well, The Big Chill and The Natural. 

Robert Duvall - To Kill A Mockingbird

Robert Duvall's career goes all the way back to the 1950s, when he first appeared as Boo Radley in one of the most beloved movies about the American South, To Kill A Mockingbird. He only has a small role, as the character with an outsized effect on the plot who is only seen at the end, but he embodies the character so many kids learn to love when they first read the book in high school. 

John Malkovich - Places In The Heart

There is no question that John Malkovich is one of the finest actors of his generation. He's completely fearless in all the roles he plays and that's true going all the way back to his first role as a blind World War I vet in the Depression-era film Places in the Heart alongside Sally Field, Danny Glover, and Ed Harris. 

Lily Tomlin - Nashville

Though she was already a comedic legend on TV, having appeared on Laugh-In and The Carol Burnett Show, Lily Tomlin showed what range she really had as a gospel singer and mother to two in Nashville. She's continued to show those skills over and over in the decades since. 

Gal Gadot - Fast & Furious

Gal Gadot is best known as Wonder Woman these days, but she made her debut in another giant Hollywood franchise when she appeared in Fast & Furious, the fourth installment of the Fast And Furious series. The ex-Israeli army veteran has impressed fans of the movies in each of her 3 appearances by performing most of her own stunts.  

Kerry Washington - Our Song

Our Song is an underrated movie that is everything great about independent filmmaking. It's an intensely personal story about a unique moment in time for the characters and the audience. Kerry Washington simply blows audiences out of the water with her powerful and heartfelt performance. It's incredible how good she was in her first movie. 

Dustin Hoffman - The Graduate

So, technically Dustin Hoffman had already had a small role in a film before The Graduate (a movie called The Tiger Makes Out). For all intents and purposes, he introduced himself to the world with an Oscar-nominated performance in one of the most iconic movies in Hollywood history, The Graduate. It's a movie people still love talking about and lauding, even nearly 60 years later. 

John Cazale - The Godfather

The incredible and tragic story of actor John Cazale is well-known among movie buffs. Cazale only starred in five movies before he died of cancer at just age 42. All five of those movies won the Oscar for Best Picture The first, his first, was, of course, The Godfather. Though his character, Fredo, would play a larger role in the sequel, he still established himself as one of the greatest of his generation before we all lost him too soon.  

Gabrielle Union - She's All That

Actor Gabrielle Union has definitely made her mark not only on Hollywood but on the world with her stellar performances and her charity work outside of film. HE burst onto the scene in She's All That and she's never slowed down since. 

James Dean - East Of Eden

The great James Dean is one of the biggest "what ifs" in Hollywood history. Though he did have some uncredited roles in a few movies, the young actor starred in just three movies, including his first East Of Eden. For that role, he would receive an Oscar nomination, though he wouldn't live to see it, as he was killed in a car crash before being nominated. A feat that would be repeated the next year with Giant.

Jason Schwartzman - Rushmore

Though Jason Schwartzman comes from a prominent Hollywood family, that didn't guarantee success. Instead, he went out in his first movie role, in Rushmore, and absolutely embodied his character of Max. It's every bit as impressive as anything his mom Talia Shire has done, and that is no small feat. 

Keisha Castle-Hughes - The Whale Rider

When Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for an Oscar at just 12 years old for The Whale Rider, you knew she was one to watch for. She was, at the time, the second-youngest person nominated for an Oscar and not only was the nomination well-deserved, but she's continued to justify the voters' confidence in her with her roles over the last couple of decades. 

So much Black talent has made unforgettable movie breakthrough performances with a positive impact on TV, music, sports, television creation, and more. Outside of the roles you know them for, many Black celebrities created businesses to make things better for the masses with a sharp focus on people of color. In honor of Black Business Month, here are 15 celebrities who’ve come up with successful businesses.

Tracee Ellis Ross

You know Tracee Ellis Ross for starring in one of the best sitcoms of all time, black-ish, and as the daughter of famous celebrity parent Diana Ross. What you may not know is that she founded Pattern Beauty in late 2019. Inspired by her hairstylist’s suggestion for clients to wear wigs to look like Ross, she was instead focused on creating products for textured, curly hair. 

Ross' Pattern Beauty started with four people, seven products, and Macy’s as the only retail partner. It has since grown to 30 employees, over 50 products, and 10 retail partners, including Sephora and Ulta Beauty. The High Note actress credits her business’s marketing strategy with focusing on celebrating hair compared to solving problems using standout products like the Pattern Blow Dryer specifically for textured hair.

Kevin Hart

American comedian Kevin Hart, known for making us laugh in his best movies, founded Laugh Out Loud Productions in 2007 to create and distribute comedy content. Originally a subscription comedy streaming service, it partnered with platforms like Plex, Pluto TV, Peacock, YouTube, and more. Taking a big career step, Hartbeat Productions merged with LOL Productions to create Hartbeat to diversify global comedy. Hartbeat Studios produces films like Netflix’s Lift and Hartbeat Media focuses on digital content, music, and events. 

In 2022, Kevin Hart also entered the alcohol industry, teaming up with 11th-generation tequila producer Juan Domingo Beckman to create the tequila brand, Gran Coramino. Inspired by his experiences in Mexico, the Fatherhood actor’s goal was to make a smooth tequila that consumers would love. $1 from every smooth-flavored tequila bottle sold is donated to support diverse entrepreneurs and small businesses across the U.S. and Mexico.

Gabrielle Union

When Gabrielle Union noticed that on-set hair stylists didn’t know what to do with her hair, she took mental notes on effective hair products and launched Flawless by Gabrielle Union in 2017. Once those ten successful products of hers sold out, the Bring it On actress revamped the business to be “100% Black-owned, Black-led and Black-marketed.” Union worked with a team of chemists to develop new products for textured hair using naturally derived ingredients. 

Inspired by her daughter Kaavia’s skincare struggles when she was three, Union also decided to create Proudly, with her husband Dwyane Wade, to make products for children with melanated skin. Launched online in April 2022, Proudly expanded nationwide to Target in September of that year.

Snoop Dogg

The Grammy nominee responsible for singles like “Gin and Juice” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot” has embraced being typecast as a weed enthusiast to create many cannabis-based businesses. Snoop Dogg founded the cannabis-focused digital platform Merry Jane which normalizes discussions about the business and politics of the cannabis industry. 

The brand Leafs by Snoop provides fine-quality cannabis like flowers, concentrates, and edibles. The rapper made history as the first celebrity to brand and market legal marijuana products. In July 2024, Snoop Dogg launched L.A.’s first legal marijuana shop S.W.E.D (Smoke Weed Everyday) to provide top-shelf premium products and services for cannabis experts, with August plans to expand in Amsterdam.

Serena Williams

Grand Slam winner Serena Williams, who retired from tennis in 2022, successfully transitioned into the business world with Serena Ventures. This venture capital firm came about after discovering only 2% of venture capital went to women and less to people of color. 

Through Serena Ventures, the former athlete has invested in more than 85 companies with 79% under-represented founders, 54% women founders, 47% Black founders, and 11% Latino founders. Serena Williams' portfolio includes innovative companies like AI-platform custom wig company Parfait, plant-based meat company Impossible Foods, weight loss app Noom, and more. Remarkably, 14 of these businesses have even reached Unicorn status, being valued at $1 billion or more.

Jay-Z

Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter is widely considered one of the best rappers of all time, not only because of his chart-topping music but for shaping the entertainment industry with his businesses. After parting ways with Def Jam Records, he founded Roc Nation in 2008 which evolved from a record label into artist management, supporting athletes, and music publishing and distribution. A lot of musicians have benefited from Roc Nation, like Rihanna, Demi Lovato, DJ Khaled, and more. 

Jay-Z is also the first rapper to own a champagne label, acquiring full ownership of Armand de Brignac. In 2014, the “99 Problems” rapper bought the remaining stake and it sold more than 500,000 bottles five years later.

Oprah Winfrey

You see trailblazing media mogul Oprah Winfrey’s name all over the place whether it’s on TV, in movies, on book covers, the radio, and more. A fun fact about Winfrey is that she’s the first Black billionaire, which is unsurprising considering her success with The Oprah Winfrey Show, O Magazine, and Harpo Films. With all of the other businesses Winfrey has, why not have her own television network called…OWN? 

In 1992 after a conversation with her life partner Stedman Graham, Winfrey immediately envisioned OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). Although she co-founded Oxygen, The Color Purple actress wanted complete control of her network. In 2007, Discovery head David Zaslav loved Winfrey’s magazine and proposed to create a channel with a similar vibe. The network launched in 2011 with its first shows The Haves and the Have Nots and Love Thy Neighbor.

Dwayne Johnson

Moana’s Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, known for blowing up the entertainment industry with his top-ranked movies and as a professional wrestler, expanded his influence into business. For example, he merged the XFL with the United States Football League to form the United Football League and co-founded ZOA Energy Drink. 

However, Johnson's most significant project was Teremana Tequila, a brand named after the Polynesian word “teremana” meaning “Spirit of the Earth.” Despite launching during the pandemic, the tequila quickly gained popularity, selling 30,000 cases in 2020, 600,000 cases a year later, and the wild stat of selling a million cases last year within the past 12 months.

Patti LaBelle

“Godmother of Soul” Patti LaBelle is acknowledged for her seven-decade-long singing career. But, her first passion has always been cooking. The “Stir It Up” singer would offer to cook for various musicians like Prince, Elton John, and the Rolling Stones and would label her dishes so people would know they were hers. 

Fifteen years ago, LaBelle launched her own food brand, Patti’s Good Life, starting with homemade hot sauces and barbecue sauces. The food brand has since expanded to frozen meals and baked goods like sweet potato pie, mac n’ cheese, collard greens, and peach cobbler. With plans to introduce a breakfast line soon, Patti’s Good Life grossed nearly $200 million in sales through partnerships with Target and Walmart in 2022.

Dr. Dre

Seven-time Grammy winner Dr. Dre has made his mark on the music industry as a rapper, the founder of Aftermath Entertainment and Death Row Records, and a record producer helping other artists make a name for themselves. In 2006, The Super Bowl LVI halftime show performer helped music enthusiasts listen to music the way he does in the studio with Beats by Dre. 

Collaborating with Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine, the “Let Me Ride” rapper’s dream of bringing the sound in a professional recording studio to his premium headphones came true. By 2011, Beats dominated over 64% of the $100+ premium headphone market and was acquired by Apple in 2014. 

Rihanna

Chart-topping artist Rihanna, one of the best-selling female artists of the 21st century, has made a great impact on the beauty industry with Fenty Beauty. Launched in 2017 and named after her surname, Fenty made history as one of the first brands to cater to all kinds of skin tones with its 50 shades of foundation. The business has since expanded to haircare, lipstick, eye makeup, skincare, and more. 

In 2018, Rihanna expanded her beauty services to fashion with Savage x Fenty, a lingerie brand designed to empower men and women “to feel sexy and have fun doing it.” There were even eight limited edition items that were Super Bowl LVII themed when the R&B singer performed for the halftime show. With Fenty Beauty worth $2.8 billion and Savage x Fenty worth $1 billion, the Grammy winner’s business ventures have put her at billionaire status.

Lenny Kravitz

American singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz, known for his catchy music and unique style, has home designing talent through Kravitz Design Inc. As The Hunger Games actor said that he’d be a designer if music didn’t work out, Kravitz decided to put his designer skills to the test by creating a relaxing atmosphere for his clients with his interior and furniture designs. Kravitz Design Inc.'s clients include Morgans Hotel Group, The Setai Resort and Residences, Delano South Beach, and more.

Berry Gordy Jr.

Before Berry Gordy Jr. became a renowned music industry entrepreneur, he worked a lot of jobs like boxing, assembly line worker, record store owner and more. While already a songwriter, Gordy Jr. set out in 1959 to use the lessons he learned in his previous careers to create and manage musical groups and solo artists. 

He founded Motown Records in Detroit in 1960 with just $800 from his family’s savings, combining the words “motor” and “town” to represent the city. Berry Gordy Jr. used his great ear to make music a universal language, breaking down racial barriers with chart-topping songs like “Money (That's What I Want),” “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Dancing in the Street,” and more.

Shonda Rhimes

Award-winning television creator and producer Shonda Rhimes took the television world by storm with her global media company Shondaland, creating the best shows to binge-watch on Netflix like Grey’s Anatomy and Bridgerton. Launched in 2005, Shondaland broke new ground by featuring strong female lead characters and prioritizing diversity and inclusion for people of color and the LGBTQ+ community. 

Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, and Scandal made Rhimes the first woman to have three TV dramas achieve the 100-episode milestone. Her company has since expanded to shondaland.com, a platform providing articles to empower women and TV show updates, and Shonda Audio, which offers scripted and unscripted podcasts.

Tyler Perry

Inspired after watching an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show that spoke of the therapeutic power of journaling, Tyler Perry discovered his writing talent and transitioned from stage productions to founding Tyler Perry Studios in 2005. The studio now rests on 330 acres of the former Fort McPherson army base in the heart of Atlanta, which he bought in 2015. 

Perry’s films, starting with the Diary of a Mad Black Woman, have opened doors to aspiring actors, writers, and film directors of color. On a busy day, Bloomberg reports that nearly 5,000 people work at the studio, providing plenty of employment. The cast of his BET+ series, Ruthless, said there’s “beauty” and “freedom” working at Tyler Perry Studios in representing people of color and feeling unstoppable on the property. He is seen as the first African-American to own a major film production studio.

These empowering Black celebrities have used their big names and fame to build empires that service the world outside of entertainment. Through their innovative ideas, A-listers have found ways to promote diversity to ensure that everyone benefits from services like hair care, skincare, entertainment networks, venture capital for businesses, and more. The lesson that everyone can learn from their inspirational stories is that if you see an industry where the change you make can have a positive impact on humanity, don’t hesitate to make a difference. 

Make sure to look at our 2024 movie schedule and our 2024 TV releases so you’re updated on the following celebrities’ future projects.

Most actors don't just come out of the woodwork and immediately get awards attention, box office success and global stardom. Many start out taking bit parts in big movies or supporting character gigs opposite more successful performers. From Academy Award winners like Charlize Theron and Viola Davis to superhero stars like Tom Holland and Ben Affleck, here are 32 now-famous faces you might not remember popped up in famous movies before they were big. 

Matt Damon

In his movie debut, a very young Matt Damon can briefly be seen in 1988's Mystic Pizza as Steamer Windsor, the younger brother of Adam Storke's Charles, the clean-cut, country-club love interest of fun-loving pizzeria waitress Daisy (Julia Roberts). Steamer is present at an awkward dinner where Charles brings Daisy home to meet the family. 

Viola Davis

In the 1998 crime comedy Out of Sight, which is undoubtedly one of Steven Soderbergh's best movies, Viola Davis has a small role playing Moselle Miller, the wife of boxer Maurice "Snoopy" Miller (Don Cheadle). She would later go on to act alongside her Out of Sight co-star Jennifer Lopez in another crime flick, 2015's Lila & Eve.

Philip Seymour Hoffman

The 1992 Martin Brest melodrama Scent of a Woman memorably stars Al Pacino as a blind retired colonel and Chris O'Donnell as the prep-school student hired to watch over him, but it also features Philip Seymour Hoffman in one of his earliest performances as a fellow student named George Willis, Jr.

Carey Mulligan

The Bennet household is a bustling one in Joe Wright's 2005 adaptation of the Jane Austen classic Pride and Prejudice, so much so that you might have overlooked that — along with the likes of Keira Knightley, Rosamund Pike and Jena Malone — a teenaged Carey Mulligan is one of the Bennet sisters. (It's just one of many movies that prove Mulligan should be a much bigger star.) 

Elijah Wood

Long before he embarked on a quest to destroy the One Ring as Frodo in The Lord of the Rings, Elijah Wood was a successful child actor in films like The Adventures of Huck Finn, The Good Son, North and Flipper. However, before those starring roles, the pint-sized performer showed up as "Video Game Boy #2" in Back to the Future Part II.

Octavia Spencer

The 1999 Drew Barrymore comedy Never Been Kissed is jam-packed with unexpected actor appearances, from Jessica Alba to James Franco — together they play a dopey but popular high school couple — to Octavia Spencer. The latter plays a coworker of the main character Josie Geller (Barrymore) at the Chicago Sun-Times. 

Timothée Chalamet

With everything that goes on in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar — you know, that whole part about the astronauts who have to travel through a wormhole near Saturn in search of a new home for humankind — viewers may have forgotten that a fresh-faced Timothée Chalamet as Tim, the teen son of Matthew McConaughey's Cooper. 

Brie Larson

Well before she received an Oscar or donned a superhero cape, Captain Marvel star Brie Larson was a tween actress who had a main role in the short-lived WB sitcom Raising Dad. One of her first big-screen gigs, however, was as a popular Six Chick in the 2004 Jennifer Garner favorite 13 Going on 30. (Don't feel too bad, Mark Ruffalo didn't remember her either.) 

Charlize Theron

If you're a fan of The Wonders, you no doubt remember band members Guy (Tom Everett Scott), Lenny (Steve Zahn), Jimmy (Johnathon Schaech) and the bass player (Ethan Embry). However, you may not so readily remember that Charlize Theron is also in That Thing You Do!, as Guy's ex-girlfriend Tina, who leaves him for her dentist. 

Joe Manganiello 

Before making the ladies sweat in the Magic Mike franchise, Joe Manganiello was making Peter Parker sweat for an entirely different reason in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man film series, playing the high-school bully Flash Thompson. His character dated Kirsten Dunst's Mary Jane before she ended up with Spidey himself (Tobey Maguire). 

Seth Rogen

The titular teen protagonist of Donnie Darko (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) doesn't just have to deal with those disturbing visions of a rabbit-costumed man named Frank. He also has to deal with a pair of high school bullies, one of whom is played by Seth Rogen in his first ever movie appearance. 

Amy Adams

The Steven Spielberg-directed crime comedy Catch Me If You Can featured several now-well-known actresses before they were household names, including Ellen Pompeo, Elizabeth Banks and Amy Adams. The latter acted opposite Leonardo DiCaprio (played teenage con artist Frank Abagnale Jr.) as Brenda Strong, a young hospital worker who falls for Frank and his fraud. 

Keira Knightley

Given her uncanny resemblance to Natalie Portman, it's only fitting that a teenage Keira Knightley appeared as Sabé, a handmaiden and royal decoy for Portman's Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Even Knightley herself could use a reminder about who she played in the space trilogy!

Michael Fassbender

Years before memorable film roles in Inglourious Basterds, Jane Eyre, the X-Men movies and his Oscar-nominated turn in Shame, Michael Fassbender made his film debut in the 2006 action epic 300. He played the character of Stelios, a young, spirited and highly skilled Spartan soldier fighting under Gerard Butler's King Leonidas.

Sandra Oh

"Gupta? Mhm. Mhm. Mhm. The queen is coming!" It's one of the most memorable lines uttered in The Princess Diaries and it's said by none other than a pre-Grey's Anatomy Sandra Oh. Joining Anne Hathaway and Julie Andrews in the beloved cast, Oh plays the humorous vice principal at Mia Thermopolis's school. 

Margot Robbie

Before her big breakout in The Wolf of Wall Street — and even longer before she painted the world pink with the phenomenon that is Barbie — rom-com fans got their first introduction to Margot in the 2013 romantic dramedy About Time. Robbie plays Charlotte, a woman that the main character Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) is crushing on before he meets his true love, Mary (played by Rachel McAdams).

Joaquin Phoenix

The 1989 Ron Howard-directed comedy Parenthood already has a stacked cast — Steve Martin, Rick Moranis, Keanu Reeves, Mary Steenburgen and Dianne Wiest, to name a few — before you even remember that one of the youngins in the movie is played by a teenage Joaquin Phoenix, then going by his birth name Leaf.

Samuel L. Jackson

It's hard to remember a time when Samuel L. Jackson wasn't a major movie star, but in the 1970s and '80s, the iconic actor was racking up bit parts in big titles, including Eddie Murphy's Coming to America. In the 1988 rom-com, Jackson plays a character known as "Hold-Up Man," an armed robber who has held up the local fast-food restaurant called McDowell's five times. 

Kristen Stewart

Though she has been acting professionally since grade school, Kristen Stewart didn't become a global star until she played moody teen Bella Swan in 2008's vampire romance Twilight. But years before that, she played a memorable part in the 2002 David Fincher thriller Panic Room, appearing opposite Jodie Foster as her character's daughter. 

Dakota Johnson

\Dakota Johnson had her big Hollywood breakthrough leading a beloved book-to-film adaptation, as Anastasia Steele in the erotic Fifty Shades film series. But she actually showed up in another huge movie five years earlier: 2010's The Social Network, as a college coed who spends the night with Sean Parker, played by Justin Timberlake. 

Gabrielle Union

Before she led the Clovers to cheer competition victory in 2000's Bring It On, Gabrielle Union was given supporting roles in '90s teen favorites like 10 Things I Hate About You and She's All That. The latter was actually her film debut, in which she appeared as popular girl Katie, a member of Zack Siler's (Freddie Prinze Jr.) friend group. 

Nicolas Cage

Technically, Nicolas Cage wasn't in Fast Times at Ridgemont High. But Nicolas Coppola was — when he made his feature film acting debut in the 1982 coming-of-age comedy, the actor was still going by his birth name. However, the Oscar-winning star would later change his name professionally to avoid nepotism allegations. (He is, of course, the nephew of director Francis Ford Coppola and actress Talia Shire, and a cousin of director Sofia Coppola and actor Jason Schwartzman.)

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp memorably made his big-screen debut in the 1984 horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street, but movie fans might not remember that a short while later, he also appeared in Oliver Stone's war film Platoon as a young soldier fighting in the Vietnam War alongside the likes of Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Tom Berenger, Forest Whitaker and Kevin Dillon. 

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman has had a prolific acting career ever since she was a tween, starting from when she starred as the young protégée of a hitman in the 1994 action film Léon: The Professional at only twelve years old. Though that was an instantly memorable introduction to the performer, you might have forgotten that only a year later, she worked alongside screen greats like Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in the Michael Mann-directed classic, Heat. 

Tom Holland

He's most famous for spinning webs as Spider-Man but long before that, Tom Holland was making his film debut (and making audiences weep) in the 2012 disaster drama The Impossible, as a young boy desperately trying to reunite with his family following a horrific tsunami. 

Vince Vaughn

The heartwarming 1993 sports drama Rudy — about a young man (Sean Astin) who dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame — features an ironic pair of film-acting debuts. It was the first movie roles of both Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn, playing teaching assistant D-Bob and tailback Jamie O'Hara, respectively. That duo would famously go on to star in the 1996 buddy comedy Swingers. 

Ryan Gosling

Another early football role for a Hollywood heavyweight, a young Ryan Gosling already had some big TV gigs under his belt (The Mickey Mouse Club, Young Hercules) before he appeared as Alan Bosley, the wiry cornerback of T. C. Williams High School's football team in Remember the Titans. And if you remember that locker-room singalong, you know the little Goose had charisma even then!

Mila Kunis

Yes, that is a mini Mila Kunis in Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves — she played a friend of Wayne Szalinski's (Rick Moranis) niece, who throws a house party once it seems like all of the grown-ups have left for the evening. (Instead, the adults have been accidentally zapped to microscopic proportions, naturally.) 

Daniel Craig

Before he was Bond, James Bond, Daniel Craig was Ballard, John Ballard, in the 1998 historical drama Elizabeth. The British actor portrayed a priest-slash-assassin who conspired with the Duke of Norfolk (Christopher Eccleston) to overthrow Queen Elizabeth I (played by Cate Blanchett) from the throne. Of course, Bond would never treat the Queen of England that way!

Jake Gyllenhaal

Given that filmmaking is a family business for Jake Gyllenhaal — he is the son of film director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and the younger bro of the great actress Maggie Gyllenhaal — it's not a shock that the actor started young. He made his film debut at age ten in 1991's City Slickers, playing the son of Billy Crystal's character Mitch Robbins. 

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington is best known for playing crisis management expert Olivia Pope in the ABC drama series Scandal, but more than a decade earlier, she showed off her fix-it skills as Chenille Reynolds in Save the Last Dance, helping Julia Stiles's character Sara better integrate into their South Side high school and hip-hop culture at large. 

Ben Affleck

Like his famous best friend Matt Damon, Ben Affleck also began his acting career as a child and while eagle-eyed moviegoers no doubt remember spotting him in early-'90s films like School Ties and Dazed and Confused, they may have forgotten his uncredited early cameos, such as "Basketball Player 10" in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. 

As the 2024 Oscar nominees and guests walked the red carpet before this year’s ceremony, it became abundantly clear that sparkles were going to have a major moment. From Zendaya's pink off-the-shoulder black and pink moment to Anya Taylor-Joy's angelic silver gown to America Ferrera's Barbiecore dress, dazzling outfits were the highlight this year, and we need to talk about it. 

Zendaya

After killing it on the Dune: Part Two press tour -- I mean she wore an incredible robot-inspired outfit at one point for heaven's sake -- Zendaya, one of our most fashionable celebrities, slayed the Oscars red carpet wearing Armani Privé and Bulgari jewelry, per E! News.

 Anya Taylor-Joy  

Keeping it in the Dune: Part Two cast, Anya Taylor-Joy also sparkled on the carpet wearing Dior Haute Couture, per Red Carpet Fashion Awards. The look featured gorgeous silver pedals down the skirt, and she complimented the gown with a lovely silver necklace. 

America Ferrera 

Taking a page directly out of her Barbie castmates' playbook, America Ferrera hopped on the Barbiecore trend, wearing a dazzling pink Versace chainmail dress, per People. 

Da’Vine Joy Randolph  

The Holdovers is no doubt one of Da'Vine Joy Randolph's best movies, and this Oscar winner rocked a sparkling Louis Vuitton powder blue gown, per ET, perfect to accept her trophy for her performance in the acclaimed drama. She truly shined!

Colman Domingo  

Nominated for Rustin, Colman Domingo walked the Oscars red carpet in a black Louis Vuitton suit. As always, he was super classy, and he added his spin to a classic look by rocking a sparkling bowtie that matched the buttons on his double-breasted suit. 

Issa Rae 

Wearing AMI Paris, per E! News, Barbie's Issa Rae took the carpet in a stunning black sparkly dress with a plunging neckline and a high slit. I think it's safe to say this is a look President Barbie would approve of. 

Gabrielle Union 

A power couple in real life and on the red carpet, Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade attended the Oscars in fashion. Most notably, the Bring It On actress wore a Carolina Herrera PF24 dress, per E! News, that looked like it was made of diamonds. She paired them with Tiffany & Co. jewelry. Overall, these two shined on the carpet. 

Lupita Nyong'o 

Also wearing Armani Privé, per E! News, Lupita Nyong'o rocked a stunning light blue sparkly gown that was reminiscent of the dress she wore when she won her Oscar in 2014. 

The 12 Years a Slave star, who won in 2014, was there to help announce the Best Supporting Actress award by speaking about Da'Vine Joy Randolph (who was also wearing a matching dress). 

Emily Blunt  

Representing the Oppenheimer cast and celebrating her Best Supporting Actress nomination, Emily Blunt dazzled in a Schiaparelli gown, per People. Her champagne-colored dress was complimented with silver detailing and jewelry from Tiffany & Co. Plus, her hubby John Krasinski was styling right next to her in a matching suit. 

Michelle Yeoh

A year after Michelle Yeoh's historic Oscars win for Everything Everywhere All At Once, she sparkled on this year's red carpet in a custom Balenciaga Couture dress, per Harper's Bazaar. The two-toned sparkling gown was fit for a queen, and she paired it with black opera gloves and statement earrings. Overall, it was the perfect follow-up to her iconic look from the 2023 awards. 

Overall, these stars and more were literally and figuratively shining at the 2024 Oscars! 

One of the best things about Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour has been the effort that she and the BeyHive have put into making it one of the premiere fashion events of the year. From the iconic singer’s sheer and sparkly costumes to her admirers’ own dazzling looks, every Renaissance tour stop has been a spectacle in the best way possible. So, when Gabrielle Union and Tracee Ellis Ross showed up to see the singer, they made sure to get in formation and in the process, proved they understood what was up.

The Grammy winner has reaffirmed her status as a global superstar this summer, taking the Renaissance Tour around the world. With her unforgettable stage outfits, including a Barbiecore stunner she designed herself, she’s been caught leaving even the biggest celebrities starstruck. One such fan was none other than The Perfect Find’s Gabrielle Union, who documented her sheer mesh silver gown in an Instagram update. Take a look at her stunning look in the social media post down below: 

Black-ish star Tracee Ellis Ross also showed up to the Renaissance World Tour at SoFi looking especially fabulous in a silver sequined dress. She also shared a glimpse of her concert fit on Instagram and proved she can fangirl with the best of us. Watch her enthusiastically nail the “mute challenge” (even if some of the rest of the crowd didn’t quite follow suit) here: 

Virgo season in style and show up to the Renaissance World Tour in their “most fabulous silver fashions.” Given that directive, Tracee Ellis Ross and Gabrielle Union definitely understood the assignment, and it’s so cool to see them fully embracing their love of Beyoncé and channeling their inner shimmery goddesses. 

The two A-listers now officially join the ranks of countless other stars who proudly bow down to Queen Bey. Earlier this summer, Tom Holland and Zendaya were spotted dancing and singing along to “Love On Top” at a Renaissance Tour stop in Warsaw. And Florence Pugh reached a new peak of relatability when she marveled at the glory of being alive at the same time as the "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" performer after catching one of her shows in London. 

Any fan who’s managed to catch Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour should consider themselves lucky, whether they’re famous or not. These concerts have played host to some truly unforgettable moments, including stadium-wide sing-alongs that have left even the singer herself impressed. If you haven’t been able to see the tour in person, you can still watch (and re-watch) the countless clips that fans, like Tracee Ellis Ross, have posted from inside the stadiums. And the tour headliner has been updating her website with incredible photos from each show and even shared photos of some of her best-dressed fans. Surely Ross and Gabrielle Union are worthy of that group now. The Renaissance World Tour wraps up in Kansas City in October. 

Love is in the air as Hollywood power couple Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade continue to set relationship goals with their goofy and fun nights out. The Bring It On actress and the NBA star have been together for well over a decade, and their love story remains a fascination of many fans. Union recently posted a video of some of her most fun outings of the summer with her hubby, and ended it with a hilarious and relatable moment. 

The Bad Boys II star took Instagram dumps to the next level when she shared a montage of some of the her best looks and date nights with Wade. She gave her fans a glimpse into her life, with highlights from some incredible summer moments over the last few months. Her followers can’t stop talking about how she ended her post, with a clip of Union’s fake eyelash falling off at the end of one of the nights. You can see the video below:

The moment is adorably relatable, as many girls can relate to their end of the night looks not always being as perfect and put together as when they left the house. Her followers have totally been there, loving the funny inclusion. You can see some of their comments below:

• @carichampion: "The lashes can often betray us!! 🤣🤣"
• @sylviaobell: "Lol my lashes were also hanging on my a thread by the end of the night 😂😂😂"
• @kamore615: "That ending though! 😂"
• @mkmcgrath212: "I just watched this 3x just to get to the end. Adore you"

While a fake eyelash falling off may have been embarrassing for some, Union responded with her signature sense of humor. Even with falsies hanging off her eye, the 10 Things I Hate About You alum still looks absolutely stunning, proving she knows how to rock a look, even without her makeup intact. It’s a sign of a fun night, showing that she and Wade continue to have a blast together. 

I’m sure her basketball legend partner also thought she looked great even with the eyelash mishap. The power couple have been together since 2008 despite an age gap, and tied the knot in a gorgeous 2014 ceremony in Florida, where they lived up until recently. They welcomed a daughter together in 2018. They have been open as a couple and share hilarious stories from their marriage, like the time Union had to explain what eggplant emojis meant to Wade. A couple that laughs together, stays together, and I’m glad they are still laughing after 15 years. 

The eyelash incident serves as a heartwarming reminder that even celebrities have awkward fashion moments, and are able to find the humor in it. The couple is still down to earth, sharing their not-so-perfect moments with fans. Partying hard on a date night with your partner is way more fun than looking completely put together all night, and I hope we all can have as much fun as the Wades. 

When Gabrielle Union isn’t partying hard with her beau, she is starring in rom coms like The Perfect Find, which is available now with a Netflix subscription. Fans of the actress should also check out our feature on some of Union's many other iconic roles. For more information on other fun projects coming to the streaming platform later this year, make sure to consult our 2023 Netflix movie release schedule. 

Gabrielle Union has been in a high-profile marriage with basketball star Dwyane Wade for nearly ten years. This information is important because in her latest film on the Netflix movie schedule: The Perfect Find she plays a 40-year-old fashion media mogul who falls for a college grad. While making the film, Union actually used her real-life romance with her husband, who is nine years younger, to serve as inspiration for the Netflix release. Now, she's opening up about it.

Based on the romance novel by Tia Williams, the Netflix rom-com The Perfect Find stars Gabrielle Union whose character Jenna gets out of a public long-term relationship, and then falls for a man who is not only much younger than her but is the son of her new boss. This is a role the actress could completely relate to, as she told USA Today. She explained how her and Wade's age difference impacted their relationship at first, and how she drew inspiration from it, saying:

There is 100% a societal standard around age gaps in a relationship, and it sounds like Union had dealt with said pressure. In the end, though, age doesn’t always define a person’s maturity. Gabrielle Union met former NBA player Dwyane Wade in 2008, and they got married on August 30, 2014. She’s the stepmother to three of his children and the two had a daughter together via surrogacy in 2018. There may be a nine-year age gap between them, but they’re still going strong after eight years of marriage, being parents to their children, and the actress explaining to her husband the meaning of eggplant emojis. 

Another person who finds The Perfect Find story very relatable is Union’s co-star Keith Powers who plays her love interest that’s 20 years her junior. Just like the character of Jenna made headlines for the ending of her high-profile relationship, Powers could relate to the story as he went through a public breakup with actress Ryan Destiny. He explained that he could understand the tension of your loved ones finding out about it through the media. The Bring It On star has also been in the public eye with her husband, and there are always stories being written about them, like the time they went 1,400% over their water allotment during a drought in California. 

One benefit of Keith Powers being much younger than Gabrielle Union is being able to see her most iconic roles. He told USA Today that he likes to revisit her classic cheerleader movie Bring It On, but was sold the most by her performance in the action-comedy Bad Boys II. He must have felt so much nostalgia being in this talented actress’s presence. Honestly, I didn't notice such a big age difference watching the trailer, and the chemistry between the two is stronger than any age gap just like with Union and her own husband.

If Gabrielle Union was able to channel the real-life age-gap challenges she went through with her husband Dwyane Wade for her new book-to-screen adaptation, that should mean we’ll be experiencing some sweet chemistry and a very realistic love story in The Perfect Find. You can watch the rom-com now with a Netflix subscription.  

Hollywood is a place for the stars, but as the world gets more connected and innovations in technology allow for people to accomplish more from a greater distance, celebrities are moving elsewhere. However, Dwyane Wade is happy in California after spending a large part of his career living in Florida. Now, the former Miami Heat player has explained why he's not currently living in Florida anymore, and the important reason that drove him away. 

Despite having a county named after him in Florida, Dwyane Wade revealed why he moved out of the state in 2019 to California. The NBA legend explained in a recent interview on the Showtime series Headliners with Rachel Nichols that living in Florida was not an option due to a belief they wouldn't feel welcomed due to the state's policies that impact his trans daughter, Zaya (via People). He explained:

Rachel Nichols specifically noted that there might be some state legislators in Florida who were fans of Dwyane Wade when he led the Miami Heat to three NBA Championship titles throughout his career. However, those fans could also be politicians who helped facilitate legislation that made him and his family feel unwelcome. 

Dwyane Wade's candid comments about Florida aren't too surprising, as he's long been a champion of fighting for his daughter Zaya's rights. This included a public battle with his ex-wife Siohvaughn Funches-Wade, who attempted to try and block Zaya's gender and name change in November. Overall, Wade has been very supportive of Zaya's transition alongside his current wife, Gabrielle Union, and it makes sense that this was one of the reasons they moved to California. 

Those with Showtime or the add-on via a Paramount+ subscription will get to see more of Dwyane Wade's conversation with Rachel Nichols on Headliners and see the former ESPN reporter interview Wade about various moments in his life. This includes stories from Wade that involve Michael Jordan, someone that the Chicago native idolized growing up. It's fair to say Wade has amassed a good deal of fans after his wonderful career, so I bet there will be more people interested in seeing what else he says in this interview, including his thoughts about leaving Florida.

Later this year, Dwyane Wade will join Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, Becky Hammon, and Gregg Popovich as the latest inductees in The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. It's a well-deserved honor for the superstar, and he'll be able to reflect on his career and celebrate the honor with his whole family.    

Headliners with Rachel Nichols airs new episodes on Showtime Thursdays at 10:00 p.m. ET. There are already a number of episodes for those unaware of the series to stream, so be sure to check it out if you're someone who enjoys interviews with some of the biggest names in the NBA, past and present. 

Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union have served as staunch advocates for the LGBTQ+ community in recent years since their daughter, Zaya, came out as transgender. The Hollywood power couple and their family have received both support and backlash for backing their daughter’s name change and transition. Until recently, a legal battle was also playing out in court regarding her name and, ultimately, the court ruled in favor of the change. Union and Wade got candid, after the fact, about supporting their daughter.

The Wades’ eldest daughter won her case to legally change her name after her mother filed an objection last year to stop it. In the decision, the judge also ruled that her gender would be changed on documents. ET caught up with the proud parents days later at the NAACP Image Awards, where the married couple received the President’s Award for the advocacy work for the LGBTQ+ community. Gabrielle Union was jovial, as she relayed how her daughter was feeling after the court's decision:

It's unfortunate that the couple's 15-year-old daughter has faced scrutiny since coming out as transgender in 2020. Gabrielle Union seemed unfazed by the discourse over her stepdaughter’s sexual identity, though. The actress actually showed grace to those who've shared negative remark, as she pointed out why the constant chatter is so divisive:

The Bring it On icon is used to being in the spotlight and knows what comes with it. She deserves plenty of props for taking the high ground when it comes to handling the ignorance. Zaya Wade herself has refrained from making any remarks, as her parents keep her away from social media outside of the occasional post.

As the world continues talking about his daughter, Dwyane Wade has found himself bothered by the online chatter at times. Wade also understands that “the temperature” isn’t the best for the transgender community right now, and that folks still need to educate themselves. In the midst of all of that, the former NBA player has already has set a firm goal for himself in regard to his kid:

Zaya Wade is incredibly fortunate to have her father and stepmother in her corner, as she embraces her true self. And the comments the two shared with ET are only part of the way in which they showed love for the young lady. Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade gave her a shout-out during their moving speech at the NAACP Image Awards. Look at the touching clip below:

While the couple continues advocating for the rights of their daughter and others, they still share fun family moments that involve matching Bring It On costumes or their youngest daughter, Kaavia, channeling Ariel effortlessly. You can't help but love that the celebrity parents are so supportive of their kid, and one can only hope that other parents or guardians will follow their example.

In the meantime, you can catch Gabrielle Union in various projects across multiple platforms by using a Disney+ subscription or an Apple TV+ subscription. Her latest small-screen production is the third season of Truth Be Told, which can be streamed with the latter membership and drops episodes on Fridays as part of the 2023 TV schedule.

During its heyday in the 2000s, Punk’d built a reputation by pranking Hollywood A-listers like Kim Kardashian using unfathomable scenarios. Most of the outrageous pranks paid off, with the stars at the center of them left mad, sad or utterly shocked. But not all the ventures were successful, as its been rumored that certain episodes were scrapped due to the target figuring things out. One person who didn’t fall for anything was Gabrielle Union, who was a target of the show on different occasions. And just recently, she and series alum Dax Shepard hilariously recalled the multiple failed attempts.

The major misses came to light when Gabrielle Union was a guest on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. As mentioned on the show, he host had interviewed the actress' husband -- former NBA star Dwayne Wade -- in 2022, so they're definitely familiar with each other. However, the former Parenthood cast member pointed out they'd met more than two decades earlier. Union couldn’t recall when or where she'd met him, leading Shepard to mention her unaired Punk’d episodes:

Upon the podcast host recalling his Punk’d days, the actress immediately recalled being on the popular hidden camera show. She even specifically remembered how many times she was on it, saying that the crew "tried twice" to get her. Dax Shepard further clarified that he was only part of one of the attempts, and it's very specific:

Clearly, he just wanted to make sure his guest (and listeners) knew that he personally only failed once. From here, the Inspection star detailed the first failed trick the MTV show tried to play on her:

This first fake scenario actually triggered Gabrielle Union, as she called parking garages “the bane of her existence.” She brought up her anxiety associated with them and remembered where her car is parked. Dax Shepard corrected her by saying that those ventures happened before the prank reality series’ first season premiered. Shepard then shed light on the second time the team tried to get Union:

Anyone would be thrown off when seeing a huge satellite dish (associated with space exploration) in your yard. Union recalled pulling up to her home with the dish in her driveway, and it apparently didn't take her long to sense what was really going on:

So the Cheaper by the Dozen star already came into the outrageous situation with a healthy amount of skepticism. It's also interesting to hear that Jamie Foxx was involved, and it seems that little detail had even slipped Shepard's mind:

After Union caught on and walked away from Shepard, he mentioned series creator Ashton Kutcher trying to persuade him to push the prank even more. But the podcast host recalled having to give Kutcher a reality check after Union’s skepticism kicked in:

So I'd say that the chief takeaway from both of these situations is that you simply can't pull one over on Gabrielle Union. The star -- who recently voiced a character in Disney's Strange World -- is just too astute. So if Ashton Kutcher's proposed Punk'd reboot does ever get off the ground, don't expect her to be one of the prankees.

The actress will return as a guest star on a different sequel series -- The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder -- later this year though, and you'll be able to stream her episode using a Disney+ subscription. You can also watch classic episodes of Punk'd if you're a Hulu subscription-holder. And don't forget to look over our 2023 TV schedule for more small-screen premieres.

When Frozen’s Elsa said “let the storm rage on” during her show-stopping number, she wasn’t kidding. Nearly a decade after the Disney movie was first released, it remains a Mouse House classic and a popular favorite for families to listen to over and over. I’m sure many parents can relate to Gabrielle Union’s thoughts on “Let It Go,” which she recently admitted is on her do not play list. 

Gabrielle Union just joined the ranks of Disney animated characters as a part of the Strange World voice cast. But just because she’s now part of the Disney family doesn’t mean she’s going to bump Idina Menzel’s princess power ballad anytime soon. As Union recently said about the Frozen hit: 

Union burned “Let It Go” while compiling the soundtrack of her life with NME. Among the artists on her favorites were Earth Wind & Fire, Adele, Beyoncé and Boyz II Men, but when asked about the song she can no longer listen to, the Frozen track was No. 1. And, it all comes down to her daughter playing the song way too much during her “heavy Frozen phase.” 

It’s no secret Union’s daughter is a huge Disney fan. Earlier this month, the actress hosted an Encanto-themed 4th birthday party for her daughter, with their whole family getting dressed up. Previously after the trailer for the The Little Mermaid live-action movie dropped, Union also shared a photo of her daughter all decked out in an Ariel costume too. So clearly she’s raising a Disney kid! 

Following the massive success of Frozen, both Idina Menzel and Princess Anna actress Kristen Bell are well aware how annoying it can be to parents. Back in 2019, Menzel said that “as much as it might be annoying” to a lot of parents, it’s “one of the great gifts” of her career. She’s shared that it gives her a way to communicate and connect with people all over the world. 

Just a couple months ago, Bell was inducted into becoming a Disney Legend at the D23 Expo and said she was “sorry to every parent who had to listen to Frozen on a loop”. Kristen Bell also said playing the Disney Princess has been the “highlight” of her life, aside from her kids, of course. 

Union is far from the only parent who likely has blacklisted “Let It Go” from her ears, but it just goes to show how much of an earworm it is not only for kids, but everyone. You can, of course, relive Frozen with a Disney+ subscription now. And, you can meet Gabrielle Union’s Disney character, Meridian, in Strange World, which is now playing in theaters. 

Disney has taken us to many wonderful and also very “strange” worlds in its nearly 100-year history. In 2022, the company’s animation department is taking that specific mantra to heart with a new theatrically released movie called Strange World, in which a farmer is reunited with his long-lost father — a legendary explorer — after he and his family become embroiled in a dangerous mission through bizarre and unexplored terrain.

Disney has employed a star-studded ensemble of talented actors to breathe life into the lovable characters from this character-driven sci-fi/fantasy adventure that has come to theaters just in time for the Thanksgiving weekend. Let’s go over who plays who in the Strange World cast.

Jake Gyllenhaal (Searcher Clade)

Leading the Strange World voice cast as Searcher Clade, a simple man whose extraordinary family history catches up with him, is Jake Gyllenhaal. The Academy Award nominee is known for westerns like Brokeback Mountain and The Sisters Brothers, horror movies like 2001’s Donnie Darko and Velvet Buzzsaw, gritty crime thrillers like Zodiac and Nightcrawler, and action-packed popcorn flicks like Michael Bay’s Ambulance, most recently. 

In fact, one of the actor’s last collaborations with Disney (which his role as Mysterio in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Far From Home would, technically, not count as) was an action-packed popcorn flick called Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time from 2010. Gyllenhaal — who made his acting debut at 11 in 1991’s City Slickers — last leant his voice to an animated movie when he joined Netflix’s Spirit Untamed cast in 2021.

Dennis Quaid (Jaeger Clade)

As Searcher’s famous adventurer father, Jaeger, we have Dennis Quaid, who last played Jake Gyllenhaal’s onscreen dad in Roland Emmerich’s 2004 disaster movie, The Day After Tomorrow. He has also previously gone on bizarre adventures in classic ‘80s movies like Jaws 3-D, Dreamscape, Enemy Mine, and Innerspace and also in more recent years with horror flicks like Pandorum and another animated sci-fi film from 2007, Battle for Terra.

Quaid, who earned an Emmy nomination for playing Bill Clinton in 2010’s The Special Relationship, has played a few other historical figures — astronaut Gordon Cooper in The Right Stuff, Jerry Lee Lewis in Great Balls of Fire!, and Doc Holliday in Wyatt Earp, to name just a few — and has given acclaimed performances in grounded dramas like Traffic, Frequency, and Far From Heaven. We have barely scratched the surface of all this living legend is known for, but one other sci-fi father/son story we feel especially compelled to mention here is the 1999 time-travel drama, Frequency.

Jaboukie Young-White (Ethan Clade)

Playing Searcher’s 16-year-old, adventure-craving son, Ethan, is Jaboukie Young-White, whose first voice acting role was from a Disney movie: McNeely in 2018’s Ralph Breaks the Internet. He followed with spots on animated series for Netflix (namely Big Mouth, Bojack Horseman, and Battle Kitty), various characters on Amazon Prime’s Fairfax, his first reunion with Disney for two episodes of Baymax! as Mbita, and an episode of Fox’s The Great North, most recently.

The stand-up comedian, who made his feature film debut in 2017’s Rough Night, is also known for a few live-action Netflix exclusives, including Set It Up, Someone Great, and American Vandal (the latter of which he wrote for) and some Comedy Central originals — namely his tenure as a The Daily Show correspondent and three episodes of Awkwafina is Nora from Queens. He also played himself on Showtime’s Crashing, appeared alongside Joaquin Phoenix in A24’s C’mon C’mon, and landed recurring roles alongside Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building cast and on HBO Max’s Rap Sh!t.

Gabrielle Union (Meridian Clade)

As Meridian — Searcher’s wife and Ethan’s mother who is also a talented pilot — we have Gabrielle Union, who has previously starred in Disney projects both live-action (H-E Double Hockey Sticks in 1999 and 2022’s Cheaper by the Dozen) and animated (Jungle Cubs from the mid-1990s, an episode of The Proud Family, and Disney Channel’s The Lion King series spin-off, The Lion Guard, as Nala). She also leant her voice to an episode of Family Guy in 2005 and an animated Netflix movie from 2019 called Fearless.

The actor’s more iconic roles include Chastity Church from the 10 Things I Hate About You cast, Isis from the quintessential cheerleading movie, Bring It On, and the title character of the hit TV series Being Mary Jane, to name a few. Like her onscreen husband in Strange World, Union has also worked with Michael Bay in the second of the Bad Boys movies as Sydney Burnett, whom she would reprise on the series L.A.’s Finest and, also in 2022, starred in A24’s LGBTQ+ drama, The Inspection.

Lucy Liu (Callisto Mal)

The Clades are roped into the adventure at the center of Strange World by Callisto Mal — a former member of Jaeger’s team and now president of the nation of Avalonia — who is voiced by Jaboukie Young-White’s Set It Up co-star, Lucy Liu, whose voice acting career dates back to the mid-1990s. Her most notable animated credits, however, include the straight-to-video Mulan sequel from 2004 as Mei, the Kung Fu Panda franchise (including the upcoming fourth installment) as Viper, an episode of Star Wars: Visions called “The Duel,” and a guest appearance on Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? as herself.

Her most famous live-action roles span both the big and small screen — such as her Emmy-nominated performance as Ling Woo on Ally McBeal (which is also, reportedly, getting a sequel), Kitty Baxter in the 2003 Best Picture Oscar winner, Chicago, Alex Munday in the early 2000s Charlie Angels movies, O-Ren Ishii in Kill Bill, and Joan Watson on CBS’s modern-day Sherlock Holmes reboot, Elementary. Liu, who also recently played herself on the 11th season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, is about to join the DC movies universe a Kalypso in one of the most anticipated upcoming 2023 movies, Shazam! Fury of the Gods.

I am always game for a movie that takes its characters and its audience on a wondrous journey into a new and highly imaginative place, while also tugging at your heart strings a bit along the way. In fact, I think that Disney has quite a knack for doing just that with some of its most memorable features, and it looks like Strange World and its A-list cast is about to earn a spot alongside that collection.

Thanksgiving week is a good week to go to the movies. The kids are off school, it’s generally cold outside, and with new titles hitting theaters on Wednesday, it’s a great excuse to sneak away for a couple of hours before any holiday festivities begin. Disney’s got a handful of upcoming animated movies in the works, and the next to hit the big screen will be Strange World, the story of the Clade family, a group of farmers who set off on a mission to save their world of Avalonia. The reviews are in to help us decide if we want to fit this sci-fi adventure into our holiday week schedules.

Strange World stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White and Gabrielle Union as the Clades, and the trailer promises a trippy adventure, as well as a new Disney dog to love. It sounds like we’re off to a strong start, so let’s see if the critics agree, starting with CinemaBlend’s review of Strange World. Our own Sarah El-Mahmoud rates the movie 3.5 stars out of 5, saying there were a couple of missed opportunities with the script, but overall, the multigenerational storyline is affecting. She says: 

Carlos Aguilar of The Wrap agrees with CinemaBlend’s critic that the movie is heavy-handed in its message about fathers and sons, and how a parent’s expectations can become an unfair burden on their children. In the critic’s words: 

Petrana Radulovic of Polygon says the adventure story competes too much with the plot involving the family dynamics. While the family story might be good to explore in a different movie, it serves to weaken the more interesting story here, the critic argues: 

Josh Spiegel of SlashFilm says Strange World lives up to its name in terms of its artistry, with buoyant pacing and trippy visuals but with a questionable marketing scheme. The critic says: 

Peter Debruge of Variety calls the movie creatively fresh and fails only in its unimaginative story. However, it sounds like this one is still worth the watch, according to this review: 

The critics all mention and seem to appreciate how the movie handles Disney animation’s first openly gay lead, Ethan (Jaboukie Young-White), in which there is no fanfare or coming-out moment, but rather, simply acceptance.

If you’d like to check out Strange World, you can do so in theaters beginning Wednesday, November 23. You can also check out what other Disney movies are coming up, as well as take a peek into the new year with our 2023 Movie Release Schedule. 

Gabrielle Union latest flick in the upcoming Disney movie Strange World marks another celebratory moment for inclusion from the studio. The Bring It On actress voices the role of Meridian, a loving wife, mother and skilled pilot that is key to Disney Animation’s original science fiction adventure. When CinemaBlend spoke to Union about her Disney character, she showed a lot of pride for Meridian’s place in the studio’s storied canon, including her more attainable body type. 

During our conversation, we talked about a Disney trope that just doesn’t happen in Strange World. While many heroes from the House of Mouse tragically lose their parents or are separated from them, Meridian, alongside Jake Gyllenhaal’s Searcher Clade are the present and supportive mom and dad to Jaboukie Young-White’s Ethan Clade. In Gabrielle Union’s words: 

Strange World introduces Searcher and Meridian Clade as happy and in love parents who harmoniously cook together and steal smooches much to Ethan’s chagrin. As Gabrielle Union reflected on her latest role, she realized how rare it is for a Disney animated film to showcase parents in this light. It’s one of many things the actress is proud of when it comes to her Strange World character, which she said was “completely” collaborative. 

Union was also happy to see her character has a body type that she calls more “reasonable” than past beloved animated women from the studio. We’ve come a long way since Sleeping Beauty and The Little Mermaid’s stick-thin princesses, even with Lilo & Stitch’s Nani being ahead of its time back in the early ‘00s. As Gabrielle Union pointed out, it’s so “important” for the studio to represent diverse looks across its characters, and the Strange World family can soon count itself as a new addition to its canon as the studio’s 61st feature film. 

Then there’s the aspect of Strange World showcasing a biracial family as well, with Gabrielle Union among few Black women in major feature films from Disney Animation after previously bringing diversity to a live-action Disney remake with Cheaper By The Dozen. Gabrielle Union is proud of Meridian’s natural hair and to be part of this representation. Her daughter was recently one of the many children who became empowered by the live-action The Little Mermaid trailer, and quickly channeled the princess. 

When speaking about her time working in the voice booth with the filmmakers, Gabrielle Union also shared that the “majority" of her ad libs made it in the film to her surprise, including phrases she uses in her everyday life as a mother herself. As she said: 

Gabrielle Union made Meridian her own, and her authenticity is sure to connect with people. Check out the Strange World trailer here on CinemaBlend before you experience it in theaters on November 23.  

NBA veteran Dwyane Wade has been a staunch supporter of his 15-year-old daughter Zaya, who came out as transgender in 2020. He and his wife Gabrielle Union have appeared to show unwavering support for Zaya and others in the queer community through social media comments, conversations with other parents and at LBGTQ+ events. However, after filing a petition in August to have Zaya’s name and gender officially changed, the former Miami Heat guard was forced to respond to accusations from his ex-wife, who filed her own court documents attempting to block the changes.

Siovaughn Funches-Wade, who was married to Dwyane Wade from 2002 to 2010 and is Zaya's mother, filed documents in Los Angeles on November 1, per NBC News, that said her ex-husband “may be pressuring our child to move forward with the name and gender change in order to capitalize on the financial opportunities that he has received from companies” since Zaya came out. Wade responded to the “serious and harmful allegations” in a lengthy Instagram message that read in part:  

The three-time NBA champion, who also shares The Little Mermaid-loving daughter Kaavia with Bring It On star Gabrielle Union, called it a “damn shame” that he had to address this situation on social media. He pointed out that he was granted sole custody of his two children with Siovaughn Funches-Wade, and had stated in August when he filed Zaya’s petition that he had informed his ex-wife “as a courtesy.” He continued: 

He went on to say that Siovaughn Funches-Wade has been an “absent parent,” not taking time to speak or listen to Zaya over the years. You can read Dwyane Wade’s post in its entirety below:

Siovaughn Funches-Wade asked in her court documents that Dwyane Wade’s requests to have Zaya’s name and gender changed be denied. She stated that at the age of 18 Zaya could then make the decisions for herself. Funches-Wade alleged that her ex-husband told her in April that “a lot of money had been already made and that additional money will be made in relation to our child’s name and gender issue,” as “there would be endorsements/contracts associated therewith.”

The former NBA player, who has been open about his thoughts on the league and its legends, can currently be seen on the documentary The Redeem Team— available with a Netflix subscription — which details the 2008 U.S. Men’s Basketball Team’s path to the Beijing Olympics (and honors Kobe Bryant’s memory in the process). 

One of the best things so far to come out of Halle Bailey’s casting as Ariel in the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid is seeing young girls’ reactions to the trailer. Moms have been sharing videos of their Black daughters seeing the new Ariel for the first time, and it is simply magical to see their faces light up when they see themselves represented in the Disney mermaid. While the movie isn’t set to appear in theaters until 2023, I think it’s likely we’ll see more Ariel costumes popping up, with Halloween right around the corner. Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade’s daughter, for one, is already ready.

The Bring It On star tweeted a video of her 3-year-old daughter Kaavia living her best mermaid life, lounging in her purple bikini and shiny green mermaid tail, complete with red wig, of course. Check out Kaavia’s vibe: 

That hair flip is EVERYTHING. Gabrielle Union pointed out via hashtag that representation matters, and the 3-year-old was looking fabulous channeling that Ariel energy, apparently after seeing Halle Bailey singing in The Little Mermaid trailer “exactly one time.” The actress also shared a video to Instagram of Kaavia showing off her costume and dancing with her dad, retired NBA star Dwyane Wade: 

I love to see little Kaavia dancing with her NBA champion dad! It was pretty impressive, too, the way she had no trouble at all moving and grooving in that mermaid tail. She also seemed to know she looked good with that red hair, as she struck some poses for her photographer mother! The video garnered lots of likes and responses from other celebs, and even drew the attention of Ariel herself, with Halle Bailey remarking: 

Halle Bailey said it’s been an emotional experience, watching all the videos of young Black girls reacting to seeing a woman of color play the classic princess. She was even overwhelmed the first time she saw herself as Ariel!

Unfortunately the actress has seen some racist backlash to Ariel being portrayed by a person of color, but her family helped to give her perspective on how important what she’s doing is. Halle Bailey has also received support from the original Ariel actress, Jodi Benson, as well as Japanese-American actress Diana Huey, who was the first non-white actress to portray Ariel on a major stage. Walt Disney’s granddaughter even shared her candid thoughts on the diverse casting.

Hopefully the positive comments far outweigh the negative, and I think videos like the ones Gabrielle Union shared, as well as the posts from moms on social media, show just how much of an impact Halle Bailey is having on children. 

As we wait for the premiere of The Little Mermaid, be sure to stay up to date with these other upcoming Disney movies, and you can relive the original 1989 animated film with a Disney+ subscription. 

One of the toughest parts of living in California is the long stretches of time when rain seemingly refuses to fall. Southern California has faced its third year of drought, forcing a strong need to conserve water. Unfortunately, some of the biggest names in entertainment and sports have been using more of their allotment, as husband and wife Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union have been forced to respond after going 1400% over their water allotment.

According to The LA Times, more than 2,000 customers have been issued “notices of exceedance” recently by the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District for surpassing their monthly water budgets. NBA star Dwyane Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union are among those who have received this notice after they exceeded their allocated water budget by 1,400% (or 90,000 gallons) in June, and they have issued a statement: 

In their Hidden Hills Property, Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union, known for her roles in Bring it On, Deliver Us From Eva, and Think Like a Man, received notices and said their reason for exceeding water came from problems with their pool. Their excess water usage in June was actually lower than back in May when they went overbudget by over 489,000 gallons – more than any other customer. 

Properties around the area have had to make changes to conserve water like the installation of flow restrictor devices. The “Stage 3” restrictions that were imposed by the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District at the start of June are intended to deliver a 50% reduction in water consumption. In their statement, Dwayne Wade and Gabrielle Union explained what they plan to do to ensure they don’t use up this much water again:

Other celebrities who have used an excessive amount of water include Sylvester Stallone in his 2.26-acre Hidden Hills property using 533% more than its allocated budget. His attorney, Marty Singer, has defended the Rocky actor in how watering is necessary for the 500 mature trees he has on his property.

The Kardashians have also been accused of disobeying drought rules, with Kim exceeding by 232,000 gallons and Kourtney by 101,000 gallons. Kevin Hart was also on the list in June for his 519% increase in water allotment, per The LA Times. It can be a tough situation to keep your plants and trees are alive when you have little water budget to do it.

Aside from explaining eggplant emojis to her “blessed husband,” Gabrielle Union has been living her best life continuing to take on a number of projects. She’ll be in the 2022 upcoming movie The Inspection, which will be released by A24 on November 18. Union also has a role in the third season of the AppleTV+ series Truth Be Told. 

An upcoming Netflix movie is also be in the works for her as she is starring in and co-producing the Tia Williams novel adaptation The Perfect Find. Maybe if Bring It On gets a follow-up, Gabrielle Union can make her killer sequel idea a reality, and her character can have a teenage daughter following in her footsteps. I would definitely be on board for that.

Las Virgenes spokesman Mike McNutt believes that in the end, the responsibility falls on the land owner to follow water allotment rules in order to be an example to all of the other Southern Californians. Hopefully, in the months to come, more celebrities will band together to ensure that water allotment rules are followed for water conservation efforts to succeed.

Talks of a theatrical Bring It On sequel have been floating around for some time. One of the biggest proponents of a potential follow-up has been Isis actress Gabrielle Union. In fact, she’s been the most vocal about it. Despite all the sequel talk, there haven’t been any updates in some time. While everything on the Bring It On front has been quiet, Union decided to throw out a killer idea for the long-overdue sequel.

The Bring It On alum’s idea came up as the cheerleading teen comedy was celebrating its theatrical release 22 years ago. Gabrielle Union hopped on her Twitter account and retweet a post from a magazine acknowledging the special occasion. But rather than do a simple retweet, Union decided to throw out her take on a possible sequel to the cult classic. In her tweet, the actress couldn’t help but acknowledge the passage of her time in a unique way. Check out Gabrielle Union’s full tweet below.

Mentioning Isis being the mother of a teenager may call for a sequel alert. Union wasn’t wrong with her estimation as Isis was a high school senior in the original film. Of course, the following sequels didn’t keep up with the Clovers cheer squad leader’s life. Her post-high school could include a child who’s the same age she was in 2000.

Many fans would be excited at this potential, considering moviegoers always wanted to see more of the strong-headed leader and her East Compton cheerleading team. Getting a sequel focused on Isis’s offspring could rectify the situation. Gabrielle Union spoke on her regrets for muzzling her character while shooting Bring It On despite having all autonomy over her portrayal. It would be nice to see how her kid’s cheerleading experience might be similar or different to hers. The real question is… would Torrance Shipman or her offspring be the main rival again or start with a clean slate and new obstacles?

The push for an official sequel to the 2000 film has been going on for years. Torrance Shipman herself Kirsten Dunst has been down for a sequel since 2019. Union also spoke on the matter when the teen comedy was celebrating its 20th anniversary by saying on The Late Late Show with James Corden the sequel was absolutely happening with the entire cast ready to reprise their roles. Original Bring It On writer Jessica Bendinger and director Peyton Reed have been open to doing a proper sequel to the original film. So, it appears that everyone is on board and ready for cheer stunts.

The original Bring It On became a surprise hit in 2000, raking in more than $90 million at the box office. The film marked Kristen Dunst’s first leading role in a film and Gabrielle Union’s first key role after appearing in a series of 1990s teen classics, including She’s All That. The cheerleading cult classic has continued to live on without the original cast and crew through six- direct-to-video sequels and a stage musical adaptation.

If you want to watch every cheer-teraction between the Toros and Clovers, get an Amazon Prime subscription to rent or buy Bring It On. Once you’re done with the cult classic, you can watch the best movies on the streamer.

For millions of viewers, Kevin Hart has been on their screens – big and small – for more than a decade. But every Hollywood superstar has their humble beginnings, and Hart is no different. The comedian had his Hollywood breakthrough as miserable divorcee Cedric with the ensemble romantic comedy Think Like a Man. He showed how much his breakout role still means to him by celebrating the rom-com’s tenth anniversary. The Jumanji actor didn’t celebrate the milestone alone as his co-stars responded to his lovely throwback post. That includes both Gabrielle Union and Romany Malco.

Nostalgia was in the air as multihyphenate Kevin Hart took to his Instagram to show off photos featuring him and the cast. He remembered how the role changed his career for the better. Hart couldn’t believe how much time has passed since the rom-com hit theaters. He pulled from a mix of images to highlight the film’s release date. Check out the Fatherhood actor’s sweet throwback collection in his post below.

Seeing all those images brought back memories of when the ensemble comedy dropped in 2012. At the time, Hart was known for his stand-up comedy after his earlier leading man effort Soul Plane didn’t pan out for him and his budding film career. The movie marked the first time he led a Hollywood project, and is considered one of his best movies. Looking at the photos recalled a time when having a majority Black cast was an anomaly in Hollywood. At the same time, it harkened back to the days when rom coms were movie theater staples.

But the Borderlands actor wasn’t the only one looking back at his time filming the ensemble comedy. Many followers decided to comment on Kevin Hart's nostalgic post. Of course, some notable commenters left the responses. Co-star Gabrielle Union (who played long-term committer Kristen) reciprocated Hart’s sentiment by commenting:

The actor’s onscreen roomie Romany Malco (aka playboy Zeke Freeman) followed Union’s hilariously sweet words with a nice update. Malco was looking back while living in the present, writing:

The family vibes kept going as The Chi’s Lala Anthony couldn’t help but comment on the post. Just like the Night School actor, Anthony spoke on how her role as Mya (played by Meagan Good)’s bestie Sonia changed her career as well.

Of course, Gabrielle Union’s movie significant other Jerry Ferrara (who played non-committal Jeremy) didn’t want to be left out of the lovefest. He took a moment to shout out the comedian in his touching comment.

It’s nice to see the cast is still close a decade after the comedy was released. Not only did the rom-com start and revitalize several acting careers but birthed a franchise. Think Like a Man was a commercial hit in 2012, grossing $96.1 million with its sequel grossing $70.2 million. Both films received mixed to poor reviews. The first movie, based on television personality Steve Harvey's best-selling relationship advice book, is considered one of the best rom-coms of the last decade. 

To see why Kevin Hart was fondly looking back at the film, you can check it out by subscribing to Hulu or Amazon Prime. Of course, you can check what Hart has in store for 2022 by checking out our movie schedule.

If there’s something that film buffs love, it’s a good director’s cut. The extended movies can draw mixed responses, with some being viewed as inferior to their original counterparts and others considered vast improvements over the first product. The latter case was true for Zack Snyder’s Justice League, which greatly differed from Joss Whedon’s theatrical version of the epic. For many, it was evident that the superhero team-up had a lot of footage that had been left on the cutting room floor. Some may not think that would be true with a production like Disney+’s Cheaper by the Dozen, though Gabrielle Union has now revealed something she’d like to see in a “Snyder Cut'' of the family-friendly feature.

Director Gail Lerner and producer Kenya Barris (who gave a blunt-but-funny note during production) packed a lot into their retelling of Cheaper by the Dozen. There’s a “drag race” involving a group of kids, a big birthday party scene and even a dance-off sequence. Yet when I recently spoke To Gabrielle Union about her time working on the movie, she explained that there are a few funny moments that didn’t make the final cut. And those scenes apparently involved the adult characters:

The veteran actress was indeed working with some true comedic talent in those scenes. Two of the stars in question were Abby Elliott and June Diane Raphael, who played Tricia and Anne, respectively. Elliott is a former Saturday Night Live cast member, who’s also appeared on notable shows like How I Met Your Mother and Inside Amy Schumer. Meanwhile, Raphael has starred in high-profile comedy films such as The Disaster Artist and Long-Shot and is known for her roles in shows like New Girl and Big Mouth. So yeah, their credentials more than speak for themselves.

It honestly would’ve been interesting to see what the group of actresses were able to come up with while they were ad-libbing. Of course, as Gabrielle Union mentioned, some of those jokes weren’t exactly right for kid-centric fare. Somehow I get the impression that the powers that be may not have wanted heavily “spicy” one-liners in the Disney+. Nevertheless, it’s great that Union enjoyed her time working with the stars. 

That actually wasn’t the only thing that the Bring it On star appreciated about working on the movie. She also revealed to CinemaBlend that she joined the production because she saw “zero diversity” in family films growing up. So for her, taking on the role of Zoey Baker alongside on-screen husband Zach Braff (who wanted to shed Scrubs’ J.D.) was a way to rectify that lack of representation. And the film certainly does succeed in showing a modern, blended family. 

The chances of the public getting to see a “blue” version of Cheaper by the Dozen using a Hulu subscription are somewhat slim, but anything can happen, right? After all, there was a time when the Snyder Cut seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream. So who’s to say we can’t get a more “mature” look at Gabrielle Union’s Baker family?

Cheaper by the Dozen is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription. Be sure to stay up to date on the other features heading your way using CinemaBlend’s schedule of upcoming movies.

Gabrielle Union and family fare aren’t usually mentioned in the same sentence. She tends to lean toward iconic roles in more broad comedies and dramas, along with some action flicks. So doing a new interpretation of Cheaper By the Dozen added a traditional family film to Union’s extensive film resume, but that doesn’t mean the actress isn’t a fan of the genre. She grew up on them, but there was one glaring omission that drove her to join the Disney+ movie.

Growing up in Nebraska, the Cheaper By the Dozen star watched countless family fare courtesy of her older sister. She spent years watching the original Cheaper By the Dozen, along with classic musicals Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Meet Me in St. Louis. While Union cherished those films, she noticed a lack of diversity amongst the casts. Gabrielle Union opened up to CinemaBlend about her observations while sighting another Disney movie, saying:

Seeing the Disney animated musical Encanto (which CinemaBlend's Dirk Libbey rated 4.5 out of 5 stars) as the first real diverse family spoke volumes. As classic as Gabrielle Union’s favorites are, the glaring omission of diversity and representation was obvious despite those films taking place in the real world. So Union felt it was her obligation to change the look of family films. That’s why she chose to do the latest Cheaper By the Dozen remake, but doing the film was more about mirroring her current family life and upbringing on screen. In her words:

As Gabrielle Union pointed out, many families across different racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds function similarly to the one in Cheaper By the Dozen. Having multiple generations in one home isn’t far from the norm. Unfortunately, as Union mentioned, that portrayal is often shown in a negative light because of often-difficult circumstances, but the Disney+ film is the actress' way of correcting that narrative. Of course, Union isn't one to hold her tongue, as witnessed with her regret over muzzling her Bring it On character Isis. 

Of course, the Disney+ remake is the third time this large, blended family has come to the screen. The 1950 original film was a critical and box office hit before being revived in 2003 with a loose adaptation starring Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt respectively playing Tom and Kate Baker, with a sequel arriving in 2005. The cast of the 2003 film reunited to recreate some beloved scenes for the non-profit No Kid Hungry. While the newest remake is receiving mixed reviews, the film is changing the look of blended families in cinema. You can watch Cheaper By the Dozen now, along with other amazing movies on Disney+.

It has been nearly 20 years since the successful Steve Martin and Bonnie-Hunt led Cheaper by the Dozen (a remake itself) was released in theaters, and so a reboot of the franchise was bound to happen sooner or later. And now that day has come…

If you have a Disney+ subscription and have checked the new movie (or plan on watching it soon), you probably want to know where you've seen all those familiar faces (like Gabrielle Union and Zach Braff) as well as all those not-so-familiar faces in the Cheaper by the Dozen cast, in the past (there are so many kids, as the name would imply). Well, look no further, because we have a list of all the stars and where you’ve seen them before…

Gabrielle Union (Zoey Baker)

Gabrielle Union takes on the role of Zoey Baker, one of the two parents at the center of the massive Cheaper By The Dozen ensemble cast. For well over a quarter-century now, Union has appeared in dozens of iconic film and TV roles that include both remembered classics and forgotten gems.

Whether she was appearing in Bad Boys II (which got its own spinoff series years after the fact) or giving career-making performances in Bring It On, or even doing modern-day William Shakespeare adaptations like 10 Things I Hate About You, there’s a chance you’ve seen Union on more than one occasion throughout her career. And, let’s not forget her work on the small screen, which includes 7th Heaven, Being Mary Jane, and The Lion Guard.

Zach Braff (Paul Baker)

Stepping in as Paul, the second parent in the gigantic extended Baker family, is Zach Braff, who has remained a fixture of film and TV since getting his break with the long-running medical comedy series, Scrubs 20, years ago.

Outside of providing some stellar moments as J.D. in the best Scrubs episodes, Braff has brought his unique style of humor and sensibility to movies like Garden State (which he also wrote and directed), the 2005 adaptation of the Chicken Little books, The Last Kiss, Wish I Was Here, and the ABC sitcom Alex, Inc. Braff’s director-only projects include Going in Style, an episode of Ted Lasso, and Solos. Braff also directed The Comeback Trail, a crime comedy starring Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, and Morgan Freeman that was slated for release in 2020 but has been pushed back multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Journee Brown (Deja)

Stepping in as Deja, one of the 12 Baker kids in the new and improved Cheaper by the Dozen, is Journee Brown.

Including Cheaper by the Dozen, Brown only has three credits to her name so far in her young career, including Jordana Spiro’s 2018 drama, Night Comes On, and two episodes of the popular Netflix series Orange is the New Black, on which she portrayed a younger version of Vicky Jeudy’s character, Janae Watson.

Kylie Rogers (Ella)

Kylie Rogers shows up in the Cheaper by the Dozen cast as Ella Baker, one of the older kids in the crowded yet fun-loving home. 

Throughout her career, which goes back to a brief appearance on the long-running soap opera series, Days of Our Lives back, in 2012, Rogers has split her time between the small screen and the silver screen for several dozen performances. Her TV work includes one-off roles on shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Chicago P.D., and Yellowstone (she played the younger version of Beth Dutton in the show’s first season). Major TV roles include Home Before Dark and The Whispers. 

Over the years, Rogers has landed roles in movies like Skin, Collateral Beauty, Space Station 762, and Mojave to name only a few. She is next set to appear in Ari Aster’s upcoming comedy horror movie Disappointed Blvd. alongside Joaquin Phoenix, Nathan Lane, and numerous others, according to Deadline.

Aryan Simhadri (Haresh)

Taking on the role of Haresh in Cheaper by the Dozen is Aryan Simhadri, who has started to build up an impressive list of credits since making his acting debut on How to Live with Your Parents (for the Rest of Your Life), in 2013.

Since then, Simhadri has shown up on shows like Will & Grace, Teachers, The Unicorn, Just Roll with It, and Adventures in Wonder Park, as well as a list of film productions that includes Spin, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, and The Main Event.

Leo A. Perry (Luca)

Although one of the least-experiences members of the Cheaper by the Dozen cast, Leo A. Perry, who plays Luca, probably won’t be in that category much longer.

Outside of the new Disney+ streaming exclusive, Perry has appeared on an episode of black-ish as well as The Big Leap, which was his first role back in 2021.

Mykal-Michelle Harris (Luna)

Despite being one of the youngest members of the Cheaper by the Dozen cast, Mykal-Michelle Harris, who takes on the role of Luna, is actually one of the faces in the Disney+ movie with the most credits to her name, astoundingly enough.

Whether it is through her role of Santamonica Johnson on mixed-ish, Madeline on The Affair, or the younger version of Bonnie on Big Little Lies (fingers crossed for a third season of the popular HBO show), or even that of Alice Baxter on the Disney Channel original series, Raven’s Home, there’s a good chance you recognize Harris. Her other performances, which go back to 2016, include The Gospel, The Karma Club, A Kid Called Mayonnaise, and several other movies, shows, and short films.

Christian Cote And Sebastian Cote (Bailey And Bronx)

Taking on the roles of Bailey and Bronx in Disney's latest film adaptation of Cheaper by the Dozen are relative newcomers Christian and Sebastian Cote, whose careers only just got started in 2020 with a small role as George Keller (they both stepped in for the role) on the Hulu original horror drama series, Monsterland, which also featured performances from the likes of Kaitlyn Dever, Taylor Schilling, and Bill Camp, to name just a few of the many stars on the show that saw seemingly everyday people interacting with fallen angels, werewolves, and mythic beasts.

Andre Robinson (DJ)

Taking on the role of DJ, one of Zoey and Paul Baker’s many children, in the Cheaper by the Dozen cast is Andre Robinson, who has been all over the place since providing voice-work for the 2013 video game, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. 

Since then, Robinson has either appeared in or provided his voice for roles in movies like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Ron’s Gon Wrong (which is streaming on Disney+ and HBO Max), The Hurricane Heist, Ferdinand, The Dark Tower, 12 Years a Slave, and Despicable Me 2. His TV work includes The Loud House, Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky, Summer Camp Island, A Tale Dark & Grimm, American Dad, Family Guy, and New Girl, to name just a small portion of his work. 

Caylee Blosenski (Harley)

Caylee Blosenski shows up in the Disney+ streaming movie Cheaper by the Dozen as Harley, one of the 12 kids living under Zoey and Paul’s crowded roof. This is the first film role for the young actress, but Blosenski did take on the role of Marty Cavanaugh in the 2021 scripted podcast documentary series, Last Known Position, which followed a group of experts as they attempted to trace and recover a plane that mysteriously vanished in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. 

Luke Prael (Seth)

Taking on the role of Seth in Cheaper by the Dozen is up-and-coming actor Luke Prael, who has a handful of roles to his name since making his debut several years ago.

It all started for Prael with the 2016 short drama film, Boy in a Backpack, which he followed up with an appearance in Boarding School. Outside of Cheaper by the Dozen, Prael’s biggest movie to date is Bo Burnham’s 2018 coming-of-age comedy, Eighth Grade, in which he played Aiden.

Erika Christensen (Kate) 

Erika Christensen shows up in Cheaper by the Dozen as Kate, who is seen in the movie’s trailer not being all that observant when babysitting the Baker kids while Zoey and Paul are out of the house.

Christensen’s career goes back to the 1997 film adaptation of classic sitcom series Leave it to Beaver. Following a string of TV appearances on shows like The Practice, Frasier, 3rd Rock from the Sun, and Touched by an Angel, Christensen landed one of her most prominent roles to date as Caroline Wakefield in Steven Soderbergh’s Academy Award-winning drama, Traffic. 

Her other film roles include Swimfan, The Upside of Anger, The Tortured, and Kimi, to name only a few. Christensen’s work on the small screen includes Parenthood, The Geena Davis Show, Ten Days in the Valley, and Wicked City.

And, that’s just the main Cheaper by the Dozen cast, as other familiar faces like June Diane Raphael, Ron Funches, and others pop up throughout the latest Disney+ movie. If you want to know what else is coming out on the popular streaming service or your local theater, check out CinemaBlend’s list of all the 2022 movie releases so you don’t miss a thing.

Disney+ is set to release another remake of Cheaper By the Dozen — the third movie to come from the 1948 novel of the same name. After a 1950 version starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy, the version today’s audience is likely more familiar with is the 2003 remake starring Steve Martin with a classic performance alongside Bonnie Hunt as the parents of the large brood. This new iteration, directed by Gail Lerner, adds a twist to the story, as Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union star as the parents of the multiracial, blended family. 

Braff and Union are leading the way, but as the film centers around the hectic lifestyle of a large family, the children play big parts as well. Some may recognize a couple of the young actors — like Journee Brown (Orange Is the New Black) and Kylie Rogers (Yellowstone) — but get ready to be introduced to some fresh faces amongst the cast. Critics have had the chance to screen the film, so what are they saying about the newest on Cheaper By The Dozen?

Let’s take a look at what the reviews are saying, starting with our own CinemaBlend review. Dirk Libbey rates Cheaper By the Dozen 2.5 stars out of 5, saying the cast is impressive and contains more diversity than the previous movies — the ensemble includes multiple ethnicities, and one daughter uses a wheelchair — which is “wonderful to see.” But the movie tries to squeeze in so many plot points that some of the characters end up shortchanged:

Ferdosa of ScreenRant also rates the Disney+ film 2.5 out of 5 stars, calling the movie “insincere” and that the creative choices seek to be diverse, but don’t provide any real representation: 

This sentiment is echoed by Josh Spiegel of SlashFilm, who rates Cheaper By the Dozen a 3.5 out of 10 – saying this remake that “not a whole lot of people were asking for” feels like an executive decree for diversity without any true creativity or wit:

Courtney Howard of Variety says Cheaper By Th Dozen's noteworthy commentary on poignant issues is often eclipsed by poor character development and inconsistent pacing. However, its heart is in the right place, and the updates serve to strengthen the story’s legacy:

Elizabeth Weitzman of The Wrap says Gabrielle Union is “flawless” as Zoey Baker, but like the other critics, Weitzman says the film is guilty of telling the family’s story rather than showing it.

The critics seem to agree that adding diversity to this familiar story is a definite upgrade, but many find Cheaper By the Dozen unsuccessful in developing its many characters and tackling social issues due to the limited screen time. You can check out Cheaper By the Dozen for yourself, and from the comfort of your own home, as the film will be available for streaming on Disney+ on Friday, March 18.  

You can also check out what else is available in vast library of movies on Disney+, and be sure to peek at our 2022 Movie Release Schedule to see what’s coming soon!

Cheaper by the Dozen is a story that is technically over 100-years-old. The original novel was written by two members of the Gilbreth family in 1948, but it dealt with their lives as two of 12 children growing up in the first quarter of the 20th century. The book has been adapted into film twice previously, once in 1950 starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy, and then again in 2003 with Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt. Now a brand new take is arriving on Disney+, and while the new version isn’t without its charm, and some well needed updates, it tries to do a lot with a lot of characters in a very short amount of time, leaving a messy result.

Directed by Gail Lerner, this version of Cheaper by the Dozen introduces us to the Baker family: Paul Baker (Zach Braff) is a chef who was married to Kate (Erika Christensen) and had two kids, Ella (Kylie Rogers) and Harley (Caylee Blosenski). They then adopt godson Haresh (Aryan Simhadri) when his parents passed away. Meanwhile, Zoe (Gabrielle Union) was married to pro football player Dom (Timon Kyle Durrett) and they had two kids of their own, Deja (Journee Brown) and DJ (Andree Robinson). After both couples get divorced, Paul and Zoe meet, marry each other, and end up having two sets of twins, Luna and Luca (Mykal-Michelle Harris and Leo Abelo Perry) and Bailey and Bronx (Christian and Sebastian Cote). Everybody caught up?

The Baker family runs a restaurant together, and it’s successful, though the large family is barely scraping by. However, when Paul gets a chance to pitch a delicious sauce that he makes to some investors, the family has real money for the first time –  allowing them to buy the larger house they desperately need in a neighborhood they could not previously afford. 

There's an incredibly diverse cast in Cheaper by the Dozen, though some stars get shortchanged.

Obviously, the cast here is quite extensive, and one of the things this version of Cheaper by the Dozen does right is diversify the cast. We’ve got the younger kids of the two lead characters who are biracial, and multiple ethnicities represented among the older children. It’s made clear in a shot of the couple’s wedding that Braff’s character is Jewish, and daughter Harley is confined to a wheelchair. This family is incredible, and it's wonderful to see. They go through many difficulties, but none of them are internal.

The characters are all solid and Cheaper by the Dozen does its best to give each member of the family, including cousin Seth (Luke Prael), who joins the story midway through, their own arcs. But as one might expect with a cast this large and a runtime significantly shorter than The Batman, that's tough to pull off.

While the racial diversity is welcome and is a part of the story, the other diverse elements are here, but clearly less important. Paul’s Judaism, for example, doesn’t come up beyond one shot in a montage, and Caylee Blosenski’s Harley is one member of the family who simply doesn’t have much impact on the story. It’s brought up at the beginning and end of the story that she’s in a punk band, but we never see the group, and her musical interests don't impact anything but her clothes. 

Cheaper by the Dozen includes a lot of interesting ideas without actually being a movie about most of them. 

On the one hand, it can be seen as a positive that a disabled character appears in the movie without the disability being the focus of the story, but because the character is largely left out of the key conflicts in the film, it feels like Harley was written this way just for the sake of having a disabled character. She doesn't have a narrative of her own, though it feels like perhaps there may be one on the cutting room floor.

It would not be shocking if there were plots in Cheaper that were cut for time because there is a lot jammed in here as it is. There are so many plots and subplots that Cheaper By the Dozen never seems to be quite sure what it’s about. The movie starts with Zoe’s ex announcing that he is retiring and so will be able to help out more, a decision that Paul, who is uncomfortable with Dom’s wealth, has trouble reconciling. It looks like this will be a battle of the dads story... but then Dom disappears for the middle third of the movie. 

Paul then gets his big sauce-based business opportunity, and while some of the family have some reservations about the decision to risk so much (maybe this is what the movie will be about...) the family moves to a new gated community. There, racial tensions with the very white neighbors immediately flare up, leaving the whole business plot alone for a while. It then looks like the racial and class struggles will be what the movie will be about, but it’s really only a subplot that is never really resolved.

Some narrative threads that appear as though they are being abandoned do return later in Cheaper By The Dozen to be satisfied, but most of them are just hand-waved out of existence, meaning that none of the resolutions really feel satisfying. It’s very much the “Disney movie” version of the story. 

Cheaper by the Dozen has a little bit for everybody, but maybe not enough as a whole for anybody. 

This is not to say that there isn’t value in a lot of what Cheaper by the Dozen gives us. A movie that has kids drag racing on scooters indoors, in a scene clearly designed to appeal to younger viewers, includes some real discussions of race that are incredibly honest. It makes you see what the film could have been if this was what it was about, instead of it simply being a small part in a broad spectrum of plots.

Alternatively, this could have just been a family slapstick comedy, and that could have been ok too. There’s nothing wrong with being something fun and silly for families to watch on Disney+. What we end up with, however, is something that tries to be both, and it ends up failing to succeed at either. There's just a lot going on in Cheaper by the Dozen and its heart is in the right place, but raising a family this big was always going to be messy, and in the end, so is the movie.

Throughout Hollywood’s history, there’s been a bias toward white audiences that has bled into the industry today. While there is a concerted effort for movies and television to better reflect the experiences of more people than ever before these days, there’s much more progress to be made. In spirit of being perceptive to the need for continued representation, let us celebrate how the most iconic Black voices in film broke through into the Hollywood mainstream. 

From Whoopi Goldberg’s start in the ‘80s to Michael B. Jordan just under a decade ago, let’s talk about some of the unforgettable film performances by Black actors that helped really catapult them into super fame. 

Whoopi Goldberg In The Color Purple (1985) 

Whoopi Goldberg is currently a seasoned performer who co-hosts The View following becoming one of the few entertainers in history to receive an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony wins). The actress got her start on the stage where The Graduate director Mike Nichols discovered her and assisted in a transition to Broadway which led Steven Spielberg to learn of her and cast Goldberg in The Color Purple. 

At the age of 30, Whoopi Goldberg found her breakthrough with Spielberg’s book adaptation that became commercially and critically successful and earned her a Best Actress Oscar nomination. Since then, Goldberg has been continually successful, also finding many memorable roles in Ghost, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Sister Act. 

Denzel Washington In Cry Freedom (1987) 

Denzel Washington is among the most respected and beloved actors in movie history today. The actor got his start in theater as well after studying acting classically. Shortly after graduating, he nabbed a role in the comedy Carbon Copy alongside George Segal before becoming part of the medical drama St. Elsewhere. In terms of the actor’s breakthrough into the decorated actor he is now, it all started with his role in Richard Attenborough’s Cry Freedom alongside Kevin Kline. 

The 1987 film based on a true story saw Denzel Washington playing Steve Biko, a South African anti-apartheid activist. The movie that opened up a discussion about discrimination and political corruption led to Washington’s first Oscar nomination and a career packed full of challenging and important roles like Glory, Malcolm X, Training Day and many more. 

Laurence Fishburne In Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Laurence Fishburne is another all-time great Black actor who continues to star in incredible movies and TV shows today including his role in the forthcoming John Wick movie. Fishburne got started in Hollywood at the age of 11, finding roles in ABC soaps before being part of Apocalypse Now as a teen. Throughout the ‘80s he found roles here and there, including a minor role in The Color Purple with Whoopi Goldberg. He starred in Spike Lee’s second film, the under-the-radar School Daze, but 1991’s Boyz n the Hood really brought the actor to the forefront. 

John Singleton’s now modern classic Boyz n the Hood starred Cuba Gooding Jr, Ice Cube, Nia Long, Regina King and Angela Bassett in a crime drama that kickstarted all their careers. At the time Fishburne was recognizable for his nearly 20 year career, but Boyz n the Hood was the first mainstream successful movie that showcased Fishburne’s talent when he played the father figure, Furious Styles (one of many performances he should have received an Oscar for).  Following that performance he started receiving acclaim for a number of roles and of course became Morpheus in The Matrix. 

Angela Bassett In What’s Love Got To Do With It (1993) 

Angela Bassett is an icon, full stop. Before the actress assumed that title, she graduated from Yale University with a degree in African-American studies and went back to study acting for her MFA. She then moved to Los Angeles and found early key roles in Boyz n the Hood and Malcolm X. She received attention for playing Malcolm X’s wife in the film, but it was 1993’s What’s Love Got To Do With It that allowed her to breakthrough and become the star she is today. 

Bassett portrayed Tina Turner in the biopic, which became a well-loved film and led Bassett to receive major award attention, along with becoming the first Black woman to win the Golden Globe for Best Actress. She went on to star in other major films including Strange Days, Waiting To Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back and tell Rosa Parks’ story in Ride To Freedom. 

Don Cheadle In Devil In A Blue Dress (1995) 

Don Cheadle is one of the coolest and most interesting actors of our day along with him being notably part of the Marvel family as James Rhodes/War Machine as well. After graduating with a BFA in theater in 1986, he got his start in small roles in Hollywood. He found early roles in movies like Colors and an episode of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alongside Will Smith. Things started really heating up for the actor when he starred in Devil in a Blue Dress with Denzel Washington. 

The 1995 neo-noir movie based on the Walter Mosley novel instantly got people talking about how Cheadle stole the show in the role of Mouse. The role led Cheadle to level up in Hollywood, leading to roles in Boogie Nights, Out Of Sight and the Ocean’s films leading to a continually illustrious career. 

Gabrielle Union In Bring It On (2000) 

The breakthrough performances we’ve talked about thus far are mainly dramatic performances, making Gabrielle Union’s big moment notable to shed light on. The actress started on TV, finding roles in series such as Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sister, Sister, 7th Heaven and Friends before finding small roles in teen movies She’s All That and 10 Things I Hate About You. Union became a big name when she starred as Isis in 2000’s Bring It On alongside Kirsten Dunst. 

The cult classic about rival cheerleading teams caught the attention of Hollywood and led the actress to be cast in CBS medical drama City of Angels and find more leading roles, such as in 2003’s Deliver Us From Eva and Bad Boys II. Over twenty years later, she remains a prominent name who is never short of a new role. 

Viola Davis In Far From Heaven (2002) 

Viola Davis is a prolific actress with a number of great performances we love. How did she get here? Davis was a graduate of Juilliard and got her start on the stage, finding her first Broadway role at 31 for an August Wilson play, which has continued to be a notable part of her career. Her early roles were brief in big movies like Ocean’s Eleven, Kate & Leopold and Antwone Fisher. Her breakthrough role was in 2002’s Far From Heaven as Sybil, the housekeeper and confidant to Julianne Moore’s lead character. 

A few years later, Davis’ prominence grew with her role in Doubt and other movies like The Help and Suicide Squad. Nowadays, when a Viola Davis movie comes out, we sit up and pay attention. 

Jamie Foxx In Collateral (2004)

Jamie Foxx got his start telling jokes at a comedy club’s open mic night in 1989 thanks to a girlfriend’s dare. Later, he became part of the cast of In Living Color before nabbing a sitcom of his own called The Jamie Foxx Show. As we know in the '90s, TV and movies were a different game. Foxx broke out into the movie business in 1999 with Any Given Sunday but the movie that really cemented his continued popularity is 2001’s Collateral. 

He starred alongside Tom Cruise in an action thriller that earned him his first Oscar nomination. Just a few months later, his portrayal of Ray Charles led the actor to also nab a Best Actor nomination in the same year and win. 

Taraji P. Henson In Hustle & Flow (2005)

Taraji P. Henson studied drama at Howard University before starting off as a background performer in the early '90s. After finding a first movie role in 1991’s Baby Boy, her breakthrough role was in 2005’s Hustle & Flow, alongside Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson and Ludacris. The independent film about a hustler and pimp who becomes a rapper was a huge success at the time, putting Henson on the map. 

Henson then received buzz for starring in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button along with starring in big movies including I Can Do Bad All By Myself and The Karate Kid remake. She later reunited with her Hustle & Flow star for the Fox hit series, Empire alongside a vast career in Hollywood. 

Michael B. Jordan in Fruitvale Station (2013) 

One more recent performance by a Black actor that has turned an actor into a big star is Michael B. Jordan’s in Fruitvale Station. The Ryan Coogler film premiered at Sundance in 2013 to high acclaim before making a mark on Hollywood in other ways. Thanks to the movie’s big splash, Coogler and Jordan partnered up again to make Creed alongside Sylvester Stallone and then for 2018’s Black Panther. 

There’s a lot more incredible breakthrough performances we certainly missed, but it’s interesting to see how some of Hollywood’s biggest Black stars got their start. Here’s to celebrating more great actors in the years to come. You never know where the next major star will pop up first in upcoming movies. 

In Disney’s quest to, seemingly, make the most live-action remakes and reboots out of any movie studio, Cheaper by the Dozen will soon be remade for the popular streaming platform, Disney+, as an original movie for 2022, starring Gabrielle Union and Zach Braff. 

However, with the new Cheaper by the Dozen movie, what is going to be different about this take? Who is going to star in it? What’s it going to be about? If you’re looking for some information about the latest adaptation coming to our TV screens soon, here are six quick things we know, as well as what to expect. 

Cheaper By The Dozen Will Release In March 2022

The latest news to come from Disney during their Disney Plus day in November 2021 is that the new Cheaper by the Dozen film will be releasing on Disney+ in March of 2022. Believe it or not, that’s not that far from when the reboot was announced, so it won’t be long before we are seeing this new version on our screens. 

This is the third movie iteration of the Cheaper by the Dozen story. Based on the 1948 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, the first Cheaper by the Dozen came out 1950, starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy, which received a sequel called Belles on Their Toes. Years later, in 2003, a remake of the movie starring Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt released, and became commercially successful enough for it to receive a sequel two years later, Cheaper by the Dozen 2. Now, we're coming back to this classic story for a third time. 

The Disney+ Reimagining Will Center On A Multiracial, Blended Family Of Twelve

Aa announced during Disney+ Day, new details have come out on what exactly the plot of this new adaptation would be. In a video released on Twitter, stars Gabrielle Union and Zach Braff spoke to fans about the movie, and how it will feature a multiracial family this time around. 

The previous reboot of Cheaper by the Dozen is arguably one of the most known ones, starring the ever witty comedy legend, Steve Martin, and Bonnie Hunt. While there was the original version back in the 1950s, I personally love the latest one the most. 

However, hearing that this version of the classic movie is going to center around a multiracial family has me excited. It’s a good new take on the story.

Zach Braff And Gabrielle Union Will Star 

As mentioned before, both Zach Braff and Gabrielle Union will star as the parents of the new Cheaper by the Dozen. Both of these stars have had plenty of time in Hollywood, appearing in very popular movies and TV series, so it’s not a surprise that they were picked to be the matriarch and patriarch of this big movie. 

Braff is known for his starring role as J.D. in the hilarious medical comedy series, Scrubs. He’s also appeared in movies such as Garden State, Wish I Was Here, The Disaster Artist, and many more. Union has appeared in a variety of movies, such as the epic teen movies Bring It On, She’s All That, and 10 Things I Hate About You, the buddy cop film, Bad Boys II, Daddy’s Little Girl, and many others, and played Mary Jane Paul in Being Mary Jane on television.

With two talented actors with resumes as impressive as theirs, I have a feeling that this new reboot will be in good hands. 

Cheaper By The Dozen Has A Huge Ensemble Cast

With the main plot of Cheaper by the Dozen centering around this giant family with a lot of kids, it was only a matter of time before they confirmed who exactly is going to be playing both Braff and Union’s children. According to Deadline, those roles have finally been fulfilled. 

Joining the film as the children to these parents will be Journee Brown, Kylie Rogers, Andre Robinson, Caylee Blosenski, Aryan Simhadri, Leo A. Perry, Mykal-Michelle Harris, Christian Cote, Sebastian Cote, and Luke Prael. Now that is a lot of kids. 

Some of these children’s names might look familiar, such as Journee Brown, who was featured in shows like Orange is the New Black, or Kylie Rogers from Miracles from Heaven. However, many of these actors are fresh-faced when it comes to Hollywood. And, honestly, I can’t wait to see what they do as the iconic family. 

Gail Lerner Is Set To Direct Cheaper By The Dozen

With every comedy there must be a director with the skills to bring something like this to the big screen. A huge multiracial family that is trying to keep their lives together while also managing their business? That’s a job for Gail Lerner, the director of the upcoming adaptation of Cheaper by the Dozen, according to Variety. 

Lerner has worked on a variety of different shows, such as the sitcoms Ben and Kate, Trophy Wife, Happy Endings, and the classic Will & Grace, but what makes her qualified for this version of Cheaper by the Dozen is her work as a producer on the long-running hit family comedy, Black-ish. 

Black-ish, if you didn’t know, is an ABC show about an African-American family, revolving around the lives of the parents as well as the children, as they juggle both personal and sociopolitical issues. This, in turn, led to two different spin offs due to its popularity, Mixed-ish and Grown-ish. 

For someone who has worked on Black-ish for so long and knows how to direct projects filled with family dynamics, I think Lerner will be the perfect fit for Cheaper by the Dozen and will bring her expertise to the forefront of the Disney+ movie.

Shawn Levy - The Director Of The 2003 ‘Cheaper By The Dozen’ - Will Serve As An Executive Producer  

As I mentioned earlier, probably one of the most recognizable versions of Cheaper by the Dozen is the beloved 2003 adaptation starring Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt. That version was directed by Shawn Levy. Per the earlier Variety article, Levy is actually going to be returning to this reboot - not as a director, but as an executive producer, alongside Gabrielle Union. 

Levy has been very active in Hollywood since his hit family comedy. Recently, he directed the Ryan Reynolds-led comedy, Free Guy, along with plenty of other comedies, like The Internship, Date Night, and the Night at the Museum franchise. He’s also been an executive producer on the hit Netflix series, Stranger Things, and has directed two episodes during each season. 

Even if Levy won’t be returning to direct Cheaper by the Dozen on Disney+, I have a feeling that because he’s involved, it will be a great movie. The love and care he put into the 2003 film will never be beaten, and him coming back for this reboot means the world, especially after everything he’s done since then. 

What are you the most excited for when it comes to the new Cheaper by the Dozen? The family drama? The hijinks with the kids? I know that when it comes out, I’ll be on Disney+ instantly. Now, all we have to do is wait.  

Bring It On and L.A.’s Finest actress Gabrielle Union has been married to NBA star Dwyane Wade for seven years now, and they share one child together. Not every couple is made up of two people who are famous and well-established in totally different fields, and based on some recent comments from Union, their relationship is rock solid… even though she did have to enlighten her NBA husband about the meaning behind eggplant emojis.

As anybody immersed in the pop culture world probably knows by now, the eggplant is the emoji used to represent a penis without explicitly saying it, and people can get pretty creative with it. According to Gabrielle Union in an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Dwyane Wade’s preference for a certain kind of clothing and cruising comments sections have meant that she had to enlighten him. She said:

Well, not everybody can know everything when it comes to emoji etiquette, but Dwyane Wade is now up on the meaning of the eggplant when it comes to his comment section thanks to Gabrielle Union. As somebody who works more in the showbiz side of entertainment as opposed to sports, it makes sense that Union would be more tuned in to what people on social media are saying.

After all, Gabrielle Union has a lot of fans herself, going all the way back to the late ‘90s and early 2000s thanks to projects like 10 Things I Hate About You, Bring It On, and Bad Boys II, and she even recently spoke out about her regrets for how she played her Bring It On character opposite Kirsten Dunst. (She has also had encouraging things to say about a Bring It On sequel, though!)

Throw in Gabrielle Union’s small screen roles on Becoming Mary Jane and L.A.’s Finest on top of her brief but very memorable stint as a judge on America’s Got Talent, and Union has every reason to be tuned in to pop culture. Husband Dwyane Wade evidently wasn’t tuned in enough to know the meaning of the eggplant emoji, but it’s entertaining to know that he’s definitely not mad about finding that emoji in his comments. Social media comment sections aren’t always pretty for famous people, after all!

It can be fun to get a window into the lives of celebrities, whether they’re stars of the large and small screen like Gabrielle Union or NBA stars like Dwyane Wade, and Union shared some entertaining trivia about their marriage for fans to enjoy.

It’s been over 20 years since Bring It On was released, and the iconic teen film has been the source of many a cheeky reference, from spirit fingers to Cliff’s cringey bon-bon song. Even though the film is now a cult classic, star Gabrielle Union has recalled her role in the film opposite Kristen Dunst as Clovers’ head cheerleader Isis, and says he regrets how she portrayed the character. And the reason has to do with long-standing racial stereotypes.

Gabrielle Union has now written her second book titled You Got Anything Stronger? and she has an entire chapter dedicated to her Bring It On character Isis. She touches on this in an appearance on Good Morning America, and says that she wishes she would not have “muzzled” Isis by reigning in her anger. Here’s what the Bad Boys franchise star says, exactly:

Gabrielle Union is not one for sugar coating things, and she explains that not having Isis feel and react with the anger like the other members of the Clovers had was a mistake. By having Isis take “the high road”, she, in a way, may have allowed the unfair stereotype of the angry Black woman to continue. Kristen Dunst’s character’s team the Toros had not only stolen one cheer, but had been rewarded for stealing years worth of creativity from the Clovers, a predominantly Black team.

The injustice was clear to pretty much everyone who watched the film: the Clovers were overwhelmingly a better team in both physical and creative talent. Despite that obvious fact, the Clovers had not been given the credit they deserved nor were they ever recognized as the talent they were. Thankfully, the film did have the decency to give 1st prize to the Clovers at the end of the film, but that hasn’t stopped Gabrielle Union for being stuck on how Isis should have been portrayed.

In the same appearance, Gabrielle Union says that she should have let Isis explore her anger more. What the Toros team had been doing was wrong, yet Union feels that the way she portrayed Isis may have downplayed just how bad the transgression was. Here it is in her own words:

While more angry may have made Isis more human and given her team strength, the way Gabrielle Union played Isis was nowhere near weak. Both Union and Isis exuded strength anytime she was on screen in Bring It On. In fact, Union’s performance in Bring It On just may have been the most unrealistic thing in the movie - solely because the woman who was Isis was so much beyond a high school senior in both presence and maturity.

I don’t think there is anyone who would call Gabrielle Union’s portrayal of Isis weak, although she's reflecting on how she played the beloved character. Even so, Union has grown as an actress and has seemingly learned from the self-proclaimed mistake she made when playing Isis. She has since played a number of Black women who could never be described as “muzzled” and is staying true to both who she is and what she represents on big screen. If and when a true sequel ever happens, it would be exciting to see how Union brings Isis back with this new perspective on the character.

This weekend, audiences can see a retelling of a familiar tale with Netflix's He's All That, a modernized remake of 1999's well-liked teen rom-com, She's All That. Though the movie received mixed reviews from critics, it earned a wide audience, becoming one of the most popular teen flicks of the '90s, thanks to the endearing chemistry shared between Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook. In a cast that includes several famous faces, including Gabrielle Union, Kieran Culkin, Anna Paquin, and the late Paul Walker, it's easy to wonder what the A-list ensemble has been up to for the past 20-plus years. That's where we can help! Here's what the She's All That cast is doing right now.

Freddie Prinze Jr. (Zachary “Zack” Siler)

As Zachary "Zack" Siler, the high school hotshot who boasts that he can turn any random girl into the Prom Queen, Freddie Prinze Jr. played a handsome hunk in 1999's She's All That. He also starred in I Know What You Did Last Summer, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, and Summer Catch. Additionally, Prinze Jr. played Fred Jones in Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed. The actor's other credits include The House of Yes, Down to You, Boys and Girls, Head Over Heels, and Brooklyn Rules.

Additionally, on TV, Freddie Prinze Jr. starred in or played recurring roles in 24, Boston Legal, and Freddie, where he also served as a producer and creator. Outside of acting, Prinze Jr. hosted USA Network's First Impressions and he was a host and creative consultant on WWE Raw. Furthermore, Prinze Jr. lent his voice to Disney XD's Star Wars Rebels. Earlier this year, the television actor starred in Peacock's Punky Brewster, which was canceled. Prinze Jr. was also recently heard in Disney+'s Star Wars: The Bad Batch.

Rachael Leigh Cook (Laney Boggs)

In the role of Laney Boggs, a nerdy, bespectacled art student who becomes the subject of two boys' dare to turn a random girl into the Prom Queen, Rachael Leigh Cook was the star of She's All That. She's also known for playing the titular Josie McCoy in Josie and the Pussycats. Additionally, Cook starred in The Baby-Sitters Club. Her other film credits include The House of Yes, Tom and Huck, Blow Dry, and Nancy Drew. Also, Cook can be seen in Get Carter, Carpool, Living Out Loud, Texas Rangers, 11:14, Tangled, A Midsummer's Nights' Dream, and several direct-to-video films. Moreover, the actress is heard in Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children and Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.

Additionally, on TV, Rachael Leigh Cook starred in TNT"s Perception. She also played recurring roles in Dawson's Creek, Las Vegas, and Psych. Furthermore, Cook starred in Hallmark's Frozen in Love and Autumn in the Vineyard. Last year, she headlined Love, Guaranteed and Cross Country Christmas. This year, Cook could be seen in Film Fest. Also, most recently, the film actress was given a sizable supporting role in He's All That.

Matthew Lillard (Brock Hudson)

Playing the part of Brock Hudson, a crude, lewd reality TV star who starts dating Zack's ex, Matthew Lillard is a wild-and-out guy in 1999's She's All That. Most notably, Lillard played Shaggy Rogers in Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. He has also voiced the character in several animated films, notably after Casey Kasem retired from the part. His other film credits include Scream, SLC Punk!, Summer Catch, Without a Paddle, The Descendants, Trouble with the Curve, The Groomsmen, and Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Moreover, Lillard acted in and directed Fat Kid Rules the World.

Additionally, on television, Matthew Lillard was praised for his performance as William Hastings in Showtime's Twin Peaks: The Return. He can also be seen in Bosch, Halt and Catch Fire, and The Bridge. Furthermore, Lillard is heard in Robot Chicken, Beware the Batman, and All Hail King Julien. Most recently, he appeared on NBC's Good Girls, and he played Principal Bosch in Netflix's He's All That. Next, Lillard will star in One Heart.

Jodi Lyn O’Keefe (Taylor Vaughan)

As Taylor Vaughan, Zackary's deeply narcissistic ex-girlfriend, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe played a cold-hearted character in She's All That. Away from this popular film, the actress is also recognized from Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. O'Keefe's other film credits include The Crow: Salvation, Whatever It Takes, Frozen Ground, Devil in the Flesh 2, Soul Fire Rising, Venice Underground, The Scare Hole, Merry Ex-Mas, and 2018's Edge of Fear.

Additionally, on TV, Jodi Lyn O'Keefe gained prominence as Cassidy in CBS's Nash Bridges. She's also known for her starring roles in Prison Break, Hit the Floor, and The Vampire Diaries. Furthermore, O'Keefe had recurring roles in Boston Legal, Another World, Two and a Half Men, and The Evidence. She was last seen on Legacies in 2018.

Kevin Pollak (Wayne Boggs)

In the role of Wayne Boggs, Laney's unsophisticated father, Kevin Pollak is a real schlub in 1999's She's All That. He has appeared in several notable films throughout his career, including A Few Good Men, Grumpy Old Men, Grumpier Old Men, The Usual Suspects, Casino, Wayne's World 2, That Thing You Do!, The Whole Nine Yards, The Wedding Planner, and L.A. Story. Additionally, on TV, Pollak plays Moishe Maisel in Amazon Prime's The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He also provided recurring roles in Mom, Better Things, Shark, Coming of Age, Morton & Hayes, The Drew Carey Show, and Billions.

Furthermore, Kevin Pollak is a renowned impressionist and he hosted the podcast Kevin Pollak's Chat Show for over a decade. He's also the director of 2015's Misery Loves Comedy and 2016's The Late Bloomer. Next, Pollak will appear in FX's American Crime Story: Impeachment. He was also recently in Notorious Nick. Additionally, Pollak will be seen in 4 Kings and Hypnotized and heard in Injustice: Gods Among Us!: The Movie.

Usher (Campus DJ)

Playing the part of Campus DJ, the life of the party, Usher received one of his first film roles in She's All That. The actor's other credits include The Faculty, Light It Up, Killers, In the Mix, Geppetto, Texas Rangers, Scary Movie 5, Muppets Most Wanted, Hands of Stone, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Burden, Hustlers, and Incredibles 2. Most notably, Usher is a chart-topping singer-songwriter with several best-selling CDs — including his 1994 self-titled album, My Way, 8701, Confessions, and Here I Stand.

Confessions, in particular, turned the artist into a major talent, having sold over 80 million records. Most recently, Usher appeared in Hulu's Bad Hair. As a musician, Usher collaborated with Zaytoven on 2018's A. Later this year, he'll release Confessions 2.

Kimberly “Lil' Kim” Jones (Alex Chason Sawyer)

As Alex Chason Sawyer, a member of Taylor's inner circle, Kimberly Jones, i.e. "Lil' Kim," made her feature film debut in 1999's She's All That. Her other film credits include Juwanna Man, Gang of Roses, Zoolander, Longshot, You Got Served, Those Who Walk in Darkness, and Superhero Movie. Most notably, Lil' Kim is a best-selling rapper with several chart-topping albums to her name, including Hard Core, The Notorious K.I.M., La Bella Mafia, and The Naked Truth. Following an extended absence, the musician released her long-awaited fifth album, 9, in 2019. Furthermore, Lil' Kim starred in reality TV shows like BET's Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown and VH1's Girls Cruise. She was also a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and made appearances on Moesha, American Dreams, The Game, and DAG. Additionally, Lil' Kim is known for her striking, adventurous, and often fabulous style, and she has been considered a fashion icon.

Anna Paquin (Mackenzie “Mac” Siler)

In the role of Mackenzie "Mac" Siler, Zackary's sister who gives Laney her big makeover, Anna Paquin had a notable supporting part in She's All That. Most notably, Paquin won an Oscar for her supporting turn in The Piano, her acting debut. She's also known for playing Rogue in the X-Men movies. Additionally, Paquin starred in Fly Away Home, Margaret, A Walk on the Moon, The Parting Glass, and Tell It to the Bees. She's also seen in Almost Famous, Finding Forrester, 25th Hour, The Squid and the Whale, Trick 'R Treat, and The Irishman. Furthermore, Paquin can be heard in The Good Dinosaur.

Furthermore, on TV, Anna Paquin won a Golden Globe for her lead role in HBO's True Blood. She was also Emmy nominated for HBO's Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee and starred in Amazon's Flack. Most recently, Paquin was seen in the streamer's Modern Love. Next, she's slated to appear in American Underdog, and she's filming True Spirit.

Kieran Culkin (Simon Boggs)

Playing the part of Simon Boggs, Laney's little brother, Kieran Culkin is a real stinker in 1999's She's All That. Most notably, Culkin was Emmy-nominated for his standout performance as Roman Roy in HBO's Succession. Previously, the television actor played Rye Gerhardt to wide acclaim in FX's Fargo Season 2. Additionally, Culkin led NBC's short-lived Go Fish, and he appeared in NBC's The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns.

Furthermore, outside of television, Kieran Culkin played Jason "Igby" Slocumb, Jr. in Igby Goes Down. He's also known for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, the Home Alone films, and the Father of the Bride movies. His other film credits include It Runs in the Family, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, Lymelife, Wiener-Dog, Movie 43, Margaret, The Cider House Rules, and The Mighty. Recently, Culkin reprised his role as Matty Banks in Father of the Bride, Part 3(ish). Most recently, the actor was seen in HBO Max's No Sudden Move. Next, Culkin will play Roman Roy in Succession Season 3.

Gabrielle Union (Katarina “Katie” Darlingson)

As Katarina "Katie" Darlingson, one of Taylor's best friends, Gabrielle Union made her feature film debut in She's All That. Only one year later, the actress found her breakout role in 2000's Bring It On. Union also starred in Deliver Us From Eva, The Brothers, Daddy's Little Girls, Bad Boys II, Cradle 2 the Grave, Top Five, Cadillac Records, City of Angels, Almost Christmas, Sleepless, Breaking In, and the Think Like A Man movies. Her other notable film credits include Love & Basketball, 10 Things I Hate About You, Two Can Play That Game, Breakin' All The Rules, Running with Scissors, and Girls Trip.

Additionally, on TV, Gabrielle Union played the title role in BET's Being Mary Jane. She also starred in Spectrum's L.A.'s Finest, which was canceled this past October. Union previously had recurring roles in FlashForward, 7th Heaven, and Night Stalker. Next, she'll star in Disney+'s Cheaper by the Dozen, The Perfect Find, and The Inspection.

Paul Walker (Dean Sampson Jr.)

In the role of Dean Sampson Jr., Zackary's friend who challenges him to the dare, Paul Walker received one of his biggest parts in She's All That. Most notably, following his supporting turn in this high school rom-com, Walker played Brian O'Conner in several Fast & Furious movies. He also starred in Joy Ride, Running Scared, Into the Blue, Eight Below, Meet the Deedles, The Death and Life of Bobby Z, The Lazarus Project, Takers, and The Skulls. Additionally, away from the big screen, Walker could be seen in Throb, The Young and the Restless, and Who's the Boss? Quite tragically, in late 2013, the movie star was involved in a fatal car crash. He was only 40. Walker posthumously starred in Brick Mansions, Hours (which he also executive produced), and Furious 7.

She's All That is available to rent on Amazon.

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While 2020 was a hard year for many of us, it did have a few bright spots. One of those was The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Reunion, which saw Will Smith and original Aunt Viv actress Janet Hubert bury the hatchet after having not spoken to each other for decades. Following the sweet moment, it seems that Hubert is now re-entering the Hollywood sphere and is gaining work. One of her newest gigs is happening at Netflix and, after the news broke, the actress took to social media to share her thanks, even giving a special shout out to Gabrielle Union as well.

Janet Hubert is set to star in Netflix’s The Perfect Find, a rom-com based on a novel by Tia Williams. The Fresh Prince alum is joining a strong cast and, based on her recent comments on her Instagram page, it seems Gabrielle Union, who is also a producer on the movie, may have had a hand in her casting. You can check out Hubert’s sweet post down below:

An actor is typically grateful for just about any opportunity to work, but landing a Netflix role -- especially following an extended absence -- is a big deal. You have to love it when performers like Janet Hubert and Gabrielle Union support each other.

The two are set to be joined in the Netflix production by Lala Anthony, Aisha Hinds, Keith Powers, and Gina Torres, per Deadline. The film centers on a 40-year-old woman mulling whether she’s willing to risk everything for a steamy (and secret) romance with the only person who can upend her reality. As for what’s at stake, well, there’s her high-powered job, a bank account, and her biological clock, which is currently ticking. So yeah, there’s a lot on the line.

Anyone who’s aware of Janet Hubert’s story probably knows just how auspicious this period in her life is for her. While starring as Vivian Banks on the early seasons of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, tensions grew between her and co-star Will Smith. Things would ultimately come to a head in the third season, during which Hubert was pregnant and dealing with personal issues at home. After being given a “really bad” new deal, Hubert decided to depart the hit comedy though, for years, it was inaccurately reported that she was fired.

Though she left on her own, she was eventually branded as “difficult,” which took a toll on her career. You can hear her speak more on her life post-Fresh Prince by streaming the reunion special on HBO Max, which you can sign up for using this link.

Now, Janet Hubert seems to be jumping back into things in full force, as she previously landed a role on Tracy Morgan’s The Last O.G. And apparently, she’s also not hesitating to share her thoughts on current events. Needless to say, a Hubert renaissance has arrived, and it’s been a sweet sight to see.

While it is somewhat rare to hear someone ask about your favorite Gabrielle Union performance, there is not a doubt in my mind that anyone given the opportunity would have an answer. Even if you could not immediately put a face to the name, mere seconds after looking up her picture, you would immediately be able to recognize the actress from Bring it On, 2016’s The Birth of a Nation, or, perhaps, her 1997 guest spot on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, to name just a few of her various roles in movies and TV shows.

The 47-year-old actress, producer, and author, born in Omaha, Nebraska, has led a long and eclectic career that dates back to the early ‘90s when the modeling agency she interned for while studying at UCLA took her on as a client. Soon, she entered the world of acting in small TV guest spots before Hollywood began to take notice of her potential as a leading lady in the early 2000s.

To this day, Gabrielle Union is applauded for her strong opinions in social activism, uncompromising honesty about herself, and her talent that serves as an inspiration for young black women with similar aspirations. To celebrate her achievements, we look back on the 10 roles, from the big and small screen alike, that made her the icon she is today, starting with the first role to bring her mainstream success.

Isis (Bring It On)

If there is one movie that deserves to be credited for helping society recognize cheerleading as a sport, it would have be to be this 2000 high school comedy classic from director Peyton Reed that has spawned countless straight-to-video sequels. The titular challenge of Bring It On comes from Gabrielle Union’s Isis, the fierce leader of the East Compton Clovers, whom Torrance Shipman (Kirsten Dunst) discovers her squad, the San Diego Toros, previously stole championship-winning routines from.

Keesha Hamilton (7th Heaven)

Before hitting cinematic success, Gabrielle Union starred in a special 1996 episode from 7th Heaven’s first season as Keesha Hamilton, whose family is invited into the Camdens’ home after a group of racist extremists burn down their church. Union would reprise the role four more times throughout the series’ run in the late ‘90s, particularly as a close friend to sisters Mary (Jessica Biel) and Lucy Camden (Beverley Mitchell).

Chastity Church (10 Things I Hate About You)

One of the earliest and biggest hits of Gabrielle Union’s movie career is this cult favorite that reimagines William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew as a high school rom-com set in 1999. In 10 Things I Hate About You, Union plays Chastity Church, the best friend of sophomore Bianca Stratford (Laris Oleynik), whose father (Larry Miller) forbids her from dating Cameron James (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) unless her brazenly independent older sister, Kat (Julia Stiles), a senior, finds a beau. That is where bad boy Patrick Verona (a young Heath Ledger) comes in at Cameron’s request.

Evangeline Dandridge (Deliver Us From Eva)

Believe it or not, 10 Things I Hate About You was only the first remake of The Taming of the Shrew starring Gabrielle Union. The second was this funny and sexy 2003 romantic comedy in which she got to be “the shrew.” Union plays the uptight, meddlesome title character of Deliver Us from Eva, which also stars LL Cool J as a playboy hired by Eva’s brothers-in-law to date her as a distraction from her constant interference in their own lives, which leads to an unexpectedly genuine romance.

Nala (The Lion Guard)

Gabrielle Union succeeded the role of Nala, Simba’s lifelong friend and bride in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar, a one-hour special spin-off of The Lion King, which first aired on Disney Channel in 2015. She would reprise the voice of the character for several episodes of the series continuation, which follows her and Simba’s son, Kion (Max Charles), on adventures to protect the Pride Lands with his friends, who make up the titular heroic crew.

Gabby (H-E Double Hockey Sticks)

Years before her recurring role on The Lion Guard, one of Gabrielle Union’s first gigs with the House of Mouse was this devilish comedy made as The Wonderful World of Disney’s “movie of the month” in October 1999 on ABC. Union steals the show with a scenery-chewing performance in the aptly-titled H-E Double Sticks as Gabby, who is hired to help demon-in-training Griffelkin (Will Friedle) steal the soul of selfish NHL pro Dave Heinrich (Matthew Lawrence, who played Friedle’s best bud on Boy Meets World), until a charge of heart inspires the three of them to win the Stanley Cup in order to prevent Dave’s damnation.

Alice Kramden (The Honeymooners)

In this update of the classic 1950s sitcom starring and created by Jackie Gleason, Gabrielle Union plays Alice Kramden who, along with Regina Hall’s Trixie Norton, struggle to maintain patience with their cheap, scheming husbands - New York City bus driver Ralph Kramden (Cedric the Entertainer) and sewer employee Ed Norton (Mike Epps). While the more acclaimed portrayal of Alice would more likely go to Audrey Meadows, we still applaud Union for how she attempts to reinvent the character and how this 2005 comedy tries to bring the fun of The Honeymooners into the modern day.

Kristen (Think Like A Man)

Gabrielle Union would reunite with Regina Hall in this 2012 dramatized adaptation of Steve Harvey’s advice book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, in which her character, Kristen, is a representation of the women Harvey dubs “The Girl Who Wants the Ring,” and finds herself in a conflicted relationship with Jerry Ferrara’s Jeremy (a.k.a. The Non-Committer). Union would reprise the character, along with the rest of the cast, in the Las Vegas-set sequel Think Like a Man Too.

Mary Jane Paul (Being Mary Jane)

Created by prolific television writer Mara Brock Akil in 2013, this BET original chronicles the behind the scenes drama of an otherwise successful talk show host. Gabrielle Union stars as the title character, and serves as executive producer, of Being Mary Jane, which was originally conceived as standalone TV movie until its engrossing plot and progressively minded characters had audiences wanting more.

Sydney Burnett (Bad Boys II, L.A.’s Finest)

Unfortunately, Being Mary Jane was cancelled by BET after four seasons, but Gabrielle Union would land on her feet soon after as an executive producer on L.A.'s Finest, a 2019 action-dramedy series made exclusive to Spectrum customers, in which she joins forces with Jessica Alba on the LAPD. The buddy cop series also sees her reprise her role from Bad Boys II as former DEA badass Sydney, the sister of Martin Lawrence’s Marcus Burnett.

What do you think? Would you also consider these ten roles to be the talented beauty’s greatest hits, or did we accidentally skip a few that would have formed a more perfect Union? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates in relation to Gabrielle Union, as well as even more retrospectives on some of the most memorable acting moments from your favorite celebrities, here on CinemaBlend.

2020 marks twenty years since the original Bring It On hit theaters, launching a cheerleading franchise that has lived on through five straight-to-video sequels and a Broadway musical by the likes of Hamilton’s Lin-Manuel Miranda. But Hollywood has never directly leapt off the original starring Kirsten Dunst’s Toros captain Torrance Shipman and Gabrielle Union’s Clover captain Isis. It turns out now it very well could.

Gabrielle Union stopped by on The Late Late Show with James Corden, and she brought the good news speaking for the cast who are reportedly “all in” on making another Bring It On. In her words:

The LA’s Finest star said that the original cast recently reunited for a 20-year anniversary panel that had them all saying yes to another Bring It On movie. The 47-year-old actor gave a shout out to the viral reality series Cheer, which revitalized interest for the cheerleading sport when the docuseries dropped on Netflix early this year.

Last year, Kirsten Dunst showed her interest in returning too. Also, Bring It On’s writer Jessica Bendinger previously said that she and director Peyton Reed have been having chats about the franchise over the years, with Reed going so far as to say they have “specific ideas” they’ve worked on too. The director, who has since helmed the Ant-Man movies, mentioned it potentially being a “generational thing,” which seems to bring in the original cast.

During a recent conversation on CinemaBlend’s ReelBlend podcast, Jessica Bendinger and Peyton Reed talked about Bring It On 20 years later. Here’s what Bendinger said when they were asked if they’ve thought about another Bring It On:

You can check out ReelBlend’s full conversation with the writer and director of the classic below:

Bring It On hit theaters on August 25, 2000 and made $90 million worldwide on a budget of around $11 million, becoming a big hit for the flick about warring cheerleading teams. The movie still holds up as a commentary on cultural appropriation and white privilege among its quotable lines and cheerleading antics.

Another Bring It On movie has not yet been officially green lit for now, but Gabrielle Union’s comments certainly makes it sounds like it could very well be. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for the latest in movie news.

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Netflix has films that appeal to horror junkies, thrill-seekers, even hopeless romantics, and so many other movie genres. Its wide selection of movies is what makes it one of the most popular streaming services. And if you’re a fan of dance movies, then Netflix has plenty, including their latest film Work It.

Work It stars Sabrina Carpenter, Liza Koshy, Keiynan Lonsdale, and Jordan Fisher. The film follows teen Quinn (Sabrina Carpenter) as she forms a new dance group in order to impress an admissions representative at Duke University. The film takes a similar path as other dance movies: a studious girl spends her entire high school life studying, then she discovers the power of dance. Work It has all the ingredients of a fun dance movie, including the learning how to dance montage.

If you’ve already watched Work It, and are now in desperate need of some more dance movies in your life, then I have a few suggestions.

Save The Last Dance

What It's About: Julia Stiles plays aspiring ballerina Sara, who moves to an inner-city after her mother dies in a car accident. Sara gives up her dancing dreams because of the accident, that is until she meets Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas), who helps her find her love of dancing again.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It and Save the Last Dance are kindred spirits in that they are both about teen girls who find their rhythm while falling in love. Unlike Quinn, Sara has a dance background, so dancing is already part of her nature, but she also must learn the complicated hip hop dance style.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

Rent It here.

Leap!

What It’s About: Leap! is an animated film featuring voice acting by Elle Fanning, Nat Wolff, and Carly Rae Jepsen. It’s about two orphans who run away to Paris. There, Félicie (Fanning) starts to train to become a ballerina.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Leap! is a lighthearted dance film that also revolves around someone who doesn’t have any formal dance training, but gets mentorship from a fallen expert. Félicie and Quinn both train and find their groove and achieve their dance dreams. For Quinn it’s winning the major Work It competition, for Félicie, it’s to perform alongside principal dancers.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Rent it here.

Footloose

What It’s About: Dancing is outlawed in small-town Bomont, Oklahoma, but rebel Ren (Kevin Bacon) refuses to just live a life without dancing and rock music. Footloose’s cast includes Lori Singer, Dianne Wiest, John Lithgow, Chris Penn, and Sarah Jessica Parker. The original film was released in 1984, and a remake was made in 2011.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Footloose and Work It highlight the power of dance and its symbolic tie to freedom and passion.The teens in Work It and Footloose discover their true identities through dancing.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Rent it here.

Center Stage

What It’s About: Center Stage follows several young dancers as they try to prove themselves at a prestigious dance academy. It details the personal and professional struggles they undergo to be considered one of the best ballet dancers. Much of Center Stage’s storyline revolves around Jody (Amanda Schull) not quite fitting the dance mold, but having a strong desire to prove herself. Center Stage’s cast includes Zoe Saldana, Peter Gallagher, Ethan Stiefel, Sascha Radetsky, and Susan May Pratt.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It and Center Stage both include a cast of real professional dancers, as most of the main cast of Work It has experience in dancing as well as acting. Jordan Fisher even won Dancing with the Stars. Both films are also underdog stories told in the dance world.

Stream on IMDBTV here.

Rent it here.

Battle

What It’s About: Battle is a Norwegian drama about Amalie (Lisa Teige), a rich girl who has her life turned upside down when her father loses his entire fortune. Amalie and her father have to move to a rougher area. Amalie still keeps her dance dreams, but ends up practicing in a free dance studio where she meets Mikael (Fabian Svegaard).

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Battle very much feels like a Norwegian Saved the Last Dance, so it’s all about a girl who is used to structured dancing finding a passion for hip-hop and the cute guy who instructs her. Work It also feels like a younger sibling to Save the Last Dance in how it takes a girl used to structure and discipline and allows her to find the beauty of listening to her heart and the beat.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Dirty Dancing

What It’s About: Dirty Dancing is a romantic movie about a resort dance instructor falling for one of the girls vacationing there. Baby (Jennifer Grey) and Johnny (Patrick Swayze) get to know each other and start to fall in love through dancing, but Baby’s father doesn’t trust Johnny, especially because he comes from a working-class family.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It plays up how Quinn and Jake (Jordan Fisher)’s attraction grows every time they dance together. Dirty Dancing and Work It demonstrate the seductive nature of dance and how it can create authentic chemistry between people.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Rent it here.

You Got Served

What It’s About: You Got Served is a dramedy about a street dance crew that battles other hip hop dancers. The dance crew has ups and downs before they try to win the big prize at the major dance competition hosted by MTV. You Got Served’s cast mainly consists of B2K band members, including Marques Houston, Omarion Grandberry, J-Boog Houston, Raz-B Thornton, and Lil Fizz Frederic. Steve Harvey also appears in the film as Mr. Rad, the owner of the club where many of the dance battles take place.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: You Got Served is a bit more serious than Work It but they’re both overall fun dance movies that don’t take themselves too seriously. Each film also has the power of friendship and being there for one another as one of the driving themes.

Stream it on IMDBTV here.

Rent it here.

Dance Academy: The Comeback

What It’s About: Dance Academy was an Australian teen series that aired from 2010 to 2013. In 2017, it had a continuation movie that followed some of the main characters from the series trying to make it in the dance world. The Dance Academy: The Comeback cast includes Xenia Goodwin, Alicia Banit, Jordan Rodrigues, Dena Kaplan, Thomas Lacey, and Keiynan Lonsdale.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Work It had a subplot about ambitious dancers trying to prove themselves to get into top-notch dance programs and universities. If Work It only focused on that aspect, then it would probably have a more similar plot to Dance Academy: The Comeback about the journey of young dancers. Both films also share Lonsdale as an actor.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Rent it here.

Fame

What It’s About: Fame follows a group of New York City teens as they attend a performing arts school. It follows the students from freshmen to senior year. The Fame cast includes Gene Anthony Ray, Irene Cara, Debbie Allen, and Lee Curreri.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Fame depicts various art forms and shows the obstacles that come with being an artist. It mixes these issues with typical teen problems, like meeting parental standards. Work It dealt with Quinn’s struggle to please her mother, while also feeling the draw towards dance. Fame and Work It share in that they don’t just address the struggles of a career n the arts, but also typical teen everyday difficulties.

Rent it here.

Bring It On

What It’s About: Torrance (Kirsten Dunst) has just become the cheer captain of the cheerleading squad the Toros. The Toros have won multiple national titles, but Torrance learns that they have won most of them by stealing dance moves from the Clovers team. Eliza Dushku, Jesse Bradford, and Gabrielle Union also star. Bring It On later inspired a franchise of sequel films.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Bring It On is more of a cheerleading movie than a dance one, but they both deal with characters who have to start from scratch and find their own style of dance to compete on a grand scale level against a much better team.

Rent it here.

Strictly Ballroom

What It’s About: Baz Luhrmann directed and co-wrote Strictly Ballroom, an Australian romantic comedy about Scott (Paul Mercurio), a professional ballroom dancer who loses his partner and must train a newbie, Fran (Tara Morice) to compete in a major championship.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: If you were charmed by Quinn and Jake’s dance romance, you’ll be even more dazzled by Fran and Scott’s love story. Strictly Ballroom is a quirky dance movie that has a similar tone to Work It in its playful nature, but also passion and excitement for dance.

Rent it here.

Step Up

What It’s About: Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan star in Step Up as Tyler and Nora, two dancers from different backgrounds forced to pair up. Of course, after a combative partnership, they learn to understand each other and work together, and also fall in love. Step Up eventually had five spin-off films (and counting).

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Step Up and Work It both highlight how dancing can break down barriers and help people form bonds. They show how dance is universal and how the combination of dance styles leads to really fun final dance numbers.

Rent it here.

Billy Elliot

What It’s About: 11-year old Billy Elliot dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer. Billy has to hide that he takes lessons because his father and brother disapprove of his dream. Jamie Bell plays Billy.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Billy finds himself not being supported by his father because of how a boy ballet dancer will look to others. Quinn faces some similar parental disapproval from her mother, who believes she should just focus on her school work. Billy Elliot and Work It both end with the parents seeing the error of their ways and learning to support their children’s passions.

Rent it here.

Flashdance

What It’s About: Jennifer Beals plays Alex, a young woman who dreams of becoming a professional dancer.

Why Work It Fans Will Like It: Flashdance and Work It both focus on young women who have no professional dance training, but their determination allows them to try (and succeed) to compete when they go up against more seasoned professionals. Both films are also about taking chances, even when the odds seemed stacked against you.

Rent it here.

Work It is a cheery dance movie that doesn’t take itself seriously, allowing it to hit the right notes and beats. The films on this list have a similar love of dance spirit.

Stream Work It on Netflix.

This week marks the 20th anniversary of Bring It On, a small-budget teen comedy about rival cheerleader teams that hit No. 1 at the box office in its first weekend and went on to become a cult classic. Now, over the years, the franchise has certainly been around: there have been five straight-to-video sequels and a Broadway musical, but the original filmmakers behind Bring It On were never part of them.

As the original film that starred Kirsten Dunst and Gabrielle Union reaches its milestone, Bring It On screenwriter Jessica Bendinger teased that she may be finally working on another movie from the series with these words:

That’s just enough to spring into a backflip. During their conversation with Variety, Bendinger and Bring It On’s director Peyton Reed told the trade that the idea of a sequel has been on their minds for some time now, and they’ve been bouncing ideas between one another all this time. While there isn’t another movie officially in the works, it certainly looks like there could be. Here’s what Reed said:

Case in point, Netflix’s original reality series, Cheer, was a huge hit earlier this year, and Bring It On has continued to reach audiences over the years, between its six films. Peyton Reed also brought up this “Bring It On Cinematic Universe” that had been proposed to him before (maybe because there have been so many characters at its center, including Hayden Panettiere?) that got them thinking about “devising certain things.”

It definitely sounds like the writer and director of the 2000 film have been seriously mulling over a story for an official Bring It On sequel, which is super exciting for fans. Kirsten Dunst showed her interest in reprising her role as Torrance Shipman last year, too! Now, the question is whether they are planning to bring in the original stars into the fold or tell a new story. Reed’s “generational” comment makes me believe it’s the former.

Since Bring It On scored $90 million at the box office, Peyton Reed has gone on to make comedy films The Break-Up and Yes Man, and he also helmed the two Ant-Man movies. A third Marvel film about Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang is reportedly in the works with the director, but its timeline isn’t clear yet. Bendinger’s last writing credit is 2006’s Stick It, which is insane.

What do you think? Would you be on board for another Bring It On? Vote in our poll below and stick with us here on CinemaBlend for more movie news.

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Gabrielle Union alleged that the workplace environment during her short-lived stint as a judge on America’s Got Talent was toxic. Union, who was fired from the reality show after one season, has since filed a discrimination claim against NBCUniversal and others. Her claim reportedly included an allegation that NBC Entertainment chairman Paul Telegdy had threatened Union to silence during the course of a workplace investigation. Now, Telegdy is himself under investigation following multiple other allegations of hateful and toxic behavior.

An extensive report from The Hollywood Reporter reveals that Paul Telegdy allegedly engaged in homophic, misogynistic, and racist behavior that included the use of slurs and sexual comments made towards NBC employees. 30 producers, executives, current and former employees alleged that he cultivated a toxic workplace environment, especially in the reality TV branch.

Former America’s Got Talent judge Sharon Osbourne alleges that Paul Telegdy threatened that she would never work again in Hollywood after she and her family wanted to hold a press conference regarding the ousting of son Jack from the reality show Stars Earn Stripes. Telegdy reportedly called Osbourne a “fucking witch” and the incident allegedly made her quit AGT.

What’s more, during the investigation into Gabrielle Union’s complaints about the alleged toxic work environment and racist comments she received, Paul Telegdy’s agent reportedly told Union that she “should be careful of who she called a racist.” Meanwhile, former NBC executives allege that Telegdy made fun of an artist’s penis size, mocked people’s weight, and also impersonated a gay person with a lisp.

Other claims allege that Paul Telegdy and president of NBC’s Alternative and Reality Group Meredith Ahr would publicly disparage employees and that Ahr would egg Telegdy on. A few executives also claimed that Telegdy once discussed a sexual encounter with another industry employee in front of multiple NBC colleagues at work. It reportedly wasn’t the first time, either, as another source alleges that there was a “lot of sex talk, drinking talk” going on at work.

Gabrielle Union added that the lack of consequences following Paul Telegdy’s alleged threats were indicative of the kind of work culture at NBC. In a statement, an NBC spokesperson had this to say about the allegations being made by current and former employees:

NBC’s Paul Telegdy isn’t the only one who’s come under fire in recent months. Many Hollywood insiders have spoken up about alleged toxic workplace environments elsewhere. Investigations at CBS have led to the firing of MacGyver and Magnum P.I. boss Peter Lenkov. Meanwhile, The Ellen DeGeneres Show is now under investigation following employee allegations of a toxic work culture and other misconduct.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for updates on this story. In the meantime, be sure to check out our 2020 fall TV premiere guide.

As America's Got Talent is currently running Season 15 with its new judges, a previously ousted judge is suing. Gabrielle Union has filed discrimination complaints against the teams behind the NBC talent competition, including the production company Fremantle, Simon Cowell's entertainment company Syco, and NBC Universal. A separate lawsuit is reportedly also being filed against one of the show's judges, Simon Cowell.

The news, which was first broken by journalist Yashar Ali, comes months after the initial reports about Gabrielle Union's experience on America's Got Talent first came out. Union had been in discussions with NBCUniversal about how best to move forward with its cultural environment in the workplace, but now it seems those talks have broken down. An official statement from Union's attorney Bryan Freedman shared more details on Union's issue with America's Got Talent.

Paul Telegdy's alleged threat is new information, and an added element to what has been previously reported in this situation. Previous reports had alleged that Gabrielle Union believed that the complaints she raised while on the show were not being investigated by NBC seriously, but no mentions were made about attempts to silence her.

Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough were dropped from America's Got Talent back in November 2019, but it wasn't until after the initial news that details emerged behind Union's experience. Stories included Union being told a young black rapper was not a contestant America could get behind, and the actress expressed concern after hearing a racially insensitive joke told by guest judge Jay Leno.

As mentioned, NBC Universal and Gabrielle Union had reportedly met and discussed ways to improve America's Got Talent and all programming following her departure. The latest news would seemingly indicate that Union was not satisfied with the talks. It has been reported (via Variety) that some changes have been made on America's Got Talent in how issues similar to what Union faced will be dealt with, and were in place when the currently airing Season 15 was filmed.

America's Got Talent airs on NBC Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET. Continue to stick with CinemaBlend for more regarding the talent competition, and for the latest news in television and movies.

America's Got Talent caused a whole lot of buzz back in November 2019 when news broke that the popular reality competition series was dropping its two newest additions: judges Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough. The story unfolded to reveal that Union had reached out to producers with issues about inappropriate behavior regarding race, with further reports circulating that both Union and Hough were frequently criticized for their looks. While Hough didn't share Union's complaints, women of Hollywood came to her defense. But what about AGT host Terry Crews?

Terry Crews, who was also a relative newcomer to AGT when Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough were cut from the series, didn't speak out right away about the firings. Now, however, Crews shared his thoughts on what happened during an appearance on Today, saying this:

In his comments about Gabrielle Union's firing from America's Got Talent, Terry Crews was quick to establish that he never experienced racism during his time on the show, and he wasn't fired along with Union. Considering how long Crews has worked in showbiz and the diversity of the cast on Brooklyn Nine-Nine compared to many other shows on primetime, his comments about AGT as "the most diverse place" may carry a lot of weight. He didn't deny Union's claims, but simply stated he hadn't had an experience like she reported.

In the second half of Terry Crews' comments, he explained why he didn't take the spotlight to weigh in on the sexism Gabrielle Union reported experiencing on America's Got Talent, and he clearly put thought into how he would handle the hot-button issue. By asking his wife, he received a woman's perspective, and decided that it wasn't on him to make a statement when Union herself hadn't named any names publicly.

All in all, Terry Crews was fairly diplomatic in how he addressed the issue of Gabrielle Union's firing, in my opinion. He didn't condemn America's Got Talent when he didn't share Union's experiences, but he also didn't make light of what reportedly led to her exit from the series. He also doesn't sound like he's inclined to leave AGT any time soon.

The current installment of the franchise with Terry Crews as host is the second season of America's Got Talent: The Champions, featuring AGT regular judges Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel, returning AGT judge Heidi Klum, and Britain's Got Talent's Alesha Dixon. You can catch new episodes of America's Got Talent: The Champions on NBC Mondays at 8 p.m. ET in the midseason TV lineup.

After just one season, Julianne Hough and Gabrielle Union were ousted from America’s Got Talent, which preceded reports alleging a toxic workplace environment. Union recently met with NBC following her controversial departure from the show, and now the former Dancing with the Stars pro Hough is finally speaking out about her colleague’s firing from America’s Got Talent.

While promoting her upcoming NBC special co-hosted by brother Derek Hough, appropriately titled Holidays with the Houghs, Julianne Hough was asked about the ongoing controversy behind the scenes of America’s Got Talent, and she immediately backed Gabrielle Union's comments about her NBC meeting, and applauded her efforts for change. Here’s what Hough said:

The specific comment Julianne Hough is referring to is Gabrielle Union's tweet about her "productive" meeting with NBC. Although Hough’s response was to the point, she avoided directly responding to questions regarding her own experience on the competition show. Though her own ousting was controversial, recent reports have been much more centered on Union's alleged problems with show creator Simon Cowell and others.

Speaking with the hosts of The Today Show, Julianne Hough did confirm that she’s reached out to Gabrielle Union for some one-on-one time. However, they have not had a conversation just yet, and Hough cited their busy schedules as the reason.

The former judge later reiterated her praise for Gabrielle Union, and NBC, for willing to have an actual discussion about the alleged incidents and subsequent firing from America’s Got Talent. Julianne Hough isn’t the only one backing Union, either. The women of Hollywood quickly came to her defense after reading about the allegedly problematic work environment.

In the initial report, sources claimed that both Julianne Hough and Gabrielle Union were heavily criticized for their physical appearance, with Union’s hairstyles being targeted for being “too black” for America’s Got Talent audiences. Additionally, several sources alleged that Gabrielle Union filed complaints with NBC producers that were disregarded, including one about a racially charged incident involving a white contestant darkening his hands to emulate Beyonce, and Jay Leno’s inappropriate comments.

Former America’s Got Talent judge Howard Stern blamed judge and co-creator Simon Cowell for Gabrielle Union’s firing, claiming that the environment was the “ultimate example of a boys club,” and other former co-judge Sharon Osbourne backed up those comments. However, this marks the first time that Hough has openly discussed the controversy since the news of her and Union’s firing.

NBC has vowed to “hear more about” Gabrielle Union’s concerns and the SAG-AFTRA labor union is also launching an investigation into the allegations. However, it remains unclear whether Julianne Hough will further discuss the controversy in the near future.

America’s Got Talent is currently in its off-season, but Season 2 of America’s Got Talent: The Champions is all set to premiere January 6, 2020 on NBC. In the meantime, be sure to check out our complete guide to the TV shows premiering in the winter and spring of 2020.

Last month, news broke that America’s Got Talent had unexpectedly dropped Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough as judges after Season 14. Since then, controversial reports about the reasons behind Union’s departure have emerged, leading former America’s Got Talent’s judge Howard Stern to blame Simon Cowell’s “boys club” for the actress’ firing.

Howard Stern served as an America’s Got Talent judge from Season 7 to Season 10 and he took to his SiriusXM show Monday to explain why he believed Simon Cowell was at fault for Gabrielle Union's exit. Here’s what he said:

This seems to fall in line with the allegation that Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough received “excessive” comments on their physical appearance, with insiders claiming that Union’s hairstyles in particular were perceived as being “too black” for America’s Got Talent audiences.

Moreover, Simon Cowell was reportedly allowed to smoke indoors even though it was illegal to do so. All of these incidents allegedly led to tension behind the scenes and it’s compounded enough for Howard Stern (via TVLine) to speak out about it as well.

Additionally, sources alleged that Gabrielle Union asked NBC producers to report Jay Leno’s inappropriate comments to Human Resources and to remove a white contestant who had darkened his hands when portraying Beyonce during an audition taping. However, according to sources, both of these incidents went unheeded by NBC, though the contestant’s audition was later confirmed to have been edited out of the episode.

While NBC is currently working with Gabrielle Union to “hear more about her concerns,” the women of Hollywood quickly came to the actress’ defense after reading up on the toxic environment she reportedly endured. Grey’s Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo blasted the show and NBC for allowing such behavior and The Good Place’s Jameela Jamil even called for Simon Cowell’s removal from America’s Got Talent. That might be a bit hard since Cowell helped create the competition series, but it’s possible Howard Stern would get behind his exit if it were to ever occur.

The controversy has sparked a lot of chatter and attention. Even the SAG-AFTRA labor union launched an independent investigation into the allegations, stating that they “take issues of workplace health and safety very seriously.”

America’s Got Talent still airs on NBC, though its 14th season is over. However, Season 2 of America’s Got Talent: The Champions, where Simon Cowell will still be a judge, is set to premiere on NBC January 6, 2020.

Gabrielle Union mixed things up on NBC's America's Got Talent Season 14 (along with fellow newcomer Julianne Hough) but was dropped by the series in late November after only one season of judging, and reports subsequently began to circulate that Union was let go from the series after making complaints about a toxic culture on the job. Now, NBC has released a statement along with America's Got Talent producer Fremantle and AGT judge Simon Cowell's Syco entertainment company, addressing the reports and shedding light on what happens next.

NBC, Fremantle, and Syco released the joint statement (via Variety) saying this:

According to this statement, NBC and Co. haven't cut ties completely with Gabrielle Union but are rather working with her regarding the circumstances of her departure from America's Got Talent and the network. That said, the statement is also clear that the network and producers are working with her via representatives, and there is no clue of what next steps will be taken, if any at all.

Rumors surrounding the circumstances leading to Gabrielle Union being let go by America's Got Talent indicate that there could be a lot for the various parties to dig into moving forward. Women of Hollywood, including Grey's Anatomy's Ellen Pompeo (who also blasted NBC for allegedly protecting Matt Lauer), Jameela Jamil of The Good Place, and former Chicago P.D. actress Sophia Bush (who has been open with her feelings about misconduct on TV shows in the past), came to Union's defense on social media.

Following the statement from NBC, the SAG-AFTRA labor union announced a probe that will investigate the situation, which Deadline states is still in an early stage but likely to be a priority due to how the claims made have been handled by the show, the network, and producers. The statement from SAG-AFTRA elaborates on what's happening:

The situation seemingly isn't going away any time soon now that the network and Hollywood's actors union have weighed in, although the SAG-AFTRA statement notes that the investigation hasn't yielded any results worth reporting just yet. The process of resolving how Gabrielle Union was allegedly let go due to complaints about a toxic workplace may be lengthy, but only time will tell.

The next batch of America's Got Talent will be Season 2 of America's Got Talent: The Champions, which premieres Monday, January 6 with Terry Crews hosting and Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, the returning Heidi Klum, and Britain's Got Talent's Alesha Dixon as judges.

Not long after Julianne Hough and Gabrielle Union were dropped from the America's Got Talent lineup, some concerning allegations were brought to light regarding the two's time on the show. It sounds like Union had to deal with quite a bit while she was on the show, and while there's no taking that back, she can take comfort in the fact that several high-profile women in Hollywood are speaking up for her amidst the controversy.

Twitter is aflame with women in and out of Hollywood who want to speak out on Gabrielle Union's behalf. Union found strong support from Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo, who pointed out the reports were not a good look for NBC especially after it had another high profile incident in which the claims of women were left unnoticed or not taken seriously.

Reports surfaced of alleged incidents that happened on America's Got Talent during Gabrielle Union's short tenure, many of which were concerning. As an example, Union was told by producers a 10-year-old black rapper wouldn't be on the show because America couldn't get behind the act, and also allowed judge Simon Cowell to smoke indoors, which exacerbated her smoke allergy, in addition to being illegal.

That's really just the tip of the iceberg in a multitude of incidents uncovered, however, and it's enough that even women from within the NBC brand are speaking out. The Good Place's Jameela Jamil shared her support for Gabrielle Union, and added that she was upset these incidents were happening on the same network she worked for.

Jameela Jamil advocated for Gabrielle Union to stay on America's Got Talent, and that NBC instead remove Simon Cowell. Cowell is the creator of America's Got Talent, so it's unclear whether or not NBC would make a move to remove him from the series or what type of pay out there would be to get him off of the show entirely.

It's something NBC may have to consider, as NBC actresses past and present are siding with Gabrielle Union in the controversy, and taking America's Got Talent and NBC to task for their actions. Sophia Bush, who has gone through her own fair share of drama in Hollywood, gave some love to Gabrielle Union for being unafraid to speak up in the midst of all the drama.

These are just a few of the names that reached out, but there are still many other women in Hollywood who continue to support Gabrielle Union with each passing hour. For now, NBC and America's Got Talent have not made any major remarks one way or another following this outpouring of support. Perhaps, after the holiday weekend, there will be some further action on the network's part to address the recent allegations that have surfaced.

In the meantime, Gabrielle Union is just thankful for the love. The judge thanked all her supporters on Twitter for lifting her up in a moment where she was feeling low.

Even if this situation doesn't end with Gabrielle Union coming back to America's Got Talent, one can hope that NBC will take a closer look into the show's practices going forward. Provided these allegations are true, no one should have to endure a working environment of that nature.

2020 Winter And Spring TV Schedule: Premiere Dates For Network, Cable And Streaming Shows

America's Got Talent airs on NBC, but is currently in the off season. Stick with CinemaBlend for more developments on this situation, and to stay on top of all things happening in the world of television and movies.

Fans of NBC's America's Got Talent were quite shocked last week when it was announced that new judges Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough would not be returning to the show next season. Typically, judges stick around on the show for several seasons, but Union and Hough would be one-and-done on AGT, with only Season 14 under their collective talent competition judging belt. There was no word then on what led to the departures, but we're starting to get some idea of what might have happened, and it's not good.

It all starts back in April, when Jay Leno made an appearance on the show as guest judge. During his appearance, he taped one of the segments we see during shows where the judges and / or host are behind the scenes and just chatting with each other. During taping, where Leno was joined by judges Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough, he made a joke about a painting in a hallway that showed Simon Cowell surrounded by his dogs.

According to what four people present at this taping told Variety, Jay Leno said that the dogs in the painting were like something you'd see "on the menu at a Korean restaurant," referencing the stereotype of Asians eating dogs. Oh, boy. As you might imagine, several people at the taping found Leno's joke to be inappropriate and offensive, and Gabrielle Union reportedly asked producers to report what Leno said to NBC's human resources department.

Union's position was that the production needed to be made aware of why Jay Leno's quip might be seen as offensive to both those on staff at America's Got Talent and the show's audience if the segment aired. But, according to insiders who said that an NBC executive on set was spoken to about taking the issue to HR, Union's complaint never went that far. At least those behind the show seemed to think it over, because the segment never aired.

Unfortunately, according to those who know of the situation behind the scenes at America's Got Talent, that's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough dealt with while working on the show. Variety's sources are saying that AGT has a toxic culture, and that both new hosts got "excessive" notes on their physical appearances while on the series.

Two insiders claimed that Hough received consistent criticism about her hair, makeup and wardrobe choices, which effected her morale and led to tensions between herself and the production. Union, for her part, was said to have been criticized specifically for changing her hair too much, with the specific note saying that her styles were "too black" for those that watch America's Got Talent. Four sources said she got that particular note over six times, while a separate source said she didn't get the note that much, and that both Union and Hough were asked to make sure there was hair continuity in their appearances.

As if that weren't enough, an incident at another audition taping was relayed, where a white contestant, who was doing rapid costume changes to portray different celebrities, changed into Beyonce, but with his hands darkened to show that he was supposed to be black. Gabrielle Union asked that the contestant be removed from the lineup, but was told by producers, "We’ll take it out later."

After Union was said to have responded by telling them that the live audience shouldn't have to watch a racially insensitive performance, the contestant was still sent to the stage, but his performance was taken out later.

NBC, show producer Freemantle, Jay Leno, representatives for Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and Gabrielle Union were all asked to comment on the specific incidents mentioned, but all either declined to comment or simply didn't return requests for comments at all. Julianne Hough, for her part denied that her morale was impacted while judging on AGT and said she "loved working with" everyone involved with the show.

Of course, you might remember that former host Nick Cannon quit the show after he made a joke in his comedy special at NBC's expense. The joke, where he said NBC was making him "lose his black card" as the host of AGT by trying to control his personality, is said to have led to those at the network considering firing him. He was offended that they were offended, and decided to leave the show behind on his own. Model Tyra Banks took over hosting duties, spending two seasons at AGT, with Terry Crews carrying the host torch now.

Well, as mentioned earlier, if these reports are true, none of this looks good for the way things are done at America's Got Talent. Right now, we don't know who will replace Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough as judges, but stay tuned to CinemaBlend for the latest!

It's one-and-done for America's Got Talent 2019 judges Julianne Hough and Gabrielle Union. They judged alongside Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel in AGT Season 14, but they are not going to return for Season 15 in 2020.

That's the scoop from Variety, which added Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel are expected to return as judges, and Terry Crews is expected back in 2020 to host.

So who will replace Julianne Hough and Gabrielle Union? We don't know yet. Maybe the America's Got Talent: The Champions judges, we'll have to see. It's an abrupt change, though, considering most past judges have had at least a couple of seasons to get used to the gig.

America's Got Talent Season 1 had Regis Philbin as host with Piers Morgan, David Hasselhoff, and Brandy Norwood as judges. Regis and Brandy did not return for Season 2, but Piers and Hasselhoff did, and they were joined by fellow judge Sharon Osbourne, with Jerry Springer stepping in as host. Nick Cannon joined AGT as host in Season 4. Howie Mandel joined AGT as a judge in Season 5 and he's been here ever since. When Piers Morgan left AGT, Howard Stern arrived as a judge in AGT Season 7. The next season, Sharon Osbourne left as judge and both Mel B and Heidi Klum arrived to judge AGT Season 8.

Mel B, Heidi Klum, and Howie Mandel judged together up until last year, when Gabrielle and Julianne Hough were brought in. The only other change was bringing in American Idol's occasionally lovable Grinch Simon Cowell, who replaced Howard Stern in America's Got Talent Season 11. Tyra Banks replaced Nick Cannon as host in AGT Season 12 and Season 13, until Terry Crews arrived this past summer in AGT Season 14.

Phew! Lots of changes. America's Got Talent does sometimes have guest judges as well, including several in Season 14. So fans should probably expect the same in Season 15. Not that NBC has officially renewed AGT for Season 15, but it's still an extremely popular and well-watched show, so it's pretty much a given.

America's Got Talent: The Champions premiered as a spinoff last January and it will return with Season 2 this January 6, 2020. Terry Crews also hosts that show. The judges of Season 2 include Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum, and Britain's Got Talent judge Alesha Dixon.

It's possible America's Got Talent: The Champions judges will go straight to America's Got Talent Season 15 this summer. We'll have to see.

Meanwhile, Gabrille Union is busy with a lead role on L.A.'s Finest, a Bad Boys film offshoot that premiered on Spectrum and will be airing Season 2 in 2020. Julianne Hough can be seen in the Netflix series Heartstrings based on Dolly Parton's songs. She's still best known to many fans as a pro dancer on Dancing With the Stars. Her fellow DWTS alum brother Derek Hough still judges NBC's World of Dance.

America's Got Talent tends to air in the summer, premiering in May or June, so we should expect that to continue with AGT Season 15 in 2020. America's Got Talent: The Champions premieres January 6, 2020 on NBC.

We’re in the homestretch of Spooky Season, friends; and as such, it’s time to see some of the awesome costumes your favorite stars are busting out of their closets for Halloween 2K19. And, as if taking her cue from the universe, L.A.’s Finest and Bring It On star Gabrielle Union-Wade has dressed herself, and her daughter Kaavia, in some very familiar cheerleading gear for their costumes this year. Take a look at the result for yourself, below:

Gabrielle and Kavvia showed their Clovers spirit in matching Bring It On inspired costumes, with Union-Wade captioning photo with the very special message, “Brought it.” While Mom stands in a glamorously defiant pose, her little one does probably the harder job of the two parties: standing up on her own two little feet. In either case, these two came to play, and they crushed it.

It certainly feels like Gabrielle Union-Wade and her daughter may have been inspired by the fact that 2020 will mark the 20th anniversary of Bring It On’s theatrical release. That fact has certainly been on the minds of the public, and even her co-star Kirsten Dunst, as she was previously asked about the chances of a legacyquel continuing the adventures of Dunst and Union-Wade’s warring cheerleaders.

Naturally, this Instagram photo of Gabrielle Union-Wade and her daughter is not only a really cool throwback to her days as one of the formidable Clovers cheer squad, but it’s also something that’s undoubtedly going to have fans keeping hope alive for a new sequel that cashes in on this still very bankable franchise. A movie doesn’t wind up getting scenes recreated in an Ariana Grande music video for no good reason, you know.

At this moment, it’s not clear if Bring It On is something that Universal is considering past its potential inclusion in the Peacock streaming library. So, really, all we’ve got here is an adorable photo of a celebrity mother and her little cheer captain. Which, at this time of year, is a wonderful marker of the magic that is Halloween.

But, if the winds shift the right way, and we see the potential next generation of Clovers and Toros become a new project worth following, let’s hope that it doesn’t entail the sorts of shenanigans that got members of the original cast arrested during their time filming director Peyton Reed’s cult classic. Or, should some sort of playful trouble arise, maybe it’ll be unique enough that it’ll spawn its own fun stories for the next generation to learn about.

While that Bring It On sequel isn’t happening anytime soon, there’s still a lot to enjoy at the movies in the next year. Head over to our 2020 release schedule to see what’s cheering its way into theaters in the not too distant future!

For the previous three seasons, America's Got Talent had held strong with its dependable judge's table of Simon Cowell, Howie Mandell, Heidi Klum and Mel B, but that's all changing for Season 14. The latter two celebs stepped down ahead of the upcoming season, with Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough taking their places. Not to mention Brooklyn Nine-Nine beast Terry Crews fully replacing Tyra Banks as the presenter. Now, NBC has revealed a first look at the new America's Got Talent team.

Everybody looks pumped and ready to go as far as I'm concerned. Terry Crews, who already replaced Tyra Banks as host of America's Got Talent: The Champions, is rocking his signature big, beaming grin, and his outstretched arm looks ready to deliver some major congratulatory high-fives to anyone to comes onto the America's Got Talent stage, assuming their hands aren't covered with blood or raw eggs or anything. I kinda wish Crews was my life coach and alarm clock.

While no one else's smiles are quite as beaming as Terry Crews' is, there are definitely some happy vibes wafting off of the new duo of judges. Julianne Hough is no stranger to this kind of gig, having served as a judge on Dancing with the Stars for four seasons (after spending some years on that show as a competitor). That said, she'll be checking out a wholly different set of acts on America's Got Talent, where dancers usually have a few other tricks up their sleeves, or pant legs as it were.

On the flip side, sitting behind the America's Got Talent table will be a relatively new experience for Gabrielle Union, who has spent the majority of her TV career purely showing off her acting talents. This will be her first time judging a primetime reality competition on a broadcast network, and I bet the charisma-oozing star will be a fantastic fit with this team.

Here, the new female judges get together for a solo shot away from Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell.

Taking on this America's Got Talent gig should be a good way for Gabrielle Union to promote her upcoming Spectrum Originals series L.A.'s Finest, which is an offshoot of the Bad Boys films centered on Union's character Syd Barrett. The action drama made headlines for more disturbing reasons recently, as a horrific on-set accident reportedly led to one of the showrunners getting part of a leg amputated. An investigation into the accident is ongoing.

Looping things back around to the two faces in this image who are most familiar to America's Got Talent fans, Howie Mandel looks primed and once again ready to be wowed by magicians, acrobats and more. Meanwhile, Simon Cowell does look more photoshopped than anyone else, but at least he appears pleased enough by it all.

America's Got Talent Season 14 doesn't yet have a debut date locked down, but viewers can probably get ready to see it premiering on NBC at the tail end of the TV midseason, at some point in May.

Things had been looking positive for the upcoming action drama L.A.'s Finest, a televised offshoot of the Bad Boys film franchise. Set for a mid-May debut, L.A.'s Finest actually had to shut down production this week after a fairly major on-set vehicular accident resulted in multiple injuries.

The accident, which was confirmed by the Los Angeles Port Police, occurred on Thursday afternoon around Warehouse One at the Port of Los Angeles in San Pedro. According to Deadline, a scene was being filmed where a stunt car had to crash into a cargo crate, but the crash was more destructive than everyone was expecting.

After the car hit the crate as planned, the crash then continued on into video-viewing station that was set up behind the crate. This was the area where video monitors were placed for the producers and directors to view filming and footage on the day, and it sounds like there were at least a few people back there when the crash occurred.

According to Los Angeles Port Police authority Lt. Philip Heem:

Both of the injured parties, which were unidentified at the time of this writing, were taken to hospitals by ambulance. One of them went to San Pedro Peninsula, while the other was transported to Harbor UCLA; one of them was reportedly released from the hospital on Thursday evening. Philip Heem also confirmed that OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) was informed about the accident. It's likely that an investigation of some kind is to follow shortly.

The L.A.'s Finest production was reportedly planned to continue through Friday, and was possibly set to wrap over the weekend. However, filming was shut down after the accident happened, and it's currently unclear when filming will resume.

This is the just latest publicized on-set accident at a time when the industry is started to get viewed more judiciously over the workplace safety of stunt professionals. The issue really got put under the large-scale microscope for the tragic death on the set of the unfinished Gregg Allman biopic Midnight Rider, but television shows such as The Walking Dead and Power have both had members of their stunt crew die after accidents that occurred during production.

L.A.'s Finest, which would be the first high-profile release for Charter Communications' Spectrum cable service, features Bad Boys star Gabrielle Union as both a lead actress and an executive producer. Union's Syd Burnett now has her drug cartel-stopping past behind her, and is now working as an LAPD detective partnered with the well-rounded working mom Nancy McKenna, played by Jessica Alba.

Though the two partners don't have a lot in common, they're both dedicated to the job. And as time goes on, Syd starts to realize that her specific lifestyle choices may be hiding a greater truth somewhere below the surface.

You can watch the first full-length trailer for L.A.'s Finest below.

Originally set up at NBC, L.A.'s Finest is still currently set for its end-of-midseason premiere on Spectrum on Monday, May 13. The first three episodes will be available to subscribers on Spectrum's On Demand service, and new episodes will release every Monday thereafter.

We've been hearing rumors for a bit now that America's Got Talent was going to be switching things up with its hosts and even some judges for its upcoming Season 14, and now we know that this is, indeed, the case, and who will be taking over. As you may have guessed from the photo that tops this article, Terry Crews, who's been killing it as host of America’s Got Talent: The Champions for several weeks now, will be taking over from Tyra Banks as host of the competition. And, the judges panel will be losing Mel B and Heidi Klum when the show hits the airwaves this summer, with Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough taking over for the exiting duo.

NBC confirmed the news today that Tyra Banks, Mel B and Heidi Klum would all be stepping down from their posts on America's Got Talent and that they'd be replaced by Terry Crews on the host front, and actress Gabrielle Union and dancer Julianne Hough in the judges' seats. If you're worried that your favorite show is changing too much, though, don't worry, because Simon Cowell and Howie Mandel will be returning to judge the hopeful acts as they have for several years now.

Terry Crews is no surprise as new host for the reality competition. As mentioned earlier, he's been hosting America’s Got Talent: The Champions, which brought back 50 of the biggest global acts from past seasons of the franchise, since the inaugural season of this mega-contest began on January 7. And, he's been bringing just as much heart and enthusiasm as he usually does to his many projects. While Crews hosted the sports competition Ultimate Beastmaster for Netflix in 2017, he's more well-known as an actor and product spokesman, but that doesn't mean his many skills aren't well utilized in the hosting role.

If you don't know Terry Crews, you've been missing out. The former professional football player has made great strides in his acting career since he started on the syndicated game show Battle Dome in 1999. Crews has played a wide variety of tough guys, tough but loving fathers, unintentionally funny men and kindhearted muscle men during his time on screen and always made the most of every part he's won. He's most recognizable for his work on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which was picked up for Season 6 by NBC in 2018, but he can also be seen in Everybody Hates Chris, Friday After Next, White Chicks, Idiocracy and The Expendables film franchise.

Actress, author and producer Gabrielle Union might not be a massive household name, but she's been in the game for almost 30 years and certainly knows how to recognize talent when she sees it. Union is probably best known for her breakout role in Bad Boys II with Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, but, more recently, she headed up her own drama on BET, Being Mary Jane, which ran from 2013 through 2017 and will wrap up with a finale movie this April.

Union has amassed 80 TV and film credits, and also lent her talents to projects like Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sister, Sister, 7th Heaven, 10 Things I Hate About You, Bring It On, Love & Basketball, Ugly Betty, Think Like A Man and Breaking In. She will reprise her Bad Boys role in a series centered on her character in L.A.'s Finest, which will debut later this year. In late 2017, Union published her first book, the memoir We're Going to Need More Wine.

Most of the judges and hosts who've graced America's Got Talent have shown off their skills in a variety of entertainment areas, and Julianne Hough is no different. While many will know her for her time dancing and judging on the hit competition Dancing with the Stars, she began to branch out with her first major film role in Burlesque in 2010. The professional dancer, choreographer and actor is also an accomplished singer who released two solo albums in 2008. Hough has also shown off that talent along with some of her acting work (with her starring roles in Grease Live! and Rock of Ages), and has also appeared in Footloose, Safe Haven, Dirty Grandpa and Speechless.

If you're a long time fan of America's Got Talent, you'll know that the show has gone through a few hosts and several judges since it began in 2006. Hosting a show like this requires someone who can have a gentle touch but still be off-the-cuff funny, display never-ending energy and keep things moving along for the live audience as well as the audience at home. While Nick Cannon, who hosted the series from 2009 through 2016, fulfilled those duties wonderfully (and frequently in fabulously sparkly shoes), he left the post after coming under scrutiny with the network over things he said about NBC in his comedy special Stand Up, Don't Shoot. That brief controversy, and the host switch to Tyra Banks, didn't do anything to dull the appeal of the show, though.

One of the reasons that America's Got Talent has lasted as long as it has, and remained the number one alternative show each summer for 13 seasons, is the breadth of amazing and often wacky talent that is displayed among the competitors, no matter who is hosting or judging. While every season has brought us more traditional acts like singers, musicians, dancers and comedians, we've also been treated to danger acts, acrobats, animal spectaculars, magicians, mentalists, aerial acts and even folks who throw things up for a living or spit into each others mouths for fun. Fans know that you can always count on an episode of America's Got Talent to surprise you, and whether those surprises are good or bad is part of the fun.

America's Got Talent will continue to inspire shock, awe and aspiring performers of all kinds when it returns with new host Terry Crews and new judges Gabrielle Union and Julianne Hough (who'll be joining Howie Mandel and Simon Cowell) for Season 14 this summer. Until then, you can check out America's Got Talent: The Champions, Mondays on NBC at 8 p.m. EST.