​​If you spent any time doomscrolling last October, there’s a good chance you stumbled across some strangely wholesome TikTok videos from "art teacher Matt Taylor." The videos themselves are harmless enough, but exploded for one very specific reason: a huge chunk of the internet became convinced the teacher was actually the barely disguised Kevin James. What followed were months of denial, and even now, with his new romantic comedy movie Solo Mio a week away from its 2026 movie schedule release, he is still playing dumb about that ‘lookalike’ account.

Recently, Entertainment Tonight caught up with the King of Queens alum in a video shared to the outlet’s official Instagram, pressing him to finally set the record straight about the nearly 30 TikToks he’s appeared in, allegedly, fully in character. Unsurprisingly, James leaned all the way in on the bit, responding:

According to James, this was somehow the very first time he’d ever heard of TikTok, Matt Taylor, or any of the internet chaos surrounding it. He doubled down moments later, adding:

There’s just one small problem with that story. James’ upcoming romantic comedy Solo Mio hits theaters on February 6, and his character’s name is (you guessed it) Matt Taylor. Still, despite the mounting evidence, the Grown Ups franchise cast member refused to fully break character. When ET pointed out that “people are falling in love with this character,” he almost slipped, responding:

That almost-slip doesn’t last long, though. As you can see in the full video below, the longtime Adam Sandler collaborator quickly snaps back into professional denial mode. When asked whether the TikToks will continue, he shrugs it off with a perfectly straight-faced, “I didn’t know there was a TikTok…” Sure, Kevin.

Solo Mio follows Matt Taylor, a sweet, hopeless romantic whose picture-perfect Italian wedding collapses when he’s left at the altar, pushing him into a honeymoon he suddenly has to take alone. The TikTok account has been quietly laying the groundwork for that heartbreak, chronicling Matt’s day-to-day life, his musings on love, meeting “the one,” and his wide-eyed optimism as the big day approached. The movie then picks up in the emotional fallout, tracking Matt as he works through the wreckage and starts to imagine a different future, one that, judging by the trailer, may involve falling for someone new.

At this point, it’s hard not to see the Matt Taylor TikTok account as exactly what months of speculation hinted at: a clever, genuinely endearing promotional rollout for Solo Mio. The character’s low-key sincerity has clearly resonated, and plenty of fans seem ready to follow him from the 9:16 scroll of TikTok into a full-length romantic comedy on the big screen. It honestly looks pretty sweet and could be a great romantic comedy film for couples looking for Valentine's Day entertainment. Just don’t expect Kevin James to admit any of that out loud.

Solo Mio hits theaters on February 6. Check your local listings for showtimes. And if you’re in the mood for more Kevin James in the meantime, he recently teamed up with Alan Ritchson for the buddy comedy Playdate. It didn’t exactly win over critics, but it’s streaming now for anyone with a Prime Video subscription, so you can decide for yourself.

Spoilers for Playdate are ahead! If you’d like to stream this wild action movie, you can do so with an Amazon Prime subscription.

There’s a new action flick that premiered on the 2025 movie schedule called Playdate, and it has maybe the most WTF ending I’ve seen all year. Now, when I heard about Playdate, I thought this action comedy led by Kevin James and Alan Ritchson had the potential to show off the Reacher star’s comedic skills and tell a fun story. However, only one of those things happened...

While Ritchson genuinely was funny, this story was wild (and not in a good way). And that's in great part because the end of this wild day that Kevin James' character and his step-son spent with Alan Ritchson's character and his presumed son took such an absolutely ridiculous turn that left me utterly baffled.

Clones? Why’d It Have To Be Clones?

OK, here we go, let me try to explain this…at the end of Playdate, which was panned by critics, it’s revealed that Jeff, Alan Ritchson’s character, was Colonel Kurtz’s (Hiro Kanagawa) “perfect soldier.” However, Jeff had too much empathy, and so they used technology to “create the perfect genetic soldier,” which, according to these villains, means someone who feels no emotion and can be a killing machine.

So, that brings us to the conclusion that they used Jeff’s DNA to make CJ (the child Jeff was looking after) and a bunch of other clones. Talk about a plot twist...

When Kurtz orders CJ to kill Jeff (yes, that happened; this child was asked to kill his father figure), Ritchson’s character was able to talk some sense into his clone. CJ then shot Alan Tudyk’s evil genius Maddox in the butt with a crossbow, and they fought their way out of the warehouse with the help of Kevin James’ Brian and his stepson, Lucas (Benjamin Pajak).

Now, at no point during this movie did I think the answer to the question about why CJ and Jeff were together was cloning. In fact, not in a million years did I think that’d be the case.

Child soldiers, super soldiers and clones were a bananas turn for this movie to take, so yeah, I was saying WTF over it.

Why Are We Saving One Of The Clones But Letting The Rest Of Them Explode?

Now, I get that the rest of the clones in this new streaming movie were, as Kevin James’ character put it, “psycho killing machines.” So, after they fought their way out of this evil situation, they killed them all by blowing up the building.

However, I’d like to posit the question: If CJ can be saved, why can’t the other kids...I mean clones?

The whole idea I think this movie is trying to get across is that while CJ was made to be evil, he was nurtured to be good, and he was worth saving. So, when you think about all of this from that angle, couldn’t all those other cloned child soldiers have been saved, too?

All around, there was a lot of weird violence that involved kids in this movie, and I know they’re not normal kids; they’re evil clones, but still…In the end, I think this move kind of contradicts the whole point of saving the kid who had been with Jeff for a long time. So, it’s an odd note to end on.

Why On Earth Did They Set Up A Sequel?

But guess what, the movie doesn’t end there. No, no, there’s a mid-credits scene that sets up another story.

Yeah, after some delightful bloopers and a dance number that featured the four lead actors in red track suits, Brian’s wife Emily (Sarah Chalke) shows up with a big bag of Tostitos chips and salsa and asks about the playdate. However, before Kevin James’ character can tell the story, CJ and Jeff knock on his door with sleeping bags in hand.

Then, after making Brian guess why they were there, Jeff says a bunch of new bad guys burned down his house…thereby setting up another adventure.

I don’t need that to happen, though. I’m fine, at best, with what we got here; it was enough WTF energy for me, and I’d just like all these characters to go back to their normal everyday lives while I go back to mine.

Alan Ritchson has made quite a name for himself among Amazon Prime Video subscription holders, playing the title role on Reacher for three seasons (with a fourth coming to the 2026 TV schedule). For his next project he’ll stay on the streaming service, but it’ll be a whole new look, as Ritchson is teaming up with Kevin James for the buddy comedy Playdate. Critics were able to stream the movie ahead of its release, so is it worth checking out?

In addition to Jack Reacher, Alan Ritchson is likely best known for portraying Aquaman and Hawk in different DC projects, so Playdate gives him a chance to flex his comedic skills. With a supporting cast that includes Isla Fisher, Sarah Chalke and Alan Tudyk, what’s not to like? Well, according to Decider’s John Serba, plenty. Playdate’s references are aimed at 48-year-olds, while the comedy is more at the 7-year-old level, Serba says, continuing:

Frank Scheck of THR says Playdate isn’t so much a movie as a “compendium of clichés in search of one.” Stale clichés, at that, the critic says. The movie serves no purpose other than to have something on as background noise while folding laundry. Scheck writes:

Jim Vorel of Paste rates the movie 2.0 out of 10, writing that in over a decade as a film critic, he’s rarely come across anything as “vastly irritating and downright embarrassing” as Playdate. According to the Paste review:

Matt Donato of AV Club gives it a D-, writing that Playdate has no respect for its audience or itself, as it epitomizes the death of mainstream comedies. There’s no energy or wit to be found, and is merely a sequence of tacky events that barely clears the bar for actually being considered a movie, Donato says:

Not every critic sees the film as completely indefensible. CBR’s Nicholas Brooks rates Playdate 6 out of 10, admitting that there are missteps but saying it’s a refreshing change of pace for Alan Ritchson, who plays well off of Kevin James. Overall, it works as an odd-couple comedy, Brooks says, writing:

Critics have rated Playdate just 19% on Rotten Tomatoes, but the audience score is a much more generous 52%. If you’re a fan of Alan Ritchson, Kevin James or buddy comedies that you can watch from your living room, you might want to check this one out. Playdate is available to stream now on Prime Video.

As the wait for Season 4 of Reacher continues, Alan Ritchson is keeping us entertained with a new action comedy called Playdate. This project on the 2025 movie schedule sees him pair up with Kevin James for a chaotic and hilarious journey, and it turns out, the King of Queens actor wanted to be his co-star’s Mr. Miyagi when it came to nailing the funny beats of this movie.

However, he should have known (much like many of us already do) just how funny Alan Ritchson is.

Kevin James Wanted To Be Alan Ritchson’s Mr. Miyagi For Comedy

In Playdate, a new streaming release that’s available with an Amazon Prime subscription, Alan Ritchson and Kevin James play two dads who are trying to have a nice day with their kids when everything goes wild. As the director, Luke Greenfield, said in the featurette below, these two characters make for an “odd pairing,” and the actors playing them seem to juxtapose each other in a funny way.

Now, I think it’s natural to assume that of this duo, Kevin James would bring the comedy and Alan Ritchson would bring the action to this action comedy, Playdate. And to that point, the Paul Blart: Mall Cop actor noted that he thought it would have been fun to help his co-star out, Karate Kid style. He explained:

As you can see in the featurette, he really didn’t need it. It’s pretty clear that Alan Ritchson had the comedy part down, too.

However, the gesture was nice.

Although I have to say, if you follow Alan Ritchson on Instagram, you should know all this already.

However, He Should Have Known How Funny The Reacher Star Is In Real Life

While Reacher isn’t known for its humor, Alan Ritchson certainly has a good sense of it when it comes to both the show and his own life.

During an interview with CinemaBlend about Season 3, in fact, I joked with Ritchson about Reacher’s sleep schedule, and the season before that, he even started his own Reacher meme.

Also, if you simply follow the actor on Instagram, it becomes clear, quickly, just how silly he can be. For example, on Halloween, he posted this funny video where he gave his followers a tour of his trailer. However, the twist was, he had been pranked by the crew, and his RV was full of decapitated heads and limbs. His reaction was priceless, and when you mix his screaming about what’s in his trailer with his calm “Oh, my food’s here" at the end, you get comedy gold.

To further prove my point, Ritchson has joked about being too tall for the gym on social media before, and one time, he had all the jokes about his abs as he posted a shirtless selfie. Honestly, if you follow this guy on Instagram, it’s easy to see that while he takes his work seriously, he does not seem to take himself too seriously.

So, no, he didn’t need a Mr. Miyagi for comedy on his latest movie. However, I’m also sure Alan Ritchson still learned a thing or two from Kevin James about how to bring the funny for their new movie that’s available to stream on Prime Video now.

November is in full swing. And while that means the spooky season is truly over for another year, likely disappointing many, we’re shifting right into the winter holiday season. This week will see some of the first new Christmas movies coming to streaming, as well as other family content, including the return of one of the most important kids shows ever made.

Sesame Street - November 10 (Netflix)

Since 1969, no television show may have been quite as important to America’s youth as Sesame Street. The educational show has taught kids letters, numbers, and so much more for decades. A great deal has changed about the show over the years, but its importance has never wavered. Following a few years on HBO Max, you’ll now need a Netflix subscription to catch the newest season.

Playdate - November 12 (Prime Video)

If you’ve got a Prime Video subscription, it’s a safe bet you’re a fan of Reacher. If you’re a fan of Reacher, it’s a safe bet you’re waiting for the upcoming fourth season, and for the spinoff Neagley. While those are still a ways off, there will be a potential stopgap in Playdate. This action comedy pairs Reacher star Alan Ritchson with Kevin James for a film that certainly won’t be as serious as what fans are used to, but looks to still have plenty of action.

A Very Jonas Christmas Movie - November 14 (Disney+)

The Jonas Brothers were essentially born at Disney, and much like Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez before them, it’s time for these Disney Kids to come home. A Very Jonas Christmas Movie is the first holiday movie to drop for your Disney+ subscription, and it sees the three musical brothers perform a concert in England and then try to make it home in time for Christmas, a task that will not be as easy as they thought.

In Your Dreams - November 14 (Netflix)

Over the last several years, Netflix has made itself a force in animation thanks to amazing projects like Wallace and Gromit, Ultraman: Rising, and, of course, the recent smash hit Kpop Demon Hunters. If there’s a Netflix project that may be in line for an upcoming Academy Award nomination, however, it may be In Your Dreams. The film sees two kids and their dream playmate travel through the dream world in an attempt to save their family.

Eddington - November 14 (HBO Max)

A new movie by Ari Aster is always a film worth checking out. While not all of them are a hit with all audiences, they always give you something to talk about. Eddington, available with your HBO Max subscription, takes on two hot-button issues, politics and the global pandemic, and throws them together. Needless to say, the drama and the stress will likely be at an all-time high.

Landman, Season 2 - November 16 (Paramount+)

Taylor Sheridan can seemingly do no wrong on television, making him one of the most in-demand creators working in entertainment today. Landman with Billy Bob Thornton is one of his latest hits. Fans will need a Paramount+ subscription to watch the second season unfold.

With everything from Dracula to the Fantastic Four: First Steps already streaming this month, and everything from the final season of Stranger Things to The Beatles Anthology yet to come. It’s already going to be a great month on all your favorite streaming platforms.

I was on board just hearing that Kevin James and Alan Ritchson were working together. However, that was further solidified when I found out that their project on the 2025 movie schedule was going to be “an absurd action-packed adventure where minivan mayhem meets professional hitmen.” That’s right, Playdate is going to be a wild action comedy about these two dads and their kids having one crazy afternoon, and between the synopsis and these first look photos, I’m so here for it.

Playdate, which is being released by Amazon MGM Studios and will be available to stream with a Prime Video subscription on November 12, will pair Kevin James with Alan Ritchson and their on-screen sons for more than just a playdate.

According to the film’s synopsis, James will play Brian, an unemployed accountant, who decides to have a playdate with Ritchson’s Jeff, a “charismatic stay-at-home dad.” However, their afternoon together with their sons quickly turns into a “chaotic scramble to stay alive as they are pursued by a ruthless team of mercenaries.”

The synopsis also notes that Brian is a fish out of water in this situation, while Jeff has an “oddly prepared demeanor.” Plus, considering Alan Ritchson is filming Season 4 of Reacher at the time of this writing and is well-known for his committed and intense action sequences (like the Paulie vs. Reacher fight in Season 3 of the great Prime Video show), I assume he’ll bring that kind of expertise and experience to Playdate. That juxtaposed with James' comedic style sounds like gold.

Truly, it’s this unexpected pairing that has me thrilled about this movie. While I certainly didn’t have an Alan Ritchson and Kevin James collaboration on my bingo card, that’s exactly what makes Playdate a film that I’ll be turning on the day it comes out.

Listen, I love a great action movie, and I adore a good comedy, so I especially am here for an action comedy. There’s no question that Ritchson is a top-tier action star right now, and James is a comedy legend, so pairing them together feels like a great idea.

That, mixed with this fun concept, has me very excited! Plus, this movie is directed by Luke Greenfield, who made Let’s Be Cops and The Girl Next Door, with his most recent credit being 2020’s Half Brothers. It was also written by Neil Goldman, who is a frequent collaborator with Bill Lawrence and has writing credits on shows like Shrinking and Scrubs, among many other series.

The cast, alongside Ritchson and James, will also feature Sarah Chalke, Alan Tudyk, Benjamin Pajak, Banks Pierce, Hiro Kanagawa, Stephen Root and Isla Fisher. So, we have a fun ensemble in Playdate as well.

All-in-all, Playdate is the movie I never saw coming, but now it’s one I can’t wait to see. So, you best believe I’ll be tuning in to watch Alan Ritchson and Kevin James on this playdate when the film premieres on November 12.

Everybody Loves Raymond is arguably one of the best sitcoms of all time, and it’s still a favorite among fans, thanks to streaming. The show ran for nine seasons and over 200 episodes from 1996 to 2005. While it remains a cultural phenomenon, King of Queens star Kevin James didn’t think the show would do all that well. With that, the fan-favorite actor revealed why he didn't think it would actually become a hit.

Before James starred on The King of Queens, he appeared on Everybody Loves Raymond (not as Doug Heffernan, though). James was also a writer on the show early into its run. The actor recalled on Kate Hudson and Oliver Hudson’s podcast, Sibling Rivalry, how he would follow Ray Romano around when he landed King. James' goal was to learn everything from Romano about how to lead a sitcom. They had also been friends for a while due to their stand-up work. Given his knowledge of Romano's approach, James was puzzled as to how Everybody Loves Raymond came to be:

So, all in all, Kevin James didn't seem too sure how the show would work out because he knew what kind of characters and storylines were typically involved in sitcoms. Romano's comedic style didn't quite fit that mold. Despite the comic's low-energy vibe, though, Everybody Loves Raymond clearly ended up doing a lot better than James predicted. So much so that the Grown Ups star ended up going to Romano for advice after he landed his own show:

The fact that Kevin James didn’t know how Everybody Loves Raymond would do and basically called it a death sentence is very funny in hindsight. Not only that, but the show arguably could have have aired longer if creator Philip Rosenthal didn’t choose to end it when he did. As for The King of Queens, the advice that James got from Romano didn't seem to hurt, since the CBS sitcom also ran for nine seasons from 1998 to 2007, finishing its run with 207 episodes, just three shy of Raymond’s total. King is also still quite beloved and is still the subject of a viral meme.

Meanwhile, Everybody Loves Raymond was so successful that the show nearly received a spinoff. Given that we're currently in the age of revivals and spinoffs, it's not surprising that Romano is asked about a reboot quite frequently. Romano admitted in 2024 that he’s protective of the series since it’s very personal to him, which makes sense. If he were to have a good idea for a revival and Rosenthal were to get on board, I'd be down for it. Of course, for now, fans will have to settle for streaming the '90s show.

At the very least, both Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens proved to be successful and heavily contributed to their lead stars' careers. I don't know about you, but I'm glad Kevin James' initial thoughts on Raymond were wrong. At present, grab a Peacock subscription and stream both shows.

You know, there are some movies that you rewatch as an adult, and you wonder, “Why the heck did I enjoy that when I was a child?” There are plenty that I could name right here alone.

From some of the silly Barbie movies I used to watch to ridiculous Scooby-Doo straight-to-DVD films to some comedy flicks that had no substance whatsoever, our tastes change as we grow older. And often, when we revisit things that made us happy as kids, we don’t feel the same way.

But what movie did I actually feel the same way about? Grown Ups. And I’m tired of people making fun of the film. I recently rewatched it just for fun – on a day where it felt like I had nothing to do and wished to revisit a movie that I absolutely loved as a kid, and now, I still don’t get why people don’t like it more. Here is my reasoning.

Yes, It’s Not Like Adam Sandler’s Classics

Now, am I going to sit here and tell you that Grown Ups is one of Adam Sandler’s best films? No, I am not, and I’m pretty sure if I did, I’d get whatever imaginary license for entertainment journalism I have taken away from me. I’m not that protective of this film.

It’s not a Sandler rom-com. It’s not Happy Gilmore. It’s not The Waterboy. It’s not The Wedding Singer – and it never will be. I think there is an inherent charm about a lot of Adam Sandler’s earlier films, even if they most certainly did not age super well with time. And nowadays, it’s challenging to pull something like that off with how the political climate has shifted over the last several decades.

While Grown Ups was released in the early 2010s, even then, the culture was far different from how it was when Sandler first began making movies, so of course, it’s not going to be the same.

Even so, there is still a lot to love about this movie.

But That Doesn’t Mean It’s Not Funny

I think my biggest issue is that a lot of people don’t find this movie that funny – or, at the very least, most highly ranked critics don’t. The 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes speaks for itself. And I think that’s a load of BS.

Look, I’m going to be honest with you – do I sometimes want a very clever comedy film where the jokes are highly thought out, and you sometimes need to rewatch the movie again to understand? Sure. Occasionally, I need a film like that, one that really tests my comprehension skills as a movie and TV journalist. Without those, I wouldn’t be able to advance as a writer.

But I also sometimes don’t want that. There are great comedy movies out there that define the definition of what comedy can be, but Grown Ups is the type of film where it’s not looking to do that – it’s looking to make you chuckle with the most simplest of humor, and at the end of the day, that’s all you need.

The Five Comedians Have Such Fun Chemistry

You can’t have a good comedy film if you don’t have chemistry, and the Grown Ups cast is the definition of chemistry, which is why it astounds me to see that Rotten Tomatoes score so low.

These five comedic actors – Adam Sandler, Kevin James, David Spade, Chris Rock and Rob Schneider – work so well off of each other and create moments in this film that genuinely have made me snort out my morning coffee even now as an adult. Granted, I am my father’s daughter – most things very easily amuse me, and I think that’s a great way to live life.

But I wouldn’t get to that point in this film if the comedians didn’t already have that inherent energy. And you want to know the best part? They’re all friends in real life, which is what makes the chemistry so good.

At a certain point, you’re not watching the characters on the screen – you’re watching Sandler and his buddies rip on each other, and you love that aspect of this comedy. It’s like you’re back in high school with your teenage cohorts, and you’re trying to do some ridiculous dare to prove yourself to the person you like. It’s reminiscent and makes you smile.

And The Kids Actually Work Well Together, Too

Something else that I didn’t realize as a kid but do now as an adult is that the kids in this film are actually perfect, too, comedic-wise. And to me, that’s one of the biggest compliments, and another reason it baffles me is that critics don’t at least enjoy this film. Heck, some of these child stars are acting today.

Do you know how hard it is to find an actually good comedic child actor who’s not cringy or trying to put too much energy into their role? I can’t tell you how many movies I have viewed where it’s nearly impossible because they have the worst child imaginable portraying a kid who makes me want to scream and not laugh because they are so stiff.

However, in Grown Ups, these kids are actually good. Like, really good. Their comedic timing is on point, and they have some hilarious one-liners that still make me snicker to this day. I mean, I still say, “I wanna get chocolate wasted!” now because I find that line hysterical. How many little girls can you get that will authentically say that with their whole chest and have it feel believable?

I mean, it makes sense in a way – these child actors have to keep up with Adam Sandler and his whole slew of buddies. They had to lock in tight to make sure they could keep up with them, and they did on a whole other level.

It’s The Kind Of Movie Where You Can Turn Your Brain Off, And That’s A Good Thing

My biggest gripe about people not liking this film, however, is that it’s okay to watch a comedy movie – or just a film in general – and turn your brain off.

Sure, there are so many notable films out there that display the brilliance of cinema. I just saw Sinners and fell in love with movies all over again because of how incredibly well-done that entire story and experience were. But sometimes, I don’t need a movie phenomenon such as that to make me enjoy the film as a whole.

Sometimes, I need a movie like Grown Ups, where I laugh at simple things, share a drink with a friend or a family member, and relax on the couch—no thoughts, just vibes.

And that’s okay. The film world, inherently, is filled to the absolute brim with lovers of cinema, where they feel the need to comment on every waking aspect of how a movie is shot, who is in it, and the quality of everything – from a single set all the way down to how a burger was framed in the lens of a camera. They care about their craft.

However, I feel that if we don’t take a second to have fun with these movies every once in a while and enjoy films like this one, where it is just there for fun, we risk losing parts of ourselves that we can’t get back. In fact, watching Grown Ups reminds me that there’s still a little piece of my childhood innocence that resides within my heart because I still laugh at the same jokes, and while to some that may feel immature, to me, that’s beautiful.

Most should watch Grown Ups, if not for the silly jokes, then for the fun that you experience watching five friends have fun with their families during the summer. It’s not Adam Sandler’s best, but it’s a fun film regardless – and that’s something I always value, and you should value as well, irrespective of what Rotten Tomatoes says.

The internet loves a good meme, and when Twitter got ahold of some of the promotional photos from the '90s sitcom, King of Queens, it was almost too perfect. While some don’t always initially love the goofy fun of a good internet meme, it seems like the cast of the show is embracing it. Leah Remini recently tweeted her response to the viral photo of Kevin James from the shoot, and she is loving the jokes.

It is commonplace for actors to have to participate in character photos to promote their shows, and this was even more common back in the era of network TV and editorial promotion. Often these pictures would have actors strike a pose that resembles a character’s personality. For example, an FBI agent character may choose a stoic, hardened expression. Often sitcoms would opt for a goofier look, and this definitely was the case for Kevin James, who’s bashful shrug has been fuel for internet memes as of late. You can see the photo in question below:

People have been using the photo for all sorts of relatable tweets. One Twitter user captioned the photo, saying:

Another Tweeter used the photo to make a Sopranos reference, suggesting that this is the expression Tony had when Meadow asked if he was in the mafia. They said:

One Tweet indicated that this was the face they made when they were complimented on their music taste, saying:

There are tons of memes in this vein and honestly they just get even funnier. This photo seems to be everywhere, and it’s hard to avoid the meme even if you wanted to. James’ King of Queens costar Leah Remini decided to respond to all of the memes from the hit sitcom, and she is apparently getting a kick out of it. She said she was loving all of the posts, and she sent love to the cast of the show that she adored dearly. You can see her Tweet below:

I’m glad that she thinks the meme is as funny as we do. It’s all in good fun, and if anything, it’s bringing new attention to a CBS sitcom that had over 200 episodes before leaving the air in 2007. I’d love to know what Kevin James thinks about the photo now, and if he’s also loving the meme. Maybe the actress showed her former scene partner the jokes. They have remained in touch over the years with Remini even making an appearance on Kevin Can Wait, and eventually replacing Erinn Hayes's character on the show, so it's possible. 

It’s such a niche reference photo to resurface, but those always seem to make for the best internet content. The silliness seemed to reignite all the lovely memories for Remini as well, and it’s sweet that something so goofy could be a force for good. 

You can revisit King of Queens through internet memes, or by streaming the sitcom with a Peacock subscription. For more information on other great shows available to watch on the platform, make sure to consult our feature on the best shows to watch on Peacock right now.

There are some movies that I grew up watching and loving more and more each time I saw it. While Grown Ups wasn’t the best received Adam Sandler movie, it was one of my favorites for the sheer hilarity it offered, as well as the fun cast that it gathered to portray this funny group of friends. 

Speaking of the cast, with this movie being nearly twelve years old now (I know, I can’t believe it either), where exactly is the cast of Grown Ups now? From Adam Sandler to Salma Hayek, everyone has had their own projects and big films, while also returning to do movies and films together. Here is what the cast of Grown Ups is doing now.  

Adam Sandler (Lenny Feder)

Starting off with the main star of Grown Ups, we have Adam Sandler, who portrayed Lenny Feder. And unsurprisingly, Sandler has been up to his teeth in movies. 

For one, he was the main star of the Hotel Transylvania series, up until the 2022 movie, Hotel Transylvania: Transformania. Besides his fun voice-acting skills, he’s appeared in several movies, most of which he also produced. This includes, but is not limited to Grown Ups 2, Pixels, The Ridiculousness 6, Hubie Halloween and more.  He’s also had two movie that he’s co-starred with Jennifer Aniston with, Just Go With It and Murder Mystery, which is receiving a sequel on Netflix soon. 

In addition to his numerous comedies, Adam Sandler starred in the 2019 crime thriller Uncut Gems from Josh and Benny Safdie. 

Sandler has also popped up in several TV shows, such as Kevin Can Wait, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and he guest starred on Jessie with his late Grown Ups on-screen son, Cameron Boyce.

Coming up, he has a number of movies lined up, including Murder Mystery 2,  Spaceman and Hustle.

Kevin James (Eric Lamonsoff)

Next up, we have Kevin James, who played Eric Lamansoff in Grown Ups. James has appeared in many movies, like Grown Ups 2, Zookeeper, Pixels, the Paul Blart: Mall Cop series, Sandy Wexler, Hubie Halloween and more. James also received a starring role in the Hotel Transylvania series alongside Adam Sandler. 

On television, James has had many guest roles, but two of his biggest projects were his own sitcom, titled Kevin Can Wait, as well the comedy series, The Crew. Coming up, James is going to appear in Home Team, which is being produced by Adam Sandler. 

Chris Rock (Kurt McKenzie)

Another hilarious comedian, Chris Rock played Kurt McKenzie in Grown Ups, and has been quite active in the movie industry. He has appeared in a variety of genres, showcasing his acting skills. Since the family film he's been in Grown Ups 2, What To Expect When You’re Expecting, the Madagascar series, Top Five, the Eddie Murphy-led film, Dolemite Is My Name, the 2021 horror film, Spiral: The Book of Saw, and more. 

In television, he’s guest starred on many shows, as has many of his co-stars, but one of his most notable TV roles in recent years was playing Loy Cannon on the FX series, Fargo. Rock has also had a comedy special on Netflix, titled Chris Rock: Tamborine that you should check out. 

Coming up, he’s going to be appearing in three new projects, two with titles, Rustin and I Am Maurice, and one untitled David O. Russell project, although there hasn’t been any new news about that since January 2021. 

David Spade (Marcus Higgins)

Moving on, we have former SNL star David Spade, who played Marcus Higgins in Grown Ups. Since his appearance, Spade has been active in both movies and TV. Some of his biggest roles in recent years have been appearing in the Hotel Transylvania series, Grown Ups 2, The Ridiculous 6, Sandy Wexler, Father of the Year and more. 

With television, Spade has had roles in many shows as a recurring character, including Fameless, Roadies, Rules of Engagement and more. Spade also hosted his own talk show called Lights Out with David Spade, as well as appeared several times as himself in many shows. He’s going to be in a new HBO series, but not much else is known about that just yet. 

Rob Schneider (Rob Hilliard)

Another former SNL star, Rob Schneider played Rob Hilliard in Grown Ups, and while he didn’t appear in the sequel like many of his other co-stars, he still continued to have a very successful career since the family film. With movies, he’s appeared in films such as The Outback, Wings, The Ridiculous 6, Norm of the North, Sandy Wexler, Hubie Halloween and more. 

Schneider has also been active in television, appearing in many shows such as the sitcom series, Rob, in which he starred, Real Rob, another sitcom series in which he starred, and several guest roles. He also competed on The Masked Singer in 2021. Soon, he’s also going to be making an appearance in Home Team. I’m starting to see a trend here. 

Salma Hayek (Roxanne Chase-Feder)

I think out of all the on-screen love interests Adam Sandler has had in his movies, Salma Hayek from Grown Ups, who played Roxanne, is one of my favorites thanks to her amazing personality that she adds to the movie. Since her role in Grown Ups, Hayek has continued to have a very successful career. 

She’s had roles in movies like Grown Ups 2, Here Comes the Boom, Everly, The Hitman’s Bodyguard as well as its sequel in 2021, Like A Boss, and was a part of both the Eternals cast and the House of Gucci cast, in addition to other movies. Hayek has also had some fun with television as well, with two recurring guest-star roles on both Ugly Betty and 30 Rock. 

The actress doesn’t seem to have anything coming up just yet, but I can’t wait to see what else she does after her stellar year in 2021 with both Eternals and House of Gucci. 

Maria Bello (Sally Lamonsoff)

Moving on, we have Maria Bello, who portrayed Sally Lamansoff in Grown Ups, the wife of Kevin James’ character. Since her role in the family comedy, Bello has continued to have quite the career in both movies and TV. 

In film, she’s has big roles in films like Grown Ups 2, Beautiful Boy, Abduction, McFarland USA, Prisoners alongside the lead actor, Hugh Jackman, The 5th Wave, Max Steel, Every Day, Better Start Running, The Water Man and more. Television is where Bello has shined even more. She’s had several recurring roles in shows like Touch, Prime Suspect, and Goliath, but her biggest role so far was playing Jacqueline “Jack” Sloane in NCIS, a role she left in 2021. 

Maya Rudolph (Deanne McKenzie)

Next up, SNL alum Maya Rudolph played Deanne McKenzie, the wife of Chris Rock’s character, in Grown Ups. And since her appearance in the movie, Rudolph has had quite the career. Not long after Grown Ups did she star in the Bridesmaids cast, another comedy that blew up, and she only continued to grow afterwards. 

She’s appeared in many films, including Grown Ups 2, Big Hero 6, Wine Country, The Willoughbys, Life of the Party, the Angry Birds franchise, Hubie Halloween and more. She was also a part of the Luca cast, the Mitchells vs. the Machines cast, and the Licorice Pizza cast all in 2021 - talk about a packed year. 

Rudolph has also had success in television. She’s had recurring and main roles in shows such as Up All Night, Portlandia, The Awesomes, The Good Place, Forever and more, as well as being a part of the adult animated series, Big Mouth on Netflix and having her own baking show, called Baking It. Coming up, she will be in the new Disenchanted movie, as well the Big Mouth spinoff TV series, Human Resources. 

Joyce Van Patten (Gloria Noonan)

The next cast member to talk about is Joyce Van Patten, who played Gloria Noonan in Grown Ups. Since her role in the movie, Patten has appeared in films such as Angel’s Perch, God’s Pocket and more. She’s also guest starred in several television shows like The Good Wife and Boardwalk Empire. 

Patten doesn’t have anything in the works right now, but hopefully it won’t be long before we see her on our TV or movie screens again. 

Colin Quinn (Dickie Bailey)

Next up, we have Dickie Bailey, who was played by Colin Quinn. The SNL alum has been active both in the acting world and in the writing world, having roles in both TV and film, as well as working behind the scenes. 

As an actor, Quinn has popped up in roles in movies like Grown Ups 2, Trainwreck, Sandy Wexler, Hubie Halloween and others. He’s also been active in television, having recurring roles in shows like Girls, The Awesomes, Inside Amy Schumer, and more. 

Quinn has also been very active in comedy and writing. In 2015 and 2020, he wrote two biographies titled The Coloring Book: A Comedian Solves Race Relations in America and Overstated: A Coast-to-Coast Roast of the 50 States. He’s also had several comedy specials on Netflix and HBO, and has gone on tour for his stand-up.

Steve Buscemi (Wiley)

Steve Buscemi, while he wasn’t in the film for long, had an impactful part as Wiley in Grown Ups, and has continued to succeed in Hollywood, both on the big screen and the small screen.

As well as appearing in Grown Ups 2, Buscemi has appeared in many movies such as the Pixar movie, Monsters University, On the Road, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, the Hotel Transylvania series, The Ridiculous 6, The Boss Baby, The Death of Stalin, The Dead Don’t Die, The King of Staten Island and more. 

Buscemi has also had an active career in television. Besides appearing on several TV shows, like 30 Rock and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Buscemi has had leading roles in both Boardwalk Empire and Miracle Workers. He also hosted his own talk show called Park Bench with Steve Buscemi. Coming up, he’s going to be appearing in a new movie titled The Year Between. 

Tim Meadows (Malcolm)

Last but not least, we have another former SNL star, Tim Meadows, who played Malcolm in Grown Ups. Since his appearance in the movie, Meadows has appeared in both film and television. With movies, he had roles in Grown Ups 2, Trainwreck, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, Hubie Halloween and a couple of other independent movies. 

In television, he had many recurring roles including The Colbert Report, Suburgatory, Bob’s Burgers, The Goldbergs, No Activity and more. He’s also had lead roles in shows such as Son of Zorn, Marry Me and Schooled (which was a spinoff of The Goldbergs). Coming up, he’s going to appear in a new film titled Saurus City as a voice actor, so keep an eye out for him. 

With so many talented actors, it’s no wonder they went on to succeed so well. I for one can’t wait for Home Team to come out as part of the 2022 movies so I can see a lot of them together again. Or watch any of their awesome movies or shows.  

The term “Bountygate” carries a negative stigma around the NFL. The scandal, unearthed between 2011-12, centered around the coaches of the New Orleans Saints agreeing to pay their defensive players extra money – or a “bounty” –  if they were to inflict bodily harm on the opposition. The bounty program was in effect in the Saints organization from 2009-11, and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams and head coach Sean Payton faced suspensions when the media found out about it. 

The details of Bountygate and its repercussions on the league and the men involved could power a compelling drama, something along the lines of Peter Landesman’s Concussion starring Will Smith. Instead, for reasons I’m still not able to decipher, producers at Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison productions got ahold of the story and attempted to fashion it into a goofy Kevin James vehicle co-starring Rob Schneider, Twilight’s Taylor Lautner, and a gaggle of good-natured kids playing all manor of sports-movie cliches. It’s a terrible approach to the subject matter, and it basically dooms Charles and Daniel Kinnane's Home Team from the start. 

Sean Payton’s NFL suspension is a really strange subject for a family comedy.

I’m not saying it’s impossible to make a comedy out of something as vicious as a pay-for-pain scandal such as Bountygate. Heck, Adam McKay turns unusual topics such as fraudulent mortgages and the political aspirations of Dick Cheney into biting satires. But Home Team doesn’t figure out how to seamlessly balance the brutality of Payton’s expulsion with the underdog formula of a terrible team turning it around with the right leadership. 

Because Home Team never properly justifies why it decided to cast Kevin James as a real-life NFL coach (one who is still in the headlines, due to a recent decision to leave the Saints after years), the use of Payton’s story as source material distracts from the by-the-numbers sports story co-directors Charles and Daniel Kinnane set out to tell.

Remove any mention of Sean Payton or the Saints from Home Team and the story remains exactly the same… and incredibly familiar. You get the impression that Happy Madison already had a generic football-coach comedy screenplay in its stable – a Waterboy-lite story of a terrible team turning it around – and only threw this into production because Payton gave them the rights to his story. The two pieces never click.

Kevin James deserves better than the Adam Sandler formula.

Kevin James has been part of Adam Sandler’s comedy universe since 2004’s 50 First Dates, expanding his role in features such as Grown Ups, Hubie Halloween, and the animated Hotel Transylvania series. But while Sandler periodically challenges himself in dramatic fare like Uncut Gems, James appears content to coast along in projects that play like junior varsity Sandler concepts. 

Movies like Home Team don’t even ask a lot of James. His take on Sean Payton is to play straight man to an assortment of predictably idiotic side characters, from Rob Schneider’s Zen-like pacifist who married Payton’s ex-wife (Jackie Sandler, Adam’s wife), to the clueless clerk at Payton’s hotel, who’s unable to do anything right. Bored with the lack of opportunities presented by playing Payton, James also wears a bushy mustache and an oversized cap to play an accident-prone assistant coach who needs to ride a bicycle everywhere because he lost his driver’s license due to drunk driving. 

None of this, as you can imagine, is funny – and every aspect of the football plotline in Home Team is as predictable and lazy as you fear, from the fat kid ordering pizzas to the locker room to the handsome young coach (Lautner) who doesn’t understand the game. Really, though, it’s disappointing seeing Kevin James stoop to this. 

Unlike, say, Schneider, who only seems to work when Sandler beckons, James seems like he could excel in superior roles. To be fair, he has been taking chances on thrillers like Becky or Little Boy in the past few years. But personally, I’d love to see him take more of them, and pass on these admittedly easy Happy Madison paycheck gigs.

If you are a parent of a young athlete, and you’ve found yourself serving on the coaching staff of your kid’s team, then you are very familiar with the pushy parent who likes to coach from the stands. They often are barking orders at their child, overriding the sentiments of the actual coaching staff, because deep down, they believe they know better. Home Team is a new movie heading to Netflix starring Kevin James, but in this feature, the parent in the stands actually DOES know more than the coaches on the field… because the dad in the bleachers is former New Orleans Saints football coach Sean Payton. 

Kevin James plays Sean Payton in the story of the NFL coach heading back to his Texas home following a suspension. Payton thinks that he will use the league-mandated time off to reconnect with his son, Connor (Tait Blum). Except, Connor’s team sucks. So Payton can’t help but get involved. When CinemaBlend interviewed James about his own involvement in youth sports, the father of four says that he has tried to coach his children's teams, and this is what he learned:   

Right there, Kevin James nails the difference between wanting your kids to succeed at something, and your kids wanting to succeed at something. They need to want it, because if the passion isn’t already there, moms and dads won’t be able to add much else. 

In Home Team, Sean Payton sees that his son, Connor, has the talent to succeed. But the team as a whole is struggling because the current coach (played by Grown Ups 2’s Taylor Lautner) is in over his head. But Payton isn’t able to just insert himself into the team. For one, it’s not his town, and it’s not his team. But on the flip side, Payton is under suspension from the NFL because of his involvement in “Bountygate,” or the paying of Saints players to inflict deliberate harm on opposing players. Home Team doesn’t embrace all of that drama. It’s still very much a Kevin James comedy, produced by Happy Madison. But the character developments hidden off the field of this football comedy will have parents something tangible to discuss with their kids after they watch the movie. Even though, your kid probably just wants to go get ice cream.

Keep an eye on our guide to upcoming Netflix movies to learn when Home Team and many more original features arrive on the streaming service. And if Home Team has you hungry for good football movies, we ranked the 10 best, so see if you agree with our list and start renting.

The deal between Adam Sandler and Netflix has clearly been successful for both sides. Back when the comedian and the streaming service first made a deal it was huge news for being such a unique agreement, but by now it’s just the normal state of doing business. These movies are even getting sequels now. This despite the fact that most of these movies aren’t seen as particularly good. And now the newest Netflix/Happy Madison joint is here with Home Team.

It does not appear that Adam Sandler himself is actually in this one, but it’s his company that has created this quite unusual story, starring Kevin James as actual New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, but in a traditional Sandler-style comedy. It’s a bizarre set up for a film, and the internet has not overlooked this fact. 

Home Team takes an actual event, Sean Payton's suspension from the NFL for a year after it was found the Saints had a “bounty” program where players would be paid bonuses for taking opposing players out of the game, and has turned that year of his life into a comedy starring Kevin James. Turning that event into a movie is something that might happen. Turning that event into this movie is something people are having trouble believing even now.  

On the one hand, we wouldn’t be seeing a movie like this if the Adam Sandler/Netflix deal wasn’t clearly a success. People are watching these movies. That much must be true. At the same time, other people think Home Team looks so so bad they're wondering if this might just mean that the world is coming to an end.

On the other hand, if Home Team is a success, then maybe we’ve just invented a new genre of film. We’re used to seeing dramatic inspirational sports movies, but the inspirational sports comedy is a bit more rare. If Kevin James can be Sean Payton, then perhaps other comedians could be cast to play coaches in the NFL.  

A lot of the responses to this movie are funny because the entire idea of it sounds silly, but whether couched in humor or not, there are a lot of people who are really taking issue with this film because it’s turning an event that was actually pretty terrible into a comedy. 

Perhaps, in the end Home Team will be a redemption story. Maybe, in teaching these kids football, the character of Sean Payton will learn that what he did to get suspended was wrong, and he’ll become a better person. After all the kids throw up over everything, I mean.  Home Team will be hitting Netflix on January 28.

Netflix’s The Crew has introduced audiences to some fun characters, from Kevin James' funny and well-meaning Kevin Gibson to Paris Berelc’s cool and skilled Jessie De La Cruz. Among the eclectic cast of characters is also chief mechanic Chuck Stubbs, who’s played by sitcom vet Gary Anthony Williams. Throughout the course of his career, Williams has had the opportunity to play a number of different roles, but he has a particularly special, personal connection to the role of Chuck.

Over the years, Gary Anthony Williams has starred in notable TV shows like Malcolm in the Middle and Boston Legal, and he also has plenty of memorable film credits under his belt. But The Crew provided Williams with a unique opportunity to revisit an aspect of his childhood. When I spoke to him ahead of the show’s premiere, he explained that he was well aware of the world of NASCAR before joining the series:

So Gary Anthony Williams did have some prior knowledge, unlike co-star Kevin James, who admitted he had to learn a thing or two when joining the project. Despite his knowledge of racing, Williams went onto tell me he wasn’t as mechanically inclined as his character, so he channelled someone dear to help him embody the role:

Gary Anthony Williams relished the opportunity to channel his father in The Crew, and you have to love that the show gave him the chance to do so. By using his dad as a model, Williams not only brings humor through Chuck’s no-nonsense attitude but a grounding element that any workplace comedy needs.

The Crew is currently available to stream on Netflix, and it’s one of the new shows that's hit the streamer this month.

Not only has the television medium changed over the past few decades, but the way audiences consume it has evolved as well. This is mostly due to the rise of streaming, which has helped lead to the binge-friendly model, in which an entire season of a show is released at once. Not only is this a change for consumers, but it’s also new for an actor like Kevin James. The actor has been a king of network TV for some time, so how does he feel about fans being able to binge-watch his latest show, Netflix’s The Crew?

Before The Crew was released on Netflix, I had the opportunity to speak with Kevin James about his work on the new comedy and, as we chatted, we discussed the fact that he show’s first season is being released at once, a change from the actor’s past work. When I asked for his thoughts on how he view this release format compared to the weekly release model, he provided some keen thoughts:

It sounds like Kevin James is just like many of us when it comes to waiting every week for a new episode of our favorite show. Just when you thought James couldn’t get any more relatable, he reveals that even he gets impatient when he has to wait for another episode of a TV series. While he does still appreciate the weekly format, he also likes the idea of fans being able to watch the season at their own pace. And as he mentions, viewers do get better acquainted with the characters if they go a bit faster.

Binge-watching has become heavily embedded into our TV-viewing culture at this point, thanks largely to streaming services. Netflix in particular has a number of shows that fans can’t help but zoom through. And if you’re like me, these may be series like Stranger Things or Cobra Kai.

When it comes to Netflix’s The Crew, the binge approach wasn’t the only area of transition for Kevin James, though. The actor had to learn a thing or two about NASCAR in order to prepare for his new workplace comedy, and it appears he learned a few key facts about the world of professional race car driving.

Ultimately, it will be up to audiences to decide whether they want to race through The Crew Season 1 or progress at a steadier speed. Either way, they’ll still be able to enjoy the adventures of Kevin James’ Kevin Gibson and his ragtag team of NASCAR colleagues.

You can check out Netflix’s The Crew now, alongside other great content on the streamer.

At this point in his career, Kevin James is a master of comedy, having starred in a number comedic projects at this point in his career. The actor has played various roles that have transformed him into a delivery man and a retired cop, among other things. Now, in his latest show, Netflix’s The Crew, James stars as NASCAR crew chief and former driver Kevin Gibson. But in taking on the role, the actor had a few things to learn about the fast-paced world of professional racing.

Kevin James is a pro when it comes to sitcoms, yet The Crew placed him in a different kind of world. When I had the opportunity to speak with him about the show, James admitted he didn’t know too much about NASCAR when he first signed on. He says getting a firm grasp on this world was “a challenge,” but he’s now learned a few important things about it:

It would seem that what Kevin James learned is that underneath the bright lights and fast cars, NASCAR is a very relatable world. And this is what ultimately led James, who also serves as an executive producer on the show, to realize it would make the perfect backdrop for a sitcom.

Of course, what helps make both NASCAR and The Crew so relatable are the various personalities that lie within it. James went on to say that the characters and the situations they go through can be found in any line of work, though he admits NASCAR does add a bit of an edge to the series:

Over the years, audiences have seen numerous workplace comedies with various settings. These have ranged from a New York cab company and a Boston bar to a Parks and Recreation department in Indiana and a paper company in Pennsylvania. But the constant within all of them is they feature characters who have experiences audiences can identify with. And now, The Crew aims to follow in that grand tradition by presenting a new set of characters in a unique corner of professional sports.

We’ll see how Kevin James and his castmates navigate the NASCAR landscape when The Crew races onto Netflix on February 15.

Halloween is about two things, no matter what age you happen to be: dressing up in wild get ups, and the acquisition/distribution of candy throughout your neighborhood network. In that respect, Netflix’s latest Adam Sandler movie Hubie Halloween nails the spirit of the season pretty damned perfectly. No one would know that better than Sandler’s co-star and good friend Kevin James, as it’s been revealed that his candy habit on set wasn’t just a character quirk-- it was an on-brand move on James part.

This latest tale of method acting gone oh so right comes from the WWE, as wrestler/online personality Xavier Woods recently got to interview both Adam Sandler and Kevin James. On behalf of the release of Hubie Halloween, the two friends recalled to Woods their time on set, and all the fun size adventure it entailed, as seen below:

Look, if you’re ever able to land a gig where you and your good friends, who happen to be Adam Sandler and a bunch of other killer comedic talent, you’re going to take that gig and all the perks. And if one of those perks happens to be unlimited candy, you’re certainly not going to waste the sweet stuff you get to encounter on a set like Hubie Halloween. So while some people might want to question Kevin James’ choices, both in terms of his roles and his candy consumption, others understand that he’s just doing what any normal human would do.

Just as any actor knows their limits, and accepts the jobs they feel they are best suited for, James jumped head first into the character of Sgt. Steve Downey. If you couldn’t see that through the beard he purposely grew out to rock in Hubie Halloween, then this candy story is the pack of M&Ms that seals that particular deal. Which leaves us with the best lesson from the Adam Sandler/Kevin James playbook of acting: should you run across a role that takes you to exotic locations, allows you to hang out with your pals, and potentially eat a bunch of candy in the process, you should take it. Especially when you could imagine the fact that somewhere, at this very moment, Daniel Craig is probably really jealous he doesn’t have such an opportunity on his docket.

Hubie Halloween is currently streaming on Netflix, and pairs well with either a Snickers bar or a box of SnoCaps. But, of course, you can always choose your own candy to enjoy, as well as another movie out of the grab bag that is the 2020 release schedule. It’s freshly stocked, and still has some treats left to trick out the rest of your year at the movies.

Adam Sandler is nothing if not loyal. His friends tend to show up in movie after movie, giving them both steady pay and consistent time to hang out and make each other laugh. Sandler’s collaborations with The King of Queens star Kevin James go all the way back to 50 First Dates and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. They’ve worked in live action as well as animation. So how does Sandler ensure that James will come back to play every time?

The comedic duo are making the rounds to promote the new Netflix movie Hubie Halloween. Adam Sandler plays the title character, an unusual loner obsessed with the October holiday, while James is a police officer who has to put up with Hubie’s nonsense. During an interview for the WWE, Sandler revealed that the pathway to James’ professional heart is through his stomach.

Kraft Services. The secret to luring the finest co-stars to an Adam Sandler set. When you get to see these two interact in an interview setting, you can physically see their chemistry and admiration for each other. Sandler notoriously treats his close friends and colleagues extremely well – there’s a well-known story about Sandler buying Maseratis for the main members of the Grown Ups cast, James included. Maybe “dumplings” is Adam Sandler’s code name for Italian sports cars?

We recently had a wonderful time interviewing the cast of Hubie Halloween, and posed a similar question to James, Tim Meadows, Maya Rudolph and more to find out how these Adam Sandler joints attract such high-powered comedic talent, time after time. It essentially boils down to everyone loving Sandler, but their answers were pretty enlightening about the atmosphere Sandler creates.

And the funny thing about Hubie Halloween is that the movie, itself, is legitimately funny. Too often, the Adam Sandler comedies can lose sight of the joke because the people involved are having too much fun hanging out… and there’s only so much of that the audience wants to watch before we just feel like we’re not invited to the party. Hubie Halloween remembers to work in jokes – and blatant references to the Sandler catalogue – so it’s almost like we are eating the dumplings along with Kevin James.

Now, where do I pick up my Maserati, Mr. Sandler? Is there a parking lot, or does it just show up in my driveway? I’ll await further word.

Kevin James loves working with Adam Sandler in his movies. For him, it’s so fun it’s like going back to summer camp. But in his latest foray in Adam Sandler’s Hubie Halloween, not everything was hilarious and easy sailing. In fact, we recently learned those ridiculous sunglasses his character wears made it difficult for him when filming.

Leave it to Adam Sandler to give his characters over-the-top quirks that make an actor's job just a little bit harder. In Hubie Halloween, Kevin James’ likes to wear sunglasses, including at night. As you can imagine, that would make things hard to see. So when CinemaBlend’s own Jeff McCobb asked Kevin James if that little detail was scripted or not, Kevin James confirmed it was all Adam Sandler, but also admitted it made filming tough:

Yikes. That does not sound fun, or safe, especially driving the squad car part. Still, it’s hard to deny having Kevin James’ character wear sunglasses at night is a solid gag for an Adam Sandler comedy. I wouldn’t expect any less from the Sandman.

In Hubie Halloween, Adam Sandler plays Hubie Dubois, a Halloween fanatic in Salem, Massachusetts who frequently reports strange things he’s seen to Kevin James’ bearded character, Sergeant Steve Downey. Steve Downey dismisses Hubie whenever he “cries wolf,” but when something spooky does actually go down, it’ll be up to Hubie to be the hero and save Halloween.

Kevin James and Adam Sandler have been long-time collaborators. Whether Kevin James appears in Adam Sandler’s comedies or Adam Sandler produces a Kevin James movie under the Happy Madison banner, they’ve built a solid working relationship over the years. Part of that great chemistry is how much fun it is to work with Sandler.

Kevin James, Maya Rudolph, Tim Meadows, and other frequent Adam Sandler alums have all admitted it’s a blast working for the comedian on his movies. For them, it’s like a big party where everyone knows each other and they’re constantly laughing through the whole experience. Although there are still challenges that come with every film set.

If you’re curious about Adam Sandler’s latest, you don’t have to wait to find out; Hubie Halloween just released on Netflix. Critical reviews seem par for the course, considering Adam Sandler’s track record on the streaming service. According to CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg, you might have to go in with low expectations. In his review, he gave the film 2 ½ stars and said:

For more movie news, be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Adam Sandler has made a ton of comedies over the years, and along the way he’s worked with so many actors and comedians that there's practically too many to count. But one thing is for sure: many of them, like Kevin James, Maya Rudolph, and others, love coming back and making his movies.

While Adam Sandler’s comedies maybe don’t get the most praise from critics, his fans love them and keep coming back for more, and that includes many of the comedians he works with too. CinemaBlend’s own Jeff McCobb recently interviewed many Adam Sandler alums, including Kevin James, Maya Rudolph, and Tim Meadows, for his latest movie, Hubie Halloween, and asked them what they like most about working with the Sandman. Watch this video to hear what they said:

Say what you will about Adam Sandler’s comedies, they sound like a lot of fun to work on. From feeling like you’re going back to summer camp to being part of a big party, his actors have nothing but nice things to say. Getting the chance to play a role in one of his comedies sounds like an absolute blast.

Adam Sandler’s latest comedy Hubie Halloween has no shortage of comedians he’s worked with in the past in the ensemble. On top of the comedians already mentioned, the movie also stars Kenan Thompson, Rob Schneider, Steve Buscemi, Blake Clark, Colin Quinn, and the return of Happy Gilmore’s Julie Bowen, among many others.

Hubie Halloween stars Adam Sandler as Hubie Dubois, a Halloween fanatic that consistently cries wolf in the town of Salem, Massachusetts, and is openly mocked by the public. But, when creepy things start happening in the town, it’ll be up to Hubie to save the spooky season.

While fans and his co-stars love him, Adam Sandler’s comedies have rarely been received warmly by critics. Just to give you a quick snapshot of that, CinemaBlend’s own Dirk Libbey in his review of Adam Sandler’s Murder Mystery, said, “If you've seen an Adam Sandler movie anytime this century, you know what you're getting, and it's not interesting or funny.” But, the awe-inspiring thing about Adam Sandler’s comedies is their almost bulletproof nature. Because, despite the poor reviews, they still bring in tons of viewers and rake in loads of cash. As such, Netflix wants to keep the party going and has already renewed several deals with the Saturday Night Live alum, saying “our members can’t get enough of him.”

So, with happy fans, co-stars, and a streaming company that likes his movies, Adam Sandler likely should just keep doing what he’s doing. For more movie news, be sure to stay tuned to CinemaBlend.

Throughout his career, Adam Sandler has played a wide variety of comedic characters. From Billy Madison to Sandy Wexler to his latest Hubie Dubois in Hubie Halloween, Adam Sandler loves to play eccentric leads. But if you had to choose, which would you want to get a spinoff? Well, according to Kevin James, he’d want it to happen with one of his classic characters.

Kevin James is set to appear in Adam Sandler’s new movie Hubie Halloween, alongside a huge cast of other comedic stars that typically join Sandler’s movies. CinemaBlend’s own Jeff McCob recently spoke with Kevin James and asked him which of Adam Sandler’s characters he’d want to see get a spinoff and this is what he had to say:

It’s hard to argue with that. Of Adam Sandler’s many characters, Bobby Boucher is likely one of his most memorable originals. His fans might also eat that up, excited to see Adam Sandler revisit a favorite from his past. Of course, there's no telling if that'll actually happen.

Bobby Boucher was of course the protagonist in Adam Sandler’s The Waterboy, a movie about a water boy that finds out he’s got a talent for tackling people. As a result, the football coach recruits him to be their star player, but Bobby Boucher has to keep that secret from his domineering mother. Said mother is played by the always delightful Kathy Bates.

Though critics weren’t fond of The Waterboy, it’s become one of Adam Sandler’s fan favorites over the years. It is definitely one of his iconic movies, and it ranks much higher than a slew of his other more recent offerings. But could a sequel happen?

Kevin James, for his part, has been a frequent collaborator with Adam Sandler starting with I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Whether working together on one of Adam Sandler's own films or having Kevin James' movie produced under the Happy Madison Productions banner, they’ve built a strong comedic relationship over the years. And that'll continue with Sandler's ongoing deal with Netflix.

That real-life friendship really shines through with their comedic chemistry on set. Recently, Kevin James spoke about how much he loves working on Adam Sandler’s movies because everyone’s family on set and it’s like “going back to summer camp.” Sounds like the set of Hubie Halloween was a fun place.

Kevin James and Adam Sandler teamed up once again on Netflix’s Hubie Halloween, about Hubie Dubois, a Halloween fanatic that cries wolf a bit too much in Salem, Massachusetts, which ends up becoming a problem when something truly scary actually happens in the town.

You’ll be able to watch both actors in Hubie Halloween when it drops on Netflix on October 7, 2020. Until then, be sure to check out Jeff McCob's interview with Kevin James.

Adam Sandler’s unique brand of humor isn’t the only thing that’s drawn audiences to his films over the years. Fans also love that fact that he consistently works with collaborators like Chris Rock and David Spade. Given Sandler’s real-life friendships with so many of his co-stars, the chemistry among all of them really shines through in their various films. And longtime friend Kevin James loves working on those films for that very reason:

The sentiments Kevin James shared with Access Hollywood shouldn’t come as a surprise given just how much fun he, Sandler and their co-stars seem to have on set. Whether it be on screen or through bloopers, there never seems to be a dull moment whenever the band gets back together for a new film.

James has been making movies with Adam Sandler for well over a decade now, with the two having starred alongside each other in movies like I Now Pronounce you Chuck & Larry, Pixels, Grown Ups and Hotel Transylvania. In addition, James has starred in films like Zookeeper and Here Comes the Boom, which were produced under Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions Banner. James and Sandler are next set to star in Netflix’s Hubie Halloween.

The public may have differing views on Adam Sandler’s body of work, but one thing that most people seem to be in agreement on is that he’s a fun person to work with. Actress Lauren Lapkus, who starred in Happy Madison’s The Wrong Missy, talked up the familial vibe she felt while working on the set. This, as she points out, stems from the fact that the company has utilized many of the same employees for decades, leading to a closeness among the crew.

Aside from people talking about just how fun it is to hang out with Adam Sandler, others have spoken to his kindness. Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson got to team up with Sandler to perform a song on the sketch show, and Davidson would later rave about how wonderful it was to work with the SNL legend.

Despite his comedic persona, Sandler has proven to be a sentimental person. This was especially evident when he posted a tribute to his late Grown Ups co-star, Cameron Boyce, on what would have been his 21st birthday.

There’s a reason Adam Sandler has been able to make movies for so many years and, based on his colleagues’ sentiments, it would appear to be due to the friendly and collaborative environment he’s created on his projects. With this, it’s fair to say that he’ll likely continue making movies with his friends for years to come.

Sandler’s newest movie, Hubie Halloween, arrives on Netflix on October 7.

Over the last few weeks, Netflix has started being a little more transparent about which movies and TV shows its subscribers are recently watching. I say little because we don’t usually have actual numbers, but we do know a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad Kevin James movie is doing very well on the streaming service this week. Behold the power of the flop on Netflix.

Zookeeper, aka that Kevin James movie where he talks with animals, is seeing a resurgence thanks to a new run on Netflix. It’s actually fairly often these days that old movies suddenly see a surge in popularity; yet, in general there’s a reason for those resurgences. For example, other flop Patriot’s Day had a nice run on the 4th of July. Or sometimes movies do well when they recently hit the service, but in this case Zookeeper seems to have been available on the service for some time.

It’s hard to tell if Netflix was really foisting Zookeeper on audiences this weekend thanks to the power of algorithms or if something else is responsible for its recent popularity, but given a bunch of releases are coming to the streamer in August, Zookeeper's win is a little bit of a surprise. This week Netflix added a couple of the Ocean’s movies, the Jurassic Park trilogy and A Knight’s Tale, but perhaps people were looking for something to watch with the kids?

In any case, when Zookeeper debuted in theaters back in 2011, we were at the height of Kevin James' prowess in Hollywood. The King of Queens actor had wrapped his hit sitcom just a few years prior and was coming off of theatrical wins like Paul Blart: Mall Cop (2009) and Grown Ups (2010). While neither of those flicks were particularly well-reviewed, they do have higher Rotten Tomatoes audience scores and did well at the box office. Both also spawned sequels.

Zookeeper, on the other hand, is roundly hated by critics. It also, despite making a little over $169 million at the box office, is generally considered a flop. This was due to its $80 million budget – much larger than the budget for Kevin James’ other comedy credits around the same time. Due to splitting revenue with theaters, a movie needs to make quite a bit more than its budget in order to break even and Zookeeper was a flop in its time.

In fact, thanks to using real animals it also pissed off PETA and overall became one of the less memorable Happy Madison flicks. A year later, Kevin James went on to do voice work in the much more well-liked Hotel Transylvania and Zookeeper just became a small blip in his otherwise generally successful career.

Yet, now it too is finding success thanks to Netflix. At the time of this writing, in fact, it’s sitting pretty in the #7 slot in terms of U.S. viewership. Not too bad for a movie that lost money at the time. Meanwhile, this makes me wonder about mediocre movies finding a second life on Netflix. A lot more people are finding movies such as Zookeeper (and plenty of other former flops). I think it probably says something that we’re more accepting of mediocrity when it feels free (or an included cost rather) than shelling out for something subpar on the big screen.

Netflix has also struggled or is not interested in creating a bunch of incredibly good original content, particularly in the movie realm, though small movies like The Fundamentals of Caring and bigger budget flicks like The Irishman or Extraction have been standouts. The service is trying to accrue a bunch of different types of content for different factions of people on a global scale, but the Top 10 list does feel like it has something to say about the average person’s taste and what people would really prefer to watch these days. Or maybe we’re all just champing at the bit for new content?

Kevin James is doing something we would never expect from him in his new film. In Becky, James plays a violent Neo-Nazi, the villain of the film. It's a serious dramatic role with some obviously uncomfortable elements to it. It's a long way from Paul Blart: Mall Cop to be sure. It's maybe not too surprising that James wasn't the first choice for the role of the bad guy in Becky, though he got the role, in part, because he was already attached to the film. The actor and comedian was originally set to play a different role in the film and only stepped up to play the villain after the original actor cast, Simon Pegg, had to bow out.

Kevin James explained to Newsday that originally, he was going to play the role of the father who is held hostage by the Neo-Nazi, opposite Simon Pegg in the role of the bad guy. However, scheduling forced Pegg out of the role, and at that point, the idea of just moving James over crossed somebody's mind. According to Kevin James...

Even playing the father of title character Becky in the new movie would have been a different sort of role for Kevin James. The entire film is dramatic and violent in a way unlike what we've seen from James in the past, but making the leap all the way to playing the bad guy, who goes so far as to have a swastika tattooed on his head, is even more impressive. The role of the father would end up being played by Joel McHale.

Seeing Simon Pegg play the villain of Becky would certainly have been interesting as well. While Pegg has a bit more experience playing serious roles, we certainly haven't seen him do anything quite like this either. Either way, we were set to see an actor who generally plays sympathetic characters play one that was completely without sympathy.

Kevin James says he took the role, in part, because he wanted to do something that was very unlike his previous roles. It's unclear how he feels about that as an actor. Whether we're likely to see more of this, or a reversion to goofball comedy, we'll just have to wait and see I suppose.

Becky is available on VOD now and possibly could still be at your local drive-in.

Constraints of genre have found ways to break apart in exciting ways in the past few years, and a number of comedians’ shift to darker roles is an example of this. Shortly after Adam Sandler’s buzzy role in the Safdie Brothers’ Uncut Gems, Kevin James starred as a neo Nazi the horror movie Becky. When Community’s Joel McHale was asked to join the movie, he was excited to work with his Deliver Us From Evil co-star Lulu Wilson and witness James’ on-screen transformation. In McHale's words:

Yeah… that was our reaction too. Kevin James has built up a reputation with audiences as this comedy dad on projects such as Paul Blart: Mall Cop and his long-held role in The King of Queens. We never would have imagined him donning a head tattoo and hunting a 13-year-old girl in an R-rated thriller take on Home Alone. But that was the kind of detail Joel McHale took notice of when he signed on to the role, per his interview with Daily News.

In the recent flick that has become one of the few movies to find a theatrical release at select drive-in movie theaters, Lulu Wilson plays the titular role of Becky, a preteen who is brought to a remote cabin by her dad (played by Joel McHale) over the weekend in an effort to bond with her. However, when she gets there, she learns he is planning to get remarried, and his to-be wife and son are on the trip with them.

The true horror of Becky isn’t family drama, but the appearance of Kevin James’ Dominick, a white supremacist with a few buddies behind him, and an intense need to obtain something within Becky’s possession. The movie becomes a cat and mouse game between him and the 13-year-old – but sorry, no John Hughes charm here.

Since Becky hit some theaters and VOD in early June, it has been warmly received with a 70% Fresh Rotten Tomatoes score and 62% audience score. The movie is a much more under-the-radar attempt for Kevin James to establish himself in a new way, but it will perhaps serve as an indicator of the actor picking more challenging roles for himself.

Coming up from Kevin James so far is a NASCAR comedy television series called The Crew, which also stars Gary Anthony Williams, Dan Ahdoot, Freddie Stroma, Sarah Stiles and Jillian Mueller. He will also be rolling with Adam Sandler, Steve Buscemi, Maya Rudolph and Rob Schneider for the comedy Hubie Halloween. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend for more movie news.

They say comedy is rooted in tragedy. People laugh to avoid crying. While that might not always be the case, that's fitting when it comes to these peculiarly dramatic performances from comedians/comedic actors. It almost seems like a rite of passage for prominent comedians to leap into dramatic/darker material, and several have proved their chops. It might not always be the roles they're most commonly associated with, but for actors like Adam Sandler in Uncut Gems, it showcases new sides to their familiar screen presence. The results are surprising and exciting in equal measures. No joke. Here are comedians who also stood out in dramatic roles.

Adam Sandler (Uncut Gems)

While he's more commonly associated with his juvenile, boyish Happy Madison productions, including Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, 50 First Dates, The Wedding Singer, and the Grown Ups movies, Adam Sandler has also consistently proven himself as a serious actor. Notably starting with 2003's misunderstood dark dramedy Punch-Drunk Love, which cleverly subverted and dissected the tropes of Sandler's early comedies in an artistic, challenging, yet still bleakly hilarious way, Sandler has dived into dramatic roles — to mixed results. Judd Apatow's Funny People was smartly funny and insightfully self-referential, but Reign Over Me was a middling effort prior. Men, Women & Children was a well-meaning but misbegotten flub, while The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) featured an excellent Sandler performance in this dysfunctional family dramedy.

Tom McCarthy's The Cobbler seemed like an easy winner but it tragically received some of Adam Sandler's worst reviews. But Sandler got some of his best reviews in Uncut Gems, a New York City-based crime drama-thriller following Howard Ratner (Sandler), a down-on-his-luck jewelry salesman with a gambling addiction that involves some very expensive debts and some very bad people. 

The grimy, stylistic, relentless, but appropriately addictive, character piece surprised general audiences used to seeing broader, more conventional comedies from the A-lister. Instead, Uncut Gems finds Sandler giving one of his most committed, commendably foul performances, fully embodying this scumbag with vigor and aplomb. The result is one of the actor's most audacious and daring roles, and one that hopefully proved to Sandler's biggest, most merciless critics that he has serious chops.

Kevin James (Becky)

Best known for The King of Queens and Kevin Can Wait, in addition to comedy film franchises like Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Grown Ups, Kevin James' decision to play a vicious, vindictive neo-Nazi in this year's Becky was certainly a surprising, unexpected one. If you can get past the bold, bizarre casting choice, James proves himself to be a formidable dramatic one, one who isn't afraid to play against the grain and relish his darker impulses. Characters like the aforementioned Paul Blart showcased an underlying sadness, which suggested that James had what it took to be an intriguing dramatic performer, but this bald-headed villainous brute is a stark departure from anything we've seen from him. While some dismissed it as stunt casting, James does convey genuine tension and menace through this violent, cold-blooded character.

While Kevin James' performance isn't a complete revelation, notably with a flimsy screenplay and little insight into this character's motivations, it should hopefully prove to be a stepping stone for his second chapter. Certainly, his YouTube account suggests James can't wait to try darker, more challenging material, though it's unclear if more filmmakers will allow him to do something this outlandishly against his familiar image. Notably, using his physicality not for slapstick comedy but rather to impose suspense and terror is an intriguing change-of-pace.

Eddie Murphy (Dolemite Is My Name)

Eddie Murphy needed a comeback. He impressed everyone with his sensational musical performance in 2006's Dreamgirls, nearly winning an Oscar. But then came Norbit. The ill-received studio comedy was not only a critical flop but it also supposedly killed his award chances. Murphy continued to make several ill-fated studio comedies, not of which captured Dreamgirls' radiant spark or the sharp wit of his earlier comedic work. But after an extended absence, Murphy returned with Dolemite Is My Name, a lively, heartfelt biopic dramedy/tribute to Rudy Ray Moore, best known for playing Dolemite on the stage and screen. Murphy's performance was rewardingly electrifying, feeling more alive than anything he'd done in years. It's also a role that heartily played to his strengths, capturing the humor and heartbreak of this larger-than-life personality.

Patton Oswalt (Big Fan)

Better known then for his stage work and Ratatouille, Patton Oswalt proved his acting chops with 2009's overlooked Big Fan. As a diehard football fan caught in a complicated situation when he's assaulted by his football idol, Oswalt's reverence for pop culture and fandom were put to sharp, poignant use, showcasing the complexities that come with being blindingly reverent to something — to the point where you can't look at it from an objective lens. But for many folks, they didn't realize the extent of Oswalt's acting talents until he starred in 2011's Young Adult, appearing opposite Charlize Theron, in which he gave an excellently nuanced, perspective performance.

Awkwafina (The Farewell)

As an actress, comedian, and musician, Awkwafina continues to gain notice and recognition, notably with standout roles in Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean's Eight. But her most prominent part might actually be her most dramatic. Specifically, last year's tender, personal The Farewell found the rising star at the forefront of one of the most acclaimed movies of the year. And her performance was certainly well-recognized. Beautifully conveying the mix of humor and sorrow that's presented in this nuanced situation, Awkwafina was praised for channeling the deft balance of gentle humor and dramatic pathos with grace and vulnerability. It led to Awkwafina being the first Asian woman in Golden Globes history to win Best Actress.

Vince Vaughn (Brawl In Cell Block 99)

Though not a comedian in a traditional sense, Vince Vaughn came into fame through his star-making role in Swingers, loosely based on his own real-life personality. From there, much like Jon Favreau, Vaughn continued climbing up the Hollywood ladder, starring in Wedding Crashers, Dodgeball, Old School, The Break-Up, and more. While he periodically dived into dramatic territory, notably with Gus Van Sant's much-criticized Psycho remake, Vaughn found his dramatic stride with Brawl in Cell Block 99, a neo-noir prison thriller-drama which follows former boxer-turned-drug mule Bradley Thomas (Vaughn) as he descends several brutal layers of prison hell to protect the woman he loves. 

While previous Vince Vaughn roles relied on his snarky sarcasm, this one challenges Vaughn's physique. With his bald head and imposing height, Vaughn is surprisingly menacing, but that only makes his unexpected emotional sweet side resonate more.

Marlon Wayans (Requiem For A Dream)

Before White Chicks, Little Man, and the first two Scary Movies, Marlon Wayans was a TV star venturing out into movies. Shortly before his movie career would took off, Wayans gave a surprising dramatic performance in 2000's almost relentlessly bleak Requiem for a Dream. In its bold, unflinching look at drug addiction, Wayans not only holds his own opposite Jared Leto, Jennifer Connelly, and Ellen Burstyn, but he proves his dramatic chops in a performance that doesn't mirror any other throughout his career. It's a shame we haven't seen Wayans take another role in this vein again, though he's set to star in Sofia Coppola's latest, On the Rocks.

Albert Brooks (Drive)

A celebrated actor-director best known for Broadcast News, Out of Sight, Finding Nemo, Modern Romance, Defending Your Life, and Lost in America, the latter three he also helmed, Albert Brooks is a familiar, beloved screen presence, yet he surprised everyone with his dark, menacing villainous role in 2011's Drive. Playing the brooding antagonistic figure to Ryan Gosling's soft-spoken protagonist, Brooks' cold, calculated performance didn't capture any of the warmth or humility seen in his earlier work, conveying a seething contempt and a vigor for violence that was surprising not merely because it came from the voice of Merlin. Intentionally, it was effectively disarming, never allowing us to be two steps ahead of our scowling sociopathic baddie. It showed a new side to Brooks. It should be noted, though, that he also starred in Taxi Driver. What's the deal with him and drivers?

In addition all these strong and/or challenging performances, we'll take this moment to celebrate some comedians who didn't make the list, including Melissa McCarthy in Can You Ever Forgive Me? and The Nines, Molly Shannon in Other People and Year of the Dog, Jenny Slate in Obvious Child, Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People, Rodney Dangerfield in Natural Born Killers, Stephen Merchant in Logan, Will Ferrell in Stranger than Fiction and Everything Must Go, Richard Pryor in Blue Collar, George Carlin in Jersey Girl, Seth Rogen in Steve Jobs and Take This Waltz, and Ben Stiller in Permanent Midnight, Greenberg, and The Meyerowitz Stories.

Kevin James is taking on a completely new role: the villain in a horror movie. The Kings & Queens comedy actor will be the central convict at play in the home-invasion thriller Becky. Along with its upcoming release on VOD this Friday, James’ latest role will also premiere in almost 50 drive-in theater screens this weekend.

Becky stars Annabelle: Creation’s Lulu Wilson is a 13-year-old who is brought to a lake house by her father (Community’s Joel McHale) in an attempt to reconnect with her. As Kevin James’ relentless Dominick infiltrates the house in search for something, Becky pulls Home Alone-type antics, but amped up to an R-rated level.

As a select number of drive-in theaters nationwide start to open their doors to the public (with social distancing restrictions), Becky will be one of the few new releases available to view with an audience in some time. Many theaters are still playing films like Bloodshot, Bad Boys For Life, Sonic the Hedgehog and Jumanji: The Next Level on their screens – releases that are now months old.

Drive-ins in 14 states are participating in showing Becky, with overwhelming support from Ohio theaters, via Bloody Disgusting. Becky comes from Quiver and Redbox studios, and is directed by Jonathan Milott and Cary Murnion of 2017’s Bushwick starring Dave Bautista, and 2014’s Cooties starring Elijah Wood. The script was written by newcomers Nick Morris, Ruckus Skye and Lane Skye.

Kevin James’ turn to horror comes on the heels of his frequent co-star Adam Sandler’s recent praise for Uncut Gems. The Safdie Brothers drama and a couple other Sandler flicks have been dominating Netflix this past week – even giving recent release The Lovebirds a run for its money. David Spade has also found success on streaming with comedy The Wrong Missy, which debuted at No. 1.

If Kevin James dominates with Becky, maybe Grown-Ups 3 will be in the works next? The indie horror flick finds itself in an interesting position this weekend being one of the few new movies to hit some theaters just as drive-ins are making a comeback. As the health crisis has continued to dominate global health concerns, drive-in theaters have become an alternative some are turning to. One couple even held their wedding at a Texas drive-in, and it looked adorable.

Another recent horror flick to hit drive-ins is called The Wretched, which just made box office history for topping the domestic box office five weekends in a row – the fifth movie ever to do so and the first since 1997’s Titanic.

Check out Becky in select drive-ins and VOD on June 5, and stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more news on upcoming movie releases. Here’s our 2020 release schedule.

Nowadays, we're seeing more and more vloggers become bonafide celebrities through their popular YouTube channels. So much so that genuine movie stars and TV personalities are not only taking notice and turning themselves into prominent YouTubers as well. The results are... interesting, to say the least. Not every superstar has what it takes to be YouTube famous — surprisingly enough — but there are a handful of famous, popular media personalities who've made the jump into YouTube stardom, including Will Smith. His YouTube channel is just one of several celebrity-made platforms where movie/TV stars produce regular, sometimes even daily, online content for their subscribers. 

These are celebrities with active YouTube accounts.

Will Smith

While Will Smith's blockbuster status ultimately isn't what it used to be, the world-famous actor/musician remains popular and active through his engaging YouTube account. Whether it's birthday celebrations that involve bungee jumping in the Grand Canyon, celebrity interactions with Liza Koshy, Joyner Lucas, and Larry David (among others), admitting casting decisions he later regretted, or even a colonoscopy video (seriously), Smith will produce content on a monthly, sometimes even weekly, basis for his followers. The results are high-energy and comical, though he'll occasionally get serious when discussing his passions and beliefs. In any case, there's no doubt that when it comes to YouTube, Smith still does things Big Willy Style.

Check Out Will Smith's YouTube Channel here.

Jack Black

An immensely talented, charismatic performer, Jack Black is an actor-musician with outstanding range and a great screen presence, though Black has recently shifted his focus towards making YouTube videos. Specifically, as Jablinkski Games, Black makes game-plays, playing the newest, hottest video games in quick-bite videos. The YouTube page allows Black to reach his audience from the comfort of his home, and it looks like he enjoys that accessibility. Last year, when Jumanji: The Next Level hit theaters, Black claimed that he was retiring from moviemaking to spend more time with his family and working on other projects, including fostering his YouTube channel and new Tenacious D music. It would be a great shame to no longer see Black on the silver screen, but with nearly five million subscribers and counting, Jack Black is definitely gaining a massive YouTube fanbase.

Check Out Jack Black's YouTube Channel here.

Kevin James

Though he's best known for sitcoms like The King of Queens and Kevin Can Wait, as well as movies like Grown Ups 1 & 2, Paul Blart: Mall Cop 1 & 2, Hitch, and the Hotel Transylvania franchise, Kevin James forged an odd new YouTube career, where he'll regularly post short films that surprisingly aren't always directly comedic. Even some of the intentionally funny videos are more darkly amusing, like the one above. In fact, as Polygon noted, these shorts show a previously-unseen dramatic range for James, suggesting that he might want to venture into more serious projects. They're based on thin premises, like James eagerly waiting for a green light, misreading a hand wave, or spending birthdays by himself, but many carry a sense of melancholy and restraint that was previously unseen from the performer.

Check Out Kevin James' YouTube Channel here.

Ryan Reynolds

Even though Ryan Reynolds is a world-famous movie star, the actor-producer keeps an active online presence. Much like Deadpool, Reynolds is jokey, fun-loving, and irreverent when it comes to his YouTube account. The actor is more active on the platform whenever there's a movie to promote (makes sense), but he's known to post goofy, genuinely funny videos, including the one seen above, as well as this meta advertisement, which gives the actress at the center of the widely-mocked Peloton ad the redemption she deserves while also peddling out Reynolds' signature gin. While a majority of these videos promote his movies or alcohol brand, they all carry the A-lister's signature cheeky sense of humor. They certainly have more consistent entertainment value than some other celebrity YouTube accounts. Of course, we'd expect nothing less from Reynolds.

Check Out Ryan Reynolds' YouTube Channel here.

Tia Mowry - Tia Mowry's Quick Fix

Better known as one half of the popular sitcom, Sister, Sister, as well as Disney Channel movies like Twitches and Twitches Too, actress Tia Mowry has continued to work as a TV personality, notably in The Game, Instant Mom, and the ongoing Family Reunion, but the former child star has also been building a YouTube presence. Her channel, Tia Mowry's Quick Fix, finds her making food, answering questions, providing updates on her family life, and more. Mowry produces a new video on at least a monthly basis, sometimes weekly, and has gained nearly 718,000 subscribers.

Check Out Tia Mowry's YouTube Channel here.

Russell Brand

An English actor-comedian who came to fame through Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, Hop, Arthur, and the first two Despicable Me movies, Brand shifted his career towards activism and campaigner, and that's more commonly reflected on his YouTube channel. If you go to Brand's YouTube and expect more jokey videos, you'll be disappointed. Brand's YouTube presence focuses on the British comic discussing political and psychological topics, while also exploring religion, neuroscience, mediation, and other heady conversation pieces. The videos can be broad-reaching in their focus, though they showcase Brand's eagerness to explore a variety of dense topics in a thoughtful, mindful way. Brand is also consistent in his content. He'll post more-than-a-few videos a week. Sometimes, he'll post daily. He has amassed more than two million followers.

Check Out Russell Brand's YouTube Channel here.

Zac Efron

The former teen heartthrob who became a household name through his High School Musical role, Efron's adult years have featured a few daring, unconventional career choices, though his YouTube channel is more mainstream. Though he doesn't post as often as some other celebrities on this list, Efron provides celebrity-filled workout tips, as well as taste tests and a few adventure-filled videos. Admittedly, Efron hasn't produced any new content here in five months, though his consistency on YouTube tends to come in waves.

Check Out Zac Efron's YouTube Channel here.

Gordon Ramsay

A chef, restaurateur, and television personality, Ramsay has juggled several professions throughout his career, which means that his YouTube transition was understandingly swift. Through his account, which welcomes celebrities like Rhonda Rousey, the Bella twins, Steve-O and more, Ramsay is seen making a variety of dishes in a short span of time. There are also comical videos where Rasmay "tries out" for the NFL and indulges in a Christmas-themed road trip. But for the most part, the content is predominately food-based, which makes sense. Though he's known for his temper, Ramsay's videos seem more casual and informative in their approach, garnering him 14-plus million subscribers.

Check Out Gordon Ramsey's YouTube Channel here.

Adam Savage - Adam Savage's Tested

Best known for his long-running Discovery Channel series, MythBusters, Adam Savage's YouTube page is expectedly in a similar vein. The account, which primarily finds Savage working on inventions and gadgets, continues the TV personality's interest in inventions and science, allowing him to continue building/assembling strange and exciting new tech while he providing informative tips and lessons to his nearly five million subscribers. If you enjoyed watching MythBusters, there's a good chance you'll enjoy Savage's YouTube account as well.

Check Out Adam Savage's YouTube Channel here.

Jenna Dewan

A back-up dancer-turned-actress-turned-TV personality, Jenna Dewan has made several career transitions over the years, which might explain how she was comfortably able to become a YouTube star. On her channel, the dancer-actress makes videos that provide viewers with Q&As, tips, dance tutorials, haircare products, personal reflections, and more. The actress had a habit of posting a new video every two weeks in the early days, though she's been less consistent lately. Specifically, it should be noted that Dewan hasn't published a new video in six months, which means she might've moved away from her channel, though Dewan's active presence on the site prior to this extended absence — through which the TV personality gained nearly 500,000 subscribers — suggests she might come back to YouTube later down the road.

Check Out Jenna Dewan's YouTube Channel here.

Madelaine Petsch

Though she's best known for her role on The CW's Riverdale, Madelaine Petsch has also kept a consistent YouTube profile, where she makes make-up tutorials, craft videos, Q&As, hairstyle tips, and more. Similar to the other channels listed above, these various videos give Petsch's followers regular updates on the TV actress, but some of them also give helpful and informative beauty and wellness tips, notably with a few new videos that provide feedback and opportunities for people like herself who are stuck at home, looking for ways to past the time in quarantine.

Check Out Madelaine Petsch's YouTube Channel here.

Who is your favorite celebrity on YouTube? Tell us in the comment section!

Adam Sandler is back for another movie in his massive deal with Netflix, following the (unexpected?) success of Murder Mystery. Sandler's new movie is another murder mystery, but it's also a holiday movie -- just not the usual Santa stuff. This one is a Halloween comedy that reunites him with several old friends from SNL and beyond.

The Halloween movie will feature the all-star comedy lineup of -- deep breath -- Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Julie Bowen, Maya Rudolph, Ray Liotta, Steve Buscemi, Rob Schneider, Michael Chiklis, Kenan Thompson, China Anne McClain, Paris Berelc, Tim Meadows, Colin Quinn, June Squibb, Shaquille O’Neal, Karan Brar, Noah Schnapp, Mikey Day, Melissa Villaseñor, Kym Whitley, Lavell Crawford, Betsy Sodaro, George Wallace, and Blake Clark. Phew!

Deadline says the Halloween movie is currently untitled, but it just started filming north of Boston and it's at least working until the title of Hubie Halloween. People has a photo from set showing Kevin James rocking a wild mullet and beard as a Salem, Massachusetts police officer. James recently showed off a photo on social media with a massive beard but a bald head.

Here's what the Observer says the movie (whether ultimately called Hubie Halloween or not) is about:

Adam Sandler's last murder mystery seemed to work well for Netflix, since that 2019 Jennifer Aniston movie reportedly got a record number of views in its opening weekend.

Adam Sandler likes to work with his friends, and Jennifer Aniston said she signed on for Murder Mystery specifically to work with him again. Kevin James keeps returning to Sandler as well. They've worked together in Grown Ups, Grown Ups 2, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, and Zookeeper, plus through cameos in 50 First Dates and You Don't Mess With the Zohan.

Speaking of old friends, here's hoping Steve Buscemi has another classic lipstick-worthy scene in this movie:

Steven Brill, who directed Adam Sandler's 2017 Netflix film Sandy Wexler, is directing this new Happy Madison Productions movie as well. Brill also directed Sandler's 2000 film Little Nicky and co-wrote the script with Sandler. And Brill directed the 2016 movie The Do-Over with Sandler and David Spade.

Adam Sandler signed a four-movie deal with Netflix in 2014, then signed on for four more in 2017. His Happy Madison movies for Netflix so far include The Ridiculous 6, The Do-Over, Sandy Wexler, The Week Of, Father of the Year, and Murder Mystery.

This new Halloween movie -- Hubie Halloween or Whatever They End Up Calling It -- doesn't have a streaming date yet on Netflix. Sometimes Netflix announces that along with a trailer. It would be great if they could do a super-quick turnaround for this Halloween 2019. We'll see.

After the success of Adam Sandler’s Netflix comedy Murder Mystery, it seems like it was only a matter of time before things got a bit out of control. Sure enough, they have, only in the very particular circumstance that is Kevin James’ beard.

Don’t take our word for it though, as you can see just how much Kevin James’ facial hair has grown, courtesy of his social media posting below:

While Kevin James certainly isn’t a stranger to facial hair, as his Paul Blart: Mall Cop look brought him into that particular fold, this is a seriously long beard. Though that’s nothing compared to what’s been spotted on the set of this new Netflix film, allegedly entitled Hubie Halloween.

Yahoo dug up some details on this film’s current production, and as it turns out, Kevin James is also rocking a pretty big mullet as Officer Steve, a police officer who helps Adam Sandler’s protagonist, Hubie, investigate a heinous crime.

If you just said to yourself, “I bet it’s a murder,” you’re clearly psychic, as Hubie Halloween is another Netflix murder mystery from the man who helped make Murder Mystery a big damned hit for the streaming giant. Only this time, instead of a jet-setting adventure in Europe, Sandler and company will be skulking around Salem, Massachusetts in the search of a killer.

It’s still a bit weird to see Kevin James with a beard as big as the one seen in the Instagram post the actor had shared. While we’re used to some facial hair on the star of such sitcoms as The King of Queens and Kevin Can Wait, this is a pretty big deal. Then again, Netflix is probably banking on James, and his partner-in-crime Sandler, to make Hubie Halloween a massive hit. Which means extreme measures must naturally be taken, in the name of success.

Murder Mystery was a pretty big hit for Netflix, and in the shadow of the supposed flopping of Triple Frontier, the studio is going to want another hit to draw subscribers back to their queues. Though if word of mouth behind Hubie Halloween gets as wild as that of Murder Mystery, there’s a chance that Adam Sandler fans who don’t already have a Netflix account might just sign up for this next film.

It’s all the more reason for Kevin James to grow an insanely long beard, in hopes of luring audiences into this latest film’s clutches. The laws of comedy dictate that you’ve got to top yourself each time, and James is just playing by the rules, folks.

Hubie Halloween doesn’t have a release date just yet, but it wouldn’t be all that surprising if this one drops on Netflix in time for this fall’s festivities. Meanwhile, if you’re interested in partaking in those sweet Sandler antics, Murder Mystery is currently available for streaming on Netflix.

Writer, director, podcaster and professional fanboy Kevin Smith suffered a nearly fatal heart attack a little over a week ago, and in the wake of that, he has communicated some sincere and candid reflections about the experience and his life in general. Kevin Smith has spoken about making some lifestyle changes to improve his health moving forward like going vegan, and with that in mind, the folks at Disney Channel played a solid joke on the filmmaker, taking something he told them about and running with it.

This would be highly embarrassing if the folks at Disney Channel really did mistake Kevin Smith for Kevin James, but in fact they just remembered what Kevin Smith said and decided to give him a good chuckle. Being heartfelt and serious is often the mode of behavior in situations like these, and I'm sure that Kevin Smith received plenty of well-wishes of that nature, but laughter is the best medicine, and Disney Channel delivered in spades here. The joke is so good that Kevin Smith doesn't even want to eat the cookie and he even played along in his Instagram post, thanking his 'TV wife' Leah Remini. This just goes to show how much the people at Disney Channel were paying attention when Kevin Smith relayed the anecdote about getting mixed up with King of Queens' Kevin James. The best and most thoughtful gifts are those that show you were paying attention, and it's clear the cable network was.

If there is one thing Disney tends to get right, it's the details, and this 'get well soon' card and cookie not only references the Fatman on Batman's mix up with The King of Queens, but also touches on the transition to veganism and delivers a Mary Poppins reference. Bravo, though I must admit, I had no idea that there were people who mixed up Kevin Smith with Kevin James. I mean, they are both portly actors named Kevin, but beyond that I struggle to understand the confusion. Isla Fisher and Amy Adams, sure. Keira Knightley and Natalie Portman, definitely. Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Javier Bardem, maybe, but this one I don't see.

It is great to see that Kevin Smith is in such good spirits, joking and having fun after such a traumatic event. Even though he's had to have a sober assessment about his diet, he seems to be taking it all in stride, facing life and death with a level of acceptance and gratefulness that is not easy to do. Fortunately, Kevin Smith is on the mend and will hopefully be bringing more of his unique films to audiences again soon. The director seemingly has a lot of projects in the pipeline too, although which ones will really come to light remains to be seen. He has the horror film Killroy Was Here, the final entry in his True North Trilogy Moose Jaws and the long-awaited Jay and Silent Bob Reboot all at some stage of development with fans eager to see them.

Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for all the latest news on Jay and Silent Bob and all of Kevin Smith's future projects.

Many shows experience some touch-ups when going from premiere seasons to second-year outings, from storyline updates to casting shake-ups and beyond. But CBS' sitcom Kevin Can Wait ushered in one of the more bizarre changes we've ever seen, as Season 1 star Erinn Hayes was booted from the show, with her character Donna being killed off, which made room for Kevin James' former King of Queens co-star Leah Remini to join the show. James had kept fairly mum on the female lead switcheroo, but now he's revealed the real reason why Donna Gable is no more.

For the fans that are still lamenting Erinn Hayes' absence on Kevin Can Wait, Kevin James' answer will almost certainly not get them fully back on board with the CBS comedy. I mean, the show was created with the central concept of James' Kevin Gable figuring out how to coast through his life as a husband and father after retiring from the local police force. That's not exactly the deepest or most multi-threaded storyline, so did everyone involved just expect the show to get cancelled after its first year, saving the writers from coming up with ways to fit Donna into the story?

Ridiculous as that may sound, it's almost more baffling to consider any alternative ideas. At least, ones that don't sound like conspiracy theories that assume Kevin Can Wait's creative team was specifically aiming to bring in Leah Remini as a replacement for Erinn Hayes, in order to boost the show's so-so ratings and terrible critical reviews. After all, cozying up to TV audiences' nostalgia is almost always a good move for TV networks looking to score some more eyeballs.

Of course, it's definitely worth noting that Kevin Can Wait went through some behind-the-scenes issues earlier in Season 1, when co-creator Bruce Helford left the show over creative differences with Kevin James. Maybe Helford would have had a ton of Donna-centric ideas for where to take the story, and his absence could have sealed the deal for Hayes' future. Now, we'll probably never know.

And even if Kevin James' answer is perfectly honest and reflective of what the creative team was going through, it was still a mind-boggling choice to kill Donna off within the narrative of the show instead of going some other route. The cast and crew have talked about how Donna's death will lead to tougher struggles for Kevin as he deals with changes in his children's lives -- James himself told New York Daily News that the storylines would be "weightier" -- but that hasn't exactly been all that obvious on the show itself, which took a big time jump and explained away Donna's absence through Kevin quickly stating that she'd died, as combined with a cheap joke. Something that fans railed against, especially after it was previous claimed that the death was only fair, and would be handled respectfully.

Kevin Can Wait Season 2 is now fully underway, with Kevin and Leah Remini's Vanessa being all chummy-if-not-romantic-yet, and fans can catch it on CBS every Monday night at 9:00 p.m. ET. Check out our fall TV premiere schedule to see everything else heading to the small screen soon.

Warning: spoilers ahead for the second episode of Kevin Can Wait Season 2.

Kevin Can Wait made a big cast change for Season 2 when original leading lady Erinn Hayes was written off the show and former guest star Leah Remini was bumped up to regular status as Vanessa Cellucci. The whole Gable family is struggling to adjust to life without Donna, and the latest episode showed Kevin attempting to tackle the domestic tasks that he once left to his wife. As his son wasn't enjoying Kevin walking him home from school and his daughter wasn't a fan of her dad washing her clothes, the whole family was under a lot of pressure. Luckily, Kevin found a reason to get out of the house, and it gave viewers the answer to the question of how Kevin James will be paired with Leah Remini in Season 2.

Vanessa Cellucci entered the episode when she wandered into the Gable house to recruit Kevin to join her on a mission to serve papers to a man dodging his wife's quest to divorce him. She had left the police force for the private security sector, and things worked a bit differently. The man had gotten a look at Vanessa, so she needed an assist from somebody who couldn't be identified by the target. Unsurprisingly, the partnership didn't go too smoothly, starting when Vanessa got the burger with onions that Kevin ordered.

Although their first attempt to serve papers failed when Kevin tried to chase their target on a kid's malfunctioning dirt bike, Kevin discovered that he liked being at work yet again. He decided to apply to work for the Golden Phoenix security company, which he discovered to his dismay was owned and run by Vanessa. Kevin decided to start his own security firm, but it got off to a poor start when he used a scrap of paper as his business card and used "insecurity" as part of his slogan.

Well, Kevin lost his competitive streak when Vanessa revealed that her company was failing, and she was behind on her rent. They began to work as a team to take down their target at an amusement park, and it was clear that they were good to keep going as partners. The two will be working together in private security, which will shift the focus away from Kevin's shenanigans as a stay-at-home dad to his hijinks in private security with the long-suffering Vanessa.

Only time will tell how much the show will change now that Kevin is getting back to work and Leah Remini has a larger role in the show. It should be interesting to see how the fans who weren't happy at how Donna was written off will react to the shift. We'll have to wait and see. New episodes of Kevin Can Wait air on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on CBS. Don't forget to swing by our fall TV premiere guide as well.

When it was announced that CBS' Kevin Can Wait was bringing in Kevin James' former King of Queens co-star Leah Remini as a guest-star, fans undoubtedly had expectations for their respective characters to share the same kind of chemistry that they did on the former comedy. And with Remini's promotion, combined with the show-written death of Kevin's wife Donna, it seemed like that could be an eventual end-game, but executive producer Rob Long claims that's not the case at all. At least not at this point in the show, or the characters' time together. In his words:

Leah Remini's Vanessa Cellucci made her big Kevin Can Wait debut appearance in the two-part Season 1 finale, serving as a foil for Kevin as his former rival on the force. When Season 2 of Kevin Can Wait kicks off, the revised storyline will keep the characters at odds, but with Vanessa now taking on the role of Kevin's boss at the top of a new security firm. They've got to keep up a working relationship, of course, but fans shouldn't expect that awkward friendliness to turn into anything more lovey-dovey. For the time being, this isn't a will they/won't they situation, because they won't.

Season 1 was more tied to the relationship between Kevin and his family, with his job situation obviously coming up a bit. But now that the show is in Season 2, Rob Long told TVLine that everyone involved on the creative side is having a ton of fun dealing with things on the work-relationship side, since they hadn't gotten to do that before. Of course, Kevin will also be a single father raising the three Gable kids, with Kendra assumedly watching everyone when Kevin heads out to work. But it's not clear if Vanessa will enter into his home life very much.

We'll just say it right here that Rob Long specifically pointed out that fans shouldn't expect that "by Episode 12" to see Kevin and Vanessa having any kind of romantic kindling. So maybe in Episode 13? Okay, probably not, but still.

Kevin Can Wait will make its Season 2 debut on CBS on Monday, September 25, at 9:00 p.m. ET. To see everything else that'll be making primetime a little more complicated in the coming months, head to our fall premiere schedule.

Over on A&E, Season 2 of the Emmy-nominated docu-series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath is going strong, maintaining much of the audience base that tuned in for the first season's initial run. The actress and former Scientologist will be back on network TV full-time for Season 2 of CBS' Kevin Can Wait, where she'll be reunited with her former King of Queens co-star Kevin James. Remini is now claiming that during her time on the '90s sitcom, she was pressured into trying to convert James into a Scientologist. Here's why she said she refused to go through with it.

That assessment sounds similar to other things that Leah Remini has said in the past, as well as what other former Scientologists have reported after leaving the Church behind, as far as the importance placed on the recruitment process goes. Given how much value people tend to place on fame, there would certainly be an advantage in having TV stars as the ones supposedly being tasked to do the recruiting, though perhaps not the biggest one if it's another TV star as the one being targeted. And it's perhaps interesting that Remini says it was Kevin James' Catholicism that stopped her from pressuring him into considering Scientology.

Leah Remini's claims, given in an interview with People, weren't the most strongly worded allegations that she's laid out, and they're not the easiest statements to verify outside the actress' own take on it all. And to be expected, the Church of Scientology was quick to put its branded kibosh on Remini's allegations that other Scientologists were peppering her to get Kevin James interested in joining. According to a statement issued by the Church:

Certainly an interesting denial, as it spins things in a different light as far as Leah Remini and Kevin James' on-set relationship goes. But without anything more than hearsay to finger Remini for calling James a bully back then, that claim in the same boat as Remini's own words.

It's apparent that Remini and James' relationship hasn't soured over the years, though. The duo's reunion earlier this year for the CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait was received so well by both the stars and the show's crew that Remini was brought on as a full-time cast member, while actress Erinn Hayes was given the boot. (The latter's character will have been killed off whenever the new season begins.)

Tune in every Tuesday night on A&E to watch new episodes of Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath, airing at 8:00 p.m. ET, with back-to-back installments popping up on September 5. Meanwhile, Kevin Can Wait Season 2 will be hitting CBS' schedule again on Monday, September 25, at 9:00 p.m. ET. And to see everything else that's heading to the small screen in the near future, head to our fall premiere schedule.

The gods of television say that when one window closes on the family home set of a hit sitcom, a door opens up, thus allowing someone else to walk through and take the place of the person who left through the window. Kevin Can Wait experienced just such a casting shake-up, with reports that star Erinn Hayes was being pushed out of the show while Kevin James' former King of Queens co-star Leah Remini was being added as a Season 2 regular. Let's look at how each of the principle players here reacted to the news. First up, the newbie:

Leah Remini followed up her King of Queens run with a somewhat surprising capitalization of fame within unscripted television, both as a part of The Talk and as the center of series such as Leah Remini: It's All Relative and the super-successful Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. But on the scripted side of things, she hasn't been quite so lucky, with limited stints for shows like The Exes, Family Tools, In the Motherhood and more. If the actress has indeed been dreaming about re-finding her footing as a sitcom queen, then reteaming with Kevin James is a good bet, considering Kevin Can Wait had the highest viewership of any new TV show last season. Her involvement in the two-part finale didn't bring audiences en masse, but next season is waiting.

Now, the ousted Erinn Hayes.

Quite the diplomatic response from comedic actress Erinn Hayes, whose career is full of one-season shows and pilots that failed to get ordered, though it's not for a lack of anything on the actress' part. (Her talents are easily viewable on projects that did last a while, such as Childrens Hospital.) She did seem to have a pretty sizable fanbase on Kevin Can Wait, too, as part of the Internet's response to the big switch-up has been in Hayes' corner, with some insulted viewers claiming they won't be watching anymore because of it.

Time will obviously tell how things really play out, especially after the show starts advertising with Leah Remini front and center. And you KNOW that CBS is going to majorly play up the King of Queens reunion as much as possible, while quietly working in all the plot changes and explanations necessary for Donna's absence and Vanessa's permanent fixture. In fact, Kevin James himself seemed to be making an overt reference to his future with Remini in a recent Instagram post.

Not that anything in the post's message ultimately refers to the actor's sitcom work, since he could easily be talking about dieting. But there can be no coincidences found in the cheese on said pizza spelling out "K of Q." I believe we can also agree that pizza would be pretty good right now.

It'll be interesting to pay attention to all things Kevin Can Wait for the rest of the summer as we make the long trek through the seasonal hiatus. To catch up with all the shows that are hitting primetime in the near future, check out our summer TV premiere schedule.

Cast changes for big networks shows aren't the rarest of TV incidents, but something very interesting and strange happened over the weekend with CBS' hit sitcom Kevin Can Wait. It was announced that Kevin James' former King of Queens co-star Leah Remini, who was the season finale guest star, is joining Kevin Can Wait on a full-time basis in the upcoming Season 2, and that was followed by reports that co-lead Erinn Hayes was fired. But was this really a good move for the comedy?

To start off, we have to consider the fact that Kevin Can Wait was the most-watched new series of the 2016-2017 TV season. And you're talking about a year when pop culture conversations were overrun by conversations centered on NBC's emotional roller coaster This Is Us, so one would assume that Kevin Can Wait would want to adhere to whatever formula led to such stellar viewership. But that's apparently not the case, since fellow TV vet Erinn Hayes confirmed on Twitter that she was let go.

It was admittedly a no-brainer for Kevin Can Wait, which dealt with behind-the-scenes changes pretty early on, to tap Leah Remini for Season 1, since The King of Queens was one of the most popular network sitcoms of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Playing up TV nostalgia is nothing new or unseen these days, as Fuller House proves every time we open up Netflix, and the James/Remini connection is a powerful one. Plus, Remini has been making headlines all on her own for her controversial unscripted A&E series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath. But did their reunion make the kind of TV magic that required a long-term follow-up?

Not necessarily. The widely publicized two-part finale was far from being Kevin Can Wait's most popular pair of installments, and in fact, the May 8 finale brought in the smallest viewership of the entire run, with 5.68 million viewers in Live+Same Day stats. Not helping things is the episode's 1.1 rating in the key 18-49 demographic, which ties a series low. The numbers were mostly consistent once Kevin Can Wait hit its stride, but things definitely dipped lower in some weeks than others. Here's hoping that Leah Remini's presence can provide a return to the numbers that came during its earliest weeks.

With the summer season now upon us, Kevin Can Wait won't be back on CBS for Season 2 until some point this fall. While waiting to hear more about this latest shake-up, check out our summer TV schedule for a rundown of primetime's future.

Some on-screen dynamics are just too good to let go of. Even when a series comes to an end, certain actors become inextricable from one another. That is exactly what has happened between former King of Queens co-stars Kevin James and Leah Remini. The two recently reunited on James' new CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait, and now it appears that we can look forward to seeing quite a bit more of Remini's character in Season 2 as she moves into a series regular role.

According to a new report from TVLine, we can expect to see quite a bit more of Leah Remini on Kevin Can Wait when the show returns for its second season in the fall. Remini portrayed police officer Vanessa Cellucci on a guest stint during the show's two-part Season 1 finale, and success of that appearance has subsequently led to her joining the cast as a series regular. As long as this means we can look forward to her regularly trading barbs with Kevin James on a weekly basis, I think it's safe to say that we are on board with the idea.

It's obviously no secret that this news will likely excite any longtime fans of Leah Remini's dynamic with Kevin James from King of Queens. The duo starred on the hit CBS sitcom for nine seasons as Carrie and Doug Heffernan, and their bitter (yet still loving) dynamic has been sorely missed from the multi-camera sitcom landscape in the ten years since the show went off the air in 2007. Now if CBS can just get Jerry Stiller to return to a brand new role, then Kevin Can Wait will be able to pull off the King of Queens hat trick.

This development seems like a great upswing for Leah Remini, as her own recent return to the small screen did not fare quite as well as Kevin Can Wait. Remini starred as the lead on NBC's pilot presentation of What About Barb? Unfortunately, the network passed on the gender-swapped small screen version of Frank Oz's 1991 classic What About Bob? thus freeing up Remini to take on a more substantial role on Kevin Can Wait. Additionally, she's received positive reception toward her documentary series Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath.

Kevin Can Wait will return to CBS next fall on Monday, September 25 at 9 p.m. EST. For now, take a look at our summer TV premiere guide and get yourselves caught up on all of the most highly anticipated small screen debuts of the next few months.

The other night, Kevin James stopped by The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and was one of the few guests to be surprised by the fun-loving host. Jimmy Fallon had unearthed an episode of Point Pleasant Police Department, a (fake) show that featured him and James in rare dramatic turns. It's said that series was full of arguments and high tensions, but it might never have been higher than on the popular Thanksgiving episode. Fallon and James sat back to watch some clips from the police drama when things got a little filthy.

Drama at its absolute messiest. Jimmy Fallon is known for the games he plays with celebrities, but I'd hate to be the one who has to do Point Pleasant Police Department. The recurring bit is a sketch in which Fallon and his guest play two cops who always have important conversations while eating the sloppiest foods available. The result is always a catastrophe and this special Thanksgiving episode might have been the messiest (and grossest) Fallon one has ever done. James spits so hard on him at one point that Fallon's hat goes flying off!

Even if you're not a fan of Fallon or James, there is plenty of enjoyment to be had from watching this video. Gross-out humor certainly has its moments. The sketch has a pretty solid escalation, as Fallon and James' cops continue to spit more and more eatables at each other, a coat of mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie forming over their jackets and faces. Even the actors themselves can barely keep it together, but you can't really fault them because of how silly the whole thing is. They can't even keep their mustaches on, with James at on point falling into some potatoes before he finally gives up.

It's tough to pin down exactly what the highlight of this video is, but there are two moments that stand out to me. The first was when Fallon spat a glob of pumpkin at James' face that stuck to the Kevin Can Wait actor's cheek. Jimmy Fallon, much like his days on Saturday Night Live, couldn't keep from breaking on that one. The second highlight was right at the end when the two prepared their final spit-take and filled their mouths with whipped cream. When they look at each other, there's a single second where they have a mini stand-off before James blasts Fallon with a face full of the white stuff. The audience reaction is priceless.

The Tonight Show isn't always the most riveting late night show, but there's admirable in its silliness, and I suppose we don't really need anything more around the holidays. You can watch The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon weeknights at 11:35 p.m. ET on NBC and Kevin Can Wait on Mondays 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

Many of us have been through points where finding a job was all but impossible, and it's not much different for some TV stars. Long before heading up CBS' Kevin Can Wait, for instance, comedian Kevin James had a point when he was getting extremely bummed out with not getting any gigs from the cattle call auditions he was going out for. But thanks to some key advice and a shirt that wasn't permanently attached to his torso, James came away with both a job and a great story. In his words:

It isn't so hard to argue with that last bit of advice that James shared (humorously, of course), but in that particular instance, there may very well have been nothing better the actor could have done. Sometimes frustrating tasks need to be tackled from completely different angles in order for everything to work out properly, and sometimes those different angles also include the bare skin of Kevin James' chest and stomach. Much weirder things have happened in Hollywood. (Since you started reading this, even.)

Kevin James shared this excellent audition story with TV Guide, and it should serve as a fable of sorts for any discouraged actors and actresses out there who are looking for a way to pep things up. Not that I'm saying everyone should do what he did, but the basic concept of not giving up and conquering problems is one to keep close to the heart. Plus, as evidenced by James' contract demand, one can occasionally come off so blindly confident in absolute bullshit that others will fall in line with similar beliefs. A performance gets you more performances.

This is also a good instance where listening to your good friends can often be a good thing, even when what they're saying sounds ridiculous. These days, Kevin James doesn't have to worry about auditioning for jobs much, as his projects are either formed around him, or they're ensemble comedies (like this one) from Adam Sandler and his production company. Speaking of Sandler, the comedian stopped by Kevin Can Wait not too long ago, and James' former network mate Ray Romano as well. It seems like he should get Chris Rock in an episode at some point, perhaps as the star of a pizza commercial.

The Ninja Turtles love pizza, and the Ninja Turtles don't wear shirts, they get loud and they scare people. I'm not saying that James got this job by being a mutant hero, but I'm pointing out that you never ever see the actor and all four of the mutants in the same room. Food for thought, and that food is pizza. More importantly, Kevin Can Wait airs Monday nights on CBS. Watch it before bad things happen and pizza commercials once again come calling.

Adam Sandler has been headlining Netflix films for the last year or so, so he's technically been around on the television circuit. Regardless, there's definitely a difference between doing movies for a subscription streaming service and popping up on a major network television program, and it's the latter that Adam Sandler will be doing very soon. He's set to join his pal Kevin James on an upcoming episode of the brand new sitcom Kevin Can Wait.

Adam Sandler has already filmed his episode and will be popping up in Kevin Can Wait very soon. He's set to guest star in the November 7 episode "Who's Better Than Us." In the episode, Adam Sandler will play Kevin's former police partner who recently acquired a newer, younger and fitter partner. Per CBS, that new partner, Nick, will be played by UFC Champion Chris Weidman. Photos from the episode seem to indicate that Sandler and James will attempt karaoke and more during the episode. Meeting up with his old partner might be a little hard for Kevin, however.

The timing for this announcement is a little suspect, as it was only yesterday that we learned Kevin Can Wait dealt with some behind-the-scenes drama leading to showrunner and co-creator Bruce Helford leaving the drama. He was replaced Rob Long, and soon after, this magical news about Adam Sandler hit our ears. If this is a case of a show burying bad news with good news, I don't hate it.

Adam Sandler and Kevin James have been friends for a long time. They've worked on a slew of projects together, most notably in the Grown Ups franchise, but also I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Pixels and the Hotel Transylvania animated features, among others. Outside of the projects the two comedians have achieved together, Adam Sandler has done a few other TV guests stints in recent years. He popped up in an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine during its first season. He also weirdly chose to do a cameo on Jessie. And way back in the day, he even appeared in an episode of The King of Queens---also a project starring Kevin James.

Kevin Can Wait did solid numbers through it's first few outings, but heading into the end of October the ratings faltered a bit. Perhaps what the show really needs is another big guest star to recharge and move forward. If you'd like to give Kevin Can Wait a chance, you can tune in when new episodes air on Mondays at 8 p.m. ET, only on CBS. In addition, if you'd like to see what the networks have coming up at midseason, check out the latest version of our TV premiere schedule.

Kevin James' return to primetime TV was a welcome one for fans of the actor's former glory on The King of Queens, and audiences initially showed up in droves to check Kevin Can Wait out. But just seven episodes into the CBS show's freshman season, problems are already starting to rear their ugly heads, and it's not just about the drooping ratings. Co-creator Bruce Helford has suddenly stepped down from his position as showrunner and will no longer be involved with the sitcom at all. A replacement has been set, but that's still quite a blow.

While there's a slight chance that there's some innocuous reasoning behind Bruce Helford departing Kevin Can Wait, it sounds as if there were creative differences mounting between Helford and Kevin James, according to Deadline. (The third creator, Rock Reuben, wasn't mentioned as part of the clashing.) Kevin Can Wait, with a central storyline about a former cop spending hectic times with his family, doesn't outwardly seem like the kind of project where creative tiffs could happen, but perhaps Helford had other thoughts about where the show could go in the future.

Taking the showrunner and executive producer reins left by Helford will be Rob Long, whose long television career speaks to why he was chosen for the gig. He started off as a writer and producer on Cheers, and went on to create other comedies such as George & Leo (with Bob Newhart and George Wendt) and Sullivan & Sun.

Not that Bruce Helford doesn't have his own stacked TV resume, as he was part of creating hits like Anger Management, George Lopez, The Drew Carey Show and many more. He also wrote for Family Ties and Anything But Love. He's definitely got a heftier past in television than Rob Long, not that it made Kevin Can Wait any easier, and we'll likely hear about him coming up with a new show in the near future. It might not happen on Monday nights on CBS though.

Kevin Can Wait did get some good news recently when CBS ordered the back nine episodes, bringing the new sitcom to a full first season. But that came right around the time the sitcom's lead-in, The Big Bang Theory, switched back to Thursday nights, and it's now quite obvious that the struggles are getting real for Kevin Can Wait in acquiring a standalone fanbase. Though the series premiere was seen by over 11 million people, Monday night's episode peaked at 6.4 million viewers watching on the night. Maybe Halloween can be blamed for that, but it can't be blamed for every other episode's ratings decline. Maybe they can bring Ray Romano back on a weekly basis.

Kevin Can Wait airs Monday nights on CBS. To see what else is still waiting to premiere, check out our fall TV schedule.

The new CBS sitcom from Kevin James, Kevin Can Wait, just premiered this Monday, but the show has already nabbed its first appearance from one great guest star who'll look familiar to anyone who's watched TV in the past 20 years. Comedian and actor Ray Romano will guest on the series.

Ray Romano will show up on the freshman season of Kevin Can Wait, and, according to Entertainment Weekly, his appearance will take place sometime this fall. The actor is slated to play the father of a friend of Kevin's son who just happens to be a friendly, but somewhat pushy, car salesman named Vic Margolis. With their sons new friendship, Vic becomes overeager at the chance of selling an overpriced car to this potential customer.

Obviously, Ray Romano is best known for his 1996-2005 sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond, which also aired on CBS. This will mark his return to the network since his series ended over a decade ago. In the intervening years, he's continued to work as a stand up comedian, but has also appeared on several shows, including Parenthood, Men of a Certain Age, The Office, The Middle, Maron and Vinyl. This won't be the first time he's worked with Kevin James, either. In addition to occasionally co-headlining shows in Las Vegas, James appeared several times on Everybody Loves Raymond as two different characters, while Romano showed up as his Raymond character, Ray Barone, on James' previous sitcom, The King of Queens, a few times. And, here's a fun little side note, Romano also played Ray Barone on the CBS shows The Nanny, Becker and Cosby.

As noted above, Kevin Can Wait also marks a return to the network for series star Kevin James. His 1998-2007 show, The King of Queens, helped launch the comedian's film career, which really took off during his time away from CBS. The star has appeared in several big screen comedies, and is now also known for roles in I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Paul Blart: Mall Cop and its sequel, Grown Ups, Zookeeper and Pixels. James also played his King of Queens character, Doug Heffernan, on Cosby, Everybody Loves Raymond and Becker.

Kevin Can Wait focuses on a newly retired cop who's getting used to a fuller family life with his wife and three kids, and finding it more difficult than he imagined. The show has not gotten the best reviews from critics, so here's hoping that the appearance from Ray Romano helps liven things up enough to make his episode worth checking out this fall. You can catch Kevin Can Wait Mondays on CBS, and be sure to check out our TV premiere schedule to see when new and returning shows will debut this season.

Nine years after leaving primetime TV for a more feature-focused career, comedian Kevin James will be heading back to everyone's lives on a weekly basis with the upcoming CBS sitcom Kevin Can Wait. But while it shares a network, a genre and a lead actor with James' former hit show The King of Queens, this new show isn't a carbon copy. In discussing the ways in which the comedies differ, James let it slip that audiences shouldn't expect to see the stars from his past gig showing up for cameos. Here's why it won't happen initially.

Hard to hate on such a genuine answer like that, in an industry where many would want to add any and all recognizable elements to a new project to gain attention. Having Leah Remini dropping by for an episode as a new neighbor would make complete sense for a lot of reasons, but Kevin James is apparently invested in keeping a clear line drawn between his two TV worlds.

Now, King of Queens' Gary Valentine is indeed also in Kevin Can Wait, but he's Kevin James' brother, so of course he's gonna be there. Remini would obviously be a more distracting bit of casting, as it would be if Jerry Stiller started yelling at James in an airport or if one party scene just had Patton Oswalt standing around without moving. It sucks that those things won't happen, I suppose, but if Season 1 of Kevin Can Wait is successful, perhaps we can expect to see some stunt casting in Season 2. Just picture the kitchen table seen above with a couple of other faces around it.

Kevin James will play the husband to Childrens Hospital's Erinn Hayes, and the two will have three children to deal with on an episodic basis. Being a TV dad will be new for the actor, too, as well as other situations the show will put his character through. Not that there isn't always the pull of doing something you're used to. James explained to TV Guide how tough it is to nail the balance.

Indeed, Kevin James has two upcoming film roles that are slightly different from his past efforts. He'll play an accountant taken for a deadly killer in the action comedy The True Memoirs of an International Assassin and a middle-aged man heading back to college to play football in the true story drama 44. Of course, he's also going to be in broad-as-barn-doors movies with Adam Sandler and his usual cohorts, and we're probably only seconds away from another Paul Blart sequel going into production, but at least there's the ambition to do something unexpected.

Kevin Can Wait will debut on CBS on Monday, September 19, at 8:30 p.m. ET. To see everything else coming to TV later this year, check out our fall premiere schedule.

When we started looking into Adam Sandler's next project, Sandy Wexler, we could't help but be optimistic about the film's chances of actually being good. Considering the film is a Sandler film set in the 1990's, and Jennifer Hudson is cast as the romantic lead, the odds seem to be in Happy Madison's favor. Now we've gotten some new information that may, or may not, keep the party going in your eyes: a good number of the Sandler / Happy Madison crew is coming back for Sandy Wexler.

More specifically Kevin James, Terry Crews, Rob Schneider, Colin Quinn and Nick Swardson are all slated to have roles in Sandy Wexler, according to a new report in The Hollywood Reporter. No details have been given about the roles the men will be playing, just that they will be returning alongside the two new cast members that were announced, Arsenio Hall and Lamorne Morris. More than likely, these gentlemen will be playing the roles of clients to the titular talent agent, played by Sandler himself, who finds himself falling for Jennifer Hudson's character after he's discovered her.

This news comes on the heels of Adam Sandler's last film, The Do-Over, apparently ranking in as a Top 10 pick on Netflix in several countries, on top of being the most watched film on the streaming service. So despite some thinking that Sandler's shift to Netflix was a downward move, its a decision that only seems to have put the comedic actor in a closer position to his target audience. So, with more Sandler fans watching new Sandler films, it's not a surprise that actors known to work in the Happy Madison camp keep coming back, especially now.

With actors like Kevin James, Terry Crews, Rob Schneider, Colin Quinn and Nick Swardson all returning for Sandy Wexler, those who are hoping for a change in pace when it comes to Adam Sandler films had better be wary. The casting of several key Sandler collaborators is a good sign that the business as usual model the previous two Netflix films have taken is still very much in effect. At this point, all we're waiting for is the announcement that Steve Buscemi and David Spade are both coming on board to complete the formation.

This isn't to say that Sandy Wexler is safe to be written off as "yet another Adam Sandler" film just yet. Instead, we'd like to suggest that the film may not be the Adam Sandler film that changes the world's view on the popular comedian, while at the very least it sounds like a movie that wouldn't be a complete waste of time if watched on Netflix. We don't have a release date, or a production start date, for the film, but as soon as that changes, we'll let you know.

Even though the last nine years have seen actor Kevin James pulling in major big screen money in films such as the Paul Blart: Mall Cop flicks and the Grown Ups movies, he first became a household name as a TV star, and he’ll finally be headed back down that career path this fall. CBS has given an official go-ahead to the sitcom Kevin Can Wait, which will reunite the network with the former King of Queens star.

There’s a good chance you had come to the conclusion that previous reports of Kevin James’ return to TV were just a memory mirage. The comedy, which only got that snazzy new title today, was originally given a straight-to-series order back in October of last year and then news on the project dried up almost immediately. We’re still not sure just how much of Kevin Can Wait will be coming to audiences, but it’s a good sign that CBS made everything official just prior to the network’s upfront presentation next week. (Really, Kevin James can be this show’s advertising if they wanted to skip it at the upfronts.)

As you probably imagined, Kevin Can Wait will be a family comedy of the multi-camera studio audience variety, in which James will play a former cop whose retirement has seemingly given him the chance to spend quality time with his wife Donna, portrayed by comedy stalwart Erinn Hayes (seen above), and their three kids, played by Taylor Spreitler, Mary-Charles Jones and James DiGiacomo. But as Kevin will soon find out, being at home with his family will not necessarily be any less tough and intense than his time on the streets with the police force. Woe is him, guys. Woe indeed.

According to TVLine, the cast will also feature some more familiar faces. We’ll get to see Kevin James’ former King of Queens co-star Gary Valentine, Memphis Beat’s Leonard Earl Howze and The Neighbors’ Lenny Venito, although no information was given about who these folks will be playing.

CBS has been making some big and long-awaited decisions this week, finally giving out renewals and cancellations and a somewhat surprising decision for Supergirl Season 2. There is now one fewer open spot open on the network’s fall schedule, and several more decisions for CBS to make before the point of no return.

Are you guys happy that Kevin James is officially coming back to CBS this fall? While you’re pondering that answer, check out everything you’ll be able to watch before the fall with our TV premiere schedule.

This past summer, the Adam Sandler-fronted Pixels was not terribly well received, either by critics or fans. Though it ultimately made $244 million, only $78 million of that came from the domestic market, and reviews were generally not very kind (our own critic, however, rather adored the video game-centric comedy), and it's up for a number of Razzies. As you probably could have guessed, the folks over at Cinema Sins have set their sights on Pixels for one of their ubiquitous "Everything Wrong With…" videos, and this one is both brutal and quite extensive. Hope you have some time to spare.

If you’re familiar with Cinema Sins and their product, you probably already know exactly what you’re getting into, but this particular video is something of a behemoth. Clocking in at 20 minutes long, they take Pixels to task every which way you can imagine. At this point you can also probably guess about the kinds of things they’ll point out as "sins," though the line "80s nostalgia boner demons" is pretty much gold.

There are a number of curious things to question in Pixels, however, like how the President of the United States, played by Kevin James (though Donald Trump may very well be President soon, and Ronald Reagan was an actor before his political career, so who are we to say that James can’t be President?), just hangs out in bars with his childhood pal, shooting the shit. I do agree that it would make far more sense to have his buddy over for cocktails at the White House instead of shutting down an entire block. Then again, this is a movie about aliens that invade Earth by taking on the guise of classic arcade games, so perhaps there are bigger plausibility concerns to contend with. But don’t worry, this video gets there, too.

For those of you who have a short memory, or who simply decided to sit this one out, Pixels tells the story of Sam Brenner (Adam Sandler), a 1980s arcade prodigy who has, in his adult life, fallen short of his former glories. However, he gets a chance to shine and put his particular set of skills to the test when the aforementioned aliens use the likes of Pac-Man, Centipede, Space Invaders, and other classic video games to invade Earth—they interpreted a message of peace broadcast into the cosmos as a declaration of war. Sam must team with his former rival, Eddie Plant (Peter Dinklage), and awkward genius Ludlow Lamonsoff (Josh Gad), to destroy the pixelated aggressors and save the day. He also gets the girl in the process, despite, as this video points out, the fact that he’s kind of a creepy dick to her, but this is a movie after all.

Kevin James may have played an MMA fighter in Here Comes the Boom, but the actor definitely knows where he stands when it comes to real life fighting. The comedian was on the same high school wrestling team as the pro wrestler Mick Foley, and has even admitted to taking down the superstar all the time back in the day. But, when it comes to James’ current physical shape, and the baddassery of someone like Ronda Rousey, well, the actor doesn’t stand a chance.

In speaking with The Huffington Post, the actor discussed whether or not it’d be a fair fight between himself and the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, and well, the actor doesn’t even think he’d make it out of the locker room. When prompted whether he could go longer than the 34-second knockout of Bethe Correia, James had the perfect answer:

Kevin James doesn’t look to be in the same shape he probably was when he was a high school wrestler. The Paul Blart: Mall Cop actor has tended to stick to the hot dogs rather than the wrestling mats. But in this ‘what if’ scenario, James admits that even if he did get into the rink with Rousey, it’d be a painful ride:

For anyone who saw the Bethe Correia knockout, it’s hard to argue with James. There’s no way you want to mess with this chick. Even before she starts swinging, I’d be running the other way.

But hey, Kevin James did put in his own training, and lost a lot of weight for his role in Here Comes the Boom. And for someone who is often recognized as the not so scary Paul Blart, he certainly got the similar intimidation factor down.

It’s safe to say having experience acting as a fighter won’t take you too far in a professional arena. And anyways, who wants to get their ass kicked when a delicious hot dog is calling your name.

In the upcoming movie Pixels, a show-stopping face off between Adam Sandler and his band of Arcaders and the film’s big bad boss, in the form of Donkey Kong, is the set piece to beat. As I found out while sitting down with the cast, as well as director Chris Columbus, I learned more about just how this sequence was brought to life. Check out the exclusive video below for more info.

The most interesting thing about Chris Columbus’ decision to build the entire Donkey Kong set, ladders and all, is that it helps to enhance the reality of the world Pixels inhabits. Up until that point in the film, we’ve seen these characters interact with our world, but to really drive the point home we get to see members of the human race cross over to the other side. The result is a spectacular set piece that Columbus admits could have almost been a completely digital fabrication. He said:

Considering Chris Columbus comes from the last decades of filmmaking that relied on practical effects, while seeing the exponential evolution of digital effects, it’s no surprise that his approach was a more hands-on strategy. His decision pays off, as when I saw the members of the Pixels cast running around, wielding hammers, and hanging off of steel girders, it was actually believable. This not only helps sell the reality of the sequence to the viewer, but it also helped sell the cast on the moment they were trying to convey, as other members of the cast confirmed.

In addition to confirming that filming the Donkey Kong scene was as massive an endeavor as it looked, Kevin James and Michelle Monaghan gave some insight into what the set was like during the shoot, as well as massive praise to Chris Columbus for his direction of such an effects heavy sequence. James said:

Monaghan added:

The tennis balls Michelle Monaghan references are, of course, the traditional placeholders for effects that will be added digitally in post production, so hearing her make the connection of the massive Donkey Kong being represented by a respectively tiny tennis ball was funny as well as informative. Though James took the cake, as a gag about him replacing his whole family with tennis balls as practice was peppered into the production notes distributed to the press.

So how did the final sequence turn out? Well, besides seeing it for yourself when Pixels opens, you can take Josh Gad’s word for how awesome the sequence was, as he visited the set and got an eyeful of action. He said:

If words still aren’t enough to sell you, then you can take a look at a video that Columbus himself shared on Instagram during the sound mixing process a couple of months ago.

The amount of craft and skill that went into the production of Pixels will surprise even those who are still skeptical of the film, because for a movie that seemed like an easy write off when it was announced, it's an entertaining ride. We’ll discuss this further in our full review, but for now we’ll say that at the very least Pixels impresses with a hell of a Donkey Kong showdown as its finale.

Pixels opens this Friday in theaters nationwide, but you won’t have to wait that long for more Pixels action as we’ve got more from this weekend’s media event, as well as a review of the film and its 3D treatment, forthcoming.

Whether you’re a casual gamer, or someone who goes hard in the paint on a daily basis through the Playstation Network, there are always two games that every person who ever held a controller will remember. Those two beacons are the one you’re really good at and the one that you suck at, and the cast and director of Pixels recount the ones that stumped them in our exclusive video below.

Pixels makes a big deal about the games that Adam Sandler’s character, Sam Brenner, was really good at, and the ones that he was terrible at. After all, his character did participate in an Arcade Championship during his childhood years, so the eventual outcome of that event makes him think long and hard over the years about his rather unfortunate lack of Donkey Kong skills. In real life, though, Sandler was stymied by another one of the film’s boss characters. He said:

The one game Adam Sandler credits himself with being a champion at is Pong, and he went on to recall how he was the guy to beat back in his home town. Co-star and compatriot Kevin James has a similarly limited range, and has problems playing anything other than his favorite arcade game. He readily admitted:

For those of you wondering what Superbug is, you’re not alone, as it was a game that didn’t really take off. Still, only a true gamer would champion that one game that stuck with them, no matter how obscure, and the history lesson below is dedicated to James’ undying fandom to this classic game.

Not everyone was focused on classic games though, as Pixels co-star Josh Gad has a more modern nuisance when it comes to gaming mastery. He said:

Though Gad did represent the classics by mentioning the classic Nintendo game Contra as his old school Achilles Heel, it’s the Arkham games that really confound him. This lead him to coin a term "tourist game," which aptly describes any game that confuses the gamer so much that they feel like a tourist in the confines of the play space. The best part about that was that Josh Gad proceeded to expand on how a Ben Affleck film about Batman getting lost in Gotham City would be an interesting idea. Rocksteady Games, if you want to press your luck and bring the Dark Knight back for one more ride, consider yourselves pitched.

Much like Adam Sandler before them, both director Chris Columbus and Michelle Monaghan have found themselves on the losing end of the games that comprise of the film’s various bosses. Monaghan found Centipede especially taxing as it supposedly gave her a lot of anxiety. Looking at how the old school games were programmed, particularly a game like Centipede, where it’s about stopping an enemy before it can advance, it’s no surprise that a bit of urgency and panic would creep into the standard game play. But perhaps the most interesting gaming foe was that of Columbus, who served as the director of Pixels, as well as many of the other 80’s films that this one takes its cues from. His downfall was rather telling when it came to the film’s final battle:

Only someone who had spent all that time trying to defeat the mighty Kong would go all out and build a practical set to simulate the true gaming experience. We’ll have more on that later on in the week, but for now we’ll leave you with a reminder that you can see Pixels in theaters this Friday. And keep your browser tuned to Cinema Blend, as we’ll have more information from the cast of Pixels coming your way.