Julia Louis-Dreyfus Blasts the ‘Seinfeld Curse’ as ‘Moronic,’ ‘Ridiculous’ and ‘Invented by the Media’: ‘It Made No Sense’

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer On a recent quiet morning at The Summit, the ultra-exclusive gated community in Los Angeles, a crane was called to deliver olive trees to Sebastian Maniscalco’s house. The Illinois native, known for relatable stand-up about his immigrant parents, and for his onstage physicality and boisterousness, went uncharacteristically silent watching the evergreens drop down on his stunning views of Beverly Hills. He’s used to talking about his much humbler roots. “I like to poke fun or make light of what we see in society and make fun of my own family and my old-world immigrant upbringing. I think I do it in a way where we’re all laughing together,” he tells Variety.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is remembering the good and bad moments on the hit comedy show "Seinfeld." After making fans laugh for nearly a decade, the actress recalled the overwhelming emotion she felt when the sitcom came to a final close. "There was a real grief period when the show ended that was real and felt," she said in an interview with People. "Because we all loved each other so much." The "Veep" star continued to recall how the dynamic between her co-stars reflected off-screen just as much as on-screen.

 aired its final episode 25 years ago this month. The show and its lovable characters had not only become household names after nine glorious seasons on NBC, the show and its star-studded cast forever etched their names in pop culture lore and is now considered one of the greatest shows in television history.But there was also a sense of grief, and it was a feeling Julia Louis-Dreyfus says washed over her when the show aired the series finale in May 1998, drawing a whopping 76 million viewers. In the latest cover story, Louis-Dreyfus recalled her emotions after the hit show that launched her career came to an end.«There was a real grief period when the show ended that was real and felt,» she tells the outlet.

Father’s Day 2023 is almost here.For dads who enjoy attending live events, tickets make a great Father’s Day gift. After all, Father’s Day lands in June, the ideal time to plan a family outing to the ballpark—or send dad off to see his favorite band live.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director The 2023 Cannes Film Festival has been a big one for the Depp family. Johnny Depp opened the festival as a star of Maiwenn’s royal drama “Jeanne du Barry,” while his daughter, Lily-Rose Depp, headlined HBO’s “The Idol,” which delivered Cannes its most controversial world premiere thanks to its many scenes of graphic sex and nudity. “I’m super happy for him. I’m super excited,” Lily-Rose told ET Canada while at Cannes, where Johnny Depp choked up during a seven-minute standing ovation after the “Jeanne du Barry” world premiere. “And it’s so awesome that we get to do projects that we’re super proud of.” The opening night premiere for “Jeanne du Barry” marked a comeback for Johnny Depp on the international film stage following his 2022 trial against ex-wife Amber Heard. Although the jury sided in Depp’s favor, the actor remains sidelined by Hollywood as a result of abuse allegations that surfaced during the trial. A U.S. distributor has yet to pick up “Jeanne du Barry” for an American release.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Michael Keaton isn’t the only blast from DC’s past in Warner Bros.’ upcoming superhero tentpole “The Flash.” During an interview with Esquire Middle East, “The Flash” director Andy Muschietti revealed that none other than Nicolas Cage is making a cameo in the movie as Superman. It’s a shocking and full circle moment for comic book movie fans and Cage, who was cast in Tim Burton’s failed “Superman Lives” 25 years ago. “Nic was absolutely wonderful,” Muschietti said. “Although the role was a cameo, he dove into it…I dreamt all my life to work with him. I hope I can work with him again soon.” “He is a massive Superman fan. A comic book fanatic,” Muschetti added.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Wes Anderson brought cowboys, aliens and movie stars to the Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday, earning a six-minute standing ovation at its world premiere. Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jason Schwartzman, Matt Dillon, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Jeffrey Wright, Ed Norton, Margot Robbie and Jeff Gollum are among the starry ensemble cast — many of whom were in attendance at the Grand Palais with their notoriously stylish and exacting director. The project tells of a desert tourist trap that was one the site of an asteroid landing, which also doubles as the location of an annual camp for “star gazers and space cadets.” The conceit is a story-within-a-story, as the the cast plays a troupe of actors and stage crew for a play.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Halle Bailey recently praised her “The Little Mermaid” co-star Melissa McCarthy for teaching her how to speak up and say what works for her on set, but there was a time when McCarthy herself wasn’t always so vocal. In a recent interview with The Observer, McCarthy revealed she once became sick due to working on a toxic set that left many of the cast and crew “weeping.” The experience led McCarthy to realize she can’t remain quiet amid inappropriate working conditions. “I did work for someone once who ran such a volatile, hostile set that it made me physically ill,” McCarthy said. “My eyes were swelling up, I was absorbing all of this nuttiness.”

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Miley Cyrus is renowned for her live performances (particularly her amazing covers), but don’t expect to see the pop star on an arena tour ever again. In a recent British Vogue interview, Cyrus said performing in such large venues makes her uncomfortable and she would much rather perform in smaller, more intimate spaces for friends and family. “It’s been a minute,” Cyrus said about touring. “After the last [headline arena] show I did [in 2014], I kind of looked at it as more of a question. And I can’t. Not only can’t, because can’t is your capability, but my desire. Do I want to live my life for anyone else’s pleasure or fulfillment other than my own?”

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jonathan Glazer just delivered the first instant sensation of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. “The Zone of Interest,” only the director’s fourth feature film after “Sexy Beast,” “Birth” and “Under the Skin,” earned a six-minute standing ovation following its world premiere. Glazer’s film is austere and challenging as it tells the story of the commandant of Auschwitz and his wife, who have created their dream home directly next to the concentration camp. The constant screams of prisoners, gun shots and smoke from the gas chambers haunt their paradise, but their indifference to such horrors creates a terrifying and sinister juxtaposition.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Lucasfilm chief Kathleen Kennedy showed support for the writers strike while attending the Cannes press conference for “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” Kennedy has been a producer on the Harrison Ford-led franchise since its first installment. “When it comes to acknowledging the importance of writing, I think everybody up here has demonstrated that you can’t do any of this without great writing,” Kennedy said. “You can’t do any of this without great writing. All of us who create anything…I am in full support and I know most people are in full support of the writers getting what they deserve.” Kennedy said she’d like to see the strike resolved “in an environment where people can talk about what are some really complicated issues that are effecting the entire industry,” but it’s “going to take time.”

Seinfeld.The actress became a comedy icon for playing Elaine Benes on the NBC sitcom. However, she wasn’t entirely fulfilled by the role when the show first aired in 1988, and subsequently asked co-creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld to give her character more to do.“Well, I never really approached it from the perspective of my gender, per se. I wanted to just play ball with everybody,” Louis-Dreyfus told The Daily Beast.“I’m not going to lie, in the beginning, I didn’t always have a lot to do in certain episodes.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Julia Louis-Dreyfus became a comedy icon for playing Elaine Benes on nine seasons of NBC’s “Seinfeld,” but the role wasn’t completely fulfilling for her when the show first got off the ground. Speaking to The Daily Beast, Louis-Dreyfus revealed she regularly urged series creators Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld to give her character more to do on the show. “Well, I never really approached it from the perspective of my gender, per se. I wanted to just play ball with everybody,” Louis-Dreyfus said about the role. “I’m not going to lie, in the beginning, I didn’t always have a lot to do in certain episodes. And I would go to Larry and Jerry multiple times and say, ‘Hey, you guys, write me more, I need to be in this show more.’ That’s what I just kept doing. And they did.”

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Timothée Chalamet is playing the world’s most famous chocolatier in Warner Bros.’ upcoming musical “Wonka,” but it wasn’t necessarily the Roald Dahl source material that sparked his interest in joining the project. The Oscar nominee told Vogue magazine that he was drawn to playing Willy Wonka for the simple reason of making a movie for a younger, more optimistic demographic of moviegoers. “To work on something that will have an uncynical young audience, that was just a big joy,” Chalamet said. “That’s why I was drawn to it. In a time and climate of intense political rhetoric, when there’s so much bad news all the time, this is hopefully going to be a piece of chocolate.”

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Corrine Foxx has posted a health update regarding her father, Jamie Foxx, whose hospitalization was first announced on April 12. According to Corrine, the Oscar-winning actor is out of the hospital and has been “recuperating” for weeks. He’s also apparently healthy enough to be playing pickleball. “Update from the family: Sad to see how the media runs wild. My Dad has been out of the hospital for weeks, recuperating,” Corrine wrote on her Instagram story. “In fact, he was playing pickleball yesterday! Thanks for everyone’s prayers and support. We have an exciting work announcement coming next week too!” Jamie Foxx’s hospitalization remains somewhat of a mystery. Corrine broke the news of his medial emergency on April 12 via Instagram, writing: “We wanted to share that my father Jamie Foxx experienced a medical complication yesterday. Luckily due to quick action and great care he is already on his way to recovery. We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers. The family asks for privacy during this time.”

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is speaking out about the "Seinfeld curse," labeling it "ridiculous." The "Veep" star agreed with a Rolling Stone interviewer that the term was "invented by the media." "They thought it was clever," she added in the interview published Tuesday. "You don’t need me to prove it wrong, it was ridiculous! It made no sense.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Charlize Theron participated in the recent “Drag Isn’t Dangerous” telethon and sent a stern message to conservative lawmakers seeking to ban drag queens from performing: “We love you queens. We’re in your corner and we’ve got you, and I will fuck anybody up who’s trying to fuck with anything with you guys.” “There are so many things that are hurting and, really, killing our kids, and we all know what I’m talking about right now and it ain’t no drag queen,” Theron said in a video. “If you’ve ever seen a drag queen lip-sync for her life, it only makes you happier, it only make you love more, it makes you a better person,” “Please support all the great organizations that are out there helping all of this nonsense go away like it should,” the Oscar winner added. “All of these incredibly stupid policies. Bye! No more room for hate, only love, and love equals drag queens!”

Zack Sharf Digital News Director With over $678 million at the worldwide box office and six Academy Award wins, including best picture, “Forrest Gump” remains one of Tom Hanks’ biggest sensations, even if reception toward the film has turned more divisive in recent years. During a recent New Yorker Live event to promote his new book, “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece,” Hanks admitted he doubted if anyone would care about the 1994 historical fiction epic. “Forrest Gump” director Robert Zemeckis even warned Hanks the film would be “a minefield.” “I say, ‘Hey Bob, I’ve got a question for you. Is anybody going to care about this movie?’” Hanks said. “This guy sitting on a thing in these goofy shoes and this cuckoo suit with a suitcase full of ‘Curious George’ books and stuff like that… are we doing anything here that is going to make any sense to anybody? And Bob said, ‘It’s a minefield, Tom. It’s a minefield. We may be sowing the seeds of our own destruction. Any footstep we take can be a Bouncing Betty that’ll blow our nuts right off.’”

is disturbed, he is depressed — and now he’s got an NSFW mural in Texas. A picture on a bathroom stall at Second Rodeo Brewing in Texas features a picture of actor Jason Alexander posing in his underwear in the hit NBC sitcom “Seinfeld.” “@IJasonAlexander forever immortalized in a Ft. Worth, Texas restroom,” read a viral tweet about the art — a post that has nabbed more than 4 million views since Sunday.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director As James Gunn’s final Marvel movie opens in theaters and his DC Studios future begins, he’s shutting down any notion about the two superhero studios hating each other. Gunn has had a foot in both studios for quite some time. His Marvel run lasted 11 years and three “Guardians of the Galaxy” movies, while he made his DC debut with 2021’s “The Suicide Squad” and is now the co-head of DC Studios, where he’s writing and directing a new Superman movie. “It’s not odd. It isn’t odd at all, not to me,” Gunn stressed to Yahoo Entertainment when asked what it’s been like juggling “Guardians Vol. 3” press with his new DC Studios duties. “I understand how it appears, but I’m just busy cause I’m working two jobs at one time. But it’s not odd.”