Taika Waititi says he directed ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ because he was “poor” and wanted to feed his kids

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy-winning stars from two of the biggest sitcoms of the late 1990s and early 2000s are coming together in a new Netflix series. Friends alumna Lisa Kudrow has been tapped to star opposite Everybody Loves Raymond‘s Ray Romano in Netflix’s No Good Deed, an eight-episode dark comedy series from Dead To Me creator Liz Feldman.

Addie Morfoot Contributor “SmartLess” began as a passion project during the pandemic and quickly turned into a multimillion-dollar empire for Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes. The high-profile trio launched the “SmartLess” podcast, which features their banter with fellow comedians and celebrities, in July 2020, little envisioning how big a media franchise it would become.

Taika Waititi has already clarified he won’t be back for “Thor 5“ if Marvel Studios wants one. So who will take his place in the directing chair for that hypothetical sequel? Don’t look at “The Creator” director Gareth Edwards who, despite rumors to the contrary, insists he’s not connected to the project.

The 2024 Golden Globes announced the nominations on Monday, but one major category was missing: host.The ceremony is fast approaching, set for Jan. 7 (8 p.m. on CBS), and there’s been no celeb emcee announced.

Rita Ora opted for an audacious look at The 2023 Fashion Awards!

There were SO many celebs on the red carpet at the 2023 The Fashion Awards and we have a recap of everyone who attended!

Rita Ora opted for a bold look as she headed to the British Fashion Awards 2023 with a prosthetic 'dinosaur spine'.The Masked Singer judge, 33, stunned as she stepped out on the carpet with her husband Taika Waititi in a long backless black ballgown that revealed a silver chromatic spine.The star shared that that she had teamed up with Primark to work on the look, which aimed to raise money for charity.The Hot Right Now hitmaker announced on Instagram that she would be selling 500 replicas of the dress worn to the event to raise funds for breast cancer. Talking about her look from last year's award ceremony, which included aquatic face prosthetics, she said: “We are going to the British Fashion Awards 2023.

Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with first-timer Alex Convery’s screenplay for the Ben Affleck-directed Air. 

Taika Waititi has revealed that former US President, Donald Trump, issued a “list of demands” surrounding his brief appearance in NBC’s 2012 Super Bowl advert.The video features stars of the network, including The Office’s Steve Carell, Parks And Recreation’s Amy Poehler and 30 Rock’s Alec Baldwin. In the video, the actors are seen singing ‘Brotherhood Of Man’ from the 1961 musical, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying.Trump, who at the time was hosting The Apprentice (US) can be briefly seen wearing a suit, looking into the camera, as he points and says the word, “you”.Waititi, who directed the advert, appeared on a recent episode of the SmartLess podcast hosted by Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, where he shared that the former president’s appearance came with some conditions.“There was a piece of paper with a list of [Trump’s] demands,” the Jojo Rabbit director shared.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Apple has announced the most popular podcasts of 2023 — and true crime once again leads the pack. Audiochuck’s long-running “Crime Junkie,” hosted by Ashley Flowers and Brit Prawat, was the No. 1 most-listened to podcast overall on Apple Podcasts in the U.S., according to the tech giant.

Taika Waititi is looking back at working with former President Donald Trump.

Taika Waititi is opening up about his initial feeling about directing Thor: Ragnarok revealing he had no interest in helming the Marvel film but ultimately took the opportunity for financial reasons.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Taika Waititi revealed on the “SmartLess” podcast (via Business Insider) that Donald Trump had a list of demands when the two collaborated on a 2012 advertisement for NBC. The commercial, titled “Brotherhood of Man,” aired during the Super Bowl and touted the network’s television slate by combining characters from series such as “The Office,” “30 Rock,” “Saturday Night Live” and more. Waititi directed the ad, which also featured Donald Trump as he was the face of NBC’s reality competition series “The Apprentice” at the time.

Of all the director hires that Marvel Studios has made over the last 15 years, there are few that are more surprising than Taika Waititi to direct a “Thor” film. However, not only did the decision to bring in a young Waititi to direct “Thor: Ragnarok” pay off in a big way (the film was a huge success, both financially and with fans), but it led to a continued relationship where the filmmaker returned for another round of ‘Thor’ goodness (though ‘Love & Thunder’ wasn’t received nearly as well as the previous film).

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Taika Waititi revealed on a new episode of the “SmartLess” podcast that he had no interest in joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a director. The filmmaker has directed two MCU movies: 2017’s “Thor: Ragnarok,” which is widely considered one of the best Marvel movies, and 2022’s “Thor: Love and Thunder,” which is one of the franchise’s most polarizing. The Oscar winner said he originally accepted the “Ragnarok” gig for money, as he had just had his second child.

Taika Waititi has suggested that season two of Our Flag Means Death will be the last.Speaking to Consequence, Waititi said that the second season of the pirate comedy felt like a “natural end” to the story of the show’s main characters Ed and Steve.He continued: “Just because I feel like, you know, they’ve been through so much and then wind up in that nice place at a happy ending.”Waititi went on to describe Our Flag Means Death as “a really special show,” adding that “I love the show so much and maybe it can survive without Rhys and I. Maybe, I don’t know.

Rita Ora has never shied away from a daring fashion choice, but she one-upped herself when she attended British Vogue’s 2023 Forces for Change Party on Thursday night (November 23) at The MAINE Mayfair in London, England.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Wellington Paranormal,” the series spinoff from 2014 breakout hit film “What We Do In the Shadows,” is launching an audio companion piece. It is produced by Frank Podcasts, a new New Zealand-based podcast network, headed by Mike Minogue and Tim Batt. The podcast will feature actors, writers, directors and more, delving into the making of the Jemaine Clement produced and Taika Waititi executive produced TV series, “Wellington Paranormal.” The show is hosted by Minogue (who played Officer Minogue in the series) and Karen O’Leary (Officer O’Leary), with Maaka Pohatu (Sarge) and Tom Sainsbury (Officer Parker) as recurring guests.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter The odds were ever in favor of “The Hunger Games” prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which emerged victorious in a busy box office weekend despite opening slightly behind expectations. The film, which brings audiences back to the dystopia of Panem for the first time in nearly a decade, collected $44 million from 3,776 North American theaters in its first weekend of release.

Rita Ora has taken to social media to gush over her "incredible" trip to Scotland. The pop icon posted a string of wholesome snaps from her whirlwind break as she promised her fans she would be returning again soon.