Will Ferrell and Trans Comedy Writer Harper Steele’s Heartfelt Documentary Draws Multiple Standing Ovations at Sundance Premiere

Don’t count on Wendy Williams’ ex-husband watching her upcoming documentary.

Illumination’s “Despicable Me” franchise has grossed a total of more than $4.4 billion worldwide, and given the brand is the biggest global animated franchise in history, you can bet everyone wants more. So, today, Illumination and Universal revealed the first trailer for “Despicable Me 4,” the first film in the franchise in seven years (not counting “Minions” spin-offs and whatnot).

Valerie Wu Intern Gru and the Minions are back, as Universal and Illumination’s “Despicable Me 4” has released its first trailer. The film, which hits theaters on July 3, 2024, continues the popular animated franchise, which follows the reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carrell) trying to do good and finding family while he’s at it. Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Steve Coogan, Chris Renaud, Dana Gaier, Pierre Coffin also return for the fourth installment.

Tom Johnson, who won two Emmy Awards for his comedy writing, died Jan.14 at his home in Los Angeles at 55. No cause of death has been established.

Scottish comedian Kevin Bridges has been announced as this year's host for the Teenage Cancer Trust event at the Royal Albert Hall. The stand-up comedian, 37, will host "A Night of Comedy" on Tuesday, 19 March with performances from Rob Beckett, Paul Chowdhry, Joe Lycett, Joanne McNally and Seann Walsh, plus special guests who are yet to be announced.This night is a part of the week-long event that will take place at the Royal Albert Hall from 18 March to 24 March to help raise vital funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust charity.There will also be performances from The Who with Orchestra, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Young Fathers and The Chemical Brothers to name a few at the star-studded event.

With just one day left to go until The Traitors reaches its nail-biting conclusion, all eyes have been on Traitor Harry as he continues to outwit the Faithfuls since day one of the competition. Over the course of the past four weeks, the Faithfuls have managed to unmask a total of four Traitors so far, with Ash, Miles, Paul and Ross all uncloaked by their fellow contestants. However, the last surviving original Traitor has continued to avoid being rumbled by his co-stars, even despite suspicions surrounding him having begun to swirl towards the end of the competition.

The premise of the documentary “Will & Harper” is so simple that it almost seems presentational, self-serving, or stunt-y. The idea is, after 30 years of friendship, comedian Will Ferrell learns, through a personal email, that an old friend and former “Saturday Night Live” writer, then Adam Steele (yes, the dead name is used at first), is coming out as a trans woman.

Christopher Reeve’s children are telling his story and remembering his legacy. The actor, who played the beloved character Superman in 1978 with three sequels, left a mark on the entertainment industry and is known for his resilience and advocacy for spinal cord injury research and treatment after a horse-riding accident in 1995 left him paralyzed from the neck down.Christopher made his first appearance after the accident at the Academy Awards on March 25, 1996.

Will Ferrell has received praise for his support of the transgender community ahead of the premiere of the new documentary Will & Harper.The film explores the friendship between Ferrell and Harper Steele, a former Saturday Night Live writer, who came out as transgender in 2022. The film received its first official screening at the Sundance Film Festival this week.In a video clip with Variety that has gone viral, Ferrell says: “It was three summers ago in which Harper emailed a lot of her close friends with the headline: ‘Here’s a Weird One’.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic Will Ferrell has some pretty cool friends. That shouldn’t come as any kind of surprise to his fans.

Will Ferrell revealed Sunday that he had “zero knowledge” of the trans experience until his close friend of 30 years Harper Steele came out to him in 2022.“I know I’ve met trans people before,” Ferrell, 56, told Variety in a clip posted to the outlet’s social media. “I didn’t have anyone personally in my life.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Will Ferrell touched down at the Sundance Film Festival to world premiere the new documentary “Will & Harper,” which centers on the relationship between the beloved comedian and his best friend Harper Steele as they take a road trip. The two met during their days on “Saturday Night Live,” which Harper wrote for from 1995 to 2008.

EXCLUSIVE: The dealmaking has begun. Searchlight Pictures closed the first major deal on the ground at the Sundance Film Festival — $10 million for WW rights for A Real Pain, directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg. He stars with freshly minted Emmy winning Succession star Kieran Culkin as mismatched cousins David and Benji. They reunite for a tour of Poland to honor their grandmother, but older tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family’s history. The film will get a big theatrical release later this year.

Council chiefs are using a £440,000 to drive down the soaring number of young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs) in Wigan as a result of the Covid pandemic. It’s part of the town’s ‘employment and skills strategy’ with town hall bosses aiming to help residents, partners, employers and training providers bridge skills gaps and identify where future job opportunities are likely to be.

Stephen Rodrick Jesse Eisenberg‘s “A Real Pain” stars Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin as mismatched New York Jewish cousins. They’re on a trip to Poland in search of the life that their recently dead grandmother lived before the Holocaust. Benji is a buttoned up neurotic on OCD medicine while David is a charming fuckup with no prospects but a mouth that is equally hilarious and malignantly obnoxious.

Craig Gordon could end his 13-month Hearts absence against Spartans.

William Earl Variety is returning to the Sundance Film Festival this year with its annual Interview Studio, presented by Audible, the leading creator and provider of premium audio storytelling. Throughout the festival, videos from the interview studio will be distributed across Variety.com as well as Variety and Audible’s social media channels (Instagram: @audible, @Variety; Twitter: @audible_com, @Variety; TikTok: @audible, @VarietyMagazine).

When the Oscar shortlist of feature documentaries was announced in December, it was dominated by films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival – films like Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, The Eternal Memory, Beyond Utopia and A Still Small Voice. 

Wow! The Emmys crowd had SO much love for Christina Applegate!

Actress Christina Applegate was moved to tears at the 75th annual Emmy Awards on Monday.The star, who is battling multiple sclerosis, received a standing ovation as she took to the stage with a cane to present two awards.The Dead to Me and Anchorman star was helped across the stage by host Anthony Anderson, who has been praised for his presenting skills. As Christina made her way to the podium, the entire audience at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles rose to their feet in support.