“Shazam!” star Zachary Levi predicted his career would implode if he endorsed Donald Trump for president.
Levi did it all the same.
Get woke. Go broke. Backpedal. It’s the new Hollywood mantra.
So far, he hasn’t been pitchforked out of Tinseltown, but it’s still possible. “Club Random” host Bill Maher warned the actor last week that Hollywood still might punish him for wrong-think during their friendly chat.
Now, Levi is getting personally attacked by Variety film critic Peter Debruge for the craziest reason possible. The reviewer listed Levi’s 2024 film “Harold and the Purple Crayon” as one of the year’s worst films.
To be fair, neither critics nor crowds were kind to the kiddie flick. Debruge went one step further:
“Sony repeats the tired idea — recycled by everything from ‘Sonic’ to ‘The Smurfs’ — of bringing cartoon characters into the ‘real world,’ translating adorable Harold into allergic-to-the-eyes Zachary Levi.”
Allergic to the eyes? Here’s betting Levi’s looks skew more leading man than the critic in question. More importantly, what a nasty thing to say about any actor, let alone one as conventionally handsome as the “Chuck” alum.
Think that Trump endorsement had anything to do with that unprofessional quip? Ask Maher or anyone with a functional frontal cortex …
Pixar’s trans shift
Did a major studio CEO actually tell us the truth? “Cats and dogs, living together!” as Bill Murray cried in 1984’s “Ghostbusters.”
Disney CEO Bob Iger, bludgeoned by bad news on nearly all fronts last year, vowed to “quiet the noise” on the culture war front. Many scoffed at his promise, recalling the Disney employee bragging about her “not so secret gay agenda.”
When the Mouse House’s “Inside Out 2” hit theaters over the summer, the lack of progressive propaganda proved rare and refreshing. And the movie earned a whopping $652 million stateside.
Hmmm.
Now, we’re learning an upcoming Disney+ series just killed a trans storyline. “Win or Lose,” from the Pixar production line, originally featured a trans character as part of the kid-friendly sports saga. Voila! It’s gone, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
“When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline,” a Disney rep told THR.
Get woke. Go broke. Backpedal. It’s the new Hollywood mantra …
‘Wicked’ good
Everybody hated the “Joker” musical sequel, but the opposite is true for “Wicked.”
The movie smash hit theaters last month and has already racked up $361 million stateside (and counting). That’s despite hiding the fact that the film is the first of a two-part series. It’s not “Wicked: Part I,” it’s just … “Wicked.”
Fooled ya!
Now, we’re learning the second and final installment will hit theaters Nov. 2025 and will be called “Wicked: The Good.” Someone in the marketing department is a Red Sox fan, right?
Justin’s junk
Who says God doesn’t have a sense of humor?
Justin Timberlake had a front-row seat to the most famous “wardrobe malfunction” ever. He watched as Janet Jackson exposed more than her singing chops at the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show.
Jackson’s career took a nose dive while the NSYNC alum’s went in the other direction.
Timberlake suffered his own “malfunction” of sorts during a Nashville concert last week. The singer performed with a harness for safety reasons when the equipment tugged his shirt up and exposed his still-covered groin. He tried to pull at his shirt to cover up the bulging problem, but that made the clip even more attractive to social media types.
Naturally, the snippet went viral. Call it digital karma …
Sue crew
How many legal notes will it take to keep “The View” on the air?
The news media is in full meltdown mode, again, following ABC settling with President-elect Donald Trump for $15 million over its fake news reportage. Network morning anchor George Stephanopoulos repeatedly claimed a court ruled that Trump had raped E. Jean Carroll during a contentious interview with Rep. Nancy Mace.
Wrong.
“The View,” also part of the ABC network, has been on a “legal notes” binge of late over its potentially libelous banter. One episode of “The View” found the hosts sharing four legal notes in total.
Four!
Here’s betting “The View” will get a new sponsor before the year ends — Secret deodorant. “Strong enough for a man but made for Sunny Hostin.”
