HBO MAX SHARES LAUNCH DETAILS: HBO Max will launch May 27th, and will include a slate of originals and classics. One newbie is the half-hour comedy series, Love Life, starring Anna Kendrick, two reality competition series Craftopia and Legendary, plus Elmo‘s very own late-night talk show, The Not Too Late Show With Elmo, which will include visits by Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver, Blake Lively and Lil Nas X. Other releases for the summer and fall will include Kaley Cuoco‘s The Flight, the anticipated Friends reunion, a new season of Search Party, the docuseries Expecting Amy following Amy Schumer‘s life on tour while pregnant, and the adult animated comedy Close Enough, ET reports.
FRIENDS PILES ONTO ALL IN: Speaking of Friends, the cast is getting involved in the now viral celeb All In Challenge. Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer,Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc took to social media and announced what they will be offering for the Challenge. They are giving fans the opportunity to be their “personal guests in the audience for the taping where you'll get to see us all together again for the first time in ages, as we reminisce about the show and celebrate all of the fun we had. PLUS, sip a cup of coffee with us in Central Perk, and get the Friends VIP experience on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour.”
SHAILENE WOODLEY TALKS SECRET LIFE: It has been seven years since Shailene Woodley appeared on The Secret Life of the American Teenager, but the 28-year-old says that she often felt pigeonholed in the role, which led her to be more outspoken in her own life. She told Bustle: “There were a lot of things that were written into the scripts that not just me, but a lot of the cast, disagreed with. There were belief systems that were pushed that were different than my own. Yet legally I was stuck there. To this day it's one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. So being on Secret Life propelled me to be more vocal about my own belief systems.”
STEPHEN SONDHEIM PARTY PLANNED: Broadway vet Raul Esparza is set to host a star-studded virtual party commemorating Stephen Sondheim on his 90th birthday. “Take Me to the World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration” will stream Sunday at 8 pm ET on Broadway.com’s YouTube channel. Several stars, including Meryl Streep, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald and others will perform. “The world is in a hard place, and we are all searching for something great. Well, Stephen Sondheim is greatness personified,” Esparza said in a statement. “So, we’ve assembled a group of people who love Steve and have worked with Steve and have been inspired by Steve to sing his music and share some joy and some heartache together. We may be far from Broadway right now, but Broadway is never far from us. Besides, Stephen Sondheim turned 90. How many times do you get to be 90? Eleven? So come on, say it, get it over with, come on, quick… happy birthday.”
