This season of Hulu’s whodunit “Only Murders in the Building” offered up a bevy of potential murder suspects, including Amy Schumer. But in order to find out who killed Arconia owner Bunny Folger (Jayne Houdyshell), the audience had to go back to the beginning and the podcast that brought Charles Haden-Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) together in the first place: “Not Okay in Oklahoma....

“I think growing up in the area, it was just too much of a thing,” Bennett said, “My very first job was at this place — it doesn’t exist anymore — called the Fall City Grill, and it was also featured in ‘Twin Peaks.’ It was in ‘Fire Walk With Me’ as the Haps Diner. As a 14 or 15-year-old, I would interact with ‘Twin Peaks’ fans. There was already such a cult following, and they would come in, busloads of people, and try to talk to me about the show....

And “Palmer” delivers on that promise. Casual-viewing comfort food that offers just enough flavor to satisfy anyone with a taste for it, this modest AppleTV+ original only defies expectations by sticking to its strengths, trusting in the simple power of its storytelling, and not trying to offer anything more than what’s advertised on the tin. The plot is predictable but well-measured, the characters are familiar but full of life, and the paternal bond that forms between the titular ex-con and a vulnerable seven-year-old-boy — ice-cold at first, but soon to thaw before our eyes — powers a sweetly believable portrait of two outcasts who give a sense of belonging to each other....

“This is the part where I’m supposed to put a smile on,” the 62-year-old director said in a recent interview. He attempted a dry laugh that did not come naturally to him. “I would love for a different type of people to see this film. If they’ll watch it because of this Oscar thing, great.” And they should. Costa has been making rich, ambitious documentary-fiction hybrids since the ‘90s, but they rarely get noticed much beyond the festival circuit....

The day of the the interview’s publication, Disney stated that it wanted to consult with members of the dwarfism community on the film. A day later, the studio changed tactics: It would change the dwarf characters to “magical creatures” created with CGI. And that’s where the real trouble began. If you’re a member of the LP community, or the disability community in general, you’ve seen this story before: the media frenzy, followed by backpedaling, followed by the eventual erasure of disability altogether....

Case in point: Her Majesty was a David Lynch fan. In an interview with NME that has resurfaced in light of the Queen’s death, Lynch’s longtime composer Angelo Badalamenti, recalled Paul McCartney telling him that the Queen was a fan of “Twin Peaks.” Badalamenti composed music for both the show’s original run and its 2017 revival, so the former Beatle thought he’d get a kick out of learning that his work had made it to Buckingham Palace....

The big joke of “Raya and the Last Dragon” has already been (arguably) spoiled by its marketing: that the eponymous last dragon, a vaunted and mythical figure believed to be the key to healing centuries of strife, is actually kind of a ditzy teenage girl (voiced with awkward perfection by Awkwafina). And yet what “Raya and the Last Dragon” excels at is joining that (admittedly, very amusing) gag with a rich story about acceptance, found families, and the power of trust....

The senators point to an interview “Three-Body Problem” author Liu Cixin gave in 2019 to The New Yorker in which he expressed approval over the imprisonment of Uighur Muslims. Human right abuses are reportedly taking place in Xinjiang province, including the detainment of over one million Uighur Muslims. When asked in 2019 about imprisoning Muslims in Xinjiang, Liu Cixin responded, “Would you rather that they be hacking away at bodies at train stations and schools in terrorist attacks?...

The writer-director revealed that while it “wouldn’t be the end of the world” if he did not return to a galaxy far, far away, it would still be a personal disappointment. “It wouldn’t be the end of the world for anyone, I think,” Johnson told Insider. “But I would be sad. I love the world. I love the people. I love ‘Star Wars’ fans. I love the passion of how they engage in it....

Is this a journey to explore new worlds and gain knowledge of other civilizations? Technically, yes. Rick’s discovery of a series of extinction events on a trio of distant planets give them enough cover to engage with the locals in whatever level of debauchery they choose, as long as they give themselves enough time to blast off before the explosions happen. The promise of consequence-free cavorting is naturally a draw for both Summer and Rick — after swapping some vivid plans and demonstrations for what will happen once they land, they quickly go to work making good on those promises....

“They say there was a catalyst at the heart of the cinema experience, a social contract, a binding dynamic power that lifts the cinematic experience into a realm of intimate connection between the audience and the screen, and the stars in the heavens beyond,” Crowe says in one video, shared and applauded by filmmaker Edgar Wright. “They say. Who are they? Some conceited, pretentious fuckwads who try to piss in your pocket and tell you it’s raining....

All told, the document released by the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office and obtained by IndieWire is a 551-page binder, the first time such material has been made public in its entirety. It gives details about the police response to the shooting, in which actor and producer Alec Baldwin held the gun that discharged while containing a live bullet, killing Hutchins and injuring the “Rust” director Joel Souza. The documents also provides further details about the conditions on set leading up to the accident, in which it was reported that there were other misfires of weapons during production....

As legacy series make their transition to streaming platforms, the aspect ratio of it all continues to be an issue for viewers. When “The Simpsons” plopped on Disney+ back in November 2019, the cropping to fit standard-sized televisions obscured some of the show’s best visual jokes. The pothole is obviously, well, crucial in the “Seinfeld” episode “The Pothole,” which is one of the series’ most appreciated episodes. It also features “Sex and the City” star Kristin Davis as Jerry’s girlfriend du jour, whose toothbrush falls in the toilet and leaves Jerry in a serious pickle as to whether to ever kiss her again....

Early reports said that the show featured theories about disputed causes of the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings; earlier in “NYC Epicenters,” there is also presented a conspiracy theory about Flight 93, which crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers took the plane back from hijackers. But the theory posits the plane was actually shot down. That part of the episode remains. The re-edited part four comes mere days after Lee came under fire following a New York Times interview, wherein he defended including the sorts of conspiracy theories proposed by members of the Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth....

The pair, who first met while attending NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, have found real and lasting success within both the film and TV industry, with Ali earning two Oscars and Brown earning two Emmys in the last five years. While a portion of the actors’ chat was previously released, we’re offering fans an opportunity to listen to the entire (lightly-edited) conversation, which touches on a variety of topics including religion, success, scarcity, and comedy....

Martin reprised his role as George Banks from Charles Shyer’s 1991 film on Saturday when he hosted “Saturday Night Live” alongside Martin Short. The parody sketch advertised a new sequel, “Father of the Bride: Part VIII,” which features Martin’s daughter Annie (Heidi Gardner) preparing to get married yet again after surviving seven divorces. Martin is less than enthused about this prospect, considering his daughter’s track record with marriage and the continued financial burden that her wedding habit has placed on him....

The global pop star and Ticketmaster disruptor has revealed that she will make her feature directorial debut Searchlight Pictures, from an original script she has penned. More details about what that film will be about will be released later on. The news also comes on the heels of Variety tapping Swift to appear alongside “Banshees of Inisherin” director Martin McDonagh in the publication’s Directors on Directors series. Swift has long been vocal about her aspirations to direct a full-length movie....

ABC’s beloved first-year public school sitcom “Abbott Elementary,” from creator and star Quinta Brunson, made the grade as the night’s top winner with four prizes. The series took home honors including Individual Achievement in Comedy for series creator, producer, writer, and star Brunson; as well as Outstanding Achievement in Comedy, Outstanding New Program, and the prestigious Program of the Year Award. Other winners include “This Is Us” star Mandy Moore, who earned the award for Individual Achievement in Drama for the show’s final season; acclaimed Disney+ rock doc from Peter Jackson, “The Beatles: Get Back,” which won the Outstanding Achievement in News and Information Award; reality series “The Amazing Race” and “Legendary,” sharing an Outstanding Achievement honor for CBS and HBO Max, respectively; Netflix’s surreal sketch comedy “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson”; plus “Dopesick,” “Succession,” “The Baby-Sitter’s Club,” and more....

What will inevitably come to be known as the “Ted Lasso” Christmas Special is officially titled “Carol of the Bells” — a tip of the hat to a classic holiday song in what’s sure to be a classic holiday episode. Could it have been any other way? The Apple TV+ series has become a phenomenon of goodwill and positivity, embodying the trademarks of the season without, until now, so much as a snowman....

“For my stupid birthday I asked for only one thing: magic mushrooms,” Gilliam said of his one birthday wish, now pretty much impossible due to the pandemic. “I’ve never tried them. The idea was to load my whole family on a plane and go celebrate in the house we have in Umbria. At the moment we can’t, but I could fly all the way to Italy.” Gilliam also added that he would take a private plane “with the help of mushrooms....