Jennifer Coolidge Explains Why She Credits Ariana Grande for Revitalizing Her Career

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Jennifer Coolidge is opening up about why she credits Ariana Grande for giving her career a boost a few years ago.

The 60-year-old The White Lotus actress sat down for an interview on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Thursday night (January 20) in New York City.

Click inside to find out what she said…

During the interview, Jimmy asked Jennifer for her thoughts on the impression that Ariana did of her when she was on his show years ago.

“You should know, it was sort of the beginning of a lot of cool things that happened for me. I was going through a dead zone, not much was going on. Then Ariana did this imitation on your show and you encouraged her. And then this ball got rolling,” Jennifer said.

She added, “My friend who is her age, Theresa, she was like, ‘You should DM Ariana.’ I thought it was such a good imitation and I was like, ‘No, she’s got like 260 million followers. Those are robots. The robots answer the DMs! We will never ever get to her.’ And I did it anyway and then this response came back. Next thing you know, I was going to her house getting fit for wardrobe for ‘Thank U Next.’ That was all because of Jimmy Fallon.”

FYI: Jennifer is wearing a Dolce&Gabbana dress.

‘The White Lotus’ Season 2 Will Be Set in Sicily (EXCLUSIVE)

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The highly anticipated second season of Mike White’s “The White Lotus” will be filmed in Sicily, Variety has learned — confirming previous reports that Season 2 of the HBO show will take place in Italy.

A source close to the show said that once again a Four Seasons Hotel will stand in for White’s fictional luxury chain of White Lotus hotels, specifically the Four Seasons San Domenico Palace in the exclusive Sicilian resort town of Taormina. (The Hawaii-based first season of “The White Lotus” was filmed at the Four Seasons Resort Maui.) According to the San Domenico Palace’s website, it’s closed to guests until April 1.

Representatives from HBO had no comment.

Season 2 of the dark comedy will star Michael Imperioli and Aubrey Plaza alongside recently announced cast members F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hollander, Adam DiMarco and Haley Lu Richardson. Season 1 fan-favorite Jennifer Coolidge, who played the mourning heiress Tanya McQuoid, will also return for Season 2.

Imperioli will play Dominic Di Grasso, who travels to the White Lotus resort with his elderly father Bert Di Grasso (Abraham) and college graduate son (DiMarco). Plaza joins as Harper Spiller, a woman on vacation with her husband and his friends. Hollander will play Quentin, an English expat vacationing with his friends and his nephew, and Richardson will portray Portia, a young woman traveling with her boss.

In an interview with Variety on Wednesday, Plaza expressed excitement about working with White, revealing that they had been collaborating on another creative project that “kind of got messed up by the COVID of it all.”

“I was a fan of Season 1, but more importantly, I was a big Mike White fan. So I’m very excited to work with him,” Plaza added. “I’m very honored to be on this television series, and I hope I don’t let everybody down. It seems like everyone watched this show.”

South Shore stars: 2022 will be a big year for entertainers with local connections

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From a half-dozen high-profile film shoots (“Don’t Look Up,” “Spirited,” “Tender Bar”) to an Emmy-winning television series (“Hacks”) to an 11th Grammy nomination for Stoughton’s Lori McKenna – and more – the South Shore boasted a big year in pop culture. The party keeps rolling into 2022, as our South Shore talents are poised to up the ante. Here are a few to keep on your radar:

Milton’s Jen Statsky brings back ‘Hacks’

Milton’s Jen Statsky, co-creator and writer of the smash HBO Max comedy “Hacks,” delivers a second season (date to be announced) of the triple Emmy-winning comedy starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder. The show won a Golden Globe for best comedy/musical on Jan. 9. It is nominated for best series and best comedy series by the Writers Guild of America. Winners will be announced March 20. Statsky is a 2004 graduate of Milton High School.

Milton:Jen Statsky wins Emmy for writing, creating HBO comedy ‘Hacks’

On tap for Norwell’s Jennifer Coolidge

Few had a better 2021 than Norwell’s Jennifer Coolidge, scoring acclaimed turns in HBO’s limited series “The White Lotus,” a satire from writer-director Mike White (“Enlightened”), and the Oscar-nominated film “Promising Young Woman.” She also stole scenes in December’s Netflix Christmas rom-com “Single All the Way.” Upcoming are the romantic comedy “Shotgun Wedding,” playing the mother-in-law-to-be of Jennifer Lopez; and two Netflix projects, the movie “We Have a Ghost” and the Ryan Murphy series “The Watcher.” She’ll also return for the second season of “The White Lotus,” and reprise her role as Reese Witherspoon’s BFF, Paulette, in “Legally Blonde 3” (May 20). Coolidge is in the running for an Emmy nod for “The White Lotus.” Nominations will be announced July 12. In the meantime, she’s up for a SAG award.

Norwell:Jennifer Coolidge presents Emmy Award to Jason Sudeikis for ‘Ted Lasso’

Milton’s Jenny Slate looks for love

Just in time for Valentine’s Day comes the romantic comedy “I Want You Back” starring Milton native Jenny Slate as a woman attempting to win back the love of her life. Charlie Day and Scott Eastwood co-star. The movie debuts Feb. 11 on Amazon Prime. Slate was the valedictorian of Milton Academy’s Class of 2000. Her film roles include “Venom,” “Obvious Child,” “Hotel Artemis,” “Landline” and “Gifted.”

Weymouth’s Nate Corddry gets political

Weymouth’s Nate Corddry joins Julia Roberts and Sean Penn for the political drama “Gaslit,” an eight-episode STARZ series about how Martha Mitchell, the wife of President Nixon’s attorney general, John Mitchell, tried to expose the Watergate scandal long before Woodward and Bernstein. Corddry will play Michael Deaver, a campaign official for then-California Gov. Ronald Reagan and a key potential ally to the Mitchells. The release date is TBD.

Steve Carell returns to ‘Space’

Steve Carell has exited “The Morning Show,” but he’ll return for the second season of “Space Force” on Feb. 18 on Netflix. He’ll also reprise the role of Gru in “Minions: The Rise of Gru” when it hits theaters July 2. Carell is currently filming “The Patient,” a limited series on FX. He plays a psychotherapist held prisoner by a serial killer (Domhnall Gleeson). Carell is married to Cohasset native Nancy Walls. They have two children. He is originally from Acton, but usually spends summers in Marshfield. He owns Marshfield Hills General Store. Carell became a darling in town when he gave the “MarshVegas” shout-out from the Oscar Red Carpet in 2007.

Quincy-shot ‘Whitney’ gets release date

The Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” will be released Dec. 23, just in time for Oscar consideration. Kasi Lemmons (“Harriet”) directs a cast including Stanley Tucci as Clive Davis and Naomi Akie (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”) as Houston. Filming took place at Marina Studio in Quincy.

Movie magic:New studio opens in Marina Bay, filming Whitney Houston biopic

Another Grammy for Lori McKenna?

Stoughton hitmaker Lori McKenna is among the songwriters nominated for song of the year at the currently postponed Grammys. The song, “A Beautiful Noise,” was co-written by Ruby Amanfu, Brandy Clark, Hillary Lindsey and Hailey Whitters. It is sung by Brandi Carlile and Alicia Keys. McKenna already has three Grammys to her credit.

Music Scene:Stoughton’s Lori McKenna returns to her roots with ‘The Balladeer’

New series from Scituate’s Peter Tolan

“Belated” is the new half-hour FX comedy series written, directed, created and produced by Scituate’s Peter Tolan (“Rescue Me”). The show, which is in development, is about a friendship between 40-year-old Owen (Kal Penn, “Harold & Kumar,” “House”) and Clay, a 17-year-old trans teen. Tolan has also written for “Murphy Brown” (winning an Emmy), “The Larry Sanders Show” and “The Job”; and the films “Analyze This” and “Analyze That.” Not bad for a guy who got his start in Scituate High School theater productions.

Dropkick Murphys to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day

The Quincy-based Dropkick Murphys (“Shipping Up to Boston”) plan a 22-date tour in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. The kickoff is Feb. 17 in Reading, Pennsylvania. The tour wraps in Boston from March 17-20. Three of the local shows are at the House of Blues and the tour finale at Bowery Boston. The band was formed in 1996 in the basement of a Wollaston barbershop.

The South Shore’s Oscar night

Will Quincy native Peter Del Vecho become the city’s first two-time Oscar winner? The animated adventure “Raya and the Last Dragon,” which he produced, is likely to grab a spot when the nominations are announced Feb. 8. He previously won for “Frozen.” He is a 1976 graduate of Quincy High. This year’s Oscars are on March 27 on ABC. “Raya” scored 10 nominations for the Annie Award and a Golden Globe nod.

‘Raya and the Last Dragon’:Quincy producer leads another animated adventure

Elsewhere, Ariana Grande could pick up a nomination for best song for “Just Look Up,” which was filmed locally at Union Point. The film is also in the running for writing and directing nods. … George Clooney’s “The Tender Bar,” which shot a pivotal third-act sequence in Braintree, is garnering Oscar buzz for Ben Affleck’s acting. Sian Heder’s Gloucester-shot flick, “CODA,” is circling many nominations, including best picture and both supporting-actor categories.

Emmy buzz for Canton’s Bill Burr

Canton native Bill Burr, a standup comedian who appeared in “Breaking Bad” and “The Mandalorian,” recently released the fifth season of Netflix’s animated adult comedy “F is for Family.” Burr voices the main character. The show is based on his upbringing in Canton in the 1970s. He’s also generating Emmy buzz for his work on Hulu’s “Reservation Dogs.” Next for Burr is the Morgan Freeman film “Hate to See You Go,” about a Chicago blues musician. Burr is a 1987 graduate of Canton High School.

Director Judd Apatow:Canton’s Bill Burr is ‘riotously funny’ in ‘King of Staten Island’

Chris Cooper joins ‘Boston Strangler’

Kingston resident and Academy Award winner Chris Cooper (“Adaptation”) will join Isabel Coixet’s Broadway-set drama “Light on Broken Glass” after he wraps “Boston Strangler.” The shot-in-Massachusetts film is written and directed by Matt Ruskin (“Crown Heights”). Locations include Braintree, Belmont, Lowell, Lynn, Wellesley and Malden. It centers on how Milton journalist Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) and fellow Boston Record American reporter Jean Harris (Carrie Coon), of Scituate, challenged the sexism of the early 1960s while covering the story.

‘Spirited’ among 2022 premieres

Premiere dates are still to be determined for high-profile movies and series filmed last year on the South Shore. They include “Julia,” the HBO Max original series about chef Julia Childs; and “Confess, Fletch,” the crime-comedy reboot with Jon Hamm in the title role. Scenes for “Julia” were shot at Adams Shore Supermarket in Quincy. Cohasset’s sprawling Oaks Estate was the backdrop for scenes in “Confess, Fletch.” The Apple TV+ Christmas musical “Spirited,” starring Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, is aiming for a December release date. South Shore Plaza was among locations for “Spirited.”

‘Gilded Age,’ ‘Ray Donovan’ and more

HBO’s “The Gilded Age” will premiere Sunday. The period drama created by “Downton Abbey’s” Julian Fellowes was shot in Newport, Rhode Island. … “Ray Donovan: The Movie” was partially filmed in South Boston and features Brockton native Pooch Hall. It is airing on Showtime. … Aerosmith, the storied rock band with South Shore roots, is scheduled to play its pandemic-delayed 50th-anniversary concert Sept. 9 at Fenway Park. … Cohasset High alum Kate Bosworth (“Still Alice,” “Blue Crush”) has three movies out this year: “Along for the Ride,” “The Enforcer” and “Bring on the Dancing Horses.” Release dates are to be announced. … The Worcester-set “Kevin Can F**k Himself,” which was shot in Quincy, Hingham and Brockton, has been renewed for Season 2 and will debut on AMC and AMC Plus in 2022. … Randolph native Keisha Tucker (“Black Panther”) is the stunt double for actress Kiki Layne in the 1950s-set psychological thriller “Don’t Worry Darling.” It opens Sept. 23. … We’re also keeping an eye on announcements about sequels for “Spenser Confidential” and “Free Guy,” both partially filmed in Weymouth.

Keisha Tucker:From Randolph High to Hollywood stunt double

‘Free Guy’:Boston is a video-game metropolis in Ryan Reynolds movie

Reel attraction:Massachusetts is a hot Hollywood alternative

Thanks to our subscribers, who help make this coverage possible. Please consider supporting quality local journalism with a Patriot Ledger subscription. Here is our latest offer.

Reach Dana Barbuto at dbarbuto@patriotledger.com.

Aubrey Plaza Can’t Wait to Work With Mike White on ‘The White Lotus’ Season 2

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Like the rest of us, Aubrey Plaza devoured the first season of “The White Lotus,” HBO’s buzzy social satire about insufferable vacationers and seemingly cheerful employees at a luxurious Hawaiian resort. Unlike the rest of us, Plaza was cast on the show’s second season.

Beyond the chance to appear on the hit show, Plaza says she’s most looking forward to working with Mike White, who created, wrote and directed “The White Lotus.”

“I was a fan of Season 1, but more importantly, I was a big Mike White fan,” Plaza said at Variety’s virtual Sundance Studio presented by Audible, where she’s on the press circuit for her coming-of-age thriller “Emily the Criminal.” Before the pandemic, Plaza and White had been collaborating on a creative project that “kind of got messed up by the COVID of it all.”

“So I’m very excited to work with him,” she says. “I’m very honored to be on this television series, and I hope I don’t let everybody down. It seems like everyone watched this show.”

Naturally, Plaza couldn’t say much (or anything at all, really) about her upcoming role as Harper Spiller, a woman on vacation with her husband and his friends. The show’s sophomore season will take place at a new White Lotus resort — reportedly in Italy — and so far, the only character from Season 1 who’s returning is Jennifer Coolidge as the wealthy, grieving Tanya McQuoid. The acclaimed first season also featured Murray Bartlett, Connie Britton, Alexandra Daddario, Jake Lacy, Sydney Sweeney and Steve Zahn.

Though any specifics have been sparse, a few of Plaza’s co-stars were previously announced, including “The Sopranos” actor Michael Imperioli, F. Murray Abraham, Adam DiMarco, Tom Hollander and Haley Lu Richardson. Per the official press release, Abraham will appear as Bert Di Grasso, an elderly man traveling with his son (Imperioli) and grandson, a recent college graduate (DiMarco). Hollander will play Quentin, an English expat vacationing with his friends and his nephew, and Richardson will portray Portia, a young woman traveling with her boss.

So who among that illustrious cast is Plaza most eager to act alongside?

“That’s a trick question,” she insists. (It’s not. At least five cast members have already been confirmed.) “I don’t know. I can’t say, honestly. A lot of the roles I interact with haven’t been cast yet. I can’t even answer that question.”

Plaza is, however, a little more willing to chat about White’s influence on her pop culture taste.

“‘Enlightened,’ to me, is one of the best television shows in the past 10 years. And ‘Chuck and Buck’ is one of the best independent movies ever made. It was a huge inspiration for ‘Ingrid Goes West,’” Plaza says, referring to the 2017 black comedy in which she starred and produced. “‘School of Rock’ is the best. ‘Orange County’… Jack Black, Catherine O’Hara?”

And since filming on “The White Lotus” Season 2 hasn’t started yet, it’s possible that Plaza isn’t privy to all the details yet.

“I have no idea what’s happening,” she says. “I just show up.”

PBS Drops ‘Sanditon’ Season 2 Trailer; Roku Announces ‘Doomlands’ Premiere Date (TV News Roundup)

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PBS and WGBH’s Masterpiece released the trailer for the highly anticipated second season of “Sanditon” on Thursday. Inspired by Jane Austen’s unfinished novel, the historical drama tells the story of Charlotte Heywood, a high-spirited young woman who happens upon the seaside town of Sanditon during a time of social change, and becomes intrigued by the town’s inhabitants and their secrets.

The first season of the fan-favorite British series ended on a giant cliffhanger in early 2020, and having been canceled in the UK by ITV, it wasn’t clear if anything would ever be resolved. But following fan outcry and the successful run on “Masterpiece,” the show was revived and ordered for a second and third season last year. But change is afoot, and the second season is sure to resolve some fans’ mixed reactions — while creating new drama.

“Love is not as simple as you seem to think,” Charlotte says in the new trailer.

Adapted by Andrew Davies, “Sanditon” stars Rose Williams as Heywood, and features a cast including Theo James as Sidney Parker, Kate Ashfield as Mary Parker, Crystal Clarke as Georgiana Lambe, Turlough Convery as Arthur Parker and Jack Fox as Sire Edward Denham. The show is produced by Red Planet Pictures.

The second season is set to premiere on March 20 at 9 p.m. on Masterpiece on PBS. Check out the trailer below.

Also in today’s TV News roundup:

PROGRAMMING

Turner Sports has greenlit a new documentary exploring the impact of Title IX — the landmark legislation that prohibits sex-based discrimination — for its 50th anniversary. Produced in conjunction with two-time WNBA champion Candace Parker and Scout Productions, the feature length doc will explore the impact of Title IX in Parker’s life, from growing up in Chicago to her career in the WNBA. The untitled doc will premiere during the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Final Four weekend programming on TBS at the beginning of April. Scout Productions’ David Collins, Michael Williams, Rob Eric, Amy Goodman Kass and Joel Chiodi will produce, in association with Baby Hair Productions. More information on the premiere date and other plans will be announced soon.

Roku announced that adult animated series “Doomlands” will premiere on The Roku Channel this month. The series follows the exploits of the crew of a mobile pub, Danny Doom (Mark Little) and Lhandi (Kayla Lorette), as they navigate a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Produced by Look Mom! Productions, the show was created by Josh O’Keefe, who began it as a university film project and directs and co-showruns the season with Lee Porter. The series was originally ordered by Quibi in April 2020, and was acquired by Roku when the company purchased the rights to Quibi’s content library last year. “Doomlands” premieres on The Roku Channel Jan. 28, and will stream for free.

We TV has announced the new unscripted investigative series “Hip Hop Homicides.” Hosted by Van Lathan, each episode of “Hip Hop Homicides” will examine the details and story behind a different unsolved murder in the world of hip hop. The series is produced by Lionsgate Television, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson’s G-Unit Film & Television Inc. and Mona Scott-Young’s Monami Productions. The first season will consist of eight episodes, and will premiere on We TV later this year.

DATES

Amazon Prime Video announced that the second season of “Upload,” the sci-fi comedy series from writer Greg Daniels (“The Office”), will be available to stream on March 11. Set in the future, the show follows Nathan (played by Robbie Amell) as he navigates the digital afterlife with the help of advanced technology like hologram phones and virtual grocery stores. Executive produced by Daniels and Howard Klein, the show also stars Andy Allo as “Nora,” Kevin Bigley as “Luke”, Allegra Edwards as “Ingrid,” Zainab Johnson as “Aleesha,” Owen Daniels as “A.I. Guy,” Josh Banday as “Ivan,” and Andrea Rosen as “Lucy.”

EXECUTIVES

Noticias Telemundo announced its senior news leadership team appointments under the news division’s new head, Patsy Loris, this week. Gabriela Tristán, who recently served as vice president and director of news production at Univision, has been named senior vice president for news — to oversee the editorial and production units of news programs including Noticias Telemundo and hoyDía. Gemma Garcia, who previously served as executive producer of “Noticias Telemundo” and vice president for network and digital news, was promoted to senior vice president for digital news. Garcia will be responsible for leading Noticias Telemundo’s expanding digital initiatives. Finally, Vanessa Pombo, who previously worked as vice president of production management and business operations, has been elevated to senior vice president for business operations, news. Tristán, Garcia and Pombo will report to Loris, the current executive vice president of news who was named head of Noticias Telemundo in November. Loris succeeded Luis Fernandez, who retired at the end of 2021.

FIRST LOOKS

Amazon Prime Video released the official trailer for “Phat Tuesdays: The Era of Hip Hop Comedy,” a new docuseries that chronicles the stories of Black comedians at Los Angeles’ The Comedy Store in the ‘90s. From “Phat Tuesdays” creator Guy Torry and director Reginald Hudlin, the series will feature comedians and celebrities including Regina King, Steve Harvey, Snoop Dogg, Tiffany Haddish, Nick Cannon and more. All three episodes will premiere on Amazon Prime Video Feb. 4 worldwide. In addition to Torry and Hudlin, Byron Phillips also executive produces, along with Jeff Hasler, Brian Lovett, and Jeff Bumgarner, Kelsey Grammer, Tom Russo, Joshua Firosz, Darren Toon and Jordan McMahon. Watch the trailer below.

LATE NIGHT

Will Forte, Jennifer Coolidge and Gunna will appear on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Thursday, while Jason Bateman, Ashley Park and Laufey will be on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” will feature Dionne Warwick and David Cross.