‘Shifting Gears’ releases new trailer, Apple TV+ offers a free weekend, and more of today’s top stories
Gold Derby’s top stories for Dec. 30, 2024.
Shifting Gears releases new trailer
The upcoming ABC comedy series Shifting Gears has released a new trailer ahead of its Jan. 8 premiere. Watch it below. The series stars Kat Dennings as a mother of two who moves back in with her estranged father (Tim Allen) to try to get her life back on track. This is the third ABC sitcom for Allen, who previously starred in Home Improvement for the network from 1991 to 1999. Then he appeared on Last Man Standing from 2011 to 2017 before the show migrated to FOX for three more seasons from 2018 to 2021. Shifting Gears was created by Mike Scully (The Simpsons, Everybody Loves Raymond) and fellow Simpsons alum Julie Thacker Scully, with Michelle Nader (2 Broke Girls, Dollface) serving as showrunner.
More from GoldDerby
Apple TV+ will be free for three days
The streaming service will give audiences a chance to sample their goods free of charge. From Friday, Jan. 3, to Sunday, Jan. 5, Apple TV+ will grant worldwide access to their library of content, which includes TV programs like Shrinking, Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, Bad Sisters, and Lessons in Chemistry, as well as Severance, the mind-bending drama series that returns for its long-awaited second season on Jan. 17. So if you haven’t seen the acclaimed, Emmy-winning series, now’s your chance.
Apple TV+ is also the home of film awards contenders. CODA made history as the first film from a streaming service to claim Best Picture at the Oscars. Then Martin Scorsese‘s Killers of the Flower Moon earned 10 nominations, though it didn’t win any. And this year the streamer boasts Blitz, the World War II drama from filmmaker Steve McQueen, who previously worked with another streamer, Amazon Prime Video, on the unique anthology series Small Axe.
Five charged in connection to Liam Payne’s death
BBC reports that former One Direction boy band member Liam Payne died on Oct. 16 at age 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. Now five individuals are being held accountable for the incident by Argentina authorities. Hotel manager Gilda Martin, receptionist Esteban Grassi, and Payne’s friend Roger Nores are up on manslaughter charges, while hotel worker Ezequiel Pereyra and waiter Braian Paiz are accused of supplying Payne with drugs. Alcohol, cocaine, and an antidepressant were found in Payne’s system after his death.
Jason Momoa takes on a new role in the DC universe
The actor will play alien bounty hunter Lobo in the upcoming film Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, which is scheduled to open June 26, 2026, with Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon) playing the title heroine. It will be directed by I, Tonya helmer Craig Gillespie from a screenplay by actress-writer Ana Nogueira. It will be the second big-screen installment in the rebooted DC Universe overseen by James Gunn and Peter Safran, following the new Superman starring David Corenswet, which is expected in July 2025.
Momoa previously starred as Aquaman in multiple films in the DC universe: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023). He’s the first actor from the previous DC fold to secure a role in this new undertaking.
Linda Lavin dies at 87
The veteran actress of stage and screen died on Dec. 29 following a battle with lung cancer. After roles on such shows as Rhoda and Barney Miller, Lavin achieved a small-screen breakthrough as the title character in the sitcom Alice, which ran from 1976 to 1985 and earned her an Emmy nomination for Best Comedy Actress in 1979. She also won two Golden Globes for her starring role in 1979 and 1980. In 1990, she received a Daytime Emmy nom for the CBS Schoolbreak Special installment “Flour Babies.” Earlier this year, she was seen in guest spots on the CBS dramedy Elsbeth and Netflix’s No Good Deed.
Lavin also appeared in several Broadway productions, including Gypsy, The Sisters Rosensweig, and The Diary of Anne Frank. She received six Tony nominations over the course of her career, winning Best Actress in a Play for Broadway Bound in 1987. Her most recent nom was in that same category in 2012 for The Lyons.
SIGN UPfor Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
Jimmy Carter dies at 100
The 39th president of the United States passed died Dec. 29 at age 100, which made him the longest-lived president in U.S. history. “Today, America and the world lost an extraordinary leader, statesman, and humanitarian. Over six decades, we had the honor of calling Jimmy Carter a dear friend,” read a statement from the White House “But, what’s extraordinary about Jimmy Carter, though, is that millions of people throughout America and the world who never met him thought of him as a dear friend as well.”
After his one term in the oval office (1977-1981), Carter became known for his philanthropic and humanitarian work, including with the organization Habitat for Humanity, earning a Nobel Peace Prize. He also received accolades for his writings. His audiobook recordings earned him 10 Grammy nominations for Best Spoken Word Album and three wins for Our Endangered Values in 2007, A Full Life: Reflections at 90 in 2016, and Faith: A Journey for All in 2019. He’s currently nominated for Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording for Last Sunday in Plains: A Centennial Celebration.
SZA tops Billboard 200 with SOS Deluxe: Lana
It’s beginning to look a lot like SZA. The R&B star topped the Billboard 200 albums chart for the first time in 22 months, besting an onslaught of holiday releases (this tracking week included Christmas Day). Her blockbuster album SOS jumped 14 spots to No. 1 thanks to its deluxe edition, titled Lana. The original version of SOS, which was originally released in December 2022, included 23 tracks and spent 10 nonconsecutive weeks on top of the chart. Lana added 15 new tracks to the album. Altogether, the album achieved 178,000 equivalent album units based on its combined record sales, individual track sales, and online streams, continuing the collection’s remarkable run. After more than 100 weeks, SOS has never left the top 20.
Meanwhile, Christmas music hit its peak across the rest of the top 10. Michael Bublé‘s Christmas reached No. 2. Bing Crosby‘s Ultimate Christmas was in third position. Nat King Cole‘s The Christmas Song claimed fourth place. Mariah Carey‘s Merry Christmas was No. 6. The collection A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector came in at No. 9. And Frank Sinatra‘s Ultimate Christmas hit No. 10, the highest rank it has ever achieved on the chart.
Wicked and A Real Pain on digital
Two films vying for the Golden Globe for Best Picture, Musical/Comedy will be available to buy or rent at home on Dec. 31 on streaming platforms including Prime Video, Apple TV, Movies Anywhere, and Fandango at Home.
Wicked, the blockbuster adaptation of the Broadway musical contending for four total Globes, will feature bonus content, including a sing-along version, behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted and extended scenes, and commentary from director Jon M. Chu and stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
A Real Pain is also up for four Globes. The film, from writer-director-star Jesse Eisenberg and costarring Kieran Culkin, focuses on estranged cousins who reunite in Poland in honor of their late grandmother. The digital release will also include a making-of feature.
Best of GoldDerby
Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Solve the daily Crossword
