With the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards right around the corner in September, Jim Parsons looks to nab yet another acting nomination from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences playing Sheldon Cooper in CBS’s hit series The Big Bang Theory and executive producing the prequel, Young Sheldon. In the latter series, he voices the adult Sheldon; the story is told through the eyes of the character at age 9, and follows him as he enters high school.

Joys of Being Difficult_1

“I’ve never done anything like this,” Parsons told us at the Television Critics Press Tour. “It’s very fun when we do put them together, though.”

“It’s a magical ability to play as difficult a character as Jim plays, and make him beloved,” said Executive Producer Chuck Lorre. “You know…[the likes of] Archie Bunker and Danny De Vito on Taxi. There have been a handful of people who had that ability as an actor to make an abhorrent human being beloved. It’s very difficult to do. “And, Jim, obviously, has just perfected it.”

HEIDI PUSHES BUTTONS
Heidi Klum loves being a judge on the ever popular America’s Got Talent series. “You see amazing people, you’re laughing, you’re crying; it’s an emotional rollercoaster of entertainment,” she told us at a NBC media event.

Heidi Pushes buttons

Nicole Spread

The veteran supermodel even thinks she knows who will win the show!

“It’s a tossup between (fellow judge) Howie [Mandel] winning or me [laughs]. It might actually be Howie. I mean, wow, Howie’s Golden Buzzer is…I’m very jealous. But I hope mine could be a close second.” Each judge gets to press the golden buzzer only once per series. Mandel’s choice this year is 13 year old singer Courtney Hadwin, while Klum has yet to press hers.

“I wish I had more than just one,” she added. “I mean I could have used it with a few more people, but his is very, very special. When you’ve already pushed and you see this person on stage, you’re like, ‘Aw!’”

COMIC-CON EXCLUSIVES
April, San Diego became a mecca for comic book and pop culture fans, as over 100,000 people came to town for the 49th annual Comic-Con, the four day nerd confab. There were numerous sci-fi , superhero, anime, television, and fantasy panels, along with lots of impressive cosplay. The always sold out extravaganza was also the only place to see new feature film trailers and extended movie footage. Among the highlights: Zachary Levi showcasing new footage for Shazam! (which sadly, doesn’t premiere until next spring) and the equally anticipated Warner Bros. movie trailer for Aquaman, starring Jason Momoa.

Comic-Con Exclusives1

While Marvel Studios didn’t have a big Hall H panel this year, the convention found other ways to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of Marvel Cinematic Universe’s cinema depiction of Iron Man; in a partnership with vendor Mondo, Comic-Con revealed exclusive MCU 10th anniversary book cover illustrations (seen here) by artist Matt Taylor.

MOBBED UP AT CANNES
John Travolta’s latest film, Gotti, about which we reported in the December issue and based on the life of gangster John Gotti, had its Cannes Film Festival debut in mid-May.

Mobbed Up at Cannes

The film covers 30 years in Gotti’s life. In an interesting casting move, Travolta’s real life wife, Kelly Preston, plays the gangster’s wife, while Travolta’s daughter, Ella Bleu, portrays the mob boss’s daughter, Angel. “[Gotti] had a lot of style, but was down to earth, said Travolta at a screening press event. “He was thoughtful, considerate, but tough as nails.” Of Gotti’s family, who helped production with script tweaks and even wardrobe choices, the actor observed that, “they were hilarious… articulate,” and described Gotti’s son, John, Jr., as “a revelation.”

“He stood up to his father, because he didn’t want that life, and he wanted to protect his family,” said Travolta. “I admire him. That took a lot of guts.”

BOMBS AWAY!
In this writer’s mind, The B-52s and summer are as inextricably linked as cream and coffee, and though it strains believability, the band is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. As part of the celebration, this early presence in the Athens, Georgia based progressive rock wave of the late 1970s is on tour this summer, along with fellow ’80s darlings Boy George and Culture Club.

Known for classic party tracks like “Rock Lobster,” “Roam Around the World,” and “Love Shack,” the band (Fred Schneider, Kate Pierson, Cindy Wilson, and Keith Strickland) has sold more than 20 million albums. The Grammy Award winning Culture Club, meanwhile, has sold more than 50 million, fueled by classic hits “Do You Really Want to Hurt Me,” “Karma Chameleon,” and “I’ll Tumble 4 Ya.” Local dates are July 28 at Forest Hills Stadium in Forest Hills, NY and August 28 at the Artpark Amphitheater in Lewiston, New York.

Bombs Away
Get ready to “dance this mess around!”