Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik Will Keep Hosting Jeopardy for the Next Season
Jeopardy co-hosts Ken Jennings and Mayim Bialik will continue to host the popular gameshow for the rest of its 38th season.
Both Jennings and Bialik began hosting Jeopardy back in September when the pair were announced as guest hosts.
“We are delighted to let you know our excellent and experienced team in front of and behind the camera will continue into 2022,” said the show via Twitter. “@missmayim and @kenjennings will share hosting duties through the end of #Jeopardy! Season 38, and Michael Davies will remain as executive producer.”
“We’re so pleased to have such an excellent and experienced team in front of and behind the camera as we head into 2022!” said Sony Pictures Television in an official statement.
Despite a brief stint with host Mike Richards, both Jennings and Bialik have now returned.
“Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings are outstanding hosts, and above that, outstanding people,” said executive producer, Michael Davies. “I appreciate all the support we receive from everyone at Sony Pictures Television […], the team at CBS Media Ventures and all of the stations around the country who broadcast and promote our show.”
Former Jeopardy host Mike Richards was fired after just 9 days due to claims of offensive and sexist comments made during his time on the Randumb Show podcast.
Bialik has previously said that she would love to stay on as Jeopardy host:
“Yes, I want to host Jeopardy! full-time,” she said in an interview (via USA Today). “It is a dream job," she added. “There's no other job I would rather have. I love my sitcom work, I do. I love all the other things I do. I love the podcast. But I absolutely have never had a better job.”
The search for a long-term Jeopardy host has been rather rocky since the death of former host Alex Trebeck in November 2020. However, the series has used several guests hosts, such as Aaron Rogers, Joe Buck and fan-favourite, LeVar Burton.
Jeopardy will continue its 38th season, airing new episodes until July 29, 2022.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Shang-Chi Director Has Already Started Early Work on a Sequel
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton says early work has already started on the sequel.
It was revealed this week that Cretton would work on a Shang-Chi sequel as well as a Disney+ MCU show and, speaking to IGN, the director revealed that early work has already begun on the former:
"We're in very early stages of brainstorming and figuring out what direction we want to go. But yeah, we'll be kind of simultaneously working on a lot of these things from now until we start shooting."
Cretton's Disney+ series is more of a mystery at this point. IGN asked if the series would be connected to Shang-Chi, and if it might follow other characters from the first movie.
"I still can't say anything," Cretton replied. "Yeah, everything, to be completely honest, is a question mark at this point. I don't really know how or when we would be able to explore some of these hanging questions that we left at the end of Shang-Chi. But I can say that these are all, at least in this moment right now, these are all things that I would love to explore in the future."
We also asked if Shang-Chi's trip to the mythical realm of Ta Lo – and the establishment of an MCU multiverse – means that future projects could travel off-Earth a little more.
"There are some obvious doors that were opened by the end of Shang-Chi that may allow us to go into those worlds and explore them more," Cretton explained. "And that would be a really cool one to explore because Ta Lo is way more vast than what we saw in Shang-Chi. So that's potentially one area that we may go, but I'm not sure."
Clearly Marvel Studios believes in Cretton as an ongoing part of the MCU. Trusted directors such as the Russo brothers have previously moved from solo superhero movies onto ensemble stories like the Avengers movies. We asked Cretton if that was something he'd like to emulate.
"That's definitely not a hope of mine," he said, frankly. "I don't really aspire for one or the other. Once we land on the story that we want to tell, it'll define how many characters will enter that story. But I'm mainly excited to explore the characters more and their emotional journeys, and watch them grow and try to achieve things and fail, and see how they get themselves up out of the mud. So that's what I'm most excited. And I'm not sure how many characters we'll be introducing in the next one."
Shang-Chi marked a major success for the MCU this year, and we awarded it an 8/10 review, saying it's "a confident introduction to Marvel’s first Asian superhero, delivering the MCU’s best fight choreography and one of its most emotionally complex villains." We've named it one of IGN's nominees for the best movies of 2021.
Marvel Studios’ Shang-Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings is now available on all major digital platforms and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Shang-Chi Director Has Already Started Early Work on a Sequel
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings director Destin Daniel Cretton says early work has already started on the sequel.
It was revealed this week that Cretton would work on a Shang-Chi sequel as well as a Disney+ MCU show and, speaking to IGN, the director revealed that early work has already begun on the former:
"We're in very early stages of brainstorming and figuring out what direction we want to go. But yeah, we'll be kind of simultaneously working on a lot of these things from now until we start shooting."
Cretton's Disney+ series is more of a mystery at this point. IGN asked if the series would be connected to Shang-Chi, and if it might follow other characters from the first movie.
"I still can't say anything," Cretton replied. "Yeah, everything, to be completely honest, is a question mark at this point. I don't really know how or when we would be able to explore some of these hanging questions that we left at the end of Shang-Chi. But I can say that these are all, at least in this moment right now, these are all things that I would love to explore in the future."
We also asked if Shang-Chi's trip to the mythical realm of Ta Lo – and the establishment of an MCU multiverse – means that future projects could travel off-Earth a little more.
"There are some obvious doors that were opened by the end of Shang-Chi that may allow us to go into those worlds and explore them more," Cretton explained. "And that would be a really cool one to explore because Ta Lo is way more vast than what we saw in Shang-Chi. So that's potentially one area that we may go, but I'm not sure."
Clearly Marvel Studios believes in Cretton as an ongoing part of the MCU. Trusted directors such as the Russo brothers have previously moved from solo superhero movies onto ensemble stories like the Avengers movies. We asked Cretton if that was something he'd like to emulate.
"That's definitely not a hope of mine," he said, frankly. "I don't really aspire for one or the other. Once we land on the story that we want to tell, it'll define how many characters will enter that story. But I'm mainly excited to explore the characters more and their emotional journeys, and watch them grow and try to achieve things and fail, and see how they get themselves up out of the mud. So that's what I'm most excited. And I'm not sure how many characters we'll be introducing in the next one."
Shang-Chi marked a major success for the MCU this year, and we awarded it an 8/10 review, saying it's "a confident introduction to Marvel’s first Asian superhero, delivering the MCU’s best fight choreography and one of its most emotionally complex villains." We've named it one of IGN's nominees for the best movies of 2021.
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
More Big Names Join Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer Movie
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a historical drama about the development of the atomic bomb, just added Florence Pugh, Rami Malek and Benny Safdie.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the trio have joined Oppenheimer alongside Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr and Matt Damon.
Cillian Murphy will star as Robert J Oppenheimer himself – the theoretical physicist who helped create the atomic bomb during World War II.
Meanwhile, Florence Pugh will play Jean Tatlock, a member of the Communist Party of the United States who had an on-again off-again affair with Oppenheimer, causing huge security concerns during crucial moments.
Benny Safdie will play Edward Teller, a Hungarian-American physicist, creator of the hydrogen bomb and fellow member of the Manhattan project alongside Oppenheimer. Rami Malek will play “a scientist” with little else known about his role.
Oppenheimer’s impressive cast list already includes Matt Damon as director of the Manhattan Project Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves and Emily Blunt, as Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty.
Oppenheimer will be the first film Nolan has worked on with Universal Pictures after they picked up the film rights following a bidding war. Nolan previously expressed his anger at Warner Bros. launching their films day and date on HBO Max – the director calling it “the worst streaming service”.
Christopher Nolan will produce Oppenheimer alongside Emma Thomas and Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven. The film is expected to make use of a $100 million budget – considered considerably “smaller scale” by Nolan himself.
Oppenheimer is based on the Pulitzer-winning book, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin.
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer will premiere in theaters on July 21, 2023.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
More Big Names Join Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer Movie
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, a historical drama about the development of the atomic bomb, just added Florence Pugh, Rami Malek and Benny Safdie.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the trio have joined Oppenheimer alongside Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr and Matt Damon.
Cillian Murphy will star as Robert J Oppenheimer himself – the theoretical physicist who helped create the atomic bomb during World War II.
Meanwhile, Florence Pugh will play Jean Tatlock, a member of the Communist Party of the United States who had an on-again off-again affair with Oppenheimer, causing huge security concerns during crucial moments.
Benny Safdie will play Edward Teller, a Hungarian-American physicist, creator of the hydrogen bomb and fellow member of the Manhattan project alongside Oppenheimer. Rami Malek will play “a scientist” with little else known about his role.
Oppenheimer’s impressive cast list already includes Matt Damon as director of the Manhattan Project Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves and Emily Blunt, as Oppenheimer’s wife, Kitty.
Oppenheimer will be the first film Nolan has worked on with Universal Pictures after they picked up the film rights following a bidding war. Nolan previously expressed his anger at Warner Bros. launching their films day and date on HBO Max – the director calling it “the worst streaming service”.
Christopher Nolan will produce Oppenheimer alongside Emma Thomas and Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven. The film is expected to make use of a $100 million budget – considered considerably “smaller scale” by Nolan himself.
Oppenheimer is based on the Pulitzer-winning book, American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin.
Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer will premiere in theaters on July 21, 2023.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
Spotify Reveals Console Gamers’ Favorite Music This Year
Spotify has revealed what console players have been listening to most while gaming in 2021.
As part of The Game Awards 2021, Spotify announced the most listened-to tracks, artists and podcasts on the Spotify app for PlayStation and Xbox, with rap, trap, and hip-hop coming out as the top genres of the year.
With results tallied globally, Doja Cat and Juice WRLD are the most-streamed female and male artists respectively, with Polo G's RAPSTAR taking the crown as the most listened-to song.
You can check out the top 5 results for each category below:
Most Streamed Female Artists
Most Streamed Male Artists
Most Streamed Tracks
- “RAPSTAR” by Polo G
- “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” by Lil Nas X
- “Mood” by 24kGoldn feat. iann dior
- “INDUSTRY BABY” by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow
- “Calling My Phone” by 6LACK, Lil Tjay
Most Popular Podcasts
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Spotify Reveals Console Gamers’ Favorite Music This Year
Spotify has revealed what console players have been listening to most while gaming in 2021.
As part of The Game Awards 2021, Spotify announced the most listened-to tracks, artists and podcasts on the Spotify app for PlayStation and Xbox, with rap, trap, and hip-hop coming out as the top genres of the year.
With results tallied globally, Doja Cat and Juice WRLD are the most-streamed female and male artists respectively, with Polo G's RAPSTAR taking the crown as the most listened-to song.
You can check out the top 5 results for each category below:
Most Streamed Female Artists
Most Streamed Male Artists
Most Streamed Tracks
- “RAPSTAR” by Polo G
- “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)” by Lil Nas X
- “Mood” by 24kGoldn feat. iann dior
- “INDUSTRY BABY” by Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow
- “Calling My Phone” by 6LACK, Lil Tjay
Most Popular Podcasts
Joe Skrebels is IGN's Executive Editor of News. Follow him on Twitter. Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.
Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss Reveal The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience
Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss appeared at The Game Awards 2021 to reveal The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience, in partnership with Epic Games -- and it's out right now.
As Reeves and Moss suggested on stage, the experience is intended to blur lines between reality, game, and film. The brief trailer we saw at the show did indeed look almost like watching a film, but for what appear to be player-controlled shooting mechanics during a high-speed car chase.
Fortunately, we don't have to wait at all to learn more about what was going on here, because the experience is out now on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. But IGN also got quite a bit more detail in a preview ahead of release, during which our previewer had to check and confirm which scenes were real and which were "unreal." There's a bit of uncanny valley going on, and its playable bits are more of a proof of concept than anything -- a tech demo, if you will. But the tech on display is apparently impressive.
In its leak on PSN, the initial description said it was "Created by members of the original movie team including Lana Wachowski along with Epic Games and partners, [and] is a wild ride into the reality-bending universe of 'The Matrix' that features performances by Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss."
Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss Reveal The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience
Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss appeared at The Game Awards 2021 to reveal The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience, in partnership with Epic Games -- and it's out right now.
As Reeves and Moss suggested on stage, the experience is intended to blur lines between reality, game, and film. The brief trailer we saw at the show did indeed look almost like watching a film, but for what appear to be player-controlled shooting mechanics during a high-speed car chase.
Fortunately, we don't have to wait at all to learn more about what was going on here, because the experience is out now on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. But IGN also got quite a bit more detail in a preview ahead of release, during which our previewer had to check and confirm which scenes were real and which were "unreal." There's a bit of uncanny valley going on, and its playable bits are more of a proof of concept than anything -- a tech demo, if you will. But the tech on display is apparently impressive.
In its leak on PSN, the initial description said it was "Created by members of the original movie team including Lana Wachowski along with Epic Games and partners, [and] is a wild ride into the reality-bending universe of 'The Matrix' that features performances by Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss."
New Elden Ring Trailer Premieres Brand New Cinematic Story Trailer
A brand new Elden Ring trailer premiered at The Game Awards that focuses primarily on the expansive story involving the war between demigods.
The cinematic story was light on gameplay but instead dove deep into Elden Ring's lore. The next FromSoftware RPG takes place in the backdrop of a war between demigods who wage war against each other in order to possess the Elden Ring.
Elden Ring is a collaboration between FromSoftware and A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin. The mind behind Game of Thrones was responsible for creating the lore and narrative foundations of Elden Ring while FromSoft used the framework to build out the rest of the game. Director Hidetaka Miyazaki is also handling the in-game writing for Elden Ring.
The trailer included several references to some of the demigods that populate the world of Elden Ring, names that should be familiar to anyone who has read our Elden Ring preview. You can check out a full boss fight with Margit the Fell Omen, or read our full Elden Ring preview for all the details.
Elden Ring is one of the most hotly anticipated games of 2022, and was recently delayed to February 25. But considering we're close to the end of this year, that doesn't seem like too long a wait.
For more check out our recap of everything announced at The Game Awards.
Matt T.M. Kim is IGN's News Editor. You can reach him @lawoftd.