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HOLLYWOOD #12345_20260713
FOR RELEASE JULY 13, 2026
BYLINE: By Tony Rizzo
PHOTO CREDIT: Courtesy of Tony Rizzo
PHOTO CAPTION: Oscar-winning film/TV hairdresser Gail Ryan
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HOLLYWOOD -- Hollywood insiders reveal that Keanu Reeves is one of the kindest and most philanthropic actors in the industry. He established a private unnamed fund to support a children's hospital and cancer research. He frequently defers percentages of his back-end earnings or takes pay cuts to ensure that producers can hire other stars and balance their budgets.
Reeves also gave $50 million of his "Matrix" earnings to special effects and makeup staffs. He gifted Harley Davidson motorcycles to the 12-person stunt team of "The Matrix." He gave Rolex watches to the martial arts and stunt crews on the "John Wick" films. There are far too many more good deeds to mention, but you get the drift!
On the work front, Reeves just lent his voice to "Toy Story 5" as Duke Caboom and "Sonic the Hedgehog 4" (due in March 2027). He's following these films up with the black comedy "The Entertainment System Is Down," co-starring Kirsten Dunst. He's also teaming up with "Toy Story 4" director Josh Cooley for a new hybrid "Lego" movie, and he's currently shooting the sci-fi survival thriller "Shiver." The latter will be directed by "Deadpool's" Tim Miller for an August 2027 release date.
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Elizabeth Banks is set to star as Ms. Fizzle in a film adaptation of the PBS series "The Magic School Bus." Lily Tomlin was the voice of Ms. Fizzle in the animated series that ran for 52 episodes from 1994-1997. Then Kate McKinnon took over as Ms. Fizzle's younger sister in the 2017 Netflix series for 30 episodes.
Banks has been starring in Peacock's series "The Miniature Wife" since April. She also stars in the psychological thriller "DreamQuil" with John C. Reilly and Sofia Boutella. And she'll again be hosting the game show "Press Your Luck," which premiered its seventh season on July 9.
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Not to be left out is "Sesame Street," who's getting the Netflix film treatment after a bidding war against Universal. Netflix stepped in and rescued "Sesame Street" from extinction when PBS funds were cut by the White House. Also, the streaming service is reviving "Ghostbusters" as an animated series called "Ghostbusters: Night Shift." It'll be set in New York City in 1994.
I'm old-fashioned and prefer the movies from MGM, Warner Bros. and Columbia Pictures on the TCM channel than all this animation that's being served up!
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Ron Howard has let it be known that he's preparing to direct a sequel to the classic film "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000), for which my friend Gail Ryan and Rick Baker won an Oscar for hairstyling and makeup. They transformed Jim Carrey and the rest of the cast into the glorious Whoville townspeople.
The burning question is, will Carrey undergo the grueling makeup transformation again, or will they have to utilize AI and only use his voice? The film cost $123 million and grossed $351 million. The sequel wouldn't be the same without him, so it's a matter of cash and Carrey!
(c) 2026 King Features Synd., Inc.
