Entertainment NOW

Entertainment Now | January 18 - 24, 2020 By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Is the new "Jumanji" movie the third movie in the series, or the fourth? I heard someone say it was the fourth but I only know of three. A: Anyone saying that "Jumanji: The Next Level" is the third "Ju- manji" movie is making the under- standable mistake of forgetting about "Zathura: A Space Adven- ture." And to be fair, the director of "Zathura" made a point of forget- ting about "Jumanji." Both "Jumanji" (1995) and "Zathura" (2005) were based on children's books written by Chris Van Allsburg. The "Zathura" book was a direct sequel — the "Ju- manji" book ends by introducing the main "Zathura" characters. The "Zathura" book starts with those characters intending to play the same board game from the first book, but underneath that board they find a second game, called Zathura. All that continuity is stripped from the movies. Their only com- monality is that both movies are about board games that transform the world around them as they're played. Jon Favreau, who directed the film "Zathura," said in an inter- view with the Los Angeles Daily News that he thought 1995's "Ju- manji" was "too complicated" and "went down a lot of dead ends," and he didn't want people to link his movie to that one. But the studio disagreed, and so the poster for "Zathura" said that it existed in the same universe as "Jumanji." Therefore, "Jumanji: The Next Level" is, in fact, the fourth movie in the series and it, at least, main- tained a definite link to its prede- cessor, 2017's "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle." Q: Did Tom Hanks and Colin Hanks ever share the screen to- gether? A: Yes, but less often than you might think. Actor Colin Hanks and his super- megastar dad Tom have acted in a grand total of two movies togeth- er, though they've been on the same set a number of other times. On screen, they've only worked together on 2008's "The Great Buck Howard," in which they also play father and son, and in Tom's weird 1996 comedy passion proj- ect "That Thing You Do!" They came close to acting to- gether in another of Tom's passion projects, the hit miniseries "Band of Brothers," which he produced and occasionally directed. Both Hankses acted in episodes of the series, but never the same ones. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Hollywood Q&A By Michelle Rose TV Media T hey're baaack! They're already win- ners, but 16 past champi- ons are stepping back into the "Chopped" kitchen and our TV-loving lives this week, as Food Network rolls out its newest in- stallment of the "$50,000 Champs Challenge" tournament. The five-part "Chopped" tour- nament-within-a-season kicks off on Tuesday, Jan. 21. The event is an audience favorite and has be- come somewhat of an annual tra- dition since the first $50,000 chal- lenge ran in 2010. (The very first "Chopped Champions" was in 2009, but the current format was introduced a year later.) There's nothing new in terms of how the elimination-style con- test works: four competitors (in this case, all past "Chopped" champions) must outcook their opponents in two elimination rounds (the 20-minute Appetizer round and the 30-minute Entrée round) before the final two face off in the 30-minute Dessert round that determines the win- ner. These "Chopped" pros will have a slight advantage, at least over their past selves, because they know exactly what it's like to race against the clock in a kitchen that isn't your own. They've also had practice with keeping their cool under hot television lights while being critiqued before an in- ternational audience of millions ("Chopped" airs in more than 30 countries). But the mystery basket items — and the way chefs integrate them into their hastily improvised but (mostly) impeccably prepared dishes — are precisely why we've been tuning in to "Chopped" for more than 10 years. In reality, once they open those baskets, the contestants only have two min- utes to come up with a recipe that will seamlessly combine those fla- vors without disguising them. And that's the true measure of a "Chopped" champion. Spoiler alert: Expect some "wa- termelon weirdness" in Tuesday's event opener. There's also a men- tion of a funky soybean product (fingers crossed it's my favorite fermented food, natto) and a crunchy dessert surprise. For Part 2 airing on Jan. 28, Food Network is also teasing a … salad cake? Judges for this edition include Jamie Bissonnette, Maneet Chau- han, Chris Santos, Scott Conant and Angie Mar. Ted Allen hosts. The tournament will run from Jan. 21 to the Feb. 18 $50,000 fi- nale (mark your calendars). Throughout the event, you'll find video highlights on foodnetwork. com, and you can always share your mystery ingredient ideas on social media using the hashtag #Chopped. And have you ever wondered how they can pull off a cooked dish in the same amount of time it takes to heat up your oven or stove? I'll let you in on a little se- cret: the chefs start each round with a preheated oven set to 500 degrees Fahrenheit and a pre- boiled pot of water. After that, they're on their own. 'Chopped' $50,000 tournament gets underway 10 | Cooking this week Crab House 2 x 2" Family Health Clinic 2 x 1.5" White Lilies N Paradise 2 x 1.5" Ted Allen hosts "Chopped"

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