© 2017 CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved(LOS ANGELES) -- Once again, we're boldly going where no one has gone before -- Star Trek: Discovery premieres Sunday night on CBS, before moving over to the subscription-based CBS All Access streaming service.

This adventure, which takes place about 10 years before Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock's five-year mission, which debuted on NBC in 1966, stars The Walking Dead's Sonequa Martin-Green, Harry Potter and Black Hawk Down veteran Jason Isaacs, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Michelle Yeoh.

The original series famously tackled issues like racism and the Cold War, making hot-button issues more palatable because they were couched in Gene Roddenberry's futuristic universe.  Discovery's executive producer Alex Kurtzman says the show won't be overtly political, but will echo the times in which we live, because that's what Star Trek does: "I think that obviously events of the world of the last two years have been so intense, no matter what side of the political line you're on. And Star Trek, at its best, has always been a mirror, and a reflection of the world that we live in."

Discovery will be the first Trek series developed for a digital platform, something about which Kurtzman has mixed feelings, knowing people may be watching the show's grand vistas on a mobile phone screen. "That hurts my heart about anything that we create at any point," he admits, allowing, "it's also the reality of the world we're living in now."

Ultimately, Kurtzman says, "the most important thing for us is the character stories, and the audience's investment in the emotion."

Discovery premieres Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time on CBS.

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20th Century Fox(NEW YORK) -- Taron Egerton is in theaters again as Gary "Eggsy" Unwin in Kingsman: The Golden Circle, the followup to the 2015 blockbuster Kingsman: The Secret Service. 

Egerton was fresh out of drama school when he auditioned for the first film. He tells ABC's Peter Travers there was a specific moment during the beginning of the "strenuous" audition process for Director Matthew Vaughn when the 27-year-old star knew he had a real shot at the part.

Vaughn "doesn’t mince his words...I remember my first audition for him. He...looked like he had a lot on his mind. He sat down and didn’t look at me. I did the scene, and he was still looking down. And I sort of went, 'Are we done?' And he looked up and went, 'What was your name again?' And that was the first moment where I thought I might [have] a shot here."

"Very many" followed, Egerton laughed. "He really put me through my paces."

After getting the part, the new drama school grad had to act alongside Oscar-winners Michael Caine and Colin Firth, the latter playing the agent who recruits Egerton's "street kid" to become a spy. "I was helped by...an amazingly gracious cast," says Egerton. "Colin Firth, particularly...kind of holding my hand, and making me feel valid among these certified film stars."

In the original, Egerton's character saves the world from a murderous plot launched by a mad billionaire played by Samuel L. Jackson.  The sequel sees Eggsy unite with his agency's American cousins, The Statesman, played by Pedro Pascal, Halle Berry, Jeff Bridges, and Channing Tatum, in order to topple another wannabe world dominator -- played by yet another Oscar-winner, Julianne Moore.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is in theaters now.

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Amiyah Scott - Fox/Jason Bell(NEW YORK) -- Ahead of Star's season two premiere next Wednesday, Amiyah Scott and Jude Demorest are revealing  how the hit Fox series has significantly changed their lives.

Scott says playing Cotton, a transgender woman like herself, has given her a new purpose in life.

"It's giving a voice to the voiceless," Scott tells ABC Radio. "I think that me growing up and transitioning, I didn't have many role models. So to be able to possibly portray one, and to be able to have a role that is so rarely seen on television -- has changed my life because it's changed others lives as well."

Her Star co-star Jude agrees.  "It changed our lives in every single way," Demorest explains. "As an actress, Lee has pushed me in every single direction and I've learned so much. It's been a crash course in using all of my skills."

While Scott can draw on her personal experience to play her character, Jude says she's "very different" than Star.

"The difference between her and is -- where I have a very strong faith in God and I know that He can take care of me, she feels like she's her own god and she can take care of herself," Demorest says. "And that causes her to fall into a lot of pitfalls and to live a very defensive and aggressive life."

Yet Demorest believes that even with her character's flaws and the ongoing drama on the show, Star is still a noble series:  "It's a good cautionary tale for every girl who watches it to see what happens when you chose fame over everything else." 

The second season of Star premieres September 27 at 9 p.m. ET on Fox.

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NETFLIX(NEW YORK) -- Jerry Seinfeld has said it before, and he'll say it again: don't expect a Seinfeld reunion.

Despite a Super Bowl ad from a few years back -- and a reunion subplot on Curb Your Enthusiasm -- Jerry, Elaine, George and the gang will probably never grace the TV screen together again.

Entertainment Tonight recently asked the 63-year-old whether he would capitalize on the current trend of reboots and reunions like Roseanne and Will & Grace.

His response: "Why?"

The legendary comedian has always been outspoken about leaving the show, which ended its run in 1998, alone.

"Maybe it's nice that you continue to love it instead of us tampering with something that went pretty well," he explained to ET.

Seinfeld has had major success in the two decades since his show went off the air, touring around the country and hosting the web show Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.

In fact, Seinfeld returned to the top of Forbes' highest-paid comedians list this year, raking in $69 million.

He's also got his Netflix special, Jerry Before Seinfeld, streaming now.

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ABC/Randy Holmes(NEW YORK) -- The new season of Saturday Night Live, its 43rd, gets underway September 30 with host Ryan Gosling and musical guest JAY-Z.  Now we know who will be following up the pair of guests in subsequent weeks.

Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot will hosting the season's second episdoe on October 7, with musical guest Sam Smith.

The Big Sick and Silicon Valley star Kumail Nanjiani will be the guest host on October 14, with musical guest Pink.

This season SNL will be airing live simultaneously coast to coast.

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Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation/Giles Keyte(NEW YORK) -- While nobody can mistake Matthew Vaughn's madcap action comedy sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle for Academy Awards bait, its cast is laden with Oscar gold.

The King's Speech winner Colin Firth reprises his role as suave British spy Harry Hart; Still Alice's Julianne Moore plays a homemaking icon/villain bent on world domination; Monster's Ball lead Halle Berry plays a tech genius akin to "Q" in the James Bond movies, and Crazy Heart's Jeff Bridges can be seen as the head of the Statesman group -- an American cousin to the very secret, veddy British Kingsman spy agency. 

And there's one other Oscar winner, too: Elton John.

Bridges tells ABC Radio, "Well, I was a big fan of the first one, and when I was invited to come on board the next one, said, 'Oh, this is wonderful! Does it have the same director?' 'Yep, Matthew Vaughn's gonna be in it, and Colin Firth, and Taron Egerton, yep!' 'OK! Who else?'" and then they started to list the other folks who were on board, you know, Channing Tatum, Pedro Pascal, Halle Berry, and my gal Julianne Moore, you know, so it made it easy to say yes."

Bridges explains of the film, "I play the head of the Statesman organization...My name is Champagne -- I don't particularly like that name, I make everybody call me Champ -- but my official name is Champagne, all of the agents in the Statesman organization are named after booze. The Kingsmen, their cover is a tailor shop -- you know, they're tailors, at least that's what they say. And we're...distillers."

The distillery cover made for a bit of product placement: Statesman whiskey, which is actually being made by acclaimed real-life, Kentucky-based Old Forester.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle opens nationwide today.

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ABC/Randy Holmes(LOS ANGELES) -- Jimmy Kimmel's war of words with Republicans over the party's latest proposed health care legislation continued Thursday night.

"A lot of people have been saying that I'm not qualified to talk about this," Kimmel said, addressing media criticism. "And that is true, I'm not qualified to talk about this, but I think those people forget -- Bill Cassidy named this test after me.  Am I supposed to just be quiet about that?"

Kimmel was referring to Senator Bill Cassidy, R-L.A., -- co-sponsor of the current GOP health care bill -- who appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in May saying any measure he supported would have to meet a "Jimmy Kimmel test," for price protections for those with pre-existing conditions, among other measures -- a test which Kimmel says the new legislation does not meet.

Kimmel fired back at Louisiana's other Senator, Republican John Kennedy, for questioning Kimmel's qualifications. "I'm not pretending to be an expert," Kimmel said, "I'm asking why people like you aren't listening to actual experts like the American Medical Association." 

Most of all, on Thursday, Kimmel took aim at President Donald Trump.

Kimmel accused Trump of being uninformed about the issue of health care.

"He doesn't know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid.  He barely knows the difference between Melania and Ivanka," Kimmel quipped.

He said Trump would sign any bill that replace Obamacare regardless of what was in it just to get Obama's name off a piece of legislation.  "He would sign copies of the Koran at the Barnes & Noble in Fallujah if it meant getting rid of Obamacare," Kimmel said.

About Republicans questioning his qualifications, Kimmel said, "I feel like it's my duty to remind these people...the guy you voted for for president, his job qualification was...he fired Meat Loaf on television...."

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NETFLIX(NEW YORK) -- Cut. It. Out! Full House celebrates its 30th anniversary today -- and in a fitting tribute to that milestone, the third season of the original show’s spin-off, Fuller House, debuts on Netflix.

This season, Candace Cameron Bure's D.J. Tanner deals with her ex Steve’s impending marriage, while Jodie Sweetin's Stephanie explores her relationship with Kimmy Gibler’s brother. Plus, we finally get to see the infamous Gibler house.

“It's really a testament to our fans that have loved the show and love Fuller House,” Bure tells ABC Radio about Full House's longevity. “We're all so grateful to be here and grateful that we all still look good!”

Sweetin adds, “We have grown to be a really close knit family so to get to do this 30 years later with people that you love and have fun with -- we have the best time.”

That’s never more apparent than when the entire original cast -- including Bob Saget, Dave Coulier and John Stamos -- has scenes together.  

“It’s like when you invite all of your family and you have all these amazing inside jokes that you've had for 30 years that everyone else looks at you like you're crazy but we find really hilarious,” Sweetin says.

Saget says they all stayed in touch, even after Full House ended in 1995.

He laughingly recalls a time they were all out in Malibu and ran into Tony Danza. “[Tony] goes, ‘Why are you all together?’ And I said, ‘What, Who’s the Boss? doesn’t go to dinner?’”

Now, the adults are trying to recreate that close-knit environment for the new kids on set.

“I think we're really trying to create that same family dynamic that we had as kids,” Sweetin says. “And I think it's going pretty well so far.” 

The first nine episodes of Fuller House season three debut on Netflix today.

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Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures(LOS ANGELES) -- Opening nationwide on Friday:

* The LEGO Ninjago Movie -- This CGI-animated, martial arts comedy adventure -- the latest in the LEGO franchise -- centers on six gifted teenage ninjas who must put their egos aside to defend their island home, called Ninjago. Jackie Chan, Olivia Munn, Fred Armisen and Justin Theroux lead the all-star voice cast. Rated PG.

* Kingsman: The Golden Circle -- A year after saving the earth in Kingsman: The Secret Service, the Kingsman's journey continues when their headquarters is destroyed and they're forced to team with another spy organization to defeat a common enemy. Starring Tom Egerton, Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore and Jeff Bridges. Rated R.

* Friend Request -- A popular college student -- played by Alycia Debnam-Carey -- accepts a Facebook friend request from a lonely girl -- portrayed by Liesl Ahlers -- but when her closest friends start dying one-by-one, she must find a way to stop the carnage. Rated R.

Opening in limited release on Friday:

* Battle of the Sexes -- Emma Stone and Steve Carell star in this comedy based on the true story of the 1973 tennis match between number-one ranked Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs. Andrea Riseborough, Elisabeth Shue, Sarah Silverman, Alan Cumming and Bill Pullman also star. PG-13.

*Stronger -- Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Jeff Bauman in this biopic about an ordinary man who becomes a symbol of hope following the infamous 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Also starring Orphan Black's Tatiana Maslany and Miranda Richardson. Rated R.

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ABC/Randy Holmes(LOS ANGELES) -- Jordan Peele has lined up his first official project after signing an overall television deal with Sonar Entertainment.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Peele will produce the 1970s-set drama The Hunt, which follows a diverse group of Nazi hunters in the U.S. The hunters focus on capturing Nazis who have "escaped justice and embedded themselves in American history."

Peele's project is inspired by true events and is said to already be drawing interest from potential networks.

This is the latest project for the comic, writer and Get Out director. Earlier this month, it was announced that Peele will be teaming up with Spike Lee on Black Klansman, a crime-thriller based on a black detective who infiltrated the Klu Klux Klan. Peele is also executive-producing the upcoming TBS series The Last O.G., starring Tracy Morgan and Tiffany Haddish.

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ABC/Bob D'Amico(LOS ANGELES) -- Laurence Fishburne and his wife of fourteen years, Gina Torres, have officially called it quits.

In a statement issued to US Weekly, the Suits actress confirmed that she is no longer with the black-ish star and executive producer.

"With heavy hearts, Laurence and I quietly separated and began the dissolution of our marriage in the early fall of last year," Torres said in the statement to US. "There are no bad guys here. Only a love story with a different ending than either one of us had expected."

According to Torres, the two are still on good terms and dedicated to co-parenting their 10-year-old daughter, Delilah.

"Happily, our family remains intact and we will continue to raise our daughter with love and joy and awe," Torres continued. "As well as raise each other up with respect and love and the continued understanding that we’re in this together, if not side by side."

Gina's statement comes just a day after Page Six spotted the actress making out with an unidentified man after the two dined at a L.A. restaurant for lunch. The gossip site also says that Torres was not seen wearing her wedding ring on that day.

In 2016 interview with the New York Times, Torres admitted she leftSuits last year because her, "personal life needed to be tended to."

Fishburne has not yet commented on the split.

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Netflix/Jessica Miglio

(NEW YORK) -- The first full trailer for The Punisher, the next Netflix Marvel series, has blasted its way online.

The Punisher follows former elite soldier Frank Castle, who uses his skills to mercilessly hunt down criminals of every stripe after his family is murdered. 

Jon Bernthal plays the fan-favorite, eponymous anti-hero, who's in full force in the new trailer, which is set, most effectively, to Metallica's classic "One."

What is known about the plot is it will delve deeper into the conspiracy glimpsed in season 2 of Daredevil: Castle's former comrades in arms got involved in a drug running operation, leading to the brutal murders of the veteran-turned hero's wife and daughter.

Incidentally, another Metallica connection is heard in the trailer, when Castle declares of his enemies that he's going to "kill 'em all" -- the same name of the metal legends' debut album. 

The Punisher is set to debut on Netflix sometime this year.

Marvel is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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"'The Cemetary Club" - Getty Images/Adger Cowans(LOS ANGELES) -- Bernie Casey, former NFL star turned actor who's probably best-known for roles in Revenge of the Nerds, I'm Gonna Git You Sucka and Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, has died at age 78.

Variety and other sources report Casey died Tuesday in Los Angeles.

A standout athlete, Casey was the ninth first-round NFL draft pick in 1961, and played wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers and then the Los Angeles Rams over eight seasons, earning a trip to the Pro Bowl in 1967.

Casey's first film was a role in 1969's Guns of the Magnificent Seven.  He went on to appear in dozens of films and TV shows, including staring in the 1989 Keenan Ivory Wayans blaxploitation parody I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, drawing on Casey's own resume of appearing in genre films like Cleopatra Jones, Black Gunn, and Black Chariot.  His Sucka character, John Slade, had his own band following him on the street, playing his hero theme music.

Casey also appeared opposite Sean Connery in the 1983 James Bond film Never Say Never Again.  In addition to I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, he's perhaps best remembered for playing fraternity head U.N. Jefferson in 1984's Revenge of the Nerds, as as history teacher Mr. Ryan in Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, five years later.  He also wrote, directed and starred in the 1997 film The Dinner. 

Casey's last listed film credit, according to IMDB, was in 2007.  In addition to acting, Casey was a painter and poet.

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© 2017 WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT INC. AND RATPAC-DUNE ENTERTAINMENT LLC/Marco Grob(NEW YORK) -- While nothing's official yet, it looks like It is about to become the highest-grossing horror film of all time in the U.S.

Deadline reports that the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel about a clown that terrorizes a group of kids, is expected to pass the 1973 classic The Exorcist, in domestic box office receipts on Thursday. The Exorcist earned $232.9 million in total during its theatrical run in the States. It is expected to have domestic earnings of nearly $270 million by the end of the weekend.

The record only relates to pure horror films, Deadline notes, not "horror hybrids," like The Sixth Sense. And It still has a way to go before it tops The Exorcist worldwide. By Thursday It is expected to have total worldwide earnings of $386 million, well short of The Exorcist's $441.3 million.

As impressive as It's numbers may be, The Exorcist is still way ahead if you adjust its 1973 take for inflation.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistic's Consumer Price Index Inflation Calculator, The Exorcist's $232.9 million in 1973 would be worth more than $1.2 billion today.

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Hand in Hand - 2017(NEW YORK) -- The recent Hand in Hand hurricane relief benefit is estimated to have raised more than $55 million for the victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

The star-studded telethon was broadcast across multiple networks on September 12 and raised $14 million in the first hour, organizers said Wednesday, and within a few hours increased that amount to $44 million.

Comic Relief USA will manage the grants made from the telethon and distribute them to charities including the Rebuild Texas Fund, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, Feeding Florida, Feeding Texas, Direct Relief, ASPCA, Best Friends Animal Society, United Way of Greater Houston, United Way Irma Recovery Fund and the Mayor's Fund for Hurricane Harvey Relief, which is administered through the Greater Houston Community Foundation.

"It has been truly amazing to witness the reactions in our country in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma," said Scooter Braun, the founder of SB Projects and an executive producer of Hand in Hand.

The Hand in Hand benefit featured performances from Usher and Blake Shelton; George Strait, Miranda Lambert, Chris Stapleton, Robert Earl Keen and Lyle Lovett; and Luis Fonsi and Tori Kelly, among others.

Celebrities including Kerry Washington, Oprah Winfrey, Selena Gomez and Justin Timberlake shared stories of those affected by the storms, while other stars like Justin Bieber, George Clooney and Sofia Vergara manned phone lines to take donations.

"Natural disasters don’t discriminate. They don’t see if you’re an immigrant, black or white, Hispanic or Asian, Jewish or Muslim, wealthy or poor. It doesn’t matter if you’re from [Houston neighborhoods] Third Ward or River Oaks, we’re all in this together," Beyonce, a Houston native, said in a taped message.

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