Huge, Marvel-ous lineup coming to Wizard World Philadelphia 2016
Chris Evans, Chris Hemsowrth, Tom Hiddleston, Hayley Atwell and more assemble in June, plus Sam Smith, NCIS, Kevin Hart and more
Captain America is coming to Wizard World Philadelphia this June, and he's bringing the Falcon with him.
And Agent Carter. And Howard Stark. Not to mention Bucky, Brock Rumlow and Dr. Abraham Erskine.
Oh, yeah. And Thor and Loki.
In what's shaping up already to be the biggest Wizard Philly ever, Wizard is announcing today that Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Stanley Tucci, Sebastian Stan and Frank Grillo will take over the Pennsylvania Convention Center on the weekend of June 4-5.
Wizard says all are scheduled to appear on both days, except Hiddleston (Saturday only). All will greet fans, sign autographs, pose for photo ops (solo and in combinations) and conduct interactive Q&A panels.
Previously announced celebrity guests coming to this year's Wizard World Philadelphia include David Duchovny ("The X-Files"), Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson and Christopher Lloyd ("Back to the Future"), Norman Reedus ("The Walking Dead") and Stephen Amell ("Arrow"). Ticket and other information is available at wizardworld.com.
More names are sure to be announced but that is already a serious guest list.
Smith bothers
If Sam Smith thought his performance of the Oscar-winning song "Writing's on the Wall" (from "Spectre") was "horrible," his acceptance speech wasn't much better.
Smith said, "I read an article a few months ago by Sir Ian McKellen, and he said that no openly gay man had ever won an Oscar. If this is the case-even if it isn"t the case-I want to dedicate this to the LGBT community all around the world."
Uh, it isn't the case.
In the first place, McKellen was referring to male actors, and even that may not be true if you determine Sir John Gielgud was "out" when he won for "Arthur" in 1981.
But in other categories?
As E! pointed out, Elton John won the same award as Smith in 1994. Stephen Sondheim won it in 1991. That was the year Howard Ashman died of AIDS. He won two Oscars for best song.
There also have been plenty of "out" winners in other categories.
But for Smith, it's the thought (or lack thereof) that counts.
TATTBITS
* There's no end in sight for CBS' long-running mega-hit "NCIS." The network says it has renewed the series for two more seasons, and that star/executive producer Mark Harmon has signed a new two-year deal of his own.
The action-crime series, now in its 13th season, remains the most popular drama on TV, averaging more than 20 million viewers each week.
Sheesh, one day we're going to have to watch "NCIS."
* The Oscars Sunday night drew 34.3 million viewers, the lowest total in 8 years.
Numerous reasons have been given for the decline, but here's the truth:
1) The show is too long.
2) Part of the country tunes out because they think it is merely Liberals giving awards to Liberals.
3) Part of the country tunes out because they think it is merely white people giving awards to white people.
4) Part of the country tunes out because they think it is merely a self-congratulatory trade show for Hollywood insiders.
5) With the growth of paparazzi journalism, very few movie stars are beloved or admired.
6) You can see the highlights of the show the next day in vines, gifs and youtube videos.
7) By the time you get through the Golden Globes, SAG Awards, People's Choice Awards and Independent Spirit Awards, "Revenant" fatigue has set in.
8) Part of the country is ticked off because Abe Vigoda was left out of the "In Memoriam."
9) Part of the country is ticked off because none of the songs sound like "White Christmas" (1942 winner from "Holiday Inn.")
10) The show is too long.
* Kevin Hart shot threes like a baller at NBA All-Star Weekend, and now he has another key accessory of a baller: His own Nike sneaker. One could say he's moved from swish to swoosh.
But Hart's shoe isn't a hoops high-top. It's a cross-trainer because the Philadelphia native is also a serious runner.
His shoe doesn't come with a Kanye-type price tag, according to TMZ.com. Kev's fans may actually be able to afford "Hustle Harts," because, as Hart said, "It's not a shoe for fashion." It's functional. You're actually supposed to wear it to exercise.
When it hits stores in April, the shoes will likely retail in the $100-$150 range.
- Daily News wire services
contributed to this report.
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