Latest news with #Manganiello
Gizmodo
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Gizmodo
Epic Universe Will Portal Into Your House With a TV Special
Journey through the portals of Universal Epic Universe in an upcoming one-hour NBC special hosted by Joe Manganiello (One Piece). Inside the Worlds of Epic Universe will take viewers on a tour of America's newest state-of-the-art theme park, which features lands based on How to Train Your Dragon, Nintendo, the Universal Monsters, and Harry Potter. io9 got to visit earlier this year and can't wait to see the park again, even through the television screen. We're especially excited to return to the grounds of Darkmoor. If there's any sort of POV walk-through (much like the other park), that would be very neat. And even if the TV special is a thinly veiled advertisement to entice more visitors, we don't mind. In fact, we have some suggestions for future shows in this vein: how about an after-dark stroll through Dark Universe's spooky ambiance set to that epic Danny Elfman score to watch whenever we need a hit of immersive Universal Horror? What we do know so far about the special is that it will follow Manganiello experiencing Celestial Park, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic, Super Nintendo World, How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, and Dark Universe. 'As a kid growing up a huge fan of the movies, I couldn't be more excited about diving into these immersive worlds that bring some of my all-time favorite characters to life,' Manganiello shared in the press release. 'From the iconic monsters of Dark Universe to the super-sized attractions of How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk, there is something for everyone to enjoy.' Additionally, Universal family stars and creatives will stop by, including Bowen Yang (Wicked), Bryce Dallas Howard (Jurassic World franchise), Jon M. Chu (Wicked), Mason Thames (How to Train Your Dragon), Matt Rogers, Michelle Yeoh (Wicked), Nico Parker (How to Train Your Dragon), Warwick Davis, and Vin Diesel. We have to note that's a lot of Wicked stars so we'd be happy if they finally announced a Wicked Oz portal, just sayin'. Plus our movie father, Steven Spielberg, will be featured in an extended interview about the cinematic worlds of Universal theme parks. Inside the Worlds of Epic Universe will air Wednesday, August 20 at 9 p.m. ET/PT and will be available to stream the next day on Peacock. Later this year, fans can look for Epic Ride: The Story of Universal Theme Parks, a three-part Peacock docuseries. For more info on booking a trip to the park visit here. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what's next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joe Manganiello missed lobster rolls, Moxie and this Maine Island.
Joe Manganiello isn't from Maine, but is still has a special place in his heart. The "True Blood" and "Magic Mike" star just showed off his Peaks Island pride in a new social media post. "I spent every summer growing up on the island and I'm happy to report that everything was right where I left it," Manganiello said. Manganiello mentioned Maine staples like the soft drink Moxie, lobster rolls and ferry boats. "I missed this place," Manganiello said. "I promise I won't ever stay away that long again." Here's what you need to know about Manganiello and his New England ties. No, Manganiello is not from Maine nor is he from any part of New England. Manganiello was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Outside of his father being born right outside of Boston and his adolescent summers on Peaks Island, the Hollywood actor doesn't seem to have any other New England ties. As of June 9, 2025, Manganiello is not married. He used to be married to Hollywood actress Sofia Vergara, but they finalized their divorce in February of 2024 after nine years of marriage. Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@ This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Joe Manganiello reveals he 'spent summers growing up' in Maine
The Herald Scotland
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Joe Manganiello's girlfriend has an Instagram page for his dog
Manganiello obliged his elders. "Nonnas" (streaming now on Netflix) is based on the true story of Enoteca Maria, a restaurant in Staten Island that employees "nonnas" (Italian for grandmother) as chefs. In the film, Vince Vaughn takes on the role of the restaurant's owner, Joe, and Manganiello plays his best friend, Bruno. The grandmothers are portrayed by Lorraine Bracco, Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro and Talia Shire. In real life, they're all old enough to be Manganiello's mother. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox "For the whole movie, three or four times a week, I'm at home after these giant meals in my hotel room, just staring at the ceiling, just trying to breathe," he says. "Then, off to Crunch gym in Hoboken the next day to try to work it all off." Joe Manganiello's dog is a social media star, thanks to his girlfriend A few guests join Manganiello for the interview. His girlfriend, actress and host Caitlin O'Connor, sits off-camera. The actor's chihuahua Bubbles rests comfortably on his lap. Manganiello rescued Bubbles from Dogs Without Borders six years ago. It's his first pet. "The first time I held a dog in my lap was her," he says of Bubbles, who came into his life when the actor was still married to Sofia Vergara. They split in 2023 after seven years of marriage. "She wanted me to pick her up like right away. It was the universe telling me it was time to have a dog." Bubbles has come a long way literally and figuratively since then: The chihuahua overcame a number of health complications, including cancer. Now she travels the world with Manganiello and O'Connor. "I swore I was never going to do an Instagram account for the dog, I wasn't going to be that guy," he says. "But my girlfriend started one. And so she posts and she's doing a great job." Both O'Connor and Bubbles joined Manganiello at the "Nonnas" premiere. On Instagram, the couple's attire had fans doing a double take, thinking it was a wedding photo. "Traditionally, the guy doesn't hold the wedding bouquet," says Manganiello, referencing Bubbles, which was in his arms and could be mistaken at a glance as a bouquet of flowers. "Traditionally, the guy isn't holding a five-pound chihuahua, either." Joe Manganiello honored his great-grandmother with Capitol Hill speech Manganiello is an Italian last name, but the actor is also of Armenian descent. His maternal great-grandmother survived the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire during World War I. In April, the actor traveled to Washington to give a speech for the Armenian Assembly of America. His purpose was to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the genocide and advocate for the release of 23 hostages detained in Azerbaijan. "I felt like my great-grandmother would've been proud of what I did," Manganiello says of his trip to meet with lawmakers. "But it was also very difficult emotionally to drum (those memories) up." While President Joe Biden formally recognized the genocide in 2021, Manganiello says the recent conflict with Azerbaijan has Armenians "worried that they're being left out to the wolves." "I don't think any of the survivors would've thought that any of their stories would be told a century later," he says of his great-grandmother and others. "I really feel like it's my obligation to speak about what she went through. I meet Armenians all over the world who stop me and thank me for speaking up. So I know that it means something."
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Joe Manganiello is excited to finally play an Italian in 'Nonnas' despite being a 'foot taller than most' he knows
Joe Manganiello stars opposite Vince Vaughn and a "murderer's row" of iconic Italian-American actresses in Nonnas, out May 9 on Netflix. The dramedy from director Stephen Chbosky tells the true story of the origins of Enoteca Maria, the famed Italian restaurant on Staten Island. For Manganiello, who has Sicilian ancestry, his role gave him the rare opportunity to pay homage to his Italian Nonnas, Joe Manganiello savored the opportunity to pay tribute to his Italian ancestry. From married filmmaking duo Stephen Chbosky and Liz Maccie, the dramedy tells the true story of Jody "Joe" Scaravella (played by Vince Vaughn), an MTA employee stuck in a dead-end job who turns to generations-old Italian recipes for comfort following the death of his beloved mother, who, along with his grandmother, cultivated his love of food as a young boy. With the help of his wary but supportive best friend Bruno (Manganiello), Joe uses the money from his mother's inheritance to open up a local Italian restaurant, Enoteca Maria, to honor her memory with a familial twist: he'll only staff local Italian grandmothers — or "nonnas" — as the chefs. For Manganiello, best known for his turns on the vampire drama True Blood and the Magic Mike film franchise, the role allowed him the rare chance to lean into his Sicilian roots on screen. "I'm of mixed ancestry, so I haven't been cast as Italian a lot in my life," the actor tells Entertainment Weekly. "I'm a foot taller than most of the other Italians that I know because of the Croatian and the German. Those lengthened my brother and I out quite a bit. I'm 6 foot 5, my brother's 6 foot 7. But there were nuanced, funny things about being Italian that I felt like I understood." That included the loving relationship between Bruno and his wife Stella, played by The Sopranos alum Drea de Matteo. "It's the way that Italian couples can bicker, but it means that they love each other," Manganiello says. "The script has so much heart." Manganiello recently acquired Italian citizenship in 2022, a three-year process that involved a lot of record-tracking via his grandmother's side of the family, who hailed from Messina in Sicily. "I've always dreamed of moving to Italy, or at least having a house in Italy somewhere, and I knew that having an Italian passport could help along with that," he says. "I'm more Sicilian, more Italian than I am anything else in my family tree, so having dual citizenship was something I always dreamed about."Nonnas, aptly, also features what Mangianiello calls a "murderer's row" of iconic Italian-American actresses. Lorraine Bracco, Talia Shire, Brenda Vaccaro, and Susan Sarandon round out the cast of nonnas who cook up love on a plate. The cast bonded over many meals, of course — some at the real Enoteca Maria on Staten Island. "There were like 12 course meals, three, four times a week," Manganiello recalls. "I love good Hollywood stories. Talking to Susan about Bull Durham, to Lorraine about Goodfellas, and Talia telling stories about The Godfather and Rocky, and Brenda telling Midnight Cowboy stories. It was the best." Nonnas is streaming on Netflix. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
USA Today
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Joe Manganiello on those 'Nonnas' cast dinners and Bubbles, his Instagram-famous dog
Joe Manganiello on those 'Nonnas' cast dinners and Bubbles, his Instagram-famous dog Show Caption Hide Caption Joe Manganiello explains why he had to hit the gym for film 'Nonnas' Joe Manganiello tells USA TODAY's Ralphie Aversa why he had to hit the gym while filming his latest movie, "Nonnas," which is streaming on Netflix. NEW YORK − While filming the movie "Nonnas," Joe Manganiello stayed in Hoboken, New Jersey. He settled into a routine there, from his favorite coffee shops to his dog-walking route. The actor also became familiar with his local gym, thanks to the cast dinners he indulged in. "We're out at some Italian restaurant eating giant meals," Manganiello, 48, recalls to USA TODAY, noting that chefs would send out appetizers on the house. "Nobody's eating it all because they're trying to fit into their costumes. So there's all this food leftover and all the actresses are like reverting to character and going, 'Here, honey, eat it.' And pushing it to me, like I'm the kid." Manganiello obliged his elders. "Nonnas" (streaming now on Netflix) is based on the true story of Enoteca Maria, a restaurant in Staten Island that employees "nonnas" (Italian for grandmother) as chefs. In the film, Vince Vaughn takes on the role of the restaurant's owner, Joe, and Manganiello plays his best friend, Bruno. The grandmothers are portrayed by Lorraine Bracco, Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro and Talia Shire. In real life, they're all old enough to be Manganiello's mother. Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox "For the whole movie, three or four times a week, I'm at home after these giant meals in my hotel room, just staring at the ceiling, just trying to breathe," he says. "Then, off to Crunch gym in Hoboken the next day to try to work it all off." Joe Manganiello's dog is a social media star, thanks to his girlfriend A few guests join Manganiello for the interview. His girlfriend, actress and host Caitlin O'Connor, sits off-camera. The actor's chihuahua Bubbles rests comfortably on his lap. Manganiello rescued Bubbles from Dogs Without Borders six years ago. It's his first pet. "The first time I held a dog in my lap was her," he says of Bubbles, who came into his life when the actor was still married to Sofia Vergara. They split in 2023 after seven years of marriage. "She wanted me to pick her up like right away. It was the universe telling me it was time to have a dog." Bubbles has come a long way literally and figuratively since then: The chihuahua overcame a number of health complications, including cancer. Now she travels the world with Manganiello and O'Connor. "I swore I was never going to do an Instagram account for the dog, I wasn't going to be that guy," he says. "But my girlfriend started one. And so she posts and she's doing a great job." Both O'Connor and Bubbles joined Manganiello at the "Nonnas" premiere. On Instagram, the couple's attire had fans doing a double take, thinking it was a wedding photo. "Traditionally, the guy doesn't hold the wedding bouquet," says Manganiello, referencing Bubbles, which was in his arms and could be mistaken at a glance as a bouquet of flowers. "Traditionally, the guy isn't holding a five-pound chihuahua, either." Joe Manganiello honored his great-grandmother with Capitol Hill speech Manganiello is an Italian last name, but the actor is also of Armenian descent. His maternal great-grandmother survived the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire during World War I. In April, the actor traveled to Washington to give a speech for the Armenian Assembly of America. His purpose was to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the genocide and advocate for the release of 23 hostages detained in Azerbaijan. "I felt like my great-grandmother would've been proud of what I did," Manganiello says of his trip to meet with lawmakers. "But it was also very difficult emotionally to drum (those memories) up." While President Joe Biden formally recognized the genocide in 2021, Manganiello says the recent conflict with Azerbaijan has Armenians "worried that they're being left out to the wolves." "I don't think any of the survivors would've thought that any of their stories would be told a century later," he says of his great-grandmother and others. "I really feel like it's my obligation to speak about what she went through. I meet Armenians all over the world who stop me and thank me for speaking up. So I know that it means something."
