Josh Gad, Jake Johnson & Gal Gadot Try To Make Coronavirus Quarantine A Little More Tolerable
It's going to be a rough couple months as everyone in the United States (hopefully) spends as much time at home as possible. Cities like Los Angeles are getting a little more strict about keeping people at home in order to slow the spread of coronavirus around the country, and it's only a matter of time before everyone else follows suit. Thankfully, even though production is shut down on movies and TV right now, some celebrities are taking the time to make self-quarantine and social distancing a little more tolerable for those going stir crazy, especially families with kids who are home from school.
Josh Gad has been hosting a story hour for kids who love his character Olaf from Frozen, Jake Johnson is leaving voicemails for kids inspired by Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Gal Gadot rounded up a bunch of famous friends to do a rendition of John Lennon's song "Imagine," and Rosie O'Donnell is bringing back her talk show to help support The Actors Fund. Get details below.
Josh Gad Reads to Kids on Twitter
Kids all over the world are familiar with Josh Gad because he's the voice of their favorite living snowman Olaf in Disney's Frozen franchise. Since he's got a penchant for telling stories in an exciting way, Gad has been using his voice to do a little good in these stressful times by reading books to kids through live Twitter sessions. Here's a story that he read just last night:
— Josh Gad (@joshgad) March 19, 2020
So far, Gad has read from books like The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, Olivia Goes to Venice by Ian Falconer, and the classic tale The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. Since Gad is a skilled voice actor, he gives a different voice to the various characters in each book.
Gad started reading stories to kids on March 13, writing on Twitter:
"Since we're all stuck at home right now, I figured we would have a little fun together So, I'm going to see how this goes, but I decided I'm gonna read to you and your children—or just you, depending on what you prefer. I'm not gonna pass judgment right now since the world is a little bit of a hot mess."
If there's one thing Olaf hates, it's hot messes, even though he loves summer and sunshine. So we're glad he's taking the time to brighten the days of people looking for a bit of relief.
Jake Johnson Leaving Voicemails As Spider-Man
Jake Johnson is probably best known for his series regular role on the FOX comedy series New Girl with Zooey Deschanel. But more recently, he's found fame with kids as the voice of Peter B. Parker, aka one of the many different iterations of Spider-Man from the animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Now he's using his place in comic book history to bring a little joy to kids and their families.In a post on Instagram, Johnson announced that he's set up an e-mail address where parents can request a voicemail message from Spider-Man himself. He'll get to as many as he can while we're all stuck at home.
So if you want to try to e-mail Jake Johnson and get a Spider-Man voicemail for your kids, just send an e-mail to peterbparkersayshi@gmail.com and wait patiently.
Gal Gadot Sings "Imagine "with Famous Friends
On Instagram yesterday, Gal Gadot rounded up Kristen Wiig, James Marsden, Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Adams, Will Ferrell, Mark Ruffalo, Norah Jones, Cara Delevingne, and more to sing a rendition of John Lennon's song "Imagine." It's a bit overly sentimental, but it certainly didn't deserve the scorn it received from many, who thought these celebrities should be doing something more to help people than singing a song for their entertainment.
Rosie O'Donnell Brings Back Talk Show for Fundraising
Remember Rosie O'Donnell? She used to have a very popular talk show that had the same spirit and vibe of Ellen DeGeneres, but it's been off the air for a long time now. However, the comedian will be bringing back her show this Sunday in the form of a streaming fundraiser happening for one-night only.
The Rosie O'Donnell Show will return in in partnership with Revelations Entertainment and Broadway.com in order to raise funds for The Actors Fund, a non-profit that supports performers and behind-the-scenes workers in the arts and entertainment industry — an industry hit hard by the closures and shutdowns put into effect to fight the global coronavirus pandemic.
Starting at 7pm ET, the show will stream on Broadway.com with guests like Matthew Broderick, Kristin Chenoweth, Darren Criss, Gloria Estefan, Billy Porter, Morgan Freeman and many more.
O'Donnell said in a statement (via Deadline):
"Everybody who knows me knows that Broadway has been one of the brightest lights in my life since the time I was a little girl," said a statement from O'Donnell. "It has also been the lifeblood of New York City for generation after generation. After all, Broadway has given to the world, now – in this time of tremendous need – it's our turn to give something back. There is no better way to support this community than via The Actors Fund. And, with a line-up like this, I dare you not to tune in."
Kevin Bacon Supports Social Distancing
Finally, if you're somehow not practicing social distancing and still going out to the bars like a jerk, please stop. If you won't listen to anyone else, maybe listen to Kevin Bacon. He's been just a few degrees away from everyone his whole life, and now he wants you to stay at least six degrees away from him and everyone else by just hanging around your house.