Secluded Stars: Wahlberg and McCarthy spoof 'Tiger King'; Sean Hayes immortalized by Funko
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, many stars from the suburbs are finding fun ways to keep the laughs and music coming.
We checked in on a few.
'Tiger' king (and queen)
Donnie Wahlberg and Jenny McCarthy are the latest stars to jump aboard the “Tiger King” bandwagon. In a short TikTok video from earlier this month, the St. Charles couple spoofs the ubiquitous Netflix documentary series with pure cartoon slapstick.
Wahlberg lip-syncs to the Joe Exotic song “Because You Love Me” complete with a faux mullet. Meanwhile, McCarthy pops up in a plush tiger costume of sorts.
The duo delved even further into “Tiger King” mania on “The Jenny McCarthy Show” on SiriusXM. McCarthy and Wahlberg recently interviewed John Finlay, the oft-shirtless ex-husband of Joe Exotic.
Not just Jack
Glen Ellyn native and Emmy Award winner Sean Hayes is wrapping his second run as Jack on “Will & Grace.” After three seasons, the rebooted hit NBC sitcom will sign off at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 23.
But the quirky characters will live on - in plastic. Will, Grace, Karen and Jack have been made into Funko figures.
Hayes took to Twitter and joked: “Well, it looks like we've finally been immortalized thanks to Funko POP! For all of you die-hard 'Will & Grace' fans out there, you can pre-order 'us' now.”
Opera all over
Soprano and Elk Grove Village native Ailyn Pérez is one of more than 40 global stars set to perform as part of The Metropolitan Opera's free “At-Home Gala” at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 25.
Pérez, now a resident of Bloomingdale, will be singing from her home to prerecorded tracks by the Met Orchestra and Chorus. The concert will be available online until 5:30 p.m. the following day at metopera.org.
Pérez also has a new album out called “Mi Corazón” (“My Heart”). The Apple iTunes release features Pérez singing Spanish and Portuguese songs chosen to honor her family, friends, mentors and idols.
Callaway connection
Like so many cooped-up sports fans in withdrawal, Winnetka native and Broadway star Liz Callaway started watching “The Last Dance” on ESPN. The 10-part documentary series details the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls championship season, but Callaway found an unexpected family connection.
Callaway took to Twitter and shared: “So I'm watching the Michael Jordan documentary on ESPN and five minutes into episode #1, I hear the voice of my Dad, the late John Callaway of @wttw. What a beautiful surprise. #LastDance.”