In Case You Haven’t Heard: ‘Spaceballs 2,’ ‘The Office’

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” saw massive spike in viewers in its triumphant small screen return, Steven Spielberg’s son will star in an upcoming film, and Rick Moranis will come out of retirement to portray the hilariously evil Dark Lord Helmet in “Spaceballs 2” in this edition of “In Case You Haven’t Heard.”

As it turns out, getting suspended is great for business. “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” experienced its highest ratings in the history of the show this past Tuesday night. ABC-Disney suspended Kimmel due to pressure from the Nexstar and Sinclair broadcasting companies, as well as the FCC.

Kimmel draws 1.4 million viewers per night on average, but the show Tuesday drew in 6.3 million for an increase of 343 percent, and that’s taking into account the aforementioned companies blacked him out in almost a quarter of their markets. 

Kimmel’s suspension seems to have brought out support from people who don’t typically get political, like morning hosts Kelly Ripa and husband co-host Mark Consuelos, who typically make a point of keeping it lighthearted on their program. They went to bat on the air for Kimmel, calling him a caring, decent human being, adding that the first amendment must be protected. So, there you go: when even the most annoying couple in the world is willing to get political, you know boundaries have been crossed. 

Imagine you were part of a hit TV show and the line from the show that fans quote when they see you involves yelling “No, No” in your face! That is what life has been like for former “The Office” showrunner, Paul Lieberstein. Lieberstein’s character Toby, who returns to work much to the dismay of his adversary Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell, shouts “No” several times in Toby’s face. It’s worth a Google. 

Lieberstein recently spoke at the Paley Museum about its new exhibit for “The Office.” During his appearance, Lieberstein mentioned the new spinoff, “The Paper.” He is one of the writers on the show and said he would be open to appearing on the new show as an actor if it made sense. At the moment, Oscar Nunez, who played Oscar on “The Office,” is the only cast member on “The Paper.” I’ve seen the pilot of “The Paper,” and my advice would be to bring back all “The Office” characters. 

In nepo baby news, Sawyer Spielberg (yes, there is a relation) has signed on to play the lead in a new film called “Once Upon a Time in Hell’s Kitchen,” according to Variety. The film is based on the Colin Broderick book of the same name. The young Spielberg most recently appeared in “Materialists” opposite Dakota Johnson and Pedro Pascal. The 33-year-old actor is the son of director Steven Spielberg and actress Kate Capshaw, and he will also executively produce the project. For what it’s worth, he is a well-trained actor but… yeah. I’m sure the last name has opened a few doors.  

It took a screwball comedy to bring the hilarious Rick Moranis out of retirement. “The Honey I Shrunk the Kids” star has announced that he will be part of “Spaceballs 2,” where he will reprise his role as Dark Lord Helmet in the sequel to the 1987 original. According to Variety, Amazon-MGM Studios has announced that production is underway, and the film should hit theaters in 2027. Moranis’ other credits include “Little Shop of Horrors” and “Ghostbusters.” This is his first live action film role since 1997’s “Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves.” Better “Spaceballs 2” for a comeback than another “Honey I Shrunk” sequel.

Editor’s note: For more movie and entertainment talk, join host Pete Schwaba weeknights from 6 to 8 p.m. for “Nite Lite” on the Civic Media radio network.