Latest news with #RobMcElhenney
Daily Mail
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Ryan Reynolds' pal Rob McElhenney files to legally change his name and reveals why
Rob McElhenney is tired of having so many syllables in his last name. The It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star, 49, filed legal documents in Los Angeles to officially change his name, TMZ reported. Rob Mac is what he's going with, eliminating most of the name that has been difficult and annoying for the co-owner (with Ryan Reynolds) of Wrexham's football club. His More Better Productions has been investing in soccer teams in South America and he finds South Americans can't wrap their tongues around his multi-syllabic surname. He's been going by Rob Mac in his business endeavors for awhile. 'As our business and our storytelling is expanding into other regions of the world and other languages in which my name is even harder to pronounce, I'm just going by Rob Mac,' he told Variety last month. Rob was worried he might ruffle the feathers of his ancestors with the name change. However, he soon learned that he wasn't going to be the first McElhenney to change their moniker. Some relatives had already made their own changes to their last name over the years. And those that hadn't changed their name were excited to do so when they learned that he was. His wife, High Potential and Hacks star Kaitlin Olson and their two teenage boys are still getting used to the Rob Mac idea. 'The kids are really not happy about it, because they have that last name,' Olson said. 'And so do I, legally!' Rob and Kaitlyn met on the set of It's Always Sunny in 2005 and began secretly dating during the FX comedy's second season. They married in Malibu in September 2008 and welcomed their sons in 2010 and 2012, respectively. Rob Mac is what he's going with, eliminating most of the name that has been difficult and annoying for the co-owner (with Ryan Reynolds ) of Wrexham's football club. Seen here November 17, 2022 But they almost didn't meet as Rob wasn't thrilled to be casting Kaitlyn in Its Always Sunny. Sunny came out of a low-budget project that Rob Mac, Charlie Day and Glenn Howerton dreamed up. At her audition, Olson read with Day, while her future husband directed. At one point, he told her to improvise. 'I let go of the already funny stuff and concentrated on leveling up the rest of the material,' Olson recalled to Variety. 'After, I called my manager and said, "The audition was great. I want this job. But I'm so pissed that I left out the funniest line that was already in there, because I was so focused on just making everything bounce better,"' she said. As it turns out, McElhenney wrote that funny line. 'So she leaves the room, we're no doubt 100% thinking she was awesome,' McElhenney remembered. 'But I don't know if her instincts were 100% right, because she left out the funniest line,' he said. 'Now, is it a coincidence that I happened to write that line? I was 26 years old, and probably very precious with what I was writing,' Rob explained. Fortunately, Rob's partners talked him out of discarding Kaitlin for the role of Sweet Dee. When he called to offer her the project, she turned it down because she discovered the funny lines she was reading weren't for her character. 'When they offered me the part, I asked for four scripts,' she said. 'And I was shocked, because they didn't have anything funny for Sweet Dee.' Sweet Dee was written as a nag, whereas the guys all got the jokes to deliver. McElhenney explained that with their shoestring budget, they hadn't been able to write new scripts to reflect where they wanted to go with Dee. He promised his future wife her character would be funny and Olson gave in and joined the cast.
Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Ryan Reynolds and Wrexham face £49million wake-up call in Championship opener
Wrexham's first season in the Championship for 43 years is set to be a challenging one after the Welsh side's fixture list for the 2025/26 campaign was announced Wrexham have been given a harsh reality check of the hurdles they'll face in the Championship after confirmation of next season's fixture list. The Welsh side's first match is set to be a challenging one as they head off to Southampton, a team that was relegated from the Premier League in April. Wrexham 's co-owners, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have said manager Phil Parkinson will receive financial support this summer to assemble a squad capable of holding its own in the second tier. The Hollywood duo have a combined net worth estimated at roughly £291m ($400m) from their acting careers and savvy business ventures. But they will face a club receiving Premier League parachute payments in their first match on August 9. Clubs that have been relegated from the top flight continue to get a portion of the revenues for at least two more years as they adjust to life in the Championship. In their first season post-relegation, Southampton are projected to receive about £49m. The amount is approximately five times what typical second-tier teams receive through solidarity payments and TV broadcast deals. The Saints are owned by London-based investment group Sport Republic, led by Rasmus Ankersen, Henrik Kraft, and main investor Dragan Solak. Solak's estimated net worth is a staggering £1.4bn, as reported by news magazine Nedeljnik, making him the second-richest individual in Serbia. On the other hand, Kraft's wealth is estimated to be around £2bn, which partly explains why Southampton are tipped to lift the Championship title next season. Their personal fortunes significantly outstrip those of Reynolds and McElhenney. However, Wrexham have a secret weapon in the form of the Allyn family from New York, who became minority investors in the club last October. For over a hundred years, the family owned US medical device manufacturing company Welch Allyn Inc. In September 2015, the firm was sold to Hill-Rom in a deal believed to be worth just under £1.5bn at current rates. The Allyns have since shifted their focus to investing in private and public markets, and Wrexham have benefited from several substantial cash injections since their involvement. While they may not have the financial muscle to compete with recently-relegated Premier League clubs, football finance expert Kieran Maguire reckons the Red Dragons will still be in the top half of the table in terms of their spending power. He also pointed out that the popularity of the Welcome to Wrexham documentary is one of the main factors behind their financial strength. Speaking to talkSPORT earlier this year, Maguire said: "Wrexham made three times as much as any other club [when playing] in League Two, more than any other club in League One and they would be in the top half of the Championship. "Therefore they're not that far behind the Championship's big hitters – the likes of Stoke and Norwich. It's an incredible achievement in terms of bringing in money. It's also their ability to become an international brand which has really driven this. "[Promotion] adds another £8m of TV money because they will be in the Championship. That would put them fairly close to all of the clubs except for those who will be in receipt of parachute payments in the Championship." He added: "I think that they are in a very strong position from a PSR (Profit and Sustainability Rules) point of view. Last year they lost £2.5m, they can lose £39m over three years when they get to the Championship. "They have the capacity to invest in players and invest in improving the infrastructure and I think they will be an exhilarating proposition to watch because everybody's eyes will be on them." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Sign up to our newsletter! Wrexham is the Game is great new way to get top-class coverage Wrexham AFC is the arguably the fastest-growing club in the world at the moment thanks to a certain Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The Dragons have achieved two consecutive promotions and are cheered on by crowds from not only North Wales but also from all over the globe, thanks to the success of the Disney+ documentary 'Welcome to Wrexham'. But does it have a dedicated, quality source of information piped through to your inbox each week, free of ads but packed with informed opinion, analysis and even a little bit of fun each week? That's where Wrexham is the Game steps in... Available every Wednesday, it provides all the insights you need to be a top red. And for a limited time, a subscription to 'Wrexham is the Game' will cost fans just £15 for the first year.
New York Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Welcome to Wrexham season 4 reviewed: McElhenney's pep talk, Mullin's hurt, and Ker's nipples
No matter how far Wrexham go under the ownership of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, that first promotion back into the EFL two years ago will take some beating. Not just in terms of the record points tally, with the 111 garnered by Phil Parkinson's side en route to the National League title likely to remain unbeaten for a long, long time. But also the intense emotions released by the final whistle sounding at home to Boreham Wood to signal 15 years in the non-League wilderness were finally at an end. Advertisement As enjoyable and satisfying as the subsequent back-to-back promotions from Leagues Two and One proved, neither could hold a candle to that glorious April evening when dreams came true in north Wales. Even reaching the Premier League, a level Wrexham have never played at in their 160-year history, might struggle in comparison. It's been a similar story with the Welcome to Wrexham documentary series, which has helped earn the record-breaking income levels required to fund a rise through the divisions so rapid that the club now sit just one more promotion from taking a seat at the top table of English football. The finale of season two — and specifically how the endorphin-releasing Rocky theme tune, Gonna Fly Now, kicked in just as the crowd invaded the pitch to celebrate that non-League exile was over — felt similarly unassailable. Until now. A quite brilliant final episode of the current run builds towards a motivational pep talk from McElhenney to the squad a day or so before the home game against Charlton Athletic. Knowing victory in that 5.30pm kick-off will be enough to clinch promotion to the Championship, providing rivals Wycombe Wanderers failed to win at Leyton Orient earlier in the day, the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia co-creator had sought the opinion of an unnamed 'all-time NFL great' beforehand as to what message should be relayed. A need to play with the freedom they'd enjoyed as youngsters was the gist of the reply. 'You already did the work of a man,' urges McElhenney, having moments earlier asked the players to close their eyes and visualise those days before football became a job for them. 'Now go out there and play like a little boy.' As the co-chairman continues to push the need to channel that inner 10-year-old, the episode switches to home movie footage of the players as kids, interspersed with match action from the game against Charlton. It's cleverly done, with the audience treated to a young Ollie Rathbone weaving in and out of an opposition defence to score with a thumping finish in junior football just moments before being shown doing exactly the same to break the deadlock after 15 minutes. Advertisement Then comes a video of Sam Smith as a toddler being urged to kick a ball in the hallway of the family home, followed straight after by the striker's acrobatic finish to put Wrexham 2-0 up just three minutes on from Rathbone's opener. By the time Smith heads in the third goal from a Max Cleworth cross with nine minutes of the 90 to go — 'This one's hitting him,' promises a pre-teen Cleworth to camera in presumably his back garden when growing up — the hairs on the back of the neck are well and truly up. It makes for great TV and suitably caps another triumphant year for the production team behind Welcome to Wrexham, a show that has developed a happy knack of striking just the right balance between sporting action and turning the spotlight on the local community since debuting in autumn 2022. The latest run is no different, with a touch of Hollywood glamour sprinkled on top for good measure. Neither of their celebrity co-owners was a regular at games last season, with Reynolds attending just four and McElhenney five, including two on the road at Birmingham City and Blackpool, but the pair are a more regular presence on screen, usually talking to the camera together or via Zoom. Both bring humour to go with their storytelling skills, such as when using what McElhenney describes as 'Disney tropes' to chart the 10-week period in Wrexham's season that sees autumn become winter, including the traditional 'all is well with the world' start to a typical film in the movie company's stable that soon morphs into events taking a nosedive through tragedy. I'm not sure my traumatised six-year-old self would quite agree striker Jack Marriott breaking his leg is on a par with Bambi's mum being killed, as is suggested by Wrexham's co-owners here, but the general analogy works, especially when the required happy ending arrives courtesy of Rathbone netting a last-minute winner against Barnsley to close out an episode. The show also deals sensitively with big off-field emotional events. The 'farewell' to the late Arthur Massey, who was Wrexham's oldest supporter, is beautifully done. As is Paul Mullin and Ollie Palmer befriending Archie White, a young fan suffering from a rare form of blood cancer, and the serious heart attack suffered by Maurice Jones in the crowd at Wycombe in March, which held up play for 20 minutes as medics battled to save his life. Advertisement Also handled well is the season's biggest talking point, the sudden ostracising of Mullin and Palmer. We know by now that Welcome to Wrexham is not a 'warts and all' production. Uncomfortable moments, such as when Luke Armstrong's record £500,000 transfer from Harrogate Town collapsed due to a failure to submit the relevant paperwork in time, have previously been totally ignored. But, here, the show tackles head-on a topic that continues to split opinion. By filming Mullin speaking to his performance coach about his axing in a coffee shop as Palmer chats to his father, Andy, on the telephone, the producers got far more than would surely have been the case with a more formal interview to camera. Both players were obviously hurt by Parkinson's decision, but handled themselves well. Never more so than when Palmer was watching April's win over Burton Albion at home on TV and the commentator described Steven Fletcher as 'an icon at the Racecourse'. This prompted the striker's young son to ask innocently, 'Are you an icon, Daddy?'. The reply — 'It's not up to me to decide, Buddy' — was perfectly judged. As the man who ultimately set McElhenney on the road to buying the club during the pandemic, Humphrey Ker has been another integral figure in Wrexham's rise. Thankfully, he's sticking around, even if his role has changed in the past 12 months to allow more of a family and career focus back in the States. Ker's attempts to get fit enough to run a marathon in aid of the Wrexham Miners Project proved an entertaining subplot throughout series four. He clearly hated every minute but still brought his customary good humour to proceedings, even when his nipples started to bleed during the 26.2-mile slog around the streets of Manchester. There were no such mishaps for Parkinson's team in their own distance race, lasting almost 10 months. Advertisement As with previous years, the show really steps up a gear when covering the matches themselves, as slick editing and great camerawork helped replicate the tension of the run-in, particularly during the slew of 1-0 wins that kept Wrexham on course for automatic promotion when performances perhaps didn't warrant it. That intense rush as the final whistle blew against Huddersfield Town, Rotherham United et al, invariably followed by the manager or another member of his staff puffing out their cheeks in relief, could certainly be felt through the screen. There's plenty of other great footage, too, including the November afternoon at Stockport County when Parkinson displayed much quicker thinking than his unusually off-key players during a 1-0 defeat. Having been called a 'f***ing t*t' by a female home fan standing just behind the technical area, the Wrexham manager turns around, mid-game, to shout, 'You're supposed to be a lady!'. Cue merriment among the other Stockport supporters within earshot, one even quipping, 'Who told you that?'. The camera quickly moves on, but the clip helps explain why Welcome to Wrexham retains sufficient appeal that a fifth series is already in the pipeline. Sure, the show excels at the big moments, such as the season's final episode, but it can also turn the most minor of footnotes in the Wrexham story, such as that random touchline exchange involving Parkinson at Edgeley Park, into TV gold. Welcome to Wrexham, series four, is available in the U.S. on FX and streaming on Hulu. UK viewers can watch the final episode on Disney+ from Friday, June 27. (Top photo courtesy of FX Networks)
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Frank Reynolds Is the Next ‘Golden Bachelor' in ‘It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Season 17 Trailer
The Golden Bachelor finds a new leading man in Frank Reynolds in the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 trailer. 'Philadelphia, the birthplace of our nation,' host Jesse Palmer says in the clip. 'Could it be the birthplace of a new love?' Frank likes the idea of this, but he might be a little too eager. 'Oh baby am I boned up,' he says as the first contestant pulls up. Later, he adds: 'Can't wait to find a Grade A, prime cut piece of ass — to love.' The remainder of the trailer is chaos cranked up to the highest setting. There are weird odors, spontaneous fires, references to The Bear being screamed in the back of an ambulance, and everything in between. More from Rolling Stone 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' Little People Collector Set Drops Online: Find It in Stock Here Charlotte Nicdao 'Grinds All Night' in 'Mythic Quest' Fourth Season Trailer When 'Abbott' Met 'Sunny': Quinta Brunson and Rob McElhenney on Their Odd-Couple TV Crossover The Season 17 trailer also features footage from the recent crossover between It's Always Sunny and Abbott Elementary. 'It seemed both not possible, which is always a good sign, and we knew it would confuse people, which is also a really good sign. So we just jumped in,' Rob McElhenney told Rolling Stone about teaming up with Quinta Brunson, who added: 'We wanted to do it because it could be done, and so many people thought it couldn't. And so I think that alone was enough for us to jump in and do it.' The Abbott Elementary episode aired in January, but the new season of It's Always Sunny will take the collaboration out of that family-friendly realm and drop it into the space of a more lawless sitcom. 'Our biggest concern is that people will watch Abbott and think, 'Oh, we like these characters. We like this episode. Let's go check out the other show with the whole family,'' McElhenney said. 'And we're going to caution people against that.' Brunson added: 'I know [the Sunny cast] are not new faces or new talent, but I love showcasing talent to people. But this is the first time I'm gonna be like, 'Actually, don't go watch their show!' Unless you are already a fan of both shows, don't go looking for anything you don't need.' Best of Rolling Stone The 50 Best 'Saturday Night Live' Characters of All Time Denzel Washington's Movies Ranked, From Worst to Best 70 Greatest Comedies of the 21st Century
Scotsman
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Welcome to Wrexham season 4: what time is next episode out?
Welcome to Wrexham's four season will come to an end this week - but when can you watch it? 🐉 Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Welcome to Wrexham has been released weekly on Disney Plus. The last episode of season 4 is set to come out. But when exactly can you watch it? It is hard to believe but it is almost time for the curtain to come down another season of Welcome to Wrexham. The hit show is in its fourth series on Disney Plus. Charting the titular Welsh football club's meteoric rise up the football leagues since being purchased by Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. The latest episodes follow the team after they were promoted to League One. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The final episode of the season is set to arrive very shortly, but when exactly can you watch it? Here's all you need to know: When is the next Welcome to Wrexham episode out? The eighth and final episode of series four is due to be released today (June 26) for American viewers and tomorrow (June 27) for fans in the UK/ Europe. It continues the trend set in season three of shorter episode runs, but arriving earlier in the year. For British fans, the show has been released on Disney Plus each season. The same is the case for the fourth series. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Welcome to Wrexham | Disney What time is Welcome to Wrexham out? Disney Plus usually releases new programmes at 8am GMT, however when it comes to its most popular shows things can be different. Hit shows from franchises like Marvel and Star Wars are often moved to coincide with prime time slots in America. Welcome to Wrexham is one such show - with episodes being released at 9pm PT/ET on Thursday nights in the US. It translates to 2am GMT, for UK audiences. Will there be a season five of Welcome to Wrexham? Disney has renewed the show for a further series - and it is also getting a spin-off. Hollywood Reporter revealed that Welcome to Wrexham will be back for more episodes in the future. The cameras will be returning to North Wales as the men's team makes the step up to the Championship - just one tier below the Premier League. Will they be able to compete for yet another promotion? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad It is also getting a spin-off called Necaxa, which follows Rob and Ryan as they partner with Eva Longoria to take over the titular Mexican football team. The show will chronicle 'a turbulent and transformational era at the storied Mexican football club and the steadfast supporters who never give up hope arrives this summer', according to Hollywood Reporter. Have you got a story you want to share with our readers? You can now send it to us online via YourWorld at . It's free to use and, once checked, your story will appear on our website and, space allowing, in our newspapers.
