Willard Scott — the legendary TODAY weatherman known for his exuberant personality and launching the tradition of celebrating fans who reached the century mark — died this week, TODAY’s Al Roker has confirmed. He was 87 years old. Scott, who joined TODAY in 1980, may have been best known for wishing happy birthday to fans […]
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Dr. Addison Montgomery is returning to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. After previously starring on “Grey’s Anatomy” and spinoff “Private Practice” for nearly a decade, Kate Walsh is returning to the long-running medical drama for the upcoming 18th season. Walsh announced the news herself in a video shared to the “Grey’s Anatomy” social media pages, saying she is […]
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Fran Drescher has been elected president of SAG-AFTRA, in a victory for the faction that has led the union for a dozen years. But Joely Fisher — who campaigned on the rival Membership First slate — has been elected secretary-treasurer. Drescher will succeed Gabrielle Carteris, who has led the organization since 2016. Best known for her lead role on […]
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After the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday night denied a request to issue emergency relief blocking Texas’ new law that bans abortion at six weeks and, say opponents, effectively eliminates access to abortions statewide, some big names in entertainment expressed their opinions about the legislation. A group of prominent actors, musicians and other artists and companies swiftly […]
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Is Hollywood about to mess with Texas? As the state enforces a law that will make parties to almost all abortions vulnerable to civil prosecution — a measure that was upheld by the Supreme Court on Wednesday – show business liberals and corporate giants are feeling pressure to act, multiple industry insiders told Variety. While the […]
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Monica Lewinsky stepped out to FX’s champagne toast to “Impeachment: American Crime Story” on Wednesday night at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. Lewinsky, a producer on the latest installment of Ryan Murphy’s Emmy-winning anthology series, posed for photographers on the red, white and blue arrivals carpet for a few minutes before skipping the interview press to […]
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After losing two co-hosts in late August, CBS’ daytime show The Talk has filled one of the vacancies. Akbar Gbajabiamila will join the show full-time when The Talk’s 12th season begins on Sept. 13. The American Ninja Warrior host and former NFL player was a guest host on the show several times over the summer. He becomes the second permanent […]
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One of the most anticipated comebacks in pop culture has finally come to pass: the return of Abba. Forty years after the bitter songs written in the wake of two band divorces for their last album, 1981’s The Visitors, the Swedish pop quartet have reunited for Voyage, an album of brand new songs that will be […]
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Bong Joon-ho was emotional and Jane Campion was touching but the evening belonged to Roberto Benigni. The 78th Venice International Film Festival got off to an emotional start Wednesday night with host, Italian actor Serena Rossi, dedicating opening night to Afghan mothers forced to separate from their children in an attempt to save them from the Taliban. “We […]
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The British TV personality Piers Morgan was cleared on Wednesday by Britain’s communications regulator over critical comments he made on air about Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, after her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey. Mr. Morgan had been under investigation by Ofcom, the media regulator, which received a record number of complaints in March after he criticized […]
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Conservative radio host Erick Erickson railed against people spreading vaccine misinformation and undermining public faith in vaccines against the coronavirus. During his radio program on Wednesday, Erickson focused on a Wisconsin math professor’s recent look at how at one point more vaccinated people were hospitalized for Covid in Israel than unvaccinated people. Erickson was concerned that people were seizing […]
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NBC’s Annie Live has added another familiar name to its cast. Jane Krakowski will join Taraji P. Henson, Harry Connick Jr., Tituss Burgess and Nicole Scherzinger in the musical, which has also tapped young actress Celina Smith to play the title role. Krakowski will play the sticky-fingered partner of Burgess’ Rooster Hannigan, marking a reunion of the former Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt co-stars. Annie Live will […]
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“The Talk” is losing its third co-host in less than a year, with Elaine Welteroth stepping down from the show after just one season. Welteroth’s exit comes after the departures of moderator Carrie Ann Inaba, who had been on a hiatus from the show since April, and Sharon Osbourne, who was pushed out amid controversy […]
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The Bonnaroo Music Festival, scheduled to begin on Thursday, has been canceled, organizers announced on Tuesday afternoon. The reason given was not Covid-related, but rather due to heavy rains from Hurricane Ida soaking the festival’s grounds in Manchester, Tennessee. The organizers explained the situation in social-media posts and looked ahead to a rescheduled festival in June of […]
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Hunter Schafer, John Malkovich, Gemma Chan and Sofia Boutella are set to star in a new horror film from Neon called “Cuckoo,” the distributor said Tuesday. “Cuckoo” is the latest film from “Luz” director Tilman Singer, who will write and direct the new horror film and hopes to begin principal photography in April 2022. Neon […]
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“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” drama reboot series at Peacock has cast newcomer Jabari Banks in the lead role, Variety has learned. Banks will play the role of Will, who was played by Will Smith in the original 90’s sitcom. Banks was informed by Smith himself that he had landed the part in a video which can […]
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Mike Richards is out as executive producer of Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Sony Pictures Television just told staff. See the full note below. It comes after a turbulent few weeks for the long-running syndicated program, which saw Richards, who joined Jeopardy! as exec producer in 2020, ousted as host after one day of production. Suzanne Prete, EVP, Business and Strategy, Wheel of […]
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The View is “taking a little time to fill the seat” left behind by Megan McCain and will instead welcome a line-up of conservative guest co-hosts in the coming months including Condoleezza Rice, Mia Love, Gretchen Carlson, and Alyssa Farah, among others. McCain exited the longtime talk show in early August after serving on the panel since 2017. She noted at various […]
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A day after Ed Asner died at the age of 91, his lawsuit against the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan was allowed to live on. U.S. District Judge Christina Snyder indicated at a hearing that she would deny a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Asner joined nine other actors in suing the health plan last December over its decision to exclude nearly 12,000 […]
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Seven-time Emmy-winning actor Ed Asner, who starred as Lou Grant on both sitcom “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and hourlong drama “Lou Grant” before a late-career rejuvenation through his poignant voicework in 2009 animated film “Up,” has died. He was 91. His publicist confirmed the news to Variety, writing that he died on Sunday surrounded by family. Asner’s official […]
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Actor, disability-inclusion advocate and double hand amputee John W. Lawson has been cast as Stanny in Paramount Players’ untitled “Pet Sematary” prequel, written and directed by Lindsey Beer. “I have myoelectric hands… or what people commonly call ‘cyborg,’” Lawson jokes. “But most of the time, it’s just my hooks.” This news makes the “Pet Sematary” prequel one of the […]
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Bill Clinton had a thing for her thong — and Monica Lewinsky wants the world to know it. Hoisting up her big-girl undies as a producer of FX’s forthcoming series “Impeachment: American Crime Story,” Lewinsky, 48, admittedly urged show writers to include a scene re-enacting the moment she flashed her silver thong at then-President Clinton during their sordid Oval […]
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Rachel Maddow’s deal to stay with MSNBC will cost the network $30 million per year, according to a new report. The Daily Beast revealed Wednesday that Maddow, a liberal primetime hosts who commands the highest ratings on the network, will pull in that much each year, though she is dropping her nightly show next year in favor […]
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With the NBA preseason set to start in about six weeks, ESPN has removed Rachel Nichols from its coverage of the league and canceled what is arguably its flagship NBA-focused show, The Jump, which Nichols fronted. Nichols’ last appearance on the show was August 16. Since then, it has been hosted by ESPN NBA reporter Malika Andrews. The cascade of events started […]
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Emmy winners Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass have teamed up for a new sci-fi movie titled “Biosphere,” directed by Mel Eslyn. The mysterious movie marks Eslyn’s feature directorial debut. Production on “Biosphere” — written by Eslyn and Duplass — has wrapped, with details of the project’s plot being kept secret. The new movie is produced by Duplass Brothers Productions […]
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