Today in Entertainment: America Ferrera is pregnant with first child; New Justin Timberlake album coming Feb. 2

Sead “Diddy” Combs knows the struggle. Yet another new singing competition show means there’s yet another new format and set of twists to figure out. Knowing how much brain power should be reserved for more pressing matters (hello, nuclear buttons!), Combs has found a way to distill the essence of Fox’s “American Idol” successor, “The Four: The Battle for Stardom.”

“It’s like ‘Game of Thrones,’” Combs told reporters Thursday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Pasadena. Combs, who was joined onstage by fellow show judges DJ Khaled, Meghan Trainor, music executive Charlie Walk and host Fergie, kept his metaphor going: “You get to challenge and if you want to chop somebody’s head off to get the seat. It has that vibe.

Got it?

For what it’s worth, he isn’t the first to try the “Game of Thrones” comparison. Rob Wade, Fox’s head of alternative programming, also drew that same connection last summer, though he suggested there was “better singing and less nudity.” Tomato, tomahto.

For those who like synopsis straight up: The show starts with finalists. Each week, the top four singers will sing against challengers, which could include viewers, to keep their spot on the show. The panel of experts select the original finalists from auditions, and, as things progress, help to shape the winner’s career.

But do fans of the music competition genre have any more room for another show of this ilk? The judges say yes.

“Because there’s always a dream,” Combs said. “This show is different. In the drop of a second, you could just lose your seat.”

Added DJ Khaled: “You can’t put a cap on success in talent. There’s new talent that’s coming out every day. This is music we’re talking about. Music’s forever. It’s forever.”

“The Four: Battle for Stardom” begins its six-week rollout Thursday at 8 p.m. on Fox.

The lineup for the 2018 Coachella Music and Arts Festival has been announced, and headlining the festival will be a trio of superstars: Canadian R&B singer the Weeknd, pop diva Beyoncé and Detroit rapper Eminem.

Now in its 19th year as a festival, the Goldenvoice–promoted event marks the symbolic opening of the annual festival season. This year‘s installment, which will take place over two weekends from April 13-22, marks the first time a rock act hasn’t headlined.

Also featured will be rapper Tyler, the Creator, experimental pop guitarist St. Vincent, the breakout R&B singer SZA, sibling trio Haim and the wildly popular New York rapper Cardi B.

Veterans taking the stage will include former Talking Heads singer David Byrne, British beat band Jamiroquai, prog-metal band A Perfect Circle and disco-funk producer Nile Rodgers and Chic.

The shift away from rock and booming EDM has most benefited rap, which will be represented through artists including “Rock Star” rapper Post Malone, respected Long Beach artist Vince Staples, the Atlanta trio Migos, ascendent collective Brockhampton and upstart Princess Nokia.

Still, there will be guitars, and they’ll be carried in by members of bands including the War on Drugs, Alt-J, Priests, Fidlar, Fleet Foxes, Cherry Glazerr and the Regrettes.

Remaining tickets go on sale Jan. 5 at noon PST on the Coachella site. General admission passes are $429, while VIP wristbands cost $999. Prices include all taxes and shipping fees.

America Ferrera is puckering up in anticipation of her first child’s arrival.

The pregnant “Superstore” star and her husband, Ryan Piers Williams, confirmed they’re expecting with a holiday post on Instagram over the weekend.

“We’re welcoming one more face to kiss in 2018! Wishing you #MásBesos in the New Year! #babybesos #HappyNewYear,” the 33-year-old “Ugly Betty” actress wrote, captioning a picture of herself holding up a baby’s bodysuit that solicited kisses in Spanish.

Williams posted the same festive New Year’s Eve photo, writing, “Making room for new and beautiful things to come in 2018! #happynewyear”

He and the Emmy-winning star have been together for 12 years and wed in 2011. They first met as students at USC when Williams cast Ferrera in a student film.

No word yet on the little one’s due date.

Ferrera’s pregnancy announcement came just before she and more than 300 other prominent women working in Hollywood launched the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, an anti-harassment initiative meant to combat sexual harassment in the industry.

“We wrote and issued this letter of solidarity to stand with women across every industry in saying: #TIMESUP. Time’s up on silence. Time’s up on waiting. Time’s up on tolerating discrimination, harassment and abuse,” Ferrera wrote.

Rose McGwoan

(Richard Shotwell / Invision)

E! is enlisting in the #RoseArmy.

On Tuesday, the network ordered “Citizen Rose,” a documentary series that will follow actress and filmmaker Rose McGowan, who in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein scandal has also become one of Hollywood’s most outspoken activists.

The five-part limited series is “a project that reflects a dramatically changing world,” according to E!, and will take viewers behind the scenes of McGowan’s “tumultuous and fascinating life” as she prepares to release her memoir, “Brave,” and rallies her supporters on social media.

The series, executive produced by McGowan and Bunim-Murray Productions, the company behind unscripted staples such as “The Real World” and “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” will debut in the spring with a two-hour documentary followed by four additional episodes.

“I am thrilled to partner with E! to amplify my message of bravery, art, joy and survival,” McGowan said in a statement.

Previously best known for her role in the the TV series “Charmed,” McGowan has more recently become a vocal advocate for survivors of rape, assault and harassment and for systemic change within the entertainment industry. She was one of the first women in the industry to speak out against film producer Weinstein, whom she has accused of rape, and was among the “Silence Breakers” honored by Time magazine as 2017’s person of the year. Her outspoken nature has also provoked controversy: In October, her Twitter account was briefly suspended, prompting a fierce backlash online, and police in Virginia issued an arrest warrant for drug charges in what McGowan has characterized as an effort to keep her silent.

“Rose McGowan’s courage in addressing sexual abuse and harassment in Hollywood ignited a conversation and inspired other women to speak out against their abusers,” said Amy Introcaso-Davis, executive vice president of development and production at E!, in a press statement. “We look forward to taking viewers inside this talented, dynamic woman’s world as the first allegations unfold and she becomes a leading voice in a critical cultural change.”

(Carlos Chavez / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: To greater heights

Justin Timberlake is getting back to nature — with a little help from Pharrell Williams, among others.

Timberlake tweeted Monday that his new album, “Man of the Woods,” is coming on Feb. 2 and said, “It’s personal.”

“This album is really inspired by my son, my wife, my family, but more so than any other album I’ve ever written, where I’m from,” he says in an outdoorsy video clip with the announcement that shows him walking in fields of snow, through rows of cornstalks and waist-deep in a lake.

It also shows him working in a recording studio and gives viewers a glimpse of Williams alongside him.

It’s been nearly five years since Timberlake’s previous album, “The 20/20 Experience,” was released in early 2013.

“Man of the Woods” is scheduled to land just three days before Timberlake gets the global spotlight with his performance at Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5, coming 14 years after his Super Bowl duet with Janet Jackson that included her notorious “wardrobe malfunction.”

(Emma McIntyre / AFP/Getty Images)

There’s a new man in Jessica Alba’s life: It’s her brand new baby boy.

The “Sin City” actress and her husband, Cash Warren, welcomed their third child — their first son — on New Year’s Eve and shared a sweet photo of the snoozing newborn on Instagram that publicly inducted him into the family of five.

“Hayes Alba Warren 12/31/17 Best gift to ring in the New Year!!” the 36-year-old Honest Co. co-founder wrote. “Cash and I feel so blessed. Haven and Honor are already obsessed with their new baby bro.”

Alba and Warren, who have been married for nine years, are also parents to daughters Honor Marie Warren, 9, and Haven Garner Warren, 6.

In an homage to the “Dark Angel” alum’s heritage, the couple opted to use Alba’s maiden name as Hayes’ middle name.

As for Warren, he shared an Instagram image of himself gazing at his son and proudly gushed over the swaddled little guy.

“Hayes Alba Warren: You sure know how to ring in the new year!” Warren wrote. “You showed up a few days early but we couldn’t be any happier. Your Mamma is the strongest woman I know ... you’re so lucky to have her by your side. You have two amazing sisters who already adore you and I know you’ll be thankful to have them guide the way.”

The film producer vowed to love and cherish his son and provide him with “a sandbox full of dreams to explore.”

Gretchen Carlson

(Charles Sykes / Associated Press)

And the winner is … Miss America.

The Miss America Organization has chosen Gretchen Carlson, the 1989 titleholder and former “Fox & Friends” cohost, as its new chair and added three other former title holders to its board of directors in the wake of an email scandal that saw the head of the contest and other executives resigning.

Significantly, the decision comes after Carlson and fellow former Miss Americas Mallory Hagan and Kate Shindle banded together behind a petition last week demanding that the entire Miss America Organization board step down.

“Everyone has been stunned by the events of the last several days, and this has not been easy for anyone who loves this program,” Carlson said Monday in a statement from the organization. “In the end, we all want a strong, relevant Miss America and we appreciate the existing board taking the steps necessary to quickly begin stabilizing the organization for the future.”

The group’s announcement was a big change from plans it had last week for members of the existing board to put together a search committee to fill positions vacated by former Chairman Sam Haskell and three other executives.

“We did it. So proud to #StandUP and #befierce with these amazing people: @brent338 @GretchenCarlson @kateshindle,” tweeted Hagan, whose appearance and sexual history were among the targets of the demeaning emails.

In addition to Carlson, Hagan was acknowledging Brent Adams, who presented the emails to Dick Clark Productions in August, resulting in the broadcast production company severing ties with the pageant, and Kate Shindle, Miss America 1998, who was just named to the board.

Those emails eventually went public on Dec. 21 via the Huffington Post.

Heather French Henry and Laura Kaeppeler Fleiss, pageant winners from 2000 and 2012, will also serve on the board. At the same time, most previous directors have resigned.

Carlson, 51, notably settled a sexual-harassment claim against former Fox News President Roger Ailes in 2016 for $20 million, leading 21st Century Fox to say in a statement, “We sincerely regret and apologize for the fact that Gretchen was not treated with the respect and dignity that she and all of our colleagues deserve.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Paris Hilton, the hotel heiress who became a reality star and DJ, is going from the simple life to the married life.

Hilton confirmed on Tuesday that actor beau Chris Zylka had popped the question and she said “yas.”

“I said Yas! So happy & excited to be engaged to the love of my life. My best friend & soulmate,” she tweeted, captioning a snowbound photo of “The Leftovers” actor down on one knee, proposing. “Perfect for me in every way. So dedicated, loyal, loving & kindhearted. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world! You are my dream come true!”

Zylka, 32, proposed while the couple was vacationing in Aspen over New Year’s weekend, according to People, which first reported the engagement.

“I have never felt so happy, safe and loved. He is perfect for me in every way and showed me that fairytales really do exist!” tweeted Hilton, 36.

The socialite-DJ also told the mag that she was surprised by the proposal and immediately said yes.

“The ring was so gorgeous and sparkling. I was shaking as I put it on. It is the most beautiful ring that I have ever seen!” she said. She gave followers a peek at the massive pear-shaped sparkler by showcasing it in a photo of her kissing the “Amazing Spider-Man” actor.

Gushing over his fiancée, whose name he tattooed on his arm in July, Zylka told People, “Paris is the most beautiful and incredible woman both inside and out.

“I feel like the luckiest man in the world to be marrying my dream girl. I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives together.”

The two have been linked since February 2017, when they took their relationship public on social media.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

The fallout from Carrie Underwood’s freak accident in November was far worse than she initially indicated and included an injury to her face that left her “not quite looking the same.”

The country crooner revealed Sunday in a note to her fan club that the tumble she took outside her Nashville home a few months ago not only broke her wrist but also resulted in a severe facial cut that required “40 to 50 stitches.”

The 34-year-old Grammy winner, who is the face of Olay and Almay, said that for some time she wasn’t ready to talk about it. That seems to be why she’s recently kept her mug off social media, save for a selfie showing her bundled up in a scarf last week.

“I have still been living it and there has been much uncertainty as to how things will end up,” she wrote in the letter, obtained by People. “It’s crazy how a freak random accident can change your life.”

The “Before He Cheats” singer spared her fans “the gruesome details,” but added, “when I came out of surgery the night of my fall, the doctor told [my husband] Mike that he had put between 40 and 50 stitches in.”

The “American Idol” alum had to back out of performances after the surgery and is still on the mend. She doesn’t know her prognosis, but said she’s grateful.

“I am grateful that it wasn’t much, much worse. And I am grateful for the people in my life that have been there every step of the way,” she said.

“I am determined to make 2018 amazing and I want to share things with you along the way,” Underwood continued. “And when I am ready to get in front of a camera, I want you all to understand why I might look a bit different.”

The Force remains strong with “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” as the latest installment of the “Star Wars” saga is projected to become the highest-grossing film of 2017 on the final day of the year.

Disney’s space odyssey grossed $52.4 million Friday through Sunday, bringing its projected 2017 gross to $517.1 million, edging out fellow Disney property “Beauty and the Beast,” which grossed $504 million earlier in the year.

Although “The Last Jedi” is projected to win the weekend proper, Sony’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” may prove to carry the holiday.

Read More

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: DJ Flash brings his ‘Mash’ mix to radio

The Force remains strong with “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” as the latest installment of the “Star Wars” saga is projected to become the highest-grossing film of 2017 on the final day of the year.

Disney’s space odyssey grossed $52.4 million Friday through Sunday, bringing its projected 2017 gross to $517.1 million, edging out fellow Disney property “Beauty and the Beast,” which grossed $504 million earlier in the year.

Although “The Last Jedi” is projected to win the weekend proper, Sony’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” may prove to carry the holiday.

Read More

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Speaking Freely of ‘Amistad’

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Patti Smith: Rock Dropout Tunes Back In

Just as a tumultuous 2017 approaches its end, Jay-Z and filmmaker Ava DuVernay have teamed up to put a hopeful spin on the future in the music video for “Family Feud” — and to help they have a powerhouse lineup of cameos by Michael B. Jordan, Thandie Newton, “Moonlight” actor Trevante Rhodes, Jessica Chastain, Omari Hardwick and more — including Queen B herself, Beyoncé.

“Family Feud,” a track from Jay-Z’s introspective “4:44,” would generate plenty of buzz without the extra dash of star power thanks to the raw accusations of infidelity Beyoncé sang about on “Lemonade.” And indeed, in one “Family Feud” sequence, the rapper performs his verses walking hand in hand into church with daughter Blue Ivy before confessing his marital sins to Beyoncé herself.

But the refrain “Nobody wins when the family feuds” doesn’t apply only to the Carters. What precedes Jay-Z’s own meta-family moment gives “Family Feud” breathtakingly expansive new life, delivered in a time-hopping cinematic prelude with pointedness and purpose by “Selma” and “The 13th” director DuVernay (whose Disney sci-fi fantasy epic “A Wrinkle in Time” opens March 9).

DuVernay, who wrote the video with Jay-Z, offered additional insights into the making of the “Family Feud” film on Twitter. “In this future, due to harm currently being done, America demands that the position of POTUS be filled by two people,” she said, explaining why Hardwick’s president is joined by a Madam President played by Native American actress Irene Bedard.

Newton, Jordan and Rhodes play out Shakespearean familial dysfunction in the year 2444. Fifty years later, Hardwick plays a descendant who governs alongside Bedard; his family skeletons are called into question by a journalist figure played by Chastain. The family is Jay-Z’s; it is ours; it’s America; it’s the future.

Between eras we see flashes of war (featuring America Ferrera and “Wrinkle in Time” actress Storm Reid), peace (kept by Emayatzy Corinealdi and David Oyelowo, both of whom starred in DuVernay’s second feature, “Middle of Nowhere”), and one particularly striking scenario: eight “Founding Mothers” played by Mindy Kaling, Janet Mock, Brie Larson, Niecy Nash, Susan Kelechi Watson, Constance Wu, Rosario Dawson and Rashida Jones, assembled to fix the Constitution.

With an opening salvo from James Baldwin, lines of dialogue from the 8-minute film ring with history and intention: “America is a family, and the whole family should be free.” Just the sort of cinematic surprise to inspire the coming year’s resolutions.

Tidal has the video debut of “Family Feud.” (Warning: contains profanity.)

“Real Housewives of New York” star Luann de Lesseps says she’s checking herself into rehab for treatment after a drunken arrest Christmas weekend in Palm Beach, Fla.

“After the events of last Saturday night in Palm Beach, I am truly embarrassed,” she wrote Friday in a statement on Instagram, apologizing for her behavior. “I have decided to seek professional guidance and will be voluntarily checking into an alcohol treatment center. I intend to turn this unfortunate incident into a positive life changing event.”

Police were called to the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach on Saturday night and told an intoxicated woman was trespassing in another person’s room and refused to leave, WPTV reported Sunday.

Before calling police, hotel security tried to get a man and woman out of a room that wasn’t theirs, WPTV said, citing an arrest report. They had entered while housekeeping was doing turn-down service, were in bed together when security showed up and refused to leave, the report said.

The man, who was gone before police arrived, was someone De Lesseps had “previously dated,” her friend Julie Olson told Page Six. The arrest document reportedly said Olson was in the room with De Lesseps when police arrived, but Olson said she had only made it to the hallway after the man came to her in the hotel bar and asked her to help De Lesseps understand she was in the wrong room.

After police arrived, the “RHONY” star allegedly locked herself in a bathroom, according to WPTV; when an officer tried to get her out, De Lesseps allegedly pushed him in the chest and hit him in the forehead with the door.

She allegedly resisted being handcuffed and later slipped out of her cuffs and tried to exit a police car, kicking the door to keep it from closing when she was put back in, WPTV reported.

De Lesseps was arrested on felony charges of battery on a police officer, resisting arrest with violence and crimes against a person, and a misdemeanor charge of disorderly intoxication, according to the Palm Beach Post.

An assistant state’s attorney said De Lesseps slammed a door, kicked at least one officer and said, “I’m going to … kill you all,” the Post reported. She was released from jail on her own recognizance around noon on Sunday and allowed to return home to New York.

Apparently her first trip to Palm Beach since her wedding late last year had “brought up long-buried emotions,” she told CNN in a statement Sunday. De Lesseps and second husband Tom D’Agostino were married in grand style on Dec. 31, 2016, and divorced by October, with drama along the way.

De Lesseps’ arrest, which wasn’t filmed, will definitely be a storyline on the upcoming “RHONY” season, an insider told People.

She’s due back in a Florida court on Jan. 25.

Star of stage and screen Rose Marie, best known for her work as comedy writer Sally Rogers on “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” died Thursday at age 94.

Throughout her career, which spanned nine decades, beginning as a child performer in vaudeville, Marie garnered many high-profile fans, several of whom mourned her passing on Twitter.

“I was so sad to learn of the passing of Rosemarie,” wrote Marie’s “Dick Van Dyke” costar Carl Reiner. “There’s never been a more engaging & multi-talented performer.”

Read More

Rock and roll may not appear to be so relevant on the pop charts these days, but it’s still a dominant force on live stages.

The concert-industry trade publication Pollstar released its list of the top-grossing tours of 2017, and rock-leaning acts took many of the top slots.

U2 claimed the peak spot with its leviathan Joshua Tree Tour, which sold 2.71 million tickets for a gross of $316 million. Right on the act’s heels was a reunited Guns N’ Roses, which grossed $292.5 million on 2.68 million tickets. (U2, on average, charged $40 more per ticket than Guns N’ Roses).

Coldplay and Bruno Mars (the highest-ranking solo act on the list) came in at third and fourth, respectively, with grosses of $238 million and $200.1 million.

Garth Brooks was the highest-charting country artist on the list, at No. 10, wrapping up the last of his three-year return tour. At No. 11, Celine Dion was the top-grossing female act this year. Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande all made the top 20.

One question remains: How to count Bruce Springsteen?

His two tours — one for his Broadway show, the other for his E Street band show — are very different formats. Pollstar said it is crunching numbers and will soon release a revised list that reflects Springsteen’s two rankings.

(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: She’s just trying a halo on for size

Mallory Hagan, Miss America 2013.

(Isaac Brekken / Associated Press)

Former Miss Americas Mallory Hagan, Gretchen Carlson and Kate Shindle are standing together and demanding that the entire board of the Miss America Organization step down in the wake of insulting internal emails that were recently made public.

The board announced a plan Wednesday night to form a committee that would seek “a new leadership structure and respective names” after the resignations of three top executives on Saturday.

The committee will include two current board members and five people chosen from nominations made by select former Miss Americas and state-level pageant executives, the board said in a statement.

After that announcement, Hagan, Carlson and Shindle rallied publicly behind a petition calling for all current members of the board to resign.

“Implying that the complicit members of the current board will now choose the new leadership for the forward movement of the Miss America Organization is laughable,” Hagan told the Associated Press.

In a Facebook video, she criticized the board’s actions — or lack thereof — after the emails were leaked to the media.

“They thought they could weather the storm,” said Hagan, who was ridiculed in the emails. “I am the storm. You’re not weathering it.”

The emails were leaked to the Huffington Post, which published them last Thursday. According to Hagan, the board had previously reviewed the emails and opted against taking action.

And yes, that quote is as sassy as you thought it was, especially as a GIF.

(Evan Agostini / Invision)

Jay-Z and Beyoncé are taking us to church in a new teaser for Jay’s track “Family Feud.”

The Brooklyn-bred rapper shared the clip via Tidal’s Twitter account on Thursday, announcing the visual’s full drop on Friday.

In the clip, Jay-Z walks his 5-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, down a church aisle while a fiercely pontiff-like Bey supervises from the altar. The couple also appears to sit down in a confessional booth. Those visuals are spliced together with a hot and heavy love-making session that ends with a woman stabbing her lover in the back.

“Nobody wins when the family feuds,” he raps. “We all lose when the family feuds.”

The rap mogul — whose supposed infidelity was put on blast in his wife’s 2016 visual album, “Lemonade,” and whose 2014 elevator brawl with sister-in-law Solange Knowles brought the couple’s tumultuous union under scrutiny — recently confirmed that the couple has been working on new music together.

“We were using our art almost like a therapy session. And we started making music together,” the rapper told the New York Times last month. “And then the music she was making at that time was further along. So her album came out as opposed to the joint album that we were working on.”

Jay-Z and his introspective “4:44” album, which has boasted several visual tracks, lead the 2018 Grammy Award nominations with eight nods.

Halle Berry.

(Evan Agostini / Associated Press)

The stars are coming out for the 75th annual Golden Globe Awards next month.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., which recognizes achievements in film and television at the boozy awards show, announced the first batch of presenters on Thursday.

Among them are past winners and nominees. Naturally, several hail from this year’s crop of contenders.

FULL COVERAGE: The 2018 Golden Globe Awards

Doling out the awards will be Halle Berry, Carol Burnett, Kelly Clarkson, Darren Criss, Penélope Cruz, Gal Gadot, Greta Gerwig, Hugh Grant, Neil Patrick Harris, Chris Hemsworth, Christina Hendricks, Isabelle Huppert, Shirley MacLaine, Ricky Martin, Sarah Jessica Parker, Amy Poehler, Edgar Ramírez, Seth Rogen, J.K. Simmons, Sharon Stone, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alicia Vikander, Kerry Washington and Emma Watson.

The HFPA previously announced that former daytime TV queen Oprah Winfrey will be the recipient of the association’s honorary Cecil B. DeMille prize.

“Late Night’s” Seth Meyers will host the ceremony, which airs live on NBC on Jan. 7.

FX is adding a new Ryan Murphy show to its roster, announcing Wednesday a series order for “Pose,” a dance musical drama centered around ball culture in 1980s New York.

“Pose” will serve as a snapshot into the changing tides of the city, juxtaposing the rise of Trump-era luxury with the downtown social scene.

“Along with being a dance musical and an affirming look at American life in the 1980s, I’m so proud that ‘Pose’ and FX has made history right from the beginning by featuring the most trans series regular actors ever in an American television production,” Murphy said in a statement.

“Additionally, the first season ‘Pose’ will feature 50-plus LGBTQ characters – a record in American television history. I can’t wait for people to see this incredibly talented, passionate cast.”

Co-created with frequent collaborator Brad Falchuk and Steven Canals, Murphy will direct the first two episodes of the series’ first season.

In addition to prominently featuring transgender actors as series regulars, transgender writers Janet Mock and Our Lady J will both serve as producers on the series.

“In the 15 years we’ve worked with Ryan, he has demonstrated time and again that every person’s story is joyful, illuminating, and must… be told,” said John Landgraf, CEO of FX Networks and FX Productions, in Wednesday’s statement.

A six-month nationwide casting search has led to a wide batch of new talent for the series, joining more established actors such as Evan Peters, Kate Mara, James Van Der Beek and Charlayne Woodard.

“Pose” is scheduled to begin production in New York in February for a summer 2018 premiere on FX.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: He Learned the Ropes

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Solange Knowles revealed Wednesday that she’s been struggling with an autonomic disorder that prompted her to pull out of an upcoming New Year’s Eve performance.

“The past five months I have been quietly treating, and working through an Autonomic Disorder. It been a journey that hasn’t been easy on me…,” she wrote on Instagram.

The artist did not share what type of autonomic disorder she was diagnosed with, but the term refers to a breakdown of the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary bodily functions.

“Sometimes I feel cool, and other times not so cool at all. It’s a complicated diagnoses, and I’m still learning so much myself, but right now, my doctors are not clearing me for such an extended lengthy flight, and doing a rigorous show right after.”

Because her doctors concerns, she said, she had to cancel her performance at the Afropunk Festival on New Year’s Eve in Johannesburg, South Africa.

“I give you my ABSOLUTE WORD I will come back with AfroPunk and deliver this performance.....as it is so extremely important to me to connect with the people who have so closely inspired me in so many ways,” Solange said.

The festival, which celebrates the influence of African American culture through music, film, skate and art, this year added Johannesburg to its multiple-city, multiple-country roster.

In a message shared on its official Facebook page, the festival’s organizers that they were saddened that Solange would be unable to perform this weekend, but underlined that her health was of the utmost importance.

“Her music and spirit has been a place of great comfort and inspiration to us as a community,” the statement read.

Seven women who have accused actor Dustin Hoffman of sexual misconduct published an open letter Wednesday thanking John Oliver for his attempt to question the actor about the matter during an early-December film panel.

Addressed to Oliver, the letter was first published on the Twitter feed of Anna Graham Hunter, who wrote a guest column for the Hollywood Reporter alleging that Hoffman sexually harassed her while she was working as a production assistant on “Death of a Salesman” in 1985. Hunter was 17 at the time.

“While the questions you asked may not have led to the constructive conversation you hoped for, the fact that you asked them at all is what matters most,” the letter read, adding that while many men listen to and believe women’s stories about sexual harassment, fewer men are willing to call out bad behavior.

Shortly before Christmas, Oliver appeared on Britain’s “The Russell Howard Hour,” where the host of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight” expressed disappointment that his attempt to question Hoffman did not lead to something more illuminating.

“I just wanted it to become something more constructive, and [it] was clear pretty early on that was not going to happen,” Oliver told Howard. “I tried. I tried and failed.”

In response to Hunter’s original accusations in November, Hoffman issued a statement asserting, “I have the utmost respect for women and feel terrible that anything I might have done could have put her in an uncomfortable situation. I am sorry. It is not reflective of who I am.”

The actor has not responded to the additional allegations that have surfaced in following weeks, though he did address the issue when confronted by Oliver.

“From a few things you’ve read you’ve made an incredible assumption about me,” Hoffman said to Oliver when questioned about Hunter’s allegations. “You’ve made the case better than anyone else can. I’m guilty. Because someone has alleged something, I’m guilty. You push a button. It’s all over the world. I’m a predator. I’m this and that and it’s not true.”

Read the full open letter here:

“No one’s ever really gone…”

That’s what Mark Hamill tweeted Wednesday on the first anniversary of Carrie Fisher’s death, echoing a line Luke Skywalker says to Leia Organa in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

An illustration of Fisher as Saint Carrie, holding her dog Gary with one hand and flipping the bird with the other, anchored a trio of pictures he included in the tweet, including pics of himself and Fisher at the beginning of their “Star Wars” careers together and at the end.

“#AlwaysWithUs #CarrieOnForever,” he added.

The “Wishful Drinking” author died on Dec. 27, 2016, followed by her mother, Debbie Reynolds, the next day. Fisher’s official cause of death was sleep apnea, with contributing factors, including drug use.

Missing Ms. Fisher? Then spend a few minutes with the video above, which memorialized her during the 2017 Star Wars Celebration in Orlando, Fla. The fan event, held in April, went all in on the 40th anniversary of the first film.

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Another classic sitcom might be returning just a week after rumors surfaced that NBC is eyeing a return to “The Office.”

TVLine reported Tuesday that Sony is in talks to reboot the 1990s comedy stylings of former NBC “Must-See-TV” fare “Mad About You.”

The sitcom, which centered around the marriage of Paul Buchman (Paul Reiser) and Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt), originally debuted in 1992 and wrapped in 1999.

TVLine reports that the revival would focus on the post-empty-nest life of the Buchmans, after daughter Mabel departs for college.

Reiser, who created the series with Danny Jacobsen, suggested as much when talking to People magazine earlier this year.

“To me, it’s interesting when I see my kids are growing and leaving the house. It’s like, ‘Oh.’ It’s like that moment when you get married. It’s like we’re in a new world that we don’t know the rules of,” Reiser said.

Though talks are reportedly in the works for the return of the series, it has yet to land at a network. According to TVLine, despite their recent success with “Will & Grace,” NBC is not currently involved in discussions surrounding “Mad About You.”

Representatives for Sony did not immediately respond to the Los Angeles Times’ request for comment Wednesday morning.

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FOR THE RECORD

Dec. 27, 10:17 a.m.: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said NBC was pursuing a reboot of “Mad About You.”

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(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Masi Oka of ‘Heroes Reborn’ on the fate of Hiro

John Oliver, left, and Dustin Hoffman.

(Charles Sykes / Associated Press, left; Evan Agostini / InVision / Associated Press, right)

John Oliver wanted his sexual-misconduct conversation with Dustin Hoffman to be something constructive. Alas, it wound up being something that simply made him “feel sad.”

“I knew the stories were out there. I knew that there were a few more coming,” the “Last Week Tonight” host said on Britain’s “The Russell Howard Hour” just before the holiday. “So it felt unavoidable that we had to have a discussion about it.”

Hoffman and Oliver clashed in early December at an anniversary screening of Hoffman’s film “Wag the Dog.” Hoffman was defensive during a panel discussion Oliver moderated, denying he had done anything wrong and saying he had been found guilty simply because he’d been accused.

Oliver said his questions “were not particularly remarkable,” but that Hoffman’s answers “were kind of not great.”

Oliver said that when he found out Hoffman might be there, he gave event organizers a chance to find someone else to conduct the panel. The former “Daily Show” correspondent said he felt he had to ask about stories from women who had accused “The Graduate” actor of bad behavior.

He said the folks in charge said they still wanted him, even knowing uncomfortable questions would be asked. And those questions and answers sparked the big story he predicted would come of them.

“But it didn’t really go anywhere constructive,” Oliver told Howard, “so the whole thing just made me feel sad. I just wanted it to become something more constructive, and [it] was clear pretty early on that was not going to happen. ... I tried.

“I tried and failed.”

(Theo Wargo / Getty Images)

Mariah Carey is returning to the scene of her musical crime last year, when her disastrous live performance on New Year’s Eve seemed to perfectly sum up 2016.

ABC and Dick Clark Productions announced Friday that the multiplatinum superstar will perform again on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” for a second consecutive year.

Carey joins the list of previously announced performers, including Camila Cabello, Nick Jonas and Sugarland.

Perhaps you still shudder at the memory of Carey’s ignominious performance last year, which featured classic hits such as “Well, Happy New Year. We can’t hear, but...” and “All right, we didn’t have a [sound] check for this song.”

To quote Carey herself, “It just don’t get any better.”

Carey and Dick Clark Productions both admitted that technical difficulties derailed Carey’s performance, but neither party was eager to shoulder the blame.

But that was then, and this is now.

“We can all agree that last year didn’t go exactly as planned,” Carey and Dick Clark Productions said in a joint statement. “And we are thrilled to move forward together to provide America with an incredible night of music and celebration on ‘Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2018.’ See you in Times Square!”

There’s every reason to think that this year’s performance will end differently for Carey. The singer is riding high on a very merry holiday season that saw her Christmas classic, “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” crack the Billboard Hot 100’s top 10 for the first time in the 23 years since its 1994 release.

After skipping their annual Christmas card last year in the wake of Kim Kardashian being robbed at gunpoint, the Kardashian-Jenner family came back Advent-calendar style for 2017: They dropped 25 cards one at a time on the way to the big day.

What started out as simply a picture of a pile of presents next to a Christmas tree ended with an image of nearly the whole family next to the same tree, with lots of little kids mixed in. Aww.

Each family member treated the one-per-day game differently on social media.

Khloe Kardashian, Kylie Jenner and Kanye West posted none on their Instagram pages, and Kris Jenner mixed the cards in with other posts, for example. But Kim Kardashian went all cards all the time, posting nothing but pictures from the photo shoot — shoots? — for 25 days in a row.

The Kardashian-Jenners explained a few years back that because of their busy schedules, not everyone can make it for a Christmas photo shoot on the same day. The solution? “We pretend that we’re always together,” Kim told Ellen DeGeneres in 2012. “The power of cameras and Photoshop.”

Missing for 2017 were Kylie Jenner, which sparked fans’ questions about her reported pregnancy, and Rob Kardashian, whose absence was pretty much par for the course. In recent years he’s not a fan of photos in general, but Khloe helped out Christmas Eve by tweeting a throwback card with him in it:

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: ‘Game of Thrones’ actor Kit Harington matures with Jon Snow

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Issues of the Heart `A Private Matter’ Pulls Sissy Spacek Into a Real Drama

Yes, it’s been more than 70 years since James Stewart starred in the 1946 Christmas classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” But Frank Capra’s holiday fable centered on everyman George Bailey hasn’t lost its relevance. On Christmas Eve, during the film’s primetime airing on NBC, it was trending on Twitter thanks to the live tweeting of viewers from all sides of the political spectrum, and those who don’t want to think about politics at all over the holidays. (And for those on the West Coast wanting to join the conversation, the movie airs on NBC at 8 p.m.)

SZA

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

In 2017, we needed entertainment more than ever — as both a way to make sense of the chaos going on in the world, and a salve and means of escape. Some of the highlights: Jordan Peele’s indie darling “Get Out,” which did blockbuster numbers at the box office ($175 million, to be exact) and ushered in a robust year for indie films (“Lady Bird”! “Three Billboards”! “The Big Sick”!). We saw “around the way girls” Tiffany Haddish and Cardi B defy the odds and conquer 2017 armed with big dreams and a killer sense of humor. And women in both titular and in supporting roles stole the show in the year’s biggest blockbusters (we’re looking at you, Gal Gadot and Kelly Marie Tran). Here are our picks for the biggest breakouts of the year.

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The top leadership of the Miss America Organization has resigned, sweeping out officials implicated in an email scandal that targeted past pageant winners for abuse based on their appearance, intellect and sex lives.

CEO Sam Haskell resigned from the Atlantic City, N.J.-based organization on Saturday, a day after he was suspended by the board. Also on Saturday, President Josh Randle and Chairman Lynn Weidner resigned.

The organization announced the resignations a day after dozens of former Miss Americas signed a petition calling on the group’s leadership to step down.

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“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” continued to commandeer the box office as expected on Christmas weekend, though attendance dropped off significantly from the space opera’s opening weekend, in part due to moviegoers’ focus on holiday preparations. Ticket sales are expected to pick up again on Christmas Day.

The Walt Disney Co.-backed adventure grossed $68.5 million Friday through Saturday and is expected to haul in $100.7 million through the holiday period, according to estimates from measurement firm ComScore. That would push director Rian Johnson’s installment to a whopping $365.1 million domestic gross through Sunday and an expected $397.3 million through Christmas Day. In all, “The Last Jedi” is pacing itself toward an impressive cumulative worldwide gross of $745 million through Sunday, ComScore said.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour »

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Kent Damon, left, and his son Matt attend the premiere of “The Town” at Fenway Park in Boston on Sept 14, 2010.

(Bryce Vickmark / Getty Images)

News came over the holiday weekend that Kent Damon, the father of Oscar winner Matt Damon, has died after a years-long battle with cancer. He was 74.

Kent Damon died on Dec. 14 after complications from multiple myeloma, a rare blood disease that affects the bone marrow, the actor’s rep Jennifer Allen confirmed to the Associated Press on Saturday.

Damon’s father was diagnosed with disease in 2010 and the condition worsened over the last few months. The actor, who has diligently worked to raise money and awareness for cancer research and treatment since the diagnosis, shared his father’s prognosis while promoting Alexander Payne’s eco-conscious satire “Downsizing” earlier this month.

“It’s been a slow unfolding; my dad’s sick, so that’s been a process we’re going through,” Damon, 47, told Extra, adding, “We’ll take any prayers you got, so throw ‘em up there.”

His father’s health was the reason Damon recently backed out of a few promotional work obligations, including his absence from the Los Angeles premiere of “Downsizing” last week.

Many believed that the film’s star was a no-show at the Dec. 18 premiere in Westwood due to the brouhaha that resulted from his incendiary ABC News remarks about sexual assault. (Damon came under fire for his “spectrum of behavior” explanation about conflating “shameful and gross” sexual misconduct with criminal sexual assault.)

However, a rep for Paramount Pictures said that Damon was out of town “dealing with an ongoing family matter,” according to reports.

In October, Damon abruptly skipped the 2017 Britannia Awards, which honored him with the Stanley Kubrick Award for Excellence in Film, due to a “family emergency.”

(David Kawashima / For The Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Livin’ the serious life

Some former Miss Americas who were attacked in emails from the pageant’s CEO are calling on him and other organization leaders to resign.

Three former title holders who were targeted for abuse in emails to and from Miss America Organization Chief Executive Sam Haskell say the group’s leadership needs to be replaced.

The appearance and sexual habits of Mallory Hagan, Miss America 2013, were mocked in the emails, which were sent three to four years ago.

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Oprah Winfrey

(Kirk Mckoy / Los Angeles Times )

“It’s a fraud! It’s a fraud! IT’S A FRAUD!” says Oprah Winfrey.

The TV mogul has warned her millions of followers that deceptive social media accounts are trying to bamboozle her fans.

Multiple fraudulent accounts appropriating Winfrey’s name, avatar and her Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) have popped up promising monetary Christmas rewards to followers and then asking for money.

“Don’t believe it. Don’t give up any of your bank accounts or personal information to anybody posing as me or anyone else for that matter,” the 63-year-old said via video on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

OWN’s verified social media accounts also warned followers about the scam and fraudulent accounts.

“Please be aware that social media accounts promising money using OWN and/or Oprah Winfrey’s name are false,” the network said Thursday in a statement on Instagram. “ We have notified the social media platforms who are working diligently to deactivate these accounts.”

Bill Hader and Maggie Carey in 2014.

(Adrian Sanchez-Gonzales / AFP/Getty Images)

“Saturday Night Live” alum Bill Hader and his wife, Maggie Carey, have called it quits after 11 years of marriage.

Hader filed his divorce petition on Thursday, according to documents obtained by the Blast.

Reps for actor-producer Hader, 39, and Carey, a screenwriter and director, did not immediately respond to The Times’ requests for comment.

The “Trainwreck” actor cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split and is seeking joint physical and legal custody of the couple’s three children, Hannah, Harper and Hayley, the documents said. Hader also stated that spousal support should be paid to Carey, 41.

According to People, the pair have been separated since July.

Hader and Carey reportedly met in Los Angeles through mutual friends and moved to New York when Hader was cast on “SNL” in 2005. They married in 2006, and Hader continued his run on the NBC sketch series into 2013.

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: He’s an Authority on Authority Figures

Britney Spears.

(Kevork Djansezian / Associated Press)

Britney Spears will usher in 2018 on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest,” the show announced Thursday.

Spears will perform “Toxic” and “Work B**ch” from Las Vegas, where she’s wrapping her four-year “Britney: Piece of Me” residency on Dec. 31.

While Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy anchor the ABC show from Times Square in New York, Lucy Hale will host in New Orleans and Ciara will hold down the fort in Hollywood.

Other performers include Khalid, Nick Jonas, Sugarland, Kelly Clarkson, Florida Georgia Line, Shawn Mendes, Charlie Puth, Zedd, Halsey, Fitz & the Tantrums, Bebe Rexha, Hailee Steinfeld, Imagine Dragons and Kane Brown.

Top of mind: Let’s hope Spears has a better time than Mariah Carey did last year. Advice to Ms. Spears? Do a sound check.

Please.

House and Senate Republicans have passed their sweeping tax plan, and boy, did Seth Meyers have words about that. The “Late Night” host tore into Republicans, the president and the GOP tax bill itself on Wednesday night.

“Republicans passed a sweeping overhaul of the tax code that will overwhelmingly benefit corporations and the wealthy, amounting to nothing less than a brazen heist of the country,” said Meyers.

He pointed out that “despite all evidence to the contrary,” Donald Trump refused to admit that the tax plan actually only really benefits the richest Americans.

“In fact, in the spirit of the holiday season, he keeps calling it ‘a Christmas gift to the middle class,’” Meyers quipped.

Except, the “Late Night” host noted, if one examines the terms of the tax plan and translates the monetary benefits into actual holiday gifts, only the rich are getting a car for Christmas. Everyone else is basically getting a can of gas.

“Republicans can’t point to any actual proof their plan will benefit lower- and middle-income people, so all they can do is repeat vague talking points about improving the economy,” Meyers added.

Meyers also laid into Trump for repeatedly claiming how “he personally would pay more in taxes than he did before” because of this plan but that he didn’t care.

“We definitely believe that you don’t care,” Meyers said. “You’re by far our most checked-out president. I mean, James Garfield worked harder than you after he was assassinated. You watch more TV than a sixth-grader at home with the flu.”

Watch the segment above.

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Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and Stellan Skarsgård star in “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.”

The internet was filled with the dulcet tones of ABBA Thursday morning after Universal Pictures released the first trailer for “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.”

The highly anticipated look at the sequel to 2008’s “Mamma Mia!” opens with Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) surrounded by friends of her mother (Christine Baranski and Julie Taylor) who have arrived to help her with impending motherhood.

But where, precisely, is Sophie’s titular mother Donna, played by Meryl Streep?

She’s dead.

OK, Donna isn’t explicitly dead in the trailer. Streep is, after all, still listed in the film’s credits, but it remains heavily implied that death becomes her.

The character is almost exclusively mentioned in the past tense, and there is little, if any, new footage of Streep. The film appears to hinge entirely on Donna’s friends explaining to Sophie how her mother made it as a young pregnant woman on her own.

For those concerned that “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” may be lacking in star power with a distinct lack of Streep, fear not.

The trailer’s closing moments feature Sophie’s grandmother, played by none other than Cher, stopping by the island via helicopter.

“Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” arrives in theaters July 20.

( Alexi Lubomirski / Associated Press)

As if Prince Harry and fiancée Meghan Markle weren’t picturesque enough, the couple had to go and release their stunning engagement portraits to further show off how picture-perfect they are.

The British prince and “Suits” actress initially shared two official portraits on Thursday to mark their engagement, Kensington Palace said. Then, to show gratitude for all the positive feedback they received, the pair shared with their well-wishers an additional candid portrait via Twitter.

“The couple are so grateful for the warm and generous messages they have received during such a happy time in their lives. As a way to say thank you, they have decided to share this candid photograph from the day of their portrait sittings directly with all of you,” the palace said on Twitter.

The intimate images feature the smiling pair in formalwear on the grounds of Frogmore House in Windsor as the lovebirds affectionately regale each other with loving gazes and hand holding.

Fashion photographer Alexi Lubomirski, who has photographed the likes of Angelina Jolie, Beyoncé, Gwyneth Paltrow and Lupita Nyong’o, shot the images earlier this week and thanked the couple for allowing him to take their official engagement portraits.

“Not only was it an incredible honour, but also an immense privilege to be invited to share and be a witness to this young couple’s love for each other,” the photographer wrote on Instagram. “I cannot help but smile when I look at the photos that we took.”

Same here.

Harry and Markle’s royal wedding is set for May 19, 2018. The couple were engaged last month after nearly two years of dating. On Wednesday, the two were photographed leaving Buckingham Palace where Queen Elizabeth II, Harry’s grandmother, was hosting her annual Christmas lunch.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Jane Fonda Flexes Her Muscles

(Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images)

Khloe Kardashian is pregnant. That might sound like old news, but what we hadn’t heard was confirmation from the the mom-to-be herself that she and boyfriend Tristan Thompson have a baby on the way. That changed Wednesday.

“My greatest dream realized! We are having a baby! I had been waiting and wondering but God had a plan all along. He knew what He was doing,” Kardashian said, posting a black-and-white picture on Instagram showing Thompson’s hands and hers around her oiled-up baby bump — and she’s still got some serious hardware on that ring finger.

“I simply had to trust in Him and be patient,” she said. “I still at times can’t believe that our love created life!”

The 33-year-old lavished praise on the Cleveland Cavaliers player for loving her, treating her like a queen, making her feel beautiful and getting her pregnant. She also thanked “everyone” for love and “positive vibes.”

Rumors that Kardashian was expecting came out in September, a little more than a week after rumors emerged that half-sis Kylie Jenner was in the same situation. Jenner is reportedly expecting a baby girl with boyfriend Travis Scott.

“I know we’ve been keeping this quiet but we wanted to enjoy this between our family and close friends as long as we could privately,” Kardashian continued Wednesday. “To enjoy our first precious moments just us…. Thank you all for understanding. I am so thankful, excited, nervous, eager, overjoyed and scared all in one! But it’s the best bundle of feelings I’ve ever felt in my life!”

Pregnancy has been a long time coming for Kardashian, whose fertility issues went public courtesy of “Khloe & Lamar,” the reality show she had with ex-husband Lamar Odom. Meanwhile, oldest sister Kourtney Kardashian has three children with former partner Scott Disick, and middle sis Kim Kardashian has two with husband Kanye West, with a third on the way via surrogate.

Actress Eva Longoria and husband José Bastón are expecting a baby.

(Gareth Cattermole / Getty Images)

Eva Longoria is expecting a baby boy with husband José Antonio Bastón, The Times has confirmed.

The 42-year-old actress-producer-activist was completely surprised by the pregnancy, according to the Blast. She was preparing to shoot a new movie but postponed it, sources told the website.

She’s four months along, according to People.

Longoria and Televisa President Bastón got married in May 2016 in Mexico after more than three years together. Longoria’s been married twice before, first to actor Tyler Christopher and then to Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs. This will be her first child, however.

This past year, Longoria squashed rumors that she was pregnant, saying in a video on Instagram (via Us Weekly), “Morning, everybody, last day in paradise and I’m exhausted. We worked out this morning. So I saw some pictures of myself [looking] really fat on a boat. I have to tell you, all I did was eat cheese. So that’s the news of the day. I’m not pregnant, just eating a lot of cheese, a lot of wine, a lot of pancakes.”

In hindsight, it appears she’s been doing some nesting lately.

In November, Longoria bought a home in Beverly Crest and put the Hollywood Hills compound she’d bought from Tom Cruise up for sale. The new place has eight bedrooms and 10 baths in 11,000 square feet — plenty of room for a nursery. Or maybe a nursery for each season.

The saga of XXXTentacion — whose rise as one of the year’s biggest breakout rappers is overshadowed by a felony domestic violence case — continues. He was released from jail days after being taken into custody for violating his bond.

A judge ordered the MC to be released from custody and placed under house arrest on Wednesday, according to court records.

The South Florida native, born Jahseh Onfroy, had been sent back to jail on Friday after being hit with 15 felony counts of witness tampering and harassment in connection with the 2016 domestic violence case that has made his ascent in hip-hop controversial.

Charged with several felonies for allegedly beating and strangling a then-pregnant former girlfriend, Onfroy was accused of coercing his accuser after prosecutors questioned the validity of a document she signed asking for the case to be thrown out.

The new charges were all in relation to recorded calls he made while he was jailed last year in connection with the case.

Onfory’s next hearing is set for Jan. 24. If convicted on all charges, which include false imprisonment, the rapper faces up to 30 years in prison.

Catt Sadler

(Tommaso Boddi / Getty Images)

Catt Sadler has left E! after failing to agree on a contract with the entertainment network. She blamed her departure on a “massive pay disparity” between her and male “E! News” anchor Jason Kennedy.

“[W]hen E reached out to renew and extend my deal,” she wrote Tuesday on her blog, “I learned that he wasn’t just making a little more than I was. In fact, he was making close to double my salary for the past several years.”

At contract-renewal time, she said, “My team and I asked for what I know I deserve and were denied repeatedly.”

Sadler hosted daytime show “Daily Pop” in addition to regular appearances on “E! News,” the channel’s flagship news program. Kennedy, whom Sadler didn’t call out by name but described as her “similarly situated male co-host,” anchors the latter show five nights a week in addition to other duties at E!

“E! compensates employees fairly and appropriately based on their roles, regardless of gender,” an E! spokesperson said Wednesday in a statement. “We appreciate Catt Sadler’s many contributions at E! News and wish her all the best following her decision to leave the network.”

Sadler wrote that she’d wanted to stay at her job but said her decision was made for her.

“I have two decades experience in broadcasting and started at the network the very same year as my close friend and colleague that I adore,” she said. “I so lovingly refer to him as my ‘tv husband’ and I mean it. But how can I operate with integrity and stay on at E if they’re not willing to pay me the same as him? Or at least come close?”

Via Twitter, Kennedy invited viewers Tuesday to watch Sadler’s “E! News” send-off. He also retweeted a message from a fan who thanked Sadler for her “years of hard work and dedication” and for being “a true inspiration … as a broadcaster.”

Val Kilmer in 2013

(Kevin Winter / Getty Images)

When “Top Gun” and “Batman Forever” heartthrob Val Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer a few years ago, he denied the reports on social media.

Now the 57-year-old has opened up about his two-year battle with the disease. He underwent chemotherapy and had a procedure on his trachea that left him with a raspy voice and shortness of breath, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which interviewed him alongside his two kids, Mercedes, 26, and Jack, 22.

But Kilmer said his health and faith (he’s a Christian Scientist) have put life in perspective for him.

“I was too serious,” he said in the interview published Wednesday. “I’d get upset when things like Oscars and recognition failed to come my way.”

Though he’s never been nominated for any major film or TV awards, he’s apparently come to terms with that.

“I would like to have more Oscars than anybody,” he said. “[Three-time Oscar winner] Meryl Streep must feel pretty good, you know? It must feel nice to know that everyone loves her. It’s about being loved.”

Mark Ruffalo.

(John Bazemore / Associated Press)

“Spotlight” star Mark Ruffalo is not mourning the death of Cardinal Bernard Law, formerly the archbishop of Boston.

“This was a terrible human being,” the actor tweeted early Wednesday. “One can only hope the countless sexual abuse of children he allowed and the subsequent profound suffering he hid will come to an end with his demise.”

Ruffalo was nominated for an Oscar for his “Spotlight” portrayal of a Boston Globe reporter on the investigative team that in 2002 exposed child molestation and its cover-up in the Boston Archdiocese. Law, who died early Wednesday in Rome, was a key figure in the scandal, which spread from its Boston epicenter to eventually rock the entire Catholic Church.

“Spotlight” won the 2016 Academy Award for best picture. The Globe won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for public service for its coverage.

When he stepped down at the end of that year, Law said, “It is my fervent prayer that this action may help the archdiocese of Boston to experience the healing, reconciliation and unity which are so desperately needed. To all those who have suffered from my shortcomings and mistakes, I both apologize and from them beg forgiveness.”

Law wound up with appointments at the Vatican and in Rome in the years leading up to his death.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Taking risks and not playing it safe are what draw Jonah Hill to those non-’bro’ roles

“Late Night” host Seth Meyers and “The Tonight Show’s” Jimmy Fallon gleefully skewered the president Tuesday with the help of the animatronic Trump statue recently unveiled at the Walt Disney World Resort.

The statue, which joined likenesses of past U.S. leaders at the park’s Hall of Presidents attraction, has been widely panned for its take on 45.

“Disney World, was that supposed to go in the Haunted Mansion?” Meyers quipped, sharing an image of the new figure. “Even Lincoln is looking at him like ‘this is the worst thing that ever happened to me.’”

Carrying on with his Trump-centric monologue, Meyers decided it would be best to keep using the unflattering picture of the animatronic statue instead of a real image of Trump.

“I think, as our Christmas gift to ourselves, we’re just going to use that as our Trump picture from now on,” he proclaimed.

Over on “The Tonight Show,” Fallon joked that Trump was “really making an impact” at Disney.

“Today, he deported Aladdin, and he gave Scrooge McDuck a tax break,” Fallon said, later noting that, “You can tell it’s Trump’s robot because Putin’s backstage controlling it.”

Fallon also aired a faux commercial advertising the attraction, which features a recording made by Trump himself.

According to Fallon’s ad, this is what it said: “It’s great to see all the great children here with their tiny little hands. We’re all born with tiny hands. We have small hands, after all... This is lame. I wanna ride the teacups.”

The confetti has fallen, and Blake Shelton has once again triumphed as a coach on the 13th season of NBC’s “The Voice,” this time with his stolen protégé Chloe Kohanski.

The 23-year-old Nashville resident was the last one standing, with second place going to Addison Agen, third to Brooke Simpson and fourth place Red Marlow.

Here’s video of the dramatic unveiling, and underneath that, the finale performance that featured Kohanski and Billy Idol.

“Diana,” the musical, is coming to La Jolla Playhouse.

The theater announced that a Princess Diana musical created by writer-lyricist Joe DiPietro and songwriter David Bryan (keyboardist for Bon Jovi) will have its world premiere as part of the company’s 2018-19 season. The director will be Christopher Ashley, the company’s artistic director and the 2017 Tony winner for “Come From Away.”

Ashley, DiPietro and Bryan previously teamed on the Broadway hit “Memphis,” which launched in La Jolla. “Diana” was workshopped in New York in the summer.

For now, tickets will be available only through a season subscription. Specific production dates and casting have yet to be announced.

The playhouse said the story will start in 1981, as the world awaits the royal wedding between Diana and Prince Charles. “Following her fairy-tale union, Princess Diana faces a distant husband, an unmovable monarchy and constant media scrutiny,” the company said.

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Watch the “Ocean’s 8” trailer.

Move over, Danny Ocean. It’s sister Debbie’s time to shine.

The first trailer for 2018’s highly anticipated “Ocean’s 8” dropped Tuesday morning, giving audiences their first real glimpse into the latest installation of the effortlessly stylish, unspeakably cool heist-movie franchise.

And this time, the ladies take center stage.

Sandra Bullock is now the central character, playing an estranged sibling to Danny, portrayed most recently by George Clooney but originally made famous by Frank Sinatra in 1960.

The trailer opens during Debbie’s parole hearing, during which she speaks freely about how whatever led to her imprisonment was a mistake that she looked forward to rectifying.

Moments later, on the outside, we see that “rectify” means revenge and she needs a crew to pull it off.

Enter Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna and Helena Bonham Carter, who come together to plan a heist to take place at the Met Gala.

It’s hard to encapsulate the joy of seeing Hollywood’s best and brightest come together to make fun, frothy cinema.

“Ocean’s 8” appears to be tapping into that fun-loving sweet spot crafted by Steven Soderbergh in his “Ocean’s” trilogy, which earned more than $1.1 billion worldwide.

“Ocean’s 8” is scheduled to arrive in theaters June 8, 2018.

John Legend.

(Amy Harris / Invision/Associated Press)

John Legend will play Jesus of Nazareth in “Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert,” coming on Easter 2018 from NBC.

“Just woke up to Andrew LLoyd Webber tweeting about me. It’s a good day,” the “All of Me” singer said Tuesday on social media, forwarding a message from the man behind the original musical’s music.

“We are thrilled to have @johnlegend join us as Jesus for @JCSTheMusical Live! this Easter #TeamALW,” said Webber. He, Legend and lyricist Tim Rice are among the executive producers on NBC’s version.

“This score demands a singer with an amazing range and an actor with great depth, and there isn’t anyone better to bring this story to a new audience,” NBC Entertainment Chairman Robert Greenblatt said in a statement. “His casting is also groundbreaking as the traditional image of Christ will be seen in a new way.”

Alice Cooper’s casting as King Herod was announced earlier in December. The show covers the final days of Jesus’ life.

Unlike Fox’s recent “A Christmas Story Live,” which was broadcast from the studio’s back lot and sound stages (and tanked in the ratings), NBC’s “Jesus Christ Superstar” will air live from the Marcy Armory stage in Brooklyn on April 1.

Legend, who’s already won at the Oscars, Grammys and Tonys, might get a shot at an Emmy to complete his set of awards, thereby becoming an EGOT winner.

It has been quite the year. So with the end of 2017 finally in sight, Trevor Noah and his “Daily Show” crew decided to take a special look back at all the craziness on their “Yearly Show 2017” special Monday night.

“The year’s not over, but we’re all gonna die, so we figured, why not just do this?” Noah said. “This was a crazy year, 2017. Sexual harassment, Russians, Russians sexually harassing the election, something like that.”

But according to Noah, “if there’s one group of people who have defined this year, it’s been women.”

“So we asked [‘Daily Show’ correspondents] Desi Lydic and Dulcé Sloan for their thoughts, and they gave us a whole song,” he said.

Both Lydic and Sloan had much to say in their song about the “incredible,” “terrible” year for women.

The topical song included references to the Women’s March, Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s persistence, “Wonder Woman’s” box office dominance, Cardi B’s chart topper, the birth of Beyoncé’s twins, Harvey Weinstein and Hollywood’s sexual harassment problem and more.

“What a year for women/ It’s why we’re singing,” sang Lydic and Sloan. “Finally see us women/ What a year for women.”

Lydic and Sloan even got an assist from the first female presidential candidate nominated by a major party.

Yes, Hillary Clinton made a cameo.

You can hear the song in its adult language entirety here and watch Noah’s intro to the “Yearly Show 2017” special above.

It’s beginning to look a lot like 2005 over at NBC.

TVLine reported Monday that the broadcast network is contemplating a continuation of “The Office” for the 2018-2019 television season.

The rumored return to Scranton, Pa., and Dunder-Mifflin Paper Co. comes on the heels of NBC’s successful relaunch of “Will & Grace,” which returned to airwaves in September, more than 10 years after its original series finale in 2006.

“The Office” hasn’t been absent from the pop-culture conversation for nearly as long, originally premiering in 2005 before concluding in 2013.

According to TVLine, the relaunched “Office” would feature a mix of old and new characters, but would not include longtime regional manager Michael Scott (Steve Carell).

In August, NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt told Deadline that he had repeatedly spoken to Greg Daniels, who developed the U.S. adaptation of the British series, about bringing the show back someday.

“There is certainly an open invitation, but we don’t have anything happening right now,” Greenblatt said. “If [Daniels] wants to do it, I would do it.”

Representatives for NBC did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment Tuesday morning.

(Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: SAG Awards 2015: Jake Gyllenhaal, and his dog, react to his nomination

(Brent N. Clarke / Invision)

Add Meryl Streep to the list of people confused by Rose McGowan’s weekend outburst against women planning to wear black dresses as a protest on the Golden Globe Awards red carpet in January.

“I am truly sorry she sees me as an adversary, because we are both, together with all the women in our business, standing in defiance of the same implacable foe,” Streep told the Huffington Post in a lengthy statement. That foe, she said, is the status quo.

McGowan called “The Post” actress out by name on Saturday, saying in a now-deleted tweet, “Actresses, like Meryl Streep, who happily worked for The Pig Monster, are wearing black @GoldenGlobes in a silent protest. YOUR SILENCE is THE problem. You’ll accept a fake award breathlessly & affect no real change. I despise your hypocrisy. Maybe you should all wear Marchesa.”

Marchesa, of course, is the clothing line designed by Georgina Chapman, the estranged wife of disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein. McGowan says Weinstein raped her.

Weinstein has categorically denied through his attorneys any crimes.

On Sunday, Tamblyn had criticized her friend McGowan, saying she didn’t support anyone who “shamed or taunted” other women who were trying to create change and that the Marchesa comment was “beneath you, Rose.”

McGowan responded in a tweet Monday afternoon, without mentioning Streep or Tamblyn specifically.

“The Marchesa line was beneath me and I’m sorry for that. Seeing that picture of Alyssa Milano with GC [Chapman] has ignited something in me that I can’t quite articulate,” McGowan wrote. “There is no map for this road I’m on, I will … [make mistakes]. Peace be with you, go with Goddess.”

Amber Tamblyn, left, and Rose McGowan clashed on social media over the weekend.

(Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images, left; Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images, right)

Streep told Huffington Post she was “hurt to be attacked by Rose McGowan” in headlines over the weekend.

“I want to let her know I did not know about Weinstein’s crimes, not in the 90s when he attacked her, or through subsequent decades when he proceeded to attack others … ,” Streep said. “I wasn’t deliberately silent. I didn’t know. I don’t tacitly approve of rape. I didn’t know. I don’t like young women being assaulted. I didn’t know this was happening.”

The Oscar winner explained that Weinstein distributed movies she had made with other people and said “not every actor, actress, and director who made films that HW distributed knew” about his alleged wrongdoings.

“Rose assumed and broadcast something untrue about me, and I wanted to let her know the truth,” Streep said, adding that she got her phone number to McGowan through mutual friends but didn’t hear back.

“I sat by that phone all day yesterday and this morning, hoping to express both my deep respect for her and others’ bravery in exposing the monsters among us, and my sympathy for the untold, ongoing pain she suffers. … And I hoped that she would give me a hearing. She did not, but I hope she reads this.”

It appears that she did.

Rob Lowe helped firefighters and then invited them to help themselves to a meal after they worked to save his home and others’ in the path of the wind-whipped Thomas Fire, which has been burning since Dec. 4 and most recently was threatening homes in Montecito.

“Dinner for new friends at our house,” the “Code Black” actor wrote Sunday on Instagram, captioning a photo of firefighters filling their plates with cheeseburgers, spaghetti and more in what looks to be Lowe’s kitchen.

“Thank you to all the crews from all over the country who stood tall and saved my town. #respect #gratitude,” he said in a second post.

Oprah Winfrey said Sunday that she had evacuated 10 days earlier because the air was too smoky to breathe. Her dogs, she said, were in Palo Alto.

Lowe posted a picture Saturday of himself in fire-retardant gear, manning a fire hose with an assist from a firefighter. “You do what you can, but when it’s time.. you GO.”

Unfortunately, other people in Santa Barbara County — an area with plenty of celebrity residents — were not as lucky as Lowe and saw their multimillion-dollar homes reduced to piles of ash and debris after a firefight Saturday night. Fueled by stronger-than-expected winds, some up to 65 mph, the re-energized fire had threatened hundreds of homes as it headed toward the ocean.

Billy Baldwin tweeted Sunday that the fire was only three blocks from his house, and James Woods posted a friend-of-a-friend account attributing Santa Barbara’s survival to the winds’ calming down Saturday night.

Last week it was Ellen DeGeneres who was grateful to firefighters for their work to save her home.

“Last night. I am so incredibly grateful to these and all the firefighters,” she said Thursday on Instagram, captioning a photo of a crew from the Redlands Fire Department. “Thank you.”

On Sunday, firefighters took advantage of those lighter winds to push back on the western edge of the fire. As of Monday morning, about 270,500 acres had burned.

Diddy wants to buy the Carolina Panthers — and go down in the history books in the process.

“There are no majority African American NFL owners. Let’s make history,” he tweeted Sunday night after current Panthers owner Jerry Richardson made it known he’d be putting the franchise on the market.

“I will be the best NFL owner that you can imagine,” the music and fashion mogul, a.k.a. Sean Combs, explained in a video on Instagram. “I will immediately address the Colin Kaepernick situation and put him in the running for next year’s starting quarterback.”

By Monday morning, Kaepernick had heard the news and was up for more than just a QB gig. “I want in on the ownership group! Let’s make it happen!,” he tweeted.

Diddy also promised “the best halftime show, the best selection of music” and a Super Bowl victory.

History has to wait a bit longer, however.

“I will put the team up for sale at the conclusion of this NFL season. We will not begin the sale process, nor will we entertain any inquiries, until the very last game is played,” Richardson said Sunday in a letter on the team’s website.

The 81-year-old’s decision to sell comes while he is under investigation for alleged workplace misconduct.

“This is God’s work. It’s time!!,” Diddy said Sunday, posting a 2003 picture of himself wearing a Panthers jersey. “ATTN all @NFL owners, it’s time for diversity!! It’s time for Black ownership!! The time is now. Let’s make it happen!!”

Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry tweeted Sunday that he wants in, which is a good sign, because Diddy likely can’t buy the team solo. Earlier this year, Forbes guesstimated Diddy was the richest man in hip-hop, with a net worth around $820 million. But in 2016, the outlet estimated the value of the Carolina Panthers at $2.3 billion.

Tavis Smiley in 2015.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Tavis Smiley called out PBS on Monday for making what he calls “a huge mistake” when it stopped distributing his show over allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

“I’m going to do anything to protect my reputation,” Smiley said on “Good Morning America.”

PBS didn’t take the host’s morning-show offensive sitting down.

“Tavis Smiley needs to get his story straight,” a PBS spokesperson said in a statement. The rep also confirmed the decision to keep Smiley’s show on indefinite suspension.

On “GMA” — where Smiley maintained his innocence while also admitting to “consensual” relationships with colleagues and an “intense” atmosphere during production — he faulted PBS for not sharing the identities of his accusers during an investigation conducted by an outside law firm.

“Witnesses who have bravely come forward to speak with the independent investigators retained by PBS report a fear of retribution for speaking out. PBS stands by its decision to respect the anonymity of those who are afraid to come forward publicly. Additional allegations are continuing to come to light since last week’s announcement,” the network spokesperson said.

In response to Smiley’s explanation that his company did not prohibit relationships between employees because “I don’t know where your heart’s going to lead you,” PBS’s rep said the network was “certain that it should not lead to multiple sexual relationships between the owner of a company and subordinates over many years particularly where employment decisions may be linked to sex.”

Last week on Facebook, Smiley said, “I have the utmost respect for women and celebrate the courage of those who have come forth to tell their truth. To be clear, I have never groped, coerced, or exposed myself inappropriately to any workplace colleague in my entire broadcast career, covering six networks over 30 years.”

PBS on Monday noted conflicts between that post and his comments on “GMA.”

On the show, “Mr. Smiley acknowledged he has had multiple sexual encounters with his employees, then struggled to recall the number of current employees with whom he has had sex,” the PBS spokesperson said. “This contradicts his Facebook post from last week, where he cited only one previous relationship with an employee.”

Smiley said on “GMA” that he found out he was being investigated only after he got calls from former staffers who were getting “strange phone calls asking strange questions.” That’s when he lawyered up.

“They were prepared to close this investigation without talking to me ...,” Smiley said, “ and when they did, they talked to me for three hours and they never told me who the accusers were, what the allegations were.” Quizzed as to whether it was important that he know the identity of his accusers, he said, yes, so he better answers any questions.

“PBS made a huge mistake here,” Smiley said. “They need to fix this. They need to correct it.”

The broadcaster announced on Wednesday that it was suspending distribution of Smiley’s show, which is owned not by PBS but by Smiley’s company. A day later, the host vowed to fight back.

Princess Charlotte photographed in Berlin on July 19, 2017.

(Chris Jackson / Getty Images)

2018 is shaping up to be a big year for Britain’s Princess Charlotte.

The wee royal will not only gain a new sibling in April and a new aunt in May, she’ll also begin her academic career by attending nursery school this January.

The 2-year-old princess, fourth in line to the British throne, will attend Willcocks Nursery School in London in the new year, Kensington Palace announced on Monday.

“We are delighted that The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have chosen the Willcocks Nursery School for Princess Charlotte. We look forward to welcoming Charlotte to our nursery in January,” the school said.

Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, also enrolled their firstborn, Prince George, 4, in Westacre Montessori School when he was 2, just months after Charlotte was born. So, it’s no surprise that Charlotte is doing the same a few months before the couple’s third child arrives.

Also on Monday, the couple shared the family portrait featured on their 2017 Christmas card to mark the holiday season.

In it, William and Catherine stand behind their two smiling children, all clad in shades of blue. It should be noted that the formal portrait is a departure from the modern couple’s traditionally candid and casual fare. Maybe it’s just that this year they were able to wrangle their two toddlers to cooperate during the photo session?

The photograph was taken at Kensington Palace by Getty Images royal photographer Chris Jackson earlier this year, which explains why the pregnant duchess isn’t showing her baby bump yet.

Stephen Colbert has ridden anti-Trump sentiment to the top of the late-night pack. And in just a few weeks, he’ll expand his empire of presidential mockery to Showtime.

On Monday, the premium cable network announced that “Our Cartoon President,” an animated parody series inspired by a popular running bit on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” will debut on Feb. 11.

Executive produced by Colbert and “Late Show” showrunner Chris Licht, “Our Cartoon President” will “follow the tru-ish misadventures of the 45th President of the United States, Donald J. Trump, and his merry band of advisors and family members” and offer an “all-access look at a typical day in the life of the President of the United States,” according to Showtime.

R.J. Fried, a veteran of late-night political comedy (“The Late Show With David Letterman,” “Triumph’s Election Special 2016”) will serve as showrunner on the 10-episode, half-hour series. Tim Luecke, the artist behind the Cartoon Trump and Cartoon Hillary segments on “The Late Show,” will serve as lead animator.

“Our Cartoon President” will debut on Showtime just before the Season 7 premiere of the political thriller “Homeland,” but for those who can’t wait to see what Colbert and company have been up to, the premiere episode will also be available to preview on demand beginning Jan. 28.

Amber Tamblyn and Rose McGowan

(Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images, left; Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images, right)

Actress Amber Tamblyn has called out her friend Rose McGowan for criticizing the women reportedly planning a fashion-fueled protest at the Golden Globes.

McGowan, who is chief among those accusing producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual misconduct and assault, called out the women who worked with the disgraced producer, including Meryl Streep, for saying they would wear black at the upcoming award show to protest gender inequality and sexual assault.

In Saturday tweets that have since been removed, the “Charmed” alum wrote: “Actresses, like Meryl Streep, who happily worked for The Pig Monster, are wearing black @GoldenGlobes in a silent protest. YOUR SILENCE is THE problem.

“You’ll accept a fake award breathlessly & affect no real change. I despise your hypocrisy. Maybe you should all wear Marchesa,” she said, according to People, referring to the designer label run by Weinstein’s estranged wife, Georgina Chapman.

Tamblyn has been an advocate for the women speaking out against sexual assault, but took issue with McGowan’s credo, saying on Sunday that McGowan was shaming those who planned to be proactive.

“Rose McGowan is a friend and while I support her kind of movement, I do not support any woman (or man) shaming or taunting the movements of other women who are trying to create change. Telling us to all wear Marchesa? This is beneath you, Rose,” the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” star wrote in a lengthy thread.

“You don’t have to support and stand with us, but we stand and support you. You may take below the belt shots at us but we will not take them at you in return.”

“Our movement is big. And a black dress is just the beginning of the darkness that will be drained from every industry across the country by the time we’re done. That’s a promise,” Tamblyn continued.

Alas, Tamblyn’s commentary drew the ire of several followers, including Weinstein accuser Asia Argento and McGowan’s “Charmed” costar Holly Marie Combs, both of whom said Tamblyn should have spoken to McGowan directly rather than calling her out in a public forum. (Tamblyn said she spoke to McGowan “for over an hour.”)

“You just did to @rosemcgowan what you claim you don’t support her doing to others,” Combs tweeted. “Every activist for every cause the world over has different methods but share a common and more important message that should remain the same. And undiluted above all else.”

In response, Tamblyn contended that McGowan’s statement “was public and hurtful to some women so a public response was earned.”

“I spoke to her at length today, she knows how I feel. I love Rose fiercely, that will never change. To be critical of an action is not to condemn the person behind it. There’s your common message,” Tamblyn wrote.

(Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Brad Pitt’s double play

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Sarah Paulson channels many nasty emotions for ’12 Years a Slave’

Anita Hill speaks about Hollywood sexual harassment at UTA on Dec. 8, 2017.

(Willy Sanjuan / Associated Press)

A newly formed commission comprised of top Hollywood executives has chosen Anita Hill to chair its efforts to combat sexual harassment across the entertainment industry, it was announced Friday.

A powerhouse committee including studio, talent agency and guild leaders from across the film, television, digital and music industries attended the meeting convened by Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, Nike Foundation Co-Chair Maria Eitel, attorney Nina Shaw and venture capitalist and activist Freada Kapor Klein.

Among those involved in the new effort to create “safer, fairer, more equitable and accountable workplaces” in Hollywood are Paramount CEO Jim Gianopulos, Warner Bros. Chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara, Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos, Atlantic Records Chair and COO Julie Greenwald, William Morris Endeavor Co-CEO Ari Emanuel, Creative Artists Agency Co-Chairman Bryan Lourd, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Dawn Hudson and SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris.

The Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace aims to create a “comprehensive strategy” to address the epidemic of sexual harassment and misconduct that has rocked Hollywood and the country in recent months, exposing alleged abuses by figures such as Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey and Russell Simmons. Next steps will follow in the new year, according to the group.

“The Commission will not seek just one solution, but a comprehensive strategy to address the complex and inter-related causes of the problems of parity and power,” Kennedy said in a statement. “The fact that so many industry leaders — across film, television, music, digital, unions, agencies, ATA, AMPAS, television academy and guilds — came together, in one room, to explore solutions speaks to a new era.”

Hill is a professor of social policy, law and women’s studies at Brandeis University and a National Women’s Law Center board member who previously chaired the Human Rights Committee of the International Bar Assn. She became an emblem for women’s rights when she brought sexual harassment allegations against then-U.S. Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas.

Exactly how the new commission will present best practices to curb sexual harassment remains to be seen.

“We will be focusing on issues ranging from power disparity, equity and fairness, safety, sexual harassment guidelines, education and training, reporting and enforcement, ongoing research, and data collection,” Hill said. “It is time to end the culture of silence. I’ve been at this work for 26 years. This moment presents us with an unprecedented opportunity to make real change.”

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Benjamin Bratt brings more to ‘Law & Order’ than an actor’s resume

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Months before Disney moved to purchase much of Rupert Murdoch’s 21st Century Fox media company, it made a foray into bringing a Fox product to life.

In May, Disney opened Pandora — the World of Avatar in Animal Kingdom at the Orlando, Fla., resort of Walt Disney World.

The theme park is built in the universe of “Avatar,” James Cameron’s blockbuster film (and soon-to-be film series), and aims to immerse visitors in the fictional world of Pandora, with its overriding themes of conservation and exploration.

“Avatar,” the top-grossing film of all time, was distributed by 20th Century Fox in 2009, and while speculation grows about how Disney might incorporate Fox brands into its theme parks, Pandora could be the key.

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