Did You Hear ...? Jimmy Kimmel tears up, BET gets sued and more from the week in entertainment
A new dad’s kid made him lose his cool, a fired executive fought back, a jokester didn’t apologize, a guild cut a last-minute deal, and a couple of A-listers came out of the shadows. Here’s all that news and more from this week in entertainment.
Jimmy Kimmel has a scary story about his sick baby
The host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” became emotional Monday night on national TV as he revealed not only that he had welcomed a new baby but that the little boy needed open-heart surgery a few days after he was born. Through tears, he made an impassioned plea to lawmakers about healthcare legislation — and also got in a joke. “Poor kid,” Kimmel said after showing a smiling, postsurgical picture of son Billy. “Not only did he get a bad heart, he got my face.”
Former top exec alleges BET did her wrong
Zola Mashariki, who was on leave fighting breast cancer in April when she was fired from a top executive job at BET, has hit her former employer, parent company Viacom and an ex-colleague with a doozy of a lawsuit, alleging discrimination, defamation and more. In it, she tossed around phrases like “misogynistic culture” and “good old boys’ club atmosphere.” Viacom, which owns BET, denied any wrongdoing and said there was no merit to Mashariki’s accusations. See you in court?
‘Sorry, not sorry’ says Stephen (#Fire)Colbert
So, on Monday, Stephen Colbert made a crude joke about a sex act between President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which then sparked a #FireColbert social-media campaign, which ultimately didn’t faze “The Late Show” host in the slightest. “I don’t regret it,” he said at the start of his show Wednesday.
Brad and Miley get on the radar, off the sauce
Brad Pitt and Miley Cyrus, who’ve both been keeping low profiles as of late, emerged this week with juicy, soul-baring magazine interviews. He said he’s done with booze, weed and being out of touch with his feelings. She said she’s done with weed, booze and nipple pasties. OK, maybe they weren’t exactly soul-baring interviews, but the actor and the singer did serve up some decent dish.
Writers move out of the strike zone
Members of the Writers Guild of America cut a deal with the major studios and networks at the last minute, avoiding a strike that would have brought much of the business of Hollywood to a screeching halt. As the middle-of-the-night deadline approached, nervous scribes fretted out loud on Twitter, making the #WGAunity hashtag an amusing must-read.
Domestic Goods — and Bads: “Morning Joe” cohosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough are engaged. … Ian Somerhalder and Nikki Reed are expecting a baby.
Trumped: Seth Meyers poked holes in President Trump’s healthcare victory. ... A slew of late-night hosts, plus the ghost of Abraham Lincoln, obsessed on POTUS’ “Why could that one not have been worked out?” Civil War rumination. ... A different slew of ‘em were happy to hear from Hillary Clinton, who said she could’ve beaten Trump — if the election had been held Oct. 27.
RIP: Mario Maglieri, owner of Sunset Strip landmarks Whisky a Go Go and Rainbow Bar & Grill, died at 93. … Col. Bruce Hampton, the surrealist musician, known as the grandfather of the jam-band scene, died at 70. … Jean Stein, author who wrote about New York and Hollywood elite, died at 83.
New Trailers:
Bonus Links: Peter Park’s Spidey suit has gotten some major enhancements in “Spider-Man: Homecoming.” We’ve broken it down, and seriously, GPS is the least of it. … Pandora — the World of Avatar has opened in Orlando. Take a guided tour of the attractions and the food at Walt Disney World Animal Park’s new, movie-themed attraction.
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