Major award shows such as the Grammys and the Oscars are right around the corner, but much of the arts and entertainment world is spending more time reacting to the new presidency of Donald Trump and his recent executive order on immigration. Here’s what’s new and interesting in entertainment and the arts:
- AFI voices support for Oscar nominee Asghar Farhadi
- Watch the final ‘Beauty and the Beast’ trailer
- James Corden protests Trump’s travel ban
- Oprah Winfrey to join ’60 Minutes’ as the first contributor in the show’s history
- Celebrities join LAX protest of travel ban
Trump protest to hit the stage Tuesday night in North Hollywood
Another artistic protest over Donald Trump takes center stage in North Hollywood on Tuesday night as a group called Artists Rise Up Los Angeles presents work critical of the new president’s temperament and policies.
Organizers of the show, “E Pluribus Unum: Out of Many, One,” say their group consists of more than 100 actors, performance artists, filmmakers, directors, writers, singers, dancers, photographers and others. It was formed following the presidential election in conjunction with similar Artists Rise Up groups across the country.
Tuesday’s show, which starts at 7 p.m. at the El Portal Theatre, is expected to follow Trump’s announcement of his nominee to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court.
The Artists Rise Up program will include short plays and scenes, music, dance, spoken word, art installations and multimedia presentations related to the election. Participants include “Hamilton” Broadway cast members Karla Garcia and David Guzman, Arab American actor and writer Peter Sabri and photographer Rollence Patugan.
You can read about other artists’ protests in Carolina Miranda’s roundup.
Ellen DeGeneres uses ‘Finding Dory’ to critique Trump’s travel ban
Ellen DeGeneres took a moment Tuesday to register her disapproval of President Trump’s travel ban by way of her hit film “Finding Dory.”
On Saturday, Trump held a screening of the film at the White House, just a day after signing the executive order restricting travel for refugees and citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries.
After clarifying that she doesn’t like to get political, DeGeneres launched into an explanation of the plot of “Finding Dory” and what message she hopes viewers take from it.
“Dory arrives in America with her friends Marlin and Nemo. She ends up at the Marine Life Institute behind a large wall. They all have to get over the wall and you won’t believe it, but that wall has almost no effect in keeping them out,” DeGeneres joked, to audience approval, a clear reference to the president’s plans to build a wall on the U.S./Mexico border.
“Even though Dory gets into America, she ends up separated from her family, but the other animals help Dory. Animals that don’t even need her. Animals that don’t have anything in common with her,” DeGeneres explained.
“They help her, even though they’re completely different colors. Because that’s what you do when you see someone in need -- you help them,” DeGeneres concluded.
The host of “The Ellen Show” was not alone in speaking out about the travel ban. The topic proved popular in many late-night shows Monday night.
AFI voices support for Oscar nominee Asghar Farhadi
The American Film Institute issued a statement Tuesday in support of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who recently announced that he would be boycotting this year’s Academy Awards ceremony in protest of President Trump’s executive order blocking refugees and travel from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Farhadi, whose “The Salesman” is Oscar-nominated for foreign language film, has served as artist-in-residence at the AFI Conservatory — where students can earn a master of fine arts degree in cinematography, directing, editing, producing, production design and screenwriting — for the last two years.
Here’s AFI’s full statement:
Asghar Farhadi has served as Artist-in-Residence for the past two years at the AFI Conservatory, and his classes had a profound impact upon the 250 young men and women who attend AFI from around the world.
The AFI Conservatory stands with artists and filmmakers who find the power of creation through freedom of expression and freedom of movement. We believe any form of censorship — including the restriction of travel — to be against all values we cherish as a community of storytellers.
Pedro Almodovar to head 2017 Cannes Film Festival jury
Pedro Almodovar is set to head the jury of the Cannes Film Festival when the prestige gathering kicks off May 17.
The Spanish auteur, who has brought five films to competition, will return to a group he first served with a quarter-century ago. In 1992, Almodovar was a part of a jury headed by Gerard Depardieu; the group selected Bille August’s “My Best Intentions” for the top prize, the Palme d’Or.
In a statement, Almodovar said he was “aware of the responsibility that entails being the president of the jury and I hope to be up to the job.” Festival organizers called the director a “unique and hugely popular artist.”
In the final ‘Beauty and the Beast’ trailer, everything as old as time is brand new again
Emma Watson, Dan Stevens and Luke Evans star in the live-action movie “Beauty and the Beast.”
The final trailer for Disney’s live-action “Beauty and the Beast” has been released and it’s full of familiar scenes and sounds.
The upcoming film will see Emma Watson as Belle, a girl “so ahead of [her] time.” As the trailer reveals, Belle goes to live with the Beast, played by Dan Stevens, in order to save her father, Maurice (Kevin Kline).
The trailer also features the pair in various iconic scenes familiar to fans of the original 1991 film, from the ballroom dance to the way they eat their soup.
“Beauty and the Beast” also includes Luke Evans as Gaston; Josh Gad as Lefou; and Ewan McGregor, Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson as Lumiere, Cogsworth and Mrs. Potts, respectively.
While it has been touted that the film will feature the original music as well as some brand-new songs, the latest trailer sticks to the classic title track of the soundtrack, this time sung by Ariana Grande and John Legend.
“Beauty and the Beast” is set for a March 17 release. Watch the trailer above.
James Corden protests Trump’s travel ban by showing how easy it is for ‘white and Christian’ immigrants
“The Late Late Show” host James Corden is the latest Hollywood personality to speak out against President Trump’s executive order blocking refugees and nationals of seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the U.S.
The British comedian released a video on Monday showing how easy it is for him at LAX as he makes his way through the airport from check-in to boarding. The only early hint that the simple video may be political is the brief glimpse of protesters as he enters his terminal.
The video ends with a simple yet poignant message: “Freedom of movement should be this easy for all legal immigrants. Not just the white and Christian ones.”
Taraji P. Henson, Sterling K. Brown among 48th NAACP Image Awards presenters
The 48th NAACP Image Awards will have a slew of Oscar, Emmy and SAG award nominees and winners handing out trophies at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Feb. 11.
Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer and Janelle Monáe of “Hidden Figures,” Sterling K. Brown of “This Is Us,” “Insecure” producer-actress Issa Rae and Mykelti Williamson of “Fences” are among the first group of presenters revealed, as are Image Awards nominees Mike “Lucas Cage” Colter and Trevor Noah, host of “The Daily Show.”
Anthony Anderson, star of “black-ish,” will host the live two-hour broadcast, which airs at 9 p.m. on TV One, and a red carpet pre-show featuring host Nischelle Turner kicks off live at 7:30 p.m. Both shows are tape-delayed on the West Coast.
The NAACP Image Awards celebrate the accomplishments of people of color in TV, music, literature and film and also honor individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors.
LeBron James and Harvard Law professor Charles J. Ogletree Jr. already have been announced as recipients of the Jackie Robinson Sports Award and the Chairman’s Award, respectively.
Oprah Winfrey to join ’60 Minutes’ as the first contributor in the program’s history
Oprah Winfrey is joining the CBS newsmagazine “60 Minutes” as a contributor.
The talk show host, actress, cable network owner and producer will appear in several segments a year on the program starting this fall, CBS News announced Tuesday.
“I’ve been a big admirer of ‘60 Minutes’ since my days as a young reporter,” Winfrey said in a statement. “I’m so excited and proud to join forces with this historic news program, which for me represents the bastion of journalistic storytelling.”
It’s the first time in the program’s history that “60 Minutes” has had a contributor.
NBC’s critically acclaimed ‘The Good Place’ scores a second season
NBC is looking to prove that “The Good Place” is all around us.
The network announced Monday a 13-episode second season renewal for the Mike Schur (“Parks and Recreation”) series, featuring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson mired in an afterlife where things are not always as straightforward as they appear.
“The Good Place” ended its first 13-episode season with a deliciously twisty finale on Jan. 19.
“Mike Schur has always had one of the most fertile and imaginative minds in comedy, but what he brought us with the first season of ‘The Good Place’ was just extraordinary,” Jennifer Salke, president of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement. “We absolutely can’t wait to see where these characters go, literally, in season two. A big thank you to Mike, the writers and cast for delivering a series in which we all take such enormous pride.”
Celebrities join LAX protest of travel ban
Sunday night’s Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony showed that the current U.S. political upheaval, particularly in light of Friday’s executive order blocking refugees and nationals of seven Muslim-majority nations from entering the country, is not far from Hollywood’s mind.
But some celebrities took their political activism a step further and joined public protests at Los Angeles International Airport to voice their displeasure at what they view as a divisive and hateful policy.
A wide array of Hollywood talents made their way to Tom Bradley International Terminal, including Joss Whedon, Alia Shawkat, Ellen Page, Chloë Grace Moretz, Kumail Nanjiani, Tim Robbins.
Check out their social media coverage of the LAX protest below.
Sony takes nearly $1-billion write down on struggling movie business
Sony Corp. has announced a nearly $1-billion write down on its movie business, an extraordinary step for the struggling studio.
The Tokyo-based tech and entertainment giant said Monday that it took the impairment charge against its pictures segment after evaluating the future profitability of the movie business, which has lagged its competitors in recent years as it tried to recover from a massive 2014 cyberattack.
Sony Pictures ranked fifth out of the six major studios last year in terms of box office market share, with disappointments including “Ghostbusters” and “Passengers.” Its slate of upcoming movies for this year includes “Smurfs: The Lost Village” and “Spider-Man: Homecoming.”
Read MoreMORE: With Michael Lynton’s exit, what’s next for Sony Pictures?
‘This is not a joke’: Samantha Bee to host ‘Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner’
Sorry, President Trump. Samantha Bee will be unavailable to host the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” announced Monday that it would be hosting “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” on April 29 in Washington, D.C., the same night as this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner is scheduled to take place.
“Executives at TBS offered their full support of the gala by nodding politely and then muttering under their breath as we turned around,” Bee quipped in a statement released Monday. “The evening is sure to bring plenty of surprises, music, food, and laughter — and if you’re not careful, you just might learn something. Specifically, you’ll learn how screwed we’d be without a free press.”
The correspondents’ dinner is traditionally attended by the president and vice president and often includes a roast of the commander in chief and his administration.
Given President Trump’s distrust of the media, which he’s described as “the opposition party,” “very dishonest people” and “fake news,” it’s unclear how much roasting will take place.
Or, as the statement from “Full Frontal” put it: “We suspect some members of the press may find themselves unexpectedly free that night, and we want to feed them and give them hugs.”
The proceeds from the Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner will go to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
“We’re really doing this,” said Bee. “This is not a joke.”
2017 SAG Awards live updates
The 23rd Screen Actors Guild Awards have turned into a political affair with stars on the red carpet and on the podium directly addressing the political climate. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, William H. Macy and the cast of “Orange Is the New Black” all mentioned President Donald Trump and his policies in accepting their awards. “Manchester by the Sea” leads the field among the film nominees with four nominations, with “Fences” and “Moonlight” also in the running for three awards each.
LIVE UPDATES: 2017 SAG Awards
Writers Guild of America calls travel ban ‘un-American’; stands behind Asghar Farhadi
The Writers Guild of America released a statement Sunday calling President Trump’s travel ban both “unconstitutional” and “deeply wrong” as well as voicing support for Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, who has declined his invitation to the Oscar ceremony, despite his film “The Salesman” being nominated for foreign language film.
“It is both unconstitutional and deeply wrong to say that you cannot enter our country because of where you were born or what religion you were born into,” said Michael Winship, president of Writers Guild of America East and Howard A. Rodman, president of Writers Guild of America, in a joint statement.
“The Writers Guilds of America, East and West condemn Donald Trump’s profoundly un-American ‘Muslim ban,’ and applaud the federal court’s decision to grant a stay that will keep those being held at American airports from being forcibly returned to their countries. Human rights – including the freedoms of speech and religion – are essential to all Americans and to all who come here to build better lives,” said Winship and Rodman.
Trump signed an executive order Friday suspending refugee arrivals and banning entry to the United States from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Iran and Syria.
In response to the ban, Farhadi stated Sunday that he would not be attending the Academy Awards ceremony as “condemnation of the unjust conditions forced upon some of my compatriots.”
“We are especially troubled by reports that Asghar Farhadi, director of ‘The Salesman,’ which won Best Screenplay at Cannes and is now nominated for an Oscar, may together with his cast and crew be prevented from entering our country,” Winship and Rodman stated. “From its early days, the entertainment industry has been built by the imagination of immigrants. Our guilds are unions of storytellers who have always welcomed those from other nations, and of varying beliefs, who wish to share their creativity with America. We are grateful to them, we stand with them, we will fight for them.”
The travel ban also means that the Syrian Civil Defense volunteers who served as the subjects of Academy Award-nominated documentary short “The White Helmets” will also be unable to attend the ceremony.
French actress Emmanuelle Riva dies at 89
Emmanuelle Riva, whose unflinching portrayal of an elderly woman in the 2012 end-of-life drama “Amour” earned her international acclaim and the distinction of being the oldest nominee for a lead actress Oscar, has died. She was 89.
Riva, a star of early French New Wave cinema whose career spanned more than 50 years, died Friday afternoon in a Paris clinic after a long illness, her agent, Anne Alvares Correa, told the Associated Press.
As Anne Laurent in “Amour,” Riva depicted the slow decline of a proud woman as the ravages of age beset her, a performance film critics lauded both for its power and lack of sentimentality. Alongside French screen giant Jean Louis Trintignant, who played her doting but frustrated husband, the French-language film was a stark portrait of a couple’s love in the last days of life.
“I was ripe. It was the perfect time for me to become this character,” Riva, then 85, told The Times in December 2012. “I wasn’t playing the part … I was being.”
PETA protests ‘A Dog’s Purpose’ at Hollywood theater
Lisa Lange said her dog’s purpose is to sleep on rainy days and play with toys.
It’s not, she said, to be a prop in a film so “Hollywood producers can make a buck.”
Lange, senior vice president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, was among dozens of demonstrators who gathered outside the Arclight theater in Hollywood on Friday asking people to boycott the film “A Dog’s Purpose,” which on its opening night was already at the center of an animal abuse controversy.
PETA’s ‘Dog’s Purpose’ protest set for Friday night at ArcLight Hollywood
Family-friendly film “A Dog’s Purpose” remains at the center of a maelstrom of controversy after video of a frightened German shepherd being forced into rushing water during filming went viral last week.
Though distributor Universal Pictures canceled the film’s red carpet premiere and promotional press junket, PETA announced Thursday plans to protest the opening night of “A Dog’s Purpose” at ArcLight Hollywood.
“No amount of spin from Hollywood will change the fact that being forced to do a terrifying stunt is not a dog’s purpose,” said PETA’s senior vice president, Lisa Lange, in Thursday’s statement. “PETA is calling on kind people to boycott this film and send the message that animals should be treated humanely, not exploited and abused as movie props.”
PETA’s protest is scheduled to take place at ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles at 5:45 p.m. Friday.
President Trump calls Madonna ‘disgusting’ and ‘Saturday Night Live’ ‘a failing show’
President Trump commemorated his first week in office with a sit-down interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity at the White House on Thursday night. He weighed in on a variety of topics, from the media (“dishonest and disgusting”) to waterboarding (“really wasn’t torture”) to the border wall (“necessary”).
Trump also took aim at Madonna’s controversial speech at the Women’s March on Washington.
“Honestly, she’s disgusting. I think she hurt herself very badly. I think she hurt that whole cause,” Trump said.
In her speech Saturday, Madonna told the crowd, “Yes, I’m angry. Yes, I am outraged. Yes, I have thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.”
The singer continued, “But I know that this won’t change anything. We cannot fall into despair.”
Madonna later took to Instagram to clarify her remarks.
“I am not a violent person,” she wrote. “I do not promote violence, and it’s important people hear and understand my speech in its entirety rather than one phrase taken wildly out of context.”
“I thought what she said was disgraceful to our country,” Trump said of the speech.
Trump also addressed his latest flap with “Saturday Night Live.” Katie Rich, one of the show’s writers, was suspended indefinitely after making a joke on Twitter suggesting that Barron Trump would become “this country’s first homeschool shooter.”
“It’s a failing show, and Alec Baldwin’s a disaster,” Trump said. “But for NBC to attack my 10-year-old son is a disgrace.”
Barron Trump is not the first presidential offspring to draw criticism from the late-night comedy show. In 1992, a “Wayne’s World” sketch featuring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey dissecting the looks of then-12-year-old Chelsea Clinton.
“Adolescence has been thus far unkind,” the men stated, before tacking on that “she could turn into a babe in waiting.”
After criticism levied by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton, “SNL” opted to exclude the sketch from future airings. Executive producer Lorne Michaels explained the decision by saying, “We felt, upon reflection, that if it was in any way hurtful, it wasn’t worth it. She’s a kid, a kid who didn’t choose to be in public life.”
Watch Madonna’s speech here (warning: graphic language).
Watch Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik trash their posh hotel rooms in new ‘I Don’t Wanna Live Forever’ video
Your Friday just got a little more angsty. Pop stars Taylor Swift and Zayn Malik just dropped a new video for their slow jam “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” from the “Fifty Shades Darker” soundtrack.
“I’ve been looking sad in all the nicest places,” Swift sings on the slinky R&B song.
The video shows the “Bad Blood” and “Pillowtalk” singers wandering around a luxury hotel alone and trashing their rooms.
Shot in shades of red, green, and blue (get it?) at London’s St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel, they’re in the same space but do not interact until the very end. The video is a nod to the “Fifty Shades” franchise — the back and forth, the opulence, and the lingerie.
“Fifty Shades Darker” will be in theaters Feb. 10.
‘Mannix’ star Mike Connors dies at 91
Mike Connors, who played a hard-hitting private eye on the long-running TV series “Mannix,” has died. He was 91.
His son-in-law, Mike Condon, says the actor died Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital from recently diagnosed leukemia. His death comes a day after another late ‘60s/early ‘70s TV star — Mary Tyler Moore — passed away.
“Mannix” debuted on CBS in 1967 and ran for eight years.
Viewers were intrigued by the smartly dressed, well-spoken Los Angeles detective who could still mix it up with thugs. Episodes normally climaxed with a brawl.
Connors once said that until “Mannix,” TV private investigators were hard-nosed and cynical, while Mannix “got emotionally involved” in his cases.
Connors also starred in the short-lived TV shows “Tightrope” and “Today’s FBI.” His movie roles included “Sudden Fear” with Joan Crawford, “Island in the Sky,” ’’The Ten Commandments,” and a remake of “Stagecoach.”
Cast members of ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ remember MTM
As indelible as Mary Tyler Moore’s mark on American culture was, her influence was even more powerful on those lucky enough to work with her, particularly on the iconic “Mary Tyler Moore Show.”
Ed Asner, who played Mary Richards’ (Moore) cantankerous boss Lou Grant, said of Moore’s passing, “I lost a great friend, teacher, a great benefactor all of whom l loved.”
“A line from our theme song was ‘Love is all around,’ and that’s what it was for five days a week for seven years straight on the ‘Mary Tyler Moore’ set,” Gavin MacLeod told The Times in a statement Wednesday.
“It was all because of Mary! She was professional; she was extremely creative with a terrific sense of humor and a gifted actress. She set a pace for all of us to follow,” said MacLeod, who co-starred in the series as scriptwriter Murray Slaughter.
MacLeod called Moore a wonderful, loving and caring person, who was rightfully considered America’s sweetheart, adding, “Today, ‘sadness is all around’ for all of us and I will miss Mary, deeply.”
John Amos, who played weatherman Gordon “Gordy” Howard on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” from 1970 to 1973, when he left the show to star in Norman Lear’s “Good Times,” had nothing but fond things to say about his former castmate.
“When I think of Mary, I think of comedy at its finest. She was an inspiration to so many of us,” Amos told The Times. “I would say that the best opportunity that I could have to enter into serious television was ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show.’ She was a star of the first magnitude and a truly gracious lady. She was a joy to work with.”
Georgia Engel, who played the lovably kooky Georgette, wife to anchor Ted Baxter (the late Ted Knight), said, “She was my beloved friend, I loved her very much. She helped launch my career. She will be missed greatly.”
Cloris Leachman, who played Richards’ frenemy Phyllis Lindstrom for five years, before landing her own eponymous spinoff, tweeted Wednesday afternoon, confirming what fans had long suspected: that public perception of Moore was as accurate as it seemed.
Moore died Wednesday in Greenwich, Conn., from cardiopulmonary arrest after being hospitalized with pneumonia. She was 80.
In honor of its 29th anniversary, watch five timeless ‘Phantom of the Opera’ performances
“The Phantom of the Opera” is heerrre ... celebrating its 29th anniversary Thursday. Making its Broadway debut on Jan. 26, 1988, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical about a disfigured former singer who haunts the Paris Opera House and falls in love with a young singer, is Broadway’s longest-running musical.
To celebrate that milestone, we give you five standout renditions of the musical’s titular track. It’s a song that soars — perfectly encapsulating the drama and passion, and the impossibly high notes of the show.
Original cast members Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman were the first to take the stage as the Phantom and Christine. They performed at the 1988 Tonys, where the show picked up seven awards, including best musical.
Although Crawford was the first to don that infamous mask, Ramin Karimloo, an Iranian-born Canadian, often is cited as a fan favorite. Karimloo also performed in Webber’s sequel, “Love Never Dies.” [For the record, 3:41 p.m. Jan. 26: An earlier version of this post said that Crawford performed in Webber’s sequel. Karimloo performed in it.]
During its long run, “The Phantom of the Opera” has been performed around the world, from China and Germany to Brazil and Russia. Currently, there are seven productions of the musical playing across the globe, including in Japan.
In 2004, Webber’s musical made its way to the silver screen in a film starring Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler. However, this isn’t the first “Phantom” film. A silent horror film in 1925 and 1943’s musical horror were based on Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel, “Le Fantôme de l’Opéra.”
From Andrea Bocelli to Kelly Clarkson and Antonio Banderas, pop stars and actors have sung their own renditions of the production’s classic songs. There’s even a surprisingly good rendition by Nicole Scherzinger of Pussycat Dolls fame.
Danny Elfman and LA Film Festival announce judges for ‘Rabbit and Rogue’ competition
Always dreamed of having your short film scored by Grammy- and Emmy-winning — and four-time Oscar nominee — Danny Elfman? Now’s your chance.
Elfman introduced the Rabbit and Rogue Project in June 2016 as an opportunity for up-and-coming filmmakers to use selections from his “Rabbit and Rogue” album as inspiration and a soundtrack for their short films.
The competition, produced in partnership with the LA Film Festival and Indi.com, allows filmmakers to use selections from Elfman’s “Rabbit and Rogue” and compete for the opportunity to premiere their film at the 2017 LA Film Festival.
The festival announced Thursday the first five judges for the project: Paul Haggis (“Crash”), McG (“Charlie’s Angels”), Rob Minkoff (“The Lion King”), Sam Taylor-Johnson (“50 Shades of Grey”) and Gus Van Sant (“Good Will Hunting”).
The competition will award six winners, one for each of Elfman’s compositions, and the deadline for filmmakers to apply is April 15.
The LA Film Festival is June 14-22.
Five surprising Oscar nominations and how they happened
“Hacksaw Ridge” features Teresa Palmer, Andrew Garfield, Hugo Weaving, Sam Worthington and Vince Vaughn.
We saw “La La Land” coming. “Moonlight” too, not to mention “Hidden Figures.” All three made big splashes at the Toronto International Film Festival, showing they had what it took to go deep into the awards season.
But there were some Oscar nominees who, for various reasons, took a bit longer to register. And one who did immediately, only to fall off the radar when her movie failed to connect as strongly as we thought it would.
Here are the stories behind five of the season’s more surprising nominees.
MORE: 2017 Oscar nominations
Alex Gibney helming new project about the downfall of Roger Ailes
The professional undoing of former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes, who left the network in July amid multiple high-profile accusations of sexual harassment, continues to be creative catnip to some of Hollywood’s biggest names.
Award-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney (“Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” “Taxi to the Dark Side”) is the latest to be drawn to the tale and is currently prepping a documentary about the Ailes saga, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Little is known about the project, with Gibney telling THR, “As a matter of course, I don’t talk about what I’m working on.”
Gibney’s film joins a number of other Ailes projects in the works.
Gabriel Sherman, national affairs editor of New York magazine and author of Ailes biography “The Loudest Voice in the Room,” announced in October that he is working on a miniseries based on his reporting, to be overseen by Oscar-winning director Tom McCarthy (“Spotlight”).
In December, Annapurna Pictures acquired a pitch from Charles Randolph, co-writer of “The Big Short,” based primarily on Megyn Kelly, Gretchen Carlson and the other women at Fox News who levied the harassment claims at Ailes that eventually led to his removal.
Representatives for Gibney did not immediately reply to a request for comment Thursday morning.
Marvel and Square Enix announce new Avengers game
A new video game set in Marvel’s world of the Avengers is on the way.
Marvel Entertainment and Square Enix announced Thursday that they have partnered for the Avengers project. They said the game will feature an original story set in a universe to be filled with fan-favorite characters, environments and moments.
Developed by Crystal Dynamics (“Tomb Raider”) and Eidos-Montréal (“Deus Ex”), the Avengers project is the first game from Marvel and Square Enix’s announced “multi-year, multi-game partnership.”
The announcement trailer does not reveal much about the game, and more details are not expected until 2018.
Actor Shia LaBeouf arrested outside New York City museum
Actor Shia LaBeouf was arrested early Thursday after he allegedly got into an altercation with another man outside a New York City museum, where he has been chanting “He will not divide us” in front of a live camera since Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Police said LaBeouf pulled the scarf of an unidentified 25-year-old man outside the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, scratching his face in the process. They said he also pushed the man, who refused medical attention.
LaBeouf has spent the first few days of Trump’s presidency swaying, dancing and repeating the phrase “He will not divide us” in front of a live camera outside the museum. The livestream is for a participatory public art project LaBeouf and two collaborators intend to have running 24 hours a day for the next four years.
Mary Tyler Moore tribute specials to air on CBS and PBS
With a career that helped change the face of television, Mary Tyler Moore inspired a multitude of tributes on social media and elsewhere with news of her death on Wednesday at 80.
CBS, the network home for many of Moore’s projects, including “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” will air a tribute to the actress Thursday night. “Mary Tyler Moore: Love Is All Around” will be anchored by “CBS This Morning’s” Gayle King and feature interviews with many of Moore’s admirers, including Oprah Winfrey. The special will air from 9 to 10 p.m.
PBS has also resurfaced the 2015 documentary “Mary Tyler Moore: A Celebration,” which is streaming now at PBS.com and will air on various affiliates (check local listings). The hourlong program features interviews with a variety of television personalities Moore influenced and collaborated with, including Tina Fey, Betty White and Valerie Harper.
For a look at some deeper cuts in Mary Tyler Moore’s television history, GetTV will air the 1969 special “Dick Van Dyke and the Other Woman” as well as her early career appearance in the 1960 crime drama “Johnny Staccato.” Both will air on Monday at 8 p.m.
Then of course there’s the option of having your own tribute marathon of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” which is streaming now on Hulu as well as being available for purchase on iTunes and Amazon. Stumped for where to begin, other than the beginning? “Chuckles Bites the Dust,” of course (Season 6, Episode 7), which is often cited as one of the best examples of television comedy to have ever aired.
From ‘Oh, Rob!’ to the beret toss, Mary Tyler Moore moments have inspired multiple homages
As one might expect for an actor whose career made a broad impact on TV and pop culture, Mary Tyler Moore has inspired a long line of tributes with news of her death on Wednesday at 80 years old.
But given the impact of her groundbreaking work on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and elsewhere, the tributes and homages have been rolling in for decades.
One of the most indelible images attached with Moore’s career has been the hopeful opening credits of her series, which ran from 1970 to 1977.
That one-minute sequence and song, written and performed by Sonny Curtis, featured so many indelible details: the cheerful, pantsuit-wearing determination, the mid-sidewalk spin and frozen-in-time hat flip.
Known for noise-laden post-punk anthems, influential Minneapolis band Husker Du released their own version of “Love Is All Around” in 1984 as a B-Side.
In addition to the theme song’s impact on musicians (Joan Jett also contributed a memorable cover in the late ‘90s), that opening sequence has also been lovingly re-created at various points on TV. In an episode from the sixth season of “The Simpsons” that aired in 1995, Homer celebrated contentment at owning his own bowling alley with a somewhat clumsier take on the “Mary Tyler Moore Theme.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, “Family Guy” also offered its distinctive take on the show’s theme song, which was delivered as a unexpectedly effervescent piano solo and followed by a freeze-frame of its own.
A devout “Mary Tyler Moore Show” fan, Oprah Winfrey also offered her own tribute to the show’s opening credits on her show in 1997.
Of course, you don’t have to be famous to take on Mary Tyler Moore’s mid-sidewalk spin. Moore has become a bronze statue in the show’s home city of Minneapolis, and YouTube features a number of people offering their own homages to Mary Richards.
A comedian calling himself Squishyman created his own take on the opening credits in 2012 to commemorate his move to the show’s home city. And you have to give credit for the inclusion of the MTM logo, which also featured Moore’s cat, Mimsie.
Endearingly, the sequence also made an impression on young Minneapolis skate-bros in 2008, who offered their own four-wheeled interpretation to go with the video release “Boondoggle.” Of course, it’s closing shot featured something other than a beret tossed above the sidewalk.
Of course, “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” was beloved for far more than its opening credits. It broke new ground in ‘70s TV for Moore’s depiction of a single woman in the workplace and left an indelible mark on the decade. But whenever final episodes are discussed, the 1977 finale of this series will always be among the most heartfelt to have ever aired.
Even if the names Lou Grant, Ted Baxter and Mary Richards are lost on you, there’s still something immediately poignant in the final scene from this series. (And yes, I think we all need some Kleenex.)
NBC hit ‘This Is Us’ made reference to ‘Ordinary People’ shortly before Mary Tyler Moore’s death
In a lovely bit of serendipity, NBC’s hit family drama “This Is Us” made reference to Mary Tyler Moore’s performance in “Ordinary People” recently, serving as a timely memorial in wake of the actress’ death.
During the Jan. 17 episode, titled “The Big Day,” Dr. K (Gerald McRaney) is encouraged by his son and daughter-in-law to move on after his wife’s death 14 months prior.
One scene, set in flashback in October 1980, features the doctor’s son making reference to “The Empire Strikes Back” before acknowledging his wife’s preference for “Ordinary People” and Mary Tyler Moore, an actress Dr. K notes that his wife loved.
“It was really moving to see Mary play such a complicated mother. You don’t see that often,” his daughter-in-law says.
The comment is notable for several reasons, the first of which being the show’s nod at unconventional motherhood displayed in its own DNA, as well as the reference to “Ordinary People” as a whole.
In the film, Moore’s character is a mother, struggling with the grief of losing one son and the suicide attempt of another, a struggle the bereaved Dr. K knows well.
It was a tiny moment but one that represents all the ways in which Mary Tyler Moore may be gone but will never be forgotten.
“This Is Us” returns to NBC on Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. Pacific.
‘Thank you for changing the face of TV, #MaryTylerMoore!’
“Who didn’t love her?” actor Brett Spiner tweeted incredulously as word of Mary Tyler Moore’s death spread on Wednesday. He was only one of many famous folks speaking fondly of the beloved actress on social media.
Ed Asner, Ellen DeGeneres, Britney Spears, Ben Stiller, Dan Rather, Newt Gingrich and many more remembered Moore as an inspiration, a trailblazer, a friend, a colleague and a role model.
Viola Davis thanked her for “changing the face of TV” by presenting “the first real image of a woman being independent, funny & vulnerable.”
Some, like “Modern Family” star Jesse Tyler Ferguson, shared memories of working with her.
Even the world’s most famous frog seemed to have a tear in his eye.
MORE: Celebrity reactions to the passing of Mary Tyler Moore
Actor and director Robert Redford remembers ‘Ordinary People’ star Mary Tyler Moore
Mary’s energy, spirit and talent created a new bright spot in the television landscape and she will be very much missed. The courage she displayed in taking on a role,(‘Ordinary People’), darker than anything she had ever done, was brave and enormously powerful.
— Robert Redford, director of 1980’s Academy Award-winning best picture “Ordinary People,” starring Mary Tyler Moore
Mary Tyler Moore, independent icon who changed television, dies at 80
Mary Tyler Moore, the multiple Emmy-winning actress who first charmed TV viewers on “The Dick Van Dyke Show” in the 1960s and became a beloved TV icon who could “turn the world on with her smile” on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” in the 1970s, has died. She was 80.
In a career that began as Happy Hotpoint, the dancing and singing 3-inch pixie in Hotpoint appliance commercials on “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet” in 1955 when she was 18, Moore went on to star in television and films and on Broadway.
In 1981, she received an Academy Award nomination for best actress for her portrayal of the emotionally cold mother in “Ordinary People,” the Robert Redford-directed drama about an upper-middle-class family dealing with the death of its eldest son in a boating accident with his brother.
The unsympathetic, dark role was a departure for Moore, who remains best known for her light touch in two classic situation comedies that, together, earned her six Emmy Awards.
Review: The CW’s ‘Riverdale’ is a vital and invitingly dark take on Archie Comics
Archie Andrews, the redheaded comic-book character whose animated band “The Archies” had a bona fide hit with “Sugar Sugar” in 1969, comes to live-action television Thursday in the new CW series “Riverdale.”
You will have guessed by now that this is not your grandmother’s “Archie,” but the comics have spanned several parallel universes. The characters have lived in prehistoric times and in the future; Archie has married both Betty and Veronica; been shot to death; and weathered a zombie apocalypse, in a 2013 series, “Afterlife with Archie,” written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who developed “Riverdale” and is also the chief creative officer of Archie Comics; this iteration could not be more official.
The cast of “Riverdale” talk about the new look for the “Archie.”
Read MoreMORE: The CW sends Archie, Betty, Veronica and the gang back to ‘Riverdale’ in a new twist on the classic comic
MORE: TV Reviews >>
Bruno Mars to perform at Grammy Awards
The Recording Academy revealed Wednesday that Bruno Mars will perform for the first time at the Grammys since 2013. Mars, a four-time Grammy winner, is nominated for his work on Adele’s “25,” which is up for album of the year.
The singer-songwriter joins a lineup that includes John Legend, Metallica, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and Adele. Late-night host James Corden will anchor this year’s ceremony, replacing rapper-actor LL Cool J.
Read MoreCOMPLETE COVERAGE: 2017 Grammy nominations, reactions and more
‘La La Land’ and ‘Moonlight’ lead the 2017 Oscar nominations
The Oscars aren’t so white any more: This year’s slate of nominees includes a diverse group across multiple categories.
The 2017 Academy Award nominations have been revealed, with the critically acclaimed “La La Land” and “Moonlight” dominating the major categories.
With Viola Davis, Dev Patel, Octavia Spencer, Denzel Washington, Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris and Ruth Negga getting acting nominations, the 89th Academy Awards will definitely not be so white.
The 89th Academy Awards will take place on Feb. 26 at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and will air live at 5:30 p.m. PST.
‘SNL’ writer suspended indefinitely for tweet mocking Barron Trump
Katie Rich, a “Saturday Night Live” writer who mocked Barron Trump, the youngest child of President Donald Trump, in a tweet during Friday’s inaugural festivities, has been suspended from the late-night comedy show.
Rich was suspended immediately after the tweet, and will be suspended indefinitely, according to a source familiar with the matter but not authorized to comment publicly.
In the original message, Rich predicted that 10-year-old Barron would become “the country’s first homeschool shooter.” The message was soon deleted by Rich, who also temporarily deactivated her personal Twitter account, but not before it drew widespread condemnation online.
On Monday, Rich apologized for the initial tweet, calling it “insensitive.” “I deeply regret my actions & offensive words. It was inexcusable & I’m so sorry,” said Rich, a veteran of Chicago’s Second City who joined the NBC comedy show in 2013.
The Rich controversy is the latest wrinkle in “SNL’s” complicated history with Trump, who has been a regular target of ridicule on the show since the 1980s, when he was played by Phil Hartman. Trump became the first actively campaigning presidential candidate to host the show last year, amid controversy over his comments on Mexican immigrants.
But since Alec Baldwin began playing Trump this fall, the relationship has soured. The president has repeatedly taken to Twitter in the wee hours to criticize the show’s gleefully mocking portrayals of him and his relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
For ‘Insecure’ creator Issa Rae, South L.A. locations are a sexy part of the story
When Issa Rae first pitched her show “Insecure,” one director suggested that she move it to New York. As filming got underway, she had to push to shoot in South L.A. neighborhoods. She was asked to film the fundraiser scenes in the San Fernando Valley for convenience. She refused.
Rae’s South L.A. childhood wasn’t the bullets-and-body-count world portrayed so often by Hollywood, she told the Los Angeles Times. The daughter of an Inglewood dentist, she grew up in View Park, an area sometimes called the “black Beverly Hills.”
But all she saw on screens big and small was a depiction of the area as “the ‘scary hood,’” she said. In her HBO series, she wanted to make her part of town “feel sexy,” as has been done with so many other L.A. locales.
“There’s just something magical about being in the area, supporting the community and just the essence of the neighborhood that we’re bringing to life,” Rae said.
“I don’t want to fake any parts of the show. I don’t want to fake Inglewood,” she said. “I don’t want to fake Leimert because these places exist and they really get used.”
Twitter rejoices in Stacey Dash’s ouster from Fox News
Stacey Dash’s detractors are having the last laugh over news that the actress-turned-political commentator was let go from Fox News.
Although the vocal Trump supporter has been a pundit on Fox News since 2014, a representative told the Hollywood Reporter that she has been off the air since September, after the network declined to renew her contract.
Dash rose to fame for her role in 1995’s “Clueless,” but it was her outspoken conservative views that brought the actress back to the spotlight years later.
After using social media to show her support for presidential candidate Mitt Romney in 2012, calling him “the only choice for your future,” Dash gained notoriety for using the platform to share her views on race, politics and other social issues.
Although she is of black and Mexican heritage and even appeared on the BET series “The Game,” Dash called for getting rid of BET and Black History Month.
Dash shared troublesome views about the transgender community and used the Pulse nightclub tragedy to show support for Trump.
She even penned a book about her views, “There Goes My Social Life: From Clueless to Conservative.”
Shocking no one, Twitter is having a field day.
‘Star Wars: Episode VIII’ gets an official title
It’s official. The next installment of the main “Star Wars” saga will be called “The Last Jedi.” Lucasfilm unveiled the Episode VIII title Monday morning, but did not reveal who this last Jedi could be.
Could the title be a reference to Luke Skywalker, the most recent Jedi the “Star Wars” films followed? Or is it a hint that Rey, who discovered she can wield the Force in “The Force Awakens,” may be the last of her kind?
Written and directed by Rian Johnson, “The Last Jedi” will pick up close to where “The Force Awakens” ended: Rey opposite Luke after she tracked him down to learn more about the Force and the way of the Jedi.
Daisy Ridley will return as Rey in the next “Star Wars” installment, along with Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), John Boyega (Finn), Oscar Isaac (Poe Dameron), Adam Driver (Kylo Ren), Gwendoline Christie (Captain Phasma), Lupita Nyong’o (Maz Kanata), Dohmnall Gleeson (General Hux), Andy Serkis (Supreme Leader Snoke), and the late Carrie Fisher (General Leia).
The film is produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman and executive produced by J.J. Abrams, Jason McGatlin and Tom Karnowski.
“The Last Jedi” will hit theaters Dec. 15.
Presidents are expected to uplift, but Donald Trump’s musical choices may indicate an inability to dream
The words felt like private thoughts found in an old diary and newly exposed to fresh air.
“If you try acting sad, you’ll only make me glad.”
“I ain’t got no love, I ain’t the kind to meet.”
“Regrets, I’ve had a few — but then again too few to mention.”
Yet this wasn’t the sour fruit of opposition research. The words are lyrics from two songs prominently featured in Donald Trump’s inaugural festivities: the Rolling Stones’ “Heart of Stone,” which played as Trump and his wife Melania entered a celebratory concert at the Lincoln Memorial, and “My Way,” the standard popularized by Frank Sinatra that accompanied the first couple’s first dance at an inaugural ball.
Let that sink in.
At a moment when millions of Americans were looking to the new president for signs of hope, inclusion or generosity — for anything beyond the acrid demagoguery many felt marked his campaign — Trump chose songs that proudly delivered messages of callous self-regard.
The true start of the Trump presidential reality show: The presidency and television ratings collide
In his first statement as White House press secretary, Sean Spicer conveyed the top priority of his boss, America’s first reality-TV star/executive producer president. For Donald J. Trump, it was all about ratings, ratings, ratings.
“This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the world,” insisted Spicer on Saturday to a pool of reporters, despite Nielsen ratings data and aerial crowd image estimates that showed Trump on the low end of first-term inaugural viewership and attendance. Reporters who stated otherwise, said Spicer, were peddling “false narratives.”
Instead of a message about eradicating Obamacare, defeating Islamic State or the immense responsibility of beginning a new term at the helm of the largest democracy in the world, Spicer was fighting a previously unthinkable idea — that Trump had failed to woo a crowd.
‘House of Cards’ announces return date for America’s favorite presidential sociopath
Keenly coupled with the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States on Friday, Netflix released a teaser trailer for the fifth season of “House of Cards.”
The series, which features a ruthless couple, Frank and Claire Underwood (Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright), manipulating their way to the top of the American political hierarchy, ended its fourth season in disarray, just two weeks before Underwood was up for re-election.
By the looks of things in the teaser, featuring the American flag flying upside down -- a symbol of distress and/or disrespect that the show has used since its inception -- Season 5 will see the Underwoods struggling with greater obstacles than ever before.
Also, the disembodied children’s voices reciting the Pledge of Allegiance are a nice touch.
The next season of “House of Cards” debuts on May 30 on Netflix.
Solange Knowles and Esperanza Spalding perform for hope and resistance at Peace Ball
Peace Ball: Voices of Hope and Resistance, an alternative to the ongoing inauguration festivities, brought around 3,000 people to the National Museum of African American History & Culture in Washington., D.C., on Thursday.
The guests, including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, Ashley Judd, DeRay McKesson and Melissa Harris-Perry, showed up to reflect on recent successes in healthcare, climate change and marriage equality.
Actor Danny Glover, the event organizer, activist Andy Shallal and others also used the platform to discuss the next steps after the election.
“We can’t just sit and lick our wounds,” Glover said. “Our work is cut out for us. We have to make some hard choices.”
But attendees let loose with some music that was a far cry from the performances at Thursday’s inaugural celebration concerts.
R&B firebrand Solange Knowles took the stage around midnight, introduced by iconic activist Angela Davis, who called her songs “anthems of our resistance.” Knowles performed hits from her black-power album, “A Seat at the Table.”
Jazz musician Esperanza Spalding began one song with hand-drumming on her signature upright bass, with her background singers playing hand games in the background to keep the beat.
Check out clips from the performances:
‘God Bless the U.S.A.’ singer Lee Greenwood recalls many inaugurations -- and singing for Donald Trump
With the sound of helicopters hovering overhead, the country singer Lee Greenwood took a phone call on Thursday while standing backstage at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Greenwood, who is best known for his patriotic anthem “God Bless the U.S.A.,” was waiting in the wings for his afternoon gig an hour later as part of President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural concert.
If Greenwood didn’t sound nervous, it’s because he’d done this a few times before. The veteran hitmaker, who was born in Los Angeles and raised in Sacramento, has now performed during the inaugurations of every Republican president since Ronald Reagan.
“It never gets old,” he said of playing his flagship song during historic occasions.
“Since I wrote it in 1983, there have been so many moments when the song has assisted not just me, but the country,” he said, estimating it took him a half hour to write. “The first Gulf War, the disaster with Katrina, the Sept. 11 attack on America, and each time ‘God Bless the U.S.A.’ has served a role.”
As Greenwood spoke, a bugle playing “Taps” echoed in the background.
Greenwood added that on Wednesday he met Trump backstage at the National Portrait Gallery during a fundraising dinner in honor of Vice President-elect Mike Pence. The singer and the soon-to-be president chatted for a second.
“He said he was thankful that we were there,” Greenwood recalled, “and told me that he likes my music.”
Greenwood and his wife took a photo with Trump, who, Greenwood added, “was also taking pictures with a lot of the military who were there, and I commended him for that. I think it’s just terrific that the president would immediately embrace the military for their sacrifices.”
See Stephen Colbert and ‘Stephen Colbert’ bid Barack Obama farewell
Stephen Colbert said goodbye to the Obama administration the only way he knew how: by bringing back “Stephen Colbert.”
Colbert’s conservative blowhard persona, created on “The Daily Show,” and host of “The Colbert Report” returned Thursday night — though for rights issues, “The Late Show” version is actually the identical cousin of “Stephen Colbert” — to bid a surprisingly fond farewell to President Obama.
During the segment, Colbert spoke about how Obama’s administration gave conservatives a purpose.
“That’s why I want to say, ‘Thanks, Obama,’ ” Colbert said. “You reminded guys like me what we truly stand for: the opposite of whatever you say.”
Colbert went on to talk about all of the obstructionist tactics used to block many of Obama’s initiatives before turning serious and dropping his facade a bit.
“I know the Constitution says you have to go, but I will miss you. You were a worthy adversary. You were a leader of vision, patience, dignity, passion and humanity,” Colbert said. “And it really felt good fighting for the opposite of all those things.”
Finally, the mask slipped entirely, and the real Colbert took over.
“For the last time, from me, the real Stephen Colbert, I just want to say, ‘Thanks, Obama.’ ”
As a tidy bookend, here’s how Stephen Colbert and “The Colbert Report” covered the president’s inauguration in 2009.
On inauguration eve, the Actors Gang theater turns on a ‘ghostlight’ for tolerance
Less than 12 hours before Donald Trump was scheduled to be sworn into office in Washington, about three dozen actors, writers, directors, crew members and others affiliated with the Actors’ Gang theater in Culver City gathered in the plaza outside their building to turn on a light.
The sky was turning cobalt and the wind had picked up a chilly edge as actor Brian Finney read from a short statement.
“When our theaters go dark at the end of the night, we turn on a ‘ghostlight’ — offering visibility and safety for all who might enter,” he stated. “Like a ghostlight, the light we create tonight will represent our commitment to safeguard — it will symbolize safe harbor for our values and for any among us who find ourselves targeted because of race, class, religion, country of origin, immigration status, (dis)ability, gender identity, sexual identity or dissident actions in the coming years.”
The light switched on, and the group’s members turned on their cellphone flashlights and held them overhead.
The Actors’ Gang was one of dozens of theaters across the country to participate in the Ghostlight Project on the eve of Trump’s inauguration — a way for members of the theater community to “create ‘light’ for dark times ahead” by proclaiming a commitment to tolerance.
George Clooney comments on the death of his cousin, actor Miguel Ferrer
Miguel Ferrer, an actor with a long list of credits that included “Twin Peaks” and a recent role on CBS’ “NCIS: Los Angeles,” died of cancer Thursday. The actor’s cousin, George Clooney, sent out a statement on his passing:
Today history will mark giant changes in our world, and lost to most will be that on the same day Miguel Ferrer lost his battle to throat cancer. But not lost to his family. Miguel made the world brighter and funnier, and his passing is felt so deeply in our family that events of the day (monumental events) pale in comparison. We love you, Miguel. We always will.
Toby Keith, fireworks and images from the Trump inauguration concert
Toby Keith, 3 Doors Down and other performers not protesting President-elect Donald Trump performed in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., at his inaugural concert -- “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration.”
As Trump and his wife, Melania, looked on, Jon Voight, Lee Greenwood, the American Tap Company and more welcomed the newest first family with performances and fireworks.
Watch X-23 and Wolverine in action in new ‘Logan’ trailer
The final trailer for “Logan” has been released, and it puts mini-Wolverine Laura Kinney in the spotlight. But Hugh Jackman fans need not worry — there’s plenty of action to go around.
Played by Dafne Keen, the young mutant Kinney, a.k.a. X-23, is a clone of Wolverine, and as the trailer shows, she is just as dangerous. In addition to her retractable adamantium claws, X-23 has inherited Wolverine’s healing factor, super strength and heightened senses. She even inherited his title in the comic book series “All-New Wolverine.”
Speaking of comics, looks like Kinney is at least familiar with the Marvel comic book series.
“We got ourselves an ‘X-Men’ fan,” says Logan while holding up Kinney’s comic book. Though he is quick to clarify “Maybe a quarter of it happened, and not like this.”
The latest trailer is less somber than the first trailer that introduced fans to the scarred and aged Logan. But it does still feature the much more wary Logan, an ailing Professor X (Patrick Stewart) and mysterious villains who seem to be after the young X-23.
Directed by James Mangold, “Logan” is scheduled for a March 3 release.
Paul McCartney sues Sony/ATV over Beatles song rights
The long saga over the rights to the Beatles catalog entered a new phase on Wednesday when Paul McCartney sued music publisher Sony/ATV over the rights to 267 songs that he penned for the band with co-writer John Lennon.
The suit, filed in the Southern District of New York in Manhattan, is the latest turn for the legendary, and lucrative, bank of songs, which includes all of the Beatles’ hits – “Yesterday,” “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Hey Jude” and dozens more.
Full coverage of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is always exciting — ski slopes, film nerds and movie stars! This year, the festival is being held during a presidential inauguration, a women’s protest march and the announcement of Oscar nominations.
Join the Los Angeles Times’ team of intrepid critics and reporters as they navigate art, politics and parties. Hang out with filmmakers, march with Chelsea Handler, watch next year’s big films (and festival flops) emerge. Our team will show you what’s happening and why it matters.
‘Galvanizing unity’: Janelle Monáe, Maxwell, Angelique Kidjo among Women’s March on Washington performers
Janelle Monáe, Maxwell and Angelique Kidjo will be among the performers taking the stage Saturday as part of the Women’s March on Washington, D.C., event organizers announced Wednesday.
Also set to perform at the National Mall on the first day of the Trump administration: Toshi Reagon, Samantha Ronson, Emily Wells, DJ Rekha, MC Lyte, St. Beauty, Beverly Bond, Alia Sharief, DJ Rimarkable, Amber Coffman, the Indigo Girls, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Climbing PoeTree.
“Music has always been a powerful tool for galvanizing unity and I believe that singing and standing together, our voices will be stronger than any force that tries to repress us,” Monáe said in a statement, calling the march a “critical movement to bring justice and equality to all.”
“Fistful of Tears” singer Maxwell added, “We are here because women are every bit as capable if not more able to pursue any goal they set forth for themselves. Were it not for the limitless depths of their love we would not be the men that we are.”
Kidjo, who was born in West Africa, said she wanted to remind people of the importance of cultural diversity.
The rally, which will include speeches as well as performances, begins at 10 a.m. EST. A special version of “Ella’s Song” will cap the rally, with marchers invited to sing along. The march will begin at 1:15 p.m.
The classic protest anthem was written in honor of civil rights leader Ella Baker by Bernice Johnson Reagon, Toshi Reagon’s mom. Reagon’s new take on it can be heard here.
Thousands of Angelenos who can’t make it to Washington on Saturday are expected to gather that day in downtown L.A. for Women’s March Los Angeles. The event will start at 9 a.m. PST with speeches and sign-making at Pershing Square. At 10 a.m., participants will march to City Hall, where a rally will be held.
NBC announces 10-episode return of ‘Will & Grace’
NBC is looking for a little of that must-see-TV magic, announcing Wednesday the return of “Will & Grace” for a 10-episode limited run.
A Thursday night staple, the multi-cam sitcom debuted in 1998, chronicling the adventures of best friends Will (Eric McCormack) and Grace (Debra Messing) and their eccentric friends Jack (Sean Hayes) and Karen (Megan Mullally).
All four actors will be returning for the reprise, as will series creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan, who will act as showrunners and executive producers.
The revamp will also see the return of television legend James Burrows, who directed every episode of the series’ original eight-season run, to direct and executive produce.
“We’re thrilled that one of the smartest, funniest, and most defining comedies in NBC history is coming back,” the network’s entertainment chairman, Robert Greenblatt, said in a statement. “This groundbreaking series for everything from gay rights to social and political commentary — all disguised as a high-speed train of witty pop culture — is coming back where it belongs.”
According to Jennifer Salke, president of NBC Entertainment, talks with Mutchnick and Kohan about producing new episodes of the show began in September after the cast and crew reunited to film a message to get out the vote.
“Dave and I are absolutely thrilled about the opportunity to write what Will, Grace, Jack and Karen are thinking about in 2017,” Mutchnick said in a statement.
“It was heaven,” Messing told The Times in October after the cast reunited originally. “I mean, it had been ten and a half years since the four of us had been in the same room together. To come together – literally the original costume designer, the original director, camera operator, it was a true reunion.”
During its original run, “Will & Grace” garnered 83 Emmy Award nominations, winning 16, including accolades for all four stars.
Look for “Will & Grace” to return to NBC during the 2017-18 season.
Read more about NBC’s TCA announcement here.
UPDATES:
11:15 a.m.: Updated with comment from Debra Messing.
This article was originally published at 10:16 a.m.
NBC orders 20 additional episodes of LeBron James-produced game show ‘The Wall’
If the whole basketball thing doesn’t work out for him, NBA superstar LeBron James has another lucrative career to fall back on: television producing.
NBC announced Wednesday that it was ordering an additional 20 episodes of the game show “The Wall,” which is produced by James and his business manager, Maverick Carter.
“When we started ‘The Wall,’ we wanted to create something that would get families excited and change people’s lives. Maverick and I couldn’t be more proud of the show’s early success and we want to keep building on that,” James said in a statement. “I want to thank NBC for their partnership, Andrew Glassman for his vision, and all the fans for their support.”
Hosted by professional television host Chris Hardwick, “The Wall” features teammates answering trivia questions while balls drop down a Plinko-esque wall determining their fortune or failure.
“We’re thrilled that viewers have become as captivated by ‘The Wall’ as we are,” said Meredith Ahr, president of Universal Television Alternative Studio, NBC Entertainment. “We have been in pursuit of a brand new high-stakes game show for a while and are so happy to have developed it with LeBron James.”
After settling into its regular Tuesday time slot, “The Wall” has averaged a 1.7 rating among adults 18-49, averaging 6.9 million viewers overall, according to “live plus same day” Nielsen ratings.
“The Wall” airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Pacific.
Lamar Odom, post-rehab: ‘I committed suicide enough already’
Lamar Odom is back -- but he’s not the same man he was at the end of 2016.
“I was defeated. I had my white flag up,” Odom said Tuesday on “The Doctors,” the show he’d talked to in December, right before he checked into a San Diego rehab and right before his divorce from Khloe Kardashian became final.
“The only place to go from where I was at was being dead. And I committed suicide enough already,” he told Dr. Travis Stork.
The former Clipper and Laker said his ex-wife -- he kept calling her “my wife” -- is still very important to him.
When he woke up in the hospital, he said, he had no idea how he’d gotten there. He remembers being at the brothel and “thinking I was just going to rest a little bit.” He also said he didn’t do cocaine the night he overdosed and nearly died.
“I didn’t know, until Khloe had told me, that I was in a coma,” he said. “I couldn’t even speak at the time. I couldn’t talk, so I was scared.”
Kardashian stood by his side the whole time and went through the bad times with him, he said.
“To my family and to Khloe, I just want to tell them I’m sorry for all that wasted time and wasted energy. In my addiction I didn’t know who I was,” Odom said. “I couldn’t take care of myself -- I damn sure couldn’t take care of myself.”
The former “Khloe & Lamar” star said he got a lot off his shoulders in rehab and reconnected with his kids “just in time” during the process, when he was mentally and physically exhausted. And now it’s about moving forward.
“Honestly,” Odom said, “I want my wife back. Other than that, I just want to live a happy, healthy life.”
Kardashian, of course, has been having a happy life lately with new boyfriend Tristan Thompson, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Katherine Heigl and Josh Kelley have welcomed a third child
Katherine Heigl and her musician husband Josh Kelley have a third child as of late December, and he’s named after his daddy.
The “27 Dresses” actress and her musician husband, already parents to Naleigh, 8, and Adalaide, 4, confirmed the news of Joshua Bishop’s Dec. 20 birth to People on Monday.
Heigl announced in June that their first bio-baby was on the way, posting a sonogram on Instagram and announcing on her blog that it was a boy.
“Naleigh and Adalaide are over the moon and cannot wait to spoil their new sibling rotten,” she blogged at the time. “Josh and I are full of high hopes and bubbling anticipation. The whole pregnancy thing is new to me, but the thrill of having a baby is not.”
The couple -- who met in 2006 and got married in 2008 -- adopted Naleigh in 2009 and welcomed Adalaide to the family, also via adoption, in 2012.
Turns out there’s more than one new baby in their life too -- on Sunday, Kelley posted a picture of the “beautiful baby bobcat” that was hanging out outside their window in snowy Utah, where they have a home.
Here’s hoping little Joshua is a bit less wild than this guy:
Where to go on free museums day
Dozens of museums in Southern California have teamed up to offer free admission during the 12th annual Museums Free-for-All day.
The event, on Jan. 29, raises awareness about the wealth of museums in the area, including those that highlight art, science, natural history and cultural heritage.
Participating institutions that normally charge admission, such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, will join those that don’t, such as the Getty, the Broad and the Hammer Museum.
The complete recordings of ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic to be collected in 15-album ‘Squeeze Box’
If the prospect of a 15-album box set of nothing but novelty records sounds a little weird, that’s exactly the idea. Actually, it’s designed to be a lot weird — “Weird Al” Yankovic, that is.
The all-time king of pop music parody is preparing the monumental release later this year to mark his 40-year anniversary, sending up most of pop culture’s most influential forces, including Bob Dylan, Michael Jackson, Nirvana, Madonna, Lady Gaga and “Star Wars.”
The Times is premiering a teaser video for the project, “Squeeze Box: The Complete Recordings of ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic.” The teaser finds Yankovic’s longtime friend and drummer, Jon “Bermuda” Schwartz, guiding viewers through his trove of “Weird Al” memorabilia.
What to look forward to on TV and at the movies in 2017
From old favorites (HBO’s “Game of Thrones,” Universal’s “The Fate of the Furious”) to shiny new confections (Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” the CW’s “Riverdale”), here are the movies and television shows that the L.A. Times’ Calendar staff are most excited to see in 2017. We don’t know if any of them will be any good, but we can’t wait to find out.
Giancarlo Esposito’s ‘Breaking Bad’ criminal Gus Fring is returning to TV on ‘Better Call Saul’
You can’t keep a good villain down, particularly when he was both the head of a fast-food chicken chain and a drug kingpin.
Gus Fring, the soft-spoken but vicious criminal who met an explosive end in “Breaking Bad,” is returning to life in AMC’s “Better Call Saul,” the prequel to the landmark drama that revolved around the rise and fall of drug king Walter White.
The resurrection of Fring, played by Giancarlo Esposito, was unveiled Sunday during a panel promoting the upcoming third season of “Better Call Saul” at the Television Critics Assn. press tour when a faux commercial showing Fring at his Los Pollos Hermanos restaurant was shown. Esposito then entered the room of TV writers and helped hand out boxes of Los Pollos Hermanos chicken.
It’s over: Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are officially divorced and she’s keeping the dogs
A judge ended Johnny Depp and Amber Heard‘s marriage on Friday, ending months of bickering between the pair over the final terms of their breakup.
The judgment keeps in place many of the key terms the actors agreed to in August, when they announced a settlement in their divorce a day before a restraining order hearing that would have focused on Heard’s allegations that Depp was physically abusive toward her.
“We are all pleased to put this unpleasant chapter in Mr. Depp and his family’s lives behind them,” his attorney Laura Wasser wrote in a statement. “Having his request for entry of the dissolution judgment granted today made it a particularly lucky Friday the 13th.”
The couple has no children together, but Heard will keep their dogs, Pistol and Boo, and a horse named Arrow.
Judd Apatow on Trump era: ‘Everything now is weirder than the movie “Network” ’
It’s hard to do comedy when what’s happening is so weird. We’ve really passed the point where daily offense would be logical if I was writing a movie. Everything now is weirder than the movie ‘Network.’
— Judd Apatow on the role of comedy in the coming Trump administration
‘I hear you’: Jennifer Holliday responds to LGBT community and backs out of Trump inauguration gig
Broadway star Jennifer Holliday has backed out as a performer at next week’s presidential inaugural, saying she did not realize that her participation would be interpreted as a statement of support for President-elect Donald Trump.
Holliday, best known for her Tony-winning role in Broadway’s “Dreamgirls,” faced pressure from her gay, lesbian and black fans when it was announced she would sing at a Thursday concert at Washington’s Lincoln Memorial.
Holliday said in a statement Saturday that she apologized for her lapse of judgment, for being uneducated on the issues and causing heartbreak for her fans.
Several prominent entertainers have declined to perform at Trump inaugural festivities. Country star Toby Keith and actor Jon Voight are in the lineup for Thursday’s concert.
Holliday’s reversal was first reported by the Wrap; the publication obtained a letter Holliday wrote to her fans. Her representative, Bill Carpenter, confirmed the details in the letter to the Associated Press.
“My only choice must now be to stand with the LGBT Community and to state unequivocally that I WILL NOT PERFORM FOR THE WELCOME CONCERT OR FOR ANY OF THE INAUGURATION FESTIVITIES!” she wrote.
“Please know that I HEAR YOU and I feel your pain. The LGBT Community was mostly responsible for birthing my career and I am deeply indebted to you,” she added. “You have loved me faithfully and unconditionally and for so many years you provided me with work even though my star had long since faded.”
In an interview with the Associated Press on Friday, Holliday defended her decision to perform at the inauguration.
“I didn’t see it as singing for Trump; I saw it as singing for the people on the mall,” Holliday told the AP.
The performer, who most recently starred on Broadway in “The Color Purple,” said she was hurt by the angry backlash, which included calls to boycott her music. Others called her “Uncle Tom,” and there was even a suggestion that she take her own life.
“It just really made my heart drop to my feet,” Holliday said. “How could I have this much hate spewing at me, and I haven’t even done anything? I guess it’s not like those old days when political views were your own and you had freedom of speech. We live in a different time now, and a decision to go and do something for America is not so clear-cut anymore.”
Holliday was to perform at the “Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration” which is to include Keith, Voight and Trump himself.
The celebrity wattage for Trump’s inaugural festivities doesn’t rival that of Barack Obama’s inaugurations, which attracted top names including Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, U2, Alicia Keys, Kelly Clarkson, Eva Longoria and Jennifer Hudson. But Trump has insisted that’s how he wants it, saying the swearing-in festivities should be about the people, not the A-list stars.
Bowing to family outrage, ‘Urban Myths’ cans TV episode featuring Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson
An upcoming TV episode that dramatized the urban myth of Michael Jackson, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando taking a post-9/11 road trip is about to become an urban myth of its own.
British television channel Sky Arts announced Friday morning its decision not to air the “Urban Myths” episode after Jackson’s family expressed its outrage over Joseph Fiennes’ portrayal of the late icon.
“We have taken the decision not to broadcast ‘Elizabeth, Michael, and Marlon,’ a half-hour episode from the Sky Arts ‘Urban Myths’ series, in light of the concerns expressed by Michael Jackson’s immediate family,” a Sky spokesperson said in a statement.
“We set out to take a light-hearted look at reportedly true events and never intended to cause any offence. Joseph Fiennes fully supports our decision.”
Fiennes’ casting last year sparked outrage -- a white British actor playing the black King of Pop? Really? -- but it was nothing compared with the public’s swift disgust upon seeing the first trailer for the series.
Jackson’s daughter, Paris, stated that the project was “shameful” and made her sick to her stomach, sentiments echoed by her cousin Taj Jackson.
President Obama understood the power of words to elicit images and rouse passions
Moments after he was elected as the country’s first black president in 2008, Barack Obama stepped on a Chicago stage and mingled poetry with optimism, praising Americans who were not afraid to “put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.”
Whether as candidate or president, Obama knew it came down to words, the way they spun and gathered, lifted and fell on precise beats with restrained flourish. From the moment he electrified the Democratic National Convention in 2004 until his farewell address Tuesday night, his speeches streamed from an eloquent inner voice that could lay bare the vestiges of racism and mourn with a nation stricken by gun violence and the graves of children.
Obama’s legislative legacy may be in jeopardy from President-elect Donald Trump, but the grace of his prose will endure. A gifted writer, Obama understood the power of words to elicit images and rouse passions in settings from the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala., to the banks of the Nile in Cairo. His sentences soothed and stung, coaxed and challenged, drawing fits from his critics while urging his supporters to seek moral and political transcendence.
His cadence and description created pictures. In his 2009 eulogy for Edward M. Kennedy, Obama seemed to channel F. Scott Fitzgerald, saying the enduring image left by the senator was “of a man on a boat; white mane tousled; smiling broadly as he sails into the wind, ready for whatever storms may come.”
Paris Jackson is ‘incredibly offended’ by Joseph Fiennes’ Michael Jackson portrayal
It seems Paris Jackson has gotten a glimpse of the footage of “Urban Myths,” which features Joseph Fiennes as her late father, Michael Jackson, and she’s calling it “shameful.”
The British comedy series recently released a new trailer, which includes footage of Fiennes playing the King of Pop on a road trip with Elizabeth Taylor (Stockard Channing) and Marlon Brando (Brian Cox), all three of whom are deceased.
While the casting of Fiennes itself was controversial, the trailer stoked additional outrage and horror.
When asked about her reaction to the trailer on Twitter, Jackson replied that she was “incredibly offended” and that it made her sick to her stomach.
Her ire wasn’t solely about Fiennes’ portrayal, though. She was also angered by Channing’s portrayal of Taylor and called the whole thing disrespectful.
It was a sentiment shared by Michael’s nephew Taj Jackson, who also addressed the “Urban Myths” portrayal on Twitter.
Things get a little awkward in the first ‘CHIPs’ trailer
Some people are really comfortable with their bodies while others really don’t know how to handle that comfort. That’s one of the dynamics at play in the first trailer for the upcoming “CHIPs” movie.
“CHIPs” stars Dax Shepard and Michael Peña as a pair of motorcycle California Highway Patrol officers out to keep the streets safe. Except Peña’s Frank “Ponch” Poncherello is actually an undercover FBI agent tasked with tracking down the crooked cops within the department.
The comedy is a reboot of the TV series that aired from 1977 to 1983 and starred Erik Estrada and Larry Wilcox. Shepard, who plays Jon Baker, also wrote and directed the film.
“CHIPs” is scheduled for a March 24 release.
Watch the trailer, which premiered on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Wednesday, above.
Michelle Obama’s final ‘Tonight Show’ stop teases a future as late-night TV host or president
Michelle Obama’s farewell tour is coming to a close. The first lady made her final late-night TV appearance on “The Tonight Show” on Wednesday.
While there was no “mom dancing” this time, there was plenty of gratitude as well as discussions of Obama’s plans. (They also played a competitive game of Catchphrase.)
Sitting down with host Jimmy Fallon, FLOTUS used the occasion to thank her mother, whom she credited for keeping the first family grounded over the last eight years by helping take care of Malia and Sasha.
“Mom doesn’t really play,” said the first lady. “She’s not impressed with any of us.”
When Obama joined Fallon behind his desk to write out some thank-you cards, she realized perhaps she prefers to be on that side of the desk. Could a stint as a talk show host be in the first lady’s future?
Of course, Fallon couldn’t let her steal his spotlight and got the last laugh when he used his thank-you card to ask Obama to run for president.
The lighthearted fun was quite a contrast to the proceedings over on “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.” She called it “comedy Christmas” after the release of a 35-page document of unverified allegations that Russian officials have been gathering compromising information about president-elect Donald Trump in order to blackmail him.
You can watch the “Full Frontal” segment, which contains adult language and images, here.
Coen Brothers are headed to TV with ‘The Ballad of Buster Scruggs’
Award-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen are making the jump to television with an upcoming TV Western called “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.”
Written and directed by the Coens, the project is a limited series that may possibly combine television and theatrical components, according to Variety. It marks the first television project for the “True Grit” and “No Country for Old Men” directors.
The Coen brothers will produce the show through their Mike Zoss Productions label along with Annapurna Television. Annapurna founder Megan Ellison and Sue Naegle, Annapurna Television’s president of television, will serve as executive producers.
While the plot of the series is still unknown, Variety reports that the show will involve six storylines, the scope of which seemed too ambitious to fit into one feature film.
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” is the latest in Annapurna’s announced slate of TV projects involving prominent film figures. It recently was revealed that Annapurna is producing a TV adaptation of Maria Semple’s “Today Will Be Different,” starring Julia Roberts.
Woody Harrelson officially joins Han Solo film
It’s official: Woody Harrelson has joined the upcoming Han Solo movie.
Following rumors that “The Hunger Games” actor was in talks to play Han Solo’s mentor in the upcoming “Star Wars” tale, Lucasfilm has confirmed that Harrelson will be appearing in the standalone film. No details regarding Harrelson’s role have been released.
“We couldn’t be more excited to work with an artist with as much depth and range as Woody,” directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller said in a statement.“His ability to find both humor and pathos, often in the same role, is truly unique. He is also very good at ping pong.”
Harrelson is the latest name to join the still-unnamed Han Solo film, which will follow Solo’s adventures in his early scoundrel days before the events of “A New Hope.”
Previous casting news includes “Game of Thrones” actress Emilia Clarke in a yet-to-be-revealed role as well as “Atlanta” star Donald Glover, who will play young Lando Calrissian (complete with cape).
Alden Ehrenreich will star as the young Han Solo in the film, which is due to hit theaters in 2018.
Has Hollywood lost touch with American values? Let us know what you think
The contentious presidential campaign was filled with accusations of elitism and bias by the media — from the news to entertainment. Many supporters of Donald J. Trump saw his victory as a repudiation of the so-called liberal elite.
So as 2017 begins, we ask: Is Hollywood representing all Americans? Are Hollywood values out of sync with American values?
LAT writers @marymacTV, @marcbernardin, @lorraineali and @JustinCChang recently took part in a Twitter chat on the topic. Use #LATimesAsks to follow along.
Debuting at Sundance, ‘XX’ is the rare horror film created by and starring women, including indie rocker St. Vincent
Google “horror film directors” and you’ll get an overwhelming number of male directors and only a few women sprinkled in the mix.
But a new horror film anthology premiering at Sundance later this month flips the script. “XX” features four hair-raising tales written and directed by women and driven by female leads. It also marks the directorial debut of Annie Clark, better known as experimental indie rocker St. Vincent, who directs “The Birthday Party.”
“What’s in the box? Can I see?” a young boy asks a stranger on a train at the beginning of a new trailer released Wednesday. Later we see him refusing to eat and completely unfazed by the idea of dying.
That tale, “The Box,” is directed by Jovanka Vuckovic. Other frightening stories include “Don’t Fall” by Roxanne Benjamin and “Her Only Living Son” by Karyn Kusama.
The anthology will premiere with multiple screenings at the Sundance Film Festival, slated for Jan. 19-29 in Park City, Utah. The film will also make its way to to select theaters and video-on-demand formats on Feb. 17.
Sorry, Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson is something you can’t unsee
Sky Arts has released a trailer for its upcoming comedy series “Urban Myths,” and it features the unforgettable first look at Joseph Fiennes playing Michael Jackson. Yes, that Michael Jackson.
The U.K. comedy series is comprised of eight episodes, each following an unbelievable but possibly true event in arts and culture history.
The controversial casting of the “Shakespeare in Love” actor as the King of Pop provoked backlash last year right as the industry faced increased scrutinized for its lack of diversity and tendency for whitewashing.
At the time, Fiennes defended his decision to take the role, telling the Associated Press that the project was “a positive, lighthearted comedy” and “a small television 20-minute sketch.”
He also told Entertainment Tonight that “[Jackson] was probably closer to my color than his original color” when the actual events took place.
But it seems even those who were horrified on principle were not prepared for how Fiennes in full costume and makeup for this role would actually look.
The segment featuring Fiennes is called “Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon,” which chronicles a 2001, post-9/11 road trip Jackson took with Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando. Stockard Channing stars as Taylor and Brian Cox as Brando.
While not featured in the trailer above, Carrie Fisher reportedly has a small role in “Elizabeth, Michael & Marlon.”
Kim Kardashian chauffeur, two others released without charges in Paris robbery probe
French investigators have released a chauffeur for Kim Kardashian West and two others in a probe into the robbery of more than $10 million worth of jewelry from the celebrity’s rented Paris apartment in October.
The driver’s brother and 13 others remain in custody Wednesday after a round of arrests this week, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Officials have said that brothers Michael Madar, 40, and Gary Madar, 27, worked for the same car service company and were among those arrested, suggesting that the robbery was an inside job. .
DNA evidence from Kardashian’s hotel room — where she was bound and gagged and threatened with death as robbers stole millions of dollars worth of jewelry — reportedly led police to the suspects.
An investigating judge may travel to the United States to speak with Kardashian.
Moby: I’d consider performing at Trump’s inauguration, but only if he’ll ...
Turning down an invitation to perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration is practically becoming a humorous sport for some performers.
Electronic musician Moby said he was quite amused when he received an invite to play at one of the inaugural balls.
The DJ and activist said on Instagram on Monday that he could hardly contain his laughter and disbelief, beginning his post with “Hahahahaha.”
Moby then said he’d consider the invitation but only if Trump’s team met one condition — a move similar to that of “The X Factor” singer Rebecca Ferguson, who recently declined to perform at the inauguration.
“I guess I’d DJ at an inaugural ball if as payment #trump released his tax returns,” Moby said.
Even though it’s unlikely Moby will see those tax returns, he offered up some songs he would spin at the event.
“Also I would probably play public enemy and stockhausen remixes to entertain the republicans. I’m still laughing,” he wrote.
Not to be outdone, Welsh singer-songwriter Charlotte Church took to Twitter on Tuesday to let Trump’s people know exactly how she felt about being asked to perform at the ceremony.
With the event less than two weeks away, who will be performing at the inauguration-week festivities? So far, the roster includes the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, the Radio City Rockettes, “America’s Got Talent” singer Jackie Evancho, the Talladega College Marching Band and country music performers Big & Rich and Cowboy Troy.
He loves them, he loves them not: A look at Donald Trump’s volatile celebrity friendships
What a difference a matter of years makes!
After Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes speech Sunday and the ensuing brouhaha, President-elect Donald Trump took to his favorite medium -- Twitter -- to take down the actress.
However, the former host of “The Celebrity Apprentice” was singing a different tune in 2015 when the Hollywood Reporter asked the then-presidential candidate about actresses he liked.
“Julia Roberts is terrific, and many others,” said Trump. “Meryl Streep is excellent; she’s a fine person, too. The problem is I’ll name three or four or five and then the hundred that I know will be insulted, and I don’t mean to insult them.”
It’s possible that when Trump tweeted Monday about Streep being overrated and “a Hillary flunky,” he wasn’t denying his love of her acting. Maybe he just meant that the actress, who has eight Golden Globes and three Academy Awards and numerous nominations, doesn’t live up to the hype.
Then again, it wouldn’t be the first time Trump has turned on a celebrity or former friend once they’ve criticized him as a politician.
Alec Baldwin
“Just tried watching Saturday Night Live -- unwatchable! Totally biased, not funny and the Baldwin impersonation just can’t get any worse. Sad.” -- Trump, Dec. 3, 2016.
But once upon a time -- at the 2007 Golden Globes, to be exact -- Trump looked more at ease with the actor who’s been lampooning him on “SNL” (and on Instagram).
Hillary Clinton
“The election is absolutely being rigged by the dishonest and distorted media pushing Crooked Hillary - but also at many polling places - SAD.” -- Trump, Oct. 16, 2016
And yet the Trumps and the Clintons were all smiles at the Trumps’ wedding ceremony in 2005.
But in all fairness, it works both ways. Look at how much Trump’s opinions on Kanye West have changed for the better.
Kanye West
“He couldn’t care less about Beyoncé. It was grandstanding to get attention,” Trump told TMZ about West after the infamous Grammys incident with Taylor Swift in 2009, before calling for a boycott of West, “so this kind of thing doesn’t happen again.”
But look at them now!
Grab a slice of cherry pie! Showtime sets ‘Twin Peaks’ premiere date
It’s been more than 25 years since “Twin Peaks” last aired on television, but the wait is (almost) over.
Showtime announced Monday at the Television Critics Assn. that the continuation of the beloved cult series will have its two-hour premiere on May 21.
Fans who’ve spent the last two decades pondering the fate of Special Agent Dale Cooper will be pleased to know that there will be plenty of shows to watch: 18 episodes in total, directed by David Lynch.
Co-creator Mark Frost also returns as a co-writer, with Lynch.
Sundance adds two new films, looking at Trump’s presidential campaign and millennial hookup culture
The Sundance Film Festival has added two new independent films to its 2017 lineup, organizers announced Monday.
“Trumped: Inside the Greatest Political Upset of All Time,” by directors Banks Tarver, Ted Bourne and Mary Robertson, takes an inside look at Trump’s campaign — from the primaries, to the debates, to his election.
“Newness” by director Drake Doremus explores a relationship between two L.A. millennials navigating today’s hookup culture driven by social media.
The new additions are among the 120 feature-length movies to be presented at the annual festival, which takes place in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort Jan. 19-29.
On a night that celebrated diversity in Hollywood, what happened to Latino representation?
“This is for all of the women, women of color, and colorful people,” Tracee Ellis Ross said Sunday during her Golden Globes acceptance speech for actress in a television series, musical or comedy for her role in “black-ish.”
With other big wins for “Moonlight,” “Atlanta” and “Fences,” some saw the ceremony as a triumph for diversity in Hollywood.
But notably missing were Latinos, with just a handful of nominees: Gina Rodriguez for her role in “Jane the Virgin,” director Pablo Larraín for “Neruda,” actor Gael Garcìa Bernal for “Mozart in the Jungle,” and Lin-Manuel Miranda for his song “How Far I’ll Go” from the film “Moana.”
On Monday, the National Hispanic Media Coalition released a statement decrying the lack of representation.
“Few Latinos were nominated this year because there are still too few roles offered to Latinos, behind and in front of the camera, especially in film,” president and CEO Alex Nogales said.
“Today, Latinos make up 18 percent of the population,” he added, “and we need to represent those faces, voices and stories, if we are ever to increase the understanding and empathy that so many performers highlighted in their eloquent acceptance speeches about diversity and inclusion last night.”
J.K. Rowling accepts her new ‘duty’ to be critical of Donald Trump
It looks like J.K. Rowling is ready for Donald Trump to flood her Twitter mentions.
It’s no secret that social media is the president-elect’s podium of choice when speaking out against his critics. Trump took to Twitter Monday morning to respond to Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes speech, calling her “over-rated” and a “Hillary flunky.”
Trump’s detractors have suggested one way to keep PEOTUS busy once he takes office is to have famous people constantly criticize him publicly.
The “Harry Potter” author, a vocal Trump critic who has even said Trump is worse than Voldemort, seems willing to champion this new calling.
Dismissing her as ‘overrated’ and a ‘Hillary flunky,’ Donald Trump fires back after Meryl Streep’s Golden Globes speech
President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to change Washington are to face their first major public tests this week. At least half a dozen of his Cabinet nominees will be challenged by senators from both parties during scheduled confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill. And the president-elect himself is set to face direct questioning from multiple reporters for the first time at a scheduled news conference.
But the Republican’s focus Monday morning appeared to be devoted to a counter-assault against Hollywood. He decried Meryl Streep as a disgruntled “Hillary lover” both on Twitter and in an interview with the New York Times after the actress used a Golden Globes speech Sunday to condemn his campaign-trail comments about a reporter with a congenital condition.
“I was never mocking anyone,” Trump told the Times. “I was calling into question a reporter who had gotten nervous because he had changed his story. … People keep saying I intended to mock the reporter’s disability, as if Meryl Streep and others could read my mind, and I did no such thing.”
At a campaign rally in 2015, Trump spoke disparagingly about the reporter, Serge Kovaleski, while waving his arms, widening his eyes and adopting a mocking tone.
“Poor guy, you ought to see this guy,” Trump said of Kovaleski, who has arthrogryposis, which affects his joint movements. The moment became the subject of attack ads by Hillary Clinton supporters.
Donald Trump talks about a reporter, appearing to mock his congenital condition.
Streep, winner of multiple Academy Awards and recipient Sunday of the Cecil B. DeMille Award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., never mentioned Trump by name in her remarks.
She did appear at the Democratic National Convention, praising Clinton’s “grit” and “grace.”
Meryl Streep rallies Hollywood while ‘La La Land’ scores big at the 2017 Golden Globes
The 74th Golden Globe Awards were held Sunday and “La La Land” was the top winner in the motion picture categories, while “The Night Manager,” “The Crown” and “Atlanta” claimed top awards on the television side.
One of the evening’s most memorable moments was Meryl Streep rallying her colleagues during her very political speech when accepting the Cecil B. DeMille Award for lifetime achievement. “Take your broken heart, make it into art,” she said, quoting Carrie Fisher.
Here are some other hightlights:
- “La La Land” broke the record for most Golden Globes won by a single film
- A standing ovation for “Moonlight’s” drama picture win
- Even host Jimmy Fallon took a shot at the president-elect
- People couldn’t stop mentioning “Hidden Fences”
- Viola Davis shared her collard greens recipe
- A lot of love for Brits in television
Check out The Times’ complete coverage of the 2017 Golden Globes here.
Adam Driver and Stephen Colbert bring new life to the Mishawaka, Ind., community calendar on ‘The Late Show’
If the whole acting thing doesn’t work out, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” star Adam Driver could have a successful career as a small-market newscaster.
During his appearance on Thursday night’s “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” Driver gamely engaged in a segment announcing the community calendar for his hometown, Mishawaka, Ind.
The star of “Paterson,” aided by Colbert, announced upcoming events for the “greater Mishawaka metroplex.”
“You know what they say,” Driver said, sitting on a rough approximation of a public-access show set, “You can take the man out of Mishawaka, but the spirit of this town is something you can’t Misha-walk-away from.”
Check out all of the animal skulls, fish fry, toboggan-banning goodness in the video above.
Sanrio’s new character is a red panda filled with rage
Step aside, Hello Kitty. Aggretsuko is here to change Sanrio forever.
On first glance, Aggretsuko, a red panda, seems like just another cute animal character in the Japanese company’s lineup. But it turns out Sanrio’s newest character might be its most relatable.
As revealed in a video shared by Sanrio, Aggretsuko is short for “Aggressive Retsuko.” And she has some pent-up workplace rage.
The company revealed earlier that Aggretsuko enjoys singing heavy-metal karaoke after work, and the video explains exactly why the 25-year-old office worker needs such an outlet: a long commute, annoying coworkers and inconsiderate managers.
Watch the video below.
‘I cannot believe my life right now’: Viola Davis gets her star on the Walk of Fame
And the first star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2017 goes to... Viola Davis.
On Thursday, the leading lady was presented with the 2,597th star at a ceremony across from the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.
Meryl Streep, Davis’ co-star in 2008’s “Doubt,” introduced her friend, calling her “possessed” -- but in a good way.
“She’s possessed with a blazing, incandescent talent,” Streep said.
Taking the stage after Streep, Davis spoke about her late father and her challenging upbringing in Rhode Island.
“What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls the butterfly,” she said, overcome with emotion. “I cannot believe my life right now... It’s like my life flashing before my eyes, and all I can say is, God has blessed my life in abundance.”
In 2015, the “How to Get Away With Murder” star was the first African American to win an Emmy for lead actress in a drama. Davis was also nominated for a 2017 Golden Globe for her acclaimed performance in “Fences,” her new film with Denzel Washington.
‘The Good Place’ show runner Michael Schur is ‘eternally fascinated’ by hope
If “The Good Place” was a frozen yogurt shop, there’d be some eager customers outside its door right now.
The NBC comedy, which follows newly deceased Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell) as she tries to justify her slot in the heavenly Good Place despite living a life that should have yielded a more hellish fate, returns Thursday from its holiday hiatus. There are just four episodes left in the season.
REVIEW: In ‘The Good Place,’ Kristen Bell is a troublemaker in the afterlife
The first part of the 13-episode season found Eleanor trying to keep it a secret from Good Place gatekeeper Michael (Ted Danson), and everyone else, that her ascension to utopia was a case of mistaken identity, while also soliciting the help of her assigned soul mate to learn how to be a good person. But now her secret’s out and Eleanor must prove why she belongs in the Good Place vs. the Bad Place.
We spoke to creator Mike Schur, whose credits also include “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” “Parks and Recreation” and “The Office,” to discuss what’s to come this season, his fascination with optimism, and what Leslie Knope might think of Eleanor.
How August Wilson’s play ‘Fences’ became a film (and why so much of his work hasn’t)
When August Wilson received word in 2005 that he had inoperable Stage IV cancer, he was not just personally but professionally disconsolate: There was still so much work to do.
At 60, the African American playwright had accomplished enough for a dozen lifetimes, completing the canon of 10 black-oriented plays known as the American Century Cycle — not to mention bagging two Pulitzer Prizes and a Tony Award. But he had a new play he was fiddling with. A script. A novel. And, oh yes, there were some platforms his most acclaimed work had yet to reach.
“I think he felt proud of his achievements and faced death the way he faced life: courageously and uncompromisingly,” said Constanza Romero, Wilson’s widow, as well as his costume designer and all-around sounding board. “But August wanted two things to happen that hadn’t happened. He wanted ‘Jitney’ [his 1970s-set play about Pittsburgh cab drivers] to be on Broadway [the sole play in the cycle that hadn’t done so]. And he really, really wanted this movie to come into being.”
Review: ‘Emerald City’ is a reminder that there’s more to epic storytelling than goblets, horses and sorcery
“Game of Thrones” consistently ranks as one of TV’s most pirated shows. If “Emerald City,” beginning Friday on NBC, is any indication, it’s also become one of the most widely imitated.
Though it is billed as a dark new take on “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,” which has inspired scores of adaptations over the past century, the 10-episode miniseries probably owes more to George R.R. Martin — or for that matter, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss — than L. Frank Baum. (And, if I’m being honest, some royalties may also be due to the “Outlander” team.)
Directed in its entirety by Tarsem Singh (“The Fall”), “Emerald City” is NBC’s second recent trip down the yellow brick road, after 2015’s “The Wiz Live!” But other than their shared origins, the two projects couldn’t be more different. Whereas “The Wiz” was a boisterous and engaging live musical, “Emerald City” is a turgid attempt at fantasy burdened by the weight of its own pretensions. If nothing else, it serves as a reminder that there’s more to epic storytelling than goblets, horses and sorcery.
AEG Live’s ties to anti-LGBT groups ‘nothing more than fake news,’ says Philip Anschutz
Following news this week that the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival had booked Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé to lead its 2017 lineup, the owner of the company that oversees the festival’s organizers has come under fire for his political interests.
According to a widely picked-up report in Uproxx, Philip F. Anschutz, the owner of AEG, whose AEG Live division is the world’s second largest presenter of live music, sports and entertainment after Live Nation, has donated to a number of anti-LGBTQ groups such as Alliance Defending Freedom, National Christian Foundation and Family Research Council.
A number of these organizations have been listed as “extremist groups” by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Because AEG Live oversees Coachella promoter Goldenvoice, people have taken to social media to question if anyone should drop hundreds of dollars for the destination festival out of fear that their money would fund anti-gay groups. General admission passes to Coachella sold out in an hour on Wednesday.
In a statement to The Times on Thursday, Anschutz said he was unaware of the anti-LGBTQ work done by any of the organizations he had supported and that he had ceased all contributions after learning.
“Recent claims published in the media that I am anti-LGBTQ are nothing more than fake news – it is all garbage. I unequivocally support the rights of all people without regard to sexual orientation,” the statement read. “We are fortunate to employ a wealth of diverse individuals throughout our family of companies, all of whom are important to us – the only criteria on which they are judged is the quality of their job performance; we do not tolerate discrimination in any form.”
Anschutz is one of the richest people in America, amassing fortunes in oil, railroads, telecom and real estate on top of his entertainment endeavors (he came in at No. 42 on Forbes’ U.S. billionaires list last year) and the conservative dealings of his foundation were reported by the Washington Post over the summer in a piece that labeled him as one of the “enemies of equality.”
His foundation was said to have donated $110,000 to Alliance Defending Freedom, a group that “advocates for your right to freely live out your faith”; $50,000 to National Christian Foundation, an organization that funds groups that have worked to fight LGBT rights; and $30,000 to Family Research Council, which is labeled as an “extremist group” by the SPLC. The contributions were made between 2010 and 2013.
Anschutz said he and his foundation contribute to numerous organizations “that pursue a wide range of causes.”
“Neither I nor the Foundation fund any organization with the purpose or expectation that it would finance anti-LGBTQ initiatives,” the statement continued, “and when it has come to my attention or the attention of The Anschutz Foundation that certain organizations either the Foundation or I have funded have been supporting such causes, we have immediately ceased all contributions to such groups.”
‘Gilmore Girls’ star Alexis Bledel joins Hulu’s ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Goodbye, Rory Gilmore. Hello, Ofglen.
Hulu announced Thursday that Alexis Bledel, star of Netflix’s “Gilmore Girls” reboot, has joined the cast of “The Handmaid’s Tale” in a recurring role.
Adapted from Margaret Atwood’s classic dystopian novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale” focuses on Gilead, a totalitarian, fundamentalist state that rises in the wake of environmental disaster and falling birthrates.
Bledel will play Ofglen, a handmaid whose uptight exterior is not what it seems and who works closely with Offred (Elisabeth Moss) to navigate the oppressive regime they’ve found themselves ensnared in.
The first episode of “The Handmaid’s Tale’s” 10-episode debut season premieres April 26.
Obama’s anger translator Luther will return as Key and Peele visit ‘The Daily Show’ tonight
Comedy Central announced Thursday that Jordan Peele and Keegan Michael Key will be stopping by “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah” to reprise their roles as President Obama and his anger translator, Luther.
The announcement is fitting given the number of “final” interviews both the president and First Lady Michelle Obama have given in the past few weeks.
“The Daily Show” airs on Comedy Central at 11 p.m. Pacific.
Snoop Dogg’s gift lights up Willie Nelson’s Christmas
Imagine the Christmas sweater that noted 420 enthusiast Snoop Dogg might get for noted 420 enthusiast Willie Nelson.
Now look down -- because Willie very politely posted a thank-you picture on Twitter.
Did you guess correctly? It makes sense: Nelson, the man behind the Willie’s Reserve marijuana strain, has a history of blazing with LBC’s ambassador of chill.
“I have a huge tolerance for pot,” the country legend told GQ a while back, surprising exactly nobody. “I can probably smoke with anybody anywhere. Me and Snoop Dogg had a smoke-off in Amsterdam and he crawled away.”
We like to think Mr. Dogg crawled away to eventually go shopping for this sweater, perhaps in Hollyweed.
Pregnant Felicia Day is having a baby girl ‘in about three weeks’
Ready Player 2! Felicia Day is going to be a mom.
The gaming maven is expecting a little girl very, very soon and managed to keep the majority of her pregnancy under wraps.
Given her daughter’s impending arrival, the “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Supernatural” alum took to Facebook and Twitter on Tuesday to share a photo of her bare and sizable baby bump.
“She’s coming in about three weeks so I guess I should announce this and stuff,” Day wrote, pointing to her belly. “The Guild” creator also donned a cheeky trucker hat that read “As seen on your mom.”
She also joked that she posted the photo “just so it will pop up in some stupid FB slide show at the end of [the] year.”
In the comments, Day, 37, quipped that she kept the pregnancy quiet “to troll people” and added that she “won’t be posting tons of baby stuff,” save for photos of her cute nursery.
The “You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)” author did not reveal the identity of the child’s father.
‘DWTS’ pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy, Peta Murgatroyd welcome tiny dancer
Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Peta Murgatroyd’s “Dancing With the Stars” baby has just sashayed into the world: The dance pros have welcomed their first child.
The ABC reality stars announced the arrival of their tiny dancer, son Shai Aleksander Chmerkovskiy, on Wednesday with a simple tweet featuring a few birth details. The little guy was born early Tuesday morning -- 5:34 a.m. to be exact -- in New York City.
Chmerkovskiy, the so-called “bad boy of the ballroom,” was sure to have a little fun as the couple awaited Shai’s debut by posting a pic of his baby mama applying makeup while resting in her hospital bed.
The Ukrainian beefcake, 36, popped the question to Murgatroyd, 30, in December 2015 during a performance of “Sway: A Dance Trilogy” in Miami. The couple previously said they were still on track to tie the knot on July 8, 2017 and Shai would likely be a “little, tiny ring bearer” at their wedding.
By then, Shai would be just older than 6 months but still might be a beat too young to be taking his first solo steps. But with parents with two sets of twinkle toes, you never know.
Watch Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds playfully squabble in the trailer for HBO’s upcoming documentary
Ahead of its accelerated release on Jan. 7, HBO has given fans a sneak preview of the hotly anticipated “Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.”
On Tuesday, the network released the trailer for the documentary, which chronicles the complicated but loving relationship between the mother-daughter duo.
In the wake of the sudden deaths of both women in recent weeks, HBO announced Friday that it had moved up the premiere date for the film, which had already appeared at the Cannes, Telluride and New York film festivals,
The trailer shows an aging Reynolds, who at 83 (when the footage was filmed) was still performing regularly in Las Vegas, bantering with Fisher.
“You cannot keep that phone,” Fisher tells her mother as she fumbles with a flip phone. “That’s from when they first invented cellphones.”
“It works fine,” Reynolds quips, shooting the camera a knowing glance. “Just dandy.”
Fisher, 60, died Dec. 27 of complications from a heart attack she suffered on a flight from London to Los Angeles. Reynolds was hospitalized and died the next day at 84.
“Bright Lights” airs Saturday on HBO.
Coachella’s lineup -- featuring Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar and Radiohead -- shows a renewed sense of adventure
Coachella is going back to the future.
After years of tapping old-school rock bands and marquee reunions, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on Tuesday unveiled a remarkably forward-looking lineup for its 2017 edition, set to take place April 14-16 and again April 21-23 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio.
Beyoncé, Radiohead and Kendrick Lamar will headline the annual desert blowout, generally regarded as the country’s most prestigious music festival, while dozens of other up-to-the-minute acts will perform, including Travis Scott, DJ Snake, Bon Iver, Shura, Gucci Mane, Majid Jordan, Lorde and Justice.
In case the message wasn’t clear, a pointedly named Atlanta rapper — Future — will appear as well.
It was more about who we lost in 2016 and what they represented, rather than how many
On Dec. 23, as fellow airline passengers began tweeting that Carrie Fisher, suffering a health crisis on a flight from London to Los Angeles, appeared unresponsive when paramedics took her from a plane, many people quickly blamed 2016.
It was a year that had already claimed a number of beloved figures — David Bowie, Muhammad Ali, Prince, Florence Henderson, Leonard Cohen, Nancy Reagan, Harper Lee, Patty Duke, Alan Thicke, Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, Merle Haggard and, before it was through, George Michael. Confronted with the idea of Fisher joining the list of loss, people turned on the waning year like weakened warriors defending the wounded.
“You can’t have her too” was a common refrain on Twitter and Facebook.
For a day or two it appeared the pleas, or threats, had been heard; Fisher stabilized, her mother, Debbie Reynolds, thanked the world for its support. Then on Dec. 27, Fisher died.
Janet Jackson welcomes her first child
It’s a boy for new mom Janet Jackson!
The singer, 50, and her husband welcomed son Eissa on Tuesday, her rep confirmed to The Times.
“Janet Jackson and husband Wissam Al Mana are thrilled to welcome their new son Eissa Al Mana into the world,” the couple said in a statement.
The Grammy winner “had a stress-free healthy delivery and is resting comfortably.”
Jackson, the youngest member of the famed musical dynasty, and Al Mana, a Qatari businessman, wed in 2012 and confirmed that they were expecting back in October, capping off a summer of speculation about a potential baby on the way. Rumors started in April when the singer postponed the second leg of her “Unbreakable” world tour to “focus on their family.”
Much like her wedding, which didn’t become public knowledge until a year later, the ultra-private star kept a low profile for months following the baby news but finally confirmed that she was indeed with child in a photo spread for People magazine.
“We thank God for our blessing,” she said of her late-in-life pregnancy.
Megyn Kelly is leaving Fox News for NBC
News anchor Megyn Kelly is leaving Fox News to join NBC, where she will have a wide-ranging role.
The move was reported Tuesday on NBC’s cable business channel, CNBC, and is expected to be officially announced by the end of the day.
Kelly will host a daytime talk program and a Sunday night news show and will have a role in its political and event coverage, according to the CNBC report.
Kelly, 46, has been with Fox News for 12 years and is the anchor of its second most-watched prime-time program, “The Kelly File.” Her contract, which currently pays her $15 million a year, is up in July.
Review: Arnold Schwarzenegger does his best Trump impression in ‘New Celebrity Apprentice’
The last time “The Celebrity Apprentice” aired on NBC in 2015, it was an aging reality show a decade past its peak in ratings and cultural relevance. Host Donald Trump was mocked for claiming it was the No. 1 show on television. (It wasn’t even close.)
Oh, what a difference two years can make.
The real estate tycoon is now president-elect of the United States. On Monday night, the show that inadvertently helped propel his political rise returned to NBC after a lengthy, but rather eventful, hiatus.
Given the scrutiny NBC has faced over its relationship with Trump, starting with “The Apprentice,” which he continued to host even while perpetuating the baseless birther conspiracy theory about President Obama, and continuing with his unprecedented gig hosting “Saturday Night Live” last year, what’s most notable about “The New Celebrity Apprentice” is just how little has actually changed — right down to the closing credits, listing one “Donald J. Trump” as executive producer.
Even the new host — some guy named Arnold Schwarzenegger? — seemed like a bit of a carbon copy, from the tawny mane and bronze complexion to the allegations of serial sexual misconduct.
Joely Fisher on Debbie Reynolds losing Carrie Fisher: ‘She would not last without her on the planet. And she didn’t’
Joely Fisher and Tricia Fisher opened up about their final moments with half-sister Carrie Fisher and her mother, Debbie Reynolds, in an interview with “Good Morning America” Tuesday.
The night before Carrie Fisher boarded the flight from London to Los Angeles, during she suffered a cardiac incident before her death on Dec. 27, she had spent some time texting with her half-sister, Joely Fisher revealed.
“It was sort of out of the blue,” Joely Fisher said. “We talked about age because [Carrie] was floored that she had just turned 60. We talked about our children. We talked about our frail mothers.”
The two had also promised to see each other over Christmas.
Both Joely and Tricia shared that they knew Reynolds would not recover if her daughter did not survive.
“[Debbie] kept saying that she wanted more time,” said Joely Fisher. “And I knew that if Carrie wasn’t going to survive this that Debbie would not. You knew it. You could feel it ... you could see it in her face. She would not last without her on the planet. She wouldn’t. And she didn’t.”
Reynolds died Dec. 28 at 84 from a stroke, just one day after her daughter.
When asked about little-known facts about Carrie Fisher, both sisters remembered her sensitivity and kindness.
“She was secretly soft,” said Tricia. “She was extremely generous. Like, you would walk in and she would just hand you something in her room.”
Joely also shared a secret about her sister’s latest book, “The Princess Diarist.”
“We laid on her floor one night, and she said, ‘I have these diaries from “Star Wars”’ and read them to me,” Joely said. “That was a decade ago. I know she said she just found them. She wasn’t telling the truth.”
“I feel like I got to be in on the joke,” she said.
Watch the segment above.
Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher will have a joint funeral
Debbie Reynolds’ son says his mother and sister, actress Carrie Fisher, will have a joint funeral and will be buried together.
Todd Fisher says the actresses will be buried together at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Hollywood Hills, which is the final resting place of many celebrities.
He says a date for the funeral has yet to be set but that it will be private. A public memorial is being considered, but no plans have been finalized.
L.A. theater openings, Jan. 1-8: ‘Rent’ and more
What’s opening in Los Angeles this week: A salute to African American poet Langston Hughes, a classic Clifford Odets drama, and “Rent” rolls into Costa Mesa on its 20th-anniversary tour.
With ‘20th Century Women,’ Mike Mills drafts a portrait of people, a time and a place
Music, clothes, movies, haircuts and books may be among the outward signifiers of personal identity, the things that people use to both discover and display who they want to be. Then there are also the people who first point us to those things, the cultural guides we encounter along our way. The new film “20th Century Women” is a look at the impact a small group of people have on one another in a specific time and place and the things, experiences and emotions they share.
Set in Santa Barbara in the late 1970s, the story focuses on Dorothea Fields (Annette Bening), a single mother in her mid-50s. To help her in raising her teenage son Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann), she enlists Abbie (Greta Gerwig), a photographer renting a room in their house, and Julie (Elle Fanning), a too-worldly too-soon young neighbor. Another boarder, William (Billy Crudup), is a lost soul left adrift by unfulfilled promises of the 1960s counterculture.
To me the film is three portraits of the women, seen by the boy but also seen by the women themselves.
— writer-director Mike Mills
Rapper-singer Lizzo is poised to make a splash in 2017
Lizzo’s performance had been planned weeks ahead of election night.
As the musical guest on the Nov. 9 episode of “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” the Los Angeles-based singer and rapper was set to celebrate the arrival of America’s first female president with an elaborately choreographed run through “Good as Hell,” her breakout R&B anthem of female self-reliance.
One of pop music’s most promising — and well positioned — young talents, Lizzo, 28, intends to keep exclaiming in 2017, the start of a bewildering new era she says will demand engagement from artists who believe that “this isn’t Trump’s America just because he’s president.”
If politics made 2016 a reality show, then get ready for Season 2
Whether you considered it a three-ring circus or a welcome change of course, more than anything, 2016 will be remembered as the year that American politics made a sharp turn into the reality-television spectacle it always threatened to be. And it was all underlined by the election of a reality TV star to the highest office in the land.
But there’s bad news for anyone expecting a break from the tumultuous political landscape they’ve come to know and hate: 2017 isn’t a fresh start; it’s merely Season 2.