Today in Entertainment: Olivia de Havilland scores court victory; ‘Sex and the City 3’ gets scrapped

Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity, seen here in 2015, will interview President Trump on his show next week.

(Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

President Trump will make an appearance on Fox News Channel, his favorite source of news, in a sit-down interview with Sean Hannity next week.

The “Hannity” interview, which will air Oct. 4, will take place in front of a group of Republicans, Democrats and Independents at West Virginia’s Morgantown Theatre. The interview will be pre-taped.

According to a statement from Fox, Hannity and Trump will discuss tax reform, the economy and news of the day. Judging from the news cycle as of late, topics could include the controversial federal government response to the devastation in Puerto Rico or the recent resignation of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price The news release also notes that audience members will have an opportunity to ask Trump questions.

The prime-time interview marks a return for Trump to Hannity’s evening show. He previously appeared during the Republican primaries and also after his inauguration in January.

The event will probably add some more firepower to Hannity’s hold over rival Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show. In its first week since moving into its new time slot at 9 p.m. (from 10 p.m.), “Hannity” has beat “The Rachel Maddow Show” in the ratings, aided by buzz-worthy guests such as Stephen K. Bannon, Bill O’Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, and House Speaker Paul Ryan.

Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner Lin-Manuel Miranda takes aim at Donald Trump.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

“Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and other celebrities slammed President Trump on Saturday morning following Trump’s Twitter tirade targeting San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz, who had criticized what she called the federal government’s unhurried response to the destruction caused by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

Miranda, Lady Gaga and John Legend were among the stars that lashed out at Trump’s string of tweets Saturday that took aim at Cruz, suggesting she was being “nasty” and displayed “poor leadership.”

Miranda responded with his own series of pointed messages expressing his frustration with the commander in chief — telling Trump he was “going straight to hell.”

The Tony and Pulitzer Prize winner, who has family is Puerto Rico, has been among the most vocal celebrities encouraging people to donate to relief efforts to help rebuild the island ravaged by the hurricane more than a week ago. Miranda is also assembling an all-star lineup to record a charity single that will be available for purchase Oct. 6, according to CNN.

Other celebrities, including Gaga and Legend, joined the chorus against Trump’s remarks. Legend used an expletive in calling Trump the leader in the worst president “competition.”

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FOR THE RECORD

4:40 p.m.: An earlier version of this post stated that actor-director Jon Favreau described Trump as a “garbage human being” for Trump’s remarks. The tweet was from Jon Favreau, a former Obama speechwriter and host of the podcast, “Pod Save America.”

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Actress Amber Tamblyn urged folks to take note of Trump’s actions from Saturday morning when they hit the polls in 2020. And Alec Baldwin, Trump’s most notable impersonator, wrote: “When Trump is convicted, I hope he serves his time in a prison in Puerto Rico.”

Others in Hollywood, such as Ellen DeGeneres, offered their support to Cruz.

UPDATES:

1:45 p.m.: This article was updated with additional Tweets from celebrities.

This article was originally published at 11:29 a.m.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Johnny Mathis Gets Misty Over Influence on Singers

Luke Bryan, left, and Lionel Richie will join the “American Idol” judges panel.

(Al Wagner, left, and Joel Ryan / Invision/Associated Press)

Pop legend Lionel Richie and country music star Luke Bryan are taking a seat at the judges table for ABC’s revival of “American Idol” next year.

The pair will join Katy Perry for the return of the singing competition series, which originated on Fox. Ryan Seacrest, as previously announced, will be reprising his role as host.

“As a singer, songwriter and producer, I feel I can bring a great deal of experience to the table,” Richie said in a statement Friday. “It’s going to be so much fun!”

Bryan promised viewers the relaunch of the series is “gonna be a blast.”

“I’m excited at the chance to help some deserving artists reach their dreams,” Bryan said in a statement. “To be in a position in my career to help facilitate this along with the other judges is just a complete honor.”

For Bryan and Richie, a turn on “American Idol” adds another layer to their entwined history. Bryan often performs Richie’s songs during his concerts. And Richie, who has deepened his roots in country music (even releasing an album of his best-known songs rerecorded as duets with country artists), shared the stage with Bryan during the CMT Artists of the Year ceremony in 2013. And just last year, Bryan was part of the Grammy Awards tribute to Richie.

“In their respective genres of music, both Luke and Lionel possess insurmountable popularity and award-winning talent that are undeniable, and we are lucky that they will help in paving the way for hopefuls pursuing their dreams on our stage,” Channing Dungey, president of ABC Entertainment, said in a statement.

The judges panel will make its debut appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America” on Oct. 4. “American Idol” is slated to premiere in March 2018 on ABC.

There is little room for levity as Puerto Rico recovers from the devastation left in the wake of Hurricane Maria, but Stephen Colbert and Nick Kroll are looking to change that with a new fundraising endeavor.

During his Wednesday night appearance on “The Late Show” to promote “Big Mouth,” his new Netflix comedy about puberty, Kroll brought a deeply unflattering photo of himself as a teenager.

Colbert then shared a photo of himself as a teen.

They then decided to raise funds for Puerto Rico’s hurricane relief by inviting other celebrities to tweet their awkward puberty photos with the hashtag #PuberMe and #PuertoRicoRelief. The pair promised to donate funds for each celebrity participating.

On Thursday night, Colbert announced that the funds will come from the AmeriCone Dream Fund and that for each celebrity – he reserved the right to determine who is and isn’t a celebrity – the fund will donate $1,000.

Stars have already jumped aboard the embarrassment train, with Sarah Silverman, Michael Bloomberg and Lin-Manuel Miranda, who has already written a song to raise funds for Puerto Rico, among many others sharing photos from their youth.

It’s Friday, so sit back, relax and enjoy a few of the delightfully awkward photos your favorite celebrities have shared.

Olivia de Havilland in June 2016.

(Thibault Camus / Associated Press)

The drama that began on screen and spilled over into reality continues to unfold as famed actress Olivia de Havilland scored a significant court victory Friday. Her lawsuit against FX Networks and Ryan Murphy Productions is headed to trial in November.

FX and Murphy had filed a motion to dismiss the 101-year-old legend’s lawsuit over her depiction in the Emmy-nominated series “Feud: Bette and Joan,” citing the U.S. and California constitutions’ rights to free speech in connection with a public issue.

They claimed that de Havilland’s consent was not needed to include her in the show, nor did her inclusion violate her right of publicity, citing the state’s statutes protecting petition and free-speech rights.

At Friday’s hearing, L.A. Superior Court Judge Holly Kendig ruled that de Havilland’s complaint will stand, unless the defendants successfully appeal the decision.

In order to strike a complaint using California’s anti-SLAPP statute, a case must meet two criteria. First, the defense must prove that the originating suit is based on protected rights. If established, the plaintiff must then present admissible evidence that suggests that they – in this case, de Havilland – would prevail if the case proceeded to trial.

FX was successful in proving that de Havilland’s case was based on protected rights Friday, but de Havilland was successful in presenting sufficient evidence that she would be victorious at trial.

Two of de Havilland’s lawyers, Don Howarth and Suzelle M. Smith, spoke to The Times after Friday’s hearing.

Howarth praised Kendig’s decision and said they are looking toward the future. “We’ve won,” he said. “As far as we’re concerned, the next thing is the trial.”

The November trial is not a sure thing, however, as FX still has an opportunity to appeal Friday’s decision.

“If they file for appeal, that automatically stays activity in the case,” explained Smith. “We would file a motion asking the appellate court to expedite the appeal and they can do that pretty fast.”

Her lawyers had not yet spoken with de Havilland about Friday’s decision but reported that the actress texted them that morning saying, “all her prayers and love were with [them].”

De Havilland filed suit in June over the “unauthorized use of her identity” in the FX series created by Murphy. The show centered on the rivalry between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford and featured Catherine Zeta-Jones as de Havilland.

Earlier this month, de Havilland was granted an expedited trial due to her advanced age, and a judge set the date for Nov. 27.

A representative for FX told The Times that the network had no additional comment Friday morning.

UPDATES:

12:50 p.m.: This article was updated with comments from Olivia de Havilland’s lawyers.

This article was originally published at 12 p.m.

Sarah Jessica Parker says there won’t be another “Sex and the City” film.

(Evan Agostini / Invision/Associated Press)

Nostalgia is all the rage these days, with “Full House,” “One Day at a Time” and countless other series being revisited all over film and television.

But “Sex and the City” will not join them.

Dreams of a “Sex and the City 3” film were dashed Thursday night when Sarah Jessica Parker told “Extra” that “it’s over.”

“I’m disappointed,” Parker said at the New York City Ballet Gala. “We had this beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, joyful, very relatable script and story. It’s not just disappointing that we don’t get to tell the story and have that experience, but more so for that audience that has been so vocal in wanting another movie.”

On Thursday, the Daily Mail reported that “Sex and the City 3” was scrapped because actress Kim Cattrall refused to sign on.

Cattrall, who played the character Samantha, refuted the claims on Twitter early Friday. Sort of.

“The only ‘DEMAND’ I ever made was that I didn’t want to do a 3rd film,” Cattrall tweeted, “& that was back in 2016.”

But one former co-star doesn’t necessarily agree.

Willie Garson, who played Stanford Blatch in the original series, confirmed the film’s demise in a significantly shady way Friday morning.

“And that, is that,” Garson tweeted. “And sadly, the reasons are true. Period.....”

“Sex and the City 2” was released in 2010 to abysmal critical response and a running time of nearly two and a half hours. Still, the film made almost $300 million at the box office.

Cattrall’s rep did not immediately respond to the Los Angeles Times’ request for comment.

Beyoncé upends “Mi Gente” on a new remix whose proceeds will go to charity.

(Patrick Smith / Getty Images)

In the midst of natural disasters across the Caribbean and Mexico, pop superstar Beyoncé has teamed with Colombian reggaetón singer J Balvin for a new remix of “Mi Gente,” his hit with producer Willy William.

The song was released to streaming services Thursday night, and the team will donate all proceeds to earthquake and hurricane relief charities working in Mexico, Puerto Rico and other affected Caribbean islands.

In a statement posted on her website, Beyoncé wrote, “We’re heartbroken by the hurricanes and earthquakes that have devastated families around the world. There are many ways to help. We’ve listed a few organizations that are on the ground from Mexico to the Caribbean, lending a hand to those who need it most.”

To say Beyoncé lends a hand in the remix is an understatement. Unlike guests who limit their contributions to a single late-track verse or hook, Beyoncé upends “Mi Gente” from the first verse and proceeds to bilingually maneuver through the rhythmic, up-tempo jam like the queen she is.

The just-issued lyric video is an accompanying exclamation point, and features people from across the globe dancing hard as French-Afro-Jamaican producer Williams’ track drives Balvin and Beyoncé. As they do so, tiny icons of their heads serve as the bouncing balls tracing the song’s lyrics.

Evidence that Beyoncé’s work is still piping hot from the studio arrives when she implores her fans to “Lift up your people/ From Texas, Puerto Rico/ Dem islands to Mexico.”

Beyoncé’s best set of couplets are sung in English and reference the recent birth of her twins with husband Jay-Z, her Coco Chanel handbag, her breasts and her husband’s recent Beyoncé-themed album, “4:44”:

Lynda Carter at the “Wonder Woman” premiere earlier this year.

(Jordan Strauss / Invision/Associated Press)

Wonder Woman has had it with James Cameron.

Actress Lynda Carter, who starred as the Amazonian warrior goddess in the ‘70s TV series, took to social media to respond to Cameron’s repeated smearing of “Wonder Woman” in recent months.

“Stop dissing Wonder Woman,” wrote Carter in a Facebook post that called out Cameron for just not understanding the character.

“The movie was spot on,” Carter continued. “Gal Gadot was great.”

In August, the “Avatar” director proclaimed that the new “Wonder Woman” was a “step backwards” for women for being an “objectified” “beauty icon.” “Wonder Woman” director Patty Jenkins rebuked his remarks by pointing out that “there is no right and wrong kind of powerful woman.”

Cameron has stood by his comments, recently explaining to the Hollywood Reporter that his “Terminator” hero, Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton, who will reprise the role), was ahead of her time because she “wasn’t treated as a sex object.”

It seems that Wonder Woman being “absolutely drop-dead gorgeous” and wearing “a kind of bustier costume that was very form-fitting” somehow precludes her from being a strong, complex character in Cameron’s eyes.

Read Carter’s full statement below.

Fans were dismayed when actress and 11-time Emmy winner Julia Louis-Dreyfus announced Thursday that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Since her social media announcement, celebrity support for the “Veep” actress has come from all corners, but one missive stood out.

Just five hours after Louis-Dreyfus made her cancer public, Joe Biden sent a message of solidarity to his fellow former vice president in crime.

“We Veeps stick together,” Biden shared on Twitter, adding, “Jill and I, and all of the Bidens, are with you, Julia.”

Accompanying the tweet was a photo of Biden and Louis-Dreyfus’ stint at the 2014 White House Correspondents’’ Assn. Dinner, where the two vice presidents got up to some wacky D.C.-based adventures. (Watch the clip above.)

Minutes later, the actress responded to her friend: “Yes we do,” she tweeted. “Love back to all of you.”

According to a statement HBO released on Thursday, Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed the day after her historic night at the Emmys earlier this month.

“Our love and support go out to Julia and her family at this time,” HBO said. “We have every confidence she will get through this with her usual tenacity and undaunted spirit, and look forward to her return to health and to HBO for the final season of ‘Veep.’”

When it comes to delightfully cantankerous talk-show guests, no one gets as much mileage out of awkwardness as Harrison Ford.

Thursday was no exception as Ford stopped by “The Tonight Show” to sip Scotch and swap jokes with host Jimmy Fallon.

Ford garnered plenty of laughs playing Gallant to Fallon’s Goofus, perhaps best exemplified in an exchange about the alcohol the men indulged in.

The “Blade Runner 2049” actor was explaining how to pronounce Bruichladdich, the brand name of the whiskey, to which Fallon earnestly replied, “That sounds very Scottish.”

“Of course,” Ford deadpanned, “It’s Scotch whiskey.”

As Fallon poured the drinks, Ford looked into the studio audience and wondered aloud, “Is this OK?”

“I think we’re allowed to do it,” Fallon said. “I mean, you’re Harrison Ford. We’re allowed to do whatever we want to do.”

Then, as if speaking to a very simple child, Ford replied, “Not OK with you – OK with my wife.”

The laughs kept coming as the men then exchanged jokes, one of which involved both vomit and feces and another one about ice fishing. We’ll let you guess who told which.

Watch the segment above.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

READ MORE: The intense emotional connection ‘This Is Us’ has with its viewers overwhelms the team behind it

David S. Pumpkins is headed back to TV for an animated Halloween special. Any questions?

NBC has announced that Tom Hanks will reprise his role as David S. Pumpkins, who was introduced last year in the “Saturday Night Live” sketch “Haunted Elevator.” This time he’ll come back for “The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special.”

Dressed in a jack-o’-lantern print suit, Pumpkins made his debut as part of a thrill ride flanked by two dancing skeletons declaring his intention to “scare the hell out of you.”

There were many questions, none of which were answered, but the sketch definitely left an impression. Hanks hinted that he was reviving the character with a tweet earlier this month.

“The David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special” will be set in a small suburban town on All Hallow’s Eve. The story will follow Pumpkins and his skeleton sidekicks as they show a young boy and their sister the true meaning of Halloween. There will likely be many questions, but NBC’s official description promises Pumpkins and his pals will be answering none along the way.

“It’s scary how quickly the original ‘SNL’ sketch caught on, and we’re thrilled that Tom Hanks is back to keep the fun going,” George Cheeks, NBC’s president of business operations and late-night programming, said in a statement.

Joining Hanks as part of the Halloween special’s voice cast is “Game of Thrones” actor Peter Dinklage as well as the original sketch’s creators: Mikey Day, Bobby Moynihan and Streeter Seidell.

The half-hour “David S. Pumpkins Halloween Special” will air on NBC on Oct. 28.

To prepare, watch the original “Haunted Elevator” sketch below.

(Lionel Cironneau / Associated Press)

Those Kar-Jenners have a unique way of confirming long-gestating rumors about themselves as they gear up for each season of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians.” And, not to be upstaged by her potentially pregnant siblings, Kim Kardashian West confirmed that she and husband Kanye West are expecting their third child.

It’s long been rumored that the reality star, who’s faced a slew of health scares during her pregnancies with daughter North and son Saint, hired a surrogate for her next one. Her fertility struggles and surrogacy exploration are story lines that have been played up during the long-running E! series, so Thursday’s revelation gave the surrogacy aspect credence when Kardashian West tweeted a teaser for the upcoming season.

“What happens every time I say, ‘Guess what?’” Kardashian West asks sister Khloe Kardashian during a video-chat session in the promo.

“Pregnant, or the person’s pregnant,” her sister says.

Then Kardashian West chimes in with: “We’re having a baby!”

The social media and beauty mogul’s family has birthed some major baby-making headlines since last week when reports surfaced that her half sister Kylie Jenner is having her first child with rapper Travis Scott. Earlier this week, reports that her younger sister Khloe Kardashian was expecting her first child with NBA star and beau Tristan Thompson also made a splash online.

Neither Jenner nor Khloe Kardashian have officially confirmed the rumored pregnancies. However, the “KUWTK” promo explores Kardashian and Thompson’s budding romance, as well as Kourtney Kardashian’s new relationship and Rob Kardashian’s increasing tension with estranged ex-fiancee Blac Chyna. (He and Jenner filed a lawsuit against Chyna this week, alleging assault, battery and vandalism.)

Season 14 of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” kicks off on Sunday.

Just when we thought she was invincible, Julia Louis-Dreyfus dropped a bombshell on Thursday. The “Veep” star has breast cancer.

“1 in 8 women get breast cancer. Today, I’m the one,” the actress shared in a post on Instagram and Twitter.

The iconic “Seinfeld” alum spun the announcement into a political statement on healthcare, which has remained a hot-button national issue.

“The good news is that I have the most glorious group of supportive and caring family and friends, and fantastic insurance through my union,” she added. “The bad news is that not all women are so lucky, so let’s fight all cancers and make universal health care a reality.”

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the most common cause of death from cancer among Hispanic women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2014, 236,968 women and 2,141 men in the United States were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 41,211 women and 465 men in the United States died from the disease.

The 56-year-old did not share additional details about her diagnosis, nor did she share much about her prognosis. However, her publicist told the Associated Press that she “is incredibly grateful for the outpouring of support and well wishes.”

“Our love and support go out to Julia and her family at this time,” HBO said in a statement to The Times on Thursday. “We have every confidence she will get through this with her usual tenacity and undaunted spirit, and look forward to her return to health and to HBO for the final season of ‘Veep.’”

The news comes after Louis-Dreyfus made Emmy Award history earlier this month with another win for her HBO comedy. She won her sixth consecutive acting prize for her turn as career politician Selina Meyer on “Veep,” earning the most Emmys for playing the same character. (She previously shared the record with Mary Tyler Moore and Candice Bergen.) She also won the best comedy prize for a second time as a producer on the show.

“Veep” will come to an end in 2018. Louis-Dreyfus was diagnosed the day after the Emmy Awards, but the diagnosis played no part in the decision to end “Veep” after Season 7, HBO said. The writers will continue writing, and the series will adjust production as needed.

“This is and continues to be the role of a lifetime and an adventure of utter, utter joy,” Louis-Dreyfus said in her Emmys acceptance speech.

UPDATES

1:15 p.m.: This article was updated to include statements from HBO.

In 1993, Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy introduced the world to the singing, broom-flying and children-murdering Sanderson sisters in “Hocus Pocus.” Despite bad reviews — Gene Siskel called it “dreadful,” and our own Kenneth Turan was barely bewitched — the evil trio quickly became a cherished Halloween staple.

And now, because we live in a world where everything treasured is rebooted or reimagined, “Hocus Pocus” is getting a remake.

The L.A. Times can confirm that the Disney Channel is producing a remake of the film as a TV movie. Originally reported by Deadline, the new iteration will be penned by Scarlett Lacey (“The Royals”) and star an entirely new cast. (Good luck finding someone to fill in Midler’s stripy socks.) David Kirschner, who produced the original, is attached to executive produce the new version.

Set in Salem, the original movie told the story of three evil witches from 1693 who tried to live forever by sucking the souls out of little children. The sisters were eventually caught and executed by the town.

But before they died, the witches cursed the village, warning the citizens that one day they’d be back. Cut to 1993, a couple of kids light the wrong candle, and presto! The witches are back and there’s hell to pay.

Naturally the internet is taking this news about as well as to be expected.

However, some folks seem jazzed.

There’s no reported release date for the remake, but purists will be happy to know that Disney’s Freeform will be running an all-day marathon of the original on Oct. 31.

If you need us, we’ll be watching this YouTube video of Bette Midler singing “I Put a Spell on You” for the rest of the day.

Meghan McCain is reportedly set to join “The View.”

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

Former Fox News personality Meghan McCain is joining the ladies of “The View.”

The “Blond Republican” -- her words, not ours -- and daughter of U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is said to have signed on as a regular co-host of the ABC daytime talker, according to Variety. She’ll replace conservative voice Jedediah Bila, who announced her exit last week.

ABC declined to confirm or comment Thursday on McCain’s casting.

The new gig comes on the heels of McCain signing off of Fox News’ “Outnumbered” in the wake of her father’s brain cancer diagnosis. Before joining Fox News, she co-hosted the Pivot Network’s “TakePart Live” and has contributed to publications such as the Daily Beast, Newsweek and Time. Like her father, she often deviates from the GOP line on issues, including same-sex marriage and climate change.

McCain is expected to start in early October, Variety said, and will be joining panelists Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sara Haines, Paula Faris and Sunny Hostin.

“The View” has had its fair share of lineup changes over the years. Executive producer and former panelist Barbara Walters retired in 2014, and the show has included Rosie O’Donnell, Nicolle Wallace, Rosie Perez, Raven-Symoné, Michelle Collins and Candace Cameron Bure among its panelists.

McCain will be be the latest in the revolving door of conservative voices the show has introduced since the departure of Elisabeth Hasselbeck in 2013.

“The View” has seen improved ratings this month with big-name guests joining the panelists. On Sept. 13, former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton appeared on the program and helped “The View” notch its best ratings in a six-month period. Last Friday, the program scored its second-best telecast in five months with guest co-host Anthony Scaramucci’s appearance.

(Liz O. Baylen / Los Angeles Times)

Understanding Playboy-in-Chief Hugh Hefner’s revered — and reviled — lifestyle was often just a question or two away.

The iconoclastic publishing mogul, who died Wednesday at 91, was an open book when it came to his views on swinging ways and sexuality, particularly how his puritanical upbringing shaped his career and gave rise to the revolutionary Playboy empire.

Over the years, the perennially pajama-clad Hef was interviewed often by the Los Angeles Times. Here’s a sampling of some of his memorable quotes.

On sexuality’s problematic origins in America:

“Our society is fragmented,” he asserted in 1994. “Messages regarding human sexuality have always been mixed in America. We are a schizophrenic nation. We were founded initially by Puritans, who escaped repression only to establish their own. Then the founding fathers gave us the Constitution to separate church and state. But the one thing that got left out of all those laws was human sexuality.”

On the life he made for himself:

“Much of my life has been like an adolescent dream of an adult life,” he told The Times in 1992. “If you were still a boy, in almost a Peter Pan kind of way, and could have just the perfect life that you wanted to have, that’s the life I invented for myself.”

OBITUARY: Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who shook up American morality with an ideal of swinging singlehood, dies at 91

On why he was so happy:

“You will find in my bedroom images from long ago, little photographs and things from when I was a kid. I’m a very happy guy, and part of that has to do with my connection to my childhood,” he said in 2009.

On how he became “Hef”:

“Through a lifetime, you reinvent who you are,” he explained in 2009. “I actually reinvented myself the first time when I was 16, when a girl rejected me. I started referring to myself as Hef, started changing my wardrobe — the same thing I did in 1959-1960 with the magazine, when I came out from behind the desk and started living the life and got the first Playboy mansion, started to drive a Mercedes 300SL.”

On how the 1942 film “Casablanca” led to the Playboy Club:

“I think I opened the first Playboy Club because of ‘Casablanca.’ I wanted to have a place where people came to hang out as they did at Rick’s,” he said in 2010. “It has everything — not only Bogie’s charismatic character, but lost love, redemption, patriotism, humor — it had a great musical score.”

On traditional attitudes toward marriage and sex:

“If you don’t commit,” he told The Times in 1994, “you don’t get hurt. I was always unwilling to commit to marriage because I was afraid to lose the romance.”

On the Playboy brand’s global status:

“It has been said that the two most famous trademarks in the world are Coca-Cola and the Playboy bunny rabbit,” he said in 1994. “There is certainly no one else in our area that represents the American dream in this particular kind of way. That rabbit means economic freedom, personal freedom and political freedom. That potential is unlimited.”

On the Playboy Jazz Festival:

“I’ve never found anything that I’ve cared more about than the music from my youth. I loved the Beatles, sure, but I never became — except for dancing purposes — a hard rocker. To me, there is something incredibly celebratory, and so wonderful about really good big-band swing and Dixieland,” he said in 2002.

“When I started, I just wanted to put out a men’s magazine. But by the end of the ‘50s, it was so successful that I seized it as a vehicle for changing the direction of my life,” he added. “And that crucial change in my life was also associated with jazz, because it all began within a space of about six months after the first Playboy Jazz Festival in August of 1959.”

Hugh Hefner, founder of the Playboy empire, relaxes during a visit to England in 1966.

(John Downing / Getty Images)

On his personal legacy:

“One of the reasons that I have such tremendous satisfaction at this point in my life is because I know I’ve made a difference,” he said in 1994. “I’ve made a difference in a way that really matters to me.”

On publishing’s shift to digital:

“I don’t sit around thinking about, ‘Gee, what happened to the new generation and they don’t read enough and why is the internet replacing books?’” he said in 2009.

On his fame and sex appeal:

“I think that just as [Henry] Kissinger said, power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Celebrity is the ultimate aphrodisiac in today’s world. And I’m lucky enough to have fallen into a unique kind of celebrity,” he said in 2009. “So against all logic, nothing else matters — age doesn’t matter. When [my last long-term] relationship ended, last year, they were climbing over the gate. ... young women. Endless numbers of young women.”

ALSO

Hugh Hefner’s life pushing boundaries started with comics

Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Mansion was hedonistic headquarters for his brand

‘Your legacy lives on’: Hugh Hefner is remembered as an innovator, friend and supporter of civil rights

Samantha Bee blasted Donald Trump for what she considers his lack of response to the crisis in Puerto Rico, claiming the president instead has been busy “stoking a culture war” over the NFL.

On Wednesday’s episode of “Full Frontal,” Bee took aim at Trump’s continued focus on NFL players who have been peacefully protesting racism and police brutality by kneeling during the national anthem at football games.

“Last week on ‘Sport Roundup’ we were trying to figure out if the president is a white nationalist,” Bee said. “Which he clarified this week when he demanded that black people be fired for insufficient nationalism.”

Trump, of course, has equated the conversation about the NFL protests to respecting the flag itself, arguing that kneeling disrespects soldiers and first responders.

But “if anyone knows about treating soldiers and first responders with respect, it’s the guy that decided to fire transgender troops and deport paramedics who happen to be ‘Dreamers,’” Bee countered.

While Bee wants to believe Americans are smart enough to realize Trump is trying to distract from what the NFL protests are actually about, Fox News hosts and various conservative pundits have also been criticizing the players.

The segment included clips of these personalities commenting on how NFL players should feel grateful that they live in a country that pays them millions to play a game.

After pointing out that the NFL’s “hallowed tradition” of standing up during the national anthem dates back only to 2009, Bee slammed Fox News hosts for their own hypocrisy, branding them “multimillionaires who feel oppressed.”

“What a conversation we’re having,” Bee said. “Talking about black people and their owners and how they should be grateful for the privilege of working on a field. Who says Trump is taking us backward?”

Watch the full segment (which includes adult language) here.

(Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times)

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Hugh Hefner and a bevy of playmates.

(Carol Cheetham / Los Angeles Times)

Many admirers of Hugh Hefner and his Playboy empire paid their respects on social media after hearing of the impresario’s death at 91 -- including those directly influenced by the magazine and its founder.

Jenny McCarthy, Playmate of the Year in 1994 who went on to host and star in numerous TV shows and movies, wrote: “RIP #Hef Thank you for being a revolutionary and changing so many people’s lives, especially mine. I hope I made you proud.”

Among the other tributes pouring in late Wednesday and early Thursday...

Two of the three original co-stars of Hefner’s reality show, “The Girls Next Door,” which aired on E! from 2005 to 2010, weighed in on the passing of their former beau.

Both Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson turned to Twitter to share their admiration for Hefner.

Holly Madison, the third “Girl Next Door,” had yet to comment by Thursday morning. Madison penned a 2015 memoir that alleged that life inside the Playboy Mansion wasn’t as picture-perfect as it appeared.

Update, Sept. 28, 8:50 a.m.: This post was updated with additional reactions on social media.

Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner died at age 91 on Wednesday at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles. He’s seen here at Playboy’s 60th anniversary celebration in 2014.

(Charley Gallay / Getty Images for Playboy)

Hugh Hefner, the incurable playboy who built a publishing and entertainment empire on the idea that Americans should shed their puritanical hang-ups and enjoy sex, has died, according to a Playboy spokesperson. He was 91.

Hefner was the founder of Playboy magazine, launched amid the conservatism of the 1950s, when marriage and domesticity conferred social status. Hefner pitched an alternative standard — swinging singlehood — which portrayed the desire for sex as normal as craving apple pie. He redefined the status for a generation of men, replacing lawn mowers and fishing gear with new symbols: martini glasses, a cashmere sweater and a voluptuous girlfriend, the necessary components of a new lifestyle that melded sex and materialism.

Hugh Hefner’s ‘Playboy’ life in pictures

Thus, in Playboy magazine, the upwardly mobile man could ogle pictures of naked women called Playmates, chosen personally by Hefner for their large busts and girl-next-door wholesomeness. Surrounding the titillating visuals were interviews with luminaries from Albert Schweitzer to Malcolm X; short stories by such leading writers as Ernest Hemingway and John Updike; and advice columns on such matters as how to prepare the perfect vodka gimlet or appreciate jazz — all of which lent credence to many men’s claims that they bought the magazine for the articles.

This combination of flesh and intellectuality made Playboy the world’s bestselling men’s magazine and Hefner a millionaire many times over.

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Construction is underway at the site of the future Academy Museum of Motion Pictures at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

It’s no secret that the Motion Picture Academy has hit a few bumps along the way in its effort to build an ambitious film museum in Los Angeles: construction delays, cost overruns, concerns over the pace of fundraising.

But at a press event on Wednesday morning, academy leaders looked to turn the page on those growing pains and tout the progress that’s been made on the museum, which is slated to open in 2019 – and express their gratitude for a major new $50-million donation from Cheryl and Haim Saban.

At the museum’s construction site at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, recently elected academy President John Bailey, museum director Kerry Brougher, newly named chair of the museum board of trustees Ron Meyer and others spoke before an assembled audience of journalists and other guests in hard hats. Attendees were later given a tour of the site and a glimpse of architect Renzo Piano’s plans for how it will all come together.

Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy, who chairs the academy Board of Governors’ museum committee, acknowledged what a long road it’s been to get a bona fide movie museum built in the city that’s home to the movie business.

“I’ve been in the business for almost 40 years,” Kennedy said. “I think I share with many people in this room that we’re all kind of incredulous that this could be a company town and we don’t have a motion picture museum. We should have the world’s most pre-eminent motion picture museum – and now we have the opportunity to have that.”

Disney CEO Bob Iger, who chairs the academy museum’s capital campaign, introduced the Sabans, whose $50-million donation is the largest the museum has yet received and brings the academy nearly 75% of the way toward reaching its $388-million fundraising goal. In recognition of their gift, the historic 1939 May Co. Building that will be home to the museum will be renamed the Saban Building.

“We’re honored to help with this historic endeavor for our industry,” said Cheryl Saban. “We join all of you in eager anticipation of the opening of the doors of this academy museum.”

Closing out the event, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti spoke about what the museum would mean not only to the film business and movie fans, but to the city as a whole.

“We neglected this industry for too long in our backyard,” Garcetti said, touting efforts to extend film tax credits to bring production back to the city. “We neglected our history – and that’s what today is about.... If we can’t tell our stories, if we can’t link with our past, what future can we have?”

It’s been eight years since James Cameron dropped his big, blue blockbuster. And now that the first of four “Avatar” sequels is officially in production, 20th Century Fox is ready to start revealing its new Na’vi cast. Meet the new alien cat clan that will star in Cameron’s long-awaited “Avatar” sequel.

For those who haven’t communed with the spirit of Eywa, the 2009 film takes place in the future on an alien planet named Pandora. In the film, Earthlings travel a great distance to mine Pandora of the precious metal “unobtanium.”

In order to communicate with the planet’s inhabitants -- the giant feline-looking natives named the Na’vi -- humans would transport their consciousness into “avatars” that mimicked the locals’ bodies, size and abilities.

Inside one of those avatars, human/main character Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) falls in love with the Na’vi Neytiri (Zoe Saldana). Last we saw of Jake, his consciousness was mystically leaving his human form to be transferred into his new Na’vi body forever. True love!

Clearly things worked out for Jake and Neytiri, because the “Avatar 2” cast reveal is loaded with a new crop of Sully family members.

Plus there’s another clan of new aliens to get excited about.

Here’s the breakdown of each new Na’vi cast member (which includes name pronunciations and their family relations) from Wednesday’s official announcement:

The Sully family

Jamie Flatters: Neteyam (neh-tay’-ahm). Jake and Neytiri’s first-born son.

Britain Dalton: Lo’ak (loh’ ahk). Jake and Neytiri’s second born.

Trinity Bliss: Tuktirey (took-tee’-ray), goes by “Tuk” (rhymes with “nuke”). The youngest of the Sully family.

The Metkayina clan

Bailey Bass: Tsireya (see-ray’-ah), goes by “Reya.” She is a graceful and strong free-diver -- the young Neytiri of the ocean.

Filip Geljo: Aonung (aw-nung’). Young male hunter/free-diver son of the Olo’eyktan of Metkayina Clan.

Duane Evans Jr.: Rotxo (row’-txoh). Young male hunter/free-diver of the Metkayina.

Obviously, you’ll have to use your imagination for the eventual character reveal, as the Na’vis are filmed using performance capture. However, there are a few more details we can glean from the press release.

For example, the importance of including “free-diver” in the character descriptions paired with the previous description of the Metkayina as “reef people” reinforces the long-held belief that much of the new “Avatar” movies will take place underwater.

Plus the age difference between this cast and the 2009 one is staggering. The younger cast seems to be targeting a family-friendly demographic. And with the recent opening of Disney World’s Pandora, going after the toy-buying demographic makes sense.

In addition to the new alien brood is one humanoid character, Javier “Spider” Socorro. Played by Jack Champion, this teen was born inside “Hell’s Gate,” the now-defunct military complex that was running the unobtanium operation. Very little is known about Javier other than he “prefers his time in the Pandoran rainforest more than the asphalt of Hell’s Gate.” But his nickname is “Spider,” so we can all assume that he’ll arrive on a motorcycle.

Returning cast includes Worthington, Saldana, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang. The sequel has a planned premiere date of Dec. 18, 2020.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Another “Today,” another Megyn Kelly gaffe.

The latest morning-show recruit has been having a rough first week. Early reviews weren’t exactly glowing, and she drew the ire of Oscar winner Jane Fonda repeatedly during Wednesday’s episode of Kelly’s new NBC show.

The former Fox News anchor welcomed longtime friends Fonda and Robert Redford, who have reunited on the new Netflix film “Our Souls at Night” and sat down with Kelly to promote it. But Kelly appeared more interested in the 79-year-old’s history with cosmetic procedures rather than the movie.

And Fonda, who had just (jokingly?) snapped at the host for asking Redford to reminisce about his “The Way We Were” co-star Barbra Streisand, wasn’t in the mood.

“You’ve been an example to everyone on how to age beautifully and with strength,” Kelly remarked. “And, unapologetically, you admit you’ve had work done, which I think is to your credit. You look amazing. Why did you say, I read that you’re not proud to admit that you’ve had work done. Why not?”

Unamused, Fonda sternly replied: “We really want to talk about that now?”

But Kelly couldn’t take a hint and continued her line of questioning: “Well, one of the things people think when they look at you is how amazing you look,” she said.

“Well, thanks,” Fonda said tersely, before redirecting the conversation back to the film. “Good attitude, good posture, take care of myself ... but, let me tell you why I love this movie that we did, ‘Our Souls at Night,’ rather than plastic surgery.”

After that, the “Grace and Frankie” star briefly sat with her arms crossed when Kelly asked Redford if there was anyone else besides Fonda he wanted to work with.

Wednesday’s awkward exchange comes on the heels of “Will & Grace” star Debra Messing declaring she regrets appearing on Kelly’s debut episode of “Today” on Monday and was “dismayed” by the host’s comments during the episode.

“Saturday Night Live” has hired comedians Heidi Gardner, left, Chris Redd and Luke Null.

(Zeb Wells / Break Out Comedy / iO Theater / Associated Press)

“Saturday Night Live” has hired three new stars for Season 43.

Comedians Heidi Gardner, Chris Redd and Luke Null will join the sketch comedy when it returns to NBC this weekend. The trio replaces departed cast members Bobby Moynihan, Vanessa Bayer and Sasheer Zamata.

The news comes as Lorne Michaels’ veteran variety show revamps and diversifies its roster of talent. “SNL” also has hired seven new writers: Nimesh Patel — who’s being touted as the answer to its dearth of South Asian talent — Sam Jay, Gary Richardson, Erik Marino, Andrew Dismukes, Steven Castillo and Claire Friedman.

Here’s a rundown of the on-camera rookies and where you might have seen (or heard) them before:

Heidi Gardner

L.A. Groundlings alum Gardner voiced Yasmin on the “Bratz” animated series and currently voices humanoid cat Cooch on Crackle’s “SuperMansion.” She also writes for the latter stop-motion comedy. Gardner has appeared in several gender-bending shorts on YouTube and will hit the big screen next year in Melissa McCarthy’s comedy “Life of the Party.”

Chris Redd

The stand-up comedian and rapper has a slew of Netflix credits: He plays superstoner YouTube personality Dank on the Kathy Bates comedy “Disjointed” and has appeared in “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later” and “Handsome: A Netflix Mystery Movie.” He made his Comedy Central stand-up debut earlier this month and performed locally at the Laugh Factor doing NSFW routines on cold weather and being snowed in. Redd also played rival rapper Hunter the Hungry in Lonely Island’s 2016 film “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.”

Luke Null

The Chicago-based musical comic Null performs with improv troupe iO Chicago. The Ohio University grad is also a member of Newport Hounds, a Chicago-based improv/sketch group. Here’s a look at his NSFW musical stylings and some of his older, tamer fare below.

“SNL” returns on Sept. 30 with Ryan Gosling and rapper Jay-Z lined up for the premiere episode. “Wonder Woman” star Gal Gadot and musical guest Sam Smith will appear on the Oct. 7 episode, and “The Big Sick’s” Kumail Nanjiani will host the Oct. 14 episode with musical guest Pink.

The new season comes at a golden time for the long-running show. Coming off its most-watched season in decades and its scathing lampoons of the Trump administration, “SNL” earned nine wins at the Primetime Emmy Awards earlier this month. Last week, NBC announced it will continue to air the show live from coast to coast.

Festivus came early this year as Bill O’Reilly returned to Fox News on Tuesday night to make accusations and air grievances.

Appearing on “Hannity,” O’Reilly made his first appearance on the conservative news network since multiple sexual-harassment allegations led to his ouster in April.

O’Reilly’s time with Sean Hannity, promoted as a way to promote his latest book, “Killing England,” primarily devolved into a discussion of things that have upset O’Reilly in the five months since viewers saw him last.

Here, in no particular order, are a few things that grind O’Reilly’s gears:

Kneeling

In generally unsurprising news, O’Reilly is very offended by peaceful protests in the NFL that involve kneeling during the playing of the national anthem.

“It’s a mob mentality. It is an anti-Trump demonstration,” O’Reilly said of the protest that Colin Kaepernick ignited during the Obama administration. “That’s what it’s morphed into.”

Both Hannity and O’Reilly both invoked the troops in their arguments that protests involviing the the American flag and national anthem are offensive, despite the fact that such speech is protected by the 1st Amendment.

“The [National Football] League and the owners have lost control of [the protest],” said O’Reilly.

Several NFL owners stood arm in arm with their players during protests on Sunday, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a statement that called the president’s criticism of players “divisive.”

[Supposed] Racism

Hannity was anxious to hear O’Reilly’s thoughts about how the left uses racism as a “wedge issue,” and the former host of “The O’Reilly Factor” was more than happy to oblige.

“The media and the entertainers drive it,” O’Reilly said in response to Hannity’s assertion that accusations of racism are dividing the country along racial lines in a way that is “hurtful to the country.”

Hannity did not explain what dividing the country along racial lines in a way that was not hurtful to the country looked like.

“A year ago, you did not hear the words ‘white supremacist,’” O’Reilly said. “It was white privilege.” He then talked about the transformation from privilege to supremacy and how “people are buying it.”

O’Reilly neglected to explain where demonstrations featuring the Confederate flag and torch-carrying white nationalists fit into this change in public perception.

“If you want to believe that America is an evil country where white supremacists stalk the blacks, you’re free to believe it,” O’Reilly said, hastily adding, “But it’s not true.”

That darn mainstream media

O’Reilly and Hannity both had plenty of scorn to pile onto other purveyors of national news.

“I have never seen any institution in America that is so corrupt, so bitterly ideological, that’s so one-sided,” Hannity opined. “All they want to do is destroy this president.”

“We’re living in a time with no more journalistic rules, and I can back that up 50 different ways, but I’m not going to bore everybody tonight,” O’Reilly responded. “But I will someday.”

He then went on to dismiss major urban newspapers as “left-wing journals” that coordinate coverage, later seeming to suggest a secret liberal cabal determined to hornswoggle the American people by accurately quoting the president – and Fox News pundits.

“A lot of people believe propaganda,” O’Reilly told Hannity, “and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Debra Messing claims she didn’t know her appearance on Monday’s “Today” show would be part of former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly’s debut.

In fact, the “Will & Grace” star, who appeared on the morning talker with the comedy’s cast and crew, said she regrets being on. And she was “dismayed” by Kelly’s commentary, presumably when she made a joke about a gay superfan modeling his life after the show’s titular Will Truman (watch that exchange at the 2-minute mark below).

The outspoken actress-activist made the revelation on Instagram, responding to a commenter who asked: “But why did you guys do the Megyn Kelly show? That’s a fail!”

“Honestly I didn’t know it was MK until that morning,” Messing replied. “The itinerary just said Today show appearance. Regret going on. Dismayed by her comments.”

Times’ TV critic Robert Lloyd picked up on Kelly’s awkward gibes in his review, writing that she had “an intensely cheery, manic first-date energy.

“That she has spent a long time on television, speaking to cameras and conducting interviews, can only serve her so well, as she was not previously required to look like she was having fun doing it,” Lloyd wrote. “If anything, she was required to look like fun was the furthest thing from her mind.”

Messing’s comments come just days after the former Fox News anchor’s spotty track record on race, religion and sexuality got the “Last Week Tonight” treatment. Host John Oliver takes aim at the TV personality and her attempt to be a “unifying force.”

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It turns out Jon Snow may know a thing or two after all.

Former “Game of Thrones” co-stars Kit Harington and Rose Leslie are engaged, after months of speculation and years of secretive courtship.

The pair announced the happy news via a charmingly old-fashioned engagement announcement in the “Forthcoming Marriages” section of Wednesday’s Times of London.

“The engagement is announced between Kit, younger son of David and Deborah Harington of Worcestershire, and Rose, middle daughter of Sebastian and Candy Leslie of Aberdeenshire,” the announcement read.

Leslie, who now stars on “The Good Fight,” and Harington aren’t the only celebrities who’ve opted to go the low-key throwback route when it comes to pending nuptials.

In 2014, Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter announced their own engagement in the same analogue fashion.

There’s no word yet on when and where Harington and Leslie will tie the knot, but they’ve likely learned enough from their time on the HBO series to know how to keep a secret.

Actually, given the history of “Game of Thrones”-related weddings, maybe they’ll just opt to elope.

Seth Meyers is not impressed by President Trump’s belated response to the hurricane devastation in Puerto Rico. And the late-night TV host is not mincing words on the matter.

On Tuesday night’s edition of “Hey!,” a recurring segment on “Late Night,” Meyers took Trump to task over a series of tweets Monday in which he appeared to blame Puerto Rico for its current situation.

“Hey! Don’t go after Puerto Rico for their financial problems now,” Meyers began. “Victims of tragedy aren’t looking for real talk.”

The host then moved on to reminding Trump that he was the candidate who was going to put Americans before Wall Street before pointing out that the president couldn’t even manage to do that in a tweet.

“People don’t have clean drinking water, and your first instinct is to tell them they owe money,” Meyers said. “What are you, some kind of [crappy] landlord?

“Oh, right,” he continued, “you were a [crappy] landlord.”

Meyers reiterated that Puerto Rico is a U.S. territory and should be a top priority for Trump, given his “Make America Great Again” motto. And he insulted the president’s delayed response to the island’s humanitarian crisis, calling him “the last responder.”

Watch the segment above.

(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Hard-earned million

(Lukas Barth / Associated Press)

Aerosmith singer Steven Tyler said Tuesday that he has returned to the United States for medical care and that the band is canceling the last four shows of its tour in South America.

Tyler said on social media that he flew back to the U.S. on Monday night after a show in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

He said he is “not in a life threatening condition” but needs to deal with a medical issue “immediately” to maintain future scheduled performances.

The band has canceled two shows this month, in Curitiba, Brazil, and Santiago, Chile, and two shows next month, in Rosario, Argentina, and Monterrey, Mexico.

Tyler said he expects to make a full recovery.

Aerosmith, known for the hits “Walk This Way,” ’’Sweet Emotion” and “Dream On,” formed in Boston in 1971.

It finally happened. Kind of. Sort of. We think.

After a high-flying debut season, “This Is Us” returned Tuesday night with its sophomore outing and the promise that the circumstances around a central mystery that fans wanted answers to — how patriarch Jack Pearson died — would become more clear. (And look, we’re not good with twists so, yes, you can expect spoilers if you continue reading.)

The premiere was packed with the show’s signature emotional moments. But it was the final minutes of the NBC time-jumping family drama that will have fans talking.

Things kick into gear after Rebecca (Mandy Moore) and Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) have a heart-to-heart soon after the epic fight that closed out last season.

They’re living apart, but Rebecca offers hope that they’ll get through it. Jack then reveals that his alcohol dependency has gotten worse — a confession that prompts Rebecca to demand Jack go home with her so they can tackle his problem together.

The scene transitions to a slight time jump, with Rebecca driving and emotional, and the camera pans to a shot of Jack’s possessions in a clear plastic bag. Viewers then see the distraught teenage versions of Kate (Hannah Zeile) and Randall (Niles Fitch), while Kevin (Logan Shroyer) was out somewhere with a girl, oblivious to the circumstances.

The episode closed with a shot of Rebecca pulling up to the Pearson’s mailbox. She let out a heartrending wail as the camera zoomed out to reveal their burned-down house — suggesting that Jack likely died in the fire.

“But did he die in the fire? Did he get out of the fire? Did he start the fire?” Ventimiglia said coyly during a Q&A panel after Tuesday night’s premiere at Neuehouse in Hollywood. “We didn’t actually see the house on fire.”

Milo!

Moore said of that final moment: “That’s not the full story, that’s just a piece of the puzzle.”

When we caught up with her at the premiere after-party, Moore said filming that scene was overwhelming.

“It felt like a year-and-a-half of pent-up emotion — it was heavy,” Moore said.

Dan Fogelman, the show’s creator, said it’s a relief to finally have it out there. He said he kept tabs for a few minutes to Twitter reaction following the show’s East Coast airing.

“I really felt for a long time very confident in the first episode — and, frankly, the season,” he told The Times. “But you never know until you put it out into the world. It felt good that people seemed to be responding to the episode — and even to the ending. Obviously, learning how a favorite character dies, you’re never going to go, ‘Great, I loved that.’ But, so far, from what I’ve seen, fans are liking the execution of it. And that was fulfilling.”

And keeping it under wraps was of high importance. Fogelman said the final scene, which had been planned for about six months, was referred to as “The Marble” in the writers room, explaining the code name was a nod to a Beyoncé video. He also said that he wouldn’t put anything in writing about the scene. And that filming of Rebecca approaching the burned-down house took place just two weeks ago, about three hours outside of Los Angeles. The version viewers see of Moore is the first one shot.

“I was very anxious for a long time,” Fogelman said. “It was pretty amazing we kept it a secret as long as we did.”

Of course, Fogelman is well aware there are still questions to be answered about Jack’s death. And he says they will come.

“We have 18 episodes [this season],” he said. “There’s a lot of different pieces, and we need to see how they all come together. In the course of the season, you’ll know everything. And new things will arise, as is the nature with our show.”

(Richard Shotwell / Invision / Associated Press)

Hope you’re ready for a new generation of Kardashi-Kids!

TMZ reported Tuesday that business mogul and reality star Khloe Kardashian is expecting her first child with her beau, basketball player Tristan Thompson of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

For those keeping track, that makes three purported pregnancies for the Kardashian-Jenner family.

In June, reports alleged that Kim Kardashian-West and husband Kanye West are expecting their third child via a surrogate.

Last week, rumors surfaced regarding the youngest member of the Kardashian brood, asserting that 20-year-old Kylie Jenner is expecting her first child with boyfriend Travis Scott.

Throughout the 10-year run of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” Khloe Kardashian has made no secret of her desire to be a mother and concerns about her fertility, so news of a pregnancy would seem to be a welcome development.

Kardashian’s rep did not immediately respond to the Los Angeles Times’ request for comment.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Bill O’Reilly is returning to the cable news network that sacked him — as a guest.

The ousted host of Fox News’ “The O’Reilly Factor” will appear on Sean Hannity’s show tonight at 9 p.m.

The two TV personalities promoted the “Hannity” spot on Twitter, with O’Reilly billing the appearance as “an event” and flooding his feed with several reminders.

Fox News’ top-rated broadcaster, who was fired in April in the wake of numerous sexual-harassment allegations, has been making the rounds to promote his latest alternate-history novel, “Killing England,” and addressing his exit from the cable news network.

Timeline: The rise and fall of Bill O’Reilly

On the “Today” show last week, O’Reilly denied any wrongdoing and said his “conscience is clear.” In his 42 years in the business, he said he never had any human-resources cases brought against him. He also declared that his firing was “a political and financial hit job” that resulted from sponsored boycotts and accused left-leaning advocacy groups of orchestrating his and Fox News’ demise.

“Nobody’s a perfect person, but I can go to sleep at night very well knowing that I never mistreated anyone on my watch in 42 years,” O’Reilly said.

Fans of home-renovation shows were heartbroken Tuesday when Chip and Joanna Gaines announced that they’ll be leaving their hit HGTV series “Fixer Upper.”

“It is with both sadness and expectation that we share the news that Season 5 of ‘Fixer Upper’ will be our last,” the couple wrote on their blog. “While we are confident that this is the right choice for us, it has for sure not been an easy one to come to terms with.”

The Gaineses also posted a video on their blog expressing their gratitude to fans for joining them and explaining that they’re making the choice to focus on their family and their business in Waco, Texas.

“This journey has been indescribable,” said a visibly emotional Chip. “The opportunity of a lifetime. Our family has grown up before our eyes on national television, which is an experience, that I can tell you, is beautiful. It’s wonderful for so many reasons.”

“It’s such a bittersweet time for us, because the last five years, this has been our life,” added Joanna. “The show, the crew here, these homes that we’ve gotten to renovate for these beautiful families.”

“Fixer Upper” began its first season in April 2014 and soon became the jewel in HGTV’s real-estate renovation crown. Last year, the series averaged 4.3 million viewers, more than 1.5 million more viewers than the network’s second-place series, “Flip or Flop.”

“We’ve all been on an incredible journey with Chip and Joanna for five years,” HGTV said in a statement released Tuesday. “It takes a huge amount of time and creative energy to make a phenomenal series like ‘Fixer Upper’. We understand their decision to spend more time with their family. Like all of their fans, we want only the best for them and they know they will always have a home at HGTV.

“Fans can expect that the upcoming season of ‘Fixer Upper’ will be the best season ever and we can’t wait for it to hit the air later this year.”

Fans of the show should rest easy knowing that this announcement doesn’t mean the disappearance of the Gaines family from their lives.

Target announced two weeks ago that Chip and Joanna Gaines will be launching Hearth & Hand with Magnolia, a home and lifestyle brand for the big-box store, with products arriving in stores Nov. 5.

Chip Gaines also has a book, “Capital Gaines: Smart Things I Learned Doing Stupid Stuff,” scheduled for release Oct. 17.

And if you’re worried about getting your fix of shiplap – a type of wooden board that’s a staple on the show – HGTV recently posted a video on how to make your own.

Season 5 of “Fixer Upper” is expected to debut in November.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

George Clooney is among the celebrities taking a knee in solidarity with NFL players.

And he’s doing it in the most poetic of ways.

The Oscar-winning director, actor and producer rarely shies away from tackling hot-button issues and injustices — often trading in wry social commentary or strongly worded statements.

On Tuesday, Clooney put in his two cents in the form of a personal poem published on the Daily Beast. The stanza came in the wake of President Trump reviving the kneeling debate by calling for the punishment of players who refuse to stand for the singing of the national anthem before sporting events.

In the 10-line “Prayer for Our Country,” the “Suburbicon” director said that he prays to “find more that unites us than divides us” and prays “that our nation’s leaders want to do the same.”

The activist and philanthropist, who raised funds for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, highlighted the racial tensions underlying much of the debate by praying for “young children like Tamir Rice,” “all of our children,” police, first responders and the men and women of the armed services.

“I pray that dissent will always be protected in this great country,” he continued. “I pray for a more perfect union.

“And when I pray, I kneel,” he concluded.

Puncturing the zeppelin-sized dreams of nostalgic rockers hoping for a 2018 reunion with former bandmates Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, singer Robert Plant on Tuesday announced a solo tour, which will stop at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles on March 2.

The waxing millions might want to get over it already, at least based on the new recording Plant just issued. Called “Bluebirds Over the Mountain,” it finds the former Led Zeppelin frontman teaming with the Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde for a mesmerizing five-minute workout.

The song is the most recent teaser from Plant’s forthcoming album, “Carry Fire,” which is set arrive via Nonesuch Records on Oct. 13. Produced by Plant in western England, his 11th solo album features backing by his band, the Sensational Space Shifters. That same unit will tour with him.

In a statement announcing the concerts, Plant said of his new work with the Space Shifters: “It’s about intention. I respect and relish my past works but each time I feel the trawl and incentive to create new work. I must mix old with new.

“Consequently the whole impetus of the band has moved on its axis somewhat, the new sound and different space giving way to exciting and dramatic landscapes of mood, melody and instrumentation.”

Robert Plant will perform in L.A. in March in support of a new album, “Carry Fire.”

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“Bluebirds Over the Mountain” was penned by rockabilly star Ersel Hickey at the suggestion of singer Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers, and recorded by artists including Richie Valens and the Beach Boys (check out their version here).

Plant’s version revels in chugga-chugga electric guitar riffs, the occasional dose of feedback and a precisely placed, curiously strong fiddle solo. The song takes flight when paired with the roughly animated video, which stars two laser-beam-shooting people riding on the backs of soaring birds.

For the tour, Plant will be teaming with Ticketmaster and its new bot- and scalper-fighting “Verified Fan” initiative recently employed by superstars including Taylor Swift and Bruce Springsteen.

Ticket buyers can visit robertplant.tmverifiedfan.com to register for presale access before a Sept. 27 end date. Per the press announcement, those verified and selected “will receive a text invitation two to four hours before the presale begins on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 12 p.m. EDT. The general public on-sale will be on Friday, Sept. 29.”

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Powerhouse vocalist Idina Menzel married her “Rent” co-star Aaron Lohr over the weekend.

The “Frozen” actress and actor-turned-psychologist, who co-starred in the 2005 adaptation of “Rent,” wed at home, she announced on Facebook on Monday by sharing beautiful photos from the big day.

“Dad & son walked me down the aisle. It was magical,” Menzel wrote. “Thank you to everyone who helped make my wedding day so special.”

According to People, Menzel’s off-the-shoulder lace gown was made by Carolina Herrera. She wore Jimmy Choo shoes, Ricardo Basta jewels and a Jennifer Behr headpiece. Lohr wore a suit by John Varvatos.

The theater kids have been dating since 2015 and have been engaged for a year.

Menzel, 46, was previously married to another “Rent” co-star, actor Taye Diggs, with whom she shares 7-year-old son Walker. The two married in 2003 and split in 2013.

Lohr, 41, who holds master’s degrees in criminal justice and psychology, works as a therapist at Avalon Malibu, a mental health and addiction treatment center in California. He also starred in Disney’s “Mighty Ducks” films, “Newsies” and “The Goofy Movie” and continues to make guests appearances on television in shows such as “Law & Order” and “The Mentalist.”

Betty White will be the woman of the hour at the Paley Center’s October gala.

(Evan Agostini / Invision/Associated Press)

The Paley Center for Media announced Tuesday plans for Paley Honors in Hollywood: A Gala Celebrating Women in Television.

The star-studded event will showcase television’s ability to shape culture and the contributions of women across all genres, including drama, comedy, music, variety, news, talk and sports.

Featuring a special tribute to comedy icon Betty White, the gala will feature presenters and participants including Kristin Chenoweth, Nadia Comaneci, Allison Janney, Debra Messing, Rita Moreno, Wanda Sykes and Lynn Whitfield.

“I am thrilled to be honored by the Paley Center,” White said in a statement. “To be acknowledged for working in a business I love for as long as I have is truly a privilege. I’m proud to share this evening with these amazing and talented women.”

Among the guests will be Pamela Adlon, Julie Bowen, Ilene Chaiken, Tyne Daly, Sharon Gless, Misha Green, Diane Guerrero, Marilu Henner, Niecy Nash and many more.

“The Paley Center is so proud to honor this incredible group of women at this once-in-a-lifetime event,” said Maureen J. Reidy, president and CEO of the Paley Center for Media, in a statement.

“No other medium has brought people together the way television has, and this is the perfect time to celebrate the pioneering entertainers, groundbreaking series, and current hit shows that have sparked conversations, educated audiences, and thrilled generations,” she said.

The Paley Honors in Hollywood: A Gala Celebrating Women in Television will take place Oct. 12 at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Tickets and tables can be ordered at paley.me/lahonors2017.

After a weekend of picking fights with both the NFL and NBA, President Trump practically guaranteed unity from the snarkiest segment of the U.S. populace: late-night TV hosts.

Trump caused a stir — and sparked what could become a growing movement — when he slammed NFL owners for not punishing players who take a knee during the national anthem.

On “Late Night,” Seth Meyer dedicated his “A Closer Look” segment to dissecting Trump’s comments in Alabama and the ensuing fallout, airing a news clip in which the anchor mentioned that the footage might contain inappropriate language for younger viewers.

“Donald Trump is our first NC-17 president,” Meyers said. “And it’s not even a good NC-17 movie. Trump is basically the ‘Showgirls’ of presidents.”

Stephen Colbert opened his monologue by also revisiting Trump’s Alabama speech.

“That was unnecessary roughness,” Colbert said after airing Trump’s remarks. “There should be a flag on that play. And I’m going to say a Confederate flag.”

Trevor Noah dedicated two separate segments on “The Daily Show” to the NFL protest, including one that questioned when, precisely, is the right time for black people to protest.

Noah even came up with a Dr. Seuss-type rhyme to sum up all of the reasons protest has been deemed unacceptable by the current administration.

James Corden and “The Late Late Show” keyed in on Trump’s claims that his comments about the NFL were about the importance of respecting the American flag.

“Trump thinks that people should treat the flag with more respect,” Corden said. “You know, like on his website, where you can spend $8 on a Trump American flag beer koozie.”

On “The Tonight Show,” Jimmy Fallon announced a list of other changes Trump suggested the NFL make.

“Trump’s first rule is that someone has to get sacked every five minutes, just like at the White House,” Fallon said. “Then he said the broadcasters for every game have to be the hosts of ‘Fox & Friends.’

“And finally,” Fallon concluded, “When a referee overturns a call, he has to say, ‘The previous play was fake news!’ ”

(Only Jimmy Kimmel avoided Trump’s NFL brouhaha, instead turning his monologue over to his continued fight against the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill.)

(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Beauty and the boards

Luis Fonsi, left, and Daddy Yankee perform in Florida in April.

( (Lynne Sladky / Associated Press))

The Latin Grammy Academy has announced the nominations for the 18th Latin Grammys, and to the surprise of few handicappers, the Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi’s smash hit “Despacito” has snagged nods in the two top song categories, record of the year and song of the year.

Featuring Daddy Yankee, Fonsi’s hit, which recently tied Mariah Carey’s record streak of 16 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 100, will compete against a roster of talent both veteran and fresh, including Rubén Blades, Juanes, Natalia Lafourcade, ADG, Shakira and Mon Laferte.

Despite the massive crossover, “Despacito” isn’t a lock for anything. The rapper Residente, best known as co-founder of the duo Calle 13, earned a field-leading nine nominations for work from his eponymous solo album. The swoon-worthy Colombian singer and songwriter Maluma, who in 2016 collaborated with artists including Ricky Martin and Shakira, earned seven nods.

Shakira earned six nominations for work from her album “El Dorado,” including album, record and song of the year.

The nominations were slated to be announced last week, but after an earthquake devastated Mexico City, the news was postponed. A few days later, Fonsi’s home, Puerto Rico, was hit by Hurricane Maria, a storm that has knocked out power to the entire U.S. territory and left countless thousands stranded without basic necessities.

Fonsi has since been vocal about the tragedy unfolding in Puerto Rico, and was overcome with emotion during a show this weekend in Hollywood, Fla.

“Right now, there are a lot of people suffering and it’s time to unite, it’s time to help,” Fonsi said, according to Billboard. His voice was shaky with emotion.

These tragic events have added weight to an otherwise celebratory occasion.

In a statement, Gabriel Abaroa Jr., president and CEO of the Latin Recording Academy, said, “More than ever, Latin music continues to have an enormous cultural impact by uniting people throughout the world.”

He added: “Many of this year’s nominees have expanded beyond traditional genres to create different fusions through creative collaborations. These artists, producers, and writers, united by artistic excellence and devotion to their craft, have come together to deliver eclectic music that has resulted in worldwide success.”

The ceremony is scheduled for Nov. 16 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and will be broadcast on Univision.

Below, nominations in key categories. For a full list of nominees, check the Latin Grammy Awards website.

Album of the Year

• “Salsa Big Band” — Rubén Blades and Roberto Delgado & Orquesta
• “Obras Son Amores” — Antonio Carmona
• “A La Mar” — Vicente García
• “Fénix” — Nicky Jam
• “Mis Planes Son Amarte” — Juanes
• “La Trenza” — Mon Laferte
• “Musas (Un Homenaje al Folclore Latinoamericano en Manos de Los Macorinos, Vol. 1)” — Natalia Lafourcade
• “Residente” — Residente
• “El Dorado” — Shakira
• “Palabras Manuales” — Danay Suarez

Record of the Year

• “La Flor De La Canela” — Rubén Blades
• “El Surco” — Jorge Drexler
• “Quiero Que Vuelvas” — Alejandro Fernández
• “Despacito” — Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee
• “El Ratico” — Juanes featuring Kali Uchis
• “Amárrame” — Mon Laferte featuring Juanes
• “Felices Los 4” — Maluma
• “Vente Pa’ Ca” — Ricky Martin featuring Maluma
• “Guerra” — Residente
• “Chantaje” — Shakira featuring Maluma

Song of the Year (award for the songwriter)

• “Amárrame” — Mon Laferte, songwriter (Mon Laferte featuring Juanes)
• “Chantaje” — Kevin Mauricio Jiménez Londoño, Bryan Snaider Lezcano Chaverra, Joel Antonio López Castro, Maluma and Shakira, songwriters (Shakira featuring Maluma)
• “Desde Que Estamos Juntos” — Descemer Bueno and Melendi, songwriters (Melendi)
• “Despacito” — Daddy Yankee, Erika Ender and Luis Fonsi, songwriters (Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee)
• “Ella” — Ricardo Arjona, songwriter (Ricardo Arjona)
• “Felices Los 4” — Mario Cáceres, Kevin Mauricio Jiménez Londoño, Maluma, Servando Primera, Stiven Rojas and Bryan Snaider Lezcano Chaverra, songwriters (Maluma)
• “Guerra” — Residente and Jeff Trooko, songwriters (Residente)
• “La Fortuna” — Diana Fuentes and Tommy Torres, songwriters (Diana Fuentes featuring Tommy Torres)
• “Tú Sí Sabes Quererme” — Natalia Lafourcade, songwriter (Natalia Lafourcade featuring Los Macorinos)
• “Vente Pa’ Ca “ — Nermin Harambasic, Maluma, Ricky Martin, Mauricio Montaner, Ricky Montaner, Lars Pedersen, Carl Ryden, Justin Stein, Ronny Vidar Svendsen and Anne Judith Stokke Wik, songwriters (Ricky Martin featuring Maluma)

Best New Artist

• Paula Arenas
• CNCO
• Vicente García
• Martina La Peligrosa
• Mau y Ricky
• Rawayana
• Sofía Reyes
• Rosalía
• Danay Suarez
• Sebastián Yatra

Best Urban Fusion / Performance

• “Si Tu Novio Te Deja Sola” — J. Balvin featuring Bad Bunny
• “Despacito” (Remix) — Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
• “El Amante” — Nicky Jam
• “Dagombas En Tamale” — Residente
• “Chantaje” — Shakira featuring Maluma

Best Alternative Music Album

• “Jei Beibi” — Café Tacvba
• “Apocalipsis Zombi” — El Cuarteto de Nos
• “La Trenza” — Mon Laferte
• “La Promesa De Thamar” — Sig Ragga
• “Palabras Manuales” — Danay Suarez

Best Regional Song (award for the songwriter)

• “Compromiso Descartado” — Espinoza Paz, songwriter (Leonardo Aguilar)
• “Ganas De Volver” — Horacio Palencia, songwriter (Horacio Palencia)
• “Sentimiento Emborrachado” — Raúl Jiménez E. and Chucho Rincón, songwriters (Santiago Arroyo)
• “Siempre Es Así” — Juan Treviño, songwriter (Juan Treviño featuring AJ Castillo)
• “Vale La Pena” — Edgar Barrera, Martín Castro Ortega and Alfonso Lizárraga, songwriters (Banda El Recodo de Cruz Lizárraga)

Don Rickles, left, and Snoop Dogg listen to music during an episode of “Dinner With Don.”

(Sean Costello / AARP Studios via Associated Press)

Don Rickles, the late, great “Mr. Warmth,” continues to entertain, despite his April death from kidney failure at age 90.

AARP Studios’ digital series “Dinner With Don” debuted Monday on the organization’s YouTube channel. The 13 episodes feature Rickles talking showbiz with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Amy Poehler, Jimmy Kimmel, Sarah Silverman, Billy Crystal, Judd Apatow, Snoop Dogg, Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese.

Filmed in his favorite restaurants around Los Angeles, the show began production in November 2016 and concluded in January, just three months before Rickles’ death. AARP said the series was Rickles’ final project.

All 13 episodes are now available to watch for free here.

Prince Harry and his girlfriend, Meghan Markle, attend a wheelchair tennis event at the Invictus Games in Toronto on Monday.

(Nathan Denette / The Canadian Press via Associated Press)

It’s official!

Prince Harry and actress Meghan Markle made their first official appearance as a couple Monday, as they took in a wheelchair tennis event at the Invictus Games in Toronto.

News of Markle’s relationship with Harry first surfaced in October, at which point the pair had reportedly been dating for three months.

In November, the couple went a step beyond what commoners might call “Facebook official” when Harry’s press secretary released a statement decrying the “wave of abuse and harassment” Markle was exposed to, merely for being the prince’s paramour.

Though photographed together previously, this is the first outing that the pair have made at an official event.

This is just the latest photo-related news item from this year’s Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style, multi-sport event that Harry started in 2014 for wounded veterans.

On Saturday, First Lady Melania Trump met with Harry on her first solo foreign trip of her husband’s administration, leading the United States delegation to the games.

The two sat down to chat, but not before taking the world’s most awkward photos, some of which sent the internet down a rabbit hole of body language experts and conspiracy theories.

Melania Trump and Prince Harry.

(Chris Jackson/Getty Images for the Invictus Games Foundation)

Mysterious hand positioning aside, it doesn’t take a body-language expert to see that neither party looks very comfortable. In fact, it looks a little like an extremely awkward prom photo.

Poor Harry. Is he always this reserved around first ladies? Um, apparently not.

Jill Biden, left, Prince Harry and then-First Lady Michelle Obama in 2015.

(Andrew Harnik / Associated Press)

After tackling topics such as Scientology, the early days of the oil business, gambling, Thomas Pynchon, porn and the entertainment world, director Paul Thomas Anderson recently took a breather to shoot a short performance piece with Los Angeles sister act Haim.

Set in a recording studio during different sessions with producer Ariel Rechtshaid, the 15-minute film “Valentine” spotlights Haim sisters Este, Danielle and Alana not as pop stars but as accomplished musicians at work.

As they perform three relationship songs from their recent album “Something to Tell You” -- “Right Now,” “Nothing’s Wrong” and the title track -- Anderson captures them maneuvering around the studio adding parts, working as a unit toward the songs’ greater good.

Needless to say, Anderson’s done this before, having shot musicians including Joanna Newsom, Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple, Radiohead and others.

Such affection for the art of musical creation is obvious across “Valentine.”

Cardi B

(Angela Weiss / AFP/Getty Images)

Album rock’s still not dead, at least not as long as Dave Grohl and his band Foo Fighters are dropping riffs and preaching hard-driving musical release.

Foo Fighters have banked the No. 1 album in the country for its newest release, “Concrete and Gold,” according to Nielsen Music data released on Monday. The band’s ninth studio effort is its second to hit the top; its 2011 album, “Wasting Light,” also reigned.

The difference? “Concrete and Cold” sold about 127,000 album-equivalent units — a calculation based on streaming, downloads and physical sales — compared with 235,000 sold for “Wasting Light.”

That number was down from the band’s 2005 sales peak for “In Your Honor,” which made it to No. 2 through first-week sales of 311,000, according to Billboard.

On the singles front, ascendant rapper Cardi B has injected new life into the Billboard Hot 100 with her smash hit, “Bodak Yellow (Money Moves),” which accomplished a rare feat in 2017 by knocking Taylor Swift from the top. “Bodak Yellow” is also the first No. 1 song by a solo female rapper since Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in 1998.

Cardi B, who rose to fame via a star turn on the VH1 reality show “Love & Hip Hop: New York,” earned extra attention last month at the VMAs when, in an unscripted moment, she said, “Colin Kaepernick, as long as you kneel for us, we’ll stand with you, baby.”

The Los Angeles-based rapper Post Malone’s breakthrough year continues. His track, “Rockstar,” jumped to No. 2, his second top-10 hit this year. Also hitting with singles are Charlie Puth, Yo Gotti, Logic, French Montana and Portugal the Man.

Foo Fighters’ album “Concrete and Gold” outpaced rapper Lil Uzi Vert’s “Luv Is Rage 2,” which sold the equivalent of just under 50,000 copies to land at No. 2. Tracks from his album were streamed nearly 70 million times, compared with Foo Fighters’ more Luddite fan-base, which streamed “Concrete and Gold” songs 9.3 million times.

Also landing in the Top 200 were country artist Thomas Rhett, Compton king Kendrick Lamar, the controversial rapper Xxxtentacion, R&B singer Khalid, country superstars Big & Rich and Imagine Dragons.

Surprisingly, the South Korean boy-band BTS pulled a “Gangnam Style” maneuver by debuting its album “Love Yourself” at No. 7 on the album charts.

Notable plummets? The highly touted return by LCD Soundsystem, “American Dream,” caused a ruckus a few weeks back when it debuted at No. 1. Three weeks later, it’s dropped to No. 111 on the back of 6,341 records sold — just behind Linkin Park’s “One More Light.”

James Corden

(Chris Pizzello / Invision /Associated Press)

The Hollywood Film Awards were so nice that James Corden decided to host them thrice.

Dick Clark Productions announced Monday that Corden will return to host the 21st Hollywood Film Awards, to be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on Nov. 5.

The event bills itself as the official launch of the award season and honors the year’s acclaimed films and actors.

The 2017 ceremony will benefit the Motion Picture & Television Fund, a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the industry with limited or no resources.

Jennifer Lopez announces her new hurricane recovery efforts for Puerto Rico on Sunday in New York. She pledge to donate time and money to help the recovery efforts.

(Michael Noble Jr. / Associated Press)

As the unprecedented fallout from hurricanes Irma and Maria continues to reveal itself in Puerto Rico, Jennifer Lopez has promised that help is on the way.

Appearing at a Sunday press conference with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the singer and actress announced that she is donating $1 million to the ravaged U.S. territory.

“Alex Rodriguez and I, who are both New Yorkers, are using all our resources and relationships in entertainment, sports and business to garner support for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean,” Lopez said.

Rodriguez, who is dating Lopez, lived in the Dominican Republic growing up and Lopez’s family hails from Puerto Rico.

Lopez is also working closely with ex-husband Marc Anthony, whose roots also go back to Puerto Rico, to mobilize aid to both Mexico and the Caribbean.

During the press conference, Lopez reiterated that she had yet to make contact with her family living on the island, which has been primarily without power or cell service since Maria hit on Wednesday.

Individuals interested in donating to Puerto Rico relief efforts can donate at www.UnitedForPuertoRico.com.

Stevie Wonder, left, takes a knee “for the country” with his son, Kwame Morris, before performing at the 2017 Global Citizen Festival in New York’s Central Park on Sept. 23.

(Michael Noble Jr. / Associated Press)

What began as a peaceful protest by Colin Kaepernick during the 2016 football season ballooned into so much more over the weekend after President Trump took aim at the NFL and sparked a full-blown movement.

Celebrities offered a groundswell of support in the 48 hours after the president chastised NFL owners for not punishing players who opted to kneel during the national anthem, in silent protest over racial inequality in America.

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, you’d say, ‘Get that son of a bitch off the field right now. Out! He’s fired,’” Trump said Friday at an Alabama rally for Republican Sen. Luther Strange.

If that weren’t enough sports-related controversy, the president also uninvited the NBA champion Golden State Warriors from the White House — after star Stephen Curry stated he didn’t want to attend the traditional ceremony — invoking not just the scorn of LeBron James, but resulting in the Warriors opting out altogether.

The president fired off 17 sports-related tweets over the weekend, and the country took notice. #TakeAKnee trended on Twitter for much of the weekend. And it wasn’t just NFL players getting involved.

Saturday night, music legend Stevie Wonder took a knee while performing at the Global Citizen Festival in New York, and delivered a prayer for the world.

“Tonight, I’m taking a knee for America,” Wonder said as he held on to his son, Kwame Morris, who knelt next to his father. “But not just one knee; I’m taking both knees. Both knees in prayer for our planet, our future, our leaders of the world and our globe. Amen.”

Eddie Vedder

(Amy Harris / Invision / Associated Press)

Wonder repeated the gesture Sunday night at the Concert for Charlottesville, where he was joined in the symbolic protest by musician Dave Matthews.

At the same Charlottesville fundraiser, Pharrell Williams dropped to his knees and stated, “I’m in Virginia right now, I’m home. Can’t nobody tell me what to do if I want to get on my knees right now.”

Eddie Vedder also took a knee Sunday while performing during the Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival in Franklin, Tenn.

John Legend took the movement global on Sunday, posting a photo on Instagram showing him kneeling during a concert in Hamburg, Germany, fist raised in solidarity.

As teams across the NFL locked arms and knelt during the national anthem Sunday, three performers of the patriotic song went so far as to engage in the symbolic gesture at the end of their performances.

Before the Atlanta Falcons-Detroit Lions game in Detroit, Rico Lavelle took a knee as he finished the song.

Meghan Linsey, a runner-up on “The Voice,” and guitarist Tyler Cain also knelt during the final note of the anthem during their performance before the Seattle Seahawks-Tennessee Titans game in Nashville.

The president on Monday tweeted several thoughts about the weekend’s events, including a celebration of fans who booed players that knelt during the anthem.

“Many people booed the players who kneeled yesterday (which was a small percentage of total). These are fans who demand respect for our Flag!” Trump tweeted of individuals who jeered through the national anthem.

(Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Hollywood and the Exercise of Power : How Does It Feel to Be Barbara Walters?

Singer Charles Bradley performs at the 2016 South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas.

( Dave Mangels / Getty Images for Pandora)

The soul singer Charles Bradley, one of the most joyful and powerful contemporary vocalists in his genre, died Saturday morning. He was 68.

Representatives for the singer said in a statement that Bradley died of complications from stomach cancer, which had been in remission. Bradley toured up through the last year of his life.

Bradley, like his Daptone label mate, the late Sharon Jones, was a later-in-life soul music success story. He was discovered while working as a James Brown impersonator, and he released his debut album, “No Time For Dreaming,” in 2011. “The Screaming Eagle of Soul” quickly turned ears among vintage R&B enthusiasts and younger audiences at festivals like FYF Fest, where Bradley played in 2016 to raucous crowds.

His 2016 album “Changes” was widely praised and led to numerous mainstream television appearances, including a performance on “CBS This Morning: Saturday” that earned an Emmy nomination for outstanding on-camera musical performance in a daytime program.

Born in Gainesville, Fla., Bradley moved to Brooklyn as a child and lived all over the U.S. before returning to New York for the last 20 years of his life. He closely collaborated with a number of acts and backing bands in his career, including His Extraordinaires, Menahan Street Band, Budos Band and the Jimmy Hill Allstarz.

Musicians around the music world lamented his passing. The Daptone band Antibalas tweeted “RIP to our dear brother Charles Bradley. Your heart was too big for this planet. See you on the other side. We love you.” Singer-songwriter Neko Case wrote, over a picture of Bradley and Sharon Jones, that “I’ve had the honor of being completely and utterly blown off stage by both of these sweethearts.”

Representatives for the singer said, “Mr. Bradley was truly grateful for all the love he’s received from his fans and we hope his message of love is remembered and carried on.”

from the archives: Under the Boss’ Skin

(Mark Davis / Getty Images)

The Life of Kylie just hit another milestone: Kylie Jenner, the youngest member of the Kardashian brood, is reportedly pregnant.

The news came via TMZ on Friday, with the website reporting that the father is Jenner’s beau, rapper Travis Scott. People also had the news, reporting that the baby is due sometime in February.

As UsWeekly astutely pointed out, the E! reality star sparked rumors earlier this week when fans noticed that she was primarily posting old photos on her social media accounts and her current photos have been only close-ups.

Jenner’s rep did not immediately respond to the Los Angeles Times’ request for comment.

This would be the first child for the 20-year-old Kylie Cosmetics mogul and the Houston rapper, whose real name is Jacques Webster Jr. The two have been linked since the Coachella Valley Arts and Music Festival in April and made a public appearance courtside at an NBA game soon after that.

Sources told the sites that the couple began telling friends about the pregnancy earlier this month.

The pregnancy news comes on the heels of rumors that her older half-sister, Kim Kardashian, is expecting her third child with Kanye West via surrogate.

Future performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio earlier this year.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

The annual Rolling Loud Festival is going from a standalone hip-hop blowout in Miami to an international event that will travel to multiple countries and set up on the West Coast.

Its inaugural event in Southern California — set for Dec. 16-17 at the NOS Event Center in San Bernardino — will be headlined by Future, Rae Sremmurd and Lil Uzi Vert, festival organizers announced Friday.

Rolling Loud’s bill is stacked with young rap stars such as Post Malone, 21 Savage and Young Thug as well as emerging acts such as Lil Pump, SOB x RBE, Kodie Shane, Young Dolph, XXXTentacion and PnB Rock.

There are still a handful of unannounced acts, with organizers blurring out the names of seven acts on Friday’s announcement.

The SoCal edition will boast three stages, including one indoors, and an area for cannabis consumption for those with a medicinal card.

Founded by Tariq Cherif and Matt Zingler, Rolling Loud has become the largest festival dedicated strictly to hip-hop, attracting more than 120,000 fans to Miami each year.

The festival has also expanded to the Bay Area this year with Travis Scott, Lil Wayne and Schoolboy Q set to headline a two-day event in Mountain View, Calif., on Oct. 21-22.

Organizers are planning to take Rolling Loud to China, Japan and Britain next year.

Tickets for the SoCal edition go on sale Monday at noon through the festival’s site.

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Jerry Lewis’ six sons were purposely excluded from the late comic’s will. The legendary comedian, who died in August at 91, explicitly asked that they receive no benefits from his estate.

In documents obtained by the Blast and People, the Emmy-winning star’s last will and testament declares the exclusion of his children with ex-wife Patti Palmer, whom he was married to from 1944 to 1980.

“I have intentionally excluded Gary Lewis, Ronald Lewis, Anthony Joseph Lewis, Christopher Joseph Lewis, Scott Anthony Lewis, and Joseph Christopher Lewis and their descendants as beneficiaries of my estate, it being my intention that they shall receive no benefits hereunder,” the excerpt said.

Obituary: The slapstick, the telethons, ‘L-a-a-a-dy!’ — comic and philanthropist Jerry Lewis dies at 91

The will was executed in 2012, the Blast reported, and in it Lewis noted that his youngest son, Joseph, was deceased. (He died of a drug overdose at age 45.)

The rubber-faced star and philanthropist reportedly listed his sole beneficiaries as his second wife, SanDee, whom he married in 1983, and their adopted daughter, Danielle, 25.

Lewis is said to have cut ties with his other children shortly after adopting Danielle as a newborn. Lewis admitted in several interviews that he had been unfaithful to Palmer, particularly at the height of his popularity with comedy partner Dean Martin.

James Patterson and former President Clinton.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times, left; Diedre Laird / Charlotte Observer)

Showtime is getting into the White House game.

The premium cable network announced Friday that is has acquired the rights to adapt “The President Is Missing,” the upcoming novel by former President Clinton and James Patterson.

The thriller, which is be published in June 2018, tells the story of a sitting U.S. president’s disappearance.

According to the Associated Press, Showtime won a bidding war to develop the thriller for television. The network’s affiliation with CBS and its boss, Les Moonves, helped seal the deal. Moonves knows Clinton, and Patterson has worked on the broadcaster’s “Zoo” and “Instinct” series.

Clinton will provide unique insights and “the level of detail that only someone who has held the office can know,” Showtime said. The fictional work brings to life the “pressures and realities of the most important position in the world.”

“I’m really enjoying writing this book and working with Jim,” Clinton said in a statement. “And I can’t wait to see Showtime bring the characters to life.”

Showtime President and CEO David Nevins said developing the adaptation “is a coup of the highest order.”

“The pairing of President Clinton with fiction’s most gripping storyteller promises a kinetic experience, one that the book world has salivated over for months and that now will dovetail perfectly into a politically relevant, character-based action series for our network,” he said.

Patterson, who has sold more than 380 million books worldwide during his decades-long career, said Clinton’s involvement in the novel provides “rich storytelling opportunities for this series.”

The 42nd president has authored several nonfiction books, but “The President Is Missing” is his first novel and marks the first time an American president has ever coauthored a thriller. The book is to be published jointly by Alfred A. Knopf and Little, Brown and Co.

No word yet on when the series will hit the small screen.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Actress Salma Hayek has rallied support for victims of Mexico’s recent earthquakes.

The “Hitman’s Bodyguard” star is aiding her native country as it recovers from Tuesday’s fatal 7.1-magnitude quake by launching a Crowdrise campaign “to help the families that are going through this nightmare.”

Hayek, who is married to luxury goods billionaire François-Henri Pinault, has teamed with UNICEF for the campaign and offered to match the first $100,000 of donations.

Full coverage: Deadly earthquake hits Mexico City on 32nd anniversary of 1985 quake

“The people of my country have now suffered three natural disasters in a row,” Hayek wrote on Instagram on Thursday, posting a video imploring people to donate to the campaign. “Many children and families are hurt and in terrible need. I’m contributing $100,000 now to UNICEF which has teams on the ground responding. Please join me and contribute what you can.”

The Oscar-nominated actress said that in 1985 she was among the evacuees of Mexico City’s disastrous 8.0-magnitude earthquake and had friends and an uncle who died as a result of it.

“I have lived in the aftermath of a disaster of this magnitude and it’s horrific,” she said.

As of Friday morning, the campaign had raised more than $365,000.

On Thursday, Spanish-language television stations Univision and Telemundo both announced fundraising initiatives to benefit the several American and Latin American communities battered by earthquakes and hurricanes in recent weeks.

Singer Sia and “Harry Potter” author J.K. Rowling have also encouraged people to donate to relief efforts.

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(Chris Pizzello / Invision/Associated Press)

Stephen Colbert knows what it’s like to have chaos reigning in his ear while hosting a TV show. And he sure showed it during a Thursday clip ribbing MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell.

Leaked footage recently showed O’Donnell, “The Last Word” anchorman, having several tantrums on-camera over technical difficulties, which Colbert described as going from “zero to Dad on Day 3 of road trip like that.”

“Folks, I gotta say, while the footage is not flattering, as a broadcaster, I sincerely feel for Lawrence O’Donnell in this clip,” the “Late Show” host said in his opening monologue. “Hosting a television show is extremely stressful. ... It is really hard to do with any distractions.”

In solidarity with O’Donnell — and “just to get ahead of the story before it breaks” — Colbert decided to release his own expletive-laden tape mimicking O’Donnell’s startled reactions to off-camera drilling and a woman reciting the “12 Days of Christmas” in his ear.

Watch it below.

Jimmy Kimmel’s battle against the Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill continued in Round 3 on Thursday. For the third consecutive night, Kimmel slammed the proposed Obamacare repeal and the politicians who support the plan.

The “Jimmy Kimmel Live” host kicked off his monologue with his sights set on Donald Trump, who had finally tweeted his way into the healthcare debate the day before.

“Those are the key words: Repeal and replace,” said Kimmel. “Because for Donald Trump this isn’t about the Graham-Cassidy bill. It’s about getting rid of Obamacare, which he hates, primarily because Obama’s name is on it.

“At this point he’d sign anything if it meant getting rid of Obamacare,” Kimmel continued. “He’d sign copies of the Koran at the Barnes & Noble in Fallujah if it meant he could get rid of Obamacare.”

Kimmel asserted that because the president’s only concern is repealing Obamacare, he does not actually understand any specific details about the new bill.

“I guarantee [Trump] doesn’t know anything about this Graham-Cassidy bill,” insisted Kimmel. “He doesn’t know the difference between Medicare and Medicaid. He barely knows the difference between Melania and Ivanka.”

Kimmel also responded to criticism that he should leave the policy debates to the experts. He reiterated that he has never claimed to be a healthcare expert and that his only goal is to question why others are not listening to what the actual experts are saying.

“I should not be the guy you go to for information on healthcare, and if these [politicians] would tell the truth for a change, I wouldn’t have to,” argued Kimmel.

He also had one simple rebuttal for people who question his qualifications for entering the political discourse.

“I feel like it’s my duty to remind these people who are so concerned about my qualifications [that] the guy you voted for for president, his job qualification was … he fired Meatloaf on television,” said Kimmel. “And then you put him in the White House.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: With her new album and L.A. acclaim, former Runaway Joan Jett proves she never left

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Billy Eichner is taking his madcap Q&A show elsewhere. The Emmy-nominated “Billy on the Street With Billy Eichner” is leaving Turner Broadcasting’s TruTV.

“We can confirm that new episodes of ‘Billy on the Street’ will not be returning to TruTV,” a TruTV representative confirmed to The Times on Thursday.

“The show is deceptively time-consuming to make and scheduling was increasingly difficult. We had a great run together capped off by the show’s Emmy nomination, and we wish Billy nothing but the best.”

It is unclear where the cult hit will go next, but the news comes after its star shared cryptic tweets on Twitter earlier this week.

“For those asking, yes BILLY ON THE STREET will be back!” he wrote. “But we’re shifting gears a bit...exciting things ahead...more will be revealed soon!”

“Billy on the Street,” which features the unfiltered comedian running around New York with guest stars to quiz people on pop culture, joined TruTV in 2015 as part of the network’s growing slate of original programming. The deal included rights to all previous episodes too.

Eichner was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for hosting the show in 2013 and the comedy was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for short-format, live-action entertainment program this year.

The entertainer’s current obligations include Hulu’s “Difficult People,” Netflix’s “Friends From College” and “American Horror Story: Cult,” and he also indicated to Vanity Fair earlier this month that some changes were on the horizon.

“I want to meet my fans where they are, so it’s certainly not going away,” he said of “Billy on the Street.” “I would hate for it to go away. I don’t know if it’s going to take up as much space in my brain as it used to, as much time in my schedule as it used to, but I think it will continue to be a part of my life, and I just have to weave it into all of the other things I’m trying to do.”

Page Six, which was first to report the news, cited sources who said that the show would likely continue but would “be distributed differently.”

Ainsley Earhardt, left, and Brian Kilmeade appear on the set of Fox News on March 3, 2017.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

“Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade launched the ultimate “sorry, not sorry” at Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday morning, just hours after Kimmel called the conservative pundit a “phony little creep.”

After sharing how Kimmel “personally attacked” him, Kilmeade said, “I hope your son gets better. I hope your son gets all the care he needs.”

Kilmeade’s sentiment is fine, but overlooks the point of Kimmel’s passion: that healthcare is important for children whose fathers don’t make millions of dollars.

Kilmeade proceeded with a verbal head pat for Kimmel, saying, “I’m glad you’re interested [in healthcare]. You’re doing a great job bringing the dialogue out. But you should do what we’re doing — talk to the people that wrote it.”

Again, Kilmeade’s words gloss over the fact that Kimmel’s healthcare rant Tuesday night was spurred by Sen. Bill Cassidy, co-sponsor of the Graham-Cassidy bill, lying to the late-night host in a previous appearance on his show.

Something tells us Kilmeade’s words aren’t going to go far with Kimmel, but only Thursday night’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” monologue will say for certain.

Telemundo and Univision are holding fundraisers for disaster relief for Puerto Rico, seen here following Hurricane Maria’s destruction, Mexico and the U.S.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Help is on the way for areas battered by recent natural disasters, as Univision and Telemundo both announced fundraising initiatives to benefit communities in Mexico, Puerto Rico and beyond.

The announcement from each Spanish-language station comes in the aftermath of two earthquakes and three hurricanes rained destruction on the same area in recent weeks.

Univision announced Wednesday it will hold a seven-hour live telecast called “Unidos por los Nuestros” (United for Each Other) on Saturday, featuring on-air personalities and celebrities, beginning at 4 p.m. Pacific time.

“As we witness the unimaginable devastation caused by the hurricanes and earthquakes of the last few weeks, Univision and our employees have a mission to mobilize and unite our communities and audience to show solidarity and help bring resources to so many people in dire need of assistance,” Randy Falco, president and CEO of Universal Communications Inc., said in a statement.

Univision’s fundraiser will benefit the American Red Cross, and money raised will be used in the most heavily affected areas of Houston; Mexico City, Oaxaca, Chiapas and Morelos in Mexico; South Florida; and Puerto Rico.

Telemundo, partnered with the Red Cross, will air its live four-hour special at 7 p.m. Pacific on Sunday, hosted by Mario “Don Francisco” Kreutzberger (of “Sábado Gigante” fame) and featuring Latino celebrities such as Rafael Amaya, Carlos Ponce, Maria Celeste Arraras and Jose Díaz-Balart. It will raise money for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Tuesday’s earthquake in Mexico.

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Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Bryan Cranston, Liev Schreiber and Tilda Swinton are among the stars who lend their voices to Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs.”

The first trailer for Wes Anderson’s “Isle of Dogs” was released Thursday, giving the most revealing look yet at the filmmaker’s upcoming movie, which Fox Searchlight will release in March.

The new project is the first feature from Anderson since 2014’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” which earned the filmmaker Oscar nominations for directing, writing and best picture.

“Dogs” finds Anderson returning to the painstaking stop-motion animation style of his 2009 Roald Dahl adaptation, “The Fantastic Mr. Fox.” The new film again exists in a world in which anthropomorphized animals and humans exist together.

It also features another impressively large ensemble cast of voice actors, a mix of newcomers and returning players including Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Jeff Goldblum, Frances McDormand, F. Murray Abraham, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Greta Gerwig, Courtney B. Vance, Harvey Keitel and Yoko Ono.

A voiceover on the trailer describes the setting as “the Japanese archipelago, 20 years in the future,” while the film’s official synopsis more specifically locates the action in “Megasaki City.” An outbreak of dog flu causes the city’s leadership to place all dogs on a garbage dump known as Trash Island. A young boy named Atari Kobayashi goes to the island in search of his dog Spots.

Anderson’s previous films have often been set in stylized versions of real places, such as the not-quite New York City of “The Royal Tenenbaums” and the memory-book New England of “Moonrise Kingdom.” “The Darjeeling Limited” was shot and set largely in India, which not surprisingly opened Anderson up to some criticism of engaging in a form of cultural tourism and/or appropriation.

Consciously or not, Anderson seems to be looking to head that conversation off this time by featuring an extensive cast of Japanese voice performers on “Isle of Dogs,” including Kunichi Nomura, Akira Ito, Akira Takayama, Yojiro Noda, Koyu Rankin, Ken Watanabe, Mari Natsuki and Nijiro Murakami.

In an interview with The Times around the release of “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Anderson expressed some surprise at the connections people see among his movies, since his goal is to make each one wholly distinctive.

“I know often people see my movies linked to each other, which I totally understand why they see that,” Anderson said. “But for me I’m just doing a completely different story. I make no effort to make them anything like each other. I just do ‘em the way I like to do ‘em.”

Former White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer continued his press tour (for what, exactly?) Thursday with an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

Spicer sat down with Paula Faris, whose first question was about President Trump’s reaction to Spicer’s heavily criticized cameo at Sunday’s Emmy Awards ceremony.

“He was very supportive. He thought I did a great job,” Spicer said. “It was very reassuring.”

Faris then asked Spicer if that surprise appearance was a step toward rehabbing his image.

“I feel very good with my image,” said Spicer, who made his late-night-TV debut on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last week and gave a regretful interview to the New York Times Monday. “I’m very happy with myself. I’m able to go out and explain a lot of things now, but I’m not on a tour. I’m out having some fun.”

Spicer was less comfortable when Faris moved on to his former job.

“I don’t think so,” Spicer told Faris when asked if he had lied to the American people. “I haven’t cheated on my taxes. I’ve not knowingly done anything to [lie], no.”

Watch Spicer’s full “GMA” interview above.

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Leaked footage showing MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell having several on-camera outbursts during breaks has prompted the anchorman to do some damage control.

“A better anchorman and a better person would’ve had a better reaction to technical difficulties. I’m sorry,” the political pundit tweeted Wednesday evening about his expletive-laden tirade.

In the obscenity-heavy rant published on Mediaite, “The Last Word” anchor bangs on his desk, gesticulates wildly, curses at a person talking in his earpiece and berates his staff for not getting the edits he wants in the script.

“There’s insanity in the control room tonight,” O’Donnell said, later adding through clenched teeth: “You have insanity in my earpiece .... It’s not my earpiece, it’s somebody talking on our lines.”

The cobbled-together clips appear to be from the Aug. 29, 2017, show, Mediate said, and also feature the increasingly irate newsman losing it when nearby hammering disrupts his segment. O’Donnell, a former writer and producer of “The West Wing,” even calls on MSNBC President Phil Griffin to put an end to it.

“Somebody go up there and stop the hammering! I’ll go down to the ... floor myself and stop it. Keep the ... commercial break going,” he shouted. “I don’t care who you have to call. Stop the hammering!”

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Jimmy Kimmel doubled down on his criticism of Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy on Wednesday, firing back at the co-sponsor of the new Graham-Cassidy healthcare bill and many others who responded to his monologue from the previous night.

On Tuesday, the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” host called out Cassidy for, as he put it, lying to his face about his commitment to ensure that every American family, regardless of income, has access to quality health care. Cassidy shot back the next morning, insisting that Kimmel just didn’t understand the bill.

And Kimmel was not having it.

“Oh, I get it. I don’t understand because I’m a talk show host, right?” said Kimmel. “Well, then help me out. Which part don’t I understand?

“Is it the part where you cut $243 billion from federal healthcare assistance? Am I not understanding the part where states would be allowed to let insurance companies price you out of coverage for having pre-existing conditions?” asked Kimmel.

“Maybe I don’t understand the part of your bill in which federal funding disappears completely after 2026? Or maybe it was the part where the plans are no longer required to pay for essential health benefits like maternity care or pediatric visits?” he continued.

“Which part of that am I not understanding?” pressed Kimmel. “Or could it be, Sen. Cassidy, that the problem is that I do understand and you got caught with your G-O-Penis out? Is that possible? Because it feels like it is.”

But Cassidy was not the only target of Kimmel’s ire. The host had plenty of additional words for his other critics, including Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Lindsey Graham, President Trump and especially “Fox & Friends” host Brian Kilmeade, who dismissed Kimmel’s speech as rumblings from the out-of-touch “Hollywood elite”.

Kimmel found Kilmeade’s comments “particularly annoying” because Kilmeade has always sucked up to Kimmel “like a little boy meeting Batman.” He had even asked Kimmel to write a blurb for his book, which he did.

“I don’t get anything out of this, Brian, you phony little creep,” said Kimmel. “Oh, I’ll pound you when I see you. That is my blurb. That will be my blurb for your next book. ‘Brian Kilmeade is a phony little creep.’ That’s right.”

Watch the full segment above.