Hollywood is recovering from Sunday’s shocking Academy Awards, where “Moonlight” took home the best picture trophy after it was mistakenly given to “La La Land.” And while the twists and turns of the presidency of Donald Trump continue, here’s what’s new and interesting in entertainment and the arts:
- Benedict Cumberbatch returning to TV with Showtime’s ‘Melrose’
- Ed Sheeran jams with Jimmy Fallon and the Roots
- 2017 Oscars updates: Show highlights | Red carpet arrivals | Best and worst dressed
- Two prominent Iranian Americans represented Asghar Farhadi at the Oscars
- New ‘Twin Peaks’ art is out, with a couple of very familiar faces
FX renews ‘Feud’ for a second season that will spotlight Prince Charles and Princess Diana
The salacious details of Britain’s Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana’s failed marriage will get the “Feud” treatment in Season 2 of the rookie FX series.
FX announced Tuesday that it has already renewed Ryan Murphy’s latest dishy anthology before Season 1 -- a showcase of the catfights between rival movie stars Joan Crawford and Bette Davis -- premieres on the cable network.
“Feud: Bette and Joan” will debut on Sunday and the drama will play out in eight episodes. The series chronicles the filming of the 1962 camp classic “What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?,” which starred Crawford and Davis — two actresses who famously despised each other. Oscar winners Jessica Lange and Susan Sarandon portray Crawford and Davis, respectively.
Meanwhile, the second season, “Feud: Charles and Diana,” will unfold in 10 episodes and is scheduled to debut in 2018.
Though plot details haven’t been revealed, the globally watched royal couple’s tumultuous marriage provided much tabloid fodder beginning with the early days of their courtship. From their lavish 1981 nuptials to the adulterous breakdown of their union, they dominated headlines in the 1990s and after Diana’s untimely death in 1997.
Murphy, the executive producer and scribe of such hits as “AHS” and “American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson,” will write the Season 2 scripts with Jon Robin Baitz, the network said.
The Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning producer recently revealed that an upcoming season of his horror anthology will pull from the 2016 election. Additionally, Season 2 of “American Crime Story” will focus on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and Season 3 will investigate the 1997 murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace.
Benedict Cumberbatch lands next television project with Showtime’s ‘Melrose’
Benedict Cumberbatch has built a successful career from playing posh and prickly aristocrats, and his next role will be no exception.
Showtime announced Tuesday that Cumberbatch will star in the network’s five-part limited series “Melrose,” an adaptation of the semi-autobiographical Patrick Melrose series by Edward St. Aubyn.
The books chronicle the protagonist’s journey to overcome addiction and an abusive childhood while simultaneously serving as a caustic examination of upper-class society.
“I’ve been a huge admirer of Edward St. Aubyn’s novels for years and can’t wait to bring these dark, witty, brilliant books to the screen,” screenwriter David Nicholls (“Far From the Madding Crowd”) said in a press release. “Benedict is the perfect Patrick Melrose.”
Nicholls will write all five episodes of the upcoming series.
Filming for the series will begin in August and take place in New York, London and the south of France.
“Melrose” is a co-production between Showtime and Sky Atlantic.
Ed Sheeran shakes his banana for all it’s worth with Jimmy Fallon and the Roots
Anything goes in 2017.
Cats competing at the Westminster Dog Show, furry Crocs showing up in fashion shows and major awards ceremonies being derailed by the wrong envelope are all just part of our new normal.
And now here comes the latest edition of Classroom Instruments on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
British pop star Ed Sheeran turned in a fine performance on Monday night’s episode, joining Fallon and the Roots on a version of his latest hit “Shape of You.”
Classroom Instruments is a genuinely fun recurring bit for the show, but there’s still just something a little weird about watching Sheeran earnestly rattle a banana shaker while singing about how “my bedsheets smell like you.”
But strange is the order of the day now.
The question now is whether Sheeran’s appearance on “The Tonight Show” tops his gig at the Grammys. Judge for yourself.
‘Moonlight’ named best picture after onstage snafu at 2017 Oscars
The day after the Oscars’ craziest, shocking moment ever, questions still linger about why “La La Land” was announced best picture when “Moonlight” was the true winner.
L.A. Times’ film critic Justin Chang comes to the conclusion that the two movies’ fortunes were inextricable and the you-couldn’t-have-scripted-it finale oddly enough made sense.
FULL COVERAGE: Complete list of winners | Show highlights | Red carpet arrivals | Best and worst dressed
Lin-Manuel Miranda even sings karaoke better than you do
Los Angeles, what were you doing Thursday night? Unless the answer was “singing karaoke with potential EGOT winner Lin-Manuel Miranda,” you definitely missed out.
Miranda, ostensibly in town for Sunday night’s Academy Awards, dropped by the Lost Knight pub in Echo Park for the premiere party for the new Seeso series “My Brother, My Brother and Me” and sang karaoke with enthused revelers.
Before continuing, let’s clarify a few things.
Seeso is a subscription streaming service owned by NBC that features comedy content.
“My Brother, My Brother and Me” is a new series — featuring Justin, Travis and Griffin McElroy — that started as a podcast and includes the brothers humorously answering questions posed by listeners or found online.
Miranda previously appeared on an episode of “MBMBaM” and even composed a song for the occasion. “Ghost Horse” is about — you guessed it — a horse that is a ghost.
Now that everyone’s on the same page, we can tell you that Miranda jumped at the chance (literally) to help out a crooner performing the opening number to his hit musical, “Hamilton,” leaping on stage just before his musical cue.
Miranda also had no problem rocking the mic on his own, offering his take on the R. Kelly classic “Ignition (Remix),” which is just as delightful as it sounds.
Watch the videos and regret all your Thursday night social choices below.
Two prominent Iranian Americans will represent Asghar Farhadi at Sunday’s Oscars
Oscar-nominated director Asghar Farhadi is standing by his decision to boycott Sunday’s Academy Awards by sending two prominent Iranian American citizens in his stead.
Anousheh Ansari, an engineer, the first Iranian in space and the first self-funded woman to fly to the International Space Station, and Firouz Naderi, a former NASA director for solar system exploration, will accept the award for foreign-language film on behalf of Farhadi, should “The Salesman” win the category Sunday night, according to Variety.
Farhadi announced in January that he will not be attending the Oscars because of President Trump’s executive order banning Syrian refugees and citizens from seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the U.S.
“Hard-liners, despite their nationalities, political arguments and wars, regard and understand the world in very much the same way,” Farhadi said in his original statement. “In order to understand the world, they have no choice but to regard it via an ‘us and them’ mentality, which they use to create a fearful image of ‘them’ and inflict fear in the people of their own countries.”
Trump’s travel ban was blocked by courts before the president repealed it with promises of a new executive order restricting travel in the weeks to come.
“The Salesman” is considered a favorite to win the foreign- language film award by many prognosticators, including The Times’ Glenn Whipp, who wrote of its chances: “A vote for the latest film from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has a dual purpose — rewarding excellence and showing solidarity with immigrants.”
Farhadi previously won the foreign-language Oscar for his 2011 film “A Separation.”
Find all of The Times’ Oscars coverage here.
New ‘Twin Peaks’ art is out, with a couple of very familiar faces
Bummer — no giants, log ladies or dancing dwarves in the new art for Showtime’s reincarnation of “Twin Peaks.” Did you really expect anyone other than Laura Palmer or Special Agent Dale Cooper as the faces of the show?
Showtime released images Friday for its limited-series reboot of the quirky 1990-’91 show from David Lynch, and while actress Sheryl Lee hasn’t aged a day, for obvious reasons, Kyle MacLachlan has matured. But in a good way.
The 18-episode series premieres May 21, if you didn’t get that already from the posters.
Karl Lagerfeld accuses Meryl Streep of selling out on Oscars red carpet
It’s only Friday, but there’s already Oscars fashion drama ahead of Sunday’s ceremony.
On Thursday, Chanel creative director Karl Lagerfeld told Women’s Wear Daily that representatives for 20-time Oscar nominee Meryl Streep had requested the design house produce a gown for the star before changing their minds abruptly.
“I made a sketch, and we started to make the dress,” Lagerfeld told the magazine before saying he later got a second call from Streep’s team canceling the request.
“ ‘Don’t continue the dress. We found somebody who will pay us,’ ” Lagerfeld claimed Streep’s reps told him.
“A genius actress, but cheapness also, no?” Lagerfeld said.
Team Streep fundamentally disagrees with Lagerfeld’s tale, with a representative for the actress telling the Hollywood Reporter that the original claim is false and it’s against Streep’s personal ethics to be paid to wear a gown on the red carpet.
Either way, all eyes will be on Streep when she hits the carpet, no matter what she’s wearing.
PHOTOS: The red carpet looks of this year’s Oscar-nominated actresses
Find all of The Times’ Oscars coverage here.
Trump supporter Caitlyn Jenner calls president’s order on transgender bathroom issue a ‘disaster’
Caitlyn Jenner sent out a message Thursday calling out President Trump for dropping federal protections for transgender students’ access to bathrooms corresponding to their gender identity.
“I have a message for the trans kids of America: You’re winning. I know it doesn’t feel like it today or every day, but you’re winning,” said Jenner on a video posted to her Twitter account.
Urging support for the National Center for Transgender Equality and Gavin Grimm -- the transgender student whose fight for his right to use the boys’ restroom has sparked a national debate climbing all the way up to the Supreme Court -- Jenner went on to call out bullies (among whom she included Atty. Gen. Jeff Sessions) and President Trump himself, telling him to call her, “from one Republican to another.”
“This is a disaster, and you can still fix it,” Jenner said, reminding Trump he had made a promise to “protect the LGBTQ community.”
Golden Kanye West-ish statue on Hollywood Boulevard is street artist’s annual Oscars effort
If it’s Oscar time, it must be time for another golden statue from publicity-savvy street artist Plastic Jesus. This time, the previously faceless dude has been decked out with an approximation of Kanye West’s face and a pair of black Yeezy shoes.
“False Idol” is inscribed on the base of the statue, which popped up Wednesday on Hollywood Boulevard at La Brea.
Last year, a faceless Oscar-ish statue snorted cocaine on Hollywood Boulevard, and 2014’s iteration injected heroin.
Plastic Jesus has dipped his toes into the Kardashian-West pool before, posting “No Kardashian Parking Anytime” signs around Los Angeles in 2015. Then in April 2016, he did a “No Trump Anytime” campaign.
The artist promoted the unveiling of the statue for a week on his Instagram page, where commenters were hoping the piece would look like President Trump.
Crucified Kanye’s Wednesday outing was a precursor to a one-weekend exhibit of art by Plastic Jesus and artist-musician Billy Morrison at the former site of Tower Records on Sunset. That exhibit opens with a VIP reception Friday and then to the public on Saturday.
Plastic Jesus and Morrison have, incidentally, “reinvented” the store’s iconic logo in their own image.
Ricky Martin wants a daughter -- and ‘the way we do babies,’ he says, he can set that up
Ricky Martin wants to have “Daddy’s little girl” once he and artist Jwan Yosef are married.
“I want a big family,” the singer said Wednesday night on “Watch What Happens Live,” answering a viewer’s question. “Daddy’s little girl has to come, of course. The way we do babies, I get to choose the sex, so definitely girls are coming.”
Martin, 45, welcomed twin boys via a surrogate in 2008 and said that if twin girls arrived next, that would be fine, too. If it happens, he told host Andy Cohen, it happens.
“And I’m talking about only my babies,” Martin said with a smile. “Then he’s going to have more babies as well” so Yosef has his own genetic connection to the next generation.
Martin and Yosef, who’ve been an item since January 2016, got engaged last November.
Who is this year’s Harvard Humanitarian of the Year? Hint: She shines bright like a diamond
Rihanna is on fire.
On Wednesday, the international superstar achieved a status earned only by the Beatles and Madonna — landing 30 songs in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
That same day, she also was named Humanitarian of the Year by Harvard University, shedding light on a lesser-known side of her stardom.
“Rihanna has charitably built a state-of- the-art center for oncology and nuclear medicine to diagnose and treat breast cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown, Barbados,” S. Allen Counter, the Harvard Foundation’s director, said in a statement.
Bursting onto the scene with 2005’s “Pon de Replay,” the 29-year-old singer has gone on to sell 60 million albums and more than 200 million digital tracks throughout her career. Known for her catchy pop anthems, edgy style and sass, the Barbadian also is involved with philanthropy.
In addition to promoting health, Rihanna is also passionate about education initiatives. She created the Clara and Lionel Foundation Scholarship Program, which supports students attending college in the U.S. from Caribbean countries. The musician also supports the Global Partnership for Education and Global Citizen Project, which gives girls in developing countries access to education.
Joining the ranks of previous recipients such as actor James Earl Jones, former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and gender rights advocate Malala Yousafzai, Rihanna will accept the Peter J. Gomes Humanitarian Award in a Feb. 28 ceremony on Harvard’s campus.
Lisa Marie Presley ordered to pay Michael Lockwood’s legal fees as divorce gets uglier
Lisa Marie Presley has reportedly been ordered to pay her estranged husband’s legal fees -- but not any spousal support -- as their divorce battle rolls on.
Presley has been ordered to pay $50,000 of Michael Lockwood’s legal bill in $10,000-a-month chunks, a source told People. A separate hearing about their postnuptial agreement will be held, and if it’s found to be invalid the daughter of Elvis Presley might be ordered to pay retroactive support, the source said.
Lockwood has requested $40,000 a month in spousal support and wanted $100,000 for his legal fees, according to documents obtained by the Daily Mail. Presley claims that their 2007 postnup rules out support payments. She has accused her estranged husband of mishandling her money, according to TMZ.
In those documents, Presley accuses Lockwood, a musician, of child neglect and possessing “inappropriate” and “disturbing” images and video of their twin girls. Beverly Hills police confirmed to People that they had served a search warrant after receiving a child-abuse complaint and had referred the case to authorities in Tennessee.
The 8-year-olds are currently being taken care of by grandma Priscilla Presley. “There is Lots of confusion, commotion and concern from all the talk circulating,” Elvis’ ex-wife said on Facebook. “Let me put this to rest... the girls have not been in foster care and never will be. The girls have been with me and will be until all this is sorted out.”
Lisa Marie Presley filed to end her 10-year marriage to Lockwood in June 2016. It will be her fourth divorce, following marriages to bass player Danny Keough, King of Pop Michael Jackson and actor Nicolas Cage.
Sinéad O’Connor apologizes to Arsenio Hall for saying he gave Prince drugs; lawsuit dropped
Arsenio Hall is reportedly dropping his $5-million defamation lawsuit against Sinéad O’Connor now that the singer has retracted and apologized for saying, weeks after Prince’s death, that the comedian had been the artist’s drug dealer.
“I sincerely apologize because those statements would be false, and I retract them unequivocally,” O’Connor told TMZ, which obtained a joint statement from her and Hall on Wednesday about the celebrity detente.
The Irish singer was far less serious last May when she first reacted to Hall’s lawsuit, which was prompted by Facebook posts saying she had reported him to the sheriff’s department that was investigating Prince’s death. She also posted a rambling story — since taken down — expanding on her accusation that Hall had “spiked” her joint with something other than marijuana at a 1991 party.
“I’m more amused than I’ve ever dreamed a person could be and look forward very much to how hilarious it will be watching him trying to prove me wrong,” she said on Facebook at the time.
The suit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in May, alleged that O’Connor “targeted Hall with wild and false accusations that he had been Prince’s drug supplier for decades and had somehow been responsible for Prince’s death.”
Nothing compares to truth?
READ MORE: Sinéad O’Connor’s headline-grabbing history: disses, disappearances and mental illness>>
Amber Tamblyn and David Cross have a daughter, and here’s what she’s not named
Amber Tamblyn got into the spirit of fake news as she and David Cross announced the birth of their daughter on Tuesday.
The baby’s name? “Dauphinoise Petunia Brittany Scheherazade Von Funkinstein Mustard Witch RBG Cross Tamblyn-Bey jr.,” the actress declared on Instagram, giving a nod to Beyoncé, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg and, well, mustard.
Given the oddly fantastic baby names entertainers have been known to bestow upon their offspring, it’s almost plausible. No real details were posted, unless the kid’s real name is buried somewhere in that multiple-moniker pileup.
Tamblyn announced that she was pregnant with a girl in October, in an essay for Glamour. “I think constantly about the world I am bringing her into,” wrote the actress, whose comedy “Girlfriend’s Day” premiered on Netflix on Valentine’s Day.
Cross, 52, and Tamblyn, 33, have been married since October 2012. This is their first child.
Nick Cannon welcomes son, Golden ‘Sagon,’ with Brittany Bell
Nick Cannon has welcomed a second son. Golden “Sagon” Cannon was born Tuesday, the rapper, comic and former “America’s Got Talent” host announced on Instagram.
The new baby, whose mom is aspiring actress and model Brittany Bell, who was Miss Arizona USA in 2010, joins a family that includes Moroccan and Monroe, Cannon’s 5-year-old twins with ex-wife Mariah Carey.
“Weeping may endure for a night, but Joy cometh in the morning!” Cannon wrote Wednesday. “No matter how hard the world may hit you, God always reminds us of our purpose!”
He and 29-year-old Bell aren’t a couple anymore, Cannon told People magazine last November, but the pregnancy wasn’t an accident either, he explained on Power 106 in December.
“Never an ‘oops baby!’ I’m so calculated with my moves,” Cannon said to host J Cruz. “I’ve always wanted five kids.”
Also: That “weeping” Cannon mentioned in his birth announcement? It might refer to a story that’s allegedly being prepared by the National Enquirer, questioning his mental health and stating that Carey is about to petition for full custody of the twins, who are with her now in the United Arab Emirates.
“If you report these lies, expect a slander and defamation lawsuit. Look everyone, see how the media is trying to break a King?” Cannon said Tuesday on Instagram as he shared part of what appears to be an email message giving his team a heads-up that a negative piece is coming down the pike.
“Me and my family, my mindset, and my spirit are all stronger than ever,” the 36-year-old continued. “I felt like releasing this so called ‘journalist’ info to the public so you all can get at them, but instead I release nothing but positive energy into the Universe.”
If there’s a ‘Meryl Streep kind of moment’ at the Oscars, will President Trump be too busy to respond?
In an awards season already rife with politically charged acceptance speeches, Sunday’s Oscars ceremony could offer the most prominent platform of all.
And will President Trump, the target of most critiques so far, be tuned in?
That’s what Debra Saunders, White House correspondent for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, wanted to know at Wednesday’s briefing with White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
“The Oscars are Sunday night. Will the president be watching?” Saunders asked Spicer. “If there’s a Meryl Streep kind of moment, how do you think he’ll react? This has happened at other awards ceremonies. Why do you think this happens?”
The press corps chuckled at the question, and Spicer answered with a smile: “I have no idea. It’s a free country. I think Hollywood is known for being rather far to the left in its opinions.”
Spicer cast doubt on whether Trump would watch the Oscars, explaining that the president and first lady will already be busy Sunday.
“I think the president will be hosting the Governors Ball that night. Mrs. Trump looks forward to putting on a phenomenal event ... and I have a feeling that’s where the president and first lady are going to be focused on on Sunday night,” Spicer said.
Spicer was referring to an invitation-only evening with the president and first lady held at the White House during the National Governors Assn. winter meeting.
However, the NGA event begins at 6 p.m. Eastern and the Oscars don’t begin until 8:30 p.m. Eastern, leaving plenty of time for the commander in chief to catch (or not catch) some of the show.
Check out the Times’ complete Oscars coverage.
For the record: A previous version of this story misidentified the NGA event held Sunday night. The Reception for Governors will be held Feb. 27.
Watch Jimmy Fallon launch the Trump News Network
Comedy never takes a holiday, Jimmy Fallon.
“The Tonight Show” host featured a sketch Tuesday night all about President Trump launching his own (fictional) news network, TNN, to help combat the insidious threat of “fake news.”
In full Trump regalia, Fallon lampooned Trump’s continued obsession with fake news, as well as his inaccurate implication that some violent episode transpired in Sweden.
The one problem with Fallon’s sketch was that Presidents Day meant that “The Tonight Show” didn’t air until Tuesday, so jokes that felt fresh Monday on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers” were now stale and, worse, outdated.
Zingers about Trump’s Swedish confusion that were funny the day before were less so Tuesday, as news broke of rioting in a predominantly immigrant Stockholm suburb.
But Fallon’s sketch still had plenty to laugh at, including Jo Firestone’s stellar send-up of Betsy DeVos as a clueless weatherman, and a news ticker that simply said the president’s name over and over.
See all the jokes, timely and otherwise, below.
Bill Maher takes credit for, but not glee in, the downfall of Milo Yiannopoulos
Bill Maher weighed in Tuesday on the swift downfall of Milo Yiannopoulos days after the controversial pundit had appeared on his HBO show, “Real Time,” last week.
“By the end of the weekend, by dinnertime Monday, [Yiannopoulos is] dropped as a speaker at CPAC. Then he’s dropped by Breitbart, and his book deal falls through,” Maher told the New York Times.
“As I say, sunlight is the best disinfectant,” added Maher. “You’re welcome.”
Maher’s philosophy on exposure runs counter to the tack many late-night hosts took during the 2016 election. Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert faced criticism for their kid-glove treatment of Donald Trump during interviews, opting not to push the then-candidate on difficult issues.
When he appeared on “Real Time,” Yiannopoulos was still a senior editor at Breitbart News, a self-styled provocateur who had been accused of espousing misogynistic, racist and anti-Muslim rhetoric while touting the protections of the 1st Amendment.
While his televised time with Maher was fairly anodyne — to the dismay of viewers who thought Maher should have challenged his guest — Yiannopoulos quickly fell from grace when a viral video surfaced revealing the pundit seeming to defend pedophilia.
Yiannopoulos denounced pedophilia on Tuesday, claiming the video was taken out of context, but in the meantime lost a speaking invitation at the Conservative Political Action Conference, a six-figure book deal with Simon & Schuster and resigned from his position at Breitbart.
Maher, however, wasn’t joyous at the turn of events.
“I wasn’t trying to get him removed from society,” Maher said, noting that some had tried to do exactly that to him many times over the years. “It just rubs me the wrong way when somebody says, ‘I don’t like what this person is saying — he should go away.’”
Kaitlin Olson and ‘The Mick’ get second season renewal at Fox
It’s always sunny for “The Mick.”
The freshman Fox comedy starring Kaitlin Olson (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) scored a Season 2 renewal Tuesday.
“From the earliest stages of development, all of us at Fox had enormous faith in ‘The Mick’ and it hasn’t disappointed,” Fox president of entertainment David Madden said in a statement. “Kaitlin is a fearless comedic force, and the rest of the cast has just proven to be phenomenal. John and Dave Chernin have a very clear vision of what this show is, and they execute on that vision each week to perfection.”
Olson stars as Mickey Murphy, who suddenly finds herself overseeing her sister’s children, even though she can barely take care of herself.
Through its first nine episodes, “The Mick” has averaged a 1.9 rating in adults 18-49 and 3.61 million viewers the night it airs.
“The Mick” airs at 8:30 p.m. Pacific on Tuesday nights on Fox.
First cast photo from the ‘Star Wars’ Han Solo spinoff shows the early days aboard the Millennium Falcon
Principal photography has begun on the untitled Han Solo “Star Wars” spinoff film featuring the adventures of the space pirate and friends.
Lucasfilm released a photograph from the set of the film, currently in production at Pinewood Studios in London, featuring much of the cast posed around the flight console of the Millennium Falcon.
Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (“The Lego Movie”) co-directors of the film, were photographed with cast members Woody Harrelson (“Zombieland”), Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”), Alden Ehrenreich (“Hail, Caesar!”), Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”) and Donald Glover (“Atlanta”). Thandie Newton (“Westworld”) also stars in the film but was not featured in the photo. Chewbacca, portrayed by Joonas Suotamo, was, however.
Shooting for the film began Monday, but beyond the cast, which boasts Ehrenreich (pictured center, with leather jacket and a scruffy-looking nerf-herder hairstyle) as Solo and Glover (pictured right, who is beautiful, as always) as Lando Calrissian, little is known about the script penned by Lawrence and Jon Kasdan.
The film is scheduled to arrive in theaters on May 25, 2018.
Josh Gad continues interrogating Daisy Ridley for ‘Star Wars’ spoilers
“Frozen” actor Josh Gad’s longtime trolling for “Star Wars” spoilers from Daisy Ridley has reached peak nerdiness with some surprising celebrity “Star Wars” fanatics.
Ridley, who plays main character Rey in the new episodic “Star Wars” franchise, has been hounded for weeks for “Star Wars” information by her “Murder on the Orient Express” castmate Gad on the set of their film. Thankfully, for us, each surprise interrogation has been diligently recorded by Gad for the public’s viewing pleasure.
SAG-AFTRA blasts Trump without ever saying his name
SAG-AFTRA, the labor union representing approximately 160,000 film and television workers, released a statement Tuesday stating its unequivocal support of a free and unencumbered press and the protection of the 1st Amendment.
The statement comes after President Trump’s first month in office, during which the commander in chief expressed open disdain for the news media.
Though the union makes no direct reference to the president’s positions on journalistic outlets, the timing of its statement seems an unquestionable response to President Trump’s position.
The full SAG-AFTRA statement is below.
As a union whose membership includes broadcast and online journalists, SAG-AFTRA champions the rights of a free press, whose primary role is to provide citizens with the information they need to effectively govern a democracy. These rights are guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which establishes that the press shall be free from government interference in the dissemination of information, ideas and opinions.
SAG-AFTRA, journalists and non-journalists alike, supports a free and unencumbered press and stands with any journalist who might find his or her ability to report on our government challenged or compromised.
SAG-AFTRA believes first and foremost that citizens in a democracy need the truth. Furthermore, SAG-AFTRA believes that journalists have an obligation to monitor and question those in power, pointing out wrongdoing when they find it, noting when facts asserted are not supported by evidence, and reporting inconsistencies in the positions of public figures.
As working professionals, members of the news media have an obligation to verify the accuracy of what they report, with loyalty only to their readers, listeners and viewers and not to any political party, affiliation, or ideology.
As a proud labor union representing more than 160,000 broadcasters, actors and entertainers SAG-AFTRA stands with all of its members in ensuring that the basic rights of a free and independent press continue to be upheld.
‘Oh, boy!’ Zoe Saldana welcomes third child
It’s children Vol. 3 for Zoe Saldana, who is now a mother of three boys.
The “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” star and husband Marco Perego welcomed their third child, and she announced his arrival over the weekend.
“Marco and I are elated to share the news of the the birth of our son Zen,” she wrote Saturday on Instagram, posting a snapshot of her twins and her newborn as he was on tummy time. “We couldn’t feel more blessed with the new addition to our family. #threeboys... oh boy!”
As for his name, Zen, we bet that household is anything but these days.
The notoriously private star, 38, who often obscures her children’s faces in social media posts, didn’t offer up additional details about Zen. However, several of the “Avatar” and “Star Trek” actress’ followers were flummoxed by the baby news and asked if she adopted Zen or used a surrogate since she showed no signs that she was pregnant at recent public appearances.
Saldana and Perego were spotted leaving Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles on Monday with the newborn, Us Weekly reported.
More details about the little guy will likely surface as Saldana embarks on the press tour for “Guardians Vol. 2” this spring. She was markedly pregnant with her twins during the previous film’s publicity rounds.
Saldana and Perego, an Italian artist, wed in June 2013 and she gave birth to Cy Aridio and Bowie Ezio in November 2014.
Another month, another mockery: Seth Meyers and Stephen Colbert harpoon Trump’s Sweden gaffe
One month down, 47 (or 95) months to go.
As President Trump celebrated his first month in office Monday, late-night hosts lined up to take on his latest round of headlines.
Seth Meyers found plenty of reasons to break out his keenly honed Trump impression on Monday’s “Late Night,” opening the show with: “Today is Presidents’ Day, and you just know Trump was up at the crack of dawn, ready to open presents.”
Meyers mentioned Trump’s comments from the weekend in which the President compared his war on the media to that of Abraham Lincoln, whom he claimed “fought with the media and called them out.”
“Yep,” Meyers deadpanned, “that’s who Abraham Lincoln was most famous for warring with: The media.”
But wait, there’s more!
Meyers also dedicated his 10-minute segment “A Closer Look” to the latest weirdness from the White House, including Chris Christie’s anecdote about Trump forcing him to order meatloaf on a recent visit.
“Of course, the meatloaf was actually a second course for Christie, after Trump made him swallow his pride,” Meyers quipped, before taking aim at the president’s recent Sweden gaffe.
The host of the NBC late-night series pointed out Trump’s continued war on the free press, referencing a recent tweet in which the president called the media “the enemy of the American people” before talking about Trump’s reference to a nonexistent “incident” in Sweden.
For its part, Sweden was mystified.
“That’s how bad things have gotten under Trump,” Meyers said, “We’re getting roasted by Swedes now.”
Trump’s Swedish confusion came from a Tucker Carlson segment on Fox News on Friday night claiming an uptick in violent crime in the country that some attribute to immigration.
Over on “The Late Show,” Stephen Colbert was similarly stymied by Trump’s reference to “what’s happening in Sweden.”
“You look at what’s happening last night in Sweden,” the president said at his Florida rally. “Sweden. Who would believe this? Sweden!”
“No one,” responded Colbert, “would believe that.”
“Not no one,” he added, “but maybe someone who skips their intelligence briefings.”
Colbert then pointed out that former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt had some choice words about Trump’s comments on Twitter.
Check out all of Colbert’s tribute to the nonexistent victims of the nonexistent attack on Sweden below. (#NeverFjorget)
Special delivery: It’s a girl for new mom Hoda Kotb
Surprise! Hoda Kotb is a new mom. The “Today” co-host has adopted a baby girl.
The wine-sipping TV personality, who’s been absent from the her NBC morning show post and sharing all kinds of inspirational quotes on social media over the last week, announced on Tuesday that her daughter, Haley Joy Kotb, was born on Feb. 14.
“She’s a Valentine’s baby, so she’s a little nugget,” Kotb said while calling into the show and sharing a snapshot of her little girl. “She is the love of my life.”
The 52-year-old is getting a helping hand from her own mother, who arrived a few days ago to be with her daughter and granddaughter. Kotb said she is “among the strongest, most optimistic people I’ve ever met, because she believes anything is possible.”
The “Today” family promptly shared their well wishes during the show and on social media.
Carson Daly told her she would be an “incredible mother,” teasing: “You thought you drank a lot of wine before? You just wait.”
Kotb’s partner in wine, Kathy Lee Gifford, said she knew about the baby for some time but was tight-lipped.
“I’ve got the biggest mouth in the world and I’ve said zilch,” she said. “Hoda, we are thrilled for you, sweetheart. You were made to be a mom.”
Matt Lauer said Haley is “the luckiest girl on the planet,” Jenna Bush Hager said she couldn’t stop crying and Savannah Guthrie said she was “overjoyed.”
Kotb is dating Joel Schiffman and moved in with him last year. She was previously married to tennis coach Burzis Kanga for two years before they divorced in 2007.
Donald Glover will play Simba in Jon Favreau’s live-action ‘Lion King’ movie
Donald Glover continues his reign as Hollywood’s hottest hire, as it appears he will soon become the King of the Jungle, Simba, in Disney’s latest live-action adaptation.
Director Jon Favreau, who successfully brought “The Jungle Book” to life with voice actors such as Bill Murray, Idris Elba, and Scarlett Johansson, has moved onto his next big Disney project, “The Lion King.” And it looks like he has found his lead Simba.
Tweeting from his personal account, Favreau released an image of Glover with the caption “I just can’t wait to be king. #Simba.” While we can’t be sure if this means Glover will be voicing the character or participating in a motion capture type performance, we do know this. Donald Glover is so hot right now.
The actor took home multiple Golden Globes for the “Atlanta” series (on which he is an executive producer, writer and actor), he has been cast in the “Star Wars” origin movie about Han Solo as Lando Calrissian, and now he’s going to star in a big-budget Disney flick.
There is currently no release date set for “The Lion King.”
Update: And the Disney news just keeps coming. Shortly after this tweet Favreau announced yet another cast member for his “Lion King” and this one already has experience playing a king. James Earl Jones, will reprise his role as the voice of Mufasa. Truly, could anyone else fill that part?
Watch six late-night TV shows turn Trump news conference into one big joke
If you, like so many Americans, were unable to spare the 77 minutes necessary to watch President Trump’s Thursday news conference, late-night television has you covered.
So thoroughly covered, in fact, that it might take you just as long to watch all of the jokes as it would to sit through the conference itself.
Leading the charge against Trump’s accusations of “fake news” was “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” which opened with Meyers’ shredding the original script for the evening’s episode as he said, “Bye, dead jokes!”
Trevor Noah had a similar sentiment on “The Daily Show,” explaining his team had a perfectly nice show planned out before Trump called his last-minute conference.
On “The Tonight Show,” host Jimmy Fallon went full Trump and performed his own version of Trump’s tangle with the media, settling at one point for breaking out a “Magic Trump 8 Ball” and reciting Trump catchphrases for an interminably long time.
Over on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” Kimmel seemed slightly dumbstruck by the events of the day, describing the president’s attitude this way: “like if your dad found a pack of cigarettes under your mattress.”
Kimmel then aired a super-cut of some of the most cringe-worthy moments, including the president’s asking April Ryan, a black journalist with American Urban Radio Networks, if she could set up a meeting between him and the Congressional Black Caucus.
For his part, James Corden on “The Late Late Show” was gobsmacked that the president mentioned Hillary Clinton 11 times, “Even lovesick teenage boys are like, ‘Move on, man. Let her go. She’s gone.’ ”
Finally, Stephen Colbert and “The Late Show” spent a good 11 minutes examining the conference, at one point failing to find the words for what he saw.
Colbert then looked to how news networks themselves reacted to Trump’s words, with Jake Tapper at CNN saying, “It was unhinged,” and a Fox News correspondent who appeared shellshocked at what she’d witnessed stating, “Wow. Alrighty then.”
For more extensive examinations of the Trump presidency from late-night shows, stay tuned for the next four years.
Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna split again
Reality TV stars Rob Kardashian and fiancée Blac Chyna have reportedly ended their volatile relationship -- like, for real this time.
The “Rob & Chyna” stars, who have been romantically linked since January 2016 and who welcomed daughter Dream Renée in November, called it quits a while ago and their wedding plans are off, according to People.
“They are both trying to be mature about it. It was less dramatic this time,” a Kardashian source told the mag.
Us Weekly reported that Kardashian thinks “it’s the right decision,” with sources noting that Chyna “has disappeared for days at a time without communicating or providing any updates.”
Kardashian, 29, and Chyna, 28, real name Angela Renée White, first split in March 2016 then again just before Christmas following a public he-said-she-said that played out on their social media accounts. Chyna moved out of their home, along with their newborn daughter.
“Chyna is super fed up with Rob and thinks he is way too emotional and depressed. She thinks he has terrible issues,” an insider who knows the couple told Us of the latest split. “He is always battling his own insecurities and is unstable. It’s a major turn-off to her, and she thinks it’s incredibly unhealthy for the baby and their family.”
Chyna, a former stripper who shares a son with the boyfriend of Kardashian’s half-sister Kylie Jenner, had been credited with bringing the recluse back into the spotlight by helping him work on his physical and mental health. The pair opened up about their history and showcased their heated arguments in their E! docu-series.
According to RadarOnline, Chyna was mainly going back to Kardashian because of business.
“Every time she tries to leave him, either he or his people come back with business reasons why they should keep the charade going for image or business purposes,” an insider told the site. “But she’s done with pretending and just wants out now.”
News of their coupling — soon followed by their engagement and pregnancy — solidified Chyna’s infiltration of the female-heavy reality TV dynasty. It also brought into question Chyna’s true motives, including whether she actually cared for Kardashian or was just making a strategic business move.
PewDiePie apologizes for anti-Semitic jokes but says the media took them out of context
PewDiePie is sorry that he made a joke in “not the best way” when trying to show “how crazy the modern world is.”
The Internet star, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, was dropped by Disney’s Maker Studios earlier this week following scrutiny concerning anti-Semitic jokes and imagery in his videos.
YouTube also distanced itself from its top star amid the backlash, announcing the cancelation of the second season of Kjellberg’s reality show, “Scare PewDiePie.”
Following a Tumblr post on Sunday responding to the backlash to his Jan. 11 video (which included two Indian men holding up a sign with an anti-Semitic message), PewDiePie returned to YouTube on Wednesday to apologize and once again address the controversy.
“I’m sorry for the words that I used as I know they offended people,” said PewDiePie. “I admit that the joke itself went too far. I do strongly believe that you can joke about everything, but I also believe that there’s a right way and not the best way to joke about things.”
He also took the occasion to attack mainstream media outlets, including Variety and the Wall Street Journal, which he accuses of misrepresenting him and taking his jokes out of context. He even called out J.K. Rowling.
“Old-school media does not like Internet personalities because they’re scared of us,” he said. “We have so much influence and such a large voice and I don’t think they understand it and that’s why they keep this approach to us.”
He characterized the Journal story about the situation with Maker as a “personal attack,” and said the publication cornered the biggest brands he worked with to force them to sever ties with him.
“If there’s anything I’ve learned about the media from being a public figure is how they blatantly misrepresent people for their own personal gain,” he said. “[They] even viciously attack people just to further themselves.”
You can watch the full video here. (Warning: It contains profanity.)
After finally getting a wide release, Prince’s streaming figures skyrocket
In life, Prince was one of streaming’s great holdouts. Now, less than a year after his death, his music has finally hit Spotify, Apple Music and the other major streaming services. And fans have stormed the gates to revisit his hit-heavy catalog.
Nielsen Music reported Thursday that after finally getting a wide release on Sunday, Prince’s streams have surged by a massive magnitude.
Those figures were no doubt boosted by the Grammys, where Bruno Mars and Prince collaborators the Time paid tribute in a medley performance on Sunday.
Bruno Mars channels Prince, Beyonce slays on stage, and more highlights from the Grammys.
Mel Gibson in talks to direct ‘Suicide Squad’ sequel
F. Scott Fitzgerald said there were no second acts in American lives, but he never said anything about Hollywood careers.
Mel Gibson is in talks to direct the sequel of “Suicide Squad,” the critically panned Warner Bros. supervillain film that nevertheless brought in more than $745 million at the box office.
Originally reported by the Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, Gibson confirmed the rumors during a Q&A after a “Hacksaw Ridge” screening Wednesday night at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica.
When asked by the moderator if his talks with the studio were more akin to a deal or a first date, Gibson replied, “It’s kind of a first date.”
The news is the latest development in the career resurrection of the “Passion of the Christ” director.
Gibson had been a Hollywood pariah for nearly 10 years, following anti-Semitic remarks coupled with a drunken-driving arrest in 2006. But the “Lethal Weapon” actor finds himself back in the industry’s good graces with “Hacksaw Ridge,” his film about a conscientious objector fighting during World War II.
The acclaimed film is up for best picture at the Oscars next weekend, and Gibson scored a nomination for director, his first since he won both picture and director for “Braveheart” in 1996.
Despite Gibson’s buzz, the director might make something of a strange pairing for a “Suicide” sequel, given his well-publicized opinions about superhero films.
“I’m not interested in the stuff,” Gibson told Deadline in a September interview, after deriding “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.”
“Do you know what the difference between real superheroes and comic-book superheroes is? Real superheroes didn’t wear spandex,” he added. “So I don’t know. Spandex must cost a lot.”
Sara Bareilles to brave Broadway and star in ‘Waitress’
It’s a role tailor made for Sara Bareilles to play.
The singer-songwriter announced Thursday that she will be joining the Broadway cast of “Waitress,” the Tony-nominated musical for which she wrote the music and lyrics, for a 10-week run beginning March 31.
Bareilles will take over the lead role of Jenna, a waitress and pie maker trapped in an unfulfilling life. Jessie Mueller, who originated the role, is departing at the end of March.
The musical is an adaptation of Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 independent film of the same name.
“Waitress” scored four Tony Award nominations in 2016 -- for musical, lead actress, featured actor, and Bareilles’ score. The cast and Bareilles were also nominated at the 2017 Grammy Awards for musical theater album.
Bareilles’ limited engagement in “Waitress” runs March 31-June 11.
Los Angeles theater fans not heading to New York can catch a Bareilles-less “Waitress” when it debuts at the Hollywood Pantages in August.
Ryan Murphy reveals the next ‘American Horror Story’: The 2016 election (seriously)
In its six seasons so far, Ryan Murphy’s “American Horror Story” series has centered around a haunted house, an asylum for the criminally insane, a touring freak show, an isolated farmhouse, a supernatural hotel and the hometown of a coven of witches.
So it makes perfect sense that the seventh season of the horror-themed show will look at the 2016 presidential contest.
Wait, what?!? Even chatty host Andy Cohen was rendered briefly speechless when showrunner Murphy dropped that news Wednesday night on “Watch What Happens Live.”
“I don’t have a title,” Murphy said, “but the season we start shooting in June will be about the election that we just went through. So I think that will be interesting for a lot of people.”
You can exhale: Mariah Carey redeemed herself on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ last night
After a rough New Year’s Eve gig left people wondering, Mariah Carey reminded the world Wednesday night that she can indeed pull off a live performance.
The pop princess redeemed herself on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” after difficulties (technical and otherwise) foiled her performance on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest.”
And we’re going to be generous and assume she was singing live on Kimmel, although it’s hard to tell at times, and clearly she was getting an assist from a backing track.
Donning a slinky red dress, Carey sang her new song “I Don’t,” an anthem inspired by the chanteuse’s high-profile broken engagement with Australian billionaire James Packer.
In the song’s music video, Carey sets fire to a wedding dress as she asserts, “Probably think I’m coming back, but I don’t.”
Rapper YG, the featured artist on “I Don’t,” joined Carey for her “Kimmel” performance, which was likely great practice for Carey, who launches a North American tour in March.
‘Everybody’s awake’: Watch Susan Sarandon defend her Bernie Sanders vote and scold MSNBC’s Chris Hayes
During the 2016 presidential campaign, actress and staunch Bernie Sanders supporter Susan Sarandon drew heat for telling MSNBC’s Chris Hayes that she couldn’t bring herself to vote for Hillary Clinton, even if it meant that Donald Trump would win the election.
“Donald Trump will bring the revolution immediately,” she said at the time.
On Wednesday evening, MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes” aired a new interview with Sarandon, who appeared with “Gasland” director Josh Fox.
“Do you feel that you properly appreciated what a Donald Trump presidency would be?” Hayes asked.
“I think that ... analyzing and spending time and energy talking about blaming people who made mistakes or what should have happened is really wasting your time and energy,” Sarandon said. “Because what we have now is a populace that is awake.”
Discussing Trump, she said, “He’s so clumsy and so bad at putting these things through that everybody’s awake and saying, ‘Oh, my god, what’s happening to the EPA?’”
“Which in some ways,” Hayes responded, “you could see as a vindication of what you said.... Is it bringing the revolution?”
“I really am not a proponent for trying to have a revolution when we could have had peaceful change.... We could have had a revolution that was a legal revolution. I would much rather have seen it with a leader like Bernie Sanders.”
Looking forward, she said, “What we have to do now is spend our time and energy focusing on how to fight what’s going on. And so when people are attacking me or trying to say this could have happened.... Really? That’s where we want to spend our time and energy?”
She next turned her attention to Hayes. “You’re a journalist,” she said. “How many hours did you spend on Standing Rock?... What we need from you is to allow people to understand what’s happening.”
She and Fox then got into a discussion of pipeline protests, which they predicted will spread across the country in reaction to the new administration.
“The good thing about this horrible thing of having Trump is that people are awake and they’re participating and they’re having town meetings,” Sarandon said. “This guy is so fumbling that he’s given a whole lesson in how things work, or don’t work.”
She concluded, “As Leonard Cohen said, ‘The cracks are [how] the light comes in.’ And so now we have to be the light.”
Kanye West debuts a drama-free and SoCal-centric Yeezy Season 5 collection with Adidas
Kanye West presented the fifth season of his Yeezy collection collaboration with Adidas in a darkened Pier 59 studio space here Wednesday afternoon. And after last season’s logistical nightmare of a show (the last-minute location reveal of Roosevelt Island, an hour-and-a-half delayed start time, models appearing to faint in the hot sun), this season’s runway production was surprisingly drama-free.
Kicking off at just 22 minutes past the scheduled start time, it was well within the acceptable window of “fashionably late” by fashion week standards.
Instead, the question was whether to consider it a “runway show” at all. Most of the presentation consisted of images from the men’s and women’s collection projected one by one onto the surface of a giant black rectangle in the center of the room from a live feed of the turntable-mounted models backstage.
The street-cast models did appear in the flesh at the conclusion of the short-and-sweet 13-minute-long presentation.
The format wasn’t the only thing that was a marked departure from last season’s show. Instead of the familiar shades of beige and putty, there was some honest-to-goodness color in the mix -- most notably reds, greens and a shade of blue that fell in the teal/turquoise range. These appeared on a range of voluminous varsity jackets, velour (or possibly velvet) V-neck tops, hooded sweatshirts and track suits.
Details included prep-school-style crests on some of the tops and many outerwear pieces printed or appliquéd with Kanye’s (and the Kardashian family’s) SoCal stomping grounds. Among the place names in the mix: Calabasas (on the back of a hooded three-quarter-length coat), Lost Hills, Agoura and the 91302 ZIP Code (which appeared, along with Calabasas, on the back of a red, super-roomy cardigan-meets-cape piece), and Mulholland on the sleeves of a long-sleeve T-shirt.
Thanks to the view-blocking cube, we weren’t able to personally confirm the celebrity attendees that had everybody buzzing – including Kim Kardashian West, Kylie Jenner, Tyga and Hailey Baldwin.
We’re actually not even 100% sure Kanye came out for the traditional post-show designer wave to the crowd.
But if it helps gets the collection seen – and in an efficient under-an-hour timetable from start to finish to boot – we’ll take a rectangular cube any day of the (fashion) week.
Plus, there’s always social media to tell us what we missed.
MORE FASHION WEEK COVERAGE:
In this new era, politics is on trend on the runways at New York Fashion Week
Niki Caro to helm live-action ‘Mulan’ movie
Disney’s live-action adaptation of its animated “Mulan” film will be directed by Niki Caro. “Crouching Tiger” producer Bill Kong is also joining the film as executive producer.
The Los Angeles Times has confirmed the news first reported by the Hollywood Reporter.
Caro, who has directed films such as “Whale Rider” (2002), “McFarland, USA” (2015) and the upcoming “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” will be the second woman whom Disney has tapped to helm a movie with a budget of more than $100 million. She follows Ava DuVernay, who is directing Disney’s “A Wrinkle in Time” adaptation.
The only other women who have solo-directed live-action films at that budget level are Kathryn Bigelow (2002’s “K-19: The Widowmaker”) and Patty Jenkins (the upcoming “Wonder Woman” film).
Kong, meanwhile, is a Hong Kong-based producer who has worked on films including “Hero,” “House of Flying Daggers” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”
“Mulan” faced some early controversy when details emerged that the adaptation would focus on the story of a male, non-Asian love interest rather than Mulan herself. But Disney responded to the rumors by clarifying that screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver were retooling the original script purchased by the studio.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the “Mulan” team has had extensive conversations with Chinese cultural consultants about the film.
The cast for the “Mulan” adaptation has not yet been announced. A global casting search is underway for an actress to play the Chinese heroine, as well as the other main roles.
The film is due to hit theaters Nov. 2, 2018.
Karlie Kloss apologizes for Vogue photo shoot faux pas
Karlie Kloss is under fire for cultural appropriation again, and the fashion model has taken to Twitter to apologize.
The 24-year-old fashion model was featured in the latest issue of Vogue dressed as a traditional Japanese geisha, with a patterned robe and black wig, posing alongside a sumo wrestler. Her family heritage is Danish and German.
Social media users were unimpressed with both Vogue for producing and Kloss for participating in a shoot aping an unfamiliar culture.
Kloss issued a statement of apology early Wednesday morning.
This is not the first time Kloss has found herself in such a predicament. In 2012, the former Victoria’s Secret model stirred outrage when she appeared on the runway in a fringed leather bra and panties, high-heeled moccasins and a floor-length replica Native American headdress.
Victoria’s Secret responded by excising that outfit from the runway’s broadcast and Kloss again apologized via tweet.
The March installment of Vogue has spurred controversy since the first images from the issue were released last week.
Though the magazine touts the issue as embracing diversity with models who are proving “the new norm is no norm,” Twitter users disagreed.
The March cover features seven models — Liu Wen, Ashley Graham, Kendall Jenner, Gigi Hadid, Imaan Hammam, Adwoa Aboah, and Vittoria Ceretti — from differing ethnic backgrounds, but who share similar facial features and complexions. The attempt at diversity underwhelmed some Twitter users.
Also at issue was how the magazine portrayed Ashley Graham, the lone plus-sized model to make the cut for the cover.
While the six other models have their arms around one another, Graham’s arm is held at her side, a move that social media users theorize is to obscure part of her leg.
Eagle-eyed users also found a bit of suspected editing trickery in Gigi Hadid’s Stretch Armstrong-esque arm also obscuring Graham’s torso.
As for that controversy, Graham shared the cover photo on her Instagram last week stating that being included was a dream come true. In comments, she assured fans, “I chose to pose like that” and “No one told me to do anything.”
Representatives for Vogue did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
James Corden and Will Smith take to the sky in new ‘Carpool Karaoke’ trailer
“Carpool Karaoke” is becoming an Apple Music series of its own, and now there’s a trailer to tease some of the upcoming adventures.
The new extended look at the standalone show, which Corden won’t host, features a bevy of stars taking to the streets in song, often to hilarious ends.
“Old white women think I’m Pharrell sometimes,” John Legend admits to Taraji P. Henson while Alicia Keys cracks up in the passenger seat.
The clip features Billy Eichner chiding Metallica for not knowing the words to Rihanna’s “Diamonds,” Shaquille O’Neal and John Cena crowding into a very tiny car, as well as Chelsea Handler and Blake Shelton getting wasted in a bar while singing Bon Jovi’s “Livin’ on a Prayer” in an episode that ideally ends up as “Designated Driver Karoke.”
But fans of “The Late Late Show,” which spawned the viral video behemoth, need not worry: Corden will make an appearance on the new series, tooling around the streets with an ageless Will Smith.
The duo even take their crooning to the next level (literally) by getting in a helicopter and taking to the sky while singing R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly.”
A release date for “Carpool Karaoke” has yet to be announced.
9 directors on their opening movie shots and the alternate first frames they abandoned
The first scene of a movie is often its defining moment: In subtle and large ways it lets the audience know where they are, where they’re going — and often, what to expect along the way. But deciding on that first major statement can be a challenge; sometimes, a main character dancing to “Thriller” in the bathroom mirror is the wrong choice.
Here, directors and editors from nine awards-season contenders share why they began their films as they did – and what alternate openings were abandoned along the way.
Tom Cross (editor, “La La Land”)
First scene: Amid an all-too-familiar massive L.A. freeway backup, a musical number breaks out and our hero and heroine meet cute while sparring with one another in their cars.
Revelations: “Damien [Chazelle, director] wanted to introduce our characters in a memorable way, but also their world: La La Land,” says Cross. “Our characters dream big, so it was important that the film start with a bang.”
Alternate reality? “The original plan was to open with a main title sequence that would serve as an overture. We eventually lifted out the overture and put the traffic number ahead of the intro. What was airtight on the page had been transformed through the shooting, and re-editing achieved the original spirit.”
Alanis Morissette’s home is burglarized; thieves take safe containing $2 million in jewelry
Singer Alanis Morissette’s Brentwood mansion was broken into by burglars who made off with a safe containing $2 million in jewelry and other valuables, sources said.
Los Angeles police Det. Meghan Aguilar said the burglars took the entire safe and did some damage to the house. The break-in occurred on Thursday.
Harrison Ford involved in a close call involving a 737 passenger jet
Actor and vintage plane buff Harrison Ford was involved in a close-call incident involving a 737 passenger jet at John Wayne Airport in Orange County on Monday, and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating.
FAA officials did not disclose the name of the pilot involved in the incident but provided a brief narrative of what happened.
The incident comes nearly two years after Ford crashed a plane at a golf course near Santa Monica Airport.
Brace yourself: Mariah Carey to sing live on TV again
Not even the greatest of technical difficulties can keep Mariah Carey from returning to a television stage.
The pop diva tweeted Tuesday that she will be stopping by “Jimmy Kimmel Live” Wednesday night to sing her new single, “I Don’t.”
The appearance will be Carey’s first television performance since New Year’s Eve, when her stint on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest” went so very wrong.
Carey’s painful six-minute set to ring in 2017 featured the songstress alternately lip-syncing to some of her greatest hits and standing amid her background dancers telling the audience that her earpiece was not functioning.
The immediate aftermath of Carey’s appearance was a flurry of finger-pointing. The Carey camp blamed Dick Clark Productions, with a spokesperson saying, “Unfortunately there was nothing she could do to continue with the performance given the circumstances.”
For its part, Dick Clark Productions claims that it had no part in any technical difficulties and that even if Carey’s earpiece wasn’t working, there were eight monitors playing her song right next to the stage. To that end, Carey’s backup dancers seemed to have no trouble hearing the music.
All eyes will no doubt be on Carey when she returns to television Wednesday. And if the unthinkable should happen and the technical support isn’t quite what Carey is expecting, she might want to take a cue from Adele. At Sunday’s Grammys, the British singer stopped and restarted her wobbly performance of George Michael’s “Fastlove,” learning from her own experience the previous year.
Or Mariah can be Mariah and all will be welll in the world.
Melania Trump thanks Emily Ratajkowski for defending her from disparagement
First Lady Melania Trump tweeted Monday for just the fifth time since taking over the @FLOTUS handle, thanking actress Emily Ratajkowski for her support.
Though Trump and Ratajkowski may differ when it comes to politics — Ratajkowski spoke at a Bernie Sanders rally in February 2016 — they are united when it comes to defending women from those who shame them for their sexuality.
That’s long been Ratajkowski’s stance, and in this instance, the woman she championed just happened to be Trump.
The actress tweeted Monday morning about an unidentified journalist from the New York Times who allegedly tried to slut-shame the first lady the night before, behavior Ratajkowski was having none of.
“I don’t care about her nudes or sexual history,” the actress tweeted, “and no one should.”
Ratajkowski dismissed the actions as a disgusting gender-specific attack.
The model and actress, best known for sexually charged turns in “Gone Girl” and Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” video, has long been outspoken about the double standard invoked when it comes to women’s sexuality.
“Look at pop culture: Mick Jagger is 73, and he still sometimes wears his shirt open and gyrates onstage. We understand that this is a part of his performance and artistic brand,” Ratajkowski wrote in an essay for Glamour in September. “Meanwhile, when Madonna, who is 58 and a revolutionary in that same kind of artistic sexuality, wears a sheer dress to the Met Gala, critics call her ‘a hot mess’ who’s ‘desperate.’”
In March 2016, Ratajkowski drew criticism from Piers Morgan after appearing in a topless selfie with Kim Kardashian.
“Do you want me to buy you some clothes? You look freezing,” Morgan tweeted at Ratajkowski to which she tartly responded, “Thanks, but I don’t need clothes as much as you need press.”
Op-Ed: Beyoncé’s Grammy snub and the glass ceiling on black art
Beyoncé and Adele went head-to-head four times at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. Both were nominated for album of the year, song of the year, record of the year and best pop solo performance. In every category, Adele was awarded the Grammy. Every time, Beyoncé, the peerless pop music icon of our time, was told she was second-best.
Unequaled artists have long bumped up against the glass ceiling that awards shows impose on black excellence.
Adele tearfully thanked Beyonce while accepting her album of the year award for “25.”
Nick Cannon out at ‘America’s Got Talent’ after dispute with NBC execs
Actor and comedian Nick Cannon is leaving his longtime gig as host of the NBC reality show “America’s Got Talent” after allegedly being threatened with termination by network executives.
Cannon announced his departure via a 700-word Facebook post Monday morning, explaining how his decision comes after a dispute with NBC head honchos over jokes in his recent Showtime comedy special.
“Nick Cannon: Stand Up, Don’t Shoot” aired Friday night on the premium cable channel and featured a different Cannon than “AGT” audiences might be used to, with frequent uses of the N-word. The word even makes an appearance in a joke about how that evening NBC stood for “N– Better C’mon.”
TMZ reported Friday that NBC executives learned about the content via Cannon’s appearance on “The Howard Stern Show” and stated that Cannon was nearly fired over the incident before the network decided against it.
With the new week, it appears that Cannon himself has had second thoughts. His statement in its entirety follows. (Statement formatting has been edited for clarity.)
I write this from a deeply saddened and dolorous mindset. After days of deliberating over some extremely disappointing news that I was being threatened with termination by Executives because of a comedy special that was only intended to bring communities closer together, I was to be punished for a joke. This has weighed heavy on my spirit.
It was brought to my attention by my “team” that NBC believed that I was in breach of contract because I had disparaged their brand. In my defense, I would ask how so? Or is this just another way to silence and control an outspoken voice who often battles the establishment.
Recently many of my mentors have cautioned me that soon ‘The System’ would come down on me because I was speaking too many truths and being [too] loud about it. I had no idea that it all would hit so close to home.
I find myself in a dark place having to make a decision that I wish I didn’t have to, but as a man, an artist, and a voice for my community I will not be silenced, controlled or treated like a piece of property. There is no amount of money worth my dignity or my integrity.
I have loved hosting “America’s Got Talent” for the last 8 seasons, watching talented, brave, and courageous Americans accomplish their dreams in front of millions has been nothing but a joy, and everyone has been a pleasure to work with but my soul won’t allow me to be in business with corporations that attempt to frown on freedom of speech, censor artists, and question cultural choices.
Not to get too detailed but this isn’t the first time executives have attempted to ‘put me in my place’ for so called unruly actions. I will not stand for it. My moral principles will easily walk away from the millions of dollars they hang over my head. It’s never been about the money for me, what is difficult to walk away from is the fans, the people who love me on the show. This hurts tremendously.
I felt like I was apart of the fabric of our great nation every summer, representing every culture, age, gender, and demographic. Now for the rug to be pulled from underneath me and to be publicly reprimanded and ridiculed over a joke about my own race is completely wrong and I have to do something about it. I have fought many battles in my career and have never been afraid to go up against the system.
I have mulled over my process for days and felt it was best to once again speak my mind about an unjust infrastructure that treat talent like they own them. Maybe it was my mistake for signing the contract in the first place, in which I will take full responsibility and have already taken action to restructure my own team of advisors.
I now have to set out on a journey of freedom as an artist. As I was quoted in a recent interview, ‘You can’t fire a Boss!’ and that is the essence that I possess. So I wish AGT and NBC the best in its upcoming season but I can not see myself returning.
As of lately I have even questioned if I want to even be apart of an industry who ultimately treats artists in this manner. Most of us don’t realize that there are 6 major corporations that control 90 percent of media in America and the amount of minority executives is dismal.
With this being the case, true equality in our industry is impossible. There will always be a ‘do as I say’ mentality that mirrors society’s perception of women and minorities, and only a few will stand up against it. I proudly stand as one of those few, and will gladly take on whatever repercussions that come with it. I love art and entertainment too much to watch it be ruined by controlling corporations and big business.
I believe it’s our duty as artists to make a difference and create change even if it’s one act at a time. Dr. King said it best, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter.”
“America’s Got Talent” is scheduled to begin filming Season 12 next month.
Representatives for NBC and Nick Cannon did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
Did Katy Perry throw shade at Britney Spears on the Grammys red carpet?
Katy Perry wasn’t content to let her music do the talking at Sunday night’s Grammy Awards.
The pop songstress performed her latest single, the politically charged “Chained to the Rhythm,” at Sunday night’s ceremony, but may have had her most controversial moment of the evening on the pre-show red carpet.
“It’s called taking care of your mental health,” Perry told E! News’ Ryan Seacrest when he inquired after her recent recording hiatus, before later adding, “I haven’t shaved my head yet.”
That might have seemed like a random non sequitur, but Perry elaborated later on in an interview with CBS.
“It’s like the last color in the spectrum that I can do,” said the newly blond Perry. “I’ve done all of them, and the only thing left to do is shave my head, which I’m really saving for a public breakdown.”
It’s evident that Perry was referencing Britney Spears’ struggle with mental health, which culminated in a 2007 incident in which she publicly shaved her head.
After Spears’ difficulties, her father was granted guardianship over her, a position he continues to hold.
This is not the first time Perry has publicly sparred with a fellow pop star. The singer has been embroiled in an ongoing feud with Taylor Swift for years.
Twitter users were less than impressed with Perry’s comments, spawning the hashtag #KatyPerryIsOverParty and registering their displeasure through tweets.
Representatives for Katy Perry did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
Finally, the ‘Lemonade’ tribute you’ve been waiting for: Kimmy Schmidt announces Season 3 premiere date
Netflix dropped the “Lemonade” tribute that Amy Schumer could only dream of creating. The streaming service provider released video Monday announcing the Season 3 premiere date for “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
The Emmy-nominated comedy, featuring Ellie Kemper as a former doomsday cult member acclimating to life outside of her 15 years in a bunker, returns to Netflix on May 19.
The teaser features Kimmy’s best friend and all-around superstar Titus Andromedon (Tituss Burgess) strolling the streets of New York in full “Lemonade” yellow dress fabulousness, a loving homage that’s sure to wash the bitter aftertaste of Monday night’s Grammy Awards from the mouths of Beyoncé fans.
The first two 13-episode seasons of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” are available to stream on Netflix.
Al Jarreau owned ‘smooth jazz,’ but his nimble sound went beyond the quiet storm
When thinking about Al Jarreau, who died in Los Angeles on Sunday at age 76, one word comes insistently to mind: Smooth.
Much like his longtime friend and kindred spirit George Duke, who died in August 2013, Jarreau owned that free-flowing and often breezy subgenre somewhat derisively known as “smooth jazz.” In reality, it was a cross-pollination of jazz with funk, pop and R&B that his voice helped establish in the ’70s and ’80s. From the nimble, rounded style that allowed him to glide from note to note in his biggest hit “We’re in This Love Together” to the feeling evoked by the sound of his name itself, Jarreau became synonymous with a bright sort of cool that soared beyond jazz’s often sharp corners.
Also like Duke — who counted Frank Zappa and Miles Davis among his collaborators — Jarreau’s 50-year career defied such simple categorization. A Midwestern native, Jarreau cut his teeth at Bay Area clubs like the Half Note and Gatsby’s before moving to Los Angeles, where he appeared on the city’s club and talk-show circuit.
In the early ’70s, when his career began to take off, Jarreau earned comparisons to jazz greats such as Billy Eckstein, but his breakout 1975 album “We Got By” could evoke soul great Bill Withers, most notably on the album’s bawdy and bluesy title track, in which Jarreau was backed by subtle strings and keyboards. From the same recording, “You Don’t See Me” offered a showcase for Jarreau’s acrobatic scat vocals playing off a spare funk backdrop.
The subsequent live double-album “Look to the Rainbow,” released in 1977, offered a similarly fierce display of vocal invention. His percolating interpretation of Paul Desmond’s “Take Five” — a song most commonly associated with Dave Brubeck — is a rapid-fire tour-de-force as Jarreau breathlessly emulates three or four different instruments over the course of seven and a half propulsive, improvisation-rich minutes. Jarreau eventually came to be synonymous with a seeming imperviousness to rough edges, but here, it certainly wasn’t for want of stretching himself in search of them. “Look to the Rainbow” also earned Jarreau his first Grammy for jazz vocal performance.
Seven-time Grammy winner Al Jarreau dies at 76, two days after announcing retirement
Al Jarreau, the legendary jazz artist and seven-time Grammy winner, has died. He was 76.
The singer died about 6 a.m. Sunday at a Los Angeles hospital surrounded by family and friends, his agent said. The cause of death was not immediately known, but news of his passing comes two days after he announced his retirement from touring and was admitted to the hospital for exhaustion.
Dubbed the “Acrobat of Scat” for his vocal delivery and admired by fans for his imaginative and improvisational qualities, Jarreau had a career that spanned five decades and 20 albums. His biggest single was “We’re in This Love Together” from 1981. He also sang the theme song for TV’s “Moonlighting.”
He is the only Grammy vocalist to win in the jazz, pop and R&B categories.
“All through his career, he was someone who was daring,” said jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves, who collaborated with Jarreau on an album celebrating musician George Duke. “He was totally original. Nobody before him sang like that. He was a courageous singer because he had no problem making something new every single night he was on stage. It was extraordinary to watch.”
Full coverage of the 2017 Grammy Awards
Adele ended her night at the 2017 Grammy Awards with back-to-back wins for album of the year and record of the year, but used her final moments on stage to salute Beyoncé and her “monumental” album “Lemonade.” Beyoncé, meanwhile, wowed the audience with a spiritual performance and also took home the prize for urban contemporary album. Chance the Rapper was also among the top winners of the night, taking the prize for new artist as well as rap album.
FULL COVERAGE: 2017 GRAMMY AWARDS >>
Tiffany Trump takes in New York Fashion Week
Tiffany Trump, the youngest daughter of President Trump, took in a New York Fashion Week show Saturday morning, sitting front row at the Fall/Winter 2017 Taoray Wang runway show at Skylight Clarkson Square on Washington Street. Her mother, Marla Maples, was at her side, and a scrum of Secret Service agents and venue security were posted nearby.
The fashion flock had been speculating about a possible Trump appearance since fashion week kicked off Thursday because the Shanghai-based label (which has shown at New York Fashion Week for the last few years) custom designed the white double-breasted coat she wore on Inauguration Day.
We didn’t get a chance to speak with Trump (“You can take one picture,” we were told when we approached, “but no questions”) before the show, and after the runway finale walk, she and Maples were whisked backstage (presumably to meet the designer) and then off the premises.
As members of the fashion media and well-wishers surrounded Wang backstage, the designer looked around and shook her head in amazement at the beehive of activity. “This is bizarre,” she said.
Marvel reveals the first ever set footage from ‘Infinity War,’ the movie that brings all the heroes together
Marvel explains how 10 years of of superhero movie making will culminate in one film with the first look from the set of “Avengers: Infinity War.”
And yeah that’s Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Star-Lord all in the same shot from the Atlanta set of “Infinity War.”
Robert Downey Jr. also took to Facebook Live on Friday from the set of the upcoming movie to answer a few questions from fans.
PBS to air documentary on civil rights legend John Lewis tonight
Friday night, PBS is airing a documentary about U.S. representative John Lewis and his lifetime spent dedicated to American politics and civil rights.
Lewis, who has served as a representative from Georgia for the last 30 years, was 21 when he joined the movement for civil rights, serving as one of the original 13 Freedom Riders in an effort to integrate mass transit.
During the heart of the movement in the 1960s, Lewis worked closely with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., serving as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee for several years, as well as marching with King at Selma, as documented by Ava DuVernay’s recent film
Despite his long list of accomplishments Lewis made headlines most recently during a highly publicized dispute with then President-elect Donald Trump.
In a January interview with NBC, Lewis stated that he felt that the Trump was not a “legitimate president” thanks to reported Russian interference in the 2016 election and, because of that, he would not be attending the inauguration.
Trump took exception to the statement from Lewis, delivering a particularly robust Twitter rant that accused Lewis of “all talk, talk, talk -- no action or results. Sad!” and suggesting that the congressman focus more on “burning and crime-infested inner cities.”
The negative tweets at Lewis spurred a boycott among House Democrats, with more than 50 members skipping the inauguration in solidarity for the veteran representative.
“John Lewis: Get in the Way” airs at 10:30 p.m. Friday on PBS.
The documentary will also be available to screen online via PBS mobile apps beginning Saturday.
Katherine Jackson, mother of Janet and Michael, accuses nephew of elder abuse, files for temporary restraining order
All is not well within the Jackson clan.
On Wednesday, Katherine Jackson, the matriarch of the legendary musical brood — including Janet and the late Michael Jackson — was granted a temporary restraining order against nephew Trent Lamar Jackson.
Court documents obtained by The Times, allege that Jackson’s daughter Rebbie, as well as other family members, have witnessed ongoing abuse by Trent Lamar Jackson, who previously had been employed as Jackson’s driver.
Trent Lamar Jackson is the son of Luther Jackson, brother of Joe Jackson, Katherine’s ex-husband.
“Trent made himself a care custodian of Mrs. Jackson to control her every move,” the documents read. “He’s threatened not to take her home for not complying with his demands, he has refused to return her home from travel; he deprives her from contact with her family so he can maintain undue influence over her, causing her depression, angst and fear.”
The documents go on to claim that Trent Lamar Jackson’s actions were calculated so that he could maintain control of Jackson’s finances and stay in her guest house free of charge.
“Constant, sometimes subtle, emotional abuse was effective in making Mrs. Jackson confused and unsure of what was happening to her,” the claim states. “She is clear now and scared for her safety, after terminating his employment. Now that he knows his conduct will be revealed, she fears what he may do to her upon her return.”
Jackson’s nephew has been ordered to return all keys, passwords and combinations for her property, as well as to cease use of her financial accounts. He also has been ordered to remain 100 yards from his aunt and not to enter the gated community where she resides.
These accusations come after an eventful several months for the family, with Jackson’s daughter Janet giving birth to her first child in January, followed by UK television provider Sky TV’s decision to scuttle a controversial episode of “Urban Myths” focusing on her late son Michael portrayed by Joseph Fiennes.
Jackson’s claims will be heard in front of a judge on March 1.
For the record: An earlier version of this post said that Trent Lamar Jackson was the son of Lawrence Jackson. He is the son of Luther Jackson.
Museum shuts down Shia LaBeouf anti-Trump protest for causing ‘serious public safety hazards’
Shia LaBeouf’s anti-Trump protest piece has been shut down because it created an unexpectedly volatile situation and serious public safety hazards, museum officials said Friday.
The embattled actor’s HEWILLNOTDIVIDE.US installation at New York’s Museum of the Moving Image debuted on President’s Trump inauguration day and was meant to run through the duration of his presidency. The around-the-clock streaming performance invited willing participants to chant the words “he will not divide us” in front of a webcam as many times and for as long as they wished.
However, a few days after its debut, LaBeouf was arrested after he shouted down an alleged white supremacist who arrived to troll the work and other such incidents prompted the museum to cut off the installation’s webcam.
“The installation created a serious and ongoing public safety hazard for the Museum, its visitors, staff, local residents, and businesses,” museum officials said in a statement on Friday. “The installation had become a flashpoint for violence and was disrupted from its original intent.”
Looking into a camera placed on a wall outside the museum, a diverse group of teenagers chanted their protest on inauguration day “as a show of resistance or insistence, opposition or optimism, guided by the spirit of each individual participant and the community,” the artists said. But with other altercations taking place, threats and arrests being made, the NYPD had to patrol the area regularly.
“While the installation began constructively, it deteriorated markedly after one of the artists was arrested on the site of the installation and ultimately necessitated this action,” the officials said.
“Ending our engagement with the installation is the most prudent path forward to restore public safety to the Museum, its visitors, staff, and the community,” they added.
Additionally, neighbors complained that noisy visitors loitered on their porches in the early morning hours, urinated and smoked marijuana, according to Page Six.
The “Transformers” actor took to Twitter to continue the protest, sharing a black image that read “The Museum Has Abandoned Us.”
On Friday, the artists left a message on the website where the participatory performance was streamed.
“On February 10, 2017, the Museum of the Moving Image abandoned the project,” it said. “The artists, however, have not.”
Rosie O’Donnell debuts new Steve Bannon-inspired Twitter avatar
Ever since Melissa McCarthy blew the roof off of last week’s “Saturday Night Live” with her uncanny (and unhinged) depiction of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, the Internet has been salivating over casting women in other prominent roles in the Trump administration.
So far, longtime Trump foil Rosie O’Donnell as White House strategist Steve Bannon seems to be a resounding favorite, with O’Donnell herself volunteering as tribute.
Speculation around O’Donnell as Bannon reached a fevered pitch on Thursday, when the actress debuted a new Twitter avatar featuring, you guessed it, her as the former Breitbart chairman.
In response, the Internet lost its collective mind.
But the question remains: Come Saturday, will O’Donnell be playing Bannon on the late-night comedy series?
Maybe not.
According to representatives for O’Donnell, the avatar change comes from a social media user who created it and brought it to her attention, a claim that appears to check out.
For now, the dream of O’Donnell as Bannon remains a dream.
Representatives for “Saturday Night Live” did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
‘Runaways’ taps ‘Buffy,’ ‘The Wire’ and ‘Alias’ vets as villainous parents
Marvel Television and Hulu continue to solidify the “Marvel’s Runaways” cast, this time casting the villains, a group called the Pride who happen to be the parents of the Runaways kids, with actors from “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “This Is Us,” The Wire” and more.
The cast is as follows:
Ryan Sands (“Hat Hair,” “The Wire”) as Geoffrey Wilder; Angel Parker (“The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story,” “The Strain”) as Catherine Wilder; Brittany Ishibashi (“This Is Us,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows”) as Tina Minoru; James Yaegashi (“Breakfast at Tiffany’s” on Broadway, “Madame Secretary”) as Robert Minoru;
Kevin Weisman (“Hello Ladies,” “Alias”) as Dale Yorkes; Brigid Brannagh (“Army Wives,” “True Colors”) as Stacey Yorkes; Annie Wersching (“Timeless,” “The Vampire Diaries”) as Leslie Dean; Kip Pardue (“Remember the Titans,” “Ray Donovan”) as Frank Dean; James Marsters (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”) as Victor Stein; and Ever Carradine (“The Handmaids Tale,” “Goliath”) as Janet Stein.
“‘Marvel’s Runaways’ has enough great actors to support two shows, but I love that this project contains multiple generations of incredible talent all in one story,” added Runaways comic co-creator and series executive consultant Brian K. Vaughn in a statement.
Marvel previously announced Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer, Gregg Sulkin and Allegra Acosta in the title roles in the series.
United Talent Agency cancels Oscar party in favor of immigration rally
For anyone wondering just how political this year’s Academy Awards are likely to get, here’s an early sign: One of Hollywood’s leading talent agencies is canceling its traditional Oscar party and will instead hold a rally to protest the Trump Administration’s controversial moves on the immigration front.
The United Talent Agency has announced that it will hold an event it is calling “United Voices” at its Los Angeles headquarters on Feb. 24, two days before the Oscars. In a press release, the agency said the rally is intended “to express the creative community’s growing concern with anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States and its potential chilling effect on the global exchange of ideas and freedom of expression.”
The agency also announced it will donate $250,000 to the American Civil Liberties Union and the International Rescue Committee.
“If our nation ceases to be the place where artists the world over can come to express themselves freely, then we cease, in my opinion, to be America,” UTA CEO Jeremy Zimmer said in a letter to the agency’s employees announcing the steps. “When fear and division get the better of a society, artists are among the first to feel the impact—and to denounce the ill winds.”
At least one Oscar nominee, Iranian director Asghar Farhadi – whose film “The Salesman” earned a nod in the foreign language category and who is a UTA client – has said he will not attend the Oscars this year to protest President Trump’s recent executive order that sought to temporarily bar immigration from seven majority-Muslim countries. The future of that order, which has been suspended, is now in question following a decision Thursday by a federal appellate court declining its reinstatement.
Clooney, party of four!
George Clooney’s wife, Amal, is reportedly pregnant with twins.
Hollywood’s power pair is expecting a pair of babies this June, according to well-connected “The Talk” host Julie Chen, who confirmed and announced the actor and the British human rights attorney’s life-changing event on today’s show.
‘American Idol’ could be on track for a reboot
Perhaps fans haven’t seen the last of “American Idol.”
“Idol” production company Fremantle Media has pitched a revival of the singing competition to NBC, according to Variety. The original series premiered in 2002 and aired on Fox for 15 seasons before ending its run last April.
However, even in the final moments of the series finale, host Ryan Seacrest hinted that the show’s end might be temporary.
“One more time -- this is so tough -- we say to you from Hollywood, good night, America,” said Seacrest. “For now.”
Of course, NBC is already home to the successful “The Voice,” a slightly different singing competition series, as well as the talent show “America’s Got Talent.”
Details about any changes this possible “American Idol” revival would see, or how it could affect NBC’s reality TV lineup are unknown.
Review: ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ is the best Batman movie since ‘The Dark Knight’
Will Arnett, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Cera and Rosario Dawson voice characters in “The Lego Batman Movie.”
“The Lego Batman Movie” is an impish, big-hearted parody that also happens to be the best Batman movie since “The Dark Knight” in 2008. That may not sound like high praise coming so soon after “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” but it’s no small accomplishment when the latest contribution to our collective superhero fatigue instead reveals itself as a possible cure — or a tonic, at the very least.
Will Arnett comes to San Diego Comic-Con International to discuss his career and his work on “The Lego Batman Movie.”
Willie Nelson postpones two more shows because of illness
Willie Nelson has postponed two more shows -- this time in Arizona and New Mexico.
Friday’s concert at the Desert Diamond Casino in Sahuarita, Ariz., and Saturday’s gig at the Route 66 Casino in Albuquerque will be rescheduled, according to Nelson’s website.
The 83-year-old singer is still ill, Rolling Stone reported Wednesday.
“We are very sorry for the disappointment,” a statement on Nelson’s Facebook page said Wednesday. “We hope to make it up to you all very soon.” The statement advised that rescheduled dates will be announced as they become available.
On Monday, the country legend nixed three shows set for this week in Bakersfield and one in Tucson planned for this coming Friday because he was sick, his rep told the Associated Press.
In late January, a cold forced him to ax the first two of five shows planned for the Venetian in Las Vegas, but he was well enough to promote his new line of cannabis at an event in downtown Las Vegas on Jan. 31.
“I’m good. I’m getting there,” Nelson told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, when asked about his health. He lighted a joint, took a hit and passed it on to a fan before leaving, the Las Vegas Sun reported.
He followed up with shows at the Venetian on Feb. 1, 3 and 4.
Prince, George Michael to be honored at the Grammys
The 59th Grammy Awards will feature musical tributes to the late George Michael and Prince, but the Recording Academy isn’t saying up front who’ll be performing in each set.
“[W]e consider it our responsibility to tell music’s broader story by honoring its legends lost — that’s what we strive to achieve with our annual tributes,” Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of the show, said in a statement.
“While it’s nearly impossible to convey the full depth of an artist’s cultural impact in a single performance, it’s that very challenge that has led us to some of our most memorable Grammy moments.”
Last year during the show, Lady Gaga led a tribute to David Bowie, singing a medley that included eight of his hits. She even got a tattoo.
Of course, given the sheer number of iconic musicians who died last year -— Merle Haggard, Leonard Cohen, Sharon Jones, Leon Russell and Juan Gabriel, among them — the Grammys could have organized several tribute segments.
This year’s performers include Adele, a “very pregnant” Beyoncé, Katy Perry, Kelsea Ballerini, William Bell, Chance the Rapper, Gary Clark Jr., Andra Day, Cynthia Erivo, Tori Kelly, Barry Gibb, Lukas Graham, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Little Big Town, Demi Lovato, Bruno Mars, Maren Morris, Anderson .Paak, Daft Punk, Sturgill Simpson, A Tribe Called Quest, Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban and the Weeknd.
Gaga and Metallica will duet. Urban included Prince and Bowie songs in an acoustic-guitar tribute medley on New Year’s Eve in Nashville.
Michael died last year on Christmas Day at age 53. Prince died April 21 at 57.
The Grammy Awards air live from Staples Center in L.A. starting at 5 p.m. Sunday, with plenty of storylines worth following.
Hillary Clinton’s first recorded comments after the women’s march: ‘The future is female’
Monday night’s MAKERS women’s empowerment conference in Rancho Palos Verdes kicked off with a surprise video statement by Hillary Clinton that elicited a huge roar from the crowd.
“Despite all the challenges we face, I remain convinced that yes, the future is female,” Clinton said in her first recorded statement since the inauguration of Donald Trump and women’s marches the next day.
The conference, which continues through Wednesday and is being live-streamed online, is bringing together powerful women at the height of their powers. Actress Octavia Spencer and activist Gloria Steinem kicked off the conference with a keynote conversation about Spencer’s movie “Hidden Figures,” and diversity in storytelling on Monday night. (And Steinem spoke exclusively to The Times about the election and the challenges ahead.)
But while Spencer and Steinem garnered a standing ovation and resounding applause, Clinton’s recorded statement prompted the loudest cheers of the night.
“Remember, you are the heroes and history makers, the glass ceiling breakers of the future,” Clinton said in the video. “As I’ve said before, I’ll say again: Never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world.”
Check out the full clip below.
First ‘Iron Fist’ trailer delves into Danny Rand’s back story
Marvel’s Defenders are one step closer to being complete. The first trailer for Netflix’s “Iron Fist” has been released, officially introducing fans to the magical martial artist Danny Rand.
The trailer shows Rand resurfacing at his family company, years after being presumed dead, as an adult who packs a pretty powerful punch.
“I left here 10 years old on a jet with my parents,” says Rand. “I became the lone survivor.”
It turns out that in his time away Rand has been training in K’un-Lun and he’s back in New York to take his family company back from the criminals who have made their way into the organization.
“I’ve been training my whole life for this,” Rand says. “This is my destiny.”
“Iron Fist,” of course, stars Finn Jones as Danny Rand, a casting decision that stirred a bit of controversy among those who believed Marvel should have used the opportunity to cast an Asian American actor in the lead. While the original comic book character is white, some fans have expressed fatigue with stories involving heroes taking stereotypical journeys east to discover magical Asian awesomeness.
Finn has previously addressed fans’ concerns over issues of cultural appropriation, asking them to “wait until you’ve seen the show, and then pass judgment.”
Marvel’s “Iron Fist” also sees Rosario Dawson back as Claire Temple as well as Jessica Henwick as Colleen Wing. The series will premiere March 17 on Netflix.
Trump’s travel ban couldn’t keep this Johnny Cash-loving Muslim college kid away from the U.S.: Meet Abdullah ...
“Maybe they’ll have ‘La La Land’ on the in-flight entertainment,” Abdullah said on Saturday a few hours before he was set to leave Jordan on a plane bound for Los Angeles.
“If you don’t like it,” I joked, “don’t tell anyone. They won’t let you into America.”
“So many rules,” he said, laughing to ease his nerves. “I can’t keep up.”
It was true, the part about so many rules. The fate of Abdullah’s trip, and his future as a student in the U.S., was changing by the hour, thanks to the confusion sown by President Trump’s executive order on travel and the multiple rulings against it.
Abdullah Al-Rifaie, 19, has lived in Southern California for the last year and a half, attending classes on a student visa. He left Los Angeles in December on winter break to renew his visa — to follow the rules. But in the few weeks it took for him to successfully get his paperwork processed in Jordan, Trump signed the executive order restricting travel from seven majority-Muslim countries, including the one that issued Abdullah’s passport, Iraq.
The order had an immediate effect on the travel plans of Abdullah and of many far more desperate than him — refugees and asylum seekers whose lives were in danger in their home countries.
Abdullah Al-Rifaie, an Iraqi student, gains U.S. reentry after the court stay of President Trump’s travel ban from seven Middle Eastern, predominantly Muslim countries.
My sisters, my mom and an attorney who offered her services pro bono when she heard of Abdullah’s plight tried to keep abreast of the rapidly changing news.
On Thursday, the situation looked bad. He should stay in Jordan for now, the lawyer advised.
On Friday, good news. A Boston judge issued a temporary restraining order against the travel ban. Visa holders from other countries on the list are getting in, we’re told, so he should get here now while he can!
But later on Friday, things changed again. Hold up, Abdullah was told. Valid visa holders are still being detained at U.S. airports and sent back to where they came from. Stay put.
Rosie O’Donnell is willing to spoof Stephen Bannon on ‘SNL’: ‘If called I will serve’
Rosie O’Donnell has volunteered her services for “Saturday Night Live’s” comedy takedown of President Trump and his administration.
The former co-host of “The View,” who is already an outspoken critic of the president and has publicly quibbled with him in the past, says she would be willing to parody his chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, on “SNL.”
“If asked, of course I would,” O’Donnell told NBC News on Tuesday. She also tweeted “available - if called i will serve.”
The casting, however, is not a done deal, and O’Donnell is not currently set to appear on or host the long-running NBC sketch series. The network has declined to comment about casting her on the show, and O’Donnell even deemed it “an alternate fact.”
O’Donnell’s announcement comes on the heels of Melissa McCarthy’s aggressive portrayal of Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, over the weekend and after calls for O’Donnell’s casting went viral on Twitter on Monday.
“[S]omeone tweeted it as an idea - after Melissa was so brilliant ... just a funny idea #truth,” O’Donnell tweeted Tuesday.
She called McCarthy’s take on Spicer “perfect” and also praised Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of the president, which has repeatedly prompted Trump to lash out against the actor and the series.
“‘SNL’ knows what they are doing,” said O’Donnell, who hosted the show in 1993 and 1996, spoofing actress Liza Minnelli, director Penny Marshall and manicurist-turned-mutilator Lorena Bobbitt.
Bannon, the controversial former editor of the far-right-leaning Breibart News, has been played in “SNL” skits by a Grim Reaper-clad Mikey Day. Bannon’s relationship with Trump was lampooned in the latest episode’s cold open as he encouraged the Donald to alienate allied nations in a series of impromptu phone calls.
O’Donnell’s feud with the president sparked circa 2006. when she criticized the billionaire for refusing to fire Miss USA Tara Conner from the pageant he controls after she admitted to substance abuse. He dubbed O’Donnell a “pig” and continued to tweet about her appearance and personal life.
Trump went after her again in 2014 when NBC reinstated her as a “View” panelist and she became an unlikely topic of discussion after the August 2015 and September 2016 presidential debates, when he declared that O’Donnell was the only woman he publicly insulted.
Daft Punk shop — helmets! — to pop up in L.A. right before the Grammys
Daft Punk’s first-ever pop-up shop is coming to Los Angeles for nine days, opening the day before the 59th Grammy Awards.
The Maxfield Gallery on Melrose will host the shop, which runs Feb. 11-19, and according to the store will include “a retrospective of archival set pieces, wardrobes & helmets, rare photography, films and more.”
Oh, yeah, limited-edition clothing too, from the likes of Off-White, Darkdron, Herve Manufacturer and Enfants Riches Deprives.
Daft Punk will be in town to perform live for the first time since doing “Get Lucky” at the Grammys in 2014, joining the Weeknd at Staples Center on Sunday for the awards show.
Janelle Monáe tests Conan O’Brien’s pompadour, deems it real
Janelle Monáe can confirm: Conan O’Brien’s hair is real. And that’s a pompadour pro judging a pompadour pro.
But wait — the singer doesn’t call her usual hairstyle a pompadour.
“I really did want to do my ‘Monáe,’ and I wanted to have a hair-off with you, but we went for something different today,” the 31-year-old “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight” actress told the host during a sit-down on his Monday show.
O’Brien explained that when he was 22, he might have been able to compete with her striking trademark ‘do.
“I could pile it up so much, get some mayonnaise in there and then bake it,” he said. (And if that isn’t an invitation, what is, really?)
“Can I touch it? I’ve always wanted to,” Monáe said. “I know this is so rude, because I don’t like people touching my hair ... at least I asked.”
Given the go-ahead, she fluffed his red locks gently at first.
“No, really, get your fingers in there,” he urged.
“No, I don’t wanna do it,” she said before giving in to temptation, and getting a reward for her effort.
“You guys, oh yeah, it’s not a lace front. I love it!,” she declared.
Nope, not a wig. Just a mousse that, according to O’Brien, is “mostly asbestos.”
Metallica to go Gaga in duet at the Grammys
Not one to rest on her success — or take a breather after the Super Bowl — Lady Gaga will duet with Metallica at the 59th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday.
A fan account tweeted a clip Monday night of a promo showing the pop star and the metal band set to duet, and Rolling Stone confirmed the pairing Tuesday morning. Then the singer retweeted a later message from the fan account, adding confirmation of her own.
Lead singer James Hetfield is “under strict doctor’s orders to not sing a single note,” Metallica said in a statement Saturday, so it looks as if Gaga will get the mike.
The Lady knows how to rock, however. She flew through a Bowie tribute at last year’s Grammy Awards and did some time on the way up in a Led Zeppelin cover band. You can hear her sing part of “Black Dog” here with Howard Stern, but remember, it’s Howard Stern, so expect the titillating talk after the tune. (Bonus? You’ll also learn a little about how vocal cords work.)
‘Art has no borders’: Cheryl Boone Isaacs’ full Oscars lunch speech addresses Trump’s travel ban
The annual Oscar lunch, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is usually a moment for bonding and photo taking among the year’s nominees. News is rarely made.
But this year, the bonding was reinforced by a forceful speech by Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who addressed last year’s #OscarsSoWhite issue and the Trump administration’s travel ban.
“Each and every one of us knows that there are some empty chairs in this room,” she said, referring in particular to Iranian director Asghar Farhadi and his star Taraneh Alidoosti. Their film “The Salesman” is nominated in the foreign language category. Neither is planning to attend the Feb. 26 ceremony because of the Trump policy.
Boone Isaacs also reinforced the Academy’s commitment to diversity by reminding the group of the 683 new members from around the world invited last year to join the Academy — the largest incoming class ever — and by “the new faces among this year’s nominees.”
“Wow!” she said. “What a difference a year makes.”
Here is the transcript of Boone Isaacs’ speech at the nominees lunch:
“With your nomination, you are part of an almost century-old community, which is not just a Hollywood community, or an American community, but a global one.
“Filled with storytellers, domestic and international, [it’s] one that is becoming more inclusive and diverse with each passing day. I’m so proud to be part of that and to see all the new faces among this year’s nominees.
“Wow, what a difference a year makes.
“A year when the Academy grew by 683 new members. Men and women who will inspire the next generation with the same sense of wonder and enchantment that first touched each of you. Simply put, real progress has been made. Progress that I am confident will continue in the future as we continue to bring change to the Academy and our entire industry.
“When we expand our membership — when we reach out to be inclusive — we set a shining example. When our storytellers tackle issues of importance — from religious intolerance, to racism, to sexism — when we bring to the screen stories from around the world, we become agents of change. And when we speak out against those who try to put up barriers, we reinforce this important truth: That all artists around the world are connected by a powerful bond. One that speaks to our creativity and our common humanity.
“Today, we celebrate you. Your work and your achievements. But each and every one of us knows that there are some empty chairs in this room, which has made Academy artists activists. There is a struggle globally today over artistic freedom that feels more urgent than at any time since the 1950s. Art has no borders. Art has no language and doesn’t belong to a single faith. No, the power of art is that it transcends all of these things and strong societies don’t censor art — they celebrate it.
“America should always be not a barrier, but a beacon. We stand up in support of artists around the world. We stand up to those who would try and limit our freedom of expression and we stand up for this fundamental principle: That all creative artists around the world are connected by that unbreakable bond ... more powerful and permanent than nationality and politics.
“And just as our work does not stop at borders, borders cannot be allowed to stop any of us.”
Sean Spicer responds to Melissa McCarthy’s ‘Saturday Night Live’ skit
It looks like Sean Spicer thinks Melissa McCarthy’s impression of him needs a little work.
While speaking with “Extra” on Sunday during the Super Bowl, the White House press secretary was asked about his thoughts on McCarthy’s guest appearance on “Saturday Night Live.”
“I think Melissa McCarthy needs to slow down on the gum chewing,” Spicer said. “Way too many pieces in there.”
The skit, about the Trump administration’s contentious relationship with the news media, features McCarthy as an aggressive Spicer who appears in front of a room full of reporters “to swallow gum and take names.” McCarthy then goes on to take questions about President Trump’s executive order on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim countries as well as chief strategist Steve Bannon’s role on the National Security Council.
RELATED: From Streep to McCarthy, why women are the ones getting under Trump’s skin
Spicer said he learned about the skit from a flurry of text messages that led him to believe that “there was a national emergency or something really funny happening.”
When asked about Alec Baldwin’s recurring portrayal of Trump on “Saturday Night Live,” Spicer replied that he thought the skits were “mean.”
“He’s gone from funny to mean and that’s unfortunate,” Spicer said. “‘Saturday Night Live’ used to be really funny and I think there’s a streak of meanness now that they’ve crossed over into.”
Was Lady Gaga’s halftime show political? Or not political enough? Four arguments for the former
Heading into Super Bowl Sunday, plenty of people were predicting that Lady Gaga’s halftime show would spark controversy. They weren’t wrong, but the debate created by Gaga’s performance wasn’t whether it was too political. Rather, it was about whether the performance was political at all.
Although many critics, including Sonia Saraiya at Variety and The Times’ own Mikael Wood, found the production to be apolitical and uninspiring. Others disagreed, seeing the pop star’s glittering spectacle to be a master class of subversive political messaging.
Here’s what the latter saw in Gaga’s show:
1. Gaga herself
When Lady Gaga locked down the halftime gig in late September, she ensured an artist who has given much of her career to advocacy for LGBT issues and anti-bullying initiatives would perform on a stage that reaches more than 100 million people worldwide. That alone, some felt, ended up playing out like a rebuke of the current presidential administration.
2. Patriotic medley
Before (seemingly) diving into NRG Stadium, Gaga began her set with a few stanzas of “God Bless America” before transitioning into Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land” and landing on a portion of the Pledge of Allegiance.
What would seem like good old-fashioned patriotism gets more complicated when considering the inclusion of Guthrie’s classic, penned in 1940 and originally titled “God Blessed America for Me.”
As noted by the Washington Post, a lost verse of the song included the lines:
“There was a big high wall there that tried to stop me.
The sign was painted, said ‘Private Property.’
But on the backside, it didn’t say nothing.
This land was made for you and me.”
Though Gaga may have been unaware of the protest origins of the song, she is surely aware of folk legend Guthrie, who regularly performed with a guitar declaring, “This machine kills fascists.”
3. “Born This Way” and Vice President Mike Pence
“No matter gay, straight, or bi
Lesbian, transgendered life
I’m on the right track baby
I was born to survive”
During a set that crammed in most of her greatest hits, Gaga included “Born This Way,” her radical anthem of self-acceptance and inclusion, a message that was potentially resonant for one audience member in particular.
Vice President Mike Pence attended the Super Bowl and has an embattled history with the LGBT community, previously referring to homosexuality as “a choice” and saying that preventing gays from marrying was enforcement of “God’s law” and not discrimination.
4. Unity in diversity
There was something vaguely nostalgic about Gaga’s halftime show, which featured a sea of backup dancers who looked like a bedazzled United Colors of Benetton ad.
The united-in-diversity vibe was particularly powerful when coupled with Gaga’s past message of inclusion and surrounded by so many Super Bowl ads with messages of unity.
Case in point: Coca-Cola resurfaced a commercial from 2014 embracing multiculturalism, a choice that seemed especially pointed.
Was Gaga’s halftime show political? Or is apolitical impossible in the current cultural atmosphere?
“The only statements I’ll be making during the halftime show are the ones that I have been consistently making throughout my career,” Gaga said in a news conference Thursday. “I believe in a passion for inclusion. I believe in the spirit of equality and the spirit of this country. It’s one of love and compassion and kindness. So my performance will uphold those philosophies.”
Check out the entire performance below.
84 Lumber responds to controversy (and confusion) over its Super Bowl commercial
The rush to view the rest of the Super Bowl advertisement was so furious that it briefly overwhelmed the company’s website.
A Pennsylvania building supply company made a big splash on the Super Bowl Sunday with a commercial Fox deemed “too controversial for TV.”
Telling the tale of a mother with her young daughter and their trek across Mexico in hopes of a haven in the United States, the 84 Lumber commercial aired in part Sunday night. The company directed viewers to its website to view the conclusion of the story.
The rush to view the rest of the Super Bowl advertisement was so furious that it briefly overwhelmed the company’s website.
During the non-televised portion of the ad, the mother and daughter reach an enormous wall in the desert. The mother breaks down into tears, and the daughter pulls out a handmade U.S. flag she’s been crafting during their journey.
Then the mother sees that the wall has a door, recently built by a team of workers including one man who drives off in a pickup truck filled with, you guessed it, lumber. The mother and daughter swing the doors open into brilliant sunlight.
Onscreen text reads: “The will to succeed is always welcome here.”
Some viewers condemned the company for advocating for illegal immigration. Others viewed the ad as a call for humanity when discussing the subject.
In a tweet linking to the entire commercial, 84 Lumber described the ad as “a symbolic journey toward becoming legal American citizens.”
On its Facebook page Monday morning, 84 Lumber has been actively replying to customers accusing it of supporting illegal immigration with the following message:
“We do not condone illegal immigration. The journey of the mother and daughter symbolizes grit, dedication and sacrifice. Characteristics that we look for in our people at 84 Lumber. President Trump has previously said there should be a ‘big beautiful door in the wall so that people can come into this country legally.’ We couldn’t agree more.”
84 Lumber’s commercial was timed to coincide with a national hiring campaign.
Chelsea Peretti premieres baby bump on Instagram a lá Beyoncé
Chelsea Peretti (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”) and Jordan Peele (“Key & Peele”) are just full of surprises.
The pair announced Peretti’s pregnancy over the weekend with the actress’ Instagram photo captioned “beyonce schmonce” and featuring her own burgeoning baby bump.
She was referencing, of course, Beyoncé and Jay Z’s own Instagram announcement last week about the impending arrival of twins.
This is not the first time the couple has used Peretti’s Instagram feed to share news. In April, Peretti shared a photo casually announcing the pair had eloped, with only a sweet-looking pup to witness the nuptials.
Will 2017 be a banner year for the Peretti-Peele household? Peele is making his feature directorial debut with the comedic horror film “Get Out,” premiering in theaters Feb. 24.
Images from Lady Gaga’s Super Bowl halftime show: Dancers, wire work and fire
Lady Gaga performed a lot of her top hits while entertaining the masses in Houston at halftime of Super Bowl LI. Some may have wanted the pop star to make more of a statement with her platform, but her Little Monsters probably enjoyed the spectacle. Here are a few images, and a gallery beyond that, from Lady Gaga’s concert.
MORE PHOTOS FROM THE SUPER BOWL 51 HALFTIME SHOW
REVIEW: LADY GAGA MISSES HER SUPER BOWL MOMENT TO SAY SOMETHING PROFOUND
Lady Gaga offers up a disappointing medley in her Super Bowl moment that lacked edge or tension
Maybe Tony Bennett should’ve shown up after all.
When rumors began circulating last week that Lady Gaga had arranged for her 90-year-old duet partner to appear during the halftime show at Super Bowl LI, the prospect rang alarm bells for anyone hoping that the outspoken pop star would address the tumult that’s spread through America in the two weeks since Donald Trump was sworn in as president.
What was she planning? To turn the Super Bowl into a supper club?
Well, Bennett didn’t materialize Sunday — but neither did the kind of bold, banner-waving performance for which Lady Gaga is known (and loved).
‘Stranger Things’ season 2 trailer cuts straight to the nostalgia, puts the cast in ‘Ghostbusters’ costumes
We did not expect to be face-to-face with a “Stranger Things” trailer at the 2017 Super Bowl, and yet the biker gang of adorable children proves there is no large media event that they can’t wrangle a cameo in.
So what did we learn from the sneak peek of the second season of the Netflix series? Well, Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is definitely alive, so there’s that. The little boy who was lost in the Upside Down, Will Byers (Noah Schnapp), has graduated from puking up “pollywog” creatures to full-blown creepy visions.
Oh and if there was ever any doubt that this show was still angling after for that sweet, sweet nostalgia, they put the whole cast in “Ghostbusters” costumes.
The second season will debut on Halloween. Perfect timing.
‘Logan,’ ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ and ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2’: Watch Super Bowl trailers now
Blockbusters were the play of the day for the Super Bowl as sequels in the “Fast and Furious,” “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchises made their mark during the Big Game.
Here are just a few of the offerings:
“Logan”
Hugh Jackman is back as an older version of the Wolverine character that we’ve known from the “X-Men” franchise. Patrick Stewart is also back as Professor Xavier as he and Logan aim to protect a little girl (Dafne Keen as Laura Kinney or X-23) who seems to have the same types of powers as Wolverine.
“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”
Johnny Depp is back as Capt. Jack Sparrow in the 5th iteration of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise. In it, Sparrow is pursued by an old rival, Capitán Salazar (Javier Bardem) along with a crew of ghost pirates. Orlando Bloom is also back for more swashbuckling action.
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”
Set two months after the first film, the Guardians of the Galaxy are out to help Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) find out more about his parentage. Suffice it to say, there’s a cosmic connection with an interplanetary entity. Returning are Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (Vin Diesel) and Rocket (Bradley Cooper), with some new members joining in.
“Ghost in the Shell”
Cyborg counter-cyberterrorist field commander The Major (played by Scarlett Johansson) commands a task force called Section 9 that fights cyber criminals and hackers. But they are something more than soldiers.
It’s Jake Gyllenhaal, Rebecca Ferguson and Ryan Reynolds in the Super Bowl trailer for the sci-fi thriller “Life”
“Life”
“Life” is a sci-fi thriller about a team of scientists aboard the International Space Station whose mission of discovery turns to horror when they find an evolving life form that caused extinction on Mars.
“The Fate of the Furious”
Charlize Theron joins the cast, which includes the familiar crew of Dwayne Johnson as Hobbs, Jordana Brewster as Mia, Michelle Rodriguez as Letty “Ortiz” Toretto, Tyrese Gibson as Roman Pearce, Ludacris as Tej Parker and newer family member Nathalie Emmanuel as Ramsey. Of course, it’s Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto who is the star -- and possible turn to the dark side is the shocking event.
“Baywatch”
Everything old is new again, and now it’s “Baywatch’s” turn. Dwayne Johnson is Mitch Buchannon and he just hates new recruit Matt Brody (Zac Efron). Too bad they’ll have to work together to solve the crime of pirates bay or something nautical themed, we’re sure.
“A Cure For Wellness”
Gore Verbinski asks what if a spa... was evil?
Times writer’s nephew makes it to Los Angeles despite Trump’s travel ban
Abdullah, the 19-year-old nephew of Times writer Lorraine Ali, had been among those affected by the executive order signed by President Trump barring citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. — even if they’ve already been vetted and have a valid visa.
But no longer.
‘Too soon’ for ‘Bowling Green Massacre’ jokes? Unfortunately for Kellyanne Conway, that’s a no
Sure, presidential advisor Kellyanne Conway corrected herself after referencing a “Bowling Green Massacre” that never happened, but it didn’t matter one bit to the online crowd, which had a massive field day with her gaffe on Friday.
Who was it that said, “What doesn’t kill me makes me funnier”? In times like these, that probably doesn’t matter either. Enjoy the jokes, folks:
And yes, a terrorism-related thing did happen in Bowling Green, Ky., in May 2011, but for those who were cracking wise, that was hardly the point. Click here for our fact check -- or just keep laughing ...
Even Chelsea Clinton chimed in, though she wasn’t very much of a troll at all. Still, it was enough to get a rise out of Conway.
Finally, someone set up a convincing memorial website at bowlinggreenmassacrefund.com. Clicking the “donate” button redirects to a website for the ACLU.
Fact check: A ‘Bowling Green Massacre’? Nope -- here’s what actually happened >>
Move over, Nat King and Natalie Cole: Biggie is back with a new duets album with Faith Evans
Biggie is back ... posthumously, that is.
The rapper Notorious B.I.G. is returning in the form of a duets album, “The King & I,” with R&B songstress Faith Evans, out May 19. Evans, who was married to B.I.G., first mentioned the project in 2014.
“I remember telling Ms. Wallace years ago that one day it would be really dope if I could do something similar to Natalie & Nat King Cole’s ‘Unforgettable,’ ” Evans said in a statement. “Knowing the love that B.I.G. had for [his children] Tyanna & Ceejay, I feel it’s my duty to uphold & extend his legacy, especially his musical contributions.”
The 25-track album features vocals by Evans and Biggie’s raps (some well-known, others unreleased). Hip-hop royalty Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes and Lil’ Kim make guest appearances.
On Friday, Evans released two singles from the album, “NYC” and “When We Party.”
“I’m a skipper/ Like a captain/ Rapping is my specialty/ And the best is me,” Biggie raps on “NYC,” a ’90s throwback. The verse comes from an early track called “Mumbling and Whispering.”
In “When We Party,” Evans’ singing blends perfectly with a Biggie rhyme lifted from the 1990 hit “Going Back to Cali.”
Of course, this news also means that we must be getting pretty close to that Biggie hologram performance.
Carol Burnett comedy gets pilot order from ABC
Comedy queen Carol Burnett’s return to the small screen looks imminent now that ABC has ordered a pilot for “Household Name.”
The multi-camera sitcom will be written and executive produced by Michael Saltzman and executive produced by Amy Poehler, Representatives for Poehler confirmed to The Times on Friday that the pilot has been picked up.
The series will feature a family with the opportunity to buy the home of their dreams, but with a catch: They must live with the home’s current owner — an eccentric aging actress played by Burnett — until she dies.
ABC acquired the project in October via a put-pilot commitment, meaning the network had to air the pilot as a series or special, or face steep financial penalties.
If ordered to become a series, “Household Name” would be the first non-variety/sketch show to feature Burnett as a regular.
What if they threw a White House Correspondents’ Dinner and nobody came?
The show must go on, but who’s to say if it’ll be any fun?
Two high-profile publications have pulled out of planning their typical White House Correspondents’ Dinner-related activities, just a day after it was confirmed the dinner is indeed still happening.
Natalie Raabe, director of communications for the New Yorker, confirmed to The Times that it was canceling its usual kickoff party held at the W Hotel.
Vanity Fair is also pulling its participation in an exclusive after-party co-sponsored by Bloomberg L.P.
“We’ve taken a break from the dinner in the past,” Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter told the New York Times before indicating that he personally would be spending the weekend fishing.
Vanity Fair has opted not to sponsor the party in previous years,and when asked about this year’s event, Carter, who has been locked in a war of words with President Trump for years, cited the sitting president.
“And the fish,” Carter quipped.
The hullabaloo around this year’s dinner coincides with the new president’s contentious and often openly hostile relationship with press outlets, some of which he has deemed “fake news,” “very dishonest” and “lying, bad people.”
White House Correspondents’ Assn. President and Reuters White House correspondent Jeff Mason released a statement Thursday confirming that the dinner would take place as planned.
“We’ve received some queries about the 2017 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which will be the first since the new administration took office,” Mason said. “The White House Correspondents’ Association will hold its annual dinner on April 29 at the Washington Hilton.”
“This year, as we do every year, we will celebrate the First Amendment and the role an independent press plays in a healthy republic,” Mason continued. “We will also reward some of the finest political reporting of the past year while using our scholarship program to highlight and support up-and-coming journalists who are the future of our profession.”
The dinner will already face stiff competition as far as entertainment goes, with Samantha Bee announcing Monday that she would be hosting the “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” the same night, with proceeds going to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
There is further the question of whether President Trump will even attend this year’s dinner, which typically includes a celebrity host roasting the president and his administration.
Adaptation of ‘1984’ is headed to Broadway
2017 has so far been a pretty big year for “1984.”
After a jump in sales prompted the publisher of the George Orwell novel to order a 75,000 copy reprint, a stage adaptation of “1984” is headed to Broadway.
Orwell’s 1949 novel presents a dystopian future in which a fascist regime uses “Newspeak,” or ideologically pure propaganda, to control its subjects. Independent thinking, especially any thoughts questioning or opposing the ruling party, are punished as “thoughtcrime.”
After four successful runs in Britain, the “1984” adaptation created by Robert Icke and Duncan Macmillan will kick off June 22 at the Hudson Theatre in New York City for a limited engagement.
“The play is in doublethink,” co-writer and co-director Macmillan told The Times early last year. “You follow a really coherent story, but almost like a magician’s trick, you may have seen a very different story than the person you came along with.”
The production will be produced by Sonia Friedman and Scott Rudin with a creative team that includes Chloe Lamford (set and costume), Natasha Chivers (lighting), Tom Gibbons (sound) and Tim Reid (video).
See a steely Elisabeth Moss in Hulu’s Super Bowl ad for ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’
Hulu is ready for its close-up, having released the 30-second teaser for “The Handmaid’s Tale” on Friday morning that will play during Sunday’s Super Bowl.
This is the streaming content provider’s first Super Bowl spot for an original series.
“I had another name, but it’s forbidden now,” Elisabeth Moss narrates at the beginning of the preview for the highly anticipated adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel.
The book is set in the Republic of Gilead, a territory that crops up after the U.S. Constitution is suspended and religious extremists strip away women’s rights in an attempt to prop up failing birthrates.
The teaser quickly crosscuts between stark imagery of bloodstained walls, swinging nooses and women in crimson dresses swarming together violently.
“My name is Offred — and I intend to survive,” Moss concludes.
“The Handmaid’s Tale,” produced by MGM Television, will premiere on Hulu on April 26.
‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’ writer helps explain Trump’s Black History Month speech
At a White House breakfast honoring the start of Black History Month, President Trump gave a speech that some have described as “awkward,” “unusual” and a “dire forecast” for the community.
However, at least one person “enjoyed it” and believes the black-lash is just a misunderstanding.
“I stand before you a changed woman,” said “Late Night With Seth Meyers” writer Amber Ruffin during Wednesday night’s episode.
“Now, I heard all the criticisms,” Ruffin continued. “People said his speech was awkward and disconnected. But I think you just have to know how to listen to it, really listen to it, and you will see it rivals the famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech.”
Ruffin then went on to read Trump’s speech line by line, adding commentary to help shed light on specific moments.
When Trump commented that during the campaign he visited “a lot of different places I wasn’t so familiar with,” Ruffin explained, “He’s talking about, like, where black people live.”
However, like many people, Ruffin had no idea who Trump was referring to when he mentioned “Paris,” who “has done an amazing job in a very hostile CNN community.” (Of course, this Paris would be Trump supporter and CNN commentator Paris Dennard).
Watch the full segment above.
Samantha Bee urges viewers to push back against Trump — after she compares him to a ‘Gilmore Girls’ character
Donald Trump has been likened to Voldemort, Emperor Palpatine and more than one Batman villain, but leave it to Samantha Bee to notice that his behavior is also reminiscent of a certain “Gilmore Girls” character.
On Wednesday’s episode of “Full Frontal,” Bee tore into President Trump’s fixation on loyalty and betrayal as she dissected the recent firing of acting Atty. Gen. Sally Yates.
After a montage of clips highlighting how much Trump values loyalty, Bee noted that his approach to selecting his senior staff is similar to that of a certain TV character.
“Remember on ‘Gilmore Girls’ when Paris Geller staffed the school newspaper with her most loyal friends with no regard for talent level?” asked Bee. “It’s like that, but with the leader of the free world. And nukes.”
(Then again, Paris would likely take offense to that comparison.)
But Trump’s actions, guided by what he considers loyalty and betrayal, are exactly the reason it is up to protesters to keep the President in check, according to Bee.
“I’m not so sure we can count on the DOJ to push back against Trump,” she said. “Which means it’s up to us.”
Yes, ‘Sharknado 5’ is a thing that is happening
Sure, the world is full of various uncertainties, but SyFy has proved that there is at least one thing people can count on: an annual sharkpocalypse.
SyFy and the Asylum have announced that production has begun for “Sharknado 5,” a follow-up to 2016’s “Sharknado: The 4th Awakens.” The franchise’s original “Sharknado” debuted in 2013.
Ian Ziering and Tara Reid are back as shark-fighting married couple Fin Shepard and April Wexler. Original “Sharknado” cast member Cassie Scerbo will also reprise her role as Nova.
As the ending of the fourth film implied, the whirling, shark-infused weather disaster has escaped the borders of the United States. “Sharknado 5” will see Shepard and his family venture to save Earth from a global sharknado.
“Sharknado 5,” which kicked off production in Bulgaria, will film in more than five countries, including Britain and Australia.
Written by Scotty Mullen, “Sharknado 5” will be directed by Anthony C. Ferrante, who helmed the previous four films.
Beyoncé is pregnant again, expecting twins with Jay Z
Beyoncé is pregnant again, and this time it’s twins, she and Jay Z announced Wednesday on Instagram.
“We would like to share our love and happiness,” Mr. and Mrs. Carter wrote, captioning a diva-esque baby-bump photo of Queen Bey. “We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes.”
So get ready, Blue Ivy: You’re about to get some competition in the cuteness department.
Adam Levine will get his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine has definitely got the moves like Jagger. The singer, musician and songwriter will receive the 2,601st star in the Recording category on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a Feb. 10 ceremony.
Bolstered by hits such as “This Love,” “Moves Like Jagger” and “One More Night,” Maroon 5 has been a consistent force in pop music, winning multiple Grammy Awards. Since 2011, Levine has also been a judge on NBC’s reality show “The Voice.”
Fellow “Voice” judge Blake Shelton and rock musician Sammy Hagar will also speak at the ceremony and help unveil the star.
“Adam Levine fans have been patiently waiting for this day. Fans from around the world have been constantly checking with us saying when, when… Now is the time, and we invite all of Adam’s fans to join us and enjoy Levine’s ‘moves like Jagger!’ and hear his voice,” Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez said in a statement.
Levine fans can live stream the ceremony next week at www.walkoffame.com.
Watch Jon Stewart’s brutal anti-Trump screed alongside Stephen Colbert
Jon Stewart returned to “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert” Tuesday night to share inside information about President Trump’s upcoming executive orders.
It was Stewart’s first appearance on the show since the eve of the 2016 election, when he participated in an elaborate musical number to get out the vote.
For Tuesday’s show, Stewart appeared in attire inspired by the inauguration, with a red tie so long it dragged the floor, and a dead animal strapped to his head.
Stewart shared upcoming executive orders with Colbert: a scheme that involved China shipping the U.S. the Great Wall C.O.D. and tricking Mexico into signing for it, and a second order introducing an official, if offensive, language for the country.
Stewart couldn’t help but deliver an aside to his old friend Colbert.
“It has been 11 days, Stephen. Eleven [expletive] days. The presidency is supposed to age the president, not the public,” said Stewart.
Stewart then returned to his presidential character, reading one final executive order.
“The reason I, Donald J. Trump, am exhausting is because every instinct and fiber of my pathological self-regard calls me to abuse of power,” he said. “I want — no, deserve — not just your respect, but your adoration. Parades with the tanks and the synchronized dancing, and why can’t they train 10,000 doves to spell out ‘Trump’ in the clouds? How hard can it be, they’re already flying?”
“It is going to take relentless stamina, vigilance and every institutional check and balance this great country can muster to keep me, Donald J. Trump, from going full Palpatine with the lightning coming out of the fingertips,” Stewart said, referencing the villainous emperor from the “Star Wars” movies.
“We have never faced this before. Purposeful, vindictive chaos,” Stewart said pointedly. “But perhaps therein lies the saving grace of I, Donald J. Trump’s presidency.”
“No one action will be adequate. All action will be necessary. And if we do not allow Donald Trump to exhaust our fight, and somehow come through this presidency calamity-less and constitutionally partially intact, then I, Donald J. Trump, will have demonstrated the greatness of America, just not the way I thought I was gonna.”
Watch all of Stewart’s impassioned and amusing antics below.
Charter-Spectrum drops Univision networks, affecting more than 1.6 million homes
Univision Communications Inc.’s tense standoff over carriage fees paid by cable operator Charter Communications shifted into high gear late Tuesday when several million homes in the U.S. with Charter-Spectrum service abruptly lost access to Univision’s popular Spanish-language television channels.
Charter no longer had legal authorization to distribute the channels — Univision, UniMas, Galavision and the Univision Deportes Network — as of 9 p.m. Pacific time, and was forced to drop the networks from its lineup.
“We have a contract with Univision and we expect them to honor it,” Charter said in a statement.
The blackout, which came just as Univision viewers were poised to watch a fresh episode of the telenovela “Vino el Amor,” included more than 1.6 million homes in the Los Angeles region with Charter-Spectrum television service.
Drew Barrymore was recharged by the quirky zom-com ‘Santa Clarita Diet’
Drew Barrymore was in the middle of chaperoning a clamorous kiddie play-date — theme: Disney princess — at her Los Angeles home when the subject of vomit came up.
Fake vomit, to be clear.
It was a Friday afternoon and Barrymore was childlike in her enthusiastic description of the artificial puke she became intimately acquainted with during production of “Santa Clarita Diet,” her TV series headlining debut.
”Oh my God, you should have smelled it,” she said in her signature vocal cadence. “It smelled worse than vomit. Like something in the mixture was spoiled. It was so disgusting, but also so cool and fun. I wanted more of it on me!”
She realizes this is an odd thing to say. But not any more bizarre than learning her first lead TV series role is in a quirky comedy in which she plays a suburban wife and mom who becomes a zombie.
This female photographer’s goal? To change perceptions of black men
Jaimie Milner was a post-production intern at Disney when the studio was making its first film with a black princess, 2009’s “The Princess and the Frog.”
Using Milner and actress Anika Noni Rose as references, animator Mark Henn designed the movie’s main character, Tiana. But later, when Milner asked a production manager about the film’s racially ambiguous prince, she was taken aback by the response.
“I asked why isn’t the prince black,” Milner said, and the question prompted her to further contemplate how black men are portrayed in the media.
This visa-holding, pop culture-loving Muslim college kid is who Trump’s travel ban is keeping out
Abdullah missed Metallica by two days when he left for Amman, Jordan, to get his student visa renewed.
My nephew, 19, debated before he left California in December about whether to stay the extra couple days in Los Angeles to see his favorite metal band.
Go, I told him. Take care of the visa and we’d figure out a way to see Metallica when he returned for the new semester in February.
That promise became far more complicated after President Trump signed an executive order on Friday that bars citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S. — even if they’ve already been vetted and have a valid visa, as Abdullah has. For how long is anyone’s guess as the details of this order seem to change by the hour and source. Is it 30 days? Ninety? Is it 120? Indefinitely?