Entertainment

John Tesh is on the mend after his prostate cancer returned for a second time. 

Speaking with Good Morning America on Wednesday, Tesh, who is 69, said he knew something was wrong when he began to feel a strange pain in October 2020.

“All of a sudden, I started feeling some really serious pain in my pelvis,” the former Entertainment Tonight co-host recalled, noting that he first ignored it because he thought he had pulled a groin muscle.  “Then it got worse and worse… I couldn’t sleep.”

Tesh booked an appointment with his doctor and, after undergoing a scan, discovered “the cancer had returned with a vengeance.  The scans showed that there were tumors wrapped around my pelvis and one of [the tumors] was strangling my right kidney.  So, it got serious really quickly.”

The Grammy-nominated musician was first diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of prostate cancer in 2015.  He revealed that the doctor told him his cancer was terminal and, in order to cope, he turned to alcohol and prescription drugs.

He credits his wife of 30 years, Connie Sellecca, for pulling him out of that dark place over five years ago by “giving me an ultimatum… to get straightened out.” 

Tesh explained that overcoming that low point in his life helped him become battle ready when cancer knocked on his door a second time.

Now, he says he is “feeling great” and credits his wife and his faith for helping him ride out the storm.

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It’s almost time for No Time to Die — the 25th James Bond film is in theaters on Friday after over a year-and-a-half of delays.

Bohemian Rhapsody Oscar winner Rami Malek plays villain Lyutsifer Safin, who masterminds a global catastrophe, and he tells ABC News it was tough at first to identify with the evil nature of his character.

“The villain just has to believe that he’s right, that he’s the hero of his own story,” notes Malik. “And for me, I just tried to put myself in his skin and think, ‘You know what? Make Bond the villain, make Daniel [Craig] the villain every time you see him.'”

Thankfully, says the 40-year-old actor, Craig — making his final appearance as Bond — made the entire cast feel at ease.

“In between takes, you feel him, his concern for everybody on set. He knows everyone’s role, everyone’s name. And when you have that type of integrity, it really drives people to do their best and that’s what he gets out of you,” says Malek. “He is a special type of actor. He’s extremely versatile in his performances, and extremely caring and in his personal experiences with you off set.”

No Time to Die grabbed $119 million in its international debut this past weekend, and Malek hopes the film sets a box office record in North America as well.

“I was just in London, they were walking down the street saying, ‘I can’t see it. It’s sold out, it’s sold out in every theater,'” he recalled. “So I hope that same thing happens here… galvanizing people to come back to the theater and bringing cinema back to people who love it so much.”

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“Once you mess with your face, you can’t get it back.” 

That’s a message from 62-year-old Halloween Kills star and producer Jamie Lee Curtis, in a new Fast Company article about her longevity and how she’s entering the busiest years of her career in her sixth decade on the planet.

Curtis was asked about why she’s been critical of plastic surgery in the past, which is becoming not only common in Hollywood, but in younger and younger people, thanks to social media.

“I tried plastic surgery and it didn’t work,” Curtis notes, speaking of getting fillers and liposuction years ago.

“It got me addicted to Vicodin. I’m 22 years sober now,” she says. 

“The current trend of fillers and procedures, and this obsession with filtering, and the things that we do to adjust our appearance on Zoom are wiping out generations of beauty,” Curtis explains. 

While she’s active on Instagram, Curtis says she keeps it at arm’s length, noting, “I use social media to sell things and amplify things I care about. Period. The rest is cancer.”

While Curtis admits she’s “by nature a super-friendly person,” she adds, “I also have a very clear boundary of what is appropriate and inappropriate for me to share.”

With Facebook testifying before Congress this week about the impact social media has on young people, Curtis’ thoughts from the interview last month seem eerily prescient.

“It’s like giving a chainsaw to a toddler. We just don’t know the longitudinal effect, mentally, spiritually, and physically, on a generation of young people who are in agony because of social media, because of the comparisons to others,” Curtis insists. “All of us who are old enough know that it’s all a lie. It’s a real danger to young people.”

Halloween Kills opens October 15.

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Power fans are going to see a lot more of Larenz Tate on Power Book II: Ghost.

Starz announced on Wednesday that Tate has been upped to a series regular role for the second season of the Power spinoff. As you may recall, Tate, who was part of Power‘s original cast and recurred on season one of Power Book II, plays embattled New York City Councilman Rashad Tate. He joins previously announced cast Michael Rainey Jr., Mary J. Blige, Cliff “Method Man” Smith and Woody McClain, among others. Season two of Power Book II: Ghost premieres November 21 on Starz.

In other news, Blair Underwood in set to reprise his role as attorney Jonathan Rollins in a forthcoming L.A. Law sequel. According to The Hollywood Reporter, ABC has put in a pilot order for a follow-up to Steven Bochco‘s original courtroom drama that aired from 1986 to 1994. The sequel will find the law firm of McKenzie Brackman now transitioning to a litigation firm specializing in only the most high-profile, boundary-pushing and incendiary cases. No longer idealistic, Underwood’s Rollins is said to be “more conservative as he clashes with millennial JJ Freeman to decide the best path forward for the firm.” Additional casting and details have not yet been revealed.

Finally, TV One has announced production on its original movie Stalker is currently underway in Atlanta. The new thriller, starring Meta Golding, Christian Keyes, and Tationna Bosier, follows Golding as Hollywood actress Tanya Moore, a woman suddenly tormented by a stalker. Boiser plays her estranged younger sister, Shelly, and Keys takes on the role of Tanya’s high school boyfriend, Damon. TV One teases that the film will have an “unexpected plot twist.” Stalker is set to premiere in March 2022.

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It’s not even Halloween yet, but Netflix is planting its flag for the holiday season, by announcing its 2021 slate, which includes 11 new holiday movies, six Christmas-themed series, and more — 28 new titles in all.

Here’s the full schedule of sleigh-time festivities from the streaming service:

November 1 — The Claus Family
November 5 — Love Hard
November 7 — Father Christmas Is Back
November 17 — Christmas Flow
November 18 — The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star
November 23 — Waffles + Mochi’s Holiday Feast
November 24 — Blown Away Christmas
                          A Boy Called Christmas
                          Robin Robin
November 26 — A Castle for Christmas
                          School of Chocolate
November 28 — Elves
November 30 — Charlie’s Colorfoms City: Snowy Stories

Coming in December:

December 2 — Single All The Way
December 3 — The Great British Baking Show: Holidays — Season 4
                     Shaun the Sheep: The Flight Before Christmas
December 6 — David and the Elves
December 14 — Starbeam: Beaming in the New Year
December 16 — A California Christmas: City Lights
December 22 — A Grumpy Christmas
December 24 — 1000 Miles from Christmas

Also coming in December, dates TBA:

A Naija Christmas
How to Ruin Christmas: Season 2

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The fourth Hotel Transylvania film, Hotel Transylvania 4: Transformania, is coming to streaming on Amazon Prime early in January.

While original stars Adam Sandler and Kevin James — who voiced Dracula and Frankenstein, respectively — have departed the franchise, the rest of the cast has returned for the fourth installment. In addition to Selena Gomez, who is also an executive producer on the film, the voices include David Spade, Andy Samberg, Jim Gaffigan, Katherine Hahn and Steve Buscemi.

The first Hotel Transylvania movie was released in 2012, spawning a franchise that has earned more than $1.3 billion worldwide. 

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Will Packer is sharing his gratitude following the news that he’s now the official producer of the 94th Academy Awards.

“I’d like to thank the Academy,” Packer captioned an Instagram post, which shared The Hollywood Reporter‘s feature on his appointment.

He then added “mind blown” and “dancing” emojis to his post.

As previously reported, Packer, the Emmy-nominated director and producer of blockbusters like Girls Trip and Ride Along, comes to the show with his Will Packer Media chief of staff Shayla Cowan, who will serve as co-producer of the 2022 telecast.

Other staffing, including a director and a potential host, have yet to be confirmed.

The Oscars will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, March 27, 2022.

 

 

 

 

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The first look at Michelle Young‘s season of The Bachelorette is finally here, and it’s equal parts romance and drama.

The trailer begins by showing Michelle, who was featured on Matt James‘ season of The Bachelor earlier this year, and all of her suitors having fun on their various dates. She is gushed over by the men, with one even calling her “a one in a billion girl.” Amid all the romance, Michelle even says she has “the hottest kiss of my life.”

“I’m in love with this man,” Michelle declares around the halfway mark. “These are like the best guys I’ve met in my entire life.”

Then things get messy, as hosts and former Bachelorettes Tayshia Adams and Kaitlyn Bristowe reveal some wild news to Michelle, telling her, “We found something that was actually really alarming. Someone is planning out their every move.” The camera then shows a folder filled with various papers and notes pertaining to the show.

Things only spiral from here, with one suitor questioning Michelle about whether she knew and potentially had a relationship with one of the other guys before the show. It also seems as though some of the men have beefs with each other, as tensions and emotions appear to be at an all-time high for the Bachelor franchise.

“If you keep shoving things under the rug, they don’t just disappear,” Michelle ominously says.

In the last scene of the teaser, Michelle is standing on a beach and holding the final rose of the season. So will she have luck on her quest for love? We’ll have to watch and find out.

The Bachelorette season 18 premieres Tuesday, October 19, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Ray J is reportedly in Miami hospital battling pneumonia.

“Family with me. Just can’t be n here too much sickness,” the former Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood told Hollywood Unlocked. Previously, Ray J commented, “I been in here all by myself for a week,” and added that “no family members came to see me not even my wife.”

Ray J married Princess Love in 2016. They have two children: Melody, 3, and Epik, 1. Love filed for divorce in May 2020, but they called off the proceedings in March.

Last week, the 40-year-old rapper/actor showed love to his sister, Brandy, with an arm tattoo in her image. However, since then, he’s deleted all his Instagram posts. 

Two weeks ago, Ray J’s former manager, Wack 100, claimed he has a second sex tape of him with Kim Kardashian that “was more graphic and better than the first one,” which was titled Kim Kardashian, Superstar. But Kim’s attorney, Marty Singer, says a second sex tape doesn’t exist.

“The claim that there is an unreleased sex tape is unequivocally false,” Singer told Page Six. “It is unfortunate that people make these statements to try and get their 15 minutes of fame

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) In a feature in the October/November issue of AARP The Magazine, Ricky Gervais talks about fame at 40, keeping sharp at 60, and how, he says, most people can no longer take a joke. 

The writer, actor and comic didn’t find fame until the British version of The Office debuted when he was 40 — an age considered old by Hollywood standards.  He recalled a conversation then with Jane Fallon, his partner since 1982.

“I…remember sitting around in a tux, drinking wine. I said to Jane, ‘Why didn’t I do this earlier?’ She said, ‘Because you wouldn’t have been any good.'”

Gervais’ The Office spawned international versions, including the Emmy-winning American one, and led to him hosting the Golden Globes five times, where he became notorious for his acerbic commentary.

“These aren’t rooms full of wounded soldiers,” Ricky huffs. “These are billionaires and the heads of massive media conglomerates. If you can’t punch at the richest, most privileged people, who can you have a go at?”

On that note, Ricky explains, “Every joke…somebody will get upset. I did a joke on Twitter that sums it up. ‘Why did the chicken cross the road?’ Answer: ‘F*** you. My chicken was run over yesterday!’ What can you do?”

Gervais, whose After Life will return to Netflix for its third and final season in 2022, explains, “At 60, I’m like an old classic car. There are a few dings and dents….But my body is just a chassis. My brain is what I care about.”

“I want to stay sharp…I’ll find Albert Einstein on YouTube explaining the theory of relativity or I’ll listen to a podcast about the deep reaches of space. It almost makes me forget that when I play tennis now, my body hurts for three weeks, not three minutes.”

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