Ellen Pompeo provided an update about the fate of her long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy, and teased that the show may be ready to hang up the scrubs after 18 successful seasons.
“They’re not far off,” Pompeo, 51, told Entertainment Tonightwhen discussing fans’ theories that the five-time Emmy winning show will come to an end soon.
The actress, who stars as Doctor Meredith Grey, continued, “I mean, I’ve been trying to get away for years. I have been trying. It’s not because I haven’t been trying. I have strong relationships at the network and they have been very, very good to me, and have incentivized me to stay.”
Pompeo insisted that “creatively, as long as there’s something to do” she will continue starring on the ABC medical drama. “Miraculously, we keep coming up with ways to have a reason to stay and if there’s a reason, that warrants it,” she teased.
Season 17, she says, was the definition of creativity because it was filmed during a global pandemic. “We had to work around COVID obviously and so we had to be creative and think of ways to keep the show going and still be safe,” she said.
When asked about the possibility of a groundbreaking 19th season, the actress joked, “Oh please! Oh my goodness, can we pray together?”
However, Pompeo insisted her hands are tied when it comes to confirming if Grey’s is about to enter its final season, telling ET, “I’m not really supposed to say anything about it… I don’t want to be disrespectful to people I’ve promised things to.”
Once upon a time, Nicole Kidman was married to Tom Cruise. Now she’s reflecting on that time in her life, specifically about how she was treated by the media.
When asked by Harper’s Bazaar if she was annoyed with the media’s obsession over the high profile relationship, the Australian actress replied, “I was young. I think I offered it up?”
“Maybe I’ve gotten a bit more trepidatious, but I’m always trying to be as open as possible. I just prefer to live in the world that way,” she continued, before a moment of silence. She then continued, “I’m wary at times, and I’ve been hurt, but at the same time I much prefer a warm approach rather than a prickly shutdown approach.”
Referencing her current husband, country singer Keith Urban, the Nine Perfect Strangers star added, “My husband, Keith, says that when he met me, he said, ‘How’s your heart?’ And I apparently responded, ‘Open.'”
Kidman, 54, and Cruise were married for 11 years before divorcing in 2001. They share two children: Isabella Jane, 28, and Connor, 26.
The Big Little Lies star and Urban wed in 2006 and they also have two children together — daughters Sunday Rose, 13, and Faith Margaret, 10.
Tobias Menzies couldn’t accept his Emmy for his work in The Crown on Sunday night, but he just gave his “acceptance speech” via social media — and dedicated his win to actor Michael K. Williams, who died on September 6.
A “very humbled” Menzies congratulated his “brilliant fellow nominees,” adding, “[I] want to dedicate this to Michael K Williams, his performance as Omar in The Wire is one of the great screen performances, he will be deeply missed. RIP.”
Williams, 54, was also nominated in the Outstanding Supporting Actor category, for his work on HBO’s Lovecraft Country.
The actor, who had been open with his struggles with addiction in the past, was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment earlier this month. ABC affiliate WABC-TV in New York reported that drug paraphernalia was found at the scene. Police said the investigation is ongoing and the medical examiner will determine the cause of death.
Very humbled to win @TheEmmys last night, huge thanks to @TVAcademy & congrats to all my brilliant fellow nominees. But want to dedicate this to Michael K Williams, his performance as Omar in The Wire is one of the great screen performances, he will be deeply missed. RIP🙏
Academy Award-winning Fargo co-writer-director Joel Coen has raised the curtain on his upcoming take on Shakespeare‘s The Tragedy of Macbeth.
Featuring multiple Oscar winners Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand, Coen’s wife and frequent collaborator, the teaser is brief, but creepy and stark. Shot in black and white, it shows Washington as the title character and McDormand as his Machiavellian wife, who eyes Scotland’s throne for her husband.
The teaser features no dialog from the acclaimed actors, only The Witch’s haunting line, “By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.”
The project is a return to The Bard for Denzel, who has performed Shakespeare both on stage and on the big screen, the latter in Kenneth Branagh‘s 1993 adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing.
Also starring Brendon Gleeson and The Queen’s Gambit co-star Moses Ingram, The Tragedy of Macbeth — Coen’s first movie without his filmmaking partner and brother, Joel — hits theaters December 25, and Apple TV+ on January 14.
Justin Simien had a lot to unpack for the final season of his critically-acclaimed Netflix series, Dear White People.
Unlike previous seasons, where the creator went in focused on topical issues centered on race and culture, Simien says he “started the season from a heart place.”
“I went in going like, ‘What am I feeling right now?’ And ‘How do I turn that into something that is honest but also exciting enough that warrants a final season?'” Simien tells ABC Audio. “And that’s where I landed first.”
Simien notes that once he “mentally… caught up” to what his feelings showed him, he noticed that there was a strong tie-in for music.
“I realized that there was this really interesting echo between the ’90s and the sort of Black renaissance that you really feel in the music of the ’90s,” he says.
Unfortunately, not every nostalgic ballad was able to make the cut. Writer Jaclyn Moore jokes that for every “great” ’90s song they considered, they were reminded that you had to pay for it.
“We love Lauryn Hill. We had some [of her] numbers — but that’s expensive,” Moore laughs.
Aside from the musically themed season, Justin says the fourth season leaves plenty of room for continuation since racism doesn’t officially have an end date.
“The reckoning has not completed itself,” he shares. “So that was always the tricky part. It’s like, how do we tell the truth about this experience and also tell a satisfying story, but at the same time not bum everybody out?”
He continues, “And I think by nature, Dear White People always has to feel a little incomplete…We are so far from the mountaintop… that there’s no other way to ‘end it.'”
The final season of Dear White People launches on Netflix September 22.
Ewan McGregor was all smiles backstage at the Emmy Awards Sunday night, and he had a reason to: he had just picked up his first TV trophy, for portraying mercurial designer Halston in the Netflix limited series of the same name.
He also gave fans a quick update about his next anticipated project, the Obi-Wan Kenobi series that will debut on Disney+ next year. But as usual, McGregor was careful about spoilers.
“Not really,” the Scot said when asked if he could give any details.
However, his lack of facial hair, unlike the titular Jedi master’s, was one giveaway that he confirmed by explaining that shooting on the series has wrapped.
“It was really, really good fun,” McGregor said. “I really enjoyed working with [director] Deborah Chow,” who won acclaim for directing two episodes of The Mandalorian.
“I think it will not disappoint,” McGregor explained. “I think it’s going to be good. I had a really good time making it and worked with some really wonderful people, lovely people.”
Some of those “lovely people” include Eternals‘ Kumail Nanjiani, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Ewan’s Star Wars prequel co-stars including Joel Edgerton, Bonnie Piesse and Hayden Christensen. The first two performers reprise, respectively, Luke Skywalker’s adoptive Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru. The latter, of course, will once again play Darth Vader, Kenobi’s fallen apprentice who was once Anakin Skywalker.
The series takes place after the events of Star Wars: Episode III- – Revenge of the Sith but before Star Wars: A New Hope, at a time when Kenobi watches over a young Skywalker from afar on Tatooine.
Lil Jon is back in paradise! The rapper returns to guest host Bachelor in Paradise tonight and he tells ABC Audio what surprised him the most about the show.
“I will say this season, all the g**damn drama surprised me,” he admits. “And what really also surprised me is when you think some couples are really strong and then somebody comes in and that relationship is over.”
Referencing the relationship between Kenny and Mari, who fans saw break up and get back together after Kenny had a fling with Demi, Lil Jon added, “They got back together after [Mari] knew he went to the boom boom room [with Demi]. It’s like, this show is crazy!”
The rapper and DJ also shares that, for the first time in BiP history, drama comes in another form — that being a tropical storm, which led to the cast being evacuated. With so much already at play, it was the perfect time for Lil Jon’s arrival, which provided a much-needed shift for the show’s energy.
“It was so much gigantic, huge, Godzilla, King Kong drama that had just happened that the energy change was well needed,” he explains. “I think people don’t realize, I’m known for having a good time. So when you’ve got someone having a good time that means they can come in and change the energy when you got all of this drama like what’s going on this season.”
Something else people may not realize is that, in addition to the heat and humidity, the cast has to deal with crabs.
“The crabs are everywhere! It’s like roaches in the projects,” Jon laughs. “It was literally at one point like 10 crabs in the bathtub because I just didn’t even care.”
Dancing with the Stars welcomed back head judge Len Goodman and a live studio audience when kicking off its 30th season on Monday.
Of course, a brand new season brought a fresh crop of star power, who brought their A-game to the ballroom floor. Besides Goodman, fellow judges Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough regularly remarked on how the competitors exceeded their expectations for a first night performance.
Monday’s premiere even yielded the first 8 of the season after Nickelodeon star JoJo Siwa — who made history by becoming the first female competitor to dance with another woman, pro Jenna Johnson — ruled the dance floor with her colorful and cheerful quickstep to Jet‘s “Are You Gonna Be My Girl.” The peppy number drew rave reviews from all four judges, with Bruno dubbing her performance the “groundbreaking moment we’ve been waiting for!”
Siwa ended the night at the top of the leaderboard with an impressive 29 out of 40 points.
However, she shouldn’t get too comfortable in first place. Several other competitors made a strong first impression during the premiere and could easily steal her thunder. The people to watch out for are The Talk co-host Amanda Kloots, Spice Girl singer Melanie C, Olympic Gold medalist Suni Lee, Real Housewives of Atlanta star Kenya Moore and Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby.
Not everyone shined on the dance floor on Monday. Cobra Kai star Martin Kove only managed to earn a meager 13 out of 40 possible points for his ill-prepared Paso Doble to “You’re the Best Around” off the Karate Kid soundtrack. Hough hinted that the disastrous performance could possibly be due to Kove not attending every rehearsal and told him, “Put in the hours and we’ll see you next week.”
The night also offered up many memorable moments, such as Brian Austin Green revealing he’s the lucky chap to be partnered with his significant other, pro dancer Sharna Burgess. The two shared a celebratory kiss upon completing their upbeat Foxtrot to Silk Sonic‘s “Skate.” However, Green hinted that his dance partner won’t go easy on him and even joked before the two stepped onto the ballroom floor, “If I mess this up, I wouldn’t be surprised if Sharna left me!”
“We’ll see,” she shot back with a devilish grin before amending, “I’ll judge him… but I wouldn’t leave him.”
Olivia Jade also made waves when she openly addressed the elephant in the room prior to her performance, speaking about the college admissions cheating scandal involving her famous parents — actress Lori Loughlin and designer Mossimo Giannulli.
“After everything that happened, I did step back from social media and just soaked in what everybody was saying,” she told the camera. “I’m not trying to pull a pity card. I need to move forward and do better.” She finished the night in the middle of the pack with a score of 25 out of 40.
Dancing with the Stars returns next Monday, September 27, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Scores from the premiere will be combined with next Monday’s scores before the series announces its first elimination.
Here are the current standings:
First Place:
JoJo Siwa, Nickelodeon star, with Jenna Johnson — 29/40
Amanda Kloots, The Talk co-host, with Alan Bersten — 28/40
Suni Lee, Olympic Gold medalist, with Sasha Farber — 28/40
Melanie C, Spice Girl, with Gleb Savchenko — 27/40
Kenya Moore, Real Housewives of Atlanta star, with Brandon Armstrong — 26/40 Melora Hardin, The Office actress, with Artem Chivensky — 26/40 Christine Chiu, Bling Empire star, with Pasha Pashkov — 25/40
Olivia Jade, influencer, with Val Chmerkovskiy — 25/40
Cody Rigsby, Peloton instructor, with Cheryl Burke — 24/40 Matt James, Bachelor star, with Lindsey Arnold — 24/40 Brian Austin Green, Beverly Hills, 90210 star, Sharna Burgess — 24/40 Michael “The Miz” Gregory, WWE superstar, Witney Carson — 24/40 Jimmie Allen, country music singer, with Emma Slater — 22/40 Imam Shumpert, NBA player, with Daniella Karagach — 21/40
Lowest score:
Martin Kove, Cobra Kai star, with Britt Stewart— 13/40
Janelle Monae is partnering with Martell cognac to ‘inspire others to be unapologetically themselves and create their own path.”
The Hidden Figures star is the spokesperson for the new “Soar Beyond the Expected” campaign designed to recognize “those who live life on their own terms, approach their desires with unmatched passion and manifest their personal truths.”
“I have never seen myself as just one thing, and I made sure no one else could either, by staying true to myself, making my own path, rising above expectations, and opening the door for others be their true selves,” the eight-time Grammy nominee says in an Instagram video.
Monae has successfully combined acting and music over her 15-year career. She is CEO of her Wondaland Arts Society record label, and was named Billboard‘s Trailblazer of the Year in 2018.
While inspiring others to be unapologetically themselves and create their own path, Janelle Monae stands out among the rest.” Martell commented on Instagram. “By redefining conventions and turning the world upside down,@janellemonae encourages others to soar beyond expectations and drive positive change.”
(NOTE LANGUAGE) In a chat with Marc Maron on his WTF with Marc Maron podcast, Sopranos creator David Chase revealed a bit about the iconic show’s finale — and how Journey ended up in it.
As you may remember, James Gandolfini‘s Tony Soprano and his family members sit down for dinner at a diner, and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” cranks out of a jukebox.
While Chase wasn’t re-litigating what the vague ending means — spoiler alert, he apparently once accidentally called it Tony’s “death scene” — Chase did talk about what went into choosing that song.
In speaking with members of his crew at the time, Chase said he was left with three choices — one of which he couldn’t remember, and the other was Al Green‘s “Love and Happiness.”
When he mentioned “Don’t Stop Believin’,” Chase recalled, “[T]hey went, ‘Oh, Jesus Christ, no. Don’t do that! Ugh. F***.’ And I said, ‘Well, that’s it. That’s the one.'”
Chase explained, “I wasn’t saying that just to throw it in their face. That was kind of my favorite, and it got a reaction of some kind. So I can make this song lovable, which it had been.”
The Emmy winner also detailed that other endings were shot to throw off potential spoilers — but wouldn’t reveal to Maron what those alternate takes were.
The Sopranos prequel, Chase’s The Many Saints of Newark, starring Gandolfini’s son Michael as a young Tony Soprano, hits theaters and HBO Max on October 1.
