Entertainment

Norm Macdonald, stand-up comic, actor, and one of the most influential and well-remembered anchors on Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update” news desk, has died. He was 61. 

His producing partner and friend, Lori Jo Hoekstra, who was with the comedian when he passed away, confirmed Macdonald’s death to ABC News.  Macdonald had been privately battling cancer for nearly 10 years, and kept it hidden from fans, friends, and even family. 

“He was most proud of his comedy. He never wanted the diagnosis to affect the way the audience or any of his loved ones saw him,” said Hoekstra in a statement. “Norm was a pure comic. He once wrote that ‘a joke should catch someone by surprise, it should never pander.’ He certainly never pandered. Norm will be missed terribly.”

Born in Quebec City, Canada, Macdonald developed a dry style on the stand-up stage, which eventually led him to a 1990 appearance on Star Search, and eventually into the writers room of another stand-up, Roseanne Barr. Macdonald wrote for the sitcom Roseanne in 1992 before landing the Saturday Night Live gig.

In addition to his landmark stint behind the Weekend Update desk — where his constant questions about O.J. Simpson during the latter’s murder trial reportedly landed him in hot water with NBC executives — Macdonald’s imitation of Burt Reynolds also made him a fan favorite. 

Macdonald also appeared on the big screen over the years, with roles in his SNL co-stars’ movies like Adam Sandler‘s Billy Madison and Rob Schneider‘s The Animal, as well as voicing a droll dog in Dr. Doolittle with another SNL vet, Eddie Murphy. 

David Letterman once called Macdonald his favorite guest. Macdonald — who made his TV stand-up debut on Letterman’s Late Night in 1990 — made a famously tearful appearance on Dave’s final Late Show, in which Norm’s voice cracked when he told Letterman he loved him. 

In recent years, Macdonald appeared in the sci-fi comedy series The Orville, and voiced a pigeon on the quirky Mike Tyson Mysteries animated series from 2014 to 2020. 

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Jennifer Hudson‘s 40th birthday week has been unforgettable.

The Respect star, who turned 40 on Sunday, celebrated by unveiling her new wax figure at a party in midtown Manhattan before it was put on display at Madame Tussauds in New York City.

“It’s such a surreal moment… It’s beautiful!,” the singer/actress said, according to Billboard. “I used to say I was gonna retire at 40, but apparently, I was just born again.”

“Jennifer Hudson has long stood as a strong, talented, female figure across film, TV and music and we’re so excited about this new addition to Madame Tussauds New York,” Madame Tussauds executive Tiago Mogadouro said in a press statement. “By introducing such a powerful essence to our New York family, we hope the addition of Jennifer Hudson offers an exciting new experience for our guests.”

In the past week, Hudson also won her first Emmy for her role as executive producer and voice talent on the VR animated film, Baba Yaga. The project was chosen Outstanding Interactive Media for a Daytime Program. Now she is just one award away from one of the most prestigious accomplishments in entertainment, the EGOT: that is an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.

On Monday night, Jennifer continued her celebration with Alicia Keys at the exclusive Met Gala in New York City. Looking radiant in a full-length red gown, she commented on Instagram, “Sitting and talking with my girl @aliciakeys was one of my favorite moments.” Hudson also posted a solo video of herself and wrote, “So good to be back at the #METGala!”

 

 

 

 

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Reese Witherspoon is letting fans know that they have to wait a little while longer to watch Elle Woods and company return to the big screen in Legally Blonde 3. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, the actress said that the movie is still very early in its planning stages.

“We don’t have a script yet!,” she exclaimed of the script that is currently being penned by Mindy Kaling, before assuring, “Mindy’s busy. Mindy’s working hard on it.”

“I know she is. And she and I just love each other,” she continued. “We have a great laugh just thinking about, ‘What would Elle Woods be doing right now?'”

Jennifer Aniston, who joined Witherspoon for the interview to promote their upcoming second season of Apple TV+’s The Morning Show, also noted that her co-star is also “a little busy.” But the Friends alum appeared intrigued by what a potential Legally Blonde 3 plot would look like, and asked Witherspoon what Elle Woods would be up to nearly 20 years after the second sequel: Red, White and Blonde.

“So many things have changed, but then some things are just so similar,” Reese replied rather cryptically, but refused to delve further.

That led to a hilarious exchange with the possibility of Aniston making a cameo in the upcoming comedy, which ended with her remarking, “I’ll be illegally blonde.”

Legally Blonde was released in 2001, followed by Legally Blonde 2: Red, White, and Blonde in 2003. A release date for the third Legally Blonde film, which was confirmed by Witherspoon in 2018, has not yet been announced.

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Sharon Osbourne didn’t mince words about her controversial exit from the CBS daytime talk show, The Talk.

Speaking with the British publication Daily Mail, Osbourne maintained her claim that she was set up by her co-hosts and show executives. 

Osbourne, 68, ignited a controversy in March during an intense debate with fellow host Sheryl Underwood about racism versus freedom of speech when defending embattled broadcaster Piers Morgan, who railed against Meghan Markle‘s explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.  Osbourne disagreed with Underwood, saying Morgan’s criticism wasn’t racist.

Osbourne, who starred on The Talk for 11 seasons, exited shortly after.  Now she maintains that the rough exchange was pre-planned by show executives in hopes of boosting The Talk‘s ratings.

“To leave me for 20 minutes on live TV… unprepared, not produced, not knowing what’s going on… They could have cut at any time and gone to a commercial break,” she maintained. “They didn’t cut because they liked the controversy and they liked that everybody would be talking about this because they needed something for the show that was going into the toilet.”

“I felt totally betrayed, not protected… I felt used,” said Osbourne, noting that she began receiving death threats following the controversy. “They all knew the question and they all knew what was going down. I felt totally betrayed.”

As for her stance on Piers Morgan, Osbourne again insisted that criticizing Markle does not equate to racism.

“It was a freedom of speech matter,” she quipped. “A journalist friend of mine… wrote something that people didn’t like and then a few crazies out there, some thugs go, ‘You must be racist.'”

CBS refuted Osbourne’s claims when asked for comment, saying the exchange was not “orchestrated.”

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How low can Ryan Reynolds‘ voice go?  Thanks to a new TikTok trend, fans almost found that out — had Will Ferrell not interrupted.

Taking to social media on Monday, the Deadpool star shared a video of him singing MIKA‘s 2009 hit “Grace Kelly,” with Reynolds lowering his voice an octave each time he repeats the chorus.

However, just as Reynolds, 44, begins to flex his vocals for the fourth part, Ferrell bursts in from the background while singing in a playful falsetto.

The Canadian actor whips around and feigns confusion as Ferrell, 54, goes ham on the microphone, shaking his head and closing his eyes as he continues to sing higher.  During one point in the exchange, the Elf star stares at Reynolds, as if to challenge him, before settling back into his high-pitched serenade.

That leads to the two harmonizing beautifully to “Grace Kelly,” with Reynolds joking that the final part of the challenge is “acceptance.”

“Late to the Grace Kelly TikTok trend but WAY early for our Christmas movie musical,” Reynolds joked in the caption.

Several celebrities, including Octavia Spencer and Jeremy Renner, jumped into the comment section to approve of their shenanigans — in addition to a potential holiday movie starring the two comic legends.

The Grace Kelly Harmony Challenge, which gained traction over the summer, tasks people on TikTok to harmonize the vocals in MIKA’s 2009 single and mash it up into one epic cover.

 

 

 

 

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We’ve heard the rumors, and now we are hearing from Jennifer Aniston herself. The actress, who was rumored to be romantically involved with her Friends co-star David Schwimmer, is setting the record straight. 

“That was bizarre. I could not believe that, actually. Like, really? That’s my brother,” Aniston told Entertainment Tonight. “But I understand it, though. It just shows you how hopeful people are for fantasies, for dreams to come true.”

Rumors that things might have been heating up between Aniston, 52, and Schwimmer, 54, first began after the pair confirmed they had crushes on each other while working together on the popular sitcom, which ran for 10 seasons ending in 2004. Their characters, Rachel Green and Ross Gellar, also dated on the show.

“The first season, I had a major crush on Jen,” Schwimmer admitted during the HBO Max special, which aired in May. “At some point we were both crushing hard on each other — but it was like two ships passing [in the night], because one of us was always in a relationship.”

“So we just channeled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel,” Aniston added.

Reps for both of the Friends stars denied the rumors, but this appears to be the first time that Aniston has publicly commented on the speculation. 

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Fashion was on high display at this year’s Met Gala, celebrating the theme “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.”

Of course, the night drew a mix of spectacular and not-so-spectacular looks from those who attended.

Let’s take a look at the night’s best-dressed first, with Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X (and his multiple wardrobe changes) and Jennifer Hudson being hailed by social media users as the night’s winners.

Hudson’s crimson gown paid homage to a classic Aretha Franklin look, with fans praising the birthday girl for her “chic” appearance.

Eilish also seemingly paid tribute to an icon of the past, with her blush pink gown drawing comparisons to the late Marilyn Monroe.  One fan dubbed her “a real Disney princess” in a tweet that amassed over 3,000 likes in an hour.

Lil Nas X was like a Russian doll on Monday night — arriving in an oversized gold, velvet Versace cloak that revealed gold armor underneath and — under the armor — was a bedazzled gold and black bodysuit.  Queer Eye‘s Bobby Berk declared him the winner of the night.

Keke Palmer, Simu Liu, Lupita Nyong’o and Gabrielle Union were also praised for their classy attire.

As for the worst dressed, Kim Kardashian, Dan Levy and Addison Rae were blasted online for their polarizing looks.

Kardashian’s all-black bodysuit that covered her up to her head was derided on social media, with some comparing her look to that of a Xenomorph from the Alien franchise.

Levy’s puffy-shouldered bodysuit was panned, with one fan saying he looked like “one of Seth Rogen‘s vases.”

Rae’s red dress flopped with Met Gala critics — with one remarking, “Why’s Addison Rae got the Karen trim.”

Also among the worst dressed, according to critics, were Kim Petras, Pete Davidson, Lorde, Cara Delevingne and Kristen Stewart.

billie eilish is a real disney princess pic.twitter.com/qZtqT8Y7bU

— jasmisn’t (@onadeadpIanet) September 13, 2021

.@LilNasX won the #MetGala. Period! pic.twitter.com/XPiHxxrrH1

— Bobby Berk (@bobbyberk) September 14, 2021

My favorite Met Gala look so far is Dan Levy dressed as one of Seth Rogen’s vases. pic.twitter.com/4LNq6rRSdO

— Max Miller (@ohhelloitsmax) September 14, 2021

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Kate Hudson and Danny Fujikawa are engaged.

The How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days star, 42, took to Instagram on Monday to announce the good news, posting a photo of her and Fujikawa, 35, sharing a romantic kiss. Also photographed is Hudson’s perfectly placed engagement ring on her fiancé’s chest.

“Let’s go!” she wrote in the caption, adding emojis of a bride, a chapel and a groom.

Many of the Oscar-nominated actress’ celebrity friends responded to her post with excitement, including Amanda Kloots, Katie Couric, Rachel Zoe and more.

Hudson and Fujikawa, who first met years ago, began dating in December 2016. The couple welcomed their first child together, daughter Rani Rose, in October 2018. She turns 3 next month.

The Almost Famous star is also mom to son Ryder, 17, whom she shares with ex-husband Chris Robinson, the frontman for The Black Crowes, and son Bingham, 10, whom she shares with ex Matt Bellamy, the frontman for Muse.

Fujikawa also is a musician, who used to play in a band called Chief.

 

 

 

 

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Audra McDonald and Leslie Odom have been tapped to host the 74th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, September 26.

McDonald, a six-time Tony winner, will host the awards portion of the evening, which streams exclusively on Paramount+ at 7 p.m. ET. Meanwhile, Hamilton Tony winner Odom Jr. is set to emcee the live concert event, The Tony Awards Present: Broadway’s Back!, at 9 p.m. ET on CBS, in addition to streaming on Paramount+ and the CBS app. The concert will include special performances from the three Tony-nominated best musical contenders — Jagged Little Pill, Moulin Rouge! The Musical and Tina – The Tina Turner Musical. It will be followed by the live presentation of three Tony Awards: Best Play, Best Revival of a Play, and Best Musical. A limited number of tickets to attend the Tonys ceremony are now on sale.

In other news, Netflix has released a first-look teaser to Colin Kaepernick upcoming limited series, Colin in Black & White. As previously reported, the six-episode drama follows Kaepernick’s journey to becoming a civil-rights activist and professional football player and focuses on his young-adult years growing up in a mixed-race household after being adopted by a white family.  Colin in Black & White launches October 29.

Finally, ICYMI, the 2021 Creative Emmy Awards announced their award winners on Sunday, September 12. Some of the highlights included Dave Chappelle and Maya Rudolph winning Outstanding Guest Actor/Actress in a Comedy Series for Saturday Night Live; J.B. Smoove for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series for his role in Quibi’s Mapleworth Murders; Debbie Allen for Outstanding Television Movie and Outstanding Choreography for her work on Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square; and Courtney B. Vance for Outstanding Guest Actor on HBO’s Lovecraft Country.

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) The Dude abides. 

Jeff Bridges shared a promising update with fans Monday about his cancer battle.

“My cancer is in remission — the 9″ x 12″ mass has shrunk down to the size of a marble,” the Big Lebowski actor revealed in a note posted on his website.

Bridges said he’s been seeing a therapist and has been working toward getting off oxygen assistance, which he said he’d needed “to walk around” until recently. 

The Oscar winner also shared that he bested a personal goal of walking his youngest daughter, Haley, down the aisle at her wedding. He shared that he did that, and shared a father-daughter dance, “without oxygen.”

The TRON star also revealed that he fought COVID-19, saying the virus “kicked my a** pretty good.” He said he’s double vaccinated and is “feeling much better now.”

Bridges linked to a previously unpublished entry on his website that detailed his and wife Susan Geston‘s experience with COVID-19.

While Gaston only spent five days in the hospital, he stayed there for five weeks. His immune system has been weakened from his chemotherapy treatments.

“My dance with Covid makes my cancer look like a piece of cake,” he wrote, adding that, although he had “moments of tremendous pain,” he “felt happy & joyous most of the time.”

Bridges continued, “This brush with mortality has brought me a real gift. Life is brief & beautiful. Love is all around us, & available [at] all times. It’s a matter of opening ourselves to receive the gift…I mean, who would want to get cancer & Covid? Well… it turns out I would. I would, because I get to learn more about love, & learn things that I never would have if I never got it.”

The Hollywood legend first revealed he was diagnosed with lymphoma last October.

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