Entertainment

Following sexual assault allegations made against him late last year — allegations he strenuously denied — actor Chris Noth was cut from the …And Just Like That finale, and lost his role on CBS’ The Equalizer. 

His former co-star Queen Latifah just broke her silence over the situation on People magazine’s People (the TV Show), about what will happen to Noth’s former CIA agent William Bishop on the show. 

“It’s still surreal,” Latifah told Julie Moran. “It is such a dicey, delicate situation that requires a great deal of respect.”

Of the controversy, the actress and recording artist said only, “That’s a personal thing that he’s going to have to deal with.”

As for the CBS series, Latifah said, “Chris’ character’s obviously a big part of the show and it was amazing chemistry, amazing chemistry. And my feeling is justice has to prevail regardless. I just want the right things to be done, you know?”

She added, “We are figuring out what we want to do creatively on the show and how we’re going to deal with that character.”

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The Batman director Matt Reeves has further explained how the film’s version of the Caped Crusader is influenced by late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain.

In an interview with Esquire UK, Reeves details how the Nevermind song “Something in the Way,” which plays in the trailer for The Batman, is “part of the voice of that character.”

“When I considered, ‘How do you do Bruce Wayne in a way that hasn’t been seen before?’ I started thinking, ‘What if some tragedy happened…and this guy becomes so reclusive, we don’t know what he’s doing? Is this guy some kind of wayward, reckless, drug addict?'” Reeves shares.

“And the truth is that [Wayne] is a kind of drug addict,” the filmmaker adds. “His drug is his addiction to this drive for revenge. He’s like a Batman Kurt Cobain.”

Reeves previously told Empire magazine that he was reminded of the 2005 Gus Van Sant film Last Days, a fictional film that’s loosely based on Cobain’s death, while working on The Batman.

“I started making this connection to Gus Van Sant’s Last Days, and the idea of this fictionalized version of Kurt Cobain being in this kind of decaying manor,” Reeves said.

The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson in the title role, premieres in theaters March 4. The cast also features Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano and Jeffrey Wright.

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Disney+ has announced a long-in development series based on Rick Riordan‘s bestselling Percy Jackson books is coming to be. Well, specifically, Riordan himself announced it. 

The wait is over, demigods,” Riordan delared in a video. “I am thrilled to be the first to tell you that Percy Jackson and the Olympians is really, truly, and for sure coming to your screens.”

The series follows the titular hero, a 12-year-old who finds out he’s actually the son of Greek god Poseidon. Accused of stealing a lightning bolt from Zeus himself, Percy goes on a quest to recover it.

While a pair of films were made from the books — Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief in 2010 and 2013’s Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters — the new series is apparently sticking closer to the age range of the hero and his demi-godly friends. While they were financial successes, Riordan was not a fan of the movies, to put it mildly.

James Bobin is directing the pilot Riordan is writing, the author explains, noting Bobin called the shots on the first installment of Disney+’s The Mysterious Benedict Society, “which I love,” Riordan admits. “James knows the Percy Jackson books well, his kids are fans,” the author explains, saying the show “is in great hands.”

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Sony Pictures has announced plans to launch the based-on-real-life drama Father Stu in April, starring Mel Gibson and Mark Wahlberg.

The Daddy’s Home series co-stars are reuniting for a very different film: It’s based on the life story of boxer-turned-priest Father Stuart Long, “whose journey from self-destruction to redemption inspired countless people along the way,” according to the studio. 

Oscar-nominated Wahlberg stars as the titular pugilist priest, while Oscar winner Gibson plays a supporting role, along with Academy Award-nominated Silver Linings Playbook co-star Jacki Weaver.

The film, from screenwriter and first-time director Rosalind Ross, the mother of Gibson’s youngest son, Lars, opens Friday, April 15, which not coincidentally is Good Friday, according to the Christian calendar.

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Actor Dylan McDermott is jumping from one show from producer Dick Wolf to another, according to Deadline.

The actor, who plays crime boss Richard Wheatley on Law & Order: Organized Crime, is moving to FBI: Most Wanted, days after it was announced that series lead Julian McMahon will be leaving the show in April.

It’s not known who McDermott will play on Most Wanted, but with McMahon’s team leader Jess LaCroix exiting, it’s easy to envision McDermott picking up his mantle.

The trade also reports McDermott will join the CBS series as his time on NBC’s L&O winds down. His Organized Crime character was only supposed to appear in the show’s inaugural season, but it proved to be so popular as the nemesis to Christopher Meloni‘s Det. Elliot Stabler that McDermott was given a very “lucrative” deal to shoot eight episodes for the Law & Order spin-off’s second season, according to Deadline.

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Attorneys for embattled actor Alec Baldwin argued in court Monday that a judge should toss a lawsuit filed against him by a crew member on his movie Rust. 

On October 21, 2021, Baldwin discharged a round from a pistol he believed to be unloaded, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. 

Mamie Mitchell, the film’s former script supervisor, claims in her lawsuit against Baldwin and other crew members that she was standing just a few feet away when he fired the fatal shot. Mitchell, who called 911 from the movie’s New Mexico set, alleges she suffered pain and ringing in her ears as well as emotional injuries.

She further alleges that the actor failed to double-check to see if the gun was unloaded, and also accuses the producers of cutting corners, leading to unsafe conditions.

Mitchell’s suit also names the movie’s armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, and David Halls, the first assistant director who reportedly handed the gun to Baldwin after declaring it “cold,” or safe to handle. 

Baldwin’s attorneys alleged, in court filings obtained by ABC News, that because the fatal shooting was a workplace accident, Mitchell must seek “recompense” from New Mexico’s workers compensation system. 

Further, his lawyers claimed, “nothing about [Mitchell’s] allegations suggest that any of Defendants, including Mr. Baldwin, intended the Prop Gun [sic] to be loaded with live ammunition.”

It should be noted the Colt revolver wasn’t a “prop gun,” but a real firearm loaded with a live round.

However, Baldwin’s lawyers claim he couldn’t have known that.

His attorneys also claimed Mitchell wasn’t injured in the incident, and that she, “raced to the courthouse in California… apparently to get her claim in… [before]…the two individuals who were hit by the live round.”

An investigation into the shooting is still ongoing.

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Although Rob Gronkowski will not play in this year’s Big Game, he’s paying it forward to the NFL fans who supported him through another tremendous season.

The Buccaneers tight end teamed with Groupon and is handing the keys to his 4,486 square-foot Foxborough, MA, home over to one lucky fan so they can watch the Big Game in style. Oh, and they can invite up to 15 friends, too.

“I got the whole setup down to perfection at my house,” he told ABC Audio, saying it is more than just ensuring his guests have their fill of good, local food and drink.  “We got a pool… we got an indoor bounce house!  We got indoor mini golf.  These experiences are going to be amazing.”

Gronk says part of the experience is seeing what it’s like to party like a football player.  “Everyone knows me.  I used to party back in the day.  I still have a good time, but obviously, I’m not 20 to 23 anymore,” he laughs.  “It’s going to be popping.”

Because he is going over-the-top with his “Party like a Player” experience, he said he wanted the winner to not stress or feel pressure about who to invite. “You’re going to be able to bring everyone that you know,” promises Gronk. “It’s a true party experience.”

So, who does he think his guests will watch play on one of his big screen televisions?

“I’m going to go with the Kansas City Chiefs.  Their offense is red hot,” said Gronk, noting their intense match against the Buffalo Bills. “And I’m going to say the San Francisco 49ers… That’s my prediction.” 

Those over 21 and are U.S. residents have until February 2 to enter on Groupon’s Party Like a Player website.

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Tiffany Haddish appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Monday night, and while other celebrities might have, she didn’t shy away from her recent DUI arrest. 

Haddish was arrested on suspicion of DUI early in the morning of January 14, after cops investigated a report of a driver asleep behind the wheel of her car on a Georgia highway.

Haddish told Fallon in the Zoom interview, “I’ve been praying to God to send me a new man. A good man. And God went ahead and sent me four…in uniform.”

Haddish added, “And now I got a really great lawyer, and we’re going to work it out. I’ve got to get my asking of things to God a little better!”

Tiffany explained the last few months have been rough for her, what with her break up from boyfriend Common, and the deaths of both her friend and “mentor” Bob Saget and her grandmother.

“[Saget] was like a big mentor to me, a big brother, a father figure,” she explained.

“He meant a lot to me. Funny man. He was the first white man to ever tell me, ‘Just be yourself, just be who you are, Tiffany. Don’t worry about nothing. Just be you.’ That was huge for me.”

The Girls Trip star added solemnly, “And then, my grandma passed away, and she saved my life. That’s my heart. She was like my soulmate. So that’s been… really hard to process, all this…grief.”

“My next special is going to be about grief. And it’s going to be hilarious,” she added, explaining that would help her, “figure out how to process it all.”

“Kids get to cry whenever they want to, wherever they want to. As an adult you can’t do that,” Haddish joked.

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Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider is officially in second place for consecutive wins on the iconic quiz show with her 39th victory.

Schneider, whose Jeopardy! run began Nov. 17, overtook Matt Amodio‘s 38-game winning streak with Monday’s victory. She is now about halfway to overtaking Ken Jennings‘ 74-game winning record, which he has held since 2004.

Already the winningest woman in Jeopardy! history, Schneider’s total winnings are now $1,319,800, the fourth-highest ever in terms of regular-season play. This puts her in striking territory of Amodio, who earned $1,518,601 last year.

Schneider, an engineering manager from Oakland, California, has a ways to go if she wants to overtake the top two Jeopardy! earners, as she is still more than $1 million behind James Holzhauer and Jennings, who won $2,462,216 and $2,520,700, respectively, during their original runs.

In an interview Monday, Schneider told Good Morning America that Jennings is “limited” in what advice he can give her so he can “stay neutral” as host. So, he gives all contestants the same tip: “to relax and have fun and enjoy the moment.”

Schneider also said she is looking forward to the next Tournament of Champions, which will see her face off against Amodio. “It’s going to be really challenging; a lot of strong players there, but it should be a lot of fun,” she said.

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Monday’s episode of The Bachelor began with host Jesse Palmer telling Clayton he could “do whatever you want” with regards to taking back the rose he gave to Cassidy after hearing a rumor that she was dating a guy back home.

When confronted with the rumor, Cassidy initially denied it, before clarifying that the man in question was “a friend” of hers who “does not want a relationship” and she had no interest in resuming it.

Despite her assurances that there was no one in the competition as “excited” about him as she was, Cassidy was sent home.

“The wicked witch is gone,” replied Kate, who would soon be gone herself.

But if Cassidy was the Wicked Witch of the East, Shanae, whose aggressive play for Clayton during a group date two weeks ago ended in disappointment, would end up being the Wicked witch of the West.

During a group date on Monday that featured former Baywatch star Nicole Eggert taking some of the ladies through some romantic lifeguard training, Shanae once again tried to grab Clayton’s attention by throwing herself at him every chance she got. Once again though, she came up empty as Gabby snagged the date rose.

Finding herself in a “do or die” situation, Shanae escalated her ongoing fight with Elizabeth, telling Clayton that Elizabeth was bullying her and causing the other women to avoid her when they were in the room together. Shanae seemed to acknowledged it was all a show, by bragging to the camera, “I was good!”

Whether the ploy worked or not will be answered on next week’s episode.

Elsewhere, Kaitlyn Bristowe made a surprise appearance, leading an emotional date where Clayton and the women opened up about their insecurities, ending with Eliza picking up a rose.

Sarah, who earned a rose after a one-on-one date that featured Becca Kufrin sending her and Clayton on a semi-naked scavenger hunt.

Kate, Ency and Tessa were sent home after the rose ceremony.

The Bachelor returns Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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