Entertainment

The death of actor Michael K. Williams has left his fans shook, including those in Hollywood. Moments after the news broke Monday that the 54-year-old The Wire veteran was found dead in his Brooklyn penthouse, celebrities who worked with him, and others who just loved his work, poured their hearts out.

Here is just a sampling of those who shared their thoughts: 

Williams’ The Wire co-star Wendell Pierce was one of the first to weigh in, in a lengthy Twitter thread that began with, “The depth of my love for this brother, can only be matched by the depth of my pain learning of his loss…”

The show’s creator, David Simon, expressed, “Too gutted right now to say all that ought to be said. Michael was a fine man and a rare talent and on our journey together he always deserved the best words. And today those words won’t come.”

Spike Lee posted a photo of he and Williams courtside, cheering on the Knicks. He captioned it, “Whew Lawd,Dis Is A Tough Day-1st We Lose The Great French Actor JEAN PAUL BELMONDO And Now My Brother MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS. Our Brother Passed Away Today In His Home,Da People’s Republic Of Brooklyn. I’m Shook. Drinking A Bottle Of Italian Red Wine-Brunello Di Montalcino By Myself. Our Greats Are Leaving Us Left And Right. GOD BLESS.”

John Wick actor Lance Reddick posted a touching video tribute to Williams, explaining how even though they weren’t close, Williams went the extra mile to help his career. “While everybody else talks about what a great actor he was, I just want to say from my experience he was one of the kindest, gentlest, most genuine, giving courageous souls I ever met. Rest in peace, my brother,” Reddick declared.

Questlove: “Please God No. I can’t take this pain. Death cannot be this normal.”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: “You’ll be missed, brother. A real pleasure to work with you and call you a friend. Strength, mana & love to your family during this very difficult and heartbreaking time. Go rest high.”

The Suicide Squad writer-director James Gunn: “Michael K Williams, in addition to being one of the most talented actors around, was also one of the kindest, sweetest, most gentle souls I’ve ever met. This is heartbreaking. My thoughts are with all those who loved him.”

Williams’ Body Brokers co-star Frank Grillo: “I’m absolutely gutted to hear that my friend #michaelkwilliams has passed. Not only a legend on screen but a legend of a human. We had great laughs together on set and off. Rest easy my brother.”

Leslie Jones: “…Michael K Williams was a solid dude. He was so nice to me when we did ghostbusters and we bonded on many levels!! Damn I was just thinking the next time I saw him I was gonna tell him how dope of an actor he is…”

John Cusack said Williams’ work as Omar in The Wire was “Among the greatest performances tv and film has ever seen.”

Mia Farrow: “We have lost another irreplaceable actor. RIP Michael K.Williams. You were too young to leave us- we were looking forward to so many more great performances. Thoughts with family and friends.”

 

 

 

 

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Hugh Jackman is mourning the loss of his father, Christopher.

Christopher Jackman “peacefully passed away” on Australia’s Father’s Day, which was Sept. 5, the Greatest Showman star wrote on Instagram.

Christopher Jackman was 84 years old, according to reports.

“Whilst there is deep sadness, I am filled with such gratitude and love,” Hugh Jackman wrote. “My Dad was, in a word, extraordinary. He devoted his life to his family, his work and his faith. I pray he is now at peace with God.”

Hugh Jackman is the youngest of five, and his family moved to Australia from England before he was born. He was mostly raised by his father, as his mother returned to England when he was a boy. Although the actor says the arrangement was difficult at times, he once told Good Housekeeping that he “always felt love from both my parents.”

The “Les Misérables” star also told the magazine that his father espoused the importance of responsibility and humility, among other virtues. “When I was 5, my father used to sit me down and explain that from my dollar a week, I should set aside 10% for church, 20% for entertainment, and 10% for savings,” Jackman recalled.

“He is a deeply thoughtful man whose religion is in his deeds way more than anything else. It’s not talked about that much,” Jackman said. “He set a great, great example.”

The actor’s tribute to his father garnered many responses from friends and fans alike, with actor Ryan Reynolds commenting, “I was lucky to have met him.”

 

 

 

 

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the latest entry in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, topped the Labor Day weekend box office — and expectations — posting an estimated $90 million over the four-day weekend.

The film’s three-day total, an estimated $75.5 million, bested the record previously set by 2007’s Halloween, which got off to a $30.6 million start.

Shang-Chi, the first Marvel film to feature an Asian superhero as the protagonist, is also the second-highest-grossing film of the pandemic era, behind Black Widow’s $80.3 million back in July.  Unlike Black Widow, however, Shang-Chi was released exclusively in theaters and should have more staying power than the Scarlett Johansson-led film, which simultaneously rolled out on the Disney+ streaming service.

Shang-Chi — starring Simu Liu, Awkwafina, Michelle Yeoh and Tony Leung — grabbed an estimated $56.2 million overseas, bringing its worldwide total to $146.2 million.

The horror thriller Candyman slipped from first to second place in its sophomore frame, delivering an estimated $10.5 million over the three-day weekend and $13 million through Monday.

Disney/20th Century’s sci-fi comedy Free Guy finished Monday with an estimated $11.2 million, including $8.7 million from Friday-Sunday, bringing ticket sales to $94.3 million in the U.S. and $81.8 million worldwide.

Disney’s Jungle Cruise and Paramount’s PAW Patrol tied in fourth place, each nabbing an estimated $4 million over the three-day weekend and $5.2 million through Monday.

Jungle Cruise crossed the $100 million plateau at the U.S. box office, with its tally currently resting at $106.8 million.

Marvel and 20th Century Studios are owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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Impeachment: American Crime Story debuts tonight on FX.  The series turns its lens toward the affairs and scandals of former president Bill Clinton, as told through the eyes of the women, including Monica Lewinsky, Linda Tripp and Paula Jones.

Annaleigh Ashford, who plays Jones, tells ABC Audio that the series will tackle the well-known scandal from a different angle.

“We’re really focusing on the narrative of the women and the point of view of the women in the story, which was so ignored, overlooked and taken away from these women during that time in history,” she says, adding the women were “brutalized” in the media and late night comedy.

“That’s sort of the interesting thing about this time in American history…it was such a salacious media event,” adds the 36-year-old actress.  “Even as a kid, I was super aware of what was happening and super aware that it was extremely controversial and very sexual.  And really, my window into this time was through late night comedy, which I think sort of says it all.”

Ashford believes the series also offers some insight into how the country became so divided.

“I feel like if we could find the root cause for the sickness we have now, it would stem back to this moment in the mid 90s where it just became my team, your team, and it was the beginning of bullying on the Internet,” she suggests.  “Monica Lewinsky was the first person to be bullied on the Internet. And it was truly the beginning of sort of the Fox News [versus] CNN battle.” 

The third installment of Ryan Murphy‘s American Crime Story franchise also stars Beanie Feldstein, Sarah Paulson, Clive Owen, Edie Falco, Billy Eichner, Cobie Smulders and Betty Gilpin.

(Trailer contains uncensored profanity.)

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The Wire and Lovecraft Country actor Michael K. Williams was found dead in his Brooklyn apartment Monday, ABC News has confirmed. He was 54.

“It is with deep sorrow that the family announces the passing of Emmy-nominated actor Michael Kenneth Williams,” his rep says in a statement. “They ask for your privacy while grieving this unsurmountable loss.”

WABC-TV reports that drug paraphernalia was found at the scene. Police say the investigation is ongoing and the medical examiner will determine the cause of death.

Williams starred as Omar Little in The Wire and as Chalky White in Boardwalk Empire. He was most recently nominated for a 2021 Emmy for his role as Montrose Freeman in HBO’s Lovecraft Country.

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) NBC’s sitcom AP Bio just returned for a fourth season on Peacock.

The series stars It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia lead and co-creator Glenn Howerton as Jack Griffin, a former Harvard philosophy professor begrudgingly tasked with teaching at his hometown high school in Ohio.

Instead of teaching, however, he sets his students on a series of missions to get back at a fellow academic who stole his dream job. 

The series was never a ratings hit for NBC, but it developed a dedicated core audience who successfully fought to save it season after season.

Howerton explains to ABC Audio that AP‘s creative trajectory is a blessing in disguise. “There is this little bit of sort of like a kamikaze pilot mentality where you’re like, ‘This might be it…So I’m just f***ing going for it, man.”

He adds, “You know…look, I experienced it on Sunny…in those early seasons especially, we were like ‘Nobody’s going [to watch] this. I don’t know if anybody’s really even getting what we’re doing. So let’s just do it.’ It’s like it’s almost like we’re doing it for ourselves, you know?…And then you find out that, like, lots of people are watching and lots of people do love it.”

Stand-up and actor Patton Oswalt, who plays the school’s hysterically powerless Principal Durbin, agrees that this season, they’re going for broke.

“We know our writing staff, we know how willing to push the envelope they are,” he says. “And so knowing that they have yet another season — on a streaming platform where they get even more wiggle room — it was just that anticipation of, ‘Oh, God, what are they going to send us? I cannot wait to read these scripts!'” 

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When the $482 million Academy Museum of Motion Pictures opens on September 30 in Los Angeles, it will pay tribute to one of the greatest actors of all time, Sidney Poitier.

The entrance to the new venue, the Grand Lobby, is being named after the iconic Oscar winner.

“It is an incredible honor to name our grand lobby — the nucleus of the Academy Museum — in celebration of Sir Sidney Poitier, whose legacy of humanitarian efforts and groundbreaking artistry continues to inspire us all,” Academy Museum director Bill Kramer said in a statement. 

The trailblazing 94-year-old actor’s film credits include Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Uptown Saturday Night, Let’s Do It Again and Lilies of the Field, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1964, the first Black performer ever to win the award. Poitier has received numerous honors in his distinguished career, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Barack Obama in 2009.

“Sidney’s tremendous impact on the motion picture industry, and on audiences around the world, is inseparable from the story of his longstanding, collegial relationship with the Academy, said Poitier’s wife, Joanna Shimkus Poitier. “To be honored now as the namesake of the Academy Museum’s lobby, the place of access to everything that lies within, is almost like receiving a second Oscar, for lifetime achievement.”

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures features six floors of exhibitions covering the history of filmmaking. On Tuesday, September 7, Spike Lee will be featured in a special conversation with Shaka King, director of Judas and the Black Messiah starring Oscar nominee Daniel Kaluuya. The event will be livestreamed at 6 p.m. PT.

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Another familiar face is making her grand return to Grey’s Anatomy.  Kate Walsh, who played Dr. Addison Montgomery, broke the news that everyone’s favorite red head is back.

“It’s really happening. Dr. Addison Montgomery will see you shortly,” Walsh shared Thursday in a celebratory Instagram video.

She further teased fans on the Grey’s Anatomy Instagram by declaring in another video, “Well, well, well, would you look who it is? That’s right, my loves, Dr. Addison Montgomery is coming back to Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital. I’m so excited to be coming home again, joining Shonda [Rhimes], Ellen [Pompeo] and the rest of the incredible cast. This season — 18, wow! — just wait until you see what she has in store for you.”

Walsh will star in multiple episodes, but it is unclear what role she will play in the upcoming season.

Dr. Montgomery first appeared in the season 1 finale of Grey‘s, iconically introducing herself as the wife of Patrick Dempsey‘s Derek Shepherd before telling Pompeo’s Meredith Grey, “And you must be the woman who’s been screwing my husband.”

Walsh departed after Grey‘s third season to star on Private Practice, which ran for six seasons.

In May, ABC Audio caught up with Walsh and asked if she’d ever return to Grey‘s following the surprise return of Dempsey, T.R. Knight and Chyler Leigh during the 17th season.

Saying at the time she “honestly would” come back to the franchise if asked, the actress added she “doesn’t know” if the character she spent nearly a decade bringing to life could make a grand return, confessing, “No one’s reached out.”

Added Walsh, “There was talk a long time ago of me going back… But it was conflicted with the shooting of Umbrella Academy, so I couldn’t do it.”  

Grey‘s 18th season premieres September 30 on ABC.

 

 

 

 

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Kaley Cuoco has split from her second husband, equestrian Karl Cook, the couple confirmed in a statement to People. 

“Despite a deep love and respect for one another, we have realized that our current paths have taken us in opposite directions,” the statement began. “We have both shared so much of our journey publicly so while we would prefer to keep this aspect of our personal life private, we wanted to be forthcoming in our truth together. There is no anger or animosity, quite the contrary.”

The pair noted their decision came “through an immense amount of respect and consideration for one another,” and say they “request that you do the same in understanding that we will not be sharing any additional details or commenting further.”

The Flight Attendant star, 35, married 30-year-old Cook on June 30, 2018.

Cuoco was previously married to former tennis pro Ryan Sweeting from 2013 to 2016. She started dating Cook in that latter year as well, before he popped the question in 2017.

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