The CW has given a a straight-to-series order to Tom Swift, a Nancy Drew spinoff series, Deadline has learned.
The order comes after the titular character, played by Tian Richards, was introduced in an episode during Nancy Drew‘s most recent season. Co-created by Melinda Hsu Taylor, Noga Landau and Cameron Johnson, Tom Swift follows the “serialized adventures” of Tom Swift, a “Black, gay, billionaire inventor who is thrust into a world of sci-fi conspiracy and unexplained phenomena after the shocking disappearance of his father.” The series will take Tom “on a quest to unravel the truth…all while fighting to stay one step ahead of an Illuminati-scale group hell-bent on stopping him.” A release date for Tom Swift has yet to be announced.
In other news, Jesse Williams has nabbed his first TV role since departing Grey’s Anatomy. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Williams will star alongside Aubrey Plaza and Ramón Rodriguez in Olga Dies Dreaming. Based on Xóchitl Gonzalez’s forthcoming debut novel of the same name, the show will center on a Nuyorican brother and sister from a gentrifying area of Sunset Park, Brooklyn. Together they grapple with “their absent, politically radical mother” and their hopeful careers among New York City’s elite. Williams will play Matteo Jones, a devoted Brooklynite, who’s described as “a collector of music, objects, trivia, and mainly, of opinions.”
Finally — ICYMI, a teaser for the long-awaited ATL sequel, ATL 2: Homecoming, has been released. ATL, which marked Chris Robinson’s directorial debut and launched Lauren London’s acting career, was loosely based on the experiences of the film’s producers, Dallas Austin and TLC’s Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, who both grew up in Atlanta. A release date for ATL 2: Homecoming has not been announced.
Blake Shelton is ready to defend his winner’s crown from new coach Ariana Grande on The Voice.
In a new promo video for season 21, Blake is on the defense because it appears there’s favoritism toward megastar Ariana.
“I’m the returning champion of The Voice, and I plan on winning,” Blake informs a contestant in the opening clip, as Ariana praises the contestant, saying, “I love your voice, someone needs to write you a show.”
“It’s fun to have your own TV show. This is mine,” Blake retorts, eliciting a high-pitched screech from the “7 Rings” hitmaker. “I’ve had this one for years.”
At one point, fellow coach John Legend advises another contestant not to pick the country star, while Kelly Clarkson tells Blake he has “no chance,” after which he attempts to push his chair back behind Ariana’s.
“Is everybody in here just obsessed with Ariana?” Blake yells to the audience, preceded by a shot of him taunting the other judges by dancing in front of their seats with a “Blake’s Win Cam” cutout framed around his face.
Blake is the most winning coach on the popular series, with eight victories to his name, including season 20 winner Cam Anthony. The new season of The Voice debuts on September 20 on NBC.
Someone like Elton John isn’t just going to wear a regular old terrycloth bathrobe now, is he?
On the Rocket Man’s Instagram, he’s posted a photo of himself, his husband David Furnish and their two sons, Zachary and Elijah, posing on a balcony in what looks like Italy, with their backs turned toward the camera. They’re all wearing matching Versace bathrobes with their names embroidered on the back.
The pic is captioned, “Grazie mille [thank you] @donatella_versace. Thank-you for your generosity and kindness. You made our Summer so glamorous. Ti amo [I love you].” Donatella replied in the comments, “I love you all!! You look FABULOUS!!!”
If you have $600 to spare, you can get the same personalized robe from the Versace website.
Elton has been friends with Donatella for many years, and was also close with her late brother, Gianni Versace, who was murdered in 1997. Elton recently told an Australian radio station that he got his pal Ed Sheeran together with Donatella, so she could provide him with the snazzy suit he sports in the “Bad Habits” video.
“I said, ‘Ed, listen. You’ve worn the baggy shirts and the trousers and it’s got you so far but it’s now time to make a change,'” recalled Elton, whose company used to manage Ed.
“About a year and a half ago, I hooked him up with Donatella Versace and got him some stuff,” Elton added, “I said ‘If you’re making the “Bad Habits” video, you’ve got to look great’…I rang Donatella, she made him the clothes.”
(NOTE LANGUAGE)Sarah Paulson is almost unrecognizable as Linda Tripp in the upcoming FX series Impeachment: An American Crime Story, but one part of her portrayal as the figure gave her regret. Namely, her figure.
Tripp was a former White House employee who recorded her phone calls with friend Monica Lewinsky, played in the series by Beanie Feldstein, and in turn exposed Lewinsky’s sexual relationship with then President Bill Clinton. Clive Owen plays the disgraced — and eventually impeached — president.
Paulson, also an executive producer for the series, gained 30 pounds for the role, but she supplemented that with a padded suit, according to an interview with the Los Angeles Times; it was a physical choice she says that, in retrospect, she would have avoided.
“It’s very hard for me to talk about this without feeling like I’m making excuses,” Paulson admitted. “There’s a lot of controversy around actors and fat suits, and I think that controversy is a legitimate one. I think fat phobia is real. I think to pretend otherwise causes further harm.”
The actress continued, “Should I have known? Abso-f***ing-lutely. But I do now.” She also vowed, “And I wouldn’t make the same choice going forward.”
Paulson called the role the “challenge of a lifetime,” and commented, “I would like to believe that there is something in my being that makes me right to play this part. And that the magic of hair and makeup departments and costumers and cinematographers that has been part of moviemaking, and suspension of belief, since the invention of cinema.”
She added rhetorically, “Was I supposed to say no [to the role]? This is the question.”
Impeachment: An American Crime Story debuts on September 7 at 10 p.m. ET on FX.
After her “Rumors” collabo with Lizzo debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, Cardi B launched her second fashion collection with Reebok over the weekend.
“I was so happy to see the love for my first Reebok apparel collection so I’m really excited to introduce this one,” the “WAP” rapper said in a statement. “This NYC-inspired collection features some of my favorite pieces to wear — from corsets to tracksuits to fly kicks, all inspired by my time and love of New York.”
The “Let Me Be…In My World” line follows Cardi’s ’90s-inspired “Summertime Fine Collection,” which was released in April.
In addition to apparel, the new collection also includes a Cardi B leather sneaker for kids and women. The Grammy winner, who is pregnant with her second child, made sure her designs fit females of various sizes, from 2XS to 4X.
“DONT worry momma BARDI got you!!!,” she tweeted. “I made this collection Witt everybody body shapes in [mind]!!!!!” Cardi also posted a video on Instagram in which models displayed two outfits from her line in a mini-fashion show.
Before working with Reebok, the New York City native partnered with Steve Madden in 2017. She also released two collections with Fashion Nova.
Cardi ended her mini-show informing fans not to wait to support her collection. “If it sells out,” she said on Instagram, “don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Check out Cardi’s “Let Me Be…In My World” line on the Reebok website.
(LA.) — Medical facilities in Louisiana are reeling from Ida, which demolished coastal regions of the state after making landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday afternoon. Ida, now a tropical storm, is one of the strongest hurricanes on record to touch down in Louisiana.
Ochsner Health System, a not-for-profit health care provider, is almost completely relying on emergency power generators following the storm, according to Mike Hulefeld, the chief operating officer. Thousands of homes and businesses are also without power, and the outages may last for days, according to local utility companies Entergy and Cleco.
At Ochsner’s Kenner facility, parts of the roof came off the building as workers sheltered inside the building, and almost all of Ochsner’s facilities have suffered from roof or water damage, Hulefeld told reporters in a press conference.
Since city and parish water systems are damaged, local hospitals are also relying on their own well systems to supply water to their locations. These damages — and more — reflect regionwide issues that health care workers are having to tackle amid the Ida aftermath.
“People will get tired, and they have been challenged by COVID, but we had 100% of our staff show up … when we called essential personnel,” Hulefeld said, “and that speaks to the commitment that our people have.”
The storm and its subsequent destruction came as the state struggled to contain its fourth COVID-19 wave, putting hospitals on the brink.
About 90% of beds in Louisiana’s intensive care units are filled, according to Johns Hopkins University, and only about 41% of the population is vaccinated. New Orleans specifically is experiencing a severe outbreak, according to the mayor’s office, with a seven-day average of 220 new infections.
There were at least 2,684 people in Louisiana hospitals due to COVID-19 before the storm hit, the mayor’s office reports.
The storm has only intensified the pressure on the state’s health care system to tackle the virus.
“This fourth surge we went through was the most difficult one that we’ve experienced since COVID started in March 2020,” Hulefeld said. “Now we have a major hurricane that ends up being a little worse than we anticipated going into it …. So, I think staff are challenged.”
More than 100 patients have been evacuated from Ochsner and its partner facilities to safety — but officials remain wary about the pressure on hospitals to perform.
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell told “Good Morning America” that most medical facilities in the region are running off generators and have seen major damage to their facilities.
Criswell said her “biggest concern is still the fragility of our health care system” following the hurricane, warning that it has been “stressed from COVID-19, and the occupancy has been full.”
With two deaths reported in the region so far, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards told MSNBC that he expects the death toll to go up as search and rescue efforts continue.
At a press conference on Monday, New Orleans Director of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Collin Arnold warned residents to stay away from the post-hurricane aftermath.
“There’s not a lot open right now, there’s not a lot of fuel resources. There are not a lot of reasons to come back,” Arnold said. “With COVID, if you get hurt while you’re here, from debris … Hospitals are strained right now, so it’s just not a good time, if you’re out of the area, to come back in.”
The storm hit New Orleans on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, a deadly storm that highlighted the vulnerable infrastructure of the port city. More than 1,800 people died in the storm.
After Ida, Mayor LaToya Cantrell applauded the evacuation and safety efforts of New Orleans and its people.
“We did not have another Katrina, and that’s something we should all be grateful for,” Cantrell said.
Luke Bryan is once again reigning at the top of the charts, as his latest single “Waves” claims the #1 spot at country radio.
This makes a whopping 27 #1 hits for the country superstar and is the fifth consecutive chart-topper off his 2020 album Born Here Live Here Die Here, following “Knockin’ Boots,” “What She Wants Tonight,” “One Margarita” and “Down to One.”
“Woke up this morning as a writer on the number one song in the country. Thank you @LukeBryanOnline and the whole team for making it a hit!” “Waves” co-writer Ryan Hurd writes in a celebratory Twitter post.
“Waves” is featured on the deluxe edition of Born Here, which reached #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and the top five of the all-genre Billboard 200.
Luke continues on his Proud to Be Right Here Tour through October.
Halsey‘s new album If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power, which was produced by Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, has been turning a lot of heads, included that of the one and only Taylor Swift.
On Sunday, Swift tweeted a message of support to Halsey, writing that she’s “blown away” by the “Without Me” star’s “artistry and commitment to taking risks.”
“Giving us all a brave new era to dive into and explore together,” Swift commented. “Please stream and buy the album!”
Halsey then replied back, “Thank you T means so so much.”
When If I Can’t Have Love dropped on Friday, Halsey thanked the Nine Inch Nails duo for helping her take those artistic risks.
“They saw a festering crack in my armor and forced it open from miles away,” Halsey wrote. “This is the album I have always wanted to make, but never believed I was cool enough.”
She added, “There are not enough words to thank them for…taking a chance on me and lending me their genius talent. I hope you love our very unlikely and very special matrimony.”
In addition to Taylor Swift, Foo Fighters also want you to listen to If I Can’t Have Love, which features Dave Grohl on the song “honey.”
“Check it out,” the Foos tweeted Monday, along with a link to the album.
“Stay” is staying on top of the charts for yet another week.
The Justin Bieber/The Kid LAROI collab has notched a fourth week at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. That makes “Stay” Justin’s longest-running number-one hit as a lead artist, passing “Sorry,” which was number one for three weeks in 2016.
Yes, Justin was number one for 16 weeks with “Despacito,” but as Billboard notes, he was just a featured artist, not a lead artist, on that track, which was officially credited to Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee.
“Stay” has also just hit number one on Billboard‘s Pop Airplay chart for the first time. It’s LAROI’s first number one on that chart, and Justin’s ninth. He’s now tied with Bruno Mars among male solo artists for the most Pop Airplay chart-toppers.
Meanwhile, Dua Lipa has set a new record with her hit “Levitating.” It’s now spent a whopping 34 weeks in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 — the longest stay there ever for a song by a woman. The record was previously held by Cardi B as part of her collaboration with Maroon 5, “Girls Like You,” which lasted 33 weeks in the top 10.
The only songs overall that have spent more weeks in the Hot 100’s top 10 are Post Malone‘s “Circles” with 39, and The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” with 57. It seems possible that Dua might pass Post Malone in the near future.
A pair a virtual Van Morrison concerts will stream globally at nugs.net on consecutive days, September 10 and 11.
The first show will feature Morrison delivering a 65-minute concert that will include renditions of songs from throughout his expansive catalog. The second concert features Van showcasing tunes from his 2021 studio album, Latest Record Project: Volume 1, as well as performing select classics.
The performances were recorded at Peter Gabriel‘s Real World Studios near Bath, U.K. The shows will begin at 6 p.m. ET. both days.
Tickets for the concerts can be purchased individually for $14.99 in HD and $19.99 for the high-res 4K format at nugs.net/vanmorrison. Two-night bundles also will be available. Nugs.net subscribers can purchase the streaming events for a discounted price.
Morrison released Latest Record Project: Volume 1 in May. The 28-track collection finds Van continuing to delve into his love of classic soul, blues, R&B and jazz. The album features a variety songs that offer commentary of modern life, some of which focus on Morrison’s dissatisfaction with how the U.K. government has handled the COVID-19 health crisis.
