ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Supernatural's Jared Padalecki and Wife Genevieve Cortese Welcome a Baby Girl, Odette Elliott Padalecki. A huge congratulations are in order for Supernatural star Jared Padalecki and his co-star wife Genevieve Cortese! Cortese gave birth to their third child together (and their first daughter), a baby girl named Odette Elliott Padalecki, on St. Patrick's Day. The actress introduced her daughter to the world on Twitter Monday, sharing a sweet photo for a good cause. "Introducing baby Odette Elliott Padalecki!!" Cortese wrote alongside a photo holding the little one who had two heart tags featuring her name and birth date. "I collaborated w/ @popandsuki to raise funds for @PPact + @HRC," she added, sharing a link to the baby's cute keychains, which will help raise funds for Planned Parenthood and the Human Rights Campaign. Meanwhile, the famous couple first announced they were expecting their third child in November. Jared revealed the news while visiting Live! With Kelly. "I'm a father of two now about to be a father of three in March," he told hos Kelly Ripa. His wife, who also doubles as his Supernatural co-star, was waiting backstage with an ear-to-ear grin on her face when he made the announcement. Baby Odette joins big brothers Tom, 4, and Shepherd, 2. (Eonline)
Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter Welcome Baby No. 2. Congratulations are in order for Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter. The couple welcomed their second child together on March 3, People confirms. News of the child's birth was first reported over the weekend. E! New has reached out to Cumberbatch's rep for additional details. Cumberbatch and a then-pregnant Hunter tied the knot at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul on the Isle of Wight on Valentine's Day in 2015, as guests including Tom Hiddleston and Andrew Scott looked on. The newlyweds welcomed a baby boy, Christopher "Kit" Carlton, in June. In October 2016, E! News exclusively revealed Hunter was pregnant with her second child. "Everyone is thrilled," Cumberbatch's rep said at the time. The mom-to-be, an opera and theater director, debuted her bump on the red carpet at the L.A. premiere of Doctor Strange. "Having a baby -- it's massive. And on a very unexpected level," Cumberbatch told Vanity Fair in November. "Suddenly I understood my parents much more profoundly than I ever had before." Tilda Swinton, who also starred in Doctor Strange, said family life suits Cumberbatch perfectly. "My fondest impression of him is as a new husband besotted by his girl, and a new father enchanted by his boy," the actress gushed. "I think he knows what he wants -- and has -- a life first and foremost, that his life suits and nourishes him and that it makes the world go round." Cumberbatch will next appear onscreen in The Current War and Thor: Ragnarok. (Eonline)
Sandra Bullock Is ''Not Opposed'' to Expanding Her Family: ''Having Children Is What She's Most Proud of in Life." Sandra Bullock's children might have a little brother or sister in the near future! An insider shares a brand new update with E! News about the Gravity star's life at home with longtime love Bryan Randall and her two little ones, 7-year old son Louis Bullock and 5-year-old daughter Laila Bullock. "Sandra is not opposed to having more kids in the future," our source says. "She has her hands full with her career, but having children is what she is most proud of in her life." And while Bullock is no rush to tie the knot with her photographer beau, their relationship is as serious as it gets. The insider reveals, "They have discussed spending their life together" and consider themselves "pretty much" married. A second source tells E! News Sandra is currently enjoying some much-needed R&R on vacation with her entire family. An eyewitness tells us Bryan and Sandra's kids shared an adorable bonding moment on the plane. While little Laila was sitting with Bullock, Bryan was "very sweet and patient" with Louis. "They ate snacks together and colored pictures," the eyewitness continues, adding, "When they walked off the plane, Bryan was holding Louis' hand and Sandra was holding Laila's." Aww! After suffering a contentious breakup with Jesse James, a source previously told us Sandra is at the "top of her game at work" and "more in love now" with Bryan than ever before. "They are perfect," the source said. "They have been both working so it was hard for them to see each other as often as they normally do, but while Sandra works Bryan helps out with the kids. He is like the kids' dad. He is a great guy and makes Sandra really happy." Great to hear this family is only getting stronger! (Eonline)
Kate Hudson Packs on the PDA With Rumored Love Interest Danny Fujikawa in New York City. Can you feel the love tonight? Kate Hudson sure can. The actress was spotted in New York City on Saturday evening stealing a kiss from her rumored new man, Danny Fujikawa. E! News has learned Kate and Danny enjoyed dinner at Italian eatery Tutto il Giorno, before taking to the streets for a late night stroll through downtown. Kate, 37, didn't shy away from packing on the PDA as she walked arm-in-arm with the indie singer-songwriter and stopped in the middle of the street for a smooch. She dressed for the chilly weather in a bulky cargo jacket, graphic T-shirt and denim jeans while Danny buttoned up in a heavy coat. The potential couple was photographed arriving into the Big Apple on Friday afternoon, less than a week after speculation started swirling that Hudson had linked up with a new love interest. Though it's unclear if Fujikawa, who played guitar for now broken-up band Chief before co-founding Lightwave Records, joined his rumored girlfriend for the show, Kate did post to Instagram about her Saturday night spent on Broadway watching Dear Evan Hansen. "I just balled my eyes out watching this brilliant performance by @bensplatt and the entire cast of @dearevanhansen," she captioned a photo with lead actor Ben Platt. "Loved every second! What an experience, thank you to everyone on this production for creating such a special musical that is so deeply moving you have to take a long second or an hour to gather yourself." The morning after, Kate and Danny were spotted once again Sunday out and about on a shopping expedition. It's currently unclear what's really going on between Kate and Danny, but if we know one thing about the Almost Famous star, she has a thing for artistic types. Kate was previously married to The Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, who she shares 13-year-old son Ryder with, and in 2014, she called off her engagement to Muse rocker Matt Bellamy. The two co-parent 7-year-old son Bingham together. She was previously linked to DJ Diplo, but as an insider shared with E! News, their relationship is "casual and fun." (Eonline)
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez Continue Their West Coast Love Affair With Romantic Dinner Date. Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez got more bounce in California than all y'all combined. The A-list couple's time in Los Angeles continued Saturday with a romantic dinner date at Italian hotspot, Madeo. J. Lo was photographed leaving the restaurant looking fabulous as ever in a leather midi-skirt, cropped plaid blazer and sleek ponytail. She accessorized the chic look with a pair of embellished pumps and a black handbag swung over her shoulder. Meanwhile, the retired baseball star was spotted slipping into their ride in a casual pair of jeans and button down. Their latest outing follows a day spent working up a sweat at the Beverly Hills gym of J.Lo's trainer Gunnar Peterson. Jennifer and Alex then headed to the pop singer's Bel-Air home and later spent a portion of their evening inside the super exclusive Bel-Air Hotel. And despite neither having commented on their relatively new romance, an insider recently told E! News that things between Lopez and Rodriguez won't be cooling off as quickly as some may have assumed. "All his friends can tell he really likes J.Lo [but] in the beginning they thought this may just be a fling," our source revealed. "Friends are slowly thinking this may actually be a great match. He calls J.Lo his 'lady'. He would wife her up in a heartbeat...she is different than other people he's dated." Another source added, "Jennifer and Alex are heating up big time. They went from zero to 100 really quick." No word yet on where this oh-so hot duo is heading next, but given they've already crossed L.A., Miami and the Bahamas off their bucket list, expect somewhere big. After all, this is J. Lo and A-Rod we're talking about here. (Eonline)
Eminem's Daughter Hailie Mathers Is a Grown-Up College Student. Eminem must be one proud dad. His daughter, Hailie Jade Scott Mathers, is living life as a normal college student, having grown up without anyone realizing it! Hailie, who was the subject of many of her father's famous rap songs, is studying at Michigan State University after graduating from high school with honors. Just one peek at Hailie's Instagram makes you realize that she isn't a little girl anymore. Whether she's posting cute pictures of her and her boyfriend or snapping model-status shots, Hailie stuns. The 21-year-old student also isn't afraid to try bold looks, as she often posts photos of herself in tight crop tops and risque dresses. Beauty and brains, Hailie left high school summa cum laude -- meaning she earned at least a 3.9 GPA -- and gave a heartfelt tribute to her parents, naming them "most influential during my lifetime." "My mother and father are because they have pushed me to be the person I am and have given me all the support to achieve what I have," Hailie said. During her high school years, Hailie was a member of the National Honor Society, the Art Club, the Key Club and Student Council and also played volleyball. She received the school's Academic Excellence Award and the Department of Psychology Award. Now that she's at Michigan State, we're sure she's absolutely killing it academically. Hailie is the only daughter Eminem shares with ex-wife Kim Mathers, but he also has full custody of two other girls, Whitney Mathers and Alaina Mathers. (Eonline)
Cuba Gooding Jr. lifted up Sarah Paulson's dress during an "American Horror Story" event, and while they both laughed it off ... some fans think he crossed the line. The co-stars were doing a panel discussion in L.A. when Sarah turned to greet Kathy Bates, and Cuba took the opportunity to hike up her dress ... seemingly to playfully check out her legs. You can see Sarah appeared to take it as a joke. Sarah and Cuba are pretty close -- they already worked together on 'People vs. O.J.' -- but some fans in the audience reacted on social media ... calling him a "d**k" who shouldn't be allowed around Sarah. Others described Kathy as being visibly appalled. Everything continued smoothly onstage though. (TMZ)
Nia Long's past diva behavior on movie sets has come back to "bite her in the butt" after reports surfaced that she was "nasty and rude" to the crew when she guest-starred on "Empire." "Every dog has their day. She does a lot of wrong to people, and now it's biting her in the butt," a source told Page Six of Long, whose credits include "Friday" and "Big Momma's House." "She has a history of giving people a hard time, especially wardrobe and makeup." Long was allegedly so rude to the "Empire" crew, co-star Taraji P. Henson had to step in. TMZ reported that Henson told Long, "What are you on .?.?. Your period?" The show's hair and makeup staff reportedly lodged a workplace complaint against Long, the site said. Long's reps told TMZ they were not aware of any complaints. But we're told this isn't the first time Long has allegedly acted up on set. A source said she held up shooting on 2013's "The Best Man Holiday" because "she insisted her character wear white when the director wanted everyone in black" for a funeral scene. The source said, "She threw a huge fit and held up production for nearly an hour because she refused to wear black .?.?. She argued, 'My character wouldn't be wearing black to a funeral! She would wear white!' They eventually gave in because they felt like it was a frivolous battle." Another source who worked on the project did not recall the incident, saying, "She seemed lovely to me." But the first source said, "Nia knows she's demanding .?.?. She says it's because she's so passionate about the art." "Empire" executive producer Ilene Chaiken exclusively told Page Six: "Nia is a gifted actress, and we're grateful for the incredible work she did on 'Empire' in this pivotal role. Her character Giuliana is a nemesis for Cookie [Henson], and the stories in the press would appear to be conflating that fiction with reality. We can't wait for the fans to enjoy her spectacular turn on the show. It's pure 'Empire' drama." Long's rep dismissed any drama by saying, "We find the timing of all of these stories to be very suspicious," since the new season on "Empire" debuted Wednesday. (Page Six)
Val Kilmer is making his admiration for Cate Blanchett very clear. The Top Gun and Batman Forever star spent his weekend flooding his Twitter account with unsolicited posts lauding Blanchett, with whom he appeared with in the 2003 Western The Missing. Kilmer started off his bizarre rant on Friday by claiming he once flew to the actress' native Australia to see her, only to be met by her husband Andrew Upton. "Once I flew all the way to Australia just to talk to Cate Blanchett. Her husband met me first. Or, instead, I guess, to be accurate," the 57-year-old actor wrote, along with a selfie of himself. He followed up a few minutes later by writing, "And recently I've had 2 dreams with #CateBlanchett in them. Her husband wasn't in either of them." Blanchett has been married to Australian playwright Andrew Upton since 1997. They have four children, Dashiell John, 15; Roman Robert, 12; Ignatius Martin, 8; and Edith Vivian Patricia, whose adoption the couple announced three years ago. Kilmer then retweeted a fan's photo of Blanchett, 47, from over a week ago, which they tweeted in honor of "Woman Crush Wednesday." The next day, Kilmer visited the World Trade Center memorial in New York City -- but that didn't stop him from continuing his raving about Blanchett. "She's just as amazing in person," he picked up. "Some super stars aren't-Some superstars don't do a thing to ya in person-Cate is so real it's almost unreal." Kilmer then revealed that he once forgot his lines while acting alongside the mother of four -- because he was so "dazzled" by how she picked up a shovel. "Once I did a cameo just to hang w/ #cateblanchett who picked up a shovel in our sc. I was so dazzled by HOW she picked it up I forgot my line," he wrote. After sharing a photo and video of the Sept. 11 monument, Kilmer shared a photo of Blanchett. "I mean even if she couldnt act you know what I mean?" he captioned the black and white image. After taking a short break, the tweetstorm continued Sunday evening, addressing those who called him out on his rant. "I've never done said or written a single idea that wasn't of the highest respect and admiration for #cateblanchett or any other great talent," said Kilmer over a series of tweets. "She's a friend of mine and I've met her husband thru the years and we've all gotten along just fine. Anyone who thinks I need to curb my enthusiasm for a great rare artist doesn't understand how difficult the job is and how we artist count on the respect of our peers. She will back up every word I say n love that I say I love her. I would love an actor I didn't even enjoy if he flew the world to talk about a role." In 2006, the actor told Elle that Blanchett was the famous woman he'd most like to have on speed dial. Kilmer said that although he did not tell his costar of his admiration outright, he believes she was aware. "I think she probably got a sense of it when I not only forgot my dialogue in the scene, I forgot that I was acting, I forgot I was on a movie set, and I just stood there staring at her." (People)
A former contestant on "America's Next Top Model" was one of several people shot at an apartment complex in Houston ... and we've confirmed the model's in critical condition in intensive care. We've confirmed Brandy Rusher's one of the victims, a former finalist on 'ANTM.' 2 people were reportedly killed and 4 others were shot. There's a manhunt underway for the suspects. The incident went down Sunday night when a car drove up to the complex and opened fire with a high-powered rifle. Brandy was on season 4 on 'Top Model' ... she was a finalist. (TMZ)
Rapper Fetty Wap Involved in New Jersey Shooting That Left Three People Wounded: Report. Fetty Wap found himself in the crossfire of a violent altercation over the weekend. Local USA Today affiliate The Paterson Press reports the rapper was involved in a dispute that led to gunfire at a 24-hour deli in his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey in the early hours of Saturday morning. The hip hop star was not injured in the incident. Law enforcement authorities tell the publication that Fetty Wap (real name Willie Maxwell) and a group of friends were present when shots were fired around 5 a.m. local time. Three people reportedly sustained non-life threatening injuries and were transported to two local hospitals for treatment. Police say Fetty Wap and his friends are not considered suspects in the shooting or a robbery that also happened that night. Authorities did not confirm to The Paterson Press that the incident also involved a fellow recording artist, and did not offer information on the victims' relationship with Fetty Wap. Additionally, it is currently unclear as to why the dispute broke out. The "Trap Queen" rapper has yet to comment publicly on the incident, though he did share multiple tweets throughout Sunday. "Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light," he wrote, later adding, "Nothing is certain, everything is possible" and, "Overthinking leads to negative thoughts!!" E! News has reached out to Fetty Wap's team for comment. (Eonline)
Matt McGorry just won a legal victory against a member of the Beverly Hills Police Dept. who tried to stop him from recording an incident to make sure the cops behaved properly. Matt happened upon a traffic accident involving a Latino, so he grabbed his cell phone and pushed record to make sure law enforcement stayed on the up and up. The "Orange Is the New Black" star is big in the Black Lives Matter movement and feels strongly ... video keeps cops in line. Problem is ... the civilian traffic enforcement officer who Matt was recording wasn't having it and ordered Matt to stop. Matt was defiant, continuing to record and questioning the officer. Matt posted the video and that got the attention of the brass at the Beverly Hills PD. We've learned they've invited him to come to the station to have a chitchat where they will make clear ... he had every right to record the incident. The brass wants to make one other point ... he shouldn't record the action from the street, because someone could get run over. (TMZ)
Jodie Sweetin called 911 when her now ex-fiance stormed out of their house claiming he wanted to kill himself ... and it led to him going to jail. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Sweetin told them Justin Hodak was out of control after they had a nuclear fight during which she ended the engagement. She said Hodak threatened to kill himself and she was worried he'd make good on his threat. Cops arrived and spoke with Jodie, who told them he had a gun in one of the bedrooms. Cops retrieved it, ran Hodak's rap sheet and found he was a felon, so possessing a gun was illegal. We're told Hodak returned home later and cops were waiting. They slapped the cuffs on him and took him to jail. Hodak bailed out a few hours later. We reached out, but he had no comment. (TMZ)
The teenage cancer patient whose dream came true when Beyonce FaceTimed her, has died. Ebony Banks lost her battle with the disease on Sunday, March 26, only four days after she got to speak with her idol over video chat. Candlelight vigils for the Houston-based student took place as Alief Hastings High School confirmed the sad news via Twitter. Banks, who went by Ebob, had spent most of her senior year in hospital after being diagnosed with a rare form of stage lV cancer. Her biggest wish was to meet Beyonce, and thanks to her classmates and family's social media campaign, it happened before she passed away. "Beyonce is one of her idols," Karina Gutierrez, a sophomore at Banks' school told ABC13 at the time. "She admires her so much, so we're trying to put that on Twitter and Instagram to get Beyonce's attention." It worked because Banks got to speak with the Grammy winning star, from her hospital bed via FaceTime. A clip of their meeting was shared online and Beyonce was waving and telling the high school student, "I love you." On March 16, Banks' high school district held a special early graduation ceremony for the teen at MD Anderson Hospital, where she was being treated. Her hope had been to attend college, where wanted study to become a pediatric nurse to help others battling cancer. (US Weekly)
THE OTHER STUFF . . .
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship is going from strength to strength, and now Hazza wants to move the Suits actress into Kensington Palace... Reports say that the couple are ready to take their relationship to the next step, with the 32-year-old royal looking to move his 35-year-old girlfriend into the royal establishment. The couple will be living next door to The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two children in an apartment which is currently being renovated. A source told the Daily Mail: "He keeps popping round and asking when it will be ready. "He seems in a real hurry to move in with Meghan." We all know what the next logical step is after they move in... shall we buy a hat, yet? Late last year Prince Harry was forced to release a statement regarding his relationship with Meghan. Via Kensington Palace's Twitter account, the statement confirmed his relationship with the 35-year-old Suits actress, and expressed his concerns over how she has been treated since the news of the pair's relationship broke. He stated that she had "been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment." And he also highlighted that she's been a victim of sexist and racist remarks. He even expressed concern for her family, stating that her mother has had to "struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door," and "nearly every friend, co-worker and loved one in her life" has been bombarded. He continued: "Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he cannot protect her. It's not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say that this is 'the price she has to pay' and that 'this is all part of the game'. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game - it is her life and his." He continued: "He has asked for this statement to be issued in the hopes that those in the press that have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done. He knows that it is unusual to issue a statement like this, but hopes that fair-minded people will understand why he has felt it necessary to speak publicly." (British Glamour)
Paris Jackson and Prince Jackson Prove They Are Each Other's Yin and Yang With Matching Tattoos. Siblings by blood, best friends by choice. Paris Jackson and her older brother Prince Jackson paid tribute to their unbreakable bond with a pair of coordinating ankle tattoos -- the yin and yang signs. "/yin/ [in Chinese philosophy] the passive female principle of the universe, characterized as female and sustaining and associated with structure, night, the moon, fluidity, calmness, the earth, darkness, cold, death, and ascends energy," Paris explained on Instagram. "/yang/ the active male principle of the universe, characterized as male and creative and associated with function, the sky and sun, speed, expression, heaven, heat, light, birth, and descends energy." The symbols were the perfect representations of their harmonious relationship. "Sometimes i feel like my big brother and i always think the same thoughts, he just doesn't have a filter and always vocalizes them," the 18-year-old continued. "Though total opposites, like my gooko and i, the inseparable yin and yang work together finding and causing balance within each other. matchies with my bestie." Meanwhile, 20-year-old Prince kept his explanation short and very sweet. "You are with me and I am with you," the eldest of the three Jackson siblings wrote. These are not the first pieces of body art for either. Paris previously told Rolling Stone she has 50 tattoos, including nine in memory of her famous father, Michael Jackson. One she had inked last year reads "Queen of My Heart" in the late pop star's handwriting. "He's brought me nothing but joy," she told the magazine. "So why not have constant reminders of joy?" Prince also has several previous tattoos done, including an image of Anubis, the Egyptian god of funerals and death, toting a bloody shank on his upper right shoulder blade. He also has a colorful arm and breastplate piece that look like armor. Both were done by Justin Lewis of Dermagraphink, who was also behind their matching symbols. However, Prince's most recent might also be his most sentimental yet. (Eonline)
Flip or Flop's Christina El Moussa Looks Almost Unrecognizable in Glamorous New Photo. Fans may know Flip or Flop's Christina El Moussa for the casual looks she wears on her hit HGTV show, but the 33-year-old recently revealed that she can pump up the glamour when she wants to. The Orange County, California, TV star shared a snap to Instagram Saturday from a shoot with photographer Damir K. In the photo, she's outfitted in a fitted black dress by Walter Mendez, featuring a high neckline, delicate gold detailing and keyhole chest cutout. "When I was asked by the super talented @damir_k to do a photoshoot you can bet I went for it," El Moussa captioned the shot. "@damir_k you are the best in the industry." The television star and mother-of-two gave a sneak peek at her ensemble earlier this month, posting a photo of herself from the back while attending a fitting. "Playing dress up at the most beautiful showroom ever- @waltercollection with @damir_k," she wrote to accompany the photo. "So excited about this upcoming shoot."
El Moussa's fashion choices have been highly talked about as of late. Earlier this week, she shared cute snaps on Instagram of herself with daughter Taylor Reese, 61/2, in matching two-piece lavender swimsuits. The TV star also recently opened about her divorce and how fitness has helped her deal with the stress. "Exercise is my stress reliever," the fit mom, who also shares 19-month-old son Brayden James with her ex Tarek El Moussa, told PEOPLE this week. "There is nothing like a good three-mile run for me to really clear my head and get my endorphins going." (People)
Music
James Blunt does NOT think You're Beautiful is an appropriate song for a wedding. "If you think You're Beautiful is romantic, you're f***ed up." If, like us, you've never really paid attention to the lyrics of James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful' all the way through, possibly due to falling into a coma, then you'll probably be totally on board with the many people who have chosen to have it as their wedding dance. However, in a typically entertaining interview, Blunt has explained why this is a terrible choice given the subject matter. Blunt told The Huffington Post, "Everyone goes, 'Ah, he's so romantic. I want 'You're Beautiful' as my wedding song.' These people are fucked up." But hang on, isn't it a lovely song about feeling very positive towards a lady? They covered it on Sesame Street! Er, no, says Blunt. "You get labeled with these things like, 'Oh, James Blunt. Isn't he just a soft romantic?' Well, fuck that. No, I'm not. 'You're Beautiful' is not this soft romantic fucking song. It's about a guy who's high as a fucking kite on drugs in the subway stalking someone else's girlfriend when that guy is there in front of him, and he should be locked up or put in prison for being some kind of perv." Blunt added that he was lucky to have been able to make a song that so many people love. "But too much of a good thing turns into a bad thing eventually, and it got a lot of airplay, and it doesn't take much to work out that kind of thing. I love hamburgers, but if you give me a hamburger for every meal I'm gonna tire of it," he said. "Is it an annoying song? No, it's not, unless it's shoved down your fucking throat a shitload." And while he might be a bit bored of 'You're Beautiful', he said that dismissing it altogether would be disrespectful to his fans. "The fact that you and I are talking really is only because of that song," he said. "It's one of the highlights of the concerts. Not the highlight, but one of them, and for me it's a highlight because it's almost the end of the concert and nearly time for a beer." Further proof that James Blunt is God's gift to interviews. What a hero. (British Glamour)
Charles Barkley Talks Nirvana Hotboxing Their 'SNL' Dressing Room In 1993. Just under two years after their performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on Saturday Night Live helped solidify Nirvana's journey to the pop stratosphere (that same month, Nevermind took the top spot on the Billboard 200 from Michael Jackson), the Seattle grunge band returned to SNL for a follow-up. Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic performed "Rape Me" and "Heart-Shaped Box" on SNL in 1993, but it's not the music that host Charles Barkley remembers. No, it's the weed. On a recent radio show chat with sportscaster Dan Patrick, NBA legend Barkley recalls Nirvana hotboxing their SNL dressing room and getting a contact high every time their door opened. "I didn't know anything about Nirvana," Barkley admitted, adding that their dressing rooms were about three feet apart. "First of all, they were fantastic. All the guys were really nice, and I think Courtney [Love] was there also. I had people coming in and out [of my dressing room], friends, so I kept the door open. But every time those guys from Nirvana opened their locked door, I got a contact high. It was like one of those big mushroom clouds came. I was scared to go to the airport [after that]." The other two times Barkley hosted SNL, Alicia Keys and Kelly Clarkson were the musical guests. No word if they hotboxed their dressing rooms, too. (Billboard)
Ed Sheeran Completes Another Chart Double Down Under. Ed Sheeran maintains his tight grip on Australia's charts as the Englishman logs an 11th consecutive week atop the national singles survey and a third week at No. 1 on the albums tally. Sheeran has 10 tracks in the top 50 of the ARIA Singles Chart, three of which are in the top ten, led by the four-times platinum "Shape of You" (Asylum/Warner) which enjoys an eleven-week unbroken run at No. 1. It's a streak not seen in these parts since the Spice Girls' breakthrough "Wannabe" ruled for a stretch in 1996 and 1997. Sheeran's "Castle on the Hill" dips 2-3 and "Galway Girl" slips 7-8 this week. Meanwhile, The Chainsmokers and Coldplay's "Something Just Like This" (Columbia/Sony) improves one place to No. 2, its debut and peak position, while Zedd featuring Alessia Cara's "Stay" (Interscope/Universal) improves 6-4 to give the German DJ his first appearance in the top 5. Kygo and Selena Gomez' "It Ain't Me" (Sony) is unmoved at No. 5. The week's top debut goes to Drake with "Passionfuit," the second track from his new album More Life (Universal). "Passionfruit" starts at No. 19, the same position "Fake Love" peaked at in December 2016. With a third week at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart with Divide, Sheeran completes another chart double and holds off Drake's new LP, which opens at No. 2. Adele's 25 (XL/Inertia) drops 2-3 in the week the singer wrapped up her first tour of Australia, while the Trolls (RCA/Sony) soundtrack improves 4-3 and Sheeran's diamond-certified Multiply slips 3-5. New albums by Zara Larsson, Milky Chance and Depeche Mode crack the top 20 this week. (Billboard)
Sia Sings about Songs on 'Sesame Street'. The letter "S" is for Sia, songs and, of course, Sesame Street. The Aussie singer and songwriter connected all the dots in a musical sequence on the long-running educational program. With a little help from Cookie Monster, Elmo, Grover and their furry little friends, Sia tackled a subject she knows a lot about in the ditty "S is for Songs." "S is for songs, and I love songs. Don't know what we'd do without them/I love songs so much I wanna sing a song about 'em," she sang. Sia, who happily clowned around for her spot wearing bright colors and a red nose, joins an illustrious lineup of musical guests who've appeared on the PBS show down through the years, from Destiny's Child to Johnny Cash, One Direction, B.B. King and many more. (Billboard)
Movies
'Beauty and the Beast': How Dan Stevens and the Sound Team Gave Beast His Roar. "There's a lot of Dan Stevens in the Beast," says supervising sound editor Warren Shaw. As Disney's Beauty and the Beast won its second weekend atop the North American box office, for a cume of $317 million, the sound team is spilling the secrets behind the sounds of the Beast, Cogsworth and the other magical characters. "There's a lot of Dan Stevens in the Beast," confirmed the film's supervising sound editor and designer Warren Shaw. "We did as much as we could with his work. He performed that part in a motion capture suit for months on set. But while it's a classic Hollywood trick to take a voice and lower the pitch to make it sound more like a monster, we couldn't just do that because the Beast sings and we had to keep everything in key. So basically we played with a lot of different processing elements and software, between the music department and myself, where the sound would also be in key with the music." Like recent Oscar darling La La Land, Beauty and the Beast the songs are a combination of live singing on set and recorded songs. "The roaring was a concentrated use of sound effects and sound design, but it was fun challenge to always keep him as an empathic character. We couldn't just use classic roaring sound effects because he had such a personality. A lot of what was done was finding the right sound that could be big and scary but give him that wonderful character. We did quite a bit with human voices and then I would listen to animals sounds for the most emotional ones. It was about how to keep the emotion in the story." It wasn't just the Beast that required careful thought, but the sounds made by all of the characters that were affected by the curse and transformed into object. "I came on this movie very early and I was on for a year, pretty much as soon as they were cutting picture," Shaw relates of his third collaboration with director Bill Condon (which also included The Fifth Estate and Mr. Holmes. "We'd have meetings with the musical department, visual effects department. We'd be talking about how the characters would develop. "I was getting pictures of what Cogsworth (voiced by Ian McKellen) would look like, long before he was animated," he continued. "I looked at little clocks, bells, toys. We had a room full of toys in our sound department and we would record each one and come up with a combination for each character. It was an evolution. Plumette (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) was fun -- a duster and a bird. Bill said we had to keep it feminine and gentle." Beauty and the Beast was mixed in native Dolby Atmos immersive sound. "So we were thinking from minute one with how to play things with the speakers and make the whole theatrical part of the sonic experience. The castle is huge so we wanted the sound to be above you and around you." Michael Minkler and Christian Minkler were the films's rerecording mixers. Since completing Beauty and the Beast, Shaw recently relocated from New York to Los Angeles to join audio postproduction company Formosa Group. (Hollywood Reporter)
Aaron Sorkin had some burning questions about the lack of diversity in writers' rooms -- an issue that he apparently didn't know much about until he visited the Writers Guild Festival on Saturday inside the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood. "Are you saying that women and minorities have a more difficult time getting their stuff read than white men and you're also saying that [white men] get to make mediocre movies and can continue on?" he asked the audience. The weekend-long festival, hosted in partnership with the Academy Education and Nicholl Fellowships Programs, featured headline panels with screenwriter notables including James Gunn ("Guardians of the Galaxy") and sneak peek screenings of Starz's "American Gods" and Fox's "Shots Fired," as well as a pitch competition and industry networking opportunities. Sorkin, Academy-Award winning screenwriter and executive producer ("The West Wing," "The Newsroom," "A Few Good Men") was in disbelief at the event during a discussion moderated by KCRW host and film critic Elvis Mitchell. Sorkin asserted that Hollywood is a genuine meritocracy and that he was unaware of Hollywood's existing diversity problem. "You may be confusing meritocracy with meretricious, happens all the time," Mitchell teased. Sorkin tried his best to focus on other unrelated questions from audience members, but was itching to learn more about the challenges many female and minorities face in regard to accessibility and opportunities. "You're saying that if you are a woman or a person of color, you have to hit it out of the park in order to get another chance?" Sorkin posed. Upon listing women and minority writers who are actively shifting this paradigm, Sorkin pointed to a handful of those who had produced work in recent years, including Lena Dunham, Ava Duvernay, and Jordan Peele. Genuinely troubled by his lack of awareness, he continued to ask away and ultimately offered assistance. "What can I do [to help]?" Sorkin said. "I do want to understand what someone like me can do ... but my thing has always been: 'If you write it, they will come.' "(Page Six)
'Life': How Sci-Fi Horror Gives Scientists a Bad Name. Fictional biologists have been paying for Victor Frankenstein's sins for years -- and the tradition continues in the Jake Gyllenhaal film. [Warning: This story contains spoilers for Life]. Many have noted that Daniel Espinosa's Life bares a strong resemblance to 1979's Alien, but there's actually a much earlier work that's surprisingly relevant to the new film: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In many ways, fictional scientists have been paying for the sins of Victor Frankenstein ever since the 1812 novel was released -- with scientists portrayed as meddlers who bring disaster upon the world. The scientists of Life, in many ways, are no different. Sci-fi horror films tap specifically into fears related to science, with worries rooted in real-world current events. Movie physicists had a particularly hard time after World War II (see: Godzilla). Movie biologists, meanwhile, with a few notable exceptions such as last year's The Martian, have had a pretty consistently poor cinematic track record. One of the reasons for this is that the real fears so often embodied by movie biologists are only tangentially related to things that real scientists have actually done -- which brings us to Life and Frankenstein. In Life, Calvin only goes from friendly space-Flubber to bloodthirsty blob-monster after exobiologist Dr. Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare) decides it's a good idea to try electrocuting the extraterrestrial out of a trauma-induced dormancy. The movie tries to present this, and Derry's general treatment of Calvin, as a sort of hubristic, "scientific curiosity gone too far," sort of situation, as sci-fi horror so often does. The issue is that there is nothing scientific about Derry's fateful decision, only what we might call "Frankensteinian" -- and not even the James Whale thunder-lightning-"It's alive!" Frankenstein, but the Mary Shelley original: "I collected the instruments of life around me that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet." 1931's 'Frankenstein' Let's zap it to make it do stuff isn't the rationale of a scientific mind made dangerous by ethical and/or philosophical nearsightedness (as evidenced by the parallel of the character requiring glasses), it's the attitude one might expect from children unsupervised at a zoo. Calvin goes dormant as a result of extreme, short-term environmental stress caused by a technical malfunction in the lab. Attempting to coax an organism out of a stress-induced dormancy by introducing a new stressor, especially when the physiology of said organism is still largely unknown, is pretty impossible to justify from a scientific angle -- unless, of course, you are viewing science through the lens of Frankenstein, as the media often does, whether that be in movies or news articles that mention the fictional scientist when discussing controversial topics from GMO crops to stem cell research. But making Frankenstein the poster boy for the dangers of science is flawed; he represents science about as much as Scientology. And though "Beware of science" might be what many take away from narratives from Frankenstein to Life, there is a fundamental issue here: stories about the horrors of science very often make use of objectively bad science. The core of science is the scientific method. Curiosity might fuel it, but it is the scientific method that actually defines the machine. It's the skeleton which gives science its shape. When science fiction takes this skeleton away, it's no wonder that what's left behind is so often a nightmarish, misshapen monster. Science is all about protocol, but take a minute to try to think of a sci-fi horror film that doesn't involve protocol breach. It's not impossible, but it might take you a while. Life does actually attempt to address the importance of protocol in science, such as when CDC-sourced Quarantine Officer Dr. Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson) takes issue with Derry's treatment of Calvin ("this will never be a controlled experiment"). It also puts one of the most significant protocol breaches in the hands of engineer Roy Adams (Ryan Reynolds), who is characterized as an affable handyman type instead of being more traditionally "science-coded" -- an important distinction between Life and Alien, which handed the fate-sealing protocol breach to Science Officer Ash (even if he is ultimately revealed to be a fraud in more ways than one). So perhaps there are some subtle allusions to this issue, but ultimately Life still presents us with the dangers of bad science without really identifying it as such. All of this is not to say that there is not a "dark side" to science, only that many sci-fi horror narratives, with Life being the most recent, do not really show the dangers of science, but rather the dangers of science done poorly. "Disasters can happen when people are bad at their jobs" is less of a critique of the nature of scientific inquiry and more of a basic truism. At multiple points in Life, the characters consider who among them is to blame for the Calvin situation. They seem to agree on a sort of shared responsibility, which is quite noble, but perhaps unwarranted -- after all, they only stumbled when they followed in the footsteps of Dr. Frankenstein. (Hollywood Reporter)
TV
Cash Cab Is Coming Back Thanks to Discovery Channel. All (literally) hail the Cash Cab. Discovery Channel is giving New Yorkers and tourists another chance to win money while traveling to their destinations. That's right, Cash Cab is coming back to TV to report to duty! The game show will follow its original format, picking up unsuspecting passengers and giving them the chance to win money on the way to their destination, reports The Hollywood Reporter. They can reach out to friends via phone, text or social media, but if they answer three questions incorrectly they get booted from the cab. The upcoming reboot, however, will feature a surprising twist: stars from the worlds of comedy, film and TV will get behind the wheel of the cab itself as they pick up unsuspecting passengers. Ben Bailey hosted the original game show, but a new name has not been announced. Other game shows to be revived are The Gong Show, Battle of the Network Stars and a reboot of Love Connection with Andy Cohen. If you're in New York City, keep a lookout for minivan cabs because one of them might just be the cash cab. Are you excited for Cash Cab to come back later this year? (Eonline)
The Magicians Enlists a Nearly Unrecognizable Candis Cayne as the Fairy Queen. Get ready to meet the Fairy Queen, Magicians fans! E! News can exclusively reveal that the magical and dangerous deity whose people Margo (Summer Bishil) made quite a deal with last week on the Syfy series will come face-to-face with the High Queen of Fillory in the season two finale and she'll be played by none other than I Am Cait alum Candis Cayne. And judging by the first look photo of Candis in action, the Fairy Queen is not to be trifled with. Consider this a warning, Margo! "I am so excited to be joining Syfy's The Magicians as the highly-anticipated 'Fairy Queen,'" Candis said in a statement. "It was so much fun transforming into this dark and mysterious character, and I cannot wait for fans to be immersed into her world and see how she affects Fillory!" And affect Fillory, she will. You'll recall that in last week's episode, Margo struck a last-minute bargain with the Ambassador to the Fairies to bring magic back to the Well Spring so she could keep Eliot (Hale Appleman) alive in his duel against King Edri. Their demand? A royal child of the Whitespire--AKA Eliot and Fen's unborn royal baby--to raise as a Fairy and teach it great knowledge and power. Margo may think she'll be able to weasel her way out of the deal down the road, but something tells the Fairy Queen won't be interested in any takesies backsies. There's still plenty of fish to fry before Margo's big showdown with Fairy Queen, however. In next week's all-new episode, she'll struggle to keep her devastating trade under wraps, while Eliot attempts to win over his people. Meanwhile, Quentin (Jason Ralph) will help Julia (Stella Maeve) with her search, while Penny (Arjun Gupta) and Kady (Jade Tailor) find themselves caught between two magical factions. Are you loving Candis' look as the Fairy Queen? The Magicians airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Syfy. (Eonline)
The Walking Dead Sets the Stage For the Finale as Rick Does the One Thing You've Been Waiting For Him to Do. Well, that was all rather unsurprising. In The Walking Dead's penultimate episode of season seven, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the gang finally got around to doing the one thing we all knew they would do before the finale. What was it? Overpower those poor women at the Oceanside camp and steal all their guns, of course. Ever since Tara (Alanna Masterson) wound up in their care, laying eyes upon their massive arsenal, it was only a matter of time until the Alexandrians would show up and prove they're not so different from Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) when it comes right down to it. Just because their our heroes doesn't mean we ought to overlook the fact that they've essentially left those women completely unable to protect themselves -- you know, just like Negan did to Alexandria back in the day. So, they've got their guns. Off to war we go. Elsewhere, we learned of Sasha's (Sonequa Martin-Green) fate after last week's episode ended with her running into the Sanctuary, guns blazing. Like Daryl (Norman Reedus) before her, she wound up in the cell. How? We don't know because the writers decided not to show us. But she's there nonetheless, watching would-be rapists get knifes to the neck and begging Eugene (Josh McDermitt) for a weapon under the guise of a suicide wish, but when all he offers up is his poison, her disappointment clued us into her continued desire to take Negan down from the inside. Oh, and that shadowy figure who Rosita (Christian Serratos) encountered outside the gate last week? It wasn't Daryl after all. No, as we learned in the final moments once Rick and the gang returned home from their thieving, it was Dwight (Austin Amelio) who's finally ready to join the fight against his dastardly leader. This is going to get interesting. What did you think about Rick and the gang taking the guns? A necessary action or a dick move? The Walking Dead season finale airs Sunday, April 2 at 9 p.m. on AMC. (Eonline)
Car Crash Scandal! Megan Grows Even More Suspicious of Terence After He Covers Up a Major Crime on The Arrangement. "I have Captain Davis on the phone for you." There was a major car crash cover-up on Sunday's episode of The Arrangement. On the episode, Kyle (Josh Henderson) and Megan (Christine Evangelista) worked things out after Megan was replaced on Kyle's movie The Kill Plan. After making up, Kyle and Megan decided to go on a double date with Kyle's friend and superstar athlete Brandon (Colin Lawrence) and his wife Claudia (Leah Gibson). But the date took a scary turn while Brandon was driving everyone home after a few drinks at a karaoke bar. Kyle and Megan were in the backseat when Claudia started to argue with Brandon about him autographing a lady's behind. The arguing then turned into flirting and a distracted Brandon swerved the car into oncoming traffic! Brandon was able to swerve out of the way, but the driver on the other side of the road crashed. Megan and Kyle ran over to check on the driver, found that he was unconscious and pulled him out of the car. That's when Kyle made a call and shortly after, Terence (Michael Vartan) showed up while police were arresting Brandon. Terence handed his phone to a police officer, explaining he had his captain on the line for him. After talking to his captain, the police officer said Brandon was "free to go." The next morning, Kyle and Megan saw that the story has been spun (by Terence) in the press to make it look like Kyle and Brandon saved the driver. "This is all a lie!" Megan said to Kyle. "Terence gets Brandon out of a DUI, then has him spin some bulls--t story about being a hero and now he has to commit to the Institute, right?" When she started to question Terence's actions, Kyle explained that Terence "saved" his life and everything he has that's good in his life, including Megan, he was because of Terence. (Eonline)
She'd do it! Kathy Bates hinted that Sarah Paulson might play the late Princess Diana in season 2 of Ryan Murphy's Feud series. The speculation began when Bates, 68, and Paulson, 42, joined their American Horror Story: Roanoke costars at a PaleyFest panel in Beverly Hills on Sunday, March 26. Bates repeatedly called Paulson "the people's princess," which was the Princess of Wales' nickname before she died in a car crash at the age of 36 in 1997. Last month, it was confirmed that Murphy's anthology series would next concentrate on Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The pair were married from 1981 to 1996 and they are parents of Prince William and Prince Harry. Prince Charles has been married to Camilla Parker Bowles since April 2005. Earlier this month, Paulson told Entertainment Tonight that she would be thrilled to take on the Princess Di role. "I wanna play the Queen Mother!" she said at the time. "I don't think [Murphy's] gonna let me do that. That might be a bridge too far. He might also be like, 'Oh, lady... no!' I could play one of the corgis." Currently, season one of Feud focuses on the historic relationship between legendary actresses Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) during the making of the 1962 horror camp classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. (US Weekly)
Kim Kardashian Reveals Plans to Have a Third Child With Kanye West! Kim Kardashian wants baby No. 3! In this shocking promo for next Sunday's brand new episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the E! star drops a baby bombshell. "I'm going to try to have one more baby," Kanye West's other half says. However, Kim, who's had difficult pregnancies in the past with daughter North West and son Saint West, encounters some hiccups while trying to get pregnant again. "I want my kids to have siblings but the doctors don't feel like it's safe for me," Kim adds. (Eonline)
Former Obama Press Secretary Josh Earnest Joining NBC News as Political Analyst. He served as White House press secretary from 2014-2017. President Obama's White House press secretary Josh Earnest has joined NBC News as a political analyst. Earnest made his debut on Monday morning's Today and Morning Joe, with Today announcing Earnest's new position, followed by the below staff memo sent out by NBC News president Noah Oppenheim and MSNBC president Phil Griffin. Earnest spent 10 years working with Obama, starting as the then-Senator's Iowa communications director in March 2007. He served as deputy communications director during the 2008 general election. He most notably served as White House press secretary from 2014 to 2017. Read Oppenheim and Griffin's full staff memo below. We are pleased to announce that Josh Earnest will join NBC News and MSNBC as a Political Analyst. As you may have seen, he made his debut this morning on TODAY and Morning Joe. Josh recently completed a ten-year run with President Obama, most recently serving as White House Press Secretary from 2014-2017. Josh joined the Obama presidential campaign in March 2007 as the Iowa communications director, and went on to serve as deputy communications director during the 2008 general election. Josh has also worked on numerous national, statewide and local campaigns over the course of his twenty years in politics. A native of Kansas City, Josh graduated from Rice University with a degree in political science and policy studies. With his wealth of experience and insight, Josh will be a great addition to our roster of contributors and will be an asset for our two networks as we continue to cover the White House, Congress and politics beyond the Beltway. Please join us in welcoming Josh. Noah and Phil (Hollywood Reporter)
Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter Welcome Baby No. 2. Congratulations are in order for Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter. The couple welcomed their second child together on March 3, People confirms. News of the child's birth was first reported over the weekend. E! New has reached out to Cumberbatch's rep for additional details. Cumberbatch and a then-pregnant Hunter tied the knot at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul on the Isle of Wight on Valentine's Day in 2015, as guests including Tom Hiddleston and Andrew Scott looked on. The newlyweds welcomed a baby boy, Christopher "Kit" Carlton, in June. In October 2016, E! News exclusively revealed Hunter was pregnant with her second child. "Everyone is thrilled," Cumberbatch's rep said at the time. The mom-to-be, an opera and theater director, debuted her bump on the red carpet at the L.A. premiere of Doctor Strange. "Having a baby -- it's massive. And on a very unexpected level," Cumberbatch told Vanity Fair in November. "Suddenly I understood my parents much more profoundly than I ever had before." Tilda Swinton, who also starred in Doctor Strange, said family life suits Cumberbatch perfectly. "My fondest impression of him is as a new husband besotted by his girl, and a new father enchanted by his boy," the actress gushed. "I think he knows what he wants -- and has -- a life first and foremost, that his life suits and nourishes him and that it makes the world go round." Cumberbatch will next appear onscreen in The Current War and Thor: Ragnarok. (Eonline)
Sandra Bullock Is ''Not Opposed'' to Expanding Her Family: ''Having Children Is What She's Most Proud of in Life." Sandra Bullock's children might have a little brother or sister in the near future! An insider shares a brand new update with E! News about the Gravity star's life at home with longtime love Bryan Randall and her two little ones, 7-year old son Louis Bullock and 5-year-old daughter Laila Bullock. "Sandra is not opposed to having more kids in the future," our source says. "She has her hands full with her career, but having children is what she is most proud of in her life." And while Bullock is no rush to tie the knot with her photographer beau, their relationship is as serious as it gets. The insider reveals, "They have discussed spending their life together" and consider themselves "pretty much" married. A second source tells E! News Sandra is currently enjoying some much-needed R&R on vacation with her entire family. An eyewitness tells us Bryan and Sandra's kids shared an adorable bonding moment on the plane. While little Laila was sitting with Bullock, Bryan was "very sweet and patient" with Louis. "They ate snacks together and colored pictures," the eyewitness continues, adding, "When they walked off the plane, Bryan was holding Louis' hand and Sandra was holding Laila's." Aww! After suffering a contentious breakup with Jesse James, a source previously told us Sandra is at the "top of her game at work" and "more in love now" with Bryan than ever before. "They are perfect," the source said. "They have been both working so it was hard for them to see each other as often as they normally do, but while Sandra works Bryan helps out with the kids. He is like the kids' dad. He is a great guy and makes Sandra really happy." Great to hear this family is only getting stronger! (Eonline)
Kate Hudson Packs on the PDA With Rumored Love Interest Danny Fujikawa in New York City. Can you feel the love tonight? Kate Hudson sure can. The actress was spotted in New York City on Saturday evening stealing a kiss from her rumored new man, Danny Fujikawa. E! News has learned Kate and Danny enjoyed dinner at Italian eatery Tutto il Giorno, before taking to the streets for a late night stroll through downtown. Kate, 37, didn't shy away from packing on the PDA as she walked arm-in-arm with the indie singer-songwriter and stopped in the middle of the street for a smooch. She dressed for the chilly weather in a bulky cargo jacket, graphic T-shirt and denim jeans while Danny buttoned up in a heavy coat. The potential couple was photographed arriving into the Big Apple on Friday afternoon, less than a week after speculation started swirling that Hudson had linked up with a new love interest. Though it's unclear if Fujikawa, who played guitar for now broken-up band Chief before co-founding Lightwave Records, joined his rumored girlfriend for the show, Kate did post to Instagram about her Saturday night spent on Broadway watching Dear Evan Hansen. "I just balled my eyes out watching this brilliant performance by @bensplatt and the entire cast of @dearevanhansen," she captioned a photo with lead actor Ben Platt. "Loved every second! What an experience, thank you to everyone on this production for creating such a special musical that is so deeply moving you have to take a long second or an hour to gather yourself." The morning after, Kate and Danny were spotted once again Sunday out and about on a shopping expedition. It's currently unclear what's really going on between Kate and Danny, but if we know one thing about the Almost Famous star, she has a thing for artistic types. Kate was previously married to The Black Crowes frontman Chris Robinson, who she shares 13-year-old son Ryder with, and in 2014, she called off her engagement to Muse rocker Matt Bellamy. The two co-parent 7-year-old son Bingham together. She was previously linked to DJ Diplo, but as an insider shared with E! News, their relationship is "casual and fun." (Eonline)
Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez Continue Their West Coast Love Affair With Romantic Dinner Date. Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez got more bounce in California than all y'all combined. The A-list couple's time in Los Angeles continued Saturday with a romantic dinner date at Italian hotspot, Madeo. J. Lo was photographed leaving the restaurant looking fabulous as ever in a leather midi-skirt, cropped plaid blazer and sleek ponytail. She accessorized the chic look with a pair of embellished pumps and a black handbag swung over her shoulder. Meanwhile, the retired baseball star was spotted slipping into their ride in a casual pair of jeans and button down. Their latest outing follows a day spent working up a sweat at the Beverly Hills gym of J.Lo's trainer Gunnar Peterson. Jennifer and Alex then headed to the pop singer's Bel-Air home and later spent a portion of their evening inside the super exclusive Bel-Air Hotel. And despite neither having commented on their relatively new romance, an insider recently told E! News that things between Lopez and Rodriguez won't be cooling off as quickly as some may have assumed. "All his friends can tell he really likes J.Lo [but] in the beginning they thought this may just be a fling," our source revealed. "Friends are slowly thinking this may actually be a great match. He calls J.Lo his 'lady'. He would wife her up in a heartbeat...she is different than other people he's dated." Another source added, "Jennifer and Alex are heating up big time. They went from zero to 100 really quick." No word yet on where this oh-so hot duo is heading next, but given they've already crossed L.A., Miami and the Bahamas off their bucket list, expect somewhere big. After all, this is J. Lo and A-Rod we're talking about here. (Eonline)
Eminem's Daughter Hailie Mathers Is a Grown-Up College Student. Eminem must be one proud dad. His daughter, Hailie Jade Scott Mathers, is living life as a normal college student, having grown up without anyone realizing it! Hailie, who was the subject of many of her father's famous rap songs, is studying at Michigan State University after graduating from high school with honors. Just one peek at Hailie's Instagram makes you realize that she isn't a little girl anymore. Whether she's posting cute pictures of her and her boyfriend or snapping model-status shots, Hailie stuns. The 21-year-old student also isn't afraid to try bold looks, as she often posts photos of herself in tight crop tops and risque dresses. Beauty and brains, Hailie left high school summa cum laude -- meaning she earned at least a 3.9 GPA -- and gave a heartfelt tribute to her parents, naming them "most influential during my lifetime." "My mother and father are because they have pushed me to be the person I am and have given me all the support to achieve what I have," Hailie said. During her high school years, Hailie was a member of the National Honor Society, the Art Club, the Key Club and Student Council and also played volleyball. She received the school's Academic Excellence Award and the Department of Psychology Award. Now that she's at Michigan State, we're sure she's absolutely killing it academically. Hailie is the only daughter Eminem shares with ex-wife Kim Mathers, but he also has full custody of two other girls, Whitney Mathers and Alaina Mathers. (Eonline)
Cuba Gooding Jr. lifted up Sarah Paulson's dress during an "American Horror Story" event, and while they both laughed it off ... some fans think he crossed the line. The co-stars were doing a panel discussion in L.A. when Sarah turned to greet Kathy Bates, and Cuba took the opportunity to hike up her dress ... seemingly to playfully check out her legs. You can see Sarah appeared to take it as a joke. Sarah and Cuba are pretty close -- they already worked together on 'People vs. O.J.' -- but some fans in the audience reacted on social media ... calling him a "d**k" who shouldn't be allowed around Sarah. Others described Kathy as being visibly appalled. Everything continued smoothly onstage though. (TMZ)
Nia Long's past diva behavior on movie sets has come back to "bite her in the butt" after reports surfaced that she was "nasty and rude" to the crew when she guest-starred on "Empire." "Every dog has their day. She does a lot of wrong to people, and now it's biting her in the butt," a source told Page Six of Long, whose credits include "Friday" and "Big Momma's House." "She has a history of giving people a hard time, especially wardrobe and makeup." Long was allegedly so rude to the "Empire" crew, co-star Taraji P. Henson had to step in. TMZ reported that Henson told Long, "What are you on .?.?. Your period?" The show's hair and makeup staff reportedly lodged a workplace complaint against Long, the site said. Long's reps told TMZ they were not aware of any complaints. But we're told this isn't the first time Long has allegedly acted up on set. A source said she held up shooting on 2013's "The Best Man Holiday" because "she insisted her character wear white when the director wanted everyone in black" for a funeral scene. The source said, "She threw a huge fit and held up production for nearly an hour because she refused to wear black .?.?. She argued, 'My character wouldn't be wearing black to a funeral! She would wear white!' They eventually gave in because they felt like it was a frivolous battle." Another source who worked on the project did not recall the incident, saying, "She seemed lovely to me." But the first source said, "Nia knows she's demanding .?.?. She says it's because she's so passionate about the art." "Empire" executive producer Ilene Chaiken exclusively told Page Six: "Nia is a gifted actress, and we're grateful for the incredible work she did on 'Empire' in this pivotal role. Her character Giuliana is a nemesis for Cookie [Henson], and the stories in the press would appear to be conflating that fiction with reality. We can't wait for the fans to enjoy her spectacular turn on the show. It's pure 'Empire' drama." Long's rep dismissed any drama by saying, "We find the timing of all of these stories to be very suspicious," since the new season on "Empire" debuted Wednesday. (Page Six)
Val Kilmer is making his admiration for Cate Blanchett very clear. The Top Gun and Batman Forever star spent his weekend flooding his Twitter account with unsolicited posts lauding Blanchett, with whom he appeared with in the 2003 Western The Missing. Kilmer started off his bizarre rant on Friday by claiming he once flew to the actress' native Australia to see her, only to be met by her husband Andrew Upton. "Once I flew all the way to Australia just to talk to Cate Blanchett. Her husband met me first. Or, instead, I guess, to be accurate," the 57-year-old actor wrote, along with a selfie of himself. He followed up a few minutes later by writing, "And recently I've had 2 dreams with #CateBlanchett in them. Her husband wasn't in either of them." Blanchett has been married to Australian playwright Andrew Upton since 1997. They have four children, Dashiell John, 15; Roman Robert, 12; Ignatius Martin, 8; and Edith Vivian Patricia, whose adoption the couple announced three years ago. Kilmer then retweeted a fan's photo of Blanchett, 47, from over a week ago, which they tweeted in honor of "Woman Crush Wednesday." The next day, Kilmer visited the World Trade Center memorial in New York City -- but that didn't stop him from continuing his raving about Blanchett. "She's just as amazing in person," he picked up. "Some super stars aren't-Some superstars don't do a thing to ya in person-Cate is so real it's almost unreal." Kilmer then revealed that he once forgot his lines while acting alongside the mother of four -- because he was so "dazzled" by how she picked up a shovel. "Once I did a cameo just to hang w/ #cateblanchett who picked up a shovel in our sc. I was so dazzled by HOW she picked it up I forgot my line," he wrote. After sharing a photo and video of the Sept. 11 monument, Kilmer shared a photo of Blanchett. "I mean even if she couldnt act you know what I mean?" he captioned the black and white image. After taking a short break, the tweetstorm continued Sunday evening, addressing those who called him out on his rant. "I've never done said or written a single idea that wasn't of the highest respect and admiration for #cateblanchett or any other great talent," said Kilmer over a series of tweets. "She's a friend of mine and I've met her husband thru the years and we've all gotten along just fine. Anyone who thinks I need to curb my enthusiasm for a great rare artist doesn't understand how difficult the job is and how we artist count on the respect of our peers. She will back up every word I say n love that I say I love her. I would love an actor I didn't even enjoy if he flew the world to talk about a role." In 2006, the actor told Elle that Blanchett was the famous woman he'd most like to have on speed dial. Kilmer said that although he did not tell his costar of his admiration outright, he believes she was aware. "I think she probably got a sense of it when I not only forgot my dialogue in the scene, I forgot that I was acting, I forgot I was on a movie set, and I just stood there staring at her." (People)
A former contestant on "America's Next Top Model" was one of several people shot at an apartment complex in Houston ... and we've confirmed the model's in critical condition in intensive care. We've confirmed Brandy Rusher's one of the victims, a former finalist on 'ANTM.' 2 people were reportedly killed and 4 others were shot. There's a manhunt underway for the suspects. The incident went down Sunday night when a car drove up to the complex and opened fire with a high-powered rifle. Brandy was on season 4 on 'Top Model' ... she was a finalist. (TMZ)
Rapper Fetty Wap Involved in New Jersey Shooting That Left Three People Wounded: Report. Fetty Wap found himself in the crossfire of a violent altercation over the weekend. Local USA Today affiliate The Paterson Press reports the rapper was involved in a dispute that led to gunfire at a 24-hour deli in his hometown of Paterson, New Jersey in the early hours of Saturday morning. The hip hop star was not injured in the incident. Law enforcement authorities tell the publication that Fetty Wap (real name Willie Maxwell) and a group of friends were present when shots were fired around 5 a.m. local time. Three people reportedly sustained non-life threatening injuries and were transported to two local hospitals for treatment. Police say Fetty Wap and his friends are not considered suspects in the shooting or a robbery that also happened that night. Authorities did not confirm to The Paterson Press that the incident also involved a fellow recording artist, and did not offer information on the victims' relationship with Fetty Wap. Additionally, it is currently unclear as to why the dispute broke out. The "Trap Queen" rapper has yet to comment publicly on the incident, though he did share multiple tweets throughout Sunday. "Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light," he wrote, later adding, "Nothing is certain, everything is possible" and, "Overthinking leads to negative thoughts!!" E! News has reached out to Fetty Wap's team for comment. (Eonline)
Matt McGorry just won a legal victory against a member of the Beverly Hills Police Dept. who tried to stop him from recording an incident to make sure the cops behaved properly. Matt happened upon a traffic accident involving a Latino, so he grabbed his cell phone and pushed record to make sure law enforcement stayed on the up and up. The "Orange Is the New Black" star is big in the Black Lives Matter movement and feels strongly ... video keeps cops in line. Problem is ... the civilian traffic enforcement officer who Matt was recording wasn't having it and ordered Matt to stop. Matt was defiant, continuing to record and questioning the officer. Matt posted the video and that got the attention of the brass at the Beverly Hills PD. We've learned they've invited him to come to the station to have a chitchat where they will make clear ... he had every right to record the incident. The brass wants to make one other point ... he shouldn't record the action from the street, because someone could get run over. (TMZ)
Jodie Sweetin called 911 when her now ex-fiance stormed out of their house claiming he wanted to kill himself ... and it led to him going to jail. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Sweetin told them Justin Hodak was out of control after they had a nuclear fight during which she ended the engagement. She said Hodak threatened to kill himself and she was worried he'd make good on his threat. Cops arrived and spoke with Jodie, who told them he had a gun in one of the bedrooms. Cops retrieved it, ran Hodak's rap sheet and found he was a felon, so possessing a gun was illegal. We're told Hodak returned home later and cops were waiting. They slapped the cuffs on him and took him to jail. Hodak bailed out a few hours later. We reached out, but he had no comment. (TMZ)
The teenage cancer patient whose dream came true when Beyonce FaceTimed her, has died. Ebony Banks lost her battle with the disease on Sunday, March 26, only four days after she got to speak with her idol over video chat. Candlelight vigils for the Houston-based student took place as Alief Hastings High School confirmed the sad news via Twitter. Banks, who went by Ebob, had spent most of her senior year in hospital after being diagnosed with a rare form of stage lV cancer. Her biggest wish was to meet Beyonce, and thanks to her classmates and family's social media campaign, it happened before she passed away. "Beyonce is one of her idols," Karina Gutierrez, a sophomore at Banks' school told ABC13 at the time. "She admires her so much, so we're trying to put that on Twitter and Instagram to get Beyonce's attention." It worked because Banks got to speak with the Grammy winning star, from her hospital bed via FaceTime. A clip of their meeting was shared online and Beyonce was waving and telling the high school student, "I love you." On March 16, Banks' high school district held a special early graduation ceremony for the teen at MD Anderson Hospital, where she was being treated. Her hope had been to attend college, where wanted study to become a pediatric nurse to help others battling cancer. (US Weekly)
THE OTHER STUFF . . .
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's relationship is going from strength to strength, and now Hazza wants to move the Suits actress into Kensington Palace... Reports say that the couple are ready to take their relationship to the next step, with the 32-year-old royal looking to move his 35-year-old girlfriend into the royal establishment. The couple will be living next door to The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their two children in an apartment which is currently being renovated. A source told the Daily Mail: "He keeps popping round and asking when it will be ready. "He seems in a real hurry to move in with Meghan." We all know what the next logical step is after they move in... shall we buy a hat, yet? Late last year Prince Harry was forced to release a statement regarding his relationship with Meghan. Via Kensington Palace's Twitter account, the statement confirmed his relationship with the 35-year-old Suits actress, and expressed his concerns over how she has been treated since the news of the pair's relationship broke. He stated that she had "been subject to a wave of abuse and harassment." And he also highlighted that she's been a victim of sexist and racist remarks. He even expressed concern for her family, stating that her mother has had to "struggle past photographers in order to get to her front door," and "nearly every friend, co-worker and loved one in her life" has been bombarded. He continued: "Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he cannot protect her. It's not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm. He knows commentators will say that this is 'the price she has to pay' and that 'this is all part of the game'. He strongly disagrees. This is not a game - it is her life and his." He continued: "He has asked for this statement to be issued in the hopes that those in the press that have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done. He knows that it is unusual to issue a statement like this, but hopes that fair-minded people will understand why he has felt it necessary to speak publicly." (British Glamour)
Paris Jackson and Prince Jackson Prove They Are Each Other's Yin and Yang With Matching Tattoos. Siblings by blood, best friends by choice. Paris Jackson and her older brother Prince Jackson paid tribute to their unbreakable bond with a pair of coordinating ankle tattoos -- the yin and yang signs. "/yin/ [in Chinese philosophy] the passive female principle of the universe, characterized as female and sustaining and associated with structure, night, the moon, fluidity, calmness, the earth, darkness, cold, death, and ascends energy," Paris explained on Instagram. "/yang/ the active male principle of the universe, characterized as male and creative and associated with function, the sky and sun, speed, expression, heaven, heat, light, birth, and descends energy." The symbols were the perfect representations of their harmonious relationship. "Sometimes i feel like my big brother and i always think the same thoughts, he just doesn't have a filter and always vocalizes them," the 18-year-old continued. "Though total opposites, like my gooko and i, the inseparable yin and yang work together finding and causing balance within each other. matchies with my bestie." Meanwhile, 20-year-old Prince kept his explanation short and very sweet. "You are with me and I am with you," the eldest of the three Jackson siblings wrote. These are not the first pieces of body art for either. Paris previously told Rolling Stone she has 50 tattoos, including nine in memory of her famous father, Michael Jackson. One she had inked last year reads "Queen of My Heart" in the late pop star's handwriting. "He's brought me nothing but joy," she told the magazine. "So why not have constant reminders of joy?" Prince also has several previous tattoos done, including an image of Anubis, the Egyptian god of funerals and death, toting a bloody shank on his upper right shoulder blade. He also has a colorful arm and breastplate piece that look like armor. Both were done by Justin Lewis of Dermagraphink, who was also behind their matching symbols. However, Prince's most recent might also be his most sentimental yet. (Eonline)
Flip or Flop's Christina El Moussa Looks Almost Unrecognizable in Glamorous New Photo. Fans may know Flip or Flop's Christina El Moussa for the casual looks she wears on her hit HGTV show, but the 33-year-old recently revealed that she can pump up the glamour when she wants to. The Orange County, California, TV star shared a snap to Instagram Saturday from a shoot with photographer Damir K. In the photo, she's outfitted in a fitted black dress by Walter Mendez, featuring a high neckline, delicate gold detailing and keyhole chest cutout. "When I was asked by the super talented @damir_k to do a photoshoot you can bet I went for it," El Moussa captioned the shot. "@damir_k you are the best in the industry." The television star and mother-of-two gave a sneak peek at her ensemble earlier this month, posting a photo of herself from the back while attending a fitting. "Playing dress up at the most beautiful showroom ever- @waltercollection with @damir_k," she wrote to accompany the photo. "So excited about this upcoming shoot."
El Moussa's fashion choices have been highly talked about as of late. Earlier this week, she shared cute snaps on Instagram of herself with daughter Taylor Reese, 61/2, in matching two-piece lavender swimsuits. The TV star also recently opened about her divorce and how fitness has helped her deal with the stress. "Exercise is my stress reliever," the fit mom, who also shares 19-month-old son Brayden James with her ex Tarek El Moussa, told PEOPLE this week. "There is nothing like a good three-mile run for me to really clear my head and get my endorphins going." (People)
Music
James Blunt does NOT think You're Beautiful is an appropriate song for a wedding. "If you think You're Beautiful is romantic, you're f***ed up." If, like us, you've never really paid attention to the lyrics of James Blunt's 'You're Beautiful' all the way through, possibly due to falling into a coma, then you'll probably be totally on board with the many people who have chosen to have it as their wedding dance. However, in a typically entertaining interview, Blunt has explained why this is a terrible choice given the subject matter. Blunt told The Huffington Post, "Everyone goes, 'Ah, he's so romantic. I want 'You're Beautiful' as my wedding song.' These people are fucked up." But hang on, isn't it a lovely song about feeling very positive towards a lady? They covered it on Sesame Street! Er, no, says Blunt. "You get labeled with these things like, 'Oh, James Blunt. Isn't he just a soft romantic?' Well, fuck that. No, I'm not. 'You're Beautiful' is not this soft romantic fucking song. It's about a guy who's high as a fucking kite on drugs in the subway stalking someone else's girlfriend when that guy is there in front of him, and he should be locked up or put in prison for being some kind of perv." Blunt added that he was lucky to have been able to make a song that so many people love. "But too much of a good thing turns into a bad thing eventually, and it got a lot of airplay, and it doesn't take much to work out that kind of thing. I love hamburgers, but if you give me a hamburger for every meal I'm gonna tire of it," he said. "Is it an annoying song? No, it's not, unless it's shoved down your fucking throat a shitload." And while he might be a bit bored of 'You're Beautiful', he said that dismissing it altogether would be disrespectful to his fans. "The fact that you and I are talking really is only because of that song," he said. "It's one of the highlights of the concerts. Not the highlight, but one of them, and for me it's a highlight because it's almost the end of the concert and nearly time for a beer." Further proof that James Blunt is God's gift to interviews. What a hero. (British Glamour)
Charles Barkley Talks Nirvana Hotboxing Their 'SNL' Dressing Room In 1993. Just under two years after their performance of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" on Saturday Night Live helped solidify Nirvana's journey to the pop stratosphere (that same month, Nevermind took the top spot on the Billboard 200 from Michael Jackson), the Seattle grunge band returned to SNL for a follow-up. Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic performed "Rape Me" and "Heart-Shaped Box" on SNL in 1993, but it's not the music that host Charles Barkley remembers. No, it's the weed. On a recent radio show chat with sportscaster Dan Patrick, NBA legend Barkley recalls Nirvana hotboxing their SNL dressing room and getting a contact high every time their door opened. "I didn't know anything about Nirvana," Barkley admitted, adding that their dressing rooms were about three feet apart. "First of all, they were fantastic. All the guys were really nice, and I think Courtney [Love] was there also. I had people coming in and out [of my dressing room], friends, so I kept the door open. But every time those guys from Nirvana opened their locked door, I got a contact high. It was like one of those big mushroom clouds came. I was scared to go to the airport [after that]." The other two times Barkley hosted SNL, Alicia Keys and Kelly Clarkson were the musical guests. No word if they hotboxed their dressing rooms, too. (Billboard)
Ed Sheeran Completes Another Chart Double Down Under. Ed Sheeran maintains his tight grip on Australia's charts as the Englishman logs an 11th consecutive week atop the national singles survey and a third week at No. 1 on the albums tally. Sheeran has 10 tracks in the top 50 of the ARIA Singles Chart, three of which are in the top ten, led by the four-times platinum "Shape of You" (Asylum/Warner) which enjoys an eleven-week unbroken run at No. 1. It's a streak not seen in these parts since the Spice Girls' breakthrough "Wannabe" ruled for a stretch in 1996 and 1997. Sheeran's "Castle on the Hill" dips 2-3 and "Galway Girl" slips 7-8 this week. Meanwhile, The Chainsmokers and Coldplay's "Something Just Like This" (Columbia/Sony) improves one place to No. 2, its debut and peak position, while Zedd featuring Alessia Cara's "Stay" (Interscope/Universal) improves 6-4 to give the German DJ his first appearance in the top 5. Kygo and Selena Gomez' "It Ain't Me" (Sony) is unmoved at No. 5. The week's top debut goes to Drake with "Passionfuit," the second track from his new album More Life (Universal). "Passionfruit" starts at No. 19, the same position "Fake Love" peaked at in December 2016. With a third week at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart with Divide, Sheeran completes another chart double and holds off Drake's new LP, which opens at No. 2. Adele's 25 (XL/Inertia) drops 2-3 in the week the singer wrapped up her first tour of Australia, while the Trolls (RCA/Sony) soundtrack improves 4-3 and Sheeran's diamond-certified Multiply slips 3-5. New albums by Zara Larsson, Milky Chance and Depeche Mode crack the top 20 this week. (Billboard)
Sia Sings about Songs on 'Sesame Street'. The letter "S" is for Sia, songs and, of course, Sesame Street. The Aussie singer and songwriter connected all the dots in a musical sequence on the long-running educational program. With a little help from Cookie Monster, Elmo, Grover and their furry little friends, Sia tackled a subject she knows a lot about in the ditty "S is for Songs." "S is for songs, and I love songs. Don't know what we'd do without them/I love songs so much I wanna sing a song about 'em," she sang. Sia, who happily clowned around for her spot wearing bright colors and a red nose, joins an illustrious lineup of musical guests who've appeared on the PBS show down through the years, from Destiny's Child to Johnny Cash, One Direction, B.B. King and many more. (Billboard)
Movies
'Beauty and the Beast': How Dan Stevens and the Sound Team Gave Beast His Roar. "There's a lot of Dan Stevens in the Beast," says supervising sound editor Warren Shaw. As Disney's Beauty and the Beast won its second weekend atop the North American box office, for a cume of $317 million, the sound team is spilling the secrets behind the sounds of the Beast, Cogsworth and the other magical characters. "There's a lot of Dan Stevens in the Beast," confirmed the film's supervising sound editor and designer Warren Shaw. "We did as much as we could with his work. He performed that part in a motion capture suit for months on set. But while it's a classic Hollywood trick to take a voice and lower the pitch to make it sound more like a monster, we couldn't just do that because the Beast sings and we had to keep everything in key. So basically we played with a lot of different processing elements and software, between the music department and myself, where the sound would also be in key with the music." Like recent Oscar darling La La Land, Beauty and the Beast the songs are a combination of live singing on set and recorded songs. "The roaring was a concentrated use of sound effects and sound design, but it was fun challenge to always keep him as an empathic character. We couldn't just use classic roaring sound effects because he had such a personality. A lot of what was done was finding the right sound that could be big and scary but give him that wonderful character. We did quite a bit with human voices and then I would listen to animals sounds for the most emotional ones. It was about how to keep the emotion in the story." It wasn't just the Beast that required careful thought, but the sounds made by all of the characters that were affected by the curse and transformed into object. "I came on this movie very early and I was on for a year, pretty much as soon as they were cutting picture," Shaw relates of his third collaboration with director Bill Condon (which also included The Fifth Estate and Mr. Holmes. "We'd have meetings with the musical department, visual effects department. We'd be talking about how the characters would develop. "I was getting pictures of what Cogsworth (voiced by Ian McKellen) would look like, long before he was animated," he continued. "I looked at little clocks, bells, toys. We had a room full of toys in our sound department and we would record each one and come up with a combination for each character. It was an evolution. Plumette (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) was fun -- a duster and a bird. Bill said we had to keep it feminine and gentle." Beauty and the Beast was mixed in native Dolby Atmos immersive sound. "So we were thinking from minute one with how to play things with the speakers and make the whole theatrical part of the sonic experience. The castle is huge so we wanted the sound to be above you and around you." Michael Minkler and Christian Minkler were the films's rerecording mixers. Since completing Beauty and the Beast, Shaw recently relocated from New York to Los Angeles to join audio postproduction company Formosa Group. (Hollywood Reporter)
Aaron Sorkin had some burning questions about the lack of diversity in writers' rooms -- an issue that he apparently didn't know much about until he visited the Writers Guild Festival on Saturday inside the Pickford Center for Motion Picture Study in Hollywood. "Are you saying that women and minorities have a more difficult time getting their stuff read than white men and you're also saying that [white men] get to make mediocre movies and can continue on?" he asked the audience. The weekend-long festival, hosted in partnership with the Academy Education and Nicholl Fellowships Programs, featured headline panels with screenwriter notables including James Gunn ("Guardians of the Galaxy") and sneak peek screenings of Starz's "American Gods" and Fox's "Shots Fired," as well as a pitch competition and industry networking opportunities. Sorkin, Academy-Award winning screenwriter and executive producer ("The West Wing," "The Newsroom," "A Few Good Men") was in disbelief at the event during a discussion moderated by KCRW host and film critic Elvis Mitchell. Sorkin asserted that Hollywood is a genuine meritocracy and that he was unaware of Hollywood's existing diversity problem. "You may be confusing meritocracy with meretricious, happens all the time," Mitchell teased. Sorkin tried his best to focus on other unrelated questions from audience members, but was itching to learn more about the challenges many female and minorities face in regard to accessibility and opportunities. "You're saying that if you are a woman or a person of color, you have to hit it out of the park in order to get another chance?" Sorkin posed. Upon listing women and minority writers who are actively shifting this paradigm, Sorkin pointed to a handful of those who had produced work in recent years, including Lena Dunham, Ava Duvernay, and Jordan Peele. Genuinely troubled by his lack of awareness, he continued to ask away and ultimately offered assistance. "What can I do [to help]?" Sorkin said. "I do want to understand what someone like me can do ... but my thing has always been: 'If you write it, they will come.' "(Page Six)
'Life': How Sci-Fi Horror Gives Scientists a Bad Name. Fictional biologists have been paying for Victor Frankenstein's sins for years -- and the tradition continues in the Jake Gyllenhaal film. [Warning: This story contains spoilers for Life]. Many have noted that Daniel Espinosa's Life bares a strong resemblance to 1979's Alien, but there's actually a much earlier work that's surprisingly relevant to the new film: Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. In many ways, fictional scientists have been paying for the sins of Victor Frankenstein ever since the 1812 novel was released -- with scientists portrayed as meddlers who bring disaster upon the world. The scientists of Life, in many ways, are no different. Sci-fi horror films tap specifically into fears related to science, with worries rooted in real-world current events. Movie physicists had a particularly hard time after World War II (see: Godzilla). Movie biologists, meanwhile, with a few notable exceptions such as last year's The Martian, have had a pretty consistently poor cinematic track record. One of the reasons for this is that the real fears so often embodied by movie biologists are only tangentially related to things that real scientists have actually done -- which brings us to Life and Frankenstein. In Life, Calvin only goes from friendly space-Flubber to bloodthirsty blob-monster after exobiologist Dr. Hugh Derry (Ariyon Bakare) decides it's a good idea to try electrocuting the extraterrestrial out of a trauma-induced dormancy. The movie tries to present this, and Derry's general treatment of Calvin, as a sort of hubristic, "scientific curiosity gone too far," sort of situation, as sci-fi horror so often does. The issue is that there is nothing scientific about Derry's fateful decision, only what we might call "Frankensteinian" -- and not even the James Whale thunder-lightning-"It's alive!" Frankenstein, but the Mary Shelley original: "I collected the instruments of life around me that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet." 1931's 'Frankenstein' Let's zap it to make it do stuff isn't the rationale of a scientific mind made dangerous by ethical and/or philosophical nearsightedness (as evidenced by the parallel of the character requiring glasses), it's the attitude one might expect from children unsupervised at a zoo. Calvin goes dormant as a result of extreme, short-term environmental stress caused by a technical malfunction in the lab. Attempting to coax an organism out of a stress-induced dormancy by introducing a new stressor, especially when the physiology of said organism is still largely unknown, is pretty impossible to justify from a scientific angle -- unless, of course, you are viewing science through the lens of Frankenstein, as the media often does, whether that be in movies or news articles that mention the fictional scientist when discussing controversial topics from GMO crops to stem cell research. But making Frankenstein the poster boy for the dangers of science is flawed; he represents science about as much as Scientology. And though "Beware of science" might be what many take away from narratives from Frankenstein to Life, there is a fundamental issue here: stories about the horrors of science very often make use of objectively bad science. The core of science is the scientific method. Curiosity might fuel it, but it is the scientific method that actually defines the machine. It's the skeleton which gives science its shape. When science fiction takes this skeleton away, it's no wonder that what's left behind is so often a nightmarish, misshapen monster. Science is all about protocol, but take a minute to try to think of a sci-fi horror film that doesn't involve protocol breach. It's not impossible, but it might take you a while. Life does actually attempt to address the importance of protocol in science, such as when CDC-sourced Quarantine Officer Dr. Miranda North (Rebecca Ferguson) takes issue with Derry's treatment of Calvin ("this will never be a controlled experiment"). It also puts one of the most significant protocol breaches in the hands of engineer Roy Adams (Ryan Reynolds), who is characterized as an affable handyman type instead of being more traditionally "science-coded" -- an important distinction between Life and Alien, which handed the fate-sealing protocol breach to Science Officer Ash (even if he is ultimately revealed to be a fraud in more ways than one). So perhaps there are some subtle allusions to this issue, but ultimately Life still presents us with the dangers of bad science without really identifying it as such. All of this is not to say that there is not a "dark side" to science, only that many sci-fi horror narratives, with Life being the most recent, do not really show the dangers of science, but rather the dangers of science done poorly. "Disasters can happen when people are bad at their jobs" is less of a critique of the nature of scientific inquiry and more of a basic truism. At multiple points in Life, the characters consider who among them is to blame for the Calvin situation. They seem to agree on a sort of shared responsibility, which is quite noble, but perhaps unwarranted -- after all, they only stumbled when they followed in the footsteps of Dr. Frankenstein. (Hollywood Reporter)
TV
Cash Cab Is Coming Back Thanks to Discovery Channel. All (literally) hail the Cash Cab. Discovery Channel is giving New Yorkers and tourists another chance to win money while traveling to their destinations. That's right, Cash Cab is coming back to TV to report to duty! The game show will follow its original format, picking up unsuspecting passengers and giving them the chance to win money on the way to their destination, reports The Hollywood Reporter. They can reach out to friends via phone, text or social media, but if they answer three questions incorrectly they get booted from the cab. The upcoming reboot, however, will feature a surprising twist: stars from the worlds of comedy, film and TV will get behind the wheel of the cab itself as they pick up unsuspecting passengers. Ben Bailey hosted the original game show, but a new name has not been announced. Other game shows to be revived are The Gong Show, Battle of the Network Stars and a reboot of Love Connection with Andy Cohen. If you're in New York City, keep a lookout for minivan cabs because one of them might just be the cash cab. Are you excited for Cash Cab to come back later this year? (Eonline)
The Magicians Enlists a Nearly Unrecognizable Candis Cayne as the Fairy Queen. Get ready to meet the Fairy Queen, Magicians fans! E! News can exclusively reveal that the magical and dangerous deity whose people Margo (Summer Bishil) made quite a deal with last week on the Syfy series will come face-to-face with the High Queen of Fillory in the season two finale and she'll be played by none other than I Am Cait alum Candis Cayne. And judging by the first look photo of Candis in action, the Fairy Queen is not to be trifled with. Consider this a warning, Margo! "I am so excited to be joining Syfy's The Magicians as the highly-anticipated 'Fairy Queen,'" Candis said in a statement. "It was so much fun transforming into this dark and mysterious character, and I cannot wait for fans to be immersed into her world and see how she affects Fillory!" And affect Fillory, she will. You'll recall that in last week's episode, Margo struck a last-minute bargain with the Ambassador to the Fairies to bring magic back to the Well Spring so she could keep Eliot (Hale Appleman) alive in his duel against King Edri. Their demand? A royal child of the Whitespire--AKA Eliot and Fen's unborn royal baby--to raise as a Fairy and teach it great knowledge and power. Margo may think she'll be able to weasel her way out of the deal down the road, but something tells the Fairy Queen won't be interested in any takesies backsies. There's still plenty of fish to fry before Margo's big showdown with Fairy Queen, however. In next week's all-new episode, she'll struggle to keep her devastating trade under wraps, while Eliot attempts to win over his people. Meanwhile, Quentin (Jason Ralph) will help Julia (Stella Maeve) with her search, while Penny (Arjun Gupta) and Kady (Jade Tailor) find themselves caught between two magical factions. Are you loving Candis' look as the Fairy Queen? The Magicians airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on Syfy. (Eonline)
The Walking Dead Sets the Stage For the Finale as Rick Does the One Thing You've Been Waiting For Him to Do. Well, that was all rather unsurprising. In The Walking Dead's penultimate episode of season seven, Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and the gang finally got around to doing the one thing we all knew they would do before the finale. What was it? Overpower those poor women at the Oceanside camp and steal all their guns, of course. Ever since Tara (Alanna Masterson) wound up in their care, laying eyes upon their massive arsenal, it was only a matter of time until the Alexandrians would show up and prove they're not so different from Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) when it comes right down to it. Just because their our heroes doesn't mean we ought to overlook the fact that they've essentially left those women completely unable to protect themselves -- you know, just like Negan did to Alexandria back in the day. So, they've got their guns. Off to war we go. Elsewhere, we learned of Sasha's (Sonequa Martin-Green) fate after last week's episode ended with her running into the Sanctuary, guns blazing. Like Daryl (Norman Reedus) before her, she wound up in the cell. How? We don't know because the writers decided not to show us. But she's there nonetheless, watching would-be rapists get knifes to the neck and begging Eugene (Josh McDermitt) for a weapon under the guise of a suicide wish, but when all he offers up is his poison, her disappointment clued us into her continued desire to take Negan down from the inside. Oh, and that shadowy figure who Rosita (Christian Serratos) encountered outside the gate last week? It wasn't Daryl after all. No, as we learned in the final moments once Rick and the gang returned home from their thieving, it was Dwight (Austin Amelio) who's finally ready to join the fight against his dastardly leader. This is going to get interesting. What did you think about Rick and the gang taking the guns? A necessary action or a dick move? The Walking Dead season finale airs Sunday, April 2 at 9 p.m. on AMC. (Eonline)
Car Crash Scandal! Megan Grows Even More Suspicious of Terence After He Covers Up a Major Crime on The Arrangement. "I have Captain Davis on the phone for you." There was a major car crash cover-up on Sunday's episode of The Arrangement. On the episode, Kyle (Josh Henderson) and Megan (Christine Evangelista) worked things out after Megan was replaced on Kyle's movie The Kill Plan. After making up, Kyle and Megan decided to go on a double date with Kyle's friend and superstar athlete Brandon (Colin Lawrence) and his wife Claudia (Leah Gibson). But the date took a scary turn while Brandon was driving everyone home after a few drinks at a karaoke bar. Kyle and Megan were in the backseat when Claudia started to argue with Brandon about him autographing a lady's behind. The arguing then turned into flirting and a distracted Brandon swerved the car into oncoming traffic! Brandon was able to swerve out of the way, but the driver on the other side of the road crashed. Megan and Kyle ran over to check on the driver, found that he was unconscious and pulled him out of the car. That's when Kyle made a call and shortly after, Terence (Michael Vartan) showed up while police were arresting Brandon. Terence handed his phone to a police officer, explaining he had his captain on the line for him. After talking to his captain, the police officer said Brandon was "free to go." The next morning, Kyle and Megan saw that the story has been spun (by Terence) in the press to make it look like Kyle and Brandon saved the driver. "This is all a lie!" Megan said to Kyle. "Terence gets Brandon out of a DUI, then has him spin some bulls--t story about being a hero and now he has to commit to the Institute, right?" When she started to question Terence's actions, Kyle explained that Terence "saved" his life and everything he has that's good in his life, including Megan, he was because of Terence. (Eonline)
She'd do it! Kathy Bates hinted that Sarah Paulson might play the late Princess Diana in season 2 of Ryan Murphy's Feud series. The speculation began when Bates, 68, and Paulson, 42, joined their American Horror Story: Roanoke costars at a PaleyFest panel in Beverly Hills on Sunday, March 26. Bates repeatedly called Paulson "the people's princess," which was the Princess of Wales' nickname before she died in a car crash at the age of 36 in 1997. Last month, it was confirmed that Murphy's anthology series would next concentrate on Prince Charles and Princess Diana. The pair were married from 1981 to 1996 and they are parents of Prince William and Prince Harry. Prince Charles has been married to Camilla Parker Bowles since April 2005. Earlier this month, Paulson told Entertainment Tonight that she would be thrilled to take on the Princess Di role. "I wanna play the Queen Mother!" she said at the time. "I don't think [Murphy's] gonna let me do that. That might be a bridge too far. He might also be like, 'Oh, lady... no!' I could play one of the corgis." Currently, season one of Feud focuses on the historic relationship between legendary actresses Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) and Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) during the making of the 1962 horror camp classic What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?. (US Weekly)
Kim Kardashian Reveals Plans to Have a Third Child With Kanye West! Kim Kardashian wants baby No. 3! In this shocking promo for next Sunday's brand new episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the E! star drops a baby bombshell. "I'm going to try to have one more baby," Kanye West's other half says. However, Kim, who's had difficult pregnancies in the past with daughter North West and son Saint West, encounters some hiccups while trying to get pregnant again. "I want my kids to have siblings but the doctors don't feel like it's safe for me," Kim adds. (Eonline)
Former Obama Press Secretary Josh Earnest Joining NBC News as Political Analyst. He served as White House press secretary from 2014-2017. President Obama's White House press secretary Josh Earnest has joined NBC News as a political analyst. Earnest made his debut on Monday morning's Today and Morning Joe, with Today announcing Earnest's new position, followed by the below staff memo sent out by NBC News president Noah Oppenheim and MSNBC president Phil Griffin. Earnest spent 10 years working with Obama, starting as the then-Senator's Iowa communications director in March 2007. He served as deputy communications director during the 2008 general election. He most notably served as White House press secretary from 2014 to 2017. Read Oppenheim and Griffin's full staff memo below. We are pleased to announce that Josh Earnest will join NBC News and MSNBC as a Political Analyst. As you may have seen, he made his debut this morning on TODAY and Morning Joe. Josh recently completed a ten-year run with President Obama, most recently serving as White House Press Secretary from 2014-2017. Josh joined the Obama presidential campaign in March 2007 as the Iowa communications director, and went on to serve as deputy communications director during the 2008 general election. Josh has also worked on numerous national, statewide and local campaigns over the course of his twenty years in politics. A native of Kansas City, Josh graduated from Rice University with a degree in political science and policy studies. With his wealth of experience and insight, Josh will be a great addition to our roster of contributors and will be an asset for our two networks as we continue to cover the White House, Congress and politics beyond the Beltway. Please join us in welcoming Josh. Noah and Phil (Hollywood Reporter)
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