ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Megan Fox is pregnant and estranged husband Brian Austin Green is the father, we've learned ... but we've also learned she has no plans to drop her divorce. Sources connected to the couple tell us the pregnancy just kinda happened ... it wasn't planned. As we reported, Megan and Brian have been close even after she filed her legal docs last August ... and now we know just how close. There would be big consequences by pulling the divorce. Megan's the breadwinner, so all the money she's earned since her separation is hers, including the loot for her latest 'Ninja Turtles' flick. 86ing the divorce would change all that. There are also consequences by not withdrawing the divorce petition. Brian will almost certainly be entitled to more child support for the 2 and soon-to-be 3 kids. (TMZ)

Eddie Murphy should just get used to it ... chicks are gonna own him for years and years to come -- 'cause he's having yet ANOTHER female child. Eddie and his pregnant gf, Paige Butcher, revealed the baby's sex during a Bev Hills coffee run. This will be baby #9 for Eddie -- and daughter #6! That's a lot of weddings to pay for, but based on the sweet Rolls-Royce he and Paige were getting into ... Ed's gonna be just fine. And speaking of future earnings, he broke some news there too. But it's a joke. It's gotta be a joke. (TMZ)

Kirsten Dunst and Boyfriend Garrett Hedlund Break Up After 4 Years of Dating. Say it ain't so, folks. After more than four years of dating, E! News has learned that Kirsten Dunst and Garrett Hedlund have split and ended their romantic relationship. The news may come as a surprise to fans who recently saw the couple step out together at the 2016 Golden Globes. In fact, the pair smiled big for the cameras while attend FOX's award show party earlier this year. Last summer, the Fargo star also had nothing but kind things to say about her longtime boyfriend. In an interview with Town & Country, the actress was quick to say things were going "really well" between each other. "We're the same age. We have similar backgrounds," she shared with the publication. "He feels like family to me." If that wasn't enough, the actress admitted that she was thinking of getting pregnant after being surrounded by a few moms to be. "I'm in baby mode because two of my really good friends are pregnant right now," she confessed to Red U.K. "Thirty-three is a good age to have your first baby." Kirsten and the Pan actor first met back in 2011 while co-starring the film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's On the Road. Garrett later admitted to Details that their first date on an early morning canoe ride wasn't exactly smooth sailing. "It was not a stable canoe," he confessed. "We fell out and had to swim back in mucky, sh-tty water, like golf-pond water." But, don't worry. He ultimately had another chance partly because he had many qualities that Kirsten looked for in a man. "I appreciate old-fashioned manners," she recently shared with Net-A-Porter's The Edit. "I want a guy to pay for dinner and open the door for me. I love the masculine." Us Weekly was first to report the break up news. (Eonline)

Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green Step Out Together One Day After Pregnancy News. Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green stepped out in Santa Monica earlier, less than one day after the actress' pregnancy was revealed. The two grabbed a bite to eat and appeared to be in good spirits following the exciting baby news. E! News caught up with the expecting star, who was at CinemaCon in Las Vegas to promote Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, and she opened up about raising her two sons, Noah and Bodhi. "Noah is too young and I try to keep them from television and movies for the most part. I think any sort of screen -- whether it's television, iPad or iPhone -- is really bad for their brain development, so I try to remove that from their lives and I also want to deter them from ever being on social media because I think it's detrimental to a child's self-esteem," she said. "I have lots of opinions on this." But Fox added that she does "let them watch Pixar movies" and that her little ones still "have no idea" what she does for a living. "Somebody at their school will tell them eventually, but then it won't mean anything because they've been around it their whole lives, so they'll be like, 'OK. I'm still embarrassed of my mom.'" And while the couple's pending divorce appears to be on hold for now, an insider tells E! News that "this pregnancy was not planned, but when they found out they were extremely happy." (Eonline)

Rob Kardashian is pooh-poohing stories that his family is upset he's getting hitched to Blac Chyna ... he says it's the opposite. Rob and Chyna had just left a Century City building after a "business meeting" and beelined it for a gas station convenience store to get some snacks, when the photog asked about the deafening lack of response by the Kardashian klan. For her part, Chyna scoffed at any notion she's getting tips from Kim K. (TMZ)

Drew Barrymore refuses to mention Will Kopelman during memoir reading. Drew Barrymore edited her soon-to-be ex-husband, Will Kopelman, right out of her recent memoir at a reading on Tuesday. Barrymore -- who's splitting from her hubby of over three years -- arrived solo as the keynote speaker at the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children's spring luncheon. During the address, she read almost an entire 17-page chapter of her October 2015 book, "Wildflower," aloud -- joking, "Somehow we're going from a charity event to a Barnes & Noble reading, but I have a time slot to fill." But although the chapter features Kopelman, she skipped over every mention of his name. In the chapter -- about building a school in rural Kenya referred to as the Barrymore Learning Academy -- Barrymore recalls: "About two years later, when I started dating my husband, Will, who was just my boyfriend at the time, I got a call that the school was ready to be visited .?.?. I had never taken anyone with me on these trips. They were very solo for me and I had yet to share any aspect of this with anyone. But I took a risk and asked Will if he would like to go with me and see it. He said an absolute yes, and off we went." But Barrymore skipped over that Kopelman mention and others at the Tuesday event, where each guest was gifted the book at his or her place setting (to follow along as Barrymore read). Kopelman appears frequently in the book. A chapter on his parents is called "In-Law Jackpot." He and Barrymore are separated and plan to divorce soon. Perhaps hinting at her emotional state, Barrymore said before the reading, "As you women know, laughter and crying are twins, and you men are still struggling with that." And, "The men will think we're crazy .?.?. we are .?.?. but it's that craziness that evolves into compassion. We wear our hearts on our sleeves." Barrymore posed for endless photos at a reception and rushed to Bill Cunningham, saying a 2010 film on the lensman is her "favorite documentary." Also there was Prince Michael of Greece -- the child-abuse org is launching a pilot program in his country next month. (Page Six)

35 years after Natalie Wood drowned while sailing off Catalina Island, her former husband Robert Wagner 86, speaks to PEOPLE in this week's cover story about his family's heartbreak and his close bond with his stepdaughter, Natasha Gregson Wagner. "We were all so shattered by the loss, and we were hanging on to each other," Wagner tells PEOPLE. "My bond with Natasha is very, very intense. We've hung onto each other through the years and she means the world to me." After Natalie's death on November 29, 1981, Wagner and Natasha's father, Natalie's second husband Richard Gregson, decided that Wagner would continue to raise Natasha, her younger sister, Courtney (his daughter with Wood) and his older daughter Katie (with second wife Marion Marshall). "They'd always been together," he notes. "So Richard [Gregson], her birth father, and I sat down and came to the conclusion that we felt it was best that Natasha stay with her sisters and be raised in the environment that she'd been raised in up to that point-to the point of Natalie leaving us." In this week's PEOPLE, Natasha speaks movingly about the years of sadness that followed her mother's death. As Wagner recalls, "You just take it moment by moment and hope that it gets better and more light comes into her life. As an adult and as a man, I could not climb into her head. All you can do is truly love and care for them." Looking back, Wagner says, "Natasha worked very hard on her life. She was really concerned about being happy and going on. She was trying to make her life be something." He's proud of the new fragrance called Natalie that Natasha and her sister Courtney have created, inspired by their mother's signature scent, Jungle Gardenia. "I think it's wonderful," says Wagner. "She really has a passion for this and it's not just a venture. It's out of love and out of caring." "Her mother was a very, very special and loving and caring person," he says of Natalie. "She meant so much to Natasha. They were so close and she wants to share that." Wagner, who wed actress Jill St. John in 1990, remains very close to Natasha, 45, who has a 3-year-old daughter, Clover, with her husband Barry Watson. (She's also stepmom to Watson's two boys from his first marriage.) "Just watching her grow up has been amazing," Wagner says. "Sometimes I see the way she moves or the way she walks or laughs and she just reminds me of Natalie," he says. "It's not a continuous thing, just a moment, a turn, her hair, some kind of look. It's quite extraordinary." (People)

Robert De Niro has suggested his wife believes that vaccines are connected to his 18-year-old son's autism in an emotional Today show interview in which he defended the controversial film Vaxxed. "I think the movie is something that people should see. I, as a parent with a child who has autism, am concerned. I want to know the truth." he told Savannah Guthrie and Willie Geist. "And I'm not anti-vaccine, I want safe vaccines." He added: "There are many people who will come out and say, 'No, I saw my kid change, like, over night, I saw what happened. I should have done something and I didn't.' So there's more to this than meets the eye. Believe me." An overwhelming body of scientific research points to no connection between vaccines and autism. When asked whether he witnessed a similar change in his son Elliot, he said: "My wife says that. I don't remember. But my child is autistic. And every kid is different." De Niro, 72, said he "regrets" pulling Vaxxed from the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. "There's something there that people aren't addressing. And for me to get so upset here today-on the Today show, with you guys-means that there's something there," he said. Vaxxed calls into question the scientific research that doctors say proves there is no link between autism and vaccines. Medical researchers have raised concerns about the film and wrote to Tribeca Film Festival organizers urging them not to screen it. "This is scientifically invalid and we were concerned that it was being dredged up-this fallacious concept, this myth-that vaccines are associated with autism, and because of Mr. De Niro's personal standing and the admiration people have for him as well as the prestige of the festival, it would be a kind of validation," Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical School, previously told PEOPLE. Last month, De Niro revealed that Elliot, his son with Grace Hightower, has autism. He said Elliot was part of his original motivation for screening the film. "Grace and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined," De Niro said. "In the 15 years since the Tribeca Film Festival was founded, I have never asked for a film to be screened or gotten involved in the programming." (People)

She's got jokes! Amy Schumer still isn't over the fact that Glamour magazine included her in its plus-size issue. The comedian referenced her recent feud with the publication during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday, April 12. "For those of you who don't know who I am, I'm a famous plus-size model," Schumer, 34, quipped, introducing herself to the crowd. "I love Glamour magazine, honestly. They've been so nice to me. They've done so many great things for women. But what I learned is people really don't like being categorized by 'plus-size,'" she added to host Jimmy Fallon. "We don't need these labels. We don't need them. It should just say what size you are, right? Why?" Last week, the Trainwreck actress slammed Glamour for including her in its special issue. Her name was listed under a headline that read "Women Who Inspire Us," along with Melissa McCarthy, Adele and plus-size model Ashley Graham. "I think there's nothing wrong with being plus-size. Beautiful healthy women. Plus size is considered size 16 in America. I go between a size 6 and an 8," Schumer wrote via Instagram on April 5. "Young girls seeing my body type thinking that is plus size? What are your thoughts? Mine are not cool glamour not glamourous." Glamour's editor-in-chief, Cindi Leive, later apologized and clarified that the company never meant to imply that Schumer was plus-size. "Her 2015 cover story was included in the edition, aimed at sizes 12 and up, with the coverline 'Women Who Inspire Us' bc her longtime message of body positivity -- & talking back to body haters -- IS inspiring. (To me, too!)" Leive tweeted. "To be clear, size 6-8 is not plus. (Even size 12 -- frequent size of 'plus' models -- is smaller than average American woman!)" she continued. "But women of all sizes can be inspired by one another's words. So sorry if implication was otherwise, Amy." (US Weekly)

Vince Neil has an uphill battle to clear his name after his Las Vegas battery citation, since cops say security cameras caught him red-handed ... with a fistful of the victim's hair. Neil claimed he only "pushed past" a female autograph seeker at the Aria last week ... but according to police records, obtained by TMZ, officers reviewed surveillance footage which showed the Motley Crue frontman pulling the woman down to the ground by her hair. Neil has denied it got that physical. She says she was left stunned, and suffered a sore neck ... as well as pain in her lower back and hip. Cameras also captured the woman taking pics with Carrot Top before she saw Nic Cage. She claims she said, "Nicolas, I love you" and followed the actor before being pulled down. As for the scene outside -- cops say Neil was actually trying to fight another individual, while Nic tried to play peacemaker. (TMZ)

Tyga and the repo man are getting real tight -- his car loan company's trying to liberate his Lamborghini and nearly $450k from his bank account. According to docs obtained by TMZ, Tyga owes Choice Motor Credit $357,350.77 for not making payments on his 2013 Lambo Aventador ... and as a result, they want to take back the luxury ride. Tyga should know the drill by now -- CMC says it already repo'd the rapper's 2014 Bentley Mulsanne back in February and sold it. However, Tyga's still on the hook for more than $91k on that whip. He's gonna save a ton on car insurance. (TMZ)

Lawyers for Bill Cosby are urging a court to reseal the actor's deposition testimony about extramarital affairs, Quaaludes and payments to women. Cosby doesn't want the decade-old testimony used in the legal battles he's fighting with women who accuse him of sexual assault or defamation. A federal appeals court in Philadelphia is hearing arguments Wednesday. The 78-year-old Cosby hopes to overturn a ruling that made the documents public last year at the request of The Associated Press. The AP argues that the issue is now moot given the widespread news coverage that ensued. Cosby admits to several affairs in the deposition and says he obtained prescription sedatives to give to women he hoped to seduce. The deposition stems from a lawsuit filed by the accuser at the center of his pending criminal case. (Page Six)

Debby Ryan, one of Disney's biggest stars, was arrested for felony drunk driving ... TMZ has learned. The star of "Jessie" was driving in L.A. last week at around 11 PM when she made a left in her 2016 Audi and slammed into a Mercedes. Our law enforcement sources say the driver claimed injury. Cops came, gave the 22-year-old actress a field sobriety test and promptly arrested her for felony DUI. It's standard operating procedure for cops to arrest for a felony when there's injury. Debby got a break ... authorities decided to bump it down to a misdemeanor because the injury was minor and she blew a .11 ... not that much over the .08 legal limit. Debby -- who's out on $100k bail -- has been charged with 2 criminal offenses ... driving under the influence and driving with a .08 blood alcohol level or higher. We reached out to her reps ... so far no word back. (TMZ)

THE OTHER STUFF . . .

Kate Middleton and Prince William Go on Safari in India and Feed Animals. Living life on the wild side! Prince William and Kate Middleton visited Kazaringa National Park Wednesday in order to learn more about the global efforts of conservation. The royal couple landed in the area Tuesday evening where they were greeted with traditional hand-woven scarves and Assamese dancers. Afterwards, Prince William and Kate made their way to Kazaringa, which is home to the largest population of one-horned rhinos as well as other endangered species. They entered the area looking casual, with Prince William dressed in his best safari gear (sunglasses, brown button down, etc.) and Kate wearing a simple polka-dotted button down. While visiting the 185-square-mile park, Wills and Kate learned about the successfully growing rhino population as well as the efforts being taken to curb poaching. They also took a jeep safari through the park, where Kate pet and fed an elephant and a rhino. Naturally, she looked gorgeous while doing so! While meeting with her new animal friends, Kate donned a flowing long-sleeved dress that was decorated with pink flowers and a black design around the hem and on the sleeves. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were expected to make a statement on the issue of poaching. "The British royals' visit will certainly increase the level of awareness on rhino conservation," said Bibhab Kumar Talukdar, who heads the local wildlife protection group Aaranyak. The royals have had a jam-packed week while touring India and are set to leave for Bhutan Thursday morning. Already they've toured India's national war memorial in Mumbai, where Kate and her hubby laid down a wreath. Although she had a Marilyn Monroe-esque fashion faux pas, Kate kept her cool and remained as graceful as ever. Prince William and Kate then tried their hand at making some dosas, a traditional Indian treat, but they were lucky enough to have the help of a Dosamatic machine. The royals' trip to India has been a long time coming, according to Prince William. "When Catherine and I were married, India was the first place on Catherine's list that she told me that she wanted to visit," he said Sunday during a Bollywood-inspired charity gala. "Two children and five years later, we have finally made it -- and we are both honored to be here." (Eonline)

Hometown glory! Cara Delevingne is the new face of Rimmel London, the British beauty brand announced on April 13. The London-born model, 23, now serves as brand ambassador and "will star in a range of advertising campaigns for the cutting-edge color brand," a Rimmel press release read. "I'm honored to be working with Rimmel London. It's the first make-up brand I was introduced to as a teenager," the Suicide Squad star continued in the release. "I'm a London girl, through and through, and Rimmel London truly captures and represents the city's edgy, cosmopolitan beauty styles." It was a natural choice on Rimmel's end too: Montse Passolas, vice president of global marketing at Rimmel London, said that Delevingne's "striking look and unique sense of style mean she's the personification of Rimmel cool." Delevingne, who joins fellow ambassadors such as Rita Ora and Kate Moss, once told the Telegraph that "makeup plays a huge part in my professional life, and I love the way I can use it to transform myself." (US Weekly)

Matthew McConaughey Looks Just Like A Great-Great Grandfather. Is the Oscar winner also a time traveler?! Or maybe just a vampire? There's no doubt that Hollywood hunk Matthew McConaughey has aged well, but this hilarious photo found on Reddit is making us question just where he got those good genes. Like, is the star really 46-years-old or has he been hanging around for centuries? Reddit user EmberRainbow shared a throwback pic captioned "My Great Great Grandfather looks just like Matthew McConaughey." We have to admit: the resemblance is uncanny. Granted, the caption basically confirms that this person doesn't think McConaughey actually is their great-great grandfather, but the two practically look like twins. Now we want to see the Dallas Buyers Club star with an old-timey mustache. McConaughey isn't the first star with a doppelganger from way back when. Ladies and gentlemen, may we remind you of this Civil War-era photograph and its resemblance to fellow Oscar winner Nicolas Cage? The pic got a lot of attention in 2011 when a Tennessee man decided to sell the nostalgic snap, which was reminiscent of Cage, on eBay. So, if you have an Ancestry.com and are prepping for an epic Throwback Thursday, you may want to keep an eye out to see if anyone from your family tree could pass for a modern celeb. Who knows, maybe your great-great-great uncle was a dead ringer for Zac Efron? (Eonline)

We've Seen Rob Kardashian Step Out 22 More Times in the Last Three Months Than We Have in All of 2015. After spending much of 2015 away from the cameras, Rob Kardashian is stepping out and embracing life in the public eye. As followers of the Kardashian family know, the sock designer went through a period of time where he stayed far away from public outings and events. In fact, photographers only caught Rob out and about five times in 2015. Two of those times were on back-to-back days in October. "He's had a year where he kind of wanted to chill," Kris Jenner previously shared with Maria Shriver. "He hasn't been feeling well, we didn't know why... He was depressed and just wasn't feeling good and didn't know why." Fast-forward to 2016 where the man behind Arthur George decided to kick his health into gear after being diagnosed with diabetes. He also found love after turning his friendship with Blac Chyna into something more. Whether watching his leading lady at her photo shoot by the beach or heading to the airport to support his girlfriend turned fiance, Rob has been spotted out and about by photographers 27 times in 2016 (and it's only April). And that doesn't even include the daily posts on Snapchat and other social media accounts. So what has made Rob feel more comfortable being out and about? While focusing on his health and fitness, the reality star has developed a newfound "confidence" as he continues to lose weight. "Looking from where I started 298lbs to my current weight now 248.4lbs," he wrote on Instagram earlier this week with a picture of himself and Blac. "I'm focused and determined to reach my goal weight 200-205lbs... Happy I found my motivation." Perhaps that motivation will carry on for the next several months. Blac recently posted on Snapchat to state that she is going to train her future husband so he can reach his goal weight in time for her birthday on May 11. "Rob Kardashian, 250 pounds, 6-1," Rob shared in a video before agreeing to have Blac train him every day for the next few weeks. (Eonline)
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Teach North West How to Ski. This bunny is hitting the slopes! Several months after North West learned how to ice skate in New York City, the reality TV toddler took to the powdered mountains of Vail, Colorado, last week to learn how to ski from the best instructors: her world-famous parents, Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. In an exclusive Us Weekly video, 2-year-old North is seen cautiously making her way onto the snow as she's surrounded by an entourage of family members. The stylish tot holds the hand of her dad, West, while her mom (in posh, form-fitting head-to-toe ski attire, including a fur-trimmed ski jacket, black tights and a face-concealing ski mask) patiently looks on. Grandma "Lovey" Kris Jenner also joins the crew in a chic parka and snow boots. Kardashian, 35, then holds out a ski pole for her daughter, who grasps one end and slowly slides along on her mini skis. The little one expertly balances while her dad spots her from behind (don't want any mishaps!). Later, Nori was seen having her own private ski lesson from an instructor and getting the hang of the winter sport. (US Weekly)

Lindsay's engagement ring is so damn powerful it got her parents to share the same air without a single call to police. Lindsay showed off the huge rock -- looks to be an emerald in a diamond setting -- while hanging with Michael and Dina Lohan in Brooklyn at Tuesday's Duran Duran concert. Her fiance, Egor Tarabasov was there as well ... conspicuously behind LiLo and her parents. TMZ broke the story ... Lindsay got engaged over the weekend to the 22-year-old Russian heir after 5 months of dating. Lindsay got onstage briefly -- she's featured on DD's "Danceophobia" -- and shouted out her sister Ali Lohan ... who's trying to start her own singing career. She might wanna rub that ring 3 times and make a wish. (TMZ)

Are they friends or are they back together? Chloe Moretz was spotted having dinner with rumored ex-boyfriend Brooklyn Beckham this week, sparking rumors that the two could be romantically involved again. The 19-year-old actress and the 17-year-old model-slash-photographer were reportedly spotted with Chloe's mum Tish and, wait for it, David and Victoria Beckham. How serious. "Chloe and Brooklyn are very much a couple. They were really comfortable getting their families together. Chloe kept stroking Brooklyn's hair and putting her head on his shoulder and then he would do the same," Female First's source said. "Victoria was making a huge effort with Chloe too. She sat chatting to her for ages and was clearly interested in finding out more about her life." The pair allegedly started dating in 2014, after being pictured on the ultimate young love date - a day skateboarding. (British Glamour)

Yolanda Hadid Admits She Was 'Blindsided' by David Foster Divorce: 'I Didn't Think That Was the End of the Road'. Yolanda Hadid and David Foster's split took everyone by surprise-even Hadid herself. Hadid, 52, opened up about the unexpected breakup during an appearance on Tuesday's Watch What Happens Live. When host Andy Cohen asked at which point during shooting Hadid knew the marriage was over, the Dutch model–turned–reality star revealed she "didn't know until it was ended-until Nov. 15." "We had already wrapped shooting, and the show was done," she continued. "I know exactly the day: Nov. 15." (Extra footage for the finale was filmed later and featured a heartbroken Hadid admitting "divorce is like death" on Tuesday's episode.) As for where the relationship stands and how much the two exes communicate, Hadid said, "We are in touch a little bit, here and there." After nine years together, the couple announced their divorce exclusively to PEOPLE on Dec. 1, the same day of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' season 6 premiere and to the shock of many of Hadid's costars. On Tuesday's WWHL, Cohen also aired a preview of the upcoming RHOBH reunion, in which he questions Hadid over whether her battle with Lyme disease played a factor in ending their marriage. "You can't underestimate how much it takes for a man to take care of somebody that's sick all of the time," Hadid said. "David didn't change- I'm the one that changed. And, you know, I guess this is the outcome of that." What about the criticism Foster received "for not wanting to be with you while you were sick," Cohen asked. "I don't think anybody should criticize that," she said. That being said, she admitted she felt "blindsided." "I didn't think that was the end of the road," she added. "I would have hoped to wait until I got 100 percent well." Part one of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills reunion airs Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo. (People)
Bethenny Frankel and Sonja Morgan are battling over booze. In November, Morgan line called Tipsy Girl. Frankel, the mogul behind Skinnygirl, filed to trademark "Tipsygirl," presumably viewing the moniker as too close to her brand's. But Frankel's action has been suspended by the US Patent and Trademark Office. A rep for Frankel told us, "Bethenny owns 100 percent of the Skinnygirl brand, and this feeble attempt to trade on her brand reputation is laughable." Frankel tweeted Tuesday: "Every day I get a call from @PageSix I think I need to get an office over there to save them time." She added -- we assume referring to her "Real Housewives" castmates, not us -- "#thesehosaintloyal." (Page Six)

Alan Cumming is not afraid to challenge anyone who supports Mississippi's "Religious Freedom" bill. "In this country there's such confusion about what religious freedom means," the "Good Wife" actor told Page Six on Tuesday. "I don't see how a gay person, or an LGBT person just existing in this world, how that can be impeding on anyone's religious freedoms and I have to challenge anyone who supports that law by saying, 'Surely your God is a kind God and if you're looking at the Bible and Jesus as your book of rules then I think you should look at it again to see that he's actually a kind person and he would not approve of suddenly being prejudice against people just because of who they are.' " The law, which has sparked backlash over the last week, gives people permission to refuse service to same-sex couples or transgender people because their religion does not agree with their way they are living their lives. "I'm not a religious person," Cumming, 51, added. "I don't use the Bible as my rule book, but if you're going to throw that at me, I think you should look at it again. I don't see how anyone can be impeded by me existing in the world ... I think it's just another excuse for hatred and persecution and it's very, very dangerous." Cumming, who wed his husband Grant Shaffer in 2007, has long been a strong voice in the LGBT community, working with organizations like the Gay Men's Health Crisis since 1998. Recently, he participated in a GMHC ad campaign aimed at promoting their May 15 AIDS walk and encouraging people to confront the hate speech being perpetuated by some of the current political frontrunners. "There's a lot of people here feeling very angry because they're being encouraged to and they're being encouraged to ... leave their compassionate side alone and think only of themselves and think only the worst," Cumming said. "I think this is a cause to say, 'Look everybody it's a very dangerous state of affairs when we just allow negative things to be said about members of society.'" GMHC CEO Kelsey Louie praised Cumming's work with the company, telling us, "Alan and the other New Yorkers involved in this campaign are demanding national leaders who have a thoughtful plan for a cure, and will not discriminate or put forth prejudiced policies." Cumming is currently in Los Angeles for five weeks shooting "Battle of The Sexes" with Emma Stone and Steve Carell. (Page Six)

Bono has identified a new weapon in the war on terrorism: "Borat." The U2 frontman told the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee in Washington, DC, Tuesday that jokes could combat ISIS. "I think comedy should be deployed," he said. "I am suggesting that the Senate send in Amy Schumer and Chris Rock and ["Borat" star] Sacha Baron Cohen .?.?. You speak violence, you speak [terrorists'] language. But you laugh at them .?.?. and it takes away their power." (Page Six)
Cheryl and Liam Payne went public with their romance in February, and the pair are showing no signs of slowing down. Just look how happy they looked on their date night Tuesday night... The pair took their evening to London restaurant Sexy Fish, a hotspot among celebs. Cheryl wore this season's most popular Saint Laurent bomber jacket (as worn before by Keith Richards and Justin Bieber) while Liam kept it casual in a black leather jacket and white tee. (British Glamour)

Ellen DeGeneres Does Not Want to Be President, but She Has a Few Ideas for "How to Make Life Better for People." The people have spoken, and they want Ellen DeGeneres to succeed Barack Obama. A recent Ranker.com poll asked people to choose which celebrity would make the best President of the United States. DeGeneres came in first place, beating Samuel L. Jackson, Bill Murray, Will Smith, Stephen Colbert and 45 other famous faces. While she's not afraid to get political from time to time (as she did last week while denouncing Mississippi's anti-LGBT law), DeGeneres has no intention of running for public office. "I don't know if you realize this but there's a crazy Presidential race going on. Have you heard? On one side, we have a strong, experienced, powerful woman [Hillary Clinton] and on the other side we have -- wow, my mind is... I've gone blank!" she said on Wednesday's show. "I can't remember who is on the other side." Fans cheered after learning that she's America's top pick. "Thank you, and not interested. Thank you," DeGeneres told the audience. "That sounds like the worst job in the world to me." She said Jackson was an "obvious No. 2 choice," jokeing," I don't know who's voting for this, but I assume it's people who like to dance but don't like snakes on their mother-beeping planes." DeGeneres said she couldn't believe she beat Oprah Winfrey (No. 9), and her audience was just as surprised. "Look, she doesn't want it anyway. She'd have to move into a smaller house," the daytime host joked. "Cher is No. 17. I'd love to see Cher. Can you imagine all the costume changes? Every country she is in should have some kind of theme going on. Donald Trump is No. 26. Oh! Now I remember who else is running for President: Bernie Sanders. Snoop Dogg is on the chart; he is No. 50. Let's be honest -- who wouldn't want Snoop Dogg to run for Presidizzle of the United Sizzle? Other people who made the list are Miley Cyrus, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Gary Busey. Oh, somehow it just came to me: Donald Trump is running for President." Jokes aside, DeGeneres was "honored" people want her to run for President. Her wife, Scandal star Portia De Rossi, "would make a beautiful First Lady." Plus, DeGeneres said, "I love private planes, so that's appealing to me. But I have no political ambition whatsoever. I have a few ideas about how to make life better for people. Like, for instance if I were to be President I would close the gender pay gap. I don't think there should be any difference that. First on my agenda." As for her other ideas? "I would also have every gas tank on the same side of every car so you never have to guess which side it's on. I'd get rid of the Republican party and the Democratic party. I would just have a giant pizza party. That's all I would have," she said. "I am very happy doing what I'm doing, which includes interviewing fantastic people, day drinking and dancing." (Eonline)


Music

Adele has singlehanded revived the decline of the music albums with her record 25. She outsold the other top five bestsellers put together after selling 17.4 million units of 25, despite the record only being released in November. 25 sold 3.38 million in the US in its first week alone and 800,000 in its first week in the UK. To put this into context, formerly number one bestselling albums, Ed Sheeran's X and Taylor's 1989, sold 3.5 million copies in 2015. Justin Bieber's Purpose and Sam Smith's In the Lonely Hour sold 3.1 million and 2.6 million copies. Music industry body IFPI said Adele had helped reverse "two decades of almost uninterrupted decline". Not bad for a 27-year-old. (British Glamour)
Meghan Trainor Defends Jennifer Lopez Against Backlash From Dr. Luke-Produced Song. Meghan Trainor is speaking up on behalf of J.Lo. Immediately after Jennifer Lopez's debuted her new single, "Ain't Your Mama," with a killer performance on last week's American Idol finale, the Internet picked up on the fact that the catchy pop song was co-produced by Dr. Luke, the write-producer who's been locked in a legal battle with Kesha since she sued him in 2014 for alleged sexual abuse. What followed was a rash reaction from the Twitterverse that had weeks ago pleaded with Sony Music to #FreeKesha from her contract that kept her legally connected to Dr. Luke. But as E! News previously reported, Lopez never actually worked with Dr. Luke on the song -- and now Trainor, who co-wrote the female-empowerment tune with Jacob Kashner, has gone to bat for her girl, saying that Lopez was not at all aware of Dr. Luke's involvement in the early production of the song. A source told us that Trainor wrote "Ain't Your Mama" and worked with Dr. Luke years ago -- before Kesha filed her lawsuit. "I felt terrible when Jennifer got all the hate for ["Ain't Your Mama"], and it's just all ridiculous," Trainor said in a chat with reporters. "[It was] not fair on her, not at all. I texted her the song and she had no idea -- she thought I did it alone by myself at my house, which a lot of people think because I do do that." The "All About That Bass" singer went on to explain that she has written three songs on J.Lo's upcoming album, "Ain't Your Mama" being one of them, and that Lopez seems to be a fan of her writing. "She told me she just wrote a book about [self-confidence] and said, 'This is real!'" Trainor recalled. "I said, 'J.Lo, if you say these things, everyone will relate to that too.' I'm so proud of her and this new album is going to be huge for her." We're inclined to agree with Meghan Trainor on that. (Eonline)

Rihanna To Star in an 'Unfiltered' Documentary About Her Life. If you follow Rihanna's Instagram, it might feel like you have a pretty good look at her on- and off-stage life. But director Peter Berg thinks there's way more to the "Work" singer's story. According to Deadline, Berg ("Lone Survivor") has launched a new production company, Film 45, which will focus on non-scripted projects, with one of the first efforts described as a theatrical feature documentary about Rihanna that he will direct. Intended as a modern take on the iconic 1967 Bob Dylan rock documentary Don't Look Back, the Rihanna project is described as an "unfiltered look into Rihanna's life and how she's ascended to become a global icon." Berg, who directed Rihanna in her first major film role in the 2012 flop Battleship said he was attracted to the idea of looking at "a young artist at the top of her professional field," describing the doc as "much more a character study than a music film." In a tease for the movie on the Film 45 site, Berg describes it this way: "Follow this true international superstar as she navigates life as an artist, businesswoman, and humanitarian, while contending with the inherent pressure of artistic freedom. Peter Berg's Rihanna is an unfiltered look into Rihanna's life and how she's ascended to become a global icon, providing a glimpse into the evolution of one of the world's most well-known pop artists." The 45 site says the film is "coming soon," though no specific release date has been announced. (Billboard)

Kanye West Described as 'Perfect Guest' During Video Shoot at Scottish Hotel. No TVs tossed out the window, no room service, no drama whatsoever -- just the "perfect guest." That's how the owner of the Skeabost House Hotel in Scotland described Kanye West after the rapper spent a night at the resort on the Isle of Skye while filming in the area. "Kanye was the perfect guest -- charming, courteous and polite," hotel owner Anne Gracie told the Daily Record. The paper reported that 'Ye and his crew stayed at Skeabost on Sunday night and took up half of the country hotel's 14 rooms while shooting footage for what was reportedly a video for The Life of Pablo track "Waves." (A spokesperson for the hotel told Billboard that the resort has said all it wants to about the visit, referring to the British news reports for details; a spokesperson for West could not be reached for comment about the purpose of the shoot.) After finishing the shoot, West reportedly grabbed a meal at Skeabost and then headed out for Inverness Airport. "We were delighted to offer him and his companions our usual Highland hospitality and would welcome him back any time," Gracie said of 'Ye, who reportedly stayed in the largest room on the property during his visit. Another spokesperson for the hotel spilled a few more details about the stay. "It was all very exciting. The reservation, which included one room for Kanye, then one for his stylist and others for the video team had been booked out a few days in advance," the spokesperson said. "The staff at the hotel were told a high-profile celebrity was coming to stay but no one knew exactly who until Kanye arrived and it was a total surprise... Kanye and his team are thought to have arrived by private jet into Inverness Airport on Sunday and then drove to Skye where they checked in at Skeabost House Hotel very late at night." The rapper then checked into his room overlooking the sea -- complete with four-poster bed -- had some dinner, and took a nap. The staff described 'Ye as not a "very fussy eater," and said he got up in the morning, grabbed breakfast and went off to film before returning at lunch "very tired before having a snooze and some tea." He then grabbed dinner, checked out at 5 p.m. and took off for the airport. The staff was warned that no photos were allowed and that wife Kim Kardashian West was "elsewhere." (Billboard)

Joe Jonas has inked an exclusive, worldwide publishing agreement with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). The deal covers the singer's new songs for DNCE, including the group's debut single "Cake By The Ocean" (Republic Records), which has gone Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified platinum. With "Cake By The Ocean," Jonas has achieved the rare feat of landing a U.S. Top 10 as a solo artist and with two groups (DNCE and The Jonas Brothers). "It takes a very special artist to achieve worldwide success in one group, and then to achieve that same kind of success again in another one," says UMPG chairman and CEO Jody Gerson in announcing the signing. "Joe Jonas is that rare talent, having scored hits as a singer and songwriter first with the Jonas Brothers and now with DNCE. His creativity, hard work and passion are remarkable and I'm thrilled to have him join UMPG's roster of great artists and writers." Jody Gerson, UMPG Chairman and CEO; Joe Jonas; David Gray, UMPG SVP Creative Affairs; and Phil McIntyre, CEO and Founder of Philymack. Adds Jonas, "I've had the opportunity to work with the team at UMPG from the inception of DNCE and they've been an essential part of breaking the band. This deal with them further solidifies our relationship and allows me to continue to stay true to my vision and what I love most, in addition to where I'm taking DNCE." DNCE will open for Selena Gomez on her North American tour through the summer. Jonas is managed by Phil McIntyre, CEO and founder of Philymack. (Billboard)

Napster Co-Founder Sean Parker's $250 Million Mission to Streamline Cancer Research. Facebook's first president wants to help top scientists at leading cancer institute's share their findings in a virtual sandbox. "We'll make progress against three or four cancer types in the next several years," he says. A project to speed development of cancer-fighting drugs that harness the immune system has academic and drug industry researchers collaborating and sharing their findings like never before. The newly created Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy is being funded by a $250 million grant from Sean Parker, the co-founder of the file-sharing site Napster and Facebook's first president. It brings together partners at six top academic cancer centers, dozens of drugmakers and other groups. "Everybody knows that we need to move forward and change the model" for cancer research, Jeffrey Bluestone, an immunology researcher and the institute's CEO, told The Associated Press Tuesday. "The goal here is to rapidly move our discoveries to patients." For decades, fiercely competitive and secretive drugmakers protected their money-making discoveries with patents and lawsuits. Academic researchers likewise often guarded their work closely until it was published because their promotions, awards and sometimes revenue from licensing patents depended on individual achievement. That often slowed progress. Sean Parker's Marijuana Legalization Proposal in California Takes Center Stage With the increasing cost and complexity of research, drugmakers began licensing or buying patents and research programs from university researchers. Then big drugmakers began collaborating with each other and buying smaller companies, to share research costs, speed up the drug development process and get an edge on rivals. The Parker Institute, founded nine months ago, pushes those trends to a new level, by creating a virtual "sandbox" in which scientists at different institutions can work collaboratively, Bluestone said. About 300 scientists at leading cancer institutions -- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Stanford Medicine; University of California, Los Angeles; University of California, San Francisco; University of Pennsylvania; and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center -- will share their findings. They'll focus on early research. After initial patient testing, the institute's technology-transfer committee will strike licensing deals with drugmakers best able to develop those drugs, providing funding for other early research. Those drugmakers, from industry giants Amgen Inc. and Pfizer Inc., to small drug and diagnostic test developers, will fund the much-larger tests needed for drug approval, which can include hundreds or thousands of patients and cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Parker worked with hundreds of scientists to create a roadmap for the institute's work. It will quickly fund projects fitting its scientific targets and then rapidly enroll many of the 300,000 or more patients treated at the six centers each year in tests of resulting experimental drugs. "We'll make progress against three or four cancer types in the next several years," Parker predicts. Cancer Doctor Thanks David Bowie For Helping People Face Death He added that to be most effective, immunotherapy must become an initial treatment. Now it's usually reserved until patients relapse after chemotherapy and other standard treatments that weaken the immune system. Scientists have tried less-sophisticated strategies to use the immune system against cancer for about a century, with limited success, noted Dr. Eric Rubin, head of early stage cancer drug development at Merck & Co. It took recent advances in cell biology, genetics and related science to make progress. Now there are a handful of approved immunotherapy drugs that greatly extend lives of some patients with lung cancer and melanoma. Those include Merck's Keytruda and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s Yervoy and Opdivo. They are so-called "checkpoint inhibitors," which block molecules that slow down or turn off the immune system's ability to attack cancer cells. Other immunotherapy approaches that will be part of the institute's initial work include CAR-T therapy, in which a patient's T-cells are removed from the blood, engineered to be "cancer assassins," then injected into the patient, Parker said. Researchers also will develop therapeutic viruses and vaccines to drive the immune system to recognize and attack tumors. "The Parker Institute does have the potential to accelerate development (of drugs) that will enable a greater number of cures," Rubin said. "We're very happy to be part of this." (Billboard)

Movies

New Spider-Man Movie Gets a Title, More Details Revealed. Welcome to the superhero franchise, Spider-Man: Homecoming. Sony Pictures Chairman Tom Rothman confirmed the new movie's title Tuesday while giving a presentation at CinemaCon in Las Vegas. The new title is meant to be a reference to the high school event (Peter Parker is a high school student, after all) and also his desire to "find his true identity and where he really belongs in this world." It's also a slight wink at Spidey's return to the Marvel universe. Homecoming's Peter will be played by Tom Holland, who is filling the shoes of both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. When Holland's casting was first announced, the Twitterverse (and Marvel obsessors) were none too pleased with the choice. Fans noted about three problems with the decision: First, the comic book movie went with a white male for a lead...again. Second, Holland looks a little too young to play a high school student. Third, did the world really need another Peter Parker? Until the film's release, however, we'll just have to get by on what we're offered. At the CinemaCon presentation, Rothman played footage from the upcoming installment, which revealed there would be one heck of a crossover featuring Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) In the scene Peter comes home to find his Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) talking to the Stark Industries president. "It's so hard for me to believe that she's someone aunt," Stark jokes, making light of the previous ages of past actresses who have played Aunt May. The Spider-Man-Iron Man crossover is a possibility because Sony Pictures struck a deal with Marvel, allowing the characters to appear in each other's films. Holland will be appearing as Spider-Man in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War that will be released next month. Spider-Man: Homecoming is set for a July 7, 2017, release. Are you excited for the reboot? (Eonline)

Doctor Strange Teaser Trailer Premieres: Benedict Cumberbatch in Action for the First Time. Attention all you Marvel fans out there, the first sneak peek of Doctor Strange is officially here! Benedict Cumberbatch made a guest appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! when he introduced the very first glimpse inside of the highly anticipated flick. Earlier Tuesday, to help build up the hype even more (as if it needed any!), Marvel revealed a movie posted showing what appears to be Cumberbatch standing in the doctor's Sanctum Sanctorum. Fans in the United States will have to wait the longest to see the film in theaters, as it's expected to hit the big screen on November 4. Australia, however, will be able to see it on October 27, and it's slated to debut in the U.K. the day after. Doctor Strange's Cumberbatch is joined by Chiwetel Ejiofor (who stars as Baron Mordo), Tilda Swinton (who plays the Ancient One) Mads Mikkelsen and Rachel McAdams. "There's going to be some crazy s -- t going on," Cumberbatch teased in an earlier interview with Entertainment Weekly when asked about the film's visual effects. And as for stepping into the famous role, the Sherlock actor admitted that he felt "really self-conscious" at first "but, then, by the end, it was great." "It's like anything, you just have to experiment," he added when discussing how he eventually become comfortable transforming into the surgeon. Filming for the feature film began last November and only just wrapped up last month, the magazine reported. (Eonline)

Ben Affleck will direct a stand-alone "Batman" movie, says Warner Bros. chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara. Affleck portrayed the caped crusader in this year's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and had been rumored to be the studio's top choice to helm the film. Tsujihara confirmed they were moving forward with him in the director's seat Tuesday at CinemaCon, an annual gathering of theater owners in Las Vegas. The stand-alone Batman feature is part of Warner Bros. plans for an expanded DC Comics cinematic universe, similar to that of the Disney and Marvel collaboration. Warner Bros. has at least 10 features in the works, including "Suicide Squad," "Wonder Woman" and "Justice League." Unsurprisingly, those films comprised a major portion of Warner Bros.' presentation, signaling that the studio is moving forward energetically with its original plans despite reports that perhaps "Batman v Superman" is not performing as well at the box office as the studio would have liked. Affleck, who is also directing "Live By Night" for the studio, made an appearance with Amy Adams, who plays Lois Lane. He confirmed that both would be joining Zack Snyder's "Justice League," which is currently in production in London. "Suicide Squad" director David Ayer and stars Will Smith and Margot Robbie were on hand as well to hype the supervillains gone straight pic, which launches on Aug. 5 with intense footage focusing heavily on Robbie's Harley Quinn. Warner Bros. also trotted out stars and footage from a number of their upcoming films including the Harry Potter spinoff "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," "The Lego Batman Movie," the Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling comedy "The Nice Guys," and the Emilia Clarke romantic drama "Me Before You." But beyond the individual films, a big focus was the studio's ongoing commitment to its filmmakers and the specialness of theatrical presentation. The threat of The Screening Room, a proposed at-home viewing experience of first-run movies, has loomed large over the annual conference where theater owners come not just to check out the new studio slates and mingle with stars, but to see the latest technologies that promise to enhance the theatrical experience for audiences. Major filmmakers like Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson have come out in support of the service, but the industry on the whole remains divided. "I assure you we are not going to let a third party or middle man come between us," Tsujihara told the audience of exhibitors. "When there are new technologies ... we will explore them with each of you. We know the status quo is not an option." Not every studio has taken a hard stand. On Monday, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams -- a Screening Room backer -- urged the conference to be open-minded about innovations. "Hangover" director Todd Phillips on Tuesday, however, came out strongly against the idea of the Screening Room without mentioning it directly while promoting his new Jonah and Miles Teller comedy "War Dogs." "Why are we in such a rush to turn movies into television? It doesn't make sense to me. Movies are special," Phillips said. "We need to do everything we can to protect that part of the experience." (Page Six)

Mark Rylance Joining Steven Spielberg's 'Ready Player One' (Exclusive). The 'Bridge of Spies' Oscar winner is fast becoming the director's go-to actor, with the sci-fi film marking their fourth collaboration. Mark Rylance is in final negotiations to co-star in Steven Spielberg's sci-fi film Ready Player One. The Bridge of Spies Oscar winner is fast becoming the go-to actor for Spielberg. After collaborating with Spielberg on the Cold War-era drama Bridge of Spies, Rylance landed the titular role in the director's upcoming film The B.F.G., which is expected to debut at Cannes next month. Earlier this week, the British actor signed on to play Pope Pius IX in The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara, which will mark Spielberg's follow-up to Ready Player One. Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow are behind Ready Player One, an adaptation of Ernest Cline's best-selling novel. Rylance and Warners are still working out the dates, a prospect that proved tricky given that the actor is on board to co-star in another movie for the studio, Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk. But Warners was able to find a way to have Rylance do both films (Dunkirk begins filming in France on May 23, and Ready Player One is heading toward a June start). Tye Sheridan leads a cast that includes Olivia Cooke, Simon Pegg and Ben Mendelsohn in the story set in a virtual world called OASIS, in which a teenager (Sheridan) finds himself competing in a treasure hunt against ruthless foes after the game's founder dies and offers his fortune as the grand prize. Rylance will play James Donovan Halliday, the creator of OASIS, an enigmatic figure with shades of Howard Hughes and Steve Jobs. Ready Player One is being produced by Spielberg via his Amblin Partners banner, along with Donald De Line, Kristie Macosko Krieger and Dan Farah. (Hollywood Reporter)

Tribeca: Inside the R-Rated, Animated Satire 'Nerdland' Starring Paul Rudd and Patton Oswalt. The long-gestating comedy from 'Se7en' screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker-kicking off the fest's Viewpoints section-looks critically at instant fame, true crime dramas, extreme violence and L.A. desperation. "If we were to give the celebrity-obsessed massive audiences something worth watching-I mean, really worth watching-we'd also be launching our careers," says Paul Rudd to Patton Oswalt in Nerdland. "Wouldn't you spend a night behind bars if that's what it took to change your life?" The R-rated, animated satire-kicking off the2016 Tribeca Film Festival's Viewpoints section with an April 14 premiere-follows aspiring actor John (Rudd) and struggling screenwriter Elliot (Oswalt) who aim to launch themselves into the zeitgeist before the end of the night. With voice cameos by Mike Judge, Molly Shannon and Hannibal Buress, the film pokes fun at Hollywood celebrity (pitching actors during a press junket is appropriate, right?) and Los Angeles' overwhelming advertising, but largely takes a critical look at the ubiquitous plight for instant fame. "Everything is being filmed now -- a lot of times, you don't get to choose the slice of your day that suddenly catches on with other people, so there's this 'accidental lottery' aspect to it," says Oswalt. "Seeing people who aren't even trying, that's gotta drive some people crazy, especially if they're early on in their career and haven't really fully formed who they are yet. That hunger can warp a lot of people." The long-gestating comedy from Se7en and Sleepy Hollow screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker has been drafted as a TV show, a web series and even a live-action film with David Fincher attached. Titmouse, Inc. took on the script for its first feature, which remains relevant in its mentions of police brutality footage, true crime dramas and the consequences of extreme violence onscreen. "It's weird how, as time went on, certain things became more offensive or more topical," says Walker. "There's definitely a lot more navel-gazing, but also, 'Hey come over here and look at my navel.'" Nerdland's main characters are loosely based on Walker-back when working at Tower Records and eyeing a film career-and journalist Jon Silberg. "I joked that this spec script would be every reader assistant's favorite in all the mailrooms because there's a certain path when you move to Los Angeles: everybody moves into the same apartment and parks in the same tandem parking space with their roommate," laughs Walker. "And you're never more than ten feet away from a screenplay in this town. For anybody outside the movie industry looking in, there's a sense of 'sweaty palms' desperation." Though Nerdland is a darkly comedic, daylong adventure onscreen, Oswalt asserts its real-life applications. "I saw early on that the people who were pulling stunts, their fame lasts as long as the stunts, and those who worked on the work and built something more solid had that much longer and way more fun careers," he says. "Figure out what you like to do-what you actually like to do-and go quietly and work on that, without any fanfare, and be willing to put in the hours and days and months and years in order to get there. If you get good at it, you won't have to chase after fame; it will come after you. Fame can give you the wiggle room to do more of the work you want to do, but fame as an end to itself is empty." (Hollywood Reporter)

'Wolf of Wall Street' Malaysian Money Laundering Scandal Gets Doc Treatment. Oscar-nominated filmmaker Mike Lerner is producing 'The Master and His Wolf,' which he hopes will join the dots between 'Wolf of Wall Street' producers Red Granite Pictures and a billion-dollar scandal now threatening to bring down the Malaysian government. The unfolding scandal surrounding the financing of The Wolf of Wall Street, which allegedly links corruption and money laundering at the highest levels of the Malaysian government to the company behind the hit film starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a flamboyant, criminal broker, is getting the documentary treatment. Mike Lerner, the Oscar-nominated British producer behind Hell and Back Again, The Square and Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, is now producing the doc, which purports to connect the dots between Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak, a sovereign wealth fund set up to spur economic development, notorious celebrity-strewn parties in Cannes and Las Vegas, upstart LA banner Red Granite Pictures- co-founded by Razak's stepson Riza Aziz-and the $100 million it found to finance The Wolf of Wall Street in 2012. The story could also drag in DiCaprio, who was paid $25 million up front to star in Martin Scorsese's five-time Academy award nominee. The Master and His Wolf ---currently a working title-is being produced through Lerner's London-based Roast Beef Productions banner, and has already completed its filming in Malaysia, interviewing many of those who, against an aggressive clampdown on free speech, called for the parliamentary enquiry into the state fund 1MDB and reports that more than $1 billion found its way into Razak's personal accounts. The film's producers, who began their investigations in 2015, are now extending the shoot to the U.S., Switzerland, Luxembourg, Hong Kong, Singapore and Abu Dhabi, where probes into 1MDB's finances have since been opened. Last year, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Justice began examining Goldman Sachs' role in the affair. In February, according to Bloomberg, U.S. investigators subpoenaed the bank's recently-departed partner who handled deals for the fund. Red Granite's Aziz, who has duel U.S./Malaysian citizenship, could face charges along with other execs at the company if the DoJ decides to act on its findings. "In The Master and His Wolf we have a gripping story with a cast of fantastical characters, movie stars, prime ministers and a system of money laundering, with direct links between Malaysia via Saudi and Abu Dhabi companies which goes right to the heart of Hollywood's elite," Lerner told The Hollywood Reporter. Among the fantastical characters filmmakers are hoping to speak to is Jho Low, the flamboyant Malaysian financier famed for throwing a string of celebrity and Champagne-soaked million-dollar parties in Las Vegas and the man who allegedly connected Red Granite Pictures' Aziz-with whom he is believed to have had a close relationship-and DiCaprio, who had been trying to finance The Wolf of Wall Street for six years before the company came on board. Low, who received a "special thanks" in the film's credits, has been missing since the enquiry opened into his dealings with 1MDB and is reported to be in Taiwan (one of the few countries that doesn't have extradition arrangements with the U.S. or Malaysia). Lerner's Roast Beef has considerable track record in backing films that dive right into the heart of contentious and contemporary subject matters. To Hell and Back Again, directed by war photographer-turned-filmmaker Danfung Dennis, picked up two Sundance awards and an Oscar nomination in 2011 for chronicling the emotional and difficult transition of a badly-injured U.S marine from the battlefield of Afghanistan back to civilian life. Two years later, another Oscar nomination-alongside three Emmys and the IDA's best feature award-landed for The Square, Jehane Noujaim's Netflix doc chronicling of Egypt's turbulent recent history, told through the eyes of those on the streets during the deadly uprisings in 2011 and 2013. And Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer, co-directed by Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin, told the story of the Russian feminist protest rock band amid their controversial trial and conviction in 2012, winning a Sundance special jury award. Last year it was revealed that Roast Beef was working with Noujaim on a doc lifting the lid on the 2014 cyberattack that resulted in Sony's Amy Pascal stepping down. Given its development at a time when U.S. law enforcers are potentially closing in, The Master and His Wolf may well offer a behind-the-scenes examination of an event that could have a seismic impact from Asia to Hollywood. "Because of this historically massive corruption the Malaysian government is on the brink of disaster while two suspicious murders with alleged links to the fraud remain shrouded in secrecy. And all for what? Greed, celebrity obsession and the ambition to stand on a red carpet," added Lerner. "Stories don't get much bigger." (Hollywood Reporter)

Indian Box Office: 'The Jungle Book' Second Highest Hollywood Opening Ever in India. Only 'Fast & Furious 7' has earned more in the territory on in its first weekend than Jon Favreau's animated feature, which bowed to $8.4 million in India. India loves The Jungle Book. Jon Favreau's new animated take on the Rudyard Kipling children's classic bowed to $8.4 million (554.4 million rupees) on its first weekend which would imply the title recorded the second highest opening for any Hollywood or western title in India. The film bowed here on April 8, a week ahead of its U.S. release. That take puts The Jungle Book behind only Fast & Furious 7, which opened last year to $10.6 million (700 million rupees), making it the most successful Hollywood bow ever in the territory, according to local reports. India does not officially report box office earnings. Overall, The Jungle Book recorded the second highest opening for any title this year in India, behind only Bollywood title Airlift. "The Jungle Book has been outstanding at the Indian box office and has the potential to touch $10.6 million (about 700 million rupees) in its first week alone," trade analyst Taran Adarsh told The Hollywood Reporter. The result is all the more impressive because India's censors, in a controversial move, slapped the film with a UA rating, equivalent to a PG rating in the U.S., claiming the movie's 3D effects were "too scary" for young children and limiting The Jungle Book's Indian audience. It remains to be seen if at some point The Jungle Book can cross the local box office bench mark of one billion rupees ($17 million), a feat which Furious 7 achieved within its first week. But that title had a distinct advantage: Universal opened Furious 7 on more screens, at about 2,800, compared to The Jungle Book which Disney India released on about 1,600 screens. As with most Hollywood tentpoles in India, The Jungle Book was released in the original English version and also dubbed in regional languages. In a bid to further widen its appeal, the film's Hindi version was voiced by top Bollywood stars including Priyanka Chopra (Quantico), Irrfan Khan (Jurassic World) and Om Puri (The Hundred Foot Journey), among others. Typically with a major Hollywood release, more than half the Indian box office comes from a film's dubbed versions. Universal had a wider release for both Furious 7 and Jurassic World in India than is typical for a Hollywood film here. In a first for the market, the studio released both titles on screens outside the Digital Cinema Initiative (DCI), a network of around 1,500 digital screens in India that comply to certain technical standards that guarantee uniform screening conditions. Usually Hollywood films are only put out on DCI screens, limiting their release in a country with around 9,000 screens. Bollywood movies, which dominate the market here, usually have much wider releases than Hollywood films and larger box office grosses. (Hollywood Reporter)
Sony came to CinemaCon this week, and answered big mysteries about two major franchises. First -- yes, they're serious about a Men In Black/21 Jump Street crossover. So serious in fact that they revealed a name for the strange franchise hybrid -- MIB 23. Well, it's succinct, gotta give 'em that. In other merger news, the deal with Disney and Marvel Studios means Spider-Man won't just have a major role in the MCU but will also star in his own solo movies distributed by Sony. And new Peter Parker Tom Holland was on hand at the event to reveal not just the title but the logo for the new iteration: Spider-Man: Homecoming. Hmm. We're guessing it's a meta play on words. Obviously, Spidey is "coming home" to Marvel, and since he's in high school there could actually be a very important dance involved. The more interesting thing is that it's back to simply "Spider-Man" with no Amazing or, as rumored, Spectacular. So all future movies will simply be Spider-Man: Subtitle. (Perez Hilton)

TV

Karev Silences Bailey During Heated Debate by Bringing Up Her Son on 'Grey's Anatomy' Alex Karev brings Miranda Bailey's son, Tuck, into the fray during a heated hospital exchange in Grey's Anatomy's Thursday, April 14, episode. The preview clip from the ABC medical drama's upcoming two-hour event episode shows the pair of doctors at odds over the best method for locating a child who has gone missing in Grey Sloan Memorial. Karev (Justin Chambers) is convinced that the hospital needs to go into lockdown, while Bailey (Chandra Wilson) is worried that such a severe decision would put other patients at risk. "There's a kid who's in danger, and as long as we stand here debating this, he's getting further away," the pediatric surgeon says. He then adds, "What if it was Tuck?"Grey's Anatomy airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET. (US Weekly)
Tara Reid, Bachelor Couple Enter Bonkers Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars. The new season of Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars looks to be no Taradise. And yes, that is our way of informing you Tara Reid is going to be on Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars. The Sharknado star and Dean May are entering the Boot Camp with Michelle and Cody Sattler of Bachelor in Paradise fame, America's Next Top Model's Lisa D'Amato and Adam Friedman, Toya and Memphtiz Wright from Toya Family Affair and Brittish Williams and Lorenzo Gordon of Basketball Wives LA. In the trailer, well, things get bonkers. It's a house "full of secrets and lies" and what looks like violent outbursts, cheating scandals and sexual situations. According to the trailer, Tara Reid is the "Hollywood wild child" and Dean May is her "partyboy," so... Montel Williams is there to help, as are husband and wife duo Jim and Elizabeth Carroll, and co-directors Ilsa Norman and David Bishop. Marriage Boot Camp: Reality Stars premieres this June on WEtv. (Eonline)

It's a Convergence of Taken's Bryan Mills When Liam Neeson and Clive Standen Finally Meet. Imagine Taken's Bryan Mills from the movie meeting Taken's Bryan Mills from the upcoming TV show? Well you don't have to imagine what that would be like because the picture proves it happened. Did they talk about their particular set of skills? Yes, we can only assume they did. Actor Clive Standen of Vikings fame was on hand at the IFTA Film & Drama Awards Ceremony on Saturday, April 9 where Liam Neeson was the special honoree for his contribution to cinema. Standen will play the role of Bryan Mills in NBC's Taken series, which is being set up as a prequel to the three Taken movies Neeson starred in. Please take a moment and wrap your brains around this Taken time wrap meeting. In an Instagram post, Standen said he and Neeson chatted about the action hero role. To be a fly on that wall... Alex Cary will serve as showrunner on the NBC series. Luc Besson, one of the men behind the films, will serve as executive producer. No premiere date for the new Taken series has been set. (Eonline)

iZombie Just Showed Us Exactly How a Season Finale Should Be Done. Now that was a cliffhanger. iZombie just ended its second season with such a rollercoaster that we're not even sure we kept track of it all, ending with a twist we did not see coming and a heartbreaking death or two (RIP, Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas). First of all, some good news: Major's (Robert Buckley) no longer in jail or wanted for murder, thanks to Liv (Rose McIver). In order to keep him from deteriorating into full-on zombie mode in the middle of a crowded jail, she told Clive (Malcolm Goodwin) everything. Now when we say everything, we mean everything, including the source of her helpful visions. Detective Babineaux is now fully apprised of Seattle's zombie epidemic, thanks to Liv proving her story by stabbing herself in the chest right in front of him, and even though it completely destroyed both his Meat Cute case and his relationship with his FBI agent girlfriend, Dale (Jessica Harmon), he pulled some strings and got Major released overnight. Meanwhile, Vaughn Du Clark (Steven Weber) and Max Rager were secretly pulling their own strings -- hiring that sleazy lawyer, stealing all of Major's non-dead undead (including Drake) from those freezers and putting them in zombie prisons in the basement, sending his crony Janko to kill Liv and Major once and for all, and facilitating the sale of the company to a private military contractor, led by a woman named Vivian. To celebrate the sale, Max Rager hosted a gigantic prison-themed party, complete with prison guards, servers dressed in riot gear, locked doors, Rob Thomas (of Matchbox Twenty, not iZombie's executive producer Rob Thomas, but your confusion is understandable), and a basement full of human experiments. After Liv, Clive, and Major crashed the party to try and rescue the chaos killer victims, the whole shebang went full-on zombie. All hell broke loose and lots of people died, including poor Rob Thomas, and he was not the last. In the basement, the zombies from the list feared for their lives and watched the scientists continue to take zombies out and bring them back, looking a lot more zombie. When they went to choose another guinea pig, Drake volunteered, because of course he did. By the time Liv, Major, and Clive found them all, Drake was beyond saving, and unfortunately Vaughn showed up just in time to let him out of his cell. He first attacked Clive, and Liv was forced to shoot her boyfriend in the head. Thanks to Major being both very badass and very clever, Vaughn got trapped in his own elevator with his zombie daughter (Gilda? Rita?), his zombie experiments, and a hole in his hand that prevented him from escaping. In a nutshell, he dead. (Rita/Gilda's dead too, but we're not mourning either of them.) Vaughn's reign as king of Seattle via Max Rager may be over, but he's now been replaced by Vivian Stoll, and she's a whole other beast. Literally. Liv found Vivian and some of her crew happily eating the brains of poor Rob Thomas, while being serenaded by a nice cover of Matchbox Twenty's "Unwell." "Hungry?" Vivian asked. "You ready for the new world order, Olivia Moore? Ready to do your part for your kind? Someday soon, Seattle's going to be the capital of zombie homeland, and a lot of people aren't going to want to see that happen. So are you with us, or against us?" Say what? And that's not even all that went down! In the midst of rekindling their relationship, Ravi and Peyton were forced to join Blaine in going up against Mr. Boss's organization when Peyton was kidnapped to draw Blaine out. They all survived the eventual shoot out, but Ravi found Peyton and Blaine clutching each other for comfort. We have so many questions: What does this all mean? Is Seattle about to actually go full Walking Dead? Would you ever want to go to a prison-themed party? How much did you laugh at Liv's "This is how a skull breaks" quip upon discovering Rob Thomas dead? Are Blaine and Peyton about to reenact the True Blood storyline where Eric lost his memory? Does this finale rank among some of the best season finales ever? That last one may be debatable, but our answer is definitely yes. iZombie will return to the CW later this year, and we can't wait for more. (Eonline)

Chris Licht has on board as an executive producer. The Late Show With Stephen Colbert is making a change. CBS This Morning veteran executive producer Chris Licht has been tapped to serve as showrunner on the late-night series, CBS announced Wednesday. In his new role, Licht will oversee all aspects of production on the show, which launched in September. "I'm thrilled Chris is joining us at The Late Show. I am so impressed by what he has done at CBS This Morning," said Stephen Colbert. "And I trust someone has told him he doesn't have to get up at 4 a.m. anymore." "In a very short time, Stephen's comedic talents and interview skills have formed an exciting new franchise for CBS in late night," said Glenn Geller, President, CBS Entertainment. "Chris's vision and track record of leading signature shows in important dayparts is a great next step to build on this terrific foundation." "Everyone in the company has admired what Chris has done for CBS in the morning," said David Stapf, President, CBS Television Studios. "The opportunity to bring him to 'The Late Show is like adding an outstanding head coach to a great team." Subsequently, Ryan Kadro has been bumped to executive producer at the morning program to fill Licht's shoes. "You can't work in this business without being in awe of Stephen Colbert and his talents," said Licht. "The chance to work with Stephen and help build a valuable late night franchise, while continuing to grow at CBS, is truly an honor. I can't wait to get started." "At the same time, it's a bittersweet moment," continued Licht. "Our CBS News team has built something very unique in the morning that continues to grow in stature and ratings. I will miss working with them all, but I leave with incredible pride for what we accomplished together, and I can't wait to see where Ryan takes the show as it moves onward and upward to the next level of success." (Hollywood Reporter)

"As an actor, you try and force yourself to believe that situations are truly happening to you as the character. I was just so in that guy's skin for so many years." While on Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul used to have some pretty disturbing dreams. The Path star noted on Tuesday's Conan that he used to dream intensely as his character, Jesse Pinkman. "Not in a good way, in a very violent, scary, scary way," he told Conan O'Brien. "People running after me with guns." Specifically, his dreams would recall one of the series' most heartbreaking episodes. "I would dream as if I'd wake up and I'd see Jane there, lying dead next to me," Paul said of Krysten Ritter's arc. "I'd try to revive her, and then I'd wake up out of a nightmare, I'm like, 'Oh my god, that was a dream,' and then it's Jane again." Paul explained, "As an actor, you try and force yourself to believe that situations are truly happening to you as the character. I was just so in that guy's skin for so many years." During the episode, Paul also recalled his oddly sexual, yet very lucrative, Juicy Fruit ad. (Hollywood Reporter)