ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

Law & Order's Saffron Burrows Gives Birth to a Baby Girl. Saffron Burrows has a big reason to celebrate 2017. E! News has exclusively learned that the Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. star gave birth to a baby girl named Daisy Alice Winnie Balian-Burrows on January 23. Back in September, Saffron revealed she was expecting with wife Alison Balian when she debuted her baby bump on a red carpet in New York City. While celebrating the premiere of Bridget Jones's Baby at the Paris Theatre, the actress' black dress couldn't conceal a visible baby bump. Saffron and Alison, who are also parents to a son, have tried to keep their family life relatively private in recent years. In fact, the couple managed to keep their marriage a secret until 16 months after the ceremony. "I chose to speak to you because I don't want to lie by omission and I want to be very straightforward about my life," Saffron told writer Hermione Hoby in The Guardian. "I don't want to hesitate and feel hindered by something I haven't said. Also, I'm really proud of my family and who they are, these two individuals beside me. That's certainly my proudest achievement. And for my boy, I want to be honest with him because he deserves it -- but also proud." She continued, "And I want us to live a very honest life with each other. I think for a while I was just avoiding conversations, in order to not be labeled in some way that I felt was limiting and not actually true to who I am." Saffron was just 15 when she launched her modeling career after being spotted by a fashion photographer. She would make her feature film debut in Jim Sheridan's In the Name of the Father. She also earned several roles on the small screen including Mozart in the Jungle and Boston Legal. Congratulations to the couple on their big news! (Eonline)

Drew Barrymore Shares How Her New Role Helped Her Get Her Confidence Back: "I Had Sort of Let Myself Go." Drew Barrymore has her head held high. As the leading star of Netflix's newest series, The Santa Clarita Diet, the longtime actress is taking on the role of a California real estate agent suddenly turning into a zombie. While the character is unlike anyone in her acting repertoire, playing Sheila Hammond had an even greater personal effect on Barrymore. "[The role] came sort of in the middle of a moment in my life where I had sort of let myself go due to personal circumstances," she told Today's Natalie Morales on Friday. The personal circumstances Barrymore might have been referring to was her recent split from husband Will Kopelman after nearly four years of marriage. The exes, who share daughters Olive, 4, and Frankie, 2, confirmed their separation in April 2016. Within one month, the pair filed and finalized their divorce, a notably drama-free process in comparison to other celebrity splits. In the midst of shooting the show, Barrymore confirmed she lost 20 pounds, but losing weight wasn't the only way her job affected her. "I thought I could come alive with Sheila and it was a really great goal line for me because I think, as much as the weight loss, everything's very subtle. It's attitudinal. It's empowerment. It's confidence. It's all of these things that shes lost in her life that I feel like I had sort of lost in my life and it was such a blessing to come alive with her," she recalled to Morales. "It really was so positive for me." Despite their breakup, Barrymore and her ex are committed to keeping their clan united. Whether she's cheering Kopelman on from the sidelines of the New York City Marathon or praising his involvement in the Women's March, the two continue to celebrate each other at every step. "We are a family," she shared told E! News in November. "We're actually blood related. My friends are my family my whole life...they're my family. Will's family is my family, and my daughters are my family. I never thought I'd be so lucky to have so many families!" (Eonline)

Hilary Duff and Matthew Koma Make First Red Carpet Appearance Together. These are what dreams are made of! Hilary Duff and rumored boyfriend Matthew Koma made their first red carpet appearance together Saturday night. The duo attended Entertainment Weekly's pre-SAG Awards party at Chateau Marmont wearing all-black outfits. The couple posed for pictures on the red carpet together, but once inside the soiree they also snapped a few pictures while sipping on celebratory cocktails. Before getting to know Koma, the "Come Clean" songstress dated Rise Nation founder Jason Walsh for about five months. The actress opened up in Cosmopolitan's February issue and confessed, "I've never been a good dater." After her four-year marriage to Mike Comrie came to an end in 2014, she lined up a few Tinder dates the following year. But, the "Sparks" singer didn't feel any, well...sparks. "I meet, like, one person a year that I'm maybe attracted to," the actress-singer admitted. "I never want to be that girl who's desperate to find a mate." Although she went into the New Year a single woman, Duff doesn't complain about how any of her previous relationships ended. She and Walsh are amicable, and she's best friends with Comrie, with whom she shares son Luca. "Mike's amazing. We're so ingrained in each other's lives. I wouldn't choose anyone else to co-parent with," she told Cosmo. "We are really good friends and care a lot about each other." It sounds like Duff has figured it all out. (Eonline)

Selena Gomez and The Weeknd Take Their Romance to Italy. Selena Gomez and The Weeknd are taking their romance to a different continent. The couple traveled to the Italian city of Florence, E! News has learned, where they dined at Trattoria Borgo Antico for lunch. Plenty of pictures have popped up on social media, showing Selena and The Weeknd in the airport and getting into a car in an Italian piazza. Their Italian getaway vacation comes only two days after E! News obtained exclusive pictures of their date night at Dave and Buster's in Los Angeles, which also featured French Montana and Jaden Smith. "Selena looked so happy and Abel was very chill, very relaxed," an onlooker dished to us. "They held hands as they left and it was very warm, you can tell they are really enjoying each other's company...[Selena] seems very at ease with him and you can still see the stars in her eyes. They are clearly smitten!" The eyewitness also added that SelGo and her "Starboy" looked "smitten" as they left the arcade at 3 a.m. holding hands. Although a separate source has told E! News that "they are just having fun and enjoying each other," it's clear that they definitely like spending time together! Selena and The Weeknd were even spotted kissing outside of Los Angeles hotspot Giorgio Baldi. "He really likes her. They text every day," another insider revealed. "They have a really sexy and flirty relationship. They laugh and like each other's personalities." Since the "Secrets" crooner recently split from Bella Hadid, he and Selena are going to take it one day at a time. "They are taking things slow and getting to know each other," the insider dished to us. "Selena was focusing on getting herself back together and The Weeknd was just getting out of a relationship, plus putting out his new album." Still, the insider added, "He thinks she is extremely talented and sexy." Buon viaggio, Selena and The Weeknd! (Eonline)

Jennifer Lopez Opens Up About Juggling Business and Motherhood: "I Just Try to Do the Best That I Can." No matter what she commits to, Jennifer Lopez is always ready to give all she has. Between performing all her hits in Las Vegas, shooting Shades of Blue and raising two children, the "On the Floor" singer has more than a busy schedule. Thursday night was no different when the fashion designer celebrated the launch of Jennifer Lopez and Giuseppe Zanotti's shoe capsule collection at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. As a busy mom herself, E! News' Catt Sadler had to ask a question so many fans want to know: How does Jenny From the Block juggle it all? "I came in from my first two appointments and I had to start getting ready for this and when I left, [my kids] were eating hot dogs and I was like okay, I'm going to let that go. And then I got back and they suggested tacos for dinner and I said no!" she shared with us. "We're going to do chicken breasts. We're going to make a cobb salad. You can have a little bread and butter but come on." Jennifer continued, "Let's be serious here. Just because I'm working today doesn't mean it's taco, pizza, hot dog day. It was crazy... I just try to do the best that I can." For her latest business venture, Jennifer collaborated with Italian luxury shoe designer Giuseppe Zanotti for new capsule footwear and accessories collection available at Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and more select retailers around the world. When asked what gets the J. Lo stamp on a shoe, Giuseppe had the perfect answer. "I think it's a cocktail of emotion: Of familiarity, sex appeal and also love, passion," he shared. Jennifer added, "Yes! He gets me. I get him and that's why he's a genius." As Jennifer continues balancing family time and work time, some may wonder how she keeps going. Let's just say if you enjoy what you do, it doesn't always feel like work. "I just love what I do. I feel very fortunate. To now be here launching my own shoe collection with an amazing artist and being able to work with amazing artists and do what I love, that's where I get my stamina," she shared with E! News. "I live with a lot of gratitude." (Eonline)

Why Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard Are Relatable AF. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are so cute it's crazy. Between the Instagram posts and adorable tweets, we just can't seem to get enough of the ever-relatable When in Rome costars. When they're together, they never cease to be #goals. And for a couple of celebrities, it's remarkable how often they leave us thinking, "same!" It's just always so refreshing when the rich and famous types get real about life -- and how it isn't always easy. For instance, both Shepard and Bell have opened up about their personal struggles in order to help erase any stigma that might prevent others from speaking out. Shepard has been open about his struggle with addiction, and Bell has spoken about her own battle with depression. That said, it doesn't seem like anything is too much for the couple to conquer together. The actors have been a couple for nine years, and have been married for four. So, so far so good! This throwback picture of the couple (nice suspenders!) as twentysomethings testifies to their nearly decade long lovefest. Speaking of conquering, it's worth noting that the duo are basically Game of Thrones superfans, just like, y'know, seemingly everyone else on the planet. Not only did they attend the show's season six premiere -- dressed in awww-inspiring matching T-shirts -- the couple dressed up as Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo for Halloween a few years ago. Recently, Bell revealed to Jimmy Kimmel that, despite having no idea what it meant, her 3-year old daughter Lincoln running around saying, "Winter is coming!" And though Bell has super-heavy cool kid cred as a Frozen princess, life as a mother is not always so glamorous. But this doesn't seem to faze the star of The Good Place, who's happy to share her own not-so-dreamy anecdotes: She told Redbook "...it's important to remind moms that all of us are wearing yogurt and all of our hands smell like urine." Never one to shy away from personal subjects, she went on to talk to Natural Health about her experience with pressure to lose baby weight, saying, "I'm not willing to kill myself to look a certain way. And I won't ruin the first six months of being with my baby because I'm only eating lettuce. It's also not healthy while you're breastfeeding, and I breastfeed like a champion." She's not the only one who has been candid about life as a parent. Shepard too has been characteristically frank in his interviews about daddyhood, telling Ellen Degeneres that he tries to be "100 percent honest" with his children, even when it's tough. One such case: his explanation of Santa Claus. As Dax related to Ellen, "I said, 'There's gonna be a guy stopping by on Christmas Eve in a red jumpsuit with combat boots, huge Grizzly Adams beard...He's got a lot of aliases and he's gonna show up riding a team of endangered animals.'" So obviously, Lincoln "can't wait to meet this felon," he added. Despite being a pretty high-profile couple, as well as co-stars of the upcoming CHiPs movie, they're pretty serious about keeping their relationship low-key. After waiting for the legalization of same-sex marriage in California, the two quietly married in a small courthouse in Beverly Hills in front of family and friends -- a stark contrast to some of the massive celebrity weddings we've seen. They've also been careful to keep their daughters, Lincoln and 20-month old Delta, out of the spotlight, sharing only one picture to social media that includes one of their kids, and it's still impossible to make out exactly who it is. As Dax explained, he and Kristen "made a decision to get into show business and become public figures," but their children did not. Above all, what makes Kristen and Dax so lovable is how totally real they are. At a Golden Globes after-party, they played Settlers of Catan. They went to a charity gala and Instagrammed the food. The star couple ran into The Night Of's Riz Ahmed and were totally star-struck. TBH, Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard are all of us. (Eonline)

David Beckham Shares Intimate Details About Life With Victoria Beckham: "We Stay Together Because We Love Each Other." David Beckham and Victoria Beckham really are couples goals. The soccer star opened up in a rare interview on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs about life with his wife and their four "amazing" children, Harper Beckham, Brooklyn Beckham, Romeo Beckham and Cruz Beckham. While discussing the early stages of their relationship, David admitted that Posh Spice's manager at the time was very protective and didn't want their relationship out in public. "We used to just sit in the carpark and talk," David said of their first dates. "We used to kiss, of course, and just spend time together." Since then the athlete has very few regrets, but there is one that he would change if he could: the matching purple outfits from his and Victoria's lavish wedding in 1991. "I even had a top hat in purple," he noted. "What was I thinking?" He added, "I look like the guys out of Dumb and Dumber." The couple's over-the-top nuptials are one of the most famous (and expensive) celebrity weddings. They were treated like royalty, which is fitting considering it took place at a Dublin castle! Victoria and David played king and queen, sitting on red velvet thrones throughout the evening. Victoria wore a tight-fitting silk ivory gown with an incredible 20-foot train, along with a gold, diamond-encrusted crown. Their 250 guests were greeted by trumpeters, entertained by Elton John and given a fireworks show at the end of the night. Looking back, David said they had a reason for planning their wedding the way they did. "It was the thing to do around that time," he said, laughing. "We have renewed our vows since that time. It was a lot more private with only six people." Married for nearly two decades, the British couple has proved Hollywood marriages can last. David credits his "strong family unit" for why their relationship has lasted so many years. "We have got strong parents too and they taught us the right values. Of course you make mistakes and we all know that marriage is difficult at times. It is about working through it," he explained. "We have come up against tough times. But we know each other better than anyone else knows us. And we talk." And for anyone who thinks they're still together for any other reason than love, think again. "Do we stay together because it is a brand? Of course not," David said. "We stay together because we love each other and because we have four amazing children." (Eonline)

Dancing With the Stars Winners Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy Reunite. Rumer Willis and Val Chmerkovskiy continue to support each other. The two previously worked together on Dancing With the Stars -- and won, of course -- and it seems the two have remained friends. Val, who is on tour with other dancers, snapped a picture with his former partner backstage at his Chicago show. "The one and only @ruelarue came to visit us on tour this evening #mirrorballchamp #dwts #alumni #tour," he wrote. "Also THANK YOU CHICAGO for 2 SOLD OUT shows today!! Great audience." Since DWTS, Rumer has continued dancing. She landed the role of Roxie Hart in the iconic Broadway show Chicago. But she misses her life on the competition show. "For me, I wish I was still dancing and learning. It's so much fun and I wish I could have done an entire new season just so I could keep learning all the different dances," she previously told E! News exclusively. "It's so incredible. I feel like I have this new toy and I want to keep taking classes and keep learning." But her Broadway role was a dream come true for the star. "It was so wonderful. I mean, they're amazing and they're so supportive of me," she said of her family's presence at opening night. "I think that they know this has been a dream of mine -- to be on Broadway since I was a little kid. So it was amazing not just for me, but for them to see me do something I've wanted to do for so long." (Eonline)

Model Charlotte McKinney dropped out of high school in Orlando, Fla., "because of all of the bullying." "Girls would yell at me and call me a slut," she reveals in Ocean Drive magazine. "I would go to parties and get beer thrown on my head -- there was so much bullying. It was just so awful ... that's why now I kind of use my platform to promote anti-bullying. I try to use what I went through to be a voice for it." These days, like Kate Upton, she's looking to act. "Maybe even an ugly role," she figures. "I hope to be taken a bit more seriously." The busty blonde famous for a Carl's Jr. campaign has been eating healthy, including cutting out sugar, but "My boobs decreased in size ... down one size, for sure," she reports. (Page Six)

Justin Bieber had some flashes of The Great One at the NHL Celebrity All Star Game ... an event that honored Alan Thicke. The Biebs laced 'em up Saturday at Staples Center with some NHL legends, celebs and even Thicke's 19-year-old son Carter. It's clear to tell -- Justin was able to keep up with some of the best of them -- even scoring just as the game was ending. As we reported ... Robin Thicke was scheduled to participate in the event but pulled out last minute because of the nasty custody war brewing between him and Paula Patton. Each player's uniform was fitted with a custom patch to honor Alan. (TMZ)

Robin Thicke was supposed to coach a team at the Celebrity Shootout Saturday ... part of the NHL All Star game honoring his dad, Alan Thicke, but he backed out at the last minute. Robin was slated to coach his brother, 19-year-old Carter, in addition to Justin Bieber and others. The singer pulled out Friday night, clearly because of the child custody war in which he's embroiled with Paula Patton. Robin is not allowed to go near his son Julian for the time being, per judge's order. Robin insists the abuse claims lodged by Paula are bogus, and she had years to complain but chose now just to get back at him. Each celeb player will wear jerseys emblazoned with a patch dedicated to Alan Thicke, who suffered a fatal heart attack at a hockey rink last month. (TMZ)

Mischa Barton Released From the Hospital After Being Drugged at Birthday Celebration. Mischa Barton is shedding some light into her recent hospital visit. The O.C. star has revealed to fans that someone gave her GHB (also known as the "date rape drug") while drinking on Wednesday night. "On the evening of the 25th, I went out with a group of friends to celebrate my birthday," she shared in a statement to People. "While having drinks, I realized that something was not right as my behavior was becoming erratic and continued to intensify over the next several hours." "I voluntarily went to get professional help, and I was informed by their staff that I had been given GHB. After an overnight stay, I am home and doing well," the statement continued. "I would like to extend a big thanks of gratitude to the professionals at Cedars-Sinai for their great care and professionalism. This is a lesson to all young women out there, be aware of your surroundings." On Thursday afternoon, E! News confirmed that local authorities responded to a disturbance call. A West Hollywood Sheriff's deputy shared that upon arrival, Mischa "was making incoherent statements that made absolutely no sense and she was transported to the hospital." Back in 2013, the actress opened up about her road to recovery following what she called a "full-on breakdown" in 2009. "It was terrifying," she told People. "Straight out of Girl, Interrupted. Story of my life." Mischa continued, "I was deeply hurt at first, and then I accepted this was time I needed to be away from my family and all the pressure. I had been through the wringer." Fans easily know the actress for her role as Marissa Cooper on the Fox series The O.C., which aired from 2003 to 2007. She later competed on Dancing With the Stars with professional partner Artem Chigvintsev. (Eonline)

Alan Thicke made a decision years before his death, in which he chose his brother, Todd, over son Robin to care of his youngest son when he died. Alan drafted a will -- obtained by TMZ -- back in 2007 that created a guardianship for then 10-year-old Carter. According to the document Carter's mother, Gina Tolleson, would become the sole parent in the event he died first, but if she died before him he wanted his brother to take over after he died. The will references Alan's trust, which specifically lays out who gets what. The details of the trust are not mentioned in the legal docs. The reality ... Carter is now 19, an adult so he's on his own. The will appoints Todd as executor of Alan's will. (TMZ)

Uma Thurman Wins Primary Custody of Her Daughter Luna. Uma Thurman's custody battle has come to an end. E! News can confirm that the Pulp Fiction star has signed an agreement that gives her primary custody of her four-year-old daughter Luna whom she shares with ex-fiance Arpad Busson. The signed documents brought an end to a custody battle. "It's a wonderful thing to have closure," Thurman said Friday outside Manhattan Supreme Court, per Page Six. Busson will get monthly visitation with their daughter. The judge on the case had encouraged the exes to try to get along for the sake of their daughter. "At this point, Luna has all the advantages in life. She has two parents who love her, two parents who amply provide for her," Justice Matthew Cooper said. "The only thing that's lacking -- and I hope it's forthcoming -- is that her parents can reach some sort of place in life where they can put aside their rancor and their anger against one another and can join together -- never loving each other or even liking each other -- at least being able to cooperate," he said. When asked outside the court if they could ever let bygones be bygones, Thurman responded, "Hope springs eternal." E! News has reached out to Thurman and Busson for comment. Thurman and Busso were originally engaged in 2008 before splitting briefly in 2009. They welcomed their daughter in 2012, but broke up again for good in 2014. Previously, Thurman was married to Gary Oldman from 1990 until 1992. Then, in 1998, she married Ethan Hawke with whom she shares two children, their daughter Maya and son Levon. The couple divorced seven years later in 2005. (Eonline)

Paula Patton is not gunning for permanent sole custody of her son ... in fact, we've learned she's not gunning for anything now, because all she wants to do is figure out what's wrong with her son. TMZ broke the story ... a judge just ordered Robin Thicke to stay 100 yards away from 6-year-old Julian, along with Paula and her mother. For now she has sole physical and legal custody. Sources connected with the former couple tell us, Paula doesn't know what the final custody arrangement should look like, because she doesn't know the extent of Julian's issues. The boy told school officials Robin had been spanking him very hard. Paula also claims Robin got physical with his son. We're told Julian is acting out in troubling ways, which include hyperventilating and just "freaking out." She's putting the boy in therapy to figure out what, if anything, happened to him and how to fix it. We're told Paula will not make a long term custody game plan until she gets the lowdown from the therapist. As we reported, Robin denies abusing Julian or Paula, and says she's conveniently bringing up allegations that she says are 3 or 4 years old on the heels of a custody dispute. (TMZ)

Chris Brown believed in "it ain't no fun if the homies can't get none," but that's all coming to a screeching halt after a friend totaled his insanely expensive Lamborghini Aventador. We're told Chris went nuclear after he was told about TMZ's story with the photo showing the $500k Lambo crushed on Coldwater Canyon in a single car accident. As we reported, the driver left the scene, so cops don't know who was behind the wheel. We're told Chris knows exactly who was driving and "went off" on the guy, but Brown has no real recourse because his "friend" doesn't have a pot to piss in. The "friend" told Chris he was not under the influence ... he just lost control. Unclear if Chris is buyin' that. Chris had given 7 friends permission to drive his fleet of cars -- but after the accident he told all of them to hand in the keys. Expensive lesson learned. (TMZ)

The gloves are off in the battle over Kurt Cobain's guitar. After months of trying to retrieve the now-infamous rock artifact from her estranged husband through negotiations, Frances Bean Cobain has finally asked a court to force her soon-to-be ex-husband, Isaiah Silva, to give it up. Silva has long claimed that Frances Bean gave it to him as a wedding gift, but she strongly denies the claim. As Page Six has reported, there has been a vicious battle over the guitar since the end of their two-year marriage in March 2016. "Of course, her priority would be to have it returned, but as we [wait for] the court to make a ruling, she would like a third party to have it," a source close to the case told Page Six. In court papers filed in Los Angeles, her lawyers suggest that an art-storage company look after the left-handed 1959 Martin D-18E -- which her father played in Nirvana's famous "MTV Unplugged" session and which is worth several million dollars -- until the divorce proceedings are squared away. (Page Six) David Lee Roth's dog allegedly took a bloody bite out of a landscaper, but the former Van Halen frontman claims it was, at worst, a small nip. The landscaper, Timothy Salinas, says he was doing maintenance work in Roth's Pasadena yard when the rocker's Australian Cattle dog suddenly attacked and took a chunk out of his lower left calf. Salinas says his boss told him he'd lose his job if he reported it. Roth begs to differ. He tells us he never hired Salinas, he hired the landscaping company. He also points out Salinas waited 47 days before going to the hospital -- and he only found out about it after Salinas made an insurance claim. Roth's lawyer Ed McPherson says the whole thing is nothing more than a celebrity shakedown, although pics of the alleged attack look pretty gnarly. (TMZ)

Geoff Nicholls, Black Sabbath Keyboardist, Dies at 68. Geoff Nicholls, Black Sabbath's longtime keyboardist, died Saturday (Jan. 28) following a battle with lung cancer. He was 68. Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi confirmed the news on Facebook. "I'm so saddened to hear the loss of one of my dearest and closest friends Geoff Nicholls," Iommi wrote on Facebook Saturday. "Geoff and I have always been very close and he has been a real true friend to me and supported me all the way for nearly 40 years. I will miss him dearly and he will live in my heart until we meet again. Rest in peace my dear friend." Nicholls joined Black Sabbath following the firing of Ozzy Osbourne in 1979. The keyboardist first appeared on the legendary heavy metal band's 1980 album, Heaven and Hell. Five years later he was named an official member of the group, but left in 1996 after Osbourne returned. Nicholls appeared on nine Black Sabbath studio albums and was a regular touring member of the band. Prior to joining Sabbath, he played with metal band Quartz, whose self-titled debut was produced by Iommi. Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler also shared his condolences on Facebook. "Very sad to hear of old friend and Sabbath keyboard player Geoff Nicholls passing. RIP Geoff," Butler wrote. (Billboard)

John Hurt, Elephant Man and Harry Potter Star, Dies at 77. Legendary actor John Hurt has died at the age of 77, according to his agent. He is survived by his wife of 12 years, Anwen Rees-Myer.

Actress Emmanuelle Riva dies at 89. Iconic French actress and Oscar nominee Emmanuelle Riva, whose career spanned six decades, has died. Riva passed away Friday afternoon in Paris following a long battle with cancer; she was 89. Consistently an in-demand actress, Riva was best known internationally for two roles that essentially bookended her career. In 1959, she starred in Alain Resnais' classic "Hiroshima Mon Amour," picking up a BAFTA nomination. Fifty-three years later, she played Anne in Michael Haneke's Oscar-winning drama Amour. Riva received a Best Actress Oscar nomination for the role, becoming the oldest woman ever to do so. Born in 1927, Riva began her career on the stage and in 1958 appeared in her first film, "Les Grandes Familles," alongside Jean Gabin. The following year, she played Elle, a French actress who has an affair with a married Japanese architect in "Hiroshima Mon Amour." Marguerite Duras' screenplay was Oscar nominated. France's Academie des Arts et Techniques du Cinema, which paid homage to Riva today, said her portrayal of Elle "caught and held the attention of all the great filmmakers." Riva would go on to star in such films as Jean-Pierre Melville's "Leon Morin, Prêtre" alongside Jean-Paul Belmondo; Georges Franju's "Therèse Desqueyroux" with Philippe Noiret (for which she won the Venice Film Festival Best Actress Volpi Cup); Oscar nominee "Kapo" by Gillo Pontecorvo; Philippe Garrel's "Liberte, La Nuit"; Krzysztof Kieslowski's "Three Colors: Blue"; Julie Delpy's "Skylab"; and most recently, "Lost In Paris" by Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon. It was 2012's "Amour" which again turned a global spotlight on the actress. The heartrending love story about an aging couple was an intimate acting tour-de-force that also starred Jean-Louis Trintignant and Isabelle Huppert. The film won the Palme d'Or in Cannes and Riva went on to win the Cesar and BAFTA acting prizes, as well as nods from several critics groups. Upon winning the Cesar in her native France, she said, "I worked on this film with great passion and I am very lucky at this hour or my life" to come across such a "wonder" of a subject that is "so close to all of us. This is the first time I have received a Cesar and I thank everyone." When she tried to pick up her award and walk offstage, she had to hand the trophy off, "It's heavier than I am!," she laughed. The Academie said, "We will all always have the image in our hearts of the immense joy to see her ascend the stage at the Theâtre du Châtelet in 2013 and receive the Best Actress Cesar... A great and sublime actress has left us." Riva recently gave a lecture at the Villa Medicis in Rome and her agent, Anne Alvares Correa, told Agence France Presse, "Until the end, she was active." (PageSix)

'Perry Mason' Actress Barbara Hale Dies at 94. Barbara Hale, a movie actress who found her most famous role on television as steadfast secretary Della Street in the long-running "Perry Mason" series, has died. She was 94. Hale was surrounded by family when she died Thursday at her Los Angeles area home, said Jaqueline Stander, an agent for Hale's son, actor William Katt ("The Greatest American Hero," "Carrie"). "She was gracious and kind and silly and always fun to be with," Katt posted on his Facebook page Thursday, calling Hale a wonderful actress and a "treasure as a friend and mother." Stander declined to provide the cause of death. Hale appeared in "Perry Mason" on CBS from 1957 to 1966, winning an Emmy as best actress in 1959. When the show was revived in 1985 on NBC as an occasional TV movie, she again appeared in court at the side of the ever-victorious lawyer played by Raymond Burr. She continued her role after Burr died in 1993 and was replaced by Hal Holbrook for the movies that continued into 1995. "I guess I was just meant to be a secretary who doesn't take shorthand," she once quipped. "I'm a lousy typist, too-33 words a minute." Hale was born in DeKalb, Illinois, daughter of a landscape gardener and a homemaker. The family moved to Rockford when she was 4, and she later took part in a local theater. But her goals were to be a nurse or journalist. When her ambition turned to art she studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts, where she was often sought as a model. Her work for a modeling agency prompted an offer for a routine contract at the RKO studio in Hollywood. When she reported to the casting director, he was speaking on the phone to someone who needed an immediate replacement for an actress who was sick. "It hit every paper the next day: the Cinderella story," she recalled in a 1993 Chicago Tribune interview. "Of course they said it was a starring role. I had one line, but you know about those things." The movie was a quickie, "Gildersleeve's Bad Day," but she went on to appear with Pat O'Brien in "The Iron Major," Frank Sinatra in "Higher and Higher" and Robert Young in "Lady Luck." Another co-star was a blond actor named Bill Williams (real name: William Katt), with whom she appeared in "West of the Pecos" and "A Likely Story." They had met over coffee in the studio commissary and married in Rockford in 1946. The couple had three children: Nita, William and Jody. Williams, who died in 1992, later gained TV fame as star of "The Adventures of Kit Carson." Their son goes by his father's original name, William Katt. After her RKO contract ended, Hale worked at other studios, usually as the adoring wife of the leading man. She played opposite Larry Parks in "Jolson Sings Again," James Stewart in "Jackpot" and James Cagney in "A Lion Is in the Streets." In 1957, she joined the memorable cast of "Perry Mason" that included Burr as the defense attorney who solved his cases in the courtroom, William Hopper as investigator Paul Drake, William Talman as never-winning prosecutor Hamilton Burger and Ray Collins as police lieutenant Arthur Tragg. "When we started, it was the beginning of women not working at home," Hale said in the 1993 interview. "I liked that she was not married. My husband, Bill, didn't have to see me married to another man, and our children didn't have to see me mothering other children." In the early 1970s, Hale took on another widely recognized role, touting Amana Radarange microwave ovens in TV commercials and print ads. Burr and Hale were the only original cast members when the show resumed on NBC in 1985 in the movie format. Her son, William Katt, appeared in nine of the two-hour shows, as the investigator son of Paul Drake. Hale's later films included the original "Airport," playing the husband of Dean Martin's pilot character; "The Giant Spider Invasion," and "Big Wednesday," in which she appeared with her son. (PageSix)

Mike Connors, who starred as a hard-hitting private eye on the long-running television series "Mannix," has died. He was 91. The actor died surrounded by family Thursday afternoon at a Los Angeles hospital from complications of leukemia that had been diagnosed a week earlier, said his son-in-law, Mike Condon. "Mannix" ran for eight years on CBS beginning in 1967. Viewers were intrigued by the tall, smartly dressed, well-spoken detective who could mix it up with the burliest of thugs and leap on the hood of a racing car to prevent an escape. Episodes normally climaxed with a brawl that left the culprits bruised and beaten. "Up until Mannix, most private investigators were hard-nosed, cynical guys who lived in a seedy area and had no emotions," Connors theorized in 1997. "Mannix got emotionally involved. He was not above being taken advantage of." In the first season, Joe Mannix was a self-employed Los Angeles private investigator hired by a firm that used computers and high-tech equipment to uncover crime. The ratings were lukewarm. Connors feared the series would be canceled but it was produced by Lucille Ball's Desilu studio, and CBS was reluctant to antagonize its biggest star. In the second season, Mannix opened his own office and combatted low-lifes by himself. The ratings zoomed. When "Mannix" was revised the office acquired a secretary, played by African-American actress Gail Fisher. The network was concerned that affiliates in the South might object to her character but "there wasn't any kind of backlash," Connors recalled. Another highlight was the theme music by legendary screen composer Lalo Schifrin. Connors also starred in the TV series "Tightrope!" and "Today's FBI." Each lasted one season. His movie and TV career stretched from the 1950s to 2007, when he had a guest role on "Two and a Half Men." Connors made his film debut in 1952's "Sudden Fear," which starred Joan Crawford. Other films included "Island in the Sky," "The Ten Commandments," and a remake of "Stagecoach." Connors, born Krekor Ohanian in 1925, was from an Armenian community in Fresno. He served in the Air Force during World War II and played basketball at the University of California, Los Angeles. After graduation he studied law for two years but his good looks and imposing presence attracted him to acting. In an era when film actors were given names like Tab and Rock, he appeared as Touch Connors -- "Touch" being his basketball nickname. He later changed it to Michael and finally, Mike. Connors and his wife, Mary Lou, were married in 1949 and had two children: a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Dana. Their son, beset by hallucinations starting in his teens, was diagnosed with schizophrenia and before his death lived in a small residential care facility. Connors and his wife championed efforts to erase the stigma of mental illness. In addition to his wife, daughter and son-in-law, Connors is survived by a granddaughter, Cooper Wills. (Page Six)

Mary Tyler Moore will rest alone -- clear of other graves -- because her family paid a small fortune to make that happen. We're told Mary's family is pulling out all the stops -- buying 12 gravesites at $2k a pop -- to create peace and also to make a statement of her importance. We're told the site will be bordered by granite and display angel statues valued right around $200k. Mary's final resting place will be in Fairfield, CT -- the place she called home. Services will be held Sunday. (TMZ)

THE OTHER STUFF . . .

Princess Diana Statue to Be Erected at Kensington Palace 20 Years After Her Death. Princess Diana is coming home and will soon be able to watch over her beloved children and grandchildren. A statue of the Princess of Wales is set to be erected on the grounds of Kensington Palace, at the request of her sons Prince William and Prince Harry, hopefully before the end of the year. This August will mark the 20th anniversary of her death. While parts of the palace are open to the public, the complex contains the princes' homes. Harry lives alone while William shares an apartment with wife Kate Middleton and their children Prince George, 3, and Princess Charlotte, 1. Diana herself lived in a Kensington Palace apartment and raised her sons there. She also continued to live there after she and their father, Prince Charles, divorced. "It has been 20 years since our mother's death and the time is right to recognize her positive impact in the U.K. and around the world with a permanent statue," William and Harry said in a statement released by Kensington Palace Saturday. "Our mother touched so many lives," they said. "We hope the statue will help all those who visit when it will be unveiled. It is hoped that this will occur before the end of 2017." Diana, known for her charity work around the world, was killed in a car accident in Paris in August 1997 after being chased by paparazzi. She was 36. William was 15 and Harry was 12. More than 2.5 billion people around the world watched her public funeral on television. "The princes have convened a committee to commission and privately raise funds for the creation of the statue," the statement added. "The committee will advise on the selection of the sculptor and will work with Historic Royal Palaces on the statue's installation in the public gardens at Kensington Palace." Diana's sister, Lady Sarah McCorquodale, and friend Julia Samuel, who is also George's godmother, will be members of the six-person committee, The Guardian reported. (Eonline)

Kate Middleton and Prince William to Attend 2017 BAFTAs: All the Times the Young Royals Crossed Paths With Hollywood Stars. Kate Middleton and Prince William are set to attend the 2017 EE British Academy Film Awards, aka the BAFTAs, Kensington Palace announced Friday. The ceremony takes place at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Feb. 12. William will also present the BAFTA Fellowship, a lifetime achievement award. Nominees include Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling from La La Land, which received the largest number of nominations -- 11. Other nominated actors include Amy Adams for Arrival, Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams for Manchester by the Sea, Viggo Mortensen for Captain Fantastic, Natalie Portman for Jackie, Viola Davis for Fences, Mahershala Ali and Naomie Harris for Moonlight and Hugh Grant and Meryl Streep for Florence Foster Jenkins. Kate and William, as well as his brother Prince Harry, have crossed paths with Hollywood stars several times over the years. Also, Harry is currently dating Suits actress Meghan Markle. Kate and William hung out with a slew of celebs during their first U.S. tour in July 2011, more than two months after their Royal wedding. During their trip, they chatted with the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Nicole Kidman, Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson and Barbra Streisand and husband James Brolin at the star-studded BAFTA Brits to Watch event in Los Angeles, where the duchess stunned with a lilac Alexander McQueen gown. They also met Reese Witherspoon at a reception to mark the launch of Tusk's U.S. Patron Circle. 2012: That year, Kate and William attended the premiere of Steven Spielberg's film War Horse in London and chat with stars such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston. Kate wore a black Alice Temperley "Amoret Lace" gown. Also in 2012, William attended the Winter Whites Gala, in aid of the homeless charity Centrepoint, at the Royal Hallon in London. He and actor Jude Law sat in the Royal Box. 2013: A somber note took over a star-studded event Kate and William attended in December. They attended the premiere and Royal film screening of Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom at Odeon Leicester Square in London. At the event, the two chatted with stars Idris Elba and Naomie Harris. The subject of the film, iconic South African leader Nelson Mandela died at age 95 that day. His death was announced at the screening. The film's producer revealed the news to guests with Elba by his side and also asked for a moment of silence. "Duchess Kate sort of turned to me and looked at me as she had her phone and I wondered what was wrong with her because she looked quite emotional, but the film's very emotional," Elba told BBC Radio 2. "And my girlfriend looked at me and handed the phone and I looked down and there it was, Mandela had passed." 2014: Kate met Helen Mirren at the Dramatic Arts reception at Buckingham Palace in February of that year. The duchess wore a bright red pleated Alexander McQueen dress she had previously worn at the 2012 Jubilee River Pageant. 2015: In October of that year, Kate, William and Harry attended the premiere of the James Bond film Spectre in London, where they meet star Daniel Craig and his wife, actress Rachel Weisz. The duchess wore a pale blue Jenny Packham gown with a silver sash. William had previously met Craig at the premiere of the James Bond film Quantum of Solace in 2008. Also that month, William and Kate met Jackie Chan at the Creative Collaborations: UK & China event at Lancaster House in London. William had also met the actor at an evening reception for the Illegal Wildlife Trade conference at the Natural History Museum in London in 2014. 2016: William and Harry last year got to partake in one of the most fun celebrity-packed trips. They met the cast and crew of Star Wars: The Last Jedi on the set of the movie in London. They even filmed a scene with Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and newcomer Benicio Del Toro. (Eonline)

Serena Williams Beats Venus at Australian Open to Win Record 23rd Major, Calls Sister Her "Inspiration." Tennis stars Serena Williams and Venus Williams exchanged a sweet embrace after the former beat the latter at the 2017 Australian Open Saturday in what marked the latest match in their more than 15-year professional sibling rivalry. Serena's Women's Singles finals match victory, with a score of 6-4 6-4, marks her seventh Australian Open title and a record 23rd grand slam title. She broke the tie she had with Steffi Graf for most major titles in the professional era. Serena also broke a record she set at Wimbledon in 2016 to becomes the oldest woman to win a Grand Slam singles title in the Open era. After the match, Serena and Venus appeared emotional as they paid tribute to each other in a ceremony held on the tennis court. "She's an amazing person, there's no way I would be at 23 without her," Serena said, cradling the Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup. "There's no way I would have anything without her. She's my inspiration. She's the only reason I'm standing here today and the only reason that the Williams sisters exist." "Congratulations, Serena, on No. 23," Venus said. "I have been right there with you. Some of them I have lost right there against you. Your win has always been my win, you know that. All the times I couldn't be there, wouldn't be there, didn't get there, you were there." It was almost a full family affair for Serena at the match: Her fiance and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian cheered her on from the stands. Serena, 35, and Venus, 36, have competed against each other 28 times at tournaments, starting in 1998. Venus won most of their singles matches up until 2001. Serena mostly beat her sister at tennis championships over the next four years. Venus won most of their matches until 2009 and from then on, Serena mostly reigned supreme. Venus's career has stalled since she was diagnosed with Sjorgren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease, in 2011. She last played in a grand slam final in 2009 at Wimbledon, which her sister won. (Eonline)

Kendall Jenner Photographs Cindy Crawford's Daughter Kaia Gerber for LOVE Magazine Again. Kendall Jenner is playing fashion photographer again. The 21-year-old Keeping Up With the Kardashians star and model had photographed fellow model Kaia Gerber, the 15-year-old daughter of supermodel Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, last year for bi-annual British magazine LOVE's Autumn/Winter 2016 issue. She recently teamed up with the outlet again to photograph Kaia for what was described as an "epic" 72-page LOVE cover shoot for its subsequent spring/summer 2017 "The Fan" issue. Kaia and several other people are featured by themselves on different covers for the issue. Her photo shows her looking over her bare shoulder while wearing a black coat. Kendall and the magazine's editor-in-chief, Katie Grand, had last year launched the #LoveMe17 project, in which they called on people on social media to apply to grace the cover of the issue, which is set for release on Feb. 6. "This is not a model competition," LOVE had stated last October. "The aim is to find someone who represents something new, meaningful and specific to the current age. To discover a face that represents the times; a personality that in previous decades might have shone through, but which cannot make it through popular culture in its current state, gridlocked by corporate interests." "When Kendall and I started the #loveme17 project we couldn't have imagined how many brilliant people- known and unknown would contact us, 110,000 applicants later, 150 videos and 25 candidates, here is the stunning @kaiagerber previewing @Burberry," Grand wrote on Instagram Friday. "She likes French, and would like to go in to go in to criminal physiology but somehow I think the modelling may take over ...." Kaia is also a fan of her photographer. The LOVE photo spread also features about 20 more people, including an Olympic champion, a male ballet dancer, a transgender model Hari Nef, a "Goth schoolgirl from Cleckheaton, Yorkshire," a "sprightly videographer from upstate New York who had previously been living in her car" and an "English expat student from Barcelona," the U.K. newspaper The Telegraph reported Friday. "They all killed it," Kendall told the outlet. "Some famous faces wandered in and out of the two desert days, which at times felt like a super-glamorous school trip." "I have multiple folders in my computer and in my phone of all the photos that I've taken throughout my life, of my friends, of everything I've done," she said. "I've always genuinely enjoyed [photography]. And I still do things that I'd rather keep personal. I think it's more about showing my eye.'" Kendall has herself appeared on the cover of LOVE. She appeared topless on its fall/winter 2014 issue. Kaia began her modeling career several years ago, posing for campaigns for Versace and Chrome Hearts., and made her magazine debut in 2014, appearing in a photo for Teen Vogue. She has since appeared in ads for Alexander Wang and Miu Miu. She signed with IMG Models in 2015. She appeared with her mom on the cover of Vogue Paris' April 2016 issue. Months later, Kaia landed her first solo cover, or POP magazine. Last year, she also made her acting debut, starring in the Lifetime Television movie Sister Cities. (Eonline)

A former Baylor University student is suing the school claiming she was gang raped by two then-Baylor football players. She also claims 31 Baylor football players committed 52 acts of rape from 2011 to 2014. The woman behind the suit identifies herself using the pseudonym Elizabeth Doe -- and claims she was raped by lineman Tre'Von Armstead and linebacker Shamycheal Chatman at a party in 2013. The woman claims the rape occurred after a party hosted by Baylor football star Shawn Oakman -- who's currently facing rape allegations of his own in an unrelated case. The woman claims the men took her to her apartment while she was "very intoxicated" and doesn't remember how she got there. She essentially says she was too drunk to give consent. According to DallasNews.com, the players were named as suspects in a police report about a rape on the day in question, but were never charged with a crime. The accuser is clearly not backing off the allegations -- and has now sued Baylor for Title IX violations and negligence. In her suit, the accuser claims the university used the promise of sex with white women to help lure top football recruits to Baylor. The lawsuit claims an assistant coach once asked a high school athlete, "Do you like white women? Because we have a lot of them at Baylor and they love football players." The accuser claims 2 of the alleged gang rape incidents involving Baylor football players included 10 or more players at the same time. We reached out to Baylor for comment. So far, no word back. (TMZ)

PETA was out in force, protesting the opening of "A Dog's Purpose," chanting "Dogs aren't props!" Several dozen people planted themselves in front of the ArcLight in Hollywood ... some wearing dog costumes. The protest was triggered by a TMZ video showing a trainer trying to pull the dog star -- who was clearly unwilling and upset -- into the water. Producers say it was a one off, where the dog actually liked jumping in but they changed the angle and that's why the dog freaked out. It's unclear so far how the movie is doing ... and whether the protests had an impact on attendance. (TMZ)

Fan Paid For Plot Near Judy Garland-and Now She's Gone. He won't be "Over the Rainbow" about this! A Judy Garland super fan traveled from California to New York just to buy a burial spot next to the screen legend -- only to have his dreams dashed when her remains were shipped back to Hollywood. The unidentified diehard purchased the space adjacent to Garland in the Ferncliff Mausoleum in Hartsdale -- a piece of real estate that sells for up to $15,500 at the cemetery. "It's funny because there's a man who specifically flew in from California because he is a big fan of hers," a cemetery manager told The Post. "He purchased a plot near her so when he dies he could be next to her. I don't know what he is going to do now." The "Wizard of Oz" star had been interred in crypt No. 31 in Unit 9 since 1969, when she died of a barbiturate overdose. But her remains were exhumed Thursday and sent to Los Angeles at the behest of her daughter Liza Minnelli. Garland was moved to the West Coast because Ferncliff didn't have enough room for the rest of her family -- including children Liza, 70; Lorna Luft, 64; and Joey Luft, 61 -- to be buried alongside her, People reported. The actress will be re-interred at the star-studded Hollywood Forever Cemetery, where celebrities such as punk rockers Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone, filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille and The Beatles' George Harrison are spending eternity. "At this time, it's a private family matter," a Hollywood Forever spokeswoman said, declining to provide details on where exactly Garland's new resting place would be. Garland was in good company at Ferncliff -- where Oscar-winning actress Joan Crawford, author James Baldwin and civil-rights activist Malcolm X are also interred. The manager said it wasn't clear whether Garland's empty tomb would be filled. "We haven't decided what to do yet but we think because she's been here so long, we will just leave it here and memorialize her," the manager said. On Friday, after news that the "Over the Rainbow" singer's remains had been moved out of New York, fans left fresh flowers, photos and cards at her gravesite. One of the actress' "biggest fans," Bobby Garmic, penned an adoring note. "After all these years you are still the top," he wrote. "One of my favorite things of my life was seeing you in person at the Palace Theater with Joe and Lorna in 1967." Ferncliff officials declined to comment. Garland, a two-time Academy Award nominee whose 1961 Carnegie Hall concert ranks among the venue's greatest performances, was found dead in her London home at age 47. (PageSix)

The U.S. Air Force wants to join the indoor cycling craze ... and they're looking for a super good spinner to lead the cardio charge. According to docs obtained by TMZ ... the Air Force is revamping its Fitness and Sports Program. The brass wants to hire instructors for spin classes at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida. The Base will hire a contractor to provide the backdrop for a good spin session, and they'll then install the necessary equipment, including a sound system. Classes will be held on Tuesday and Thursday -- 2 a day throughout 2017. They will range in length from 45-60 minutes. According to the specs, instructors must supply their own batteries for their headsets. It's still early, but so far it seems like Trump's government agencies are on their way to being the fittest of all time. (TMZ)

Korean Air flight attendants throw caution and coffee to the wind ... so claims a passenger who is suing the airline for what he says are severe java burns. Charles Martel claims in a new lawsuit he was minding his own business on a 2015 flight when the flight attendant put a mug of piping hot coffee on the smooth flat surface of his tray table as the plane was shaking from turbulence. He says the coffee cup tilted and the hot liquid cascaded into his lap. Martel says he was buckled up because of the bumpy flight, so had to just sit there as the coffee bubbled and burned his skin. Martel claims the mishap would never have gone down had the flight attendant put the mug in the cup holder. At the very least, she could have warned him the coffee was very hot. Martel wants medical expenses and loss of income. (TMZ)

Music

Anyone can collect David Bowie's music, but you know you're balling if you have the legend's handwritten lyrics ... 'cause it could cost ya $50k! A year after his death, Bowie's handwritten lyrics to "The Jean Genie" are hitting the auction block. Check out the letter ... penmanship clearly mattered to him, and online auctioneer Paddle8 is throwing in more than the lyrics for the 1972 hit. The lot includes epic pics from the '70s and '80s -- including one with John Lennon -- and a record from Bowie's "Hunky Dory" recording sessions. Paddle8's estimate of $50k seems about right, considering a 2Pac lyric page went for about $40k. The online auction starts Monday (today). (TMZ)

John Legend Tapped as Adam Levine's Adviser for The Voice Season 12. The Voice is officially calling in the music industry's big dogs to serve as advisers for reality juggernaut's upcoming 12th season. E! News can exclusively reveal that John Legend has been tapped to serve as adviser to coach Adam Levine's team. The news comes just after Levine's fellow coach Gwen Stefani appeared on the Today show to announce that she'd enlisted Celine Dion as her team's trusted adviser. Both music superstars will help guide their teams through the important Battle rounds. Immediately after their interview, Dion took to Twitter to let her fans know that she was "very excited" to help Stefani's team and even shared a pic of the two powerhouse divas. The Voice's official Twitter account also took an opportunity to celebrate the good news with a tweet of their own. "Two Queens. One team," they wrote. While Dion and Legend are the first of season 12's all-star advisers to be announced, they joins the previously-announced coaching line-up of Stefani, her beau Blake Shelton, Adam Levine, and Alicia Keys, returning for her second consecutive season. Stefani takes Miley Cyrus' recently vacated seat, but have no fear -- the provocative singer is merely sitting this cycle out. She'll be resuming coaching duties in the fall for the already announced season 13. Are you looking forward to Celine and John advising Team Gwen and Team Adam? And who would you like to see link up with the other coaches this season? And be sure to tune in to E! News on Monday, Jan. 30 at 7 and 11 p.m. for our exclusive sit-down with John and Adam! The Voice returns for season 12 on Monday, Feb. 27 at 8 p.m. on NBC. (Eonline)

Louis Tomlinson Weighs in on Possibility of One Direction Reunion: "We're Exploring Our Own Solo Things." Louis Tomlinson is the latest member of One Direction to release a single on his own, but that doesn't mean the band is far from his mind. The "Just Hold On" crooner appeared on the Today show Friday morning and performed his new single with Steve Aoki. Before hitting the stage, however, Louis weighed in on when 1D could get back together. "There's time for that," Louis told Natalie Morales and Matt Lauer. "Nobody knows when. I think we're enjoying a bit of time to ourselves, exploring our own solo things." Louis' appearance on the NBC morning show comes only a few weeks after his mother tragically passed away after a battle with cancer. Despite being in mourning, Louis has continued with his appearances with his mom's blessing. "But it was my mum who said to me that I've just got to keep going," Louis shared on the SiriusXM satellite radio show Hits 1 in Hollywood. "She told me very sternly that she wanted me to." Just days later Louis performed his single on The X Factor. "It was tough, but I felt like it was nice for me to almost have a little send off for her," he said. Louis also has been focusing on his son, Freddie, who just turned one. He and ex Briana Jungwirth celebrated their son's birthday with an intimate party. "Special first birthday :)," Jungwirth wrote. "Had a special day today with my birthday boy. Thanks for all the lovely messages!" Tomlinson tweeted. (Eonline)

Missy Elliott Drops New Single "I'm Better" and Announces Documentary. Is this Missy Elliott's official comeback? The iconic rapper, who hasn't released a studio album in more than 10 years, dropped a new song titled "I'm Better" featuring Lamb. Additionally, Elliott released a music video to go with it that features plenty of backup dancers breaking it down in pools, warehouses and more. Although Elliott's two gifts were plenty for fans to remain satiated, the "Work It" performer dropped another news bomb on her fans: She's releasing a documentary and shared a bit of footage from it. "It's never just a record for me," Elliott says in the documentary. "It's never just making a hot record. I can do that in my sleep. But visually I have to see what I'm going to do with that record when I perform it." In recent years, Elliott has stayed behind the scenes, writing and producing other artists' records instead of releasing her own. That all changed, however, when she gave a surprise performance with Katy Perry during the 2015 Super Bowl halftime show. She then released "WTF (Where They From)" with Pharrell Williams. After a couple of poorly performing endeavors, Elliott learned she had to be more selective. "I have to be very careful," she told Billboard in 2015. "It's different now. People are quick to be like, 'You're irrelevant, you're a flop, you're washed up.'" (Eonline)

Ed Sheeran Explains How Not Being the "Popular Kid" Made Him and Taylor Swift Want to Win. Ed Sheeran is making one thing clear -- he wants to be number one. Weeks ahead of the debut of his third studio album, Divide, the two-time Grammy Award winner has his eye on the top spot of the charts. "There are a lot of singer-songwriters around now. I'm not the first but there are more than before. I'm very happy for everyone to be in the same race as me, even if they copy every single thing I've done," he said in the March issue of British GQ. "In a 100m sprint to get a No1 album I just know I'm going to win. I don't care who's doing what. I just know I'm going to win. I'm going to make sure I come first." However, according to Sheeran, there is one person he has to beat -- his fellow British singer, Adele. "Adele is the one person who's sold more records than me in the past ten years. She's the only person I need to sell more records than. That's a big f--king feat because her last album sold 20 million. But if I don't set her as the benchmark then I'm selling myself short," he continued to the magazine. "I'm not in competition [creatively] because we all sit in our own lanes, but once the creative product is out there is a race to the finish line." The "Shape of You" singer attributes his fierce drive in part to his younger years as an unpopular student, something he and his close pal and pop icon Taylor Swift have in common. "There's an underdog element to it," he explained. "Taylor [Swift] was never the popular kid in school. I was never the popular kid in school. Then you get to the point when you become the most popular kid in school -- and we both take it a bit too far," he said. "She wants to be the biggest female artist in the world and I want to be the biggest male artist in the world. It also comes from always being told that you can't do something and being like, 'F--k you. I can.'" Even being on the cover of British GQ feels like a milestone moment for the star, who was "considered unattractive" as a young man. "There's always a stigma with ginger people, and I was definitely considered unattractive when I was younger," he admitted to the magazine. "But now I'm on the f--king cover of GQ!" (Eonline)

Diplo Talks New Major Lazer and Nicki Minaj With Zane Lowe. If you've been paying attention to today's new releases, you've heard that new Major Lazer "Run Up," featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR and Nicki Minaj. Party is one of the hottest rising R&B singers in the scene, and Nicki is the highest-selling female rapper of all time. So, kind of a big deal release, and Majoer Lazer don Diplo hopped on the phone with Zane Lowe for a Beats 1 exclusive interview. "We love Party," he told Lowe. "We write a lot with him, he's local here in LA, and Nicki, I was working on some stuff for her record. The timing was right. I've been trying to get Nicki to do something with us for a couple years now." Minaj dropped the news that she'll be released her fourth, and at least partially-Diplo produced, album in her "Run Up" verse, of which there were many more such verses that didn't make the final cut. "She wrote 16 different verses for this song," Diplo says. "She's so inspired. It's crazy. I've never had an artist be so disciplined on cutting a song ... She's one of my favorite rappers." After more Minaj chit-chat, Lowe turned his attention to what Major Lazer material fans may be graced with in the coming months. "This next whole year is about us trying to do pop records, but we always try to do it in a different way," Diplo says. "We always try to improvise, do something that's just progressive ... We're just going to put out a bunch of singles. I don't know if we're going to do an album this year, but three or four singles, building a culture around every record." He's got more records in the works with MØ, and he's been hitting the studio with young, poppin' rappers Lil Uzi Vert, Travis Scott, Migos, and MadeinTYO. "It's all about chemistry for me," he says. "It's not really about chasing a big stars. We never really had to rely on star power, we just want to make great records." Of course, who needs to chase when big stars come to you? (lol rhymes). (Billboard)

Calvin Harris Teases Frank Ocean Collaboration. Calvin Harris set Twitter on fire on Thursday (Jan. 26) when he posted a short Snapchat clip of what appears to be a collaboration with Frank Ocean. No further details are available about the midtempo dance track at press time. Neither Harris nor the typically media-shy Ocean -- who recently referred to Donald Trump's inauguration as "dry" in a Tumblr post -- had provided any illumination on the track at press time. The sneak peek at the song came in a brief video Harris posted that appeared to be shot while driving and listening to the song, which features the first new vocals from Ocean since last year's surprise release of his Blonde and Endless albums. Billboard has reached out to spokespeople for both artists for details on the collaboration. Harris tweeted on Monday (Jan. 23) that he had 10 new songs coming this year, but didn't offer any further information on when they would drop. (Billboard)

Madonna has not responded to Donald Trump calling her "disgusting" for saying she thought about blowing up the White House, but she has the option of making the next move by recording what could become the rallying cry against the prez. Sources tell TMZ legendary songwriter Bruce Roberts, who wrote "Enough is Enough" for Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer, is reaching out to Madonna to record a track he will lay over the song. The song shot to #6 on Billboard Dance Club Charts Friday ... but the track is stripped down, using only the chorus of "Enough is Enough." We're told Roberts wants Madonna to rewrite and sing the lyrics, stylizing it to express disdain for Trump's policies. Our sources say Roberts doesn't want to make this a personal attack on Trump, but rather a statement that he's taking the country in the wrong direction. We're told Roberts wants Madonna in the studio STAT. He will keep Streisand and Summer's track on the song for the hook. Madonna would be added to the hook as well. We reached out to Roberts, who has written for Whitney Houston, Elton John, Alice Cooper, and Dolly Parton but he did not respond. Ditto Madonna. But we know the call is in. (TMZ)

Grammys: Why Adele's '25' Probably Won't Nab Album of the Year. '25' may be the second-biggest album of the millennium, but historic precedent and voter sentiment suggest that Beyonce is the clear frontrunner for Grammy's top award. The words "Adele" and "underdog" might not seem to go together in any known -- universe. Her album 25 has earned 10.4 -- million equivalent album units in the United States, according to Nielsen Music, of which 9.2 million were in traditional album sales. The set finished both 2016 and 2015 as the year's best-selling album -- the first time one album has topped two years since Adele's previous album, 21, did it in 2012 and 2011. When it comes to 21st-century sales -- benchmarks, she is her own only serious competitor. Add to that 21 garnered six Grammys, including album, song and record of the year. And yet 25 is considered -- something of a long shot for album of the year at the 2017 Grammys, taking place Feb. 12 in Los Angeles. How is that possible? Partially, it comes down to competition, with Beyonce's -- ultra-personal Lemonade far ahead in the critical cred derby (92 to 75, according to the Metacritic site). But another key factor is historical -- precedent. Once Grammy voters have bestowed album of the year on an artist, they tend to move on; only U2 and Taylor Swift have -- captured the prize twice since Stevie Wonder won three out of four years in the mid-1970s. The historical record makes it easier to predict what won't -- happen than what will. And in the Grammys' 58-year history, no artist who has swept the album, record and song of the year categories has ever pulled off the triple crown again. If anything, fortunes have gone the opposite way: Of the three most recent acts to sweep, two -- Norah Jones and Santana -- weren't even nominated in any of those categories with their follow-up projects; the third, the Dixie Chicks, haven't released an album since their sweep a decade ago. History aside, a more practical disadvantage for 25 in the album race may be that it came out on Nov. 20, 2015, 15 months before the 2017 Grammy telecast. An album that came out in 2015 might feel like a very long time ago," says one longtime member of The Recording Academy. "Plus, if you look at what's going on in the world [politically] and what Beyonce is saying about it, Lemonade feels more fitting on several different levels," particularly for the left-leaning voter base. As a consolation prize of sorts, Adele's "Hello" is favored for both record and song of the year. "Record seems like a more conservative category anyway," continues the Recording Academy -- member, "and everybody liked 'Hello,' whether or not they loved 25." But the song, too, faces the Grammys' -- historical reluctance to indulge in reruns. Uniquely, U2 won the record category in 2001 and 2002 for songs from the same album -- "Beautiful Day" and "Walk On," both from 2000's All That You Can't Leave Behind -- but Roberta Flack (in 1973 and 1974 for "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly With His Song" ) and Simon & Garfunkel (in 1969 and 1971 for "Mrs. Robinson" and "Bridge Over Troubled Water") were the only artists ever to pull off wins for singles from consecutive projects. In the song category, only Flack, U2 and Bette Midler have had songs from successive albums take the prize. Of course, Adele has many factors working in her favor to break Grammy precedent. For one, she had such a long gap between album projects -- nearly five years -- that voters may not see any fatigue factor. There's also the possibility of vote -- splitting among the other contenders for album of the year. Factoring out the likely long shots (Sturgill Simpson, Justin Bieber), that leaves Beyonce and Drake as Adele's toughest competitors. Both are formidable in terms of commercial impact: Drake's Views was 2016's No. 1 album with 4.1 million equivalent album units, compared with 2.4 million for 25 and 2.2 million for Lemonade. Factor in the critical and cultural adoration factor for Beyonce to give her a Grammy boost over Drake. But those two albums have significant overlap in their appeal to an R&B/hip-hop demographic and could conceivably split the vote. For the most traditionally minded voters -- the type who coalesced to give Steely Dan a win over Eminem in 2001 and Herbie Hancock over Kanye West and Amy Winehouse in 2008 -- Adele may seem like the only choice. But Beyonce's wide appeal suggests that even if those members favor Adele, it won't be a unilateral vote. "I tend to look at it on a chapter-by-chapter basis, looking at what's going on in those cities," says one Recording Academy insider. "Of the 12 chapters, the three largest are Los Angeles, New York and Nashville, and they'll split between Adele and Beyonce. So will Seattle and San Francisco, probably. But then you've got Chicago: Look at what's going on there and tell me they won't vote for Beyonce," as will, the member believes, Louisiana-Memphis [a combined chapter], Philadelphia, Atlanta and Miami. And as a Houston native, "she'll probably split some of the Texas vote with [country-leaning] Simpson." The Grammys may be the real winner if a split places photos of Beyonce and Adele on the nation's front pages the next day. "Adele will more than get her due," says one voter, "and the Grammys like to give album of the year to the person who really opened up a personal journal. Last time, that was Adele, but this time it was Beyonce." Another adds: "I think a lot of people feel we're overdue to really reward Beyonce for her Beyonce-ness." (Hollywood Reporter)

Movies

Emma Watson, Miles Teller lost 'La La Land' roles for being too demanding. While "La La Land" is the toast of Hollywood, with a record-tying 14 Oscar nominations, there's an internal war over the casting of the hit musical at power agency CAA. Miles Teller and Emma Watson -- both repped by CAA -- were originally tapped as leads in the movie, but Hollywood insiders said both lost the roles for being too demanding. One movie insider said, "Miles was offered $4 million to star in 'La La Land,' but he said he wanted $6 million. Watson was offered the lead female role, but she initially wouldn't commit. Then she began making all these crazy demands, like rehearsals for the film must be done in London -- for a film called 'La La Land!' They jumped through hoops to make it work with her, but she just didn't feel the film was right for her. Producers finally cast Emma Stone -- and once she was on board, Ryan Gosling jumped at the chance to work with her again." The source added, "Now both Miles and Emma Watson are raising hell with their agents for not securing the roles for them -- even though it was the actors' fault for being too demanding." British actress Watson -- best known for playing Hermione Granger in the "Harry Potter" films -- began her negotiations when she was represented by rival agency WME, but signed with CAA in December. Other sources insist she stepped away to do Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast" film. Another insider added, "Both Miles and Emma f–ked themselves over for not doing 'La La Land.' Now that it's winning all the awards, they're freaking out and looking for someone else to blame." In 2015, Teller told GQ that his agent said director Damien Chazelle dropped him from the movie: "?'Damien .?.?. no longer thinks you're creatively right for the project. He's moving on without you.'?" Teller then sent Chazelle a text saying, "What the f–k, bro?" Chazelle later confirmed that "there was a moment where [Watson and Teller] were doing it. And neither of those casting things wound up lasting or working out." Reps for Teller, Watson and CAA didn't comment. (PageSix)

"Live By Night" mostly fired blanks when it debuted in theaters last December, and its failure has resulted in a lot of financial carnage. The expensive gangster picture was a passion project for Ben Affleck, who directed, wrote, produced, and starred in the story of a Florida rum runner. But critics ripped the picture, calling it dramatically inert and a muddle. That's left Warner Bros., the studio behind the film flop, looking at a $75 million loss, according to insiders with knowledge of its financing and rival studio executives. "Live By Night" has made $16.5 million globally, and is not expected to have international appeal despite Affleck's star power. Talky period pictures don't tend to play well overseas, particularly when they don't come loaded with Oscars ("Live By Night" was shut out). The film cost $65 million to produce and tens of millions more to distribute and market. Warner Bros. only gets a percentage of ticket sales. It will try to cushion its losses with home entertainment sales and rentals, as well as television licensing deals. The studio did have a significant financial partner on the film in RatPac-Dune Entertainment, though it's not clear how much the slate financing partner invested in "Live By Night." "Live By Night" is adapted from a Dennis Lehane novel. It co-stars Elle Fanning, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana and Chris Cooper, and centers on a Prohibition-era criminal who battles with the Ku Klux Klan and rival gangs as he struggles to corner the market on hooch. Warner Bros. has a long relationship with Affleck, having backed and made money on his previous directorial efforts such as "Argo" and "The Town." He also played the Dark Knight in the studio's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Suicide Squad," and the upcoming "Justice League." Affleck plans to direct a standalone Batman film. A spokesman for Warner Bros. declined to comment. (Page Six)

Jacob Tremblay, the 10-year-old actor who stole our hearts in the Oscar-winning drama Room, has just landed his next big role. He's set to star in sci-fi movie The Predator alongside Narcos' Boyd Holbrook. Part of the Predator franchise, the story will centre around a former Marine who discovers the existence of terrifying aliens, and Jacob will play his son. The film is due for release in Spring 2018. Since his breakout in 2015, Jacob has landed starring roles in two huge films set for release this year, The Book of Henry with Naomi Watts and Wonder alongside Julia Roberts. We're just hoping this means we get to see more of him being incredibly cute at awards ceremonies. (Page Six)

Emilia Clarke to Star in 'The Beauty Inside' for Fox 2000, Temple Hill. The pitch from Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber is based on a South Korean film that was an adaptation of a web series from Drake Doremus. Fox 2000 and Temple Hill have landed a hot pitch from The Fault in Our Stars screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, with Game of Thrones star Emilia Clarke attached to star. The pitch, which hit the town Wednesday, caught the interest of several studios and producers. It's an adaptation of the 2015 South Korean film The Beauty Inside -- which was itself an adaptation of an innovative 2012 web series by Drake Doremus. The pitch's path begins back in 2012 when Doremus-directed a social film developed by Intel and Toshiba. Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Topher Grace, the film had six episodes that included interactive storytelling that gave the audience a chance to be a part of the film. It became a cult hit, and won a daytime Emmy for Outstanding New Approach to an Original Daytime Program or Series. The story centered on a man who wakes up every day in a different body -- and the woman who loved him no matter what he looked like on the outside. The 2015 South Korean Film, directed by Baik, brought this story to the big screen and starred Kim Sang-ho, Kim Min-jae, Jo Dal-hwan. In Fox 2000's version, Clarke will play the woman who falls for the man with the body-switching disorder. Several actors will be cast to play the male lead. Along with Fox 2000 and Temple Hill, Greg Chou is producing. Clarke's star has been quickly rising since she began starring as Daenerys on HBO's hit series Game of Thrones. She's recently been cast in the Star Wars Han Solo film with Alden Ehrenreich. She was most recently seen in romance Me Before You and actioner Terminator Genisys. She's repped by CAA and Emptage Hallett in the U.K. Neustadter and Weber are repped by CAA and Kaplan/Perrone. (Hollywood Reporter)

Berlin: Ethan Hawke, Noomi Rapace to Star in Thriller 'Stockholm'. The film is based on the true story of the 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis in Stockholm. Ethan Hawke and Noomi Rapace will star in Stockholm, based on the true story of the 1973 bank heist and hostage crisis in Stockholm. Written and directed by Robert Budreau, the film follows the drama chronicled in the New Yorker article "The Bank Drama" by Daniel Lan about the hostages who bonded with their captors and turned against the authorities, giving rise to the psychological phenomenon known as "Stockholm Syndrome." Scott Aversano and Will Russell-Shapiro will executive produce and oversee the thriller via the Aversano Films banner along with Jason Blum via Blumhouse Productions. Nicholas Tabarrok will produce via his Darius Films banner, with Budreau via his Lumanity banner, and Jonathan Bronfman via his JoBro Productions banner. William Santor, John Hills and Andrew Chang-Sang are also executive producing for financier Productivity Media. Production is slated for April. "Stockholm will offer moviegoers a raw glimpse into intense events that transpired over four decades ago coining a psychological condition that still intrigues the world today," said Jonathan Kier, Sierra/Affinity's President of International Sales & Distribution. "With Robert's creative direction coupled with Ethan and Noomi's tremendous talents, we are certain audiences around the globe will be captivated by this thrilling true story." Sierra/Affinity is handling international sales and will offer it to buyers for the first time at the 2017 European Film Market in Berlin. Hawke and Budreau are reuniting after working together on Born To Be Blue in which Hawke starred as jazz legend Chet Baker. Hawke is represented by CAA, MGMT Entertainment and attorney George Sheanshang. Rapace is represented by CAA, Magnolia Entertainment, and attorney Howard Fishman of HWHM+F. Budreau is represented by APA and The Sanford Ehrlich Company. (Hollywood Reporter)

Adam Shankman to Direct Kate Beckinsale in 'The Chocolate Money'. The film, based on Ashley Prentice Norton novel, is being introduced to buyers in Berlin by Cornerstone Films. The big screen adaptation of Ashley Prentice Norton's hit 2012 novel The Chocolate Money, set to star Kate Beckinsale, has found itself a director. Adam Shankman (Hairspray, A Walk to Remember), has been brought on board to helm the feature, which Beckinsale is also producing and will tell the story of an impossibly rich chocolate heiress and her precocious young daughter. Beckinsale produces together with Mar-Key Pictures' president Leslie Urdang, Miranda de Pencier and Kelly E. Ashton, with Emma Forrest having written the screenplay. Production is due to start in New York in the Spring. Set in the 1980s, The Chocolate Money follows Bettina Ballentyne, the beautiful and whip-smart daughter of millionaire chocolate heiress Babs Ballentyne. After a fling with her mother's married lover leads to catastrophic results, Bettina is shipped off to boarding school and offered the chance of a fresh start, only for her old flame's teenage son to join her circle of new friends. "Emma Forrest wrote a profoundly witty and moving script with a role that could easily become Kate Beckinsale's most brilliant and memorable," said Urdang. "Adam Shankman's emotional accessibility and his gorgeous style will create a world we will not be able to resist." Cornerstone Films is handling international sales and distribution and will commence sales at the European Film Market in February. UTA is overseeing U.S sales. Added Cornerstone's Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder: "Adam Shankman and Kate Beckinsale are perfectly matched to this funny, audacious and profoundly moving story about a dysfunctional mother/daughter relationship that will resonate with buyers across the world looking for a female-driven movie with a big heart." (Hollywood Reporter)

TV

Megyn Kelly to Host an Hour of the Today Show, Replacing Al Roker and Tamron Hall. The Today show is shaking things up. PEOPLE has learned that Megyn Kelly, who left Fox News this month for a new role at NBC News, will either take over Today's third hour, currently hosted by Tamron Hall and Al Roker, or will take over Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb's 10:00 a.m. slot. According to a source, if Kelly, 46, takes over the fourth hour, Gifford, 63, and Kotb, 52, will be bumped up to the 9:00 a.m. slot. Hall, 46, and Roker, 62, will no longer be co-hosting an hour together. According to the source, Roker, who's been Today's weather and feature anchor since January 1996, will continue his 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. duties along with Hall. Despite reports that Hall would be leaving the network, the source says as of right now, she's not going anywhere. Hall also anchors MSNBC Live, a daily news program airing at 11:00 a.m. on MSNBC. According to the source, Kelly's Today show hour will likely begin this fall. "The format is still in progress, but she will most likely be hosting the hour on her own," says the insider. NBC has not yet announced Kelly's official role, but chairman Andrew Lack offered the journalist three new gigs at the network, including a chance to host her own daytime news and discussion program, anchor an in-depth Sunday night news show, as well as a role taking part in the network's special political programming and other big event coverage. Earlier this month, a source told PEOPLE Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie would be remaining in their roles as co-anchors of the show, and that Kelly's start date is still undecided. "She is still under contract at Fox until July, then she has a six-month non-compete [clause]," said the insider. "Fox might let her out of the non-compete, but they might not. There is so much that has to still be arranged." On Thursday, Roker and Hall both took to Twitter to celebrate the success of Today's third hour. "Congrats to our #TODAYsTake @TODAYshow 9am producers for producing the #1 morning show 7 weeks in a row!! @tamronhall and I are very blessed," wrote Roker. "Thank you @alroker!!" Hall responded. "Yes we are blessed to have an awesome team!! #TODAYsTake congrats." (People)

'Today' staffers fearful amid Megyn Kelly shakeup. NBC's shock cancellation of the third hour of "Today" has anchors shaking in their boots about further changes at 30 Rock. Page Six exclusively revealed the 9?a.m. hour has been axed to create a spot for former Fox News star Megyn Kelly. Now strong rumors are swirling that Kelly is being groomed to take over Savannah Guthrie's anchor spot on the flagship show. Kelly will first take over either the 9?a.m. hour from Tamron Hall and Al Roker, or will replace Hoda Kotb and Kathie Lee Gifford at 10?a.m. "If she takes over Hoda and Kathie Lee's 10?a.m. hour, they will move to 9?a.m.," an insider said. We hear Hall could leave the network next month when her contract is up. Roker will continue his 7-to-9?a.m. duties. Kelly will start in September. But, "The talent on 'Today' has been left in the dark, and no one knows why there's such disruption when the show is doing so well," an insider told us. Another adds: "People are pissed. The third hour was beating every syndicated show across the board. They [NBC News chiefs] .?.?. bit off more than they can chew when they hired Megyn." Producers of "Today's" 9?a.m. hour learned they were out on Friday morning, just 24 hours after Roker tweeted out that they'd beaten Kelly Ripa for seven weeks. He posted, "Congrats to our #TODAYsTake @TODAYshow 9am producers for producing the #1 morning show 7 weeks in a row!! @tamronhall and I are very blessed." But another source told us no one foresaw vet Roker being pushed aside as a host by Kelly. "Al has been slighted after all these years and proving himself on this hour. He was hopeful NBC would do the right thing," a source said. Meanwhile, another source added, "Savannah is upset. She's not convinced that Megyn doesn't want her job. She was told about them hiring her 30 minutes before they made the announcement." But NBC said earlier this month, "We just signed Savannah to a massive deal that is longer than Megyn's. A lead anchor role at 'Today' isn't part of the conversation for Megyn." (PageSix)

Nikki Bella Is ''Honored'' to Be an Executive Producer on Total Divas When the Show Returns in April: See What's Ahead! Just call her a boss! Nikki Bella is adding to her impressive resume with a new role. E! News can exclusively reveal the 33-year-old WWE Superstar will be an executive producer for Total Divas when the show returns to E! in April with brand-new episodes! "I am honored and excited to have been made an executive producer on Total Divas," Nikki tells us. "As a pioneer of the show, I want to use my expertise and creativity not only in front of the cameras but behind as well and my goal is to continue to make Total Divas one of the best reality programs on television. I'm very focused on my journey to inspire and empower women and I look at this as another step forward in doing so. I am grateful to WWE, E! and Bunim Murray for giving me this an amazing opportunity." Congrats, girl! As for what fans can expect to see, the second part of season six will continue to document Nikki's road to recovery as she fights to get back into the wrestling ring following her neck surgery. "I'm so sick of people thinking that I'm not healthy," she says in the exclusive supertease. "They're afraid they're going to break my neck again." But boyfriend John Cena tells her, "You're fooling yourself." Meanwhile, Paige is also struggling with a serious career setback. "It's one thing after another," she says. "Wrestling is my life. I never thought my life would be like this." And, Brie Bella is still finding her way after retiring from WWE to focus on motherhood. "I feel really lost right now," she confesses. (Eonline)

Tarek and Christina El Moussa might be done with their marriage, but they're not ready to break up their hit HGTV show. Sources close to production tell us ... the ex-couple wants to keep filming "Flip or Flop" beyond this season, and there are talks to make it happen. We're told it's totally in the network's hands though ... not theirs. Our sources say HGTV execs are closely eyeing ratings on the new season before making a decision ... and so far they're thrilled. Remember, Tarek and Christina crushed the competition last week. We're told there's been talk of a spin-off or 2 -- but it's unlikely they'd rock the boat if "Flip or Flop" keeps sailing along. (TMZ)

Scandal's Election Results Were More Twisted Than We Ever Could've Imagined. Warning: The following contains spoilers from the season six premiere of Scandal. If you haven't watched yet, you may want to bookmark this page and return once you have. Proceed with caution. Well, the results for the most hotly contested election since, well, you know when, are in now that Scandal has finally returned for season six. (Never make us wait this long again, Shondaland!) And true to Shonda Rhimes fashion, they were unpredictably insane. First, the bad news: Mellie Grant (Bellamy Young) did not win. For the first time in the show's history, Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) proved fallible and could fix her candidate's way into (staying in) the White House. But before you could finish saying "Ricardo Chavira just got a new series regular gig," President-elect Francisco Vargas (Chavira) was shot in the face and, ultimately, killed. Like we said, insane. With OPA on the case to figure out who arranged the hit on Vargas, Fitz (Tony Goldwyn) has to decide who to throw his support behind to become the next president now that Vargas was no longer alive. Would he advocate for his ex-wife, the losing candidate? Or would he essentially hand over the presidency to Vargas' vice-president, a man who was on the winning ticket, but not who America voted for either? Of course, Liv and Fitz's paths converged on Cyrus Beene (Jeff Perry) because of course Cyrus would have the man he puppet-ed into the presidency killed so he could finally have all the power his grubby little heart's ever dreamed of. At least, that's what the show wants us to think right now. But we've got some suspicions that things are more complicated than they might seem. Hear us out: Papa Pope (Joe Morton) may have told Liv he didn't have anything to do with Vargas' death, but his right-hand man Jake (Scott Foley) was conspicuously absent for a period of time on Election Night, despite being, you know, Mellie's running mate. Where was he? Could he have been arranging the hit on Rowan's behalf to try and get Mellie in the White House instead? We wouldn't put anything past any of these power-hungry dudes anymore. One thing we know for sure: It's going to take one hell of a strong woman to clean up this twisted mess. Luckily, there's one in town. Time to suit up, Olivia. What did you think about the big premiere? As stunned by the election fallout as we were? And do you think there's more to this assassination story? Scandal airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on ABC. (Eonline)

How to Get Away With Murder Just Broke Our Hearts With a Series of Wes Flashbacks That We Never Saw Coming. How to Get Away With Murder is finally back and if you were hoping the show had some little bit of magic up its sleeve to make Wes not actually dead, we've got some bad news for you. Waitlist received no such resurrection during Thursday night's midseason premiere. But Alfred Enoch hadn't gone anywhere yet. Though deceased, Wes was still very much front and center, albeit this time in a series of flashbacks with Annalise (Viola Davis) and the rest of the Keating 5 that broke our hearts not because they were especially tragic, but because they showed us that, amid all the murder and mayhem that's befallen these people since they set foot on Middleton, they still had moments of normalcy and, stranger yet, happiness. "That was just a selfish instinct on my part of wanting to keep writing for Alfie and wanting to see Wes happy," executive producer Pete Nowalk told E! News about the decision to shine a light on Wes' lighter moments. "Obviously, the writing has put him through hell. He's always going through one horrible thing after another. Clearly, we just didn't take the chance to see him in these more kind of normal, everyday kind of conversations, so it was very therapeutic for me. I don't know if it'll be like that for the audience... but that's how I write. If it's the thing I'm feeling and that's what I want to see, that's what I write. So, it was actually very helpful." The flashbacks were hardly the only attraction in Thursday night's premiere, however. There's also the little matter of figuring out just who killed Wes to frame Annalise -- and when. The official cause of death may have been ruled asphyxiation due to smoke inhalation, but the fact that the medical examiner clearly changed her report at the insistence of someone after revealing to Nate (Billy Brown) she believed Wes was already dead at the time of the fire seems to have pulled Annalise's beleaguered boy toy back into her realm just after telling her he was done helping her. But is it out a sense of duty to Wes or to Annalise? "I can't say specifically, but I think both things you just said are probably in his mind," Nowalk admitted. "I think he's a truth-seeker and I think he probably has the best moral compass on our show in terms of what's right and wrong. He just wants to get to the truth for many reasons that you will see over the course of the back half of the season." The twists and revelations just kept coming as the wore on, with Laurel (Karla Souza) admitting that Wes is her baby daddy, Oliver (Conrad Ricamora) catching wise to what really happened in season one with Sam's death and returning to the backup file of Annalise's phone that he didn't dispose of as fully as he'd led his boss to believe, and Frank (Charlie Weber) trying to save Annalise to make up for all the misery he's caused her by falling on his sword and confessing to Wes' murder. "Well, there's a version where he's telling the truth and he basically just wants to be done with it all," Nowalk said of Frank's big move. "And I think, still, the thing that's really been pushing him all season and probably should've pushed him earlier was that he feels responsible for killing Annalise's baby, so that guilt is driving him to try to fix a lot of problems in probably the not cleanest of ways." Which twist shocked you the most? And which flashback broke your heart the hardest? How to Get Away With Murder airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on ABC. (Eonline)

Riverdale's Murder Mystery Begins: the Cast Play Mafia to Defend Their Characters. Who killed Jason Blossom? That was the question everyone in Riverdale--and everyone watching it-- was asking at the end of the series premiere, with our narrator Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse) teasing that an arrest would be happening in next week's episode. And you thought small towns were boring. And every character is a suspect on the CW's new drama, as this seemingly sleepy town is more filled with rivalries and secrets than Pop's Chock'lit Shoppe milkshakes are with calories. So when we sat down with the cast, including K.J. Apa (Archie) , Luke Perry (Fred, Archie's father) and Betty and Veronica themselves, Lili Reinhart and Camila Mendes, we decided to play a game of Mafia, asking them to passionately defend their character and say why they couldn't possibly have killed Jason. "Cheryl's got a little bit more of a tough case to get to believe her, because she might've been there when it happened," Madelaine Petsch told E! News of Cheryl Blossom, Jason's sister/the queen bee of Riverdale High. "When I first read it, I thought maybe I had done it, because I was so obsessed with him and so in love with him that maybe I couldn't have him so I killed him. And then I got to know her better and the loss that she felt when her brother was taken away from her, like I've never felt that before. She feels like she's been torn apart." Hm...that was pretty convincing. As for Jughead, Cole Sprouse went for the it-would-be-way-too-obvious defense, which was also compelling. "He's so external from most of society that it would be too easy to point at Jughead and say he's the killer because he's such a fall guy." K.J.'s defense? Simply, "Archie's not the killer because he's Archie." Boom. Lawyered. Alas, not everyone can so easily defend their character, as Mädchen Amick had a hard time defending Alice Cooper, Betty's strict mom with a serious dislike for the Blossom family. Riverdale airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on The CW. (Eonline)

Ashton Kutcher Wants More That '70s Show Reunions on The Ranch. While we wait for a true 'That 70s Show reunion, we've got Ashton Kutcher and Danny Masterson helping speed things along with their Netflix comedy The Ranch. They've already had their former co-star Wilmer Valderrama make an appearance. And now, Laura Prepon reveals, they're looking for her to be on the show. "They keep asking me," Prepon told me at the Sundance Film Festival premiere of her drama The Hero. "I gotta get out of prison to be able to do it." She, of course, was joking about her time being spent shooting Orange is the New Black. (She's also planning her wedding while expecting her first child with fiance Ben Foster.) Coincidentally, the star of The Hero is Sam Elliott, who plays Kutcher and Masterson's father on The Ranch. "We were already just like family," Prepon said of working with the Hollywood veteran. The Hero was actually written for Elliott by director Brett Haley and his writing partner Marc Basch. It was the second time around for the trio after working together on the 2015 critically acclaimed I'll See You in My Dreams. The Hero follows an ailing movie star (Elliott) who is looking at his past as he faces his own mortality. The cast also features Nick Offerman, Krysten Ritter and Elliott's real-life wife Katherine Ross playing his ex-wife. Elliott said it was "weird" but also "exciting" to have something written for him. "I saw the treatment of it and I was totally intrigued by it and then when the screenplay came around it was all the more intriguing," he said. Shortly after the Sundance premiere, Deadline.com reported that The Hero sold for around $3 million to The Orchard for North American distribution. (Eonline)

Heather Dubrow Is Leaving Real Housewives of Orange County. The Real Housewives of Orange County is losing a housewife. Heather Dubrow has announced that she won't be returning to the Bravo show. "After a lot of careful thought and deliberation, I have decided not to return to RHOC this season. These past 5 years have been an incredible journey and I'm so proud to have been a part of such an iconic piece of pop culture," Heather said. "I am so grateful to Evolution Media, Bravo and the whole NBCU family for all of the incredible experiences and the opportunities RHOC has afforded me and my family. However, at this point in my life, I have decided to go in another direction and do what's best for my family and career. Should I change my mind, I thank Andy Cohen, Evolution and Bravo for telling me that the door is always open." Heather and her husband Dr. Terry Dubrow joined the series in season seven and have showed the ups and downs of their family lives, including Dr. Dubrow's busy career, the craziness of raising four kids and the construction of Chateau Dubrow. The Real Housewives of Orange County airs Mondays at 9 p.m. on Bravo. (Eonline)

Elizabeth Banks Police Dramedy Scores ABC Pilot Order. 'The Trustee' is described as a comedic hour-long pilot. ABC is looking for a few funny female cops. The Disney-owned network is teaming with Elizabeth Banks for dramedy pilot The Trustee. The hour-long comedic project is described as a fun female buddy-cop comedy. It revolves around a driven but stubborn detective who finds unlikely help from her precinct's trustee, a larger-than-life ex-con who is finishing out her prison sentence doing menial tasks for the police department. Although the two have completely opposing views on crime and punishment, a highly entertaining and successful partnership is born. The Smurfs and Spin City writing duo Jay Scherick and David Ronn will pen the script for Warner Bros. Television. Banks (who also executive produces the Pitch Perfect franchise) and her studio-based Brownstone Productions topper (and husband) Max Handelman will exec produce alongside Scherick and Ronn. The Trustee marks ABC's ninth hour-long pilot order and 13th overall this season. It's also ABC's third pilot pickup from Warner Bros. Television and comes days after the network renewed the independent studio's veteran comedy The Middle for a ninth season. This season, WBTV did not have a new show on ABC. (Hollywood Reporter)

Inside Michael Strahan's First Months at Good Morning America: A Fresh Dynamic That Suits the Team's Newest Member. Sometimes, looks just aren't that deceiving. All is quiet on the New York front as Michael Strahan approaches the five-month mark from when he first joined Good Morning America as a full-time member of the anchor team -- and that's gotta feel good, not just for Strahan, who left his previous job with a bit of a cloud over his head, but also for the execs who bet that the NFL Hall of Famer would be a welcome addition to ABC's flagship morning show. Not that it was a blind gamble. Strahan had been contributing to GMA as a substitute anchor and correspondent since 2012, when he was also picked to be Kelly Ripa's new permanent co-host on Live -- a gig that seemed to be going along swimmingly until, all of a sudden one day last April, it wasn't anymore. But the otherwise innocuous plan that triggered that big mess was for Strahan to join GMA permanently -- which he did, officially, on Sept. 6, 2016. Since then, the morning show wars that so consumed us for the first half of 2016 have dissipated. Ripa's on fire over at Live as she continues to consider possible co-host replacements and simultaneously prove daily that Live With Kelly is what the people are tuning in to see. And Strahan is settling in comfortably at the most-watched show on morning TV -- though just by a scant 104,000 viewers last week over NBC's Today, according to TV Newser. Any sort of tension or clashing of egos that controversy junkies may have been hoping for has failed to materialize. The rumor was floated last summer, before he even got there, that longtime co-anchor Lara Spencer was mad because Strahan would be infringing on her promised spot at the table -- but a source insisted to E! News that she and Michael were "very close friends" and talk of hard feelings just wasn't true. Strahan was certainly given a warm welcome by GMA's core weekday morning team of Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Spencer, Amy Robach and Ginger Zee -- and GMA seems to suit Strahan, who had been excited to do more one-on-one interviews and in-depth pieces on subjects that spoke to him. Moreover, the show also introduced along with its new co-anchor last September a new set that allows the hosts to interact with a live audience for part of the broadcast -- studio audience interaction being something Strahan obviously already excelled at. "It's great," he told E! News at a benefit for the GOOD+ Foundation in October, after he'd been on the job for a little over a month. "I don't know if you ever adjust to getting up, waking up so early -- I don't know if that's possible, but I enjoy going in there." He added, "I look forward to being there. It's fun, because it's new, it's exciting, and I'm learning so much, and I work with great people." "Talk about somebody who's the real deal," Roberts, whose opinion presumably carries considerable weight (or at least it should) when it comes to who gets to sit at the GMA table, told People when it was announced that Strahan was coming aboard. "He's pure talent," as well as a "gentleman." Fast-forward to today, and E! News is hearing that Roberts loves Strahan -- and he loves her right back. Which is nice, because who really wants their morning coffee with a side of animosity? "We are very committed to the team we have," Tom Cibrowski, senior VP for ABC News programs, told the Los Angeles Times in December. "Robin is the most trusted person in America. George's interviews made the most news throughout the presidential campaign. And we think Michael Strahan is an amazing force of nature in anything he does." Cibrowski brushed aside questions about the initial qualms industry watchers had about whether Strahan would fit in with the harder news focus of GMA's first hour. "We did not hire him to be a journalist," the executive said. "Michael can ask all kinds of questions. He's a curious, engaging human being and a fantastic television broadcaster." Meanwhile, Strahan continues to not be content to just have one plum job, albeit one that requires waking up before dawn. The former New York Giants star has also been an on-air analyst for Fox NFL Sunday since 2008, meaning for the past five years he's been in New York on weekdays and Los Angeles on weekends during football season. When he was just starting out on Live in 2012, he was asked if any lessons he'd learned from his playing days and sports broadcasting could be applied to doing a morning show. "They are very different worlds, but I think teamwork applies to any job that you're in in the business world," he told Ad Age. "I definitely apply teamwork. This job, too, in a lot of ways is more different than Fox, because over there, they don't expect us to do anything physical, because we're all beat-up football players, whereas here, you have to do physical things. It forces me to work out and stay in some shape, because I never know when I might be running around in a leotard." But though the season is about over (he's picked the Atlanta Falcons to go all the way in Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5), Strahan will still be burning the candle at both ends. He also hosts The $100,000 Pyramid on ABC and his SMAC Entertainment is executive producing a pilot for a CNBC series to be hosted by Alex Rodriguez called Back in the Game (working title), which hooks retired pro athletes up with financial and business experts who can help them in thrive in life post-sports. Oh, and not that you couldn't guess just by looking at him, but Strahan has become a fashion icon, too. He was honored with the Future of Fashion Award at the Geoffrey Beane National Scholarship Awards dinner in NYC earlier this month for his foray into affordable menswear last year, Collection by Michael Strahan and MSX by Michael Strahan. "Fashion is like football," he joked to the audience. "We all wear tight pants and run around screaming." Not at all like morning TV, where all is -- these days at least -- quite civilized. (Eonline)

TV Ratings: 'Riverdale' Makes a Soft Entrance, 'TGIT' Returns in Full. 'Scandal' takes a spill from its previous season premiere -- though easily ranks No. 2 for the night. ABC nabbed a Thursday victory with the return of its three-hour block of Shonda Rhimes-produced programming, TGIT. It marked the first new episode of Scandal since the end of the last broadcast season, sidelined this fall on account of star Kerry Washington's pregnancy, and the show picked up with a 2.1 rating among adults 18-49 and 7.7 million viewers. For Scandal, that's an improvement from the previous season's finale -- but off roughly one-third in the key demo of its most recent premiere showing in the key demo. Grey's Anatomy was up in its return from winter hiatus, earning a 2.6 rating among adults 18-49 to top the night across broadcast. How to Get Away With Murder was also improved, earning a 1.5 rating. CBS kicked off its night with repeats before tribute special Mary Tyler Moore -- Love Is All Around. The hour-long event honoring the late Moore, whose iconic sitcom vehicle aired on CBS for seven seasons, averaged a 0.8 rating in the key demo and 6.5 million viewers. (The network wrapped the night with a new Pure Genius, which earned a 0.7 rating.) NBC aired only repeats, while Fox posted a 1.2 rating among adults 18-49 with Hell's Kitchen and a 0.8 rating for My Kitchen Rules. The CW capped off its night with midseason's only big launch. Riverdale, a noir-y spin on the Archie Comics, earned a modest 0.5 rating among adults 18-49 and 1.4 million viewers during its linear debut. For the network, that's about on par with the equally unassuming arrivals for fall entries No Tomorrow and Frequency -- neither of which received a back order. But Riverdale is quite in line with the CW's teen fare of yesteryear, prior to its push into comic book franchises, and may perform better on other platforms. And Riverdale did not have the most robust lead-in. Supernatural posted just a 0.7 rating at 8 p.m. (Hollywood Reporter)