Entertainment

“Hey, look over there! A classic distraction technique, distracting us away from the real issues that they were voted into office to focus on: jobs, healthcare, keeping our children safe from harm at their own school. “But we know that bullies are incompetent at solving real issues. They look for easy targets so they can give the impression of being …

Yahoo Entertainment reports: Tom Sizemore, who often played tough guy roles in a career dating back to the ’80s and who, in real life, struggled with addiction and a string of legal issues, died Friday, almost two weeks after suffering a brain aneurysm, as the result of a stroke. He had been hospitalized in critical condition and remained in a …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Thursday in downtown Los Angeles to 16 years in prison for rape and other sex crimes. With the already incarcerated former producer in attendance at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center courtroom today, the somewhat delayed ruling by Judge Lisa B. Lench is in addition to the 23 years the much-accused Weinstein …

Reuters reports: Late pop singer George Michael, 89-year-old country music icon Willie Nelson and rapper Missy Elliott are among the first-time nominees announced on Wednesday for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2023. Of the 14 nominees on this year’s list, eight are first-timers, including singers Sheryl Crow, Cyndi Lauper and the late singer/songwriter Warren Zevon, alongside …

Variety reports: Nominees for the 95th Academy Awards were announced on Tuesday morning, ahead of a ceremony on March 12 in Los Angeles. Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan’s oddball sci-fi movie, “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” led in sheer number of nominations, with 11 total; Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin” and Edward Berger’s “All Quiet on the Western Front” …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Jeremy Renner is in “critical but stable condition with injuries suffered after experiencing a weather related accident while plowing snow earlier today,” his spokesperson told Deadline on Sunday. Renner, a two-time Oscar nominee, is the star of the returning Paramount+ series The Mayor of Kingstown and Marvel’s Hawkeye series on Disney+ as well as the Avengers and …

TMZ reports: Comedian Gallagher, famously known for smashing watermelons as part of his legendary act, has died … his longtime manager tells TMZ. Gallagher died while under hospice care in the Palm Springs area early Friday morning, TMZ has learned. His manager tells TMZ Gallagher died of massive organ failure. He had been in ill health for a while, suffering …

Deadline reports: He is back! Saturday Night Live‘s hugely popular Halloween character David S. Pumpkins, played by 10-time host Tom Hanks, returned to the show after a lengthy hiatus. He did it in a prison ride skit, in which Pumpkins and his trusty dancing skeletons, played once again by Mikey Day and SNL alum Bobby Moynihan, mix it up with …

TMZ reports: Leslie Jordan, the beloved actor and comedian has died. Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Jordan was driving in Hollywood Monday morning when it’s suspected he suffered some sort of medical emergency and crashed his BMW into the side of a building. LJ became a social media sensation during the pandemic, with his silly video posts helping him skyrocket …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Angela Lansbury, the irrepressible three-time Oscar nominee and five-time Tony Award winner who solved 12 seasons’ worth of crimes as the novelist/amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher on CBS’ Murder, She Wrote, has died. She was 96. Lansbury, who received an Emmy nomination for best actress in a drama series for each and every season of Murder, She …

Variety reports: Popular stand-up comic Judy Tenuta, known to her fans as “The Love Goddess” and “Aphrodite of the Accordion,” died of ovarian cancer on Thursday afternoon in Los Angeles. She was 72. Known for her acerbic humor, expletive-laden jokes, raspy voice and accordion, she was among the performers who fueled the popularity of live comedy in clubs, including the …

The New York Times reports: “The Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running show in Broadway history and, for many, a symbol of musical theater, will drop its famous chandelier for the last time in February, becoming the latest show to fall victim to the drop-off in audiences since the pandemic hit. The closing is at once long-expected — no show …

Reuters reports: Film director Jean-Luc Godard, the godfather of France’s New Wave cinema who pushed cinematic boundaries and inspired iconoclastic directors decades after his 1960s heyday, died on Tuesday aged 91, his family and producers said. Godard was among the world’s most acclaimed directors, known for such classics as “Breathless” and “Contempt”, which broke with convention and helped kickstart a …

The Guardian reports: Barack Obama is halfway to becoming an EGOT after winning an Emmy award to go with his two Grammys. The former president won the best narrator Emmy on Saturday for his work on the Netflix documentary series Our Great National Parks. The five-part show, which features national parks from around the world, is produced by Barack and …

The Huffington Post reports: Actor Anne Heche died on Friday, after succumbing to injuries from a car crash days earlier, according to friends. She was 53 years old. Heche was severely burned when she crashed into a Los Angeles home in the Mar Vista neighborhood on Aug. 5. Shortly after the crash, her car burst into flames, which took firefighters …

Variety reports: Larry Storch, the comedic character actor who also did voiceover work and impressions and was best known for his role as Corporal Randolph Agarn on “F Troop,” has died. He was 99. Storch was a familiar face on TV shows throughout the 1960s and ’70s — he starred in the 1970s children’s show “The Ghost Busters” and appeared …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: In her final hour on NBC as daytime host, Ellen DeGeneres used her platform to reflect on the journey of bringing The Ellen DeGeneres Show to daytime and the noticeable changes in visibility and acceptance of gays in Hollywood across two decades. Guests Jennifer Aniston, the very first person to guest on the Ellen Show when …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Ray Liotta, the terrific actor whose career breakout came in the 1990 Martin Scorsese crime classic Goodfellas after co-starring in Field of Dreams, has died. He was 67. Deadline hears he died in his sleep in the Dominican Republic, where he was shooting the film Dangerous Waters. Liotta leaves behind a daughter, Karsen. He was engaged to be …

Marvel.com reports: Make way for Escapade! In MARVEL’S VOICES: PRIDE #1, which releases in June, Shela Sexton will make her debut as Marvel’s new trans mutant Super Hero, and she’s not alone. She’ll also bring along her best friend and fellow trans mutant Morgan Red, as well as their genetically engineered flying turtle Hibbert. Together, they’ll embark on a high-flying, …

AM New York reports: In a statement, the Broadway League said that as of Sunday, the owners and operators of all 41 Broadway theaters are extending the mask requirement at least through the end of May but many will no longer check for vaccination status. The announcement recommended that theatergoers check individual theaters’ websites for more information. An update on …