Entertainment

CNET reports: Betty White was a comedy icon who collected millions of fans the world over in a broadcast career that stretched well over half a century. Her legions of fans were gearing up to celebrate the beloved actress’ 100th birthday, which falls on Monday, when she died on Dec. 31. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate her …

Rolling Stone reports: Ronnie Spector, the leader of the girl group the Ronettes and the voice behind immortal classics like “Be My Baby” and “Walking in the Rain,” died Wednesday after a brief battle with cancer. She was 78. Spector sang with the Ronettes from their formation in 1959 through their dissolution in 1967, though there were several reunions over …

Yahoo Entertainment reports: Bob Saget, who played Full House dad Danny Tanner, has died. He was 65. “We are devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today,” the Saget family said in a statement obtained by Yahoo Entertainment on Sunday. At just after 4 p.m. on Sunday, Orange County, Fla., Sheriff’s Department deputies were called to the Ritz-Carlton …

Vanity Fair reports: “As I see myself, I’m just the average Joe Blow Negro,” Sidney Poitier told The New York Times in 1959. “But as the cats say in my area, I’m out there wailing for us all.” That tension, between trying to be an ordinary man and having to serve as a racial exemplar, defined the life of Poitier, …

The Hill reports: President Biden and first lady Jill Biden on Friday offered tributes to Betty White after being asked about the legendary television star’s death. “That’s a shame. She was a lovely lady,” Biden told reporters. Jill Biden also shared her condolences, citing an expression her own mother used to say. “99 years old— as my mother would say, …

The New York Times reports: Bruce Springsteen has sold his music rights to Sony Music Entertainment in what may well be the biggest transaction ever struck for a single artist’s body of work, according to two people briefed on the deal. The arrangement, which has been gossiped about in music industry circles for weeks, includes both Springsteen’s recorded music catalog …

Variety reports: Anne Rice, influential author of “Interview with the Vampire,” died on Saturday due to complications resulting from a stroke. She was 80. The author’s son Christopher revealed the news on Facebook and said that she would be interred in the family mausoleum at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans in a private ceremony. Born in New Orleans in 1941, …

The Guardian reports: “Tonight it is quite nice, very nice to see the presidential box once again being occupied,” David Letterman said to knowing applause. “And the same with the Oval Office.” The comedian was introducing the 44th Kennedy Center Honors, where Joe Biden restored tradition merely with his presence after four years in which the annual gala was snubbed …

Variety reports: On the red stairs above TKTS in Times Square, as the first flurries of the winter season drifted down on the city, members of every Broadway company—joined by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sara Bareilles, Josh Groban, Kathryn Gallagher and Lauren Patton—gathered in a chorus to sing “Sunday,” the heartrending act one finale to Sondheim’s “Sunday in the Park with George,” …

The New York Times reports: Hours after Stephen Sondheim’s death, the director of the Broadway revival of “Company” walked onstage before the curtain rose on Friday to acknowledge the news that many in the audience already knew but that some — judging by the murmurs that followed — had not yet heard. Around the same time, 32 blocks downtown, the …

Our pal Steve Hayes is back with a Thanksgiving review: Ethel Merman has a field day transferring her Tony Award winning Broadway role to the screen in Irving Berlin’s movie musical CALL ME MADAM. With Donald O’Connor, Vera Ellen, George Sanders, Billy DeWolfe and Walter Slezak giving delightful support, it’s the perfect Thanksgiving treat! Happy Holidays from all of us …

NBC News reports: The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will return to its pre-pandemic form this year, with its route restored through Manhattan, high-flying helium balloons once again pulled by handlers and crowds welcomed back to cheer them on. And Baby Yoda is joining the party for the first time. This year’s parade — the 95th annual — will snap back …

Variety reports: An arbitrator has ordered Kevin Spacey and his companies to pay nearly $31 million to MRC, the production company behind “House of Cards,” after finding that Spacey breached his contract by violating the company’s sexual harassment policy. MRC severed its relationship with Spacey and scrapped a season of the show in 2017, after multiple people came forward to …

The BBC reports: Abba singer Anni-Frid Lyngstad has said “don’t be too sure” that their comeback album Voyage is their last, in her first interview about the reunion. The Swedish superstars released the LP, their first for 40 years, on Friday. It is on course to be the fastest-selling album of the year so far and outsold the rest of …

Variety reports: Longtime “General Hospital” star Ingo Rademacher is out at the long-running ABC soap opera because he declined to comply with the production’s vaccine mandate. His last episode is scheduled to air on Nov. 22, Variety confirmed. News of his departure comes amid backlash to a transphobic meme and anti-vax sentiment he posted on social media Sunday. Rademacher has …

Variety reports: Dean Stockwell, an American actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years, died on Sunday. He was 85. Sources representing the actor say that he died peacefully, in his sleep at home. Among his best credits were a leading role in the sci-fi series “Quantum Leap,” “Air Force One” and David Lynch films “Dune” and “Blue …

Forbes reports: Kal Penn, the actor best known for his role in the Harold & Kumar films who also worked in the Obama administration, publicly came out for the first time Sunday while promoting his new memoir, announcing his engagement to his partner of 11 years. Penn confirmed his engagement to People magazine, saying he was “really excited” to share …

The New York Times reports: Up, up and out of the closet! The new Superman, Jonathan Kent — who is the son of Clark Kent and Lois Lane — will soon begin a romantic relationship with a male friend, DC Comics announced Monday. That same-sex relationship is just one of the ways that Jonathan Kent, who goes by Jon, is …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Norm Macdonald, whose laconic delivery of sharp and incisive observations made him one of Saturday Night Live‘s most influential and beloved cast members, died today after a nine-year private battle with cancer. He was 61. The comedian’s longtime producing partner and friend Lori Jo Hoekstra, who was with him when died, said Macdonald had been battling cancer …

The BBC reports: Pop legends Abba have surprised and delighted fans by announcing their first studio album for 40 years. Abba Voyage will be released in November, before a “revolutionary” set of concerts where virtual avatars will play hits like Mamma Mia and Waterloo. The quartet, who split up in 1982, said they ended up back in the recording studio …