Entertainment

NPR reports: Opera singer Jessye Norman died Monday morning at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s Hospital in New York. The official cause of death was septic shock and multi-organ failure secondary to complications of a spinal cord injury she had sustained in 2015. She was 74. Her death was confirmed to NPR by a spokesperson for her family, Gwendolyn Quinn, as …

USA Today reports: President Donald Trump was present to kick off Season 45 of “Saturday Night Live” — well, the sketch show’s president anyway. Alec Baldwin resumed his Trump persona, who was seeking advice for how to handle a possible impeachment. Trump’s Baldwin vented to Rudy Giuliani, played by Kate McKinnon on the phone. “I’m being impeached. It’s the greatest …

The New York Times reports: The category is “Groundbreaker.” On Sunday night, Billy Porter became the first openly gay man to win the Emmy for best actor in a drama. “I am so overwhelmed and I am so overjoyed to have lived long enough to see this day,” said Porter, 50, while accepting the award. The actor won for his …

From the Hollywood Reporter: An anonymous massage therapist who claims to have been sexually assaulted by Kevin Spacey has died, according to a notice filed in court by the actor’s attorneys. The individual, suing as a “John Doe,” filed claims in Sept. 2018 with the allegation of being forced to grab the actor’s genitals twice during a massage two years …

Variety reports: MoviePass, the long-struggling theater subscription service, finally appears to be down for the count. On Friday, MoviePass notified all of its remaining subscribers that it would be shutting down the service effective Sept. 14, 2019, because “its efforts to recapitalize MoviePass have not been successful to date,” parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics announced. “The company is continuing …

The Daily Beast reports: On Friday, a federal judge sentenced actress Felicity Huffman to 14 days in jail after she pleaded guilty in May to a charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud. “Trying to be a good mother doesn’t excuse this,” Judge Indira Talwani said after handing down the sentence, which included a $30,000 …

The Wrap reports: Musician Eddie Money died Friday following a battle with Stage 4 esophageal cancer, TheWrap has learned. He was 70. His family said in a statement: “The Money Family regrets to announce that Eddie passed away peacefully early this morning. It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to our loving husband and father. We cannot imagine …

The New York Times reports: Hal Prince, the Broadway royal who was its most prolific Tony winner, the producer or director, or both, of many of the theater’s most enduring musicals, including “Damn Yankees,” “West Side Story,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Cabaret,” and “Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running show in Broadway history, died on Wednesday. He was 91. Mr. …

CBS News reports: It’s a beautiful day for a new movie trailer and Sony Pictures just dropped one for its forthcoming film “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” about Fred Rogers. Just as “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” always started with Mr. Rogers singing the classic theme song, so does the trailer. This time, it’s Tom Hanks singing the delightful tune, asking …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Marvel boss Kevin Feige made it official Saturday at the studio’s Comic-Con panel, announcing Avengers: Endgame is clicking past Avatar‘s $2.7897 billion global box office this weekend to become the biggest film of all time. It took nine years for the record to fall, but it finally happened. As fate would have it, Avatar is now part …

Ars Technica reports: All eyes were on San Diego Comic Con’s Star Trek panel this year, as anticipation continues to build for Star Trek: Picard, the first Trek entry to feature Sir Patrick Stewart since the 2002 film Star Trek: Nemesis. And on Saturday, the series’ handlers at CBS didn’t disappoint. A whopping two-minute trailer went well past “teaser” status …

Variety reports: Sally Field, Linda Ronstadt, “Sesame Street,” conductor Michael Tilson Thomas and R&B veterans Earth, Wind and Fire have been selected as the 2019 Kennedy Center Honorees. The kudos will be handed out Dec. 8 at the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C. The award to “Sesame Street” marks the first time the prestigious laurel has been bestowed …

The Boston Herald reports: The criminal case against “American Beauty” actor Kevin Spacey has been dropped the Cape and Islands District Attorney announced today citing “the unavailability of the complaining witness.” An 18-year-old man, the son of former WCVB anchor Heather Unruh, accused the former “House of Cards” star of groping him at a Nantucket bar. During a July 8 …

IndieWire reports: After months – literal, honest-to-God months – of campaigning, the nominations for the 71st Emmy Awards are here. HBO leads the way with 137 total nominations; Netflix is second with 117; the final season of HBO’s “Game of Thrones” received a record-setting 32 nominations. Lead Actor Limited Series or Movie Mahershala Ali, “True Detective” Benicio del Toro, “Escape …

The New York Times reports: “Hadestown,” a pulsing, poetic contemporary riff on an ancient Greek myth, won the Tony Award for best new musical Sunday night, triumphing over film adaptations, a musical comedy and a jukebox show. The win, coming at a time when Broadway is enjoying a long-running box office boom, marks the sixth year in a row that …

Entertainment Weekly reports: The first full trailer for the Downton Abbey movie has arrived, and it confirms some royally big news: The film will center around the king and queen’s visit to Downton and the Crawley family and staff’s attempts to prepare for this momentous occasion — including Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) calling on Carson (Jim Carter) for assistance. What …

People Magazine reports: Tim Conway has died at the age of 85. He passed away at 8:45 a.m. in the Los Angeles area on Tuesday, his rep Howard Bragman confirms to PEOPLE. The beloved actor is best known for his work on The Carol Burnett Show, winning viewers over with characters like the Oldest Man and Mr. Tudball, whose accent …

The Associated Press reports: Fox Entertainment said Tuesday that Jussie Smollett will not return to the series “Empire” next season in the wake of allegations by Chicago officials the actor lied about a racially motivated attack. “By mutual agreement, the studio has negotiated an extension to Jussie Smollett’s option for season six, but at this time there are no plans …

Playbill reports: The nominations for the 2019 Tony Awards were announced April 30. Entering awards season with the most nominations is Hadestown, which earned a total of 14 nominations. Trailing closely behind was Ain’t Too Proud—The Life of the Temptations with 12. Joining the two titles in the coveted Best Musical category were Beetlejuice, The Prom, and Tootsie. Meanwhile, in …

Variety reports: It’s truly the Avengers’ world. The opening weekend of “Avengers: Endgame” demolished box office records with a stunning $350 million in North America and $1.2 billion worldwide. Disney-Marvel’s fourth and final Avengers superhero movie has captivated moviegoers, accounting for more than four of every five tickets sold domestically. “Avengers: Endgame” topped the year-old “Avengers: Infinity War” records by …