Entertainment

Lawyers for actor Kevin Spacey say the groping incident that has resulted in a felony sexual assault charge was actually a consensual encounter initiated by the young man. Law & Crime reports: They pointed to an investigators’ report where the alleged victim said the groping went on for approximately three minutes without the him moving away or telling Spacey to …

Last night CBS aired the 2018 Kennedy Center Honors, which took place early this month. From a highlights review: Whoopi Goldberg pays affectionate tribute to Cher in word and wardrobe. Little Big Town presents a medley of “Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves,” “I Found Someone” and “Baby Don’t Go.” Cyndi Lauper struts through a ferocious “(If I Could) Turn Back Time” …

Variety reports: Kendrick Lamar led the nominations for the 61st Grammy Awards, with eight nods recognizing his work for the “Black Panther” soundtrack, including the hit song “All the Stars,” with SZA. Drake is right on his tails with seven nominations, and producer Boi-1da and Americana singer Brandi Carlile are just behind them with six apiece. Cardi B, Lady Gaga, …

Variety reports: Wednesday afternoon, comedian Kevin Hart was announced as the host for the upcoming 91st annual Academy Awards. By Thursday night, he had stepped down. The turn of events followed outcry over previous anti-gay tweets, and comments Hart made during stand-up routines nearly 10 years ago. Some of the tweets were feverishly deleted throughout the day on Thursday, leading …

Variety reports: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced its new planned “popular” Oscar “merits further study” and will not present the new category at the upcoming 91st Academy Awards. The organization stated that “while remaining committed to celebrating a wide spectrum of movies,” it recognized that implementing any new award nine months into the year “creates …

From the Hollywood Reporter: Burt Reynolds, the charismatic star of such films as Deliverance, The Longest Yard and Smokey and the Bandit who set out to have as much fun as possible on and off the screen — and wildly succeeded — has died. He was 82. Reynolds, who received an Oscar nomination when he portrayed porn director Jack Horner …

Clip description: In Norman Jewison’s Oscar wining Best Picture of 1967, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, racial tensions come to a head when a Northern detective, played by Sidney Poitier, becomes stranded in a small southern town following a murder. This particular town is run by a bigoted sheriff, Rod Steiger in an Oscar winning performance, who may or …

TMZ reports: Neil Simon, one of the most prolific playwrights in American history, has died, TMZ has learned. Sources tell TMZ, Simon died Sunday morning at 1 AM ET after being on life support. We’re told he had a failing kidney and also Alzheimer’s. Simon had a kidney transplant in 2004 and the donor was his longtime friend and publicist …

Deadline reports: Considering it was the MTV Video Music Awards, one would think that they would have some sort of tribute to the late, great Aretha Franklin — and they did. Madonna stepped out on the stage at the VMAs adorned in a graduation robe and what looks like everything from her jewelry box paid homage to the Queen of …

The New York Daily News reports: Disney Channel star Garrett Clayton, who starred in “Teen Beach Movie” as well as NBC’s “Hairspray Live,” came out as gay Monday in a moving Instagram post. Clayton, 27, penned the post as an explanation as to why he signed on to the upcoming film “Reach,” and quietly slipped in the fact that he …

TMZ reports: Aretha Franklin, known for having one of the greatest voices in music history, and for hits like “Respect,” and “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” died Thursday after a long battle with cancer, TMZ has learned. Sources close to the singer tell us Aretha passed away in her Detroit home where she was under hospice care. …

From the Hollywood Reporter: Twenty-five years after wrapping its seven-season run on CBS, Designing Women is plotting a return to the small screen. Series creator Linda Bloodworth-Thomason is behind the revival, which hails from producers Sony Pictures Television Studios. The project has been in the works for months as the indie studio searches for a home for its revival of …

Theater Mania reports: Gary Beach, the longtime Broadway vet who won a Tony for playing Roger De Bris in The Producers, has died at the age of 70. Born in Alexandria, Virginia, on October 10, 1947, Beach graduated from the North Carolina School of the Arts. He made his Broadway debut as an understudy during the original run of 1776. …

Polygon reports: The short teaser introduces a version of the story tinged with sadness, sights of a turn-of-the-20th-century circus juxtaposed with the baby elephant’s rise to stardom. Hints of King Kong and Burton’s own Big Fish give the trailer a slow-melt feel as Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora performs a chilly version of “Baby Mine.” Dumbo is adorable. The foul stench of …

Variety reports: Robert De Niro had a few choice words for President Donald Trump while the legendary actor was on stage at Sunday’s Tony Awards to introduce Bruce Springsteen’s musical performance. “I’m going to say one thing, Fuck Trump,” De Niro said while pumping his fists in the air. “It’s no longer down with Trump. It’s fuck Trump.” The political …

From the Hollywood Reporter: Don’t hold your breath for the show’s famous nudity to make its way to broadcast television, but NBC has chosen Hair as its next live musical. The network on Thursday announced that the 50-year-old Broadway hit of the hippie generation will be its latest live staging, with plans for a spring 2019 telecast. That fills the …

The Washington Post reports: Adam Rippon continues to electrify and inspire — even without an Olympic Games or ice rink as his platform. After dazzling fans at the PyeongChang Winter Games earlier this year, the figure skater followed with a sensational performance on the dance floor in ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” all-athletes edition over the past four weeks that …

ABC News reports: “Saturday Night Live” celebrated the one-year anniversary of the Robert Mueller investigation with a parody of the final scenes of “The Sopranos” — complete with a diner, Journey and Mueller making eyes at Donald Trump like the Members Only jacket guy. The show opened with Alec Baldwin’s Trump playing the role of Tony Soprano in a diner …

Slate reports: It’s been more than a quarter of a century since vice president Dan Quayle criticized fictional journalist Murphy Brown for her decision to become a single mother, a sound bite that the show seized on and even mocked. Now, CBS is bringing back Murphy Brown, the long-running sitcom, and Murphy Brown, the character, with Candice Bergen reprising her …

Deadline Hollywood reports: The Kennedy Center’s Board of Trustees has voted to rescind two high-profile awards given to Bill Cosby following his conviction last month on three counts of aggravated indecent assault. Cosby received a Kennedy Center Honor in 1998 for lifetime achievement in the performing arts. In 2009, he was the 12th recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for …