Cher recalled when actor Jack Nicholson and director George Miller made her feel insecure about herself, deeming her "too old" and "not sexy" enough to star in the 1987 film The Witches of Eastwick, Page Six noted, citing The Hollywood Reporter. Cher, 72, who is currently on tour, told the story to a crowd at Atlantic City's Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa. According to her, the singer didn't let Miller have his say during a phone conversation about his and Nicholson's thoughts without standing up for herself. Cher did end up being cast in the role of Alexandra, and co-starred in the hit film with actresses Susan Sarandon and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Hayley Kiyoko recently won the first-ever MTV VMAs Push Artist of the Year—and said the victory was for "queer women of color," NewNowNext.com noted. Kiyoko won over many other talented artists, including Chloe x Halle, Khalid, Sigrid, SZA, Noah Cyrus, Grace VanderWaal and Why Don't We. "This validates any queer woman of color, that you can follow your dreams. And I love my fans. My fans gave this to us. We did it, 20GayTeen!" she shouted out from the red carpet.
Whitney Houston's "Queen of the Night" costume from her 1992 film The Bodyguard was up for grabs at ScreenUsed.com, with a starting bid of $10,000, Page Six noted. Created by the movie's costume designer Susan Nininger, the outfit includes a chrome-like plastic chest piece, cloth corset, metallic grey under-suit, and a chrome-covered collar piece and belt, among other items.
The movie Book Club is now out on DVD. Starring legendary actresses Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen, Book Club follows four lifelong friends whose lives are turned upside down when their book club attempts to shake things up by tackling the book Fifty Shades of Grey. The Blu-ray Combo Pack is loaded with bonus content, including deleted and extended scenes, interviews with filmmakers and the iconic cast, explorations of the writing and casting process and behind-the-scenes footage from the set.
EJ Johnson is speaking out about his best friend Lyric McHenry's tragic death, People.com noted. Nearly two weeks after the reality star died of a suspected drug overdose, Johnson ( the son of basketball icon Magic Johnson ) posted on Instagram, "I'm going to make this clear to everyone there will be no mourning post because I'm not going to reduce a 25yr friendship to 1 Instagram post."
The first full trailer for supernatural horror film Suspiria was released Aug. 23, TheWrap.com reported. The Amazon film based on Dario Argento's 1977 creepy classic stars Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson, Chloë Grace Moretz, Mia Goth and Jessica Harper. ( Argento, 77, is the father of currently embattled actress Asia Argento. ) The film ( with Tilda Swinton, Dakota Johnson and Chloe Grace Moretz ) follows the disturbing events at a renowned dance academy where a girl goes missing and things definitely seem to go bump in the night. Amazon plans a Nov. 2 theatrical release.
A new docudrama about Madonna's early days in New York caused a commotion when photoss from the film's set were released last year—and now, in honor of the singer's recent 60th birthday—the movie, Madonna and the Breakfast Club, now has a trailer, NewNowNext.com noted. Written and directed by Guy Guido, Madonna and the Breakfast Club is set in the late '70s and early '80s, when Madonna was dating Dan Gilroy, lead singer of The Breakfast Club. In 2016, Gilroy turned over to Guido hours of "private tapes of 'bedroom talk,'" according to Page Six, as well as love letters Madonna wrote him. Madonna and the Breakfast Club also includes re-enactments featuring Jamie Auld as the future Queen of Pop.
Christina Aguilera recently talked with Cosmopolitan about women owning their bodies and being themselves, among other topics, Just Jared noted. In part, Aguilera said, "I love the female body, and I think it's something to be proud of, not something that men should dictate ownership of. 'Dirrty' was extremely controversial at the time, but it would be nothing now. I hope I paved the way and helped set the ground rules that women can be any version of themselves they wanna be … and proud of it."
An outpouring of fond remembrances filled the online world as news of Neil Simon's death spread, Deadline noted. Simon—the Tony-winning creator of Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple and countless other major plays, and was also a film screenwriter—died Aug. 25 in New York City at age 91 from pneumonia complications. Harvey Fierstein tweeted, "Neil Simon - gone! A loss 4 the entire entertainment industry. He could write a joke that would make you laugh, define the character, the situation, and even the world's problems."
A Veronica Mars revival series in the works at Hulu with series star Kristen Bell and creator Rob Thomas set to return, TheWrap noted. ( Entertainment Weekly initally reported the news. ) No deal is in place between studio Warner Bros and the streamer.
RuPaul's Drag Race star Alyssa Edwards is getting her own Netflix docuseries, Dancing Queen, that World of Wonder is producing, The Washington Blade noted. The eight-episode series will follow Edwards ( real name Justin Johnson )in her hometown of Mesquite, Texas, as she "juggles her dance life, drag life, family life, and love life," according to Deadline. Dancing Queen streams on Netflix on Oct. 6.
John Goodman, who plays Dan Conner on the Roseanne shows, offered some insight on the fate of his onscreen wife, played by embattled actress/comic Roseanne Barr, CNBC.com noted. In a profile published on U.K.'s Times Sunday, Goodman said his character will be "mopey and sad because his wife's dead." ABC announced the network would move forward with an spinoff, The Conners, after Barr's namesake show was abruptly cancelled following her racist tweet to former Obama aide Valerie Jarrett in May.
Liam Payne has released his brand-new EP, First Time, via Republic Records, a press release noted. Payne had more than 2 billion streams and a triple-platinum certification for the breakout solo single "Strip That Down." The former One Direction singer garnered a Teen Choice Award for "Familiar" [feat. J Balvin] and joined forces with Rita Ora on "For You" from the chart-topping Official Soundtrack for Fifty Shades Freed. The EP has the songs "First Time," "Home with You," "Depend on It" and "Slow."
The Los Angeles County District Attorney now is reviewing another sexual-assault case involving former House of Cards star Kevin Spacey, Deadline reported. A previous case against the much-accused Spacey was presented April 5 by the sheriff's department that reportedly involved an incident with a male adult from October 1992. Facing a probe in Connecticut too, Spacey is also under investigation in the United Kingdom for six claims of sexual assault over a 22-year period.
CBS' long-running sitcom The Big Bang Theory will end after its upcoming 12th season, TheWrap.com noted. The final season will debut Monday, Sept. 24, before moving to its regular Thursday time slot on Thursday, Sept. 27. When the series ends next May, it will finish as the longest-running multi-camera series in television history with 279 episodes.
Missy Elliott penned a letter to the late singer on the 17th anniversary of Aaliyah's death, Aug. 25, Page Six noted. "Aaliyah, we miss you so much," the rapper wrote in a letter, posted in a video on social media. "But your legacy will live on forever and ever!" Aaliyah and members of her entourage perished in a plane crash in the Bahamas in 2001, after completing filming on the music video for "Rock the Boat." She was 22 years old.
Chicago rapper Vic Mensa recently gave back to the community with "anti-bait trucks," Fox32Chicago.com noted. In early August, the city made headlines nationwide with news about "bait trucks" set up in the Englewood community; the trucks, loaded with shoes, were used as bait to trap people into stealing. As a retort, Mensa brought four trucks filled with brand new shoes to be given away to anyone who might need them.
Celebrity chef Mario Batali has a new legal problem, as a Boston woman is suing the former host of ABC's The Chew and Iron Chef America regular, claiming he groped her at a bar, Deadline.com noted. At least seven women have already accused Batali of alleged inappropriate touching in public, causing him to lose his television jobs. Batali has also seen his restaurants in Las Vegas shutter and restaurant group partnerships end. Last December, Eataly, the Italian food spot with locations all over the world, pulled products bearing Mario Batali's likeness—including books, sauces, pastas, olive oils, and vinegars—from its shelves, Eater noted.
Robin Leach—the entertainment journalist and host who was responsible for the syndicated TV series Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous—has died at 76, Deadline reported. Leach most recently had been working as a columnist at the Las Vegas Review-Journal. He suffered a second stroke Aug. 20 after having his initial one last November.
Catfish's Nev Schulman said he was so stressed during a sexual-misconduct investigation that he contracted shingles, People.com noted. In June, MTV closed an internal investigation after a woman who previously appeared on the show accused Schulman of making inappropriate and sexual comments toward her while filming. MTV said the claims were found to be "not credible and without merit."
Katy Perry has denied that music producer Dr. Luke raped her, E! Online reported. In a partially unsealed deposition E! News obtained, Perry said she and Dr. Luke ( real name: Lucasz Gottwald ) never had a romantic relationship and that he never assaulted her. Recently, Perry fought to have her deposition sealed as Dr. Luke's defamation suit against Kesha continues.
Beyonce and Jay-Z's Atlanta concert ended in chaos and confusion when a fan rushed the stage and tried to chase the power couple, Page Six noted. The Carters had just finished performing their single "Apesh-t" at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium when someone in a white jersey and black shorts ran up and tried to follow them backstage. Backup dancers chased down the trespasser.
Nicki Minaj went on a Twitter rampage recently after accusing Spotify of not properly promoting her new album, Queen—and put herself in a deep hole by linking herself to iconic abolitionist Harriet Tubman, The Huffington Post reported. At one point Minaj tweeted, "She said she could've rescued more slaves had they known they were slaves. I fought for streaming services to count toward billboard when alotta ni—z stayed quiet."
Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' eldest child, Michael Consuelos, will play a younger version of his dad's character Hiram Lodge in season three of Riverdale, according to a People.com item that cites Entertainment Weekly. EW reported that Michael will appear in a flashback episode in which stars KJ Apa and Lili Reinhart will take on the roles of their on-screen parents, too. Mark Consuelos, 47, joined the CW's soapy take on the Archie comics in season two as mobster Hiram, the scheming father of Veronica Lodge.
Netflix continues to pad its stand-up comedy roster with a Tiffany Haddish special, Deadline noted. The hourlong show will tape early next year and debutworldwide later in 2019. She is just the latest big-name comic to get a Netflix special as the streamer continues to roll out performances by the likes of Dave Chappelle, Jerry Seinfeld, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock and Kevin James, along with the special Def Comedy Jam 25.
