Sean Hayes, Carrie Aizley, Margo Martindale, Jim Rash, Matthew Broderick and Allison Janney are part of the cast of the film Lazy Susan, which is coming to theaters April 3, a press release noted. According to the release, "Lazy Susan is a story about a spectacularly unmotivated cisgender woman [played by Hayes] for whom doing nothing is exhausting."
Rihanna will receive the President's Award during the 51st NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 22, USA Today noted. The NAACP announced it chose the pop star/fashion icon for her "groundbreaking career as an artist and musician, but [someone who] has also distinguished herself as a stellar public servant." Previous recipients include Jay-Z, Muhammad Ali, Jesse Jackson and Condoleezza Rice.
In Covington, Kentucky, four outfits worn by actress-singer Cher are on display at the Behringer-Crawford Museum's new exhibit, "The Art of the Bead," Local12.com reported. "We've borrowed them from a collector that's in Ohio and the collector has 28 Cher outfits," said curator of collections Jason French. The outfits are just one part of a large collection of beads, which includes everything from tiger teeth to African crowns.
Speaking of Cher, DSquared2 enlisted her for its SS20 campaign, and it was shot by legendary photographers Mert and Marcus, VMagazine.com noted. The black-and-white image shows Cher dressed in DSquared2's latest collection.
A Republican state senator in Arkansas suggested pulling funding for public television in the state because gay actor Billy Porter will appear on Sesame Street this year, LGBTQ Nation noted. Arkansas Sen. Jason Rapert ( R ), who has already announced his 2022 campaign for Arkansas lieutenant governor, posted to Facebook that Porter's appearance on the show is part of the "radical LGBTQ agenda" and suggested that public funding for the show should be cut, in a post found by the Arkansas Times. He claimed that he has been "a defender and champion for" public broadcasting, but that allowing a gay man in a dress on a children's TV show is a step too far.
At the Independent Spirit Awards, the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles took the stage to celebrate all the LGBTQ representation of this season's big films, Vox.com noted. Among the people/things mentioned ( or sung ) were Oscar winners Laura Dern and Octavia Spencer; Jennifer Lopez pole-dancing to Fiona Apple in Hustlers; Awkwafina's Guggenheim rejection letter in The Farewell; and Renee Zellweger's press tour for the film Judy. In the video of the performance, Dern joyfully dances along as the chorus—and special guest star Alex Newell—repeatedly sang her name.
ESSENCE honored Pose co-producer and trans activist Janet Mock, as well as the show's cast, at this year's 2020 Black Women In Hollywood Awards luncheon, BallerAlert.com noted. ESSENCE's Black Women in Hollywood Awards is a yearly celebration honoring women of color who excel in entertainment and media. Other honorees of this year's luncheon include actress Lashana Lynch, Grammy-winning music video director Melina Matsoukas and actress/comedian Niecy Nash, who was this year's Ford Vanguard Award Recipient.
Janelle Monae said she recently became ill after going on a pescatarian diet, Page Six noted. "I started feeling my mortality," she told The Cut, sharing that she had been battling mercury poisoning. According to the World Health Organization, mercury is highly toxic to humans and people can become poisoned when they consume contaminated fish. However, she recovered in time to impress attendees and viewers with her attire and performance at the Oscars Feb. 9.
Saturday Night Live shared an unaired sketch to YouTube, with RuPaul channeling Diahann Caroll's iconic Dynasty character Dominique Deveraux, PinkNews noted. Dressed in a pussycat wig and shoulder-padded blue overalls, "Big Dom" is the boss of a coal mine who has a dramatic, soapy showdown with her rival, Alexis ( Bowen Yang ). The exchange descends from exchanging insults into a slapping fight, before the pair sit down to spill some tea over a mining accident. RuPaul was the first drag queen to host Saturday Night Live, on Feb. 8.
Organizers of the Cincinnati Music Festival revealed that Janet Jackson will headline this year's three-day festival, which will take place July 23-25, WCPO.com noted. Some of the other slated musicians include The O'Jays, Jonathan Butler, Tony Toni Tone, Fantasia, Biz Markie, Snoop Dogg and Charlie Wilson. Last year's Cincinnati Music Festival featured performances by Mary J. Blige, Maxwell, and Earth, Wind and Fire.
The Marley family, UMe and Island Records have unveiled their yearlong MARLEY75 commemorative plans in celebration of the cultural icon Bob Marley's 75th birthday as well as 40th anniversary of the tune "Redemption Song," a press release noted. In honor of Black History Month and to mark the beginning of all MARLEY75 celebrations in 2020, the official music video for "Redemption Song" is now on Bob Marley's YouTube channel; French artists Octave Marsal and Theo De Gueltzl created the video.
Producers of the off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors announced that Jeremy Jordan ( Newsies; Supergirl ) will take over the role of Seymour for an eight-week run, beginning March 17 at the Westside Theater in New York, EW.com noted. Jordan—who most recently starred on Broadway opposite Kerry Washington in the play American Son ( and its subsequent Netflix adaptation )—succeeds Gideon Glick ( To Kill A Mockingbird; Spring Awakening ) and Jonathan Groff, who originated the role of Seymour in the production.
With the Oscars and the Golden Globes overlooking female directors this year, it was the Independent Spirit Awards who handed its Best Feature award to Lulu Wang's The Farewell, Best First Feature to Olivia Wilde's Booksmart and Best Documentary to Julia Reichert's American Factory, Deadline noted. The Farewell is the second Chinese language movie to win at the Spirit Awards since 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
The Razzie nominations are out and Cats, A Madea Family Funeral and Rambo: Last Blood got the most nods—with each getting eight, Deadline noted. The Razzie Award winners are usually announced the day before the Oscars; however, according to the Golden Raspberry Foundation, the schedule was changed this year due to the Oscar ceremony being moved up. The Razzie Awards date will be announced later.
Shannen Doherty ( Beverly Hills, 90210 ) revealed that she is fighting stage 4 cancer, EW.com noted. During an interview with Good Morning America, the Charmed alum confirmed that she has been quietly living with cancer again for the past few years. The actress was first diagnosed with breast cancer back in 2015 and later revealed in 2016 that it had spread to her lymph nodes. Following a single mastectomy in 2016 and completing radiation and chemotherapy treatment in February 2017, Doherty announced she was in remission a couple of months later.
Singer Florence Welch honored her sixth year of sobriety by spreading a message of hope to others who may be struggling, Page Six noted. The Florence + The Machine Frontwoman shared on Instagram that she tattooed the number three on her finger when she was three years sober because she broke that finger during a drunken fight. Friends and fans congratulated the singer on her milestone, including Azealia Banks, who commented, "Wow sis I'm freaking proud of you! This is such a dope post, extremely thoughtful and inspiring. Thank you."
A judge ruled that pop singer Kesha made a false claim that Dr. Luke raped Katy Perry when there's "no evidence whatsoever" that he did, the Los Angeles Times reported. Kesha's lawyers said in a statement that they plan to appeal the ruling, which also says she owes the prominent producer more than $373,000 in interest on royalties she paid him years late. The decision isn't the final word in Dr. Luke's wider-ranging defamation and breach-of-contract suit against Kesha, but his lawyer said the ruling "brings him closer to the justice that he seeks."
Actress/model/writer Jameela Jamil came out as queer on Twitter after backlash she faced over reports she would be hosting a voguing competition show on HBO Max, InStyle.com noted. In part, she stated, "I added a rainbow to my name [on Twitter] when I felt ready a few years ago, as it's not easy within the south Asian community to be accepted. ... I kept it low because I was scared of the pain of being accused of performative bandwagon jumping, over something that caused me a lot of confusion, fear and turmoil when I was a kid."
Kino Lorber Studio Classics released the Blu-rays of five films by acclaimed director Spike Lee, a press release noted. Mo' Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Crooklyn, Clockers and Summer of Sam have individual SRPs of $29.95. Summer of Sam is also available on DVD, with a SRP of $19.95.
In Kay Cannon's new telling of Cinderella, starring Camila Cabello, Oscar nominee and Golden Globe winner Minnie Driver is set to play Queen Beatrice, with Grammy-Award winning musician Missy Elliott in talks to play the role of the Town Crier, Deadline noted. Meanwhile, the mice/footmen will be played by award-winning comedians John Mulaney, Romesh Ranganathan and James Corden—the latter producing the film through his Fullwell73 banner with Leo Pearlman.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, Richard Jewell—based on the true story of the 1966 Atlanta Games bombing—will be out on DVD and Blu-ray on March 17, a press release noted. ( People can also own the film via purchase from digital retailers beginning March 3. ) Paul Walter Hauser ( I, Tonya; the TV show Kingdom ) stars as Jewell, with co-stars including Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Jon Hamm and Olivia Wilde.
Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said that a sequel to Knives Out is officially a go, Deadline reported. The news comes as the film starring Daniel Craig, which earned Johnson his first Oscar nomination for his Original Screenplay, is nearing the $300 million mark at the worldwide box office. It was one of three films to come out during Lionsgate's fiscal third quarter, along with Midway and Bombshell.
CBS This Morning anchor Gayle King posted a two-part video on social media, saying she was "mortified" and "very angry" at CBS for posting a "salacious" clip of her interview with Lisa Leslie about the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, Deadline reported. In the clip, King asks Leslie, a former WNBA star, about the legacy of Bryant, given his sexual-assault case in Colorado. "For the network to take the most salacious part, when taken out of context, and put it up online … is very upsetting to me," King said. When the full interview aired, she added, feedback was positive, including from Leslie. After the video aired, CBS swiftly promised "changes" to its "internal process," Page Six noted.
After months of discussion, Disney has set a deal with Bruno Mars, Deadline noted. The studio will develop a music-themed theatrical narrative feature that Mars will star in and produce. Mars has won 11 Grammy Awards in 27 nominations, and is a singer, songwriter, producer, and musician who has sold more than 200 million singles worldwide.
Actor Robert Pattinson has been named as the most handsome man in the world according to a "golden ratio" of beauty, Evening Standard noted. The Batman star, 33, was found to be a 92.15-percent match when compared to the Golden Ratio of Beauty Phi. The Witcher's Henry Cavill came close behind in second place, with a score of 91.64 percent; Bradley Cooper, Brad Pitt and George Clooney completed the top five.
John Travolta is set to star opposite Kevin Hart in the action-comedy Die Hart ( formerly Action Scene ) at the shortform streaming service Quibi, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Die Hart will have Hart playing a fictionalized version of himself, someone who's tired of being the comedic sidekick. A famous director offers him the shot to be the lead in an action movie, but there's a catch: Kevin first must train at the world's greatest action-star school, which is run by a lunatic ( played by Travolta ).
Whoopi Goldberg and business partner Maya Elisabeth are shuttering their cannabis brand, Whoopi & Maya, after four years, Page Six noted. The business reportedly ended because of a rift between the pair. The medical marijuana line was launched with fanfare in 2016 by The View co-host and Elisabeth, a "canna-businesswoman" who has won 11 High Times Cannabis Cup awards and is behind Om Edibles.
Audience members in the first five rows of the Broadway revival of West Side Story were sprayed with stage blood recently, Page Six noted. The show's avant-garde director, Ivo van Hove, is known for his "surprising and visceral" stage effects, but production sources said that soaking the audience in fake blood was completely unintentional. Isaac Powell, who plays the ill-fated Tony, later said online, "Don't worry, it washes out and also you're welcome!"
Mr. Man revealed the winners of the 6th Annual Manatomy Awards—the only ceremony that shines a spotlight on the past year's nude male achievements in film and TV, a press release noted. Some of the categories include Best Picture ( Sauvage/Wild, Strand Releasing ), Best Butt ( Ricky Whittle, American Gods ), Best Full Frontal ( Jack Reynor, Midsommar ) and Celeb Nude Debut ( Miles Heizer, 13 Reasons Why ). In addition, Daniel Craig was named the recipient of the the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Actor/comedian Orson Bean, 91—who has been in everything from TV's Desperate Housewives to the film Being John Malkovich—was struck and killed by a car in Los Angeles, USA Today noted. Aactress Alley Mills, 68, who Bean was married to for 27 years, was at the scene at the time of the accident. Bean's father, George Burrows, was a founding member of the ACLU.
A month after his passing, more details have been released about the death of Bobbi Kristina Brown's ex-boyfriend Nick Gordon, ExtraTV.com noted. According to his autopsy and toxicology report obtained by TMZ, Gordon died of a heroin overdose. Narcan, a drug used to treat the effects of an overdose, was also found in his system.
Musician/reality-show judge Ne-Yo and his wife, Crystal Smith, are reportedly preparing for a divorce, Madame Noire noted. According to The Jasmine Brand, Smith is filing to divorce Ne-Yo this month. The now former couple has allegedly been separated for "quite some time."
Cosmopolitan Editor-in-Chief Jessica Pels announced the magazine would be scrapping its digital "Bachelor" cover featuring contestant Victoria Fuller over her alleged ties to "White Lives Matter" merchandise, Page Six noted. "Unequivocally, the White Lives Matter movement does not reflect the values of the Cosmo brand. We stand in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, and any cause that fights to end injustices for people of color," Pels wrote.
