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Today in Entertainment: Inside Disney’s Pandora; Fyre Fest’s apology; and ‘Hamilton’ ticket details

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Here’s what’s new and interesting in entertainment and the arts:

Hard’s Gary Richards on controversial trailer: ‘My intentions here were only to help, not offend anyone’

After intense criticism over a festival-preview trailer that many fans found sexist, Hard’s Gary Richards has made his first statement on the controversy.

The Hard Summer preview clip, written and directed by Agata Alexander, featured several male headlining DJs wearing outsized prosthetic breasts, ostensibly to satirize the lack of women artists at dance music festivals.

In an emailed statement to The Times, Richards said:

“Here at Hard Events we are here for everyone. The Hard Summer trailer was created as a satirical piece to raise consciousness at a time when equality issues are of utmost importance. Our goal is to promote good music and we are trying to give women more of a platform at our festival.

My intentions here were only to help, not offend anyone, in supporting Agata’s vision and message. I understand that she does not speak for all women and how people could be upset by the trailer. There is always a risk of misinterpretation when satire is used, but we felt it was right to let her express herself and have creative control over the piece. We want to extend a sincere apology to those who were offended.

We hope the conversations started by this piece bring the change we intended and we will continue to be a champion for Women’s rights within our community and world at large.”

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Hard Summer’s troubling new trailer vaporizes efforts to diversify its lineup

Hard Summer in 2013.
(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

How could no one behind Hard Summer’s new preview trailer suspect that so many fans would hate it?

The clip, which can be watched here and does contain imagery that could offend, may have been done with the intent to admirably satirize the lack of women on music festival bills (including Hard’s). But doing so by putting gigantic prosthetic breasts on top-billed male acts including DJ Snake, What So Not, Party Favor and Claude VonStroke?

Even though the clip was written and directed by a woman, the instant backlash has left a festival — one with plenty of other issues to deal with — scrambling to save face.

The clip is, indeed, hard to watch, and not just for its juvenile tone and the way it trivializes a legitimate concern in music culture. It’s maybe most embarrassing because it is a completely unforced error from a festival that actually took complaints about gender imbalance on the lineup seriously this year.

As the video itself notes, in 2016 the festival only had four female performers. This year, there are 26 out of 110. That’s actually a very real and laudable gain, and Hard could very easily have coasted on that goodwill. The bill is better for it. Rising acts like Madam X and Cray and established draws like Tinashe and Anna Lunoe bring a different energy and attitude to a fest.

There was just absolutely no need to vaporize that hard-won goodwill with a wince-worthy gag, one that could even alienate many of the same women artists whom the fest worked so hard to get on the bill (a few artists in the electronic scene have already spoken out against it, as evidenced by the tweets below).

That’s where the attention should have been — on the gains made by taking active efforts to diversify lineups. It makes for a better, safer, more inclusive and exciting experience, one that fans are demanding from festivals.

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Sunday Conversation: Andrea Martin’s career is surging with NBC’s ‘Great News’ and Hulu’s ‘Difficult People’

For someone who won a Tony four years ago for fearlessly flying on a trapeze in “Pippin,” off-stage Andrea Martin is endearingly self-effacing and excitable. Over eggs and coffee at a cafe on the Upper West Side, where she’s rented the same apartment since the early 1970s, Martin discussed her love of the circus, her Armenian roots and the possibility of an “SCTV” reunion.

Currently in production on the third season of the caustic Hulu comedy “Difficult People,” the actress, 70 and fabulous, can also be seen in “Great News.”

The only time I allowed myself fear was every night we’d rehearse before the show. I was just me as myself, and it was harder to hold on to the fantasy.

— Andrea Martin

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Thousands of drag lovers flock to RuPaul’s DragCon at L.A. Convention Center

Over the weekend, over 40,000 LGBTQ-friendly people and lovers of drag descended upon the Los Angeles Convention Center for RuPaul’s DragCon. In its third year, the celebration of “the art of drag, queer culture and self-expression for all” featured panel discussions, drag “herstory” sessions, and fashion and makeup workshops for men and women.

Think Comic-Con, but for drag queens.

One of the most attended panels of the weekend was titled “What Is Drag in Trump’s America?,” hosted by the new purveyors of scathing political takes, Teen Vogue. It featured the outspoken Bob the Drag Queen, Eureka O’Hara and Alaska, standout and fan favorites from “RuPaul’s Drag Race” -- which, in its ninth season, moved from Logo TV to VH1 this year.

One of this year’s additions was the Kid Zone, an area dedicated to drag’s youngest fans.

“We did it because we recognize that there are so many young people, from 3 to 11 or so,” RuPaul told The Times ahead of DragCon. “I think young parents know how important it is to expose their children to this diversity, especially in this current political climate. This is a place where they can go and expand their lives and see that there is more than one way to live a successful, abundant life. It doesn’t have to exist in this box, and it involves all the colors in the crayon box. We are so proud of this because it gives our queens an opportunity to meet them, fans that wouldn’t necessarily go to a nightclub to see them.”

A 210,000-square-foot exhibitor space has more than 200 vendors selling drag-related merchandise and makeup. The world’s most famous drag queen also had a booth, where he signed autographs and sold all things RuPaul.

DragCon ended Sunday night with a keynote by RuPaul. In it, he announced good news for drag’s fans in New York: the convention will be making its debut in the Big Apple in a few short months on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

READ: RuPaul, the world’s most famous drag queen, on pushing boundaries and getting political

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‘Hamilton’ ticket hopefuls line up by the hundreds in Hollywood

“Hamilton” fans began arriving at the Hollywood Pantages about 8:30 p.m. Saturday. By Sunday morning, the crowd lined up on Argyle Street had swelled to hundreds, all trying to snag tickets as they went on sale at 10 a.m.

Although tickets were also available online and by phone, some thought their chances would be better in person. Times staff writer Jessica Gelt was on the scene.

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A star is born: Willie Nelson turns 84 today

(Genaro Molina / Los angeles Times)

Every day I like to hit a few licks to see if the old fingers are still working. And I really believe it’s still getting better every day.

— Willie Nelson, 2003

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Always on his mind

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Mapping the make believe

A closer look at the land of Pandora. The map of the Mo’ara territory reveals how Pandora has changed a generation after the conflict of between the local Na’vi and the human invaders over the mining of unobtanium.

The park covers an expansive 12 acres of property, but the map itself extends well past the boundaries set by Disney’s imagineers.

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Tribeca Film Festival announces Audience Award winners

"Hondros," a documentary about the life of late Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Chris Hondros, received the Audience Award for documentary at Tribeca. Pictured: Inge Hondros.
“Hondros,” a documentary about the life of late Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Chris Hondros, received the Audience Award for documentary at Tribeca. Pictured: Inge Hondros.
(Ben Gabbe / Getty Images for Hondros)

The 2017 Tribeca Film Festival came to a close Saturday with the announcement of the two winners for the Audience Awards, sponsored by AT&T.

“The Divine Order,” directed and written by Petra Volpe, won the narrative award for its tale of Swiss suffrage in the 1970s.

Winning the documentary award was “Hondros,” which was directed by Greg Campbell and written by Campbell and Jenny Golden, about the life of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Chris Hondros, who died in Libya in 2011.

“It is always exciting to see what resonates most with the audience, and this year, both the narrative and documentary winners represent smart filmmaking and impactful storytelling,” Paula Weinstein, one of the founders of the festival, said in a statement.

“On behalf of the Tribeca team, we congratulate ‘The Divine Order’ and ‘Hondros’ as the 2017 Audience Award winners, and hope moviegoers worldwide get to experience these powerful films.”

Runners-up for the Audience Awards include “Saturday Church,” written and directed by Damon Cardasis, for narrative film and “Shadowman,” written and directed by Oren Jacoby, for documentary.

The festival awarded its top jury prizes Thursday, with Rachel Israel’s “Keep the Change” winning the top narrative jury prize.

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Green beer, breakfast ‘pods’ and Banshee Chardonnay: The menu at Disney’s Pandora is all alien

(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times )

At Walt Disney World’s new Pandora -- the World of Avatar, guests can order something that sort of tastes like a cheeseburger. Except it doesn’t look like a cheeseburger. It’s a doughy white pod, filled with burger fixings.

Pandora "pods" can be stuffed with veggies, burger fixings or breakfast.
Pandora “pods” can be stuffed with veggies, burger fixings or breakfast.
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

The story, Disney Imagineers said, is that humans who have inhabited Pandora miss the food of home, only now they have to use alien ingredients.

Also on the menu is green beer -- a light, wheaty ale made by Terrapin Beer Co. Restaurant staff said the initial plan was for a blue beer -- the Na’Vi, after all, are a blue-skinned race -- but that proved a tougher task using natural ingredients.

Hawkes' Grog Ale
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

Wine drinkers can go with Banshee Chardonnay, which we did not get to sample, and the bulk of the food offerings center on mix-and-match bowls (beef, fish or tofu). But perhaps the most colorful offering is dessert. A rich blueberry cream cheese mouse is a perfectly circular orb that glistens a bright shade of toothpaste blue.

Blueberry cheesecake
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times )

The restaurant, Satu’li Canteen, is themed like an old mess hall, one once used by the RDA, the evil corporation shown in the 2009 James Cameron film “Avatar.”

See photos of Pandora’s menu items.

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Ciara delivers draft day surprise as she and Russell Wilson welcome baby girl

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and singer Ciara drafted a sure thing Friday, welcoming a baby girl to their family on the first day of the 2017 NFL Draft.

Baby Wilson was immediately drafted as QB by the Cleveland Browns. (Not really.)

Ciara and Wilson posted matching Instagram pictures announcing the birth of their daughter Friday night, featuring a photo of the singer on the beach, taken by Wilson.

“Dear Sienna Princess Wilson, No matter how big the wave, we will always be your calm in the storm. We Love You,” the post read.

The couple married in July and announced Ciara’s pregnancy via Instagram in October.

This is Wilson’s first child and the second for Ciara, who shares 2-year-old son Future Zahir Wilburn with rapper Future.

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Bonding with a shoulder banshee at Disney World’s Pandora: Warning, don’t call it a ‘baby’

Our resident Disney expert, Todd Martens, receives training for banshee adoption, inside Pandora – The World of Avatar, the new ride at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

In James Cameron’s 2009 film “Avatar,” the blue-skinned Na’Vi bond with giant winged creatures called banshees in a duel to the near-death. At Disney’s new Pandora — The World of Avatar, situated inside Animal Kingdom in Orlando, Fla., the banshees are far cuter and much less violent.

In fact, when the park opens May 27, guests will be able to take home a mini robotic banshee for $49.95. Inside Windtraders, Pandora’s store for all things “Avatar”-related, guests are matched with a colorful banshee that will rest on one’s shoulder. Mine was pink and menacingly cute rather than vicious.

A leash, or, controller, if you prefer, will wrap around one’s waist, allowing the wearer to order the banshee to flap its wings, open its mouth and even let out a mini howl.

But do not call them baby banshees. All of Disney’s cast members in Pandora are in on the story, and will politely inform guests that the take-home banshees are scale-models to help conservationists study the creature.

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What it’s like to walk, ride and fly through Disney World’s new Pandora park

A line queue for the Pandora ride “Flight of Passge” in Disney World’s new park.

Midway through James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi action film “Avatar,” set on the distant planet of Pandora, lead character Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) observes, “Out there is the true world. In here is the dream.”

He’s referring to his ability in the film to inhabit an alien body, and not, of course, a theme park. Yet Disney, at its Animal Kingdom park in Orlando, Fla., will on May 27 attempt to transport guests to an otherworldly reality -- a place not inhabited by princesses and castles and singing ghosts but by floating mountains, a bioluminescent forest and mysterious creatures who rustle plants just out of sight of guests.

Pandora -- the World of Avatar, which was inspired by the Cameron film but does not feature any of its main characters, aims to put a true-to-life spin on the fantasy universe. Situated in Animal Kingdom, Pandora will play up themes of conservation as it presents a fragile world on the road to rehabilitation. Set about a generation after the conflict of the film, much of Pandora, which we visited as part of a preview today, conveys a tranquil setting.

The Na’Vi River Journey boat ride is an intimate (the boats seat about eight people each) and calming trip through a bioluminescent forest, culminating in a visit with the Shaman of Songs, a Na’Vi relaxing and serenading guests amid the glowing fauna.

The Shaman of Songs also happens to be one of Disney’s most impressive audio-animatronics to date, possessing almost human-like fluidity. Along the journey, guests will encounter flowing jellyfish, pulsating orange plants and the wolf-like creatures that haunt Pandora. The effect is akin to floating through an above-ground coral reef.

Elsewhere, the more thrilling Avatar Flight of Passage aims to simulate the effect of riding a banshee, one of “Avatar’s” winged, dragon-like animals. After traversing up a small mountain -- consider it a very moderate hike -- guests enter a cave and see ancient Na’Vi drawings. The cave eventually reveals itself to be a science center, where humans are working with the Na’Vi to protect the banshees from extinction.

In Flight of Passage, guests are matched with an alien body. The aim is to create the illusion of becoming a Na’Vi, who can train and tame the banshees. After boarding a solitary, stationary-bike-like ride system, a back support will rise and push guests forward. Once the ride begins, a screen is revealed and, with the help of 3-D glasses, attendees will soar amid Pandora’s flying mountains.

The first half of the 4 1/2-minute ride is rather thrilling, as the banshee careens down mountains, through waterfalls and nearly gets into a tussle with a Great Leonopteryx, a bigger, more orange-hued dragon. The second half slows down, as guests again visit some of Pandora’s glowing forests.

The ride was longer than I expected, and also far smoother. As someone who doesn’t fare too well on motion simulators -- I cannot ride Star Tours: The Adventure Continues without getting sick -- I experienced no such nausea on Flight of Passage. I attribute that to the variation in ride pace, but also the crispness of the effects.

Pandora is big, about 12 acres, and everything in it is billed as an attraction. Some plants, for instance, will allow guests to interact with them -- acting as drums that affect the lighting of the land or release spores into the air. At night, the ground will glow beneath guests’ feet.

If you rush through the land just to hit the two rides, Joe Rohde, the Imagineer behind the project, cautions that you’re “wasting your time.” Once it opens, for instance, Disney will have cast members act as Pandora expats who will chat up guests on Pandora wildlife.

We’ll have more on Pandora for you today, and in the weeks to come.

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‘Judge Judy,’ Kelsey Grammer and ‘Lost in Oz’ are winners at Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

“Judge Judy” took home its second consecutive award for best legal/courtroom program at Friday night’s ceremony for the Daytime Creative Arts Emmy, its third win in 21 seasons.

The ceremony, held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, celebrated the men and women working behind the scenes in daytime television, honoring programming broadcast between 2 a.m. and 6 p.m. during 2016.

Veteran actor Kelsey Grammer won his first Daytime Emmy at the ceremony for his voice work as Blinky on Netflix’s animated series “Trollhunters.”

Grammer’s voice acting on “The Simpsons” as Sideshow Bob garnered him a Primetime Emmy in 2006.

Streaming-content provider Amazon took home Emmys for both preschool children’s animated program and children’s animated program, with “The Snowy Day” and “Lost in Oz: Extended Adventure,” respectively.

The rest of the Daytime Emmy categories, including awards for morning program, talk show and drama series, will be awarded Sunday at a ceremony hosted by Mario Lopez (“Extra”) and Sheryl Underwood (“The Talk”).

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Stephen Colbert celebrates 100 days of President Trump

Late-night host Stephen Colbert celebrated the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency Friday, saying that much has been accomplished in the country.

“A lot has been done in the first 100 days,” Colbert said in his opening monologue of CBS’ “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.” “Just none of it by him.”

He quipped that the 100-day milestone was also an indication of another deadline. “We cannot bring him back to the store without a receipt. Slightly damaged goods.”

Colbert added that he was so pleased that the country “survived” those first 100 days: “I did not have that in the office pool.”

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Fyre Festival organizers offer apology: ‘We were simply in over our heads’

After a day of memes and negative press about the massive disaster that greeted music fans arriving in the Bahamas for the first-ever Fyre Festival — unfinished grounds, lack of promised accommodations, no luggage, no beer, food better suited for an elementary school sleep-away camp and the cancelation of one headliner — the organizers are offering an explanation and apology for the now-canceled event.

Hyped as “the cultural experience of the decade,” the festival was supposed to launch the first of two consecutive weekends Friday on a remote island in Fyre Cay in the Exumas, a string of islands in the Bahamas. Blink-182, Disclosure, Kaytranada, Migos, Rae Sremmurd, Tyga, Desiigner, Pusha T., Major Lazer and two dozen other artists and surprise-guest headliners spanning a myriad of genres were promised.

But the festival, co-created by Ja Rule and entrepreneur Billy McFarland and promoted by Fyre Media Inc. — collapsed into disarray on Thursday as guests began to arrive for the event, which was expecting 6,000 to 7,000 people. (Read our full breakdown here.)

As images of collapsed tents instead of plush villas and trash-strewn grounds started to go viral on social media, organizers canceled the festival at the last minute and frustrated guests blasted the entire event as a fraud.

Late Friday, after the festival bore the brunt of some intense scrutiny, McFarland offered a full explanation.

Here’s what went wrong, in his own words, as sent directly from festival organizers:

“Today was a very challenging day for all of us. But we would like to fully explain what happened.

“Billy McFarland and Ja Rule started a partnership over a mutual interest in technology, the ocean, and rap music. This unique combination of interests led them to the idea that, through their combined passions, they could create a new type of music festival and experience on a remote island.

“They simply weren’t ready for what happened next, or how big this thing would get. They started by making a website and launching a viral campaign. Ja helped book talent, and they had hundreds of local Bahamians join in the effort. Suddenly, they found themselves transforming a small island and trying to build a festival. Thousands of people wanted to come. They were excited, but then the roadblocks started popping up.

“As amazing as the islands are, the infrastructure for a festival of this magnitude needed to be built from the ground up. So, we decided to literally attempt to build a city. We set up water and waste management, brought an ambulance from New York, and chartered 737 planes to shuttle our guests via 12 flights a day from Miami. We thought we were ready, but then everyone arrived.

“The team was overwhelmed. The airport was jam-packed. The buses couldn’t handle the load. And the wind from rough weather took down half of the tents on the morning our guests were scheduled to arrive. This is an unacceptable guest experience and the Fyre team takes full responsibility for the issues that occurred.

“Everyone was very concerned for our guests. They needed a place to sleep and everyone did their absolute best to rebuild. We took everyone to the beach and built as many tents and beds as fast as possible, but as more guests arrived, we were simply in over our heads. Ultimately, we didn’t think security could keep up, so we had to postpone the festival. The response to the postponement was immediate and intense. We had no other options this morning, so we began the process of getting guests quickly and safely back to Miami, which continues now. Our top priority as a company is to ensure the comfort and safe return home of all of our guests.

“Then something amazing happened: venues, bands, and people started contacting us and said they’d do anything to make this festival a reality and how they wanted to help. The support from the musical community has been overwhelming and we couldn’t be more humbled or inspired by this experience. People were rooting for us after the worst day we’ve ever had as a company. After speaking with our potential partners, we have decided to add more seasoned event experts to the 2018 Fyre Festival, which will take place at a United States beach venue.

“All festival-goers this year will be refunded in full. We will be working on refunds over the next few days and will be in touch directly with guests with more details. Also, all guests from this year will have free VIP passes to next year’s festival.

“We’re grateful for the Bahamian Government and The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism for their assistance during this challenging time — their efforts have been exemplary. We want to thank the people of the Bahamas for their support and for graciously allowing us the privilege of visiting their islands. We apologize for any inconvenience the past 24 hours has caused and we look forward to making a considerable donation to the Bahamas Red Cross Society as part of our initiatives. We need to make this right. And once we make this right, then we will put on the dream festival we sought to have since the inception of Fyre.

“Thank you for all your continued patience and understanding. We apologize for what all of our guests and staff went through over the last 24 hours and will work tirelessly to make this right.”

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Join us as we explore Disney’s brand new Pandora world

The path to Pandora -- The World of Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

A bioluminescent forest. A ride on a banshee. Flying mountains.

On May 27 Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom’s will open what’s expected to be one of the company’s most technically immersive theme park lands to date, Pandora -- The World of Avatar. But we’re headed in there Saturday, and you can follow along online.

Inspired by the 2009 James Cameron film “Avatar,” Pandora will inject a heavy dose of make believe into Disney’s more realistic theme park, one that features sections modeled after Africa and Asia and puts live animals rather than costumed creatures center stage.

Set a full generation after the conflicts of the film, Disney Imagineers promise Pandora to be so intricately constructed that this planet in the Alpha Centauri star system will feel more lifelike than not.

The bridge that leads into Disney's Pandora -- The World of Avatar.
(Todd Martens / Los Angeles Times)

We’ll begin to find out when we get our first glimpse of Pandora, as Disney is opening up the land for a small media preview. We’ll have multiple stories about the land in the coming weeks, including interviews with some of those who are bringing it to life.

We’ll be going on both of the land’s main attractions -- one, Avatar Flight of Passage, that simulates a ride on the winged banshees, and another, Na’Vi River Journey, that serves as a calming ride through a glowing forest -- as well as sampling some of Pandora’s food.

You can follow along on Twitter, Instagram and stayed tuned here for first impressions and photos.

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Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas announces full 2017 lineup

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The flagship Las Vegas edition of Electric Daisy Carnival, America’s largest multi-day music festival, has announced its full lineup.

The bill is again packed with many of the top names in EDM — the recent Coachella dance-tent headliner Marshmello, Martin Garrix and Zedd among them — who are now staple performers at the festival. Others, like the tropical-house mainstay Kygo and the Los Angeles genre-hopper Mija, will make their EDC Las Vegas debuts.

But a few new concepts and one-off collaborative sets are worth a fresh look.

One set will see Alison Wonderland, one of the first two women to perform on the fest’s main stage last year, perform on that stage yet again back-to-back with Diplo and Jauz. Insomniac’s factory93 concept — focused on underground-leaning acts — will have a much bigger stage, with all-night label takeovers from Drumcode, Paradise and Moodzone.

And the roving Burner-inspired art cars will feature sets from a few notable SoCal DJ crews and promoters including Desert Hearts and Brownies & Lemonade.

The festival, now in its 21st installment, will hit the Las Vegas Motor Speedway once again on June 16-18.

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Anne Rice’s ‘The Vampire Chronicles’ being adapted for TV

Anne Rice, pictured in 2014, is seen at her home in Palm Desert.
(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times)

Pop culture’s ongoing love affair with the ’90s rages on with word that Anne Rice’s “Vampire Chronicles series is angling for a TV revival.

Paramount Television and Anonymous Content announced they have obtained the rights to 11 of Rice’s books for development. Rice will executive produce the series and her son, Christopher Rice — a bestselling author in his own right — will write the adaptation. Previously, the Paramount/Anonymous partnership yielded “Berlin Station” on Epix and Netflix’s teen suicide drama “13 Reasons Why.”

“It is undeniable that Anne Rice has created the paradigm against which all vampire stories are measured,” Amy Powell, president of Paramount TV, said in a statement. “The rich and vast world she has created with ‘The Vampire Chronicles’ is unmatched and sophisticated with 90’s gothic undertones that will be perfectly suited to captivate audiences.”

For those who didn’t experience the ’90s the first time around, Rice’s vampire series has sold more than 100 million copies, and its first book — published in 1976 — yielded the 1994 film “Interview with the Vampire,” which starred Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and an unnervingly young Kirsten Dunst. If that doesn’t sound decade-specific enough, Guns N’ Roses also covered the Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” for the soundtrack.

“For decades now fans of ‘The Vampire Chronicles’ have been clamoring for a long-form television adaptation of this galaxy of content,” Christopher Rice said in the same statement. “We’re confident this exciting deal will result in many excellent things for Lestat in the universe of television.”

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‘Hamilton’ L.A. tickets go on sale Sunday, at long last

Los Angeles fans finally get their shot: Tickets for “Hamilton” at the Hollywood Pantages go on sale at 10 a.m. Sunday. There are three ways to make a play for the hottest theater ticket in town: through the Pantages website, by phone at (800) 982-2787 and in person at the Pantages box office.

Keep reading for details on ticket prices, show dates and more:

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‘Facts of Life’ star Charlotte Rae, 91, has bone cancer

(Paul Hawthorne / Associated Press)

Charlotte Rae, the actress who played matriarch Edna Garrett on “Diff’rent Strokes” and “The Facts of Life,” has bone cancer.

The 91-year-old sitcom star, who beat pancreatic cancer seven years ago, was diagnosed Monday, according to People.

“So now, at the age of 91, I have to make up my mind. I’m not in any pain right now. I’m feeling so terrific and so glad to be above ground,” Rae told the magazine. “Now I have to figure out whether I want to go have treatment again to opt for life. I love life. I’ve had a wonderful one already. I have this decision to make.”

The actress’ mother, sister and uncle died from pancreatic cancer, she said. Rae, who said she was cancer-free after six months of chemotherapy when she fought pancreatic cancer, was supposed to start chemo again Thursday, but held off to “think about it first.”

The first time around, nobody knew about her treatment, she said, noting that she had “great wigs.”

“I think I’m going to go for it,” said the TV veteran, who celebrated her birthday over the weekend. “The side effects were not too bad when I did it originally. I’ve had a great life, but I have so many wonderful things happening. I’d like to [choose] life. I’m grateful for the life I’ve already had.”

Rae was born in Milwaukee in 1926 and got her start in theater at Northwestern University. She perfected her comedy in clubs “to showcase myself for Broadway,” she told The Times in 2006 when her impish album “Songs I Taught My Mother” was rereleased.

Rae, who was wed to the late Emmy- and Grammy-winning composer John Strauss, most recently appeared alongside Meryl Streep in 2015’s “Ricki and the Flash,” on Disney Channel’s “Girl Meets World” and ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars.”

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Katy Perry serves up new single ‘Bon Appetit’ with a side order of Migos controversy

It’s fresh out the oven: Katy Perry released her foodie new jam “Bon Appetit” on Friday.

The dance track — the second off Perry’s upcoming fifth studio album — generously serves up double entendres, mashing up sex and food porn and instructions to save room for “the world’s best cherry pie.”

(Do with that what you will, but know it’s a lyric that launched a thousand memes. Think twice before using the cherry emoji.)

Perry’s collaboration on the catchy tune with Atlanta hip-hop trio Migos has earned the LGBTQ-allied singer some criticism because group member Quavo made some homophobic-sounding remarks in a February Rolling Stone interview. The group later apologized for the comments, which were about another Atlanta rapper who came out as gay.

The pop vixen has championed GLAAD, teaming up with the organization for a campaign against gay violence in 2014, and accepted the National Equality Award at the Human Rights Campaign gala last month.

Perry, who will appear on “Saturday Night Live” with Dwayne Johnson on May 20, has yet to address criticism of the collaboration.

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Transgender-teen film ‘3 Generations’ gets PG-13 rating, down from R, after cuts

The Weinstein Co.’s movie “3 Generations” has been reclassified with a PG-13 rating, instead of the original R assigned by the Motion Picture Assn. of America, after the distributor made some changes to its transgender-teen drama.

The film stars Naomi Watts, Elle Fanning and Susan Sarandon. Fanning plays a New York teenager seeking to transition from female to male. Watts portrays her mother, and Sarandon is her lesbian grandmother.

Cuts were made to the film as a compromise to ensure the PG-13 rating, the studio said in a statement Thursday. The movie went through regular review procedures, MPAA spokesperson Chris Ortman said Friday.

“While we regularly meet with a wide range of organizations to discuss the rating system, no outside groups have any influence on the rating process,” Ortman said.

The historically conservative Parents Television Council supported the R rating and was unhappy with the decision, accusing the MPAA of being influenced by Harvey Weinstein, who challenged the initial R rating on his company’s upcoming release. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which supported the filmmakers and the movie and also pushed for a PG-13 rating, was pleased.

GLAAD President and Chief Executive Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement that “3 Generations” was “a film that all families should be able to see.”

“Once again,” she said, “The Weinstein Company dared to tell culture-changing LGBTQ stories that Hollywood too often shies away from.”

Parents Television President Tim Winter, speaking in a statement released Thursday, accused the ratings board of protecting the interests of Hollywood before those of parents. The MPAA’s Ortman challenged that presumption.

“Each film is rated by a team of raters, who are themselves parents, in order to serve [the Classification and Rating Assn.’s] purpose of providing information to parents about viewing choices for their children,” he said.

The movie opens May 5 in New York and Los Angeles and expands its release May 12.

Updated, 8:14 a.m., April 28: This article was updated to include a statement from the MPAA. It was originally published at 9:33 p.m. April 27.

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A Star Is Born: Ann-Margret turns 76 today

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

I never look into the future or back. As someone who has had a lot of accidents and gone through some things, I just want to live right now. I feel really blessed.

— Ann-Margret, 2002

FROM THE ARCHIVES: She’s Loving This Stage of Her Life

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Post-robbery, Kim Kardashian is no longer materialistic, she says

What a difference an armed robbery makes. Just ask Kim Kardashian.

“It was probably no secret, you see it on the show ... I was definitely materialistic before,” the reality TV star told Ellen DeGeneres on Thursday’s episode of “The Ellen Show.”

“Not that there’s anything bad with having things and working hard to get those things ... but I’m so happy that my kids get this me, and that this is who I am raising my kids, ‘cause I really don’t care about that stuff anymore.”

Kardashian was, of course, robbed at gunpoint during fashion week last October in Paris, where she was traveling with millions of dollars’ worth of jewelry.

Turns out the people who traumatized the 36-year-old mother of two and took her jewels had been targeting her for two years, she said, getting excited about various items she would show off publicly.

Now, she said, she “truly” doesn’t know if she’ll ever wear real jewelry again. Indeed, her neck and hands were bare during the sit-down. She said she never thought before about having a 24-hour security guard outside her door when she traveled. Now she has “several,” just to be able to sleep at night.

The robbery was “seven or eight minutes of torture,” and she knew 100% that she was going to die.

“But when I look back and analyze it .. it could have been way worse,” she said. “I don’t want to sound like I’m not grateful. I’m out, I’m home, I’m safe, I’m such a better person.

“I’m — It’s OK.”

Watch Kim struggle with her emotions during the interview, above.

READ MORE: Kim Kardashian’s robbery ordeal, from begging for her life to dealing with the aftermath>>

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Chris Soules’ lawyers: Don’t prejudge ‘Bachelor’ alum based on ‘knee-jerk’ coverage of fatal accident

An attorney for Chris Soules of “The Bachelor,” who was arrested earlier this week in Iowa after an accident left a man dead, is asking that his client not be tried in the media.

“Soules’ 911 call, released yesterday, proved that the initial knee-jerk coverage of this accident was incorrect,” his lawyers said Thursday in a statement. Attorney Brandon Brown “recognized the heightened level of interest because of Soules’ celebrity status,” the statement said.

The small-town farmer went from being a contestant on “The Bachelorette” to courting dozens of women as “The Bachelor,” then moved on to compete on “Dancing With the Stars.” He and his chosen bachelorette, Whitney Bischoff, ended their engagement in May 2015, nearly seven months after he proposed and nearly three months after viewers watched him ask for her hand in marriage.

The 35-year-old has been charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash. “While initial reports suggested Soules fled the scene, the 911 call confirms that Soules in fact was the one who contacted law enforcement immediately.”

The reality TV star’s legal team, from Des Moines, Iowa, law firm Parrish Kruidenier, said they were considering asking for a gag order.

READ MORE: ‘The Bachelor’s’ Chris Soules called 911 before leaving the scene of fatal crash>>

Read the full statement:

“Chris Soules has retained attorneys Alfredo Parrish, Brandon Brown and Gina Messamer of the Des Moines, Iowa, law firm Parrish Kruidenier to represent him. Brown recognized the heightened level of interest because of Soules’ celebrity status, but asked that members of the public do not prejudge this case based on media coverage. Soules’ 911 call, released yesterday, proved that the initial knee-jerk coverage of this accident was incorrect.

“While initial reports suggested Soules fled the scene, the 911 call confirms that Soules in fact was the one who contacted law enforcement immediately. During the call, he clearly identified himself and explained his role in the terrible accident. Soules attempted to resuscitate Mr. Mosher and remained on the scene with him until emergency medical personnel arrived. Soules’ attorneys are exploring the possibility of a gag order to prevent further misinformation from prejudicing Soules’ right to a fair trial.

“Soules’ legal team is working to gather all of the evidence and review the facts of this tragic collision. They have already filed a demand asking law enforcement to preserve possible evidence and anticipate filing additional motions next week. His attorneys are confident that once all the evidence is made public, it will show Soules acted reasonably and did everything in his power to provide aid to Mr. Mosher.

“Due to the nature of the pending charges, neither Soules nor his counsel will be making any statements at this time. Soules and his family request that their privacy and the privacy of Mr. Mosher’s family is respected. Everyone in this close-knit farming community is mourning Mr. Mosher’s passing. Soules offers his sincere condolences to the Mosher family.”

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Caitlyn Jenner memoir’s version of life with Kris Jenner creates a new rift in the family

(Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)

As Caitlyn Jenner’s just-published memoir “The Secrets of My Life” pulls back the curtain on her gender transition and her life among the Kardashians, not everybody is taking it well.

Especially not Kris Jenner.

Details about the Olympian-turned-reality-star’s decision to transition in 2015 from Bruce Jenner to Caitlyn Jenner and confirmation that she had her final gender reassignment surgery are all in the book, but some dishy material about the Kardashian matriarch is reverberating with fans and upsetting the reigning first family of reality TV.

The memoir, co-written by Buzz Bissinger, who penned the Vanity Fair article that introduced Caitlyn Jenner to the masses, has some kind words for the momager, including admiration for Kris’ connections, her business acumen and her ability to perfectly apply lip liner without a mirror.

However, Caitlyn also said in the book that she told Kris about her gender issues before they got married and said Kris knew that for 4½ years before they met, Caitlyn had been on hormones. Additionally, Caitlyn wrote that she told Kris about her gender problems before they would make love.

“I told her there had been a woman inside me all my life,” she wrote.

The couple announced their split in 2013 and finalized their divorce in 2014. During their decades-long union, Caitlyn cross-dressed in front of her ex but was asked by Kris to do it only while traveling, so that their children wouldn’t get wind of it. It was something Caitlyn grew to resent, she said, and she would steal her wife’s gowns and purses to wear while traveling. (Their differing takes on their marital woes have been a topic of discussion for years.)

In a recent episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” Kris fumed with anger about passages in “The Secrets of My Life” that claimed she knew Caitlyn was transgender before they wed.

“None of it makes sense,”Kris said to daughters Khloe and Kim Kardashian. “I read it and basically the only nice thing she had to say was that I was great socially at a party one time. ... Everything she says is all made up. Why does everything have to be that Kris is such a bitch?”

She added: “I’ve never been so angry and disappointed in somebody in my whole life.”

In response, the Olympic gold medalist said on “Good Morning America” that the book is “extraordinarily honest.”

“It is my perspective, and obviously when you do a book like that, there are different opinions. I have a lot of friends that know the truth and know what I’ve been through and know the whole situation,” Caitlyn said.

She told Andy Cohen that in the wake of publishing, Kris said she didn’t want to talk to Caitlyn ever again. (Caitlyn also elaborated on her claims that she was a “punching bag” on the show and a revelation that Kris had been in charge of her finances.)

“Honestly, I never had a low point [while doing the show], actually, until the other day when Kris said some of that stuff. It was the first time I was really upset,” she said. “I had some of the best conversations with my children on that show. ... It forces you to deal with issues. ... It forces you to sit down with your kids and deal with a lot of things.”

Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner’s second-born child with the late Robert Kardashian, shared her thoughts on the feud on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” in an episode that aired Thursday.

“My heart breaks for my mom, you know, because I feel like she’s been through so much and [Caitlyn is] promoting this book and she’s saying all these things,” Kardashian said. “I just don’t think it’s necessary and I just feel like it’s unfair. Things aren’t truthful.”

Kardashian said Caitlyn was dishonest “with certain things” about Kris in the book.

“I feel like it’s taken [Caitlyn] a really long time to be honest with herself, so I don’t expect her to be honest about my mom now. But it’s just so hurtful,” she said. “I wish her all the success in the world, but not at our expense.”

Kardashian said she and husband Kanye West have been avid supporters of Caitlyn Jenner’s transition and wanted to remain respectful of her, but thought there was no need to “bash” the family. She said she was hurt by her stepfather, who’s dad to her half-sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner, and hasn’t spoken to Caitlyn in a few weeks.

“Kendall and Kylie, that’s their dad and I think my mom’s been so respectful for so long and always wanting Caitlyn around and always wanting to have a great relationship with Caitlyn,” Kardashian said. But that doesn’t appear to be the case for the rest of the Kardashian brood.

“I’ll always love her. That was my stepdad for so many years. She taught me about character and so much growing up and I just feel like I don’t respect the character that she’s showing now.”

Kim Kardashian’s younger sister, Khloe Kardashian, is also “taking it a little tough,” Caitlyn said at a book signing, according to RadarOnline. “Everyone on the Jenner side is fine. All this stuff tends to work itself out!”

Someone call Ryan Murphy, because this needs to be turned into a “Feud” series, stat.

------------

FOR THE RECORD

April 27, 3:31 p.m.: An earlier version of this article said Bruce Jenner and Kris Jenner finalized their divorce in 2013. They divorced in 2014.

------------

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‘The Bachelor’s’ Chris Soules called 911 before leaving the scene of fatal crash

Chris Soules attends a NASCAR event on June 19, 2015.
(Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)

Chris Soules, the former “Bachelor” who was arrested earlier this week in Iowa on suspicion of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, called 911 from the scene Monday night, but reportedly wouldn’t come out of his house for hours after a couple of sheriff’s deputies showed up at his door.

“I rear-ended a guy on a tractor,” Soules told the dispatcher on a 911 recording — obtained by the Des Moines Register and others — breathing heavily and indicating that the “guy on the tractor” was hurt.

Though there were no eyewitnesses to the crash, according to TMZ, other people got there by the time the 911 call was made. The 8:20 p.m. crash sent Soules and his pickup into a ditch on one side of the road and Kenneth Mosher and his tractor into a ditch on the other side.

Mosher was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The 66-year-old was a resident of Aurora, Iowa, about a mile south of where the crash occurred. Soules lives in Arlington, Iowa, about 15 miles north of the accident site.

A spokesman for the 35-year-old “Dancing With the Stars” veteran told People that Soules was “devastated” when he learned Mosher had died.

Soules, who had identified himself to the dispatcher, called a friend for a ride home, but then wouldn’t come out of his house later to talk to sheriff’s deputies, sources told TMZ. Eventually, hours later, they got a search warrant. Soules was arrested shortly after 1 a.m. Tuesday, and blood and urine samples were collected after he was taken by deputies to a hospital, the website said.

Soules was charged with leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in a death. The charge is a felony.

“I believe it was a very tragic, sad accident that took the life of a guy that was just coming home from work,” Richard Roepke, whose daughter is married to Mosher’s son, told People on Tuesday.

“This is corn-planting time, the best time of the year for a farmer. Kenny was working on one of the farms just a little north of Aurora and I think he was just coming home. For Chris, what happened was just a freak accident.”

Law enforcement sources told TMZ that skid marks at the scene indicated two things: That Soules hit the brakes before impact, and that he hadn’t been driving excessively fast.

After he was released Tuesday on $10,000 bond, Soules deleted his Instagram account, followed by his Facebook and Twitter pages on Wednesday, People said.

The investigation is expected to take another two to four weeks, sources told TMZ.

“Unfortunately, accidents happen in the spring and fall sometimes with tractors and trucks because there are more tractors on the road, so I am going to reserve judgment until I hear all the details about what happened,” Arlington City Clerk Mary Jo Brown told the Des Moines Register on Tuesday. “All I know is that it has got to be devastating for [Soules] and his family and for the other family involved, too.”

“I also know this story is going to spread like wildfire around here and probably all over because of who he is,” she added. “Sometimes fame isn’t your friend.”

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Oh yah, ‘Fargo’ took a trip to Los Angeles

HOLLYWOOD, CA--FEB. 16, 2017--Warren Littlefield, left, a producer on FX's "Fargo," stands near composer Jeff Russo and director John Cameron, during a day of filming at a motel in Hollywood.
(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

In the FX drama, “Fargo,” the wintry Midwest is the backdrop to murder, mayhem, and mystery. But this season, its third, the City of Angels is about to get in on the action.

The series, inspired by the beloved 1996 Coen brothers movie, shot scenes for next week’s third episode in Los Angeles. And we were on set with creator and executive producer Noah Hawley.

“I was excited about the idea because obviously the Coens have a very long relationship with the idea of Hollywood,” he said, noting they particularly like to play with different periods in Hollywood.

“This [episode] has a period element to it as well, but it’s not really a period they’ve dealt with in their films.”

Season three, which is set in 2010, follows two feuding brothers (both played by Ewan McGregor with an assist from Spanx) as tensions rise in their sibling rivalry over an inheritance from their long-dead father. Carrie Coon also stars as Gloria Burgle who journeys to Los Angeles in episode three to poke into her stepdad’s mysterious past as “Thaddeus Mobley.”

While we won’t give too much away, let’s just say the settings are in keeping with the “Fargo” universe: think coffee shop and motels.

Outside of this field trip to Los Angeles--both production-wise and story-wise--shooting on the third season mostly took place in Calgary, Canada, which stands-in for the show’s snowy Midwest setting.

Check back next week for our inside look as “Fargo” takes on Los Angeles.

HOLLYWOOD, CA--FEBRUARY 16, 2017-- An actor in Santa clothing gets in his "background" position poolside, at a motel in Hollywood, CA, during filming of FX's season three of "Fargo," Feb. 16, 2017.
HOLLYWOOD, CA--FEBRUARY 16, 2017-- An actor in Santa clothing gets in his “background” position poolside, at a motel in Hollywood, CA, during filming of FX’s season three of “Fargo,” Feb. 16, 2017.
(Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)
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New ‘Alien: Covenant’ short reveals what happens to Elizabeth Shaw after ‘Prometheus’

A new prologue video for “Alien: Covenant” has been released, and it finally gives fans a greater glimpse into how Ridley Scott’s upcoming movie links to “Prometheus.”

“Prologue: The Crossing” picks up the story immediately after Dr. Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and synthetic being David (Michael Fassbender) escape from the horrors they encountered in Scott’s 2012 sci-fi thriller aboard an abandoned engineer vessel as the sole survivors of their exploration team.

The vignette shows Dr. Shaw repairing David as they continue their search for humanity’s creators. David narrates the piece as the ship they’re on sets course towards the engineer homeworld.

What this all has to do with the iconic facehuggers and double-mouthed xenomorphs from the “Alien” franchise still remains unclear. But hopefully more will be answered in “Alien: Covenant.”

In addition to Fassbender, the cast of “Alien: Covenant” includes James Franco, Demian Bechir, Danny McBride, Katherine Waterston and Billy Crudup.

The film is slated for release May 19.

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Haim announces new album, plus Paul Thomas Anderson-directed video

(Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

The L.A. band Haim has returned after a four-year break with its much-anticipated new album.

“Something to Tell You,” the second LP from the sister trio, will be out July 7 on Columbia. It follows their 2013 debut, the acclaimed “Days Are Gone.” The group worked with longtime collaborator Ariel Rechtshaid (Adele, Usher) and Rostam Batamanglij, formerly of Vampire Weekend.

The group announced “Something” along with a new in-studio video, directed by P.T. Anderson, that previews their song “Right Now.” They’ll also perform May 13 on “Saturday Night Live.”

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‘The Simpsons’ commemorates Trump’s first 100 days with scathing clip

“The Simpsons” is pulling no punches when it comes to lampooning President Trump, as evidenced by its detail-dense new video commemorating his first 100 days in office.

It begins on a dark and stormy night and only gets darker from there.

Except for Trump’s hair. That’s still quite lively.

Sean Spicer is seen hanging — literally — in the White House press room with a note on his suit reading “I quit.” Kellyanne Conway scurries away, saying, “I am not replacing him.”

Upstairs, Steve Bannon is locked in a stranglehold with someone who could be any number of Trump’s advisors — Reince Priebus, Jared Kushner, Stephen Miller —and while the union metaphorically burns, the president is in bed on his phone.

While Trump’s boudoir looks virtually identical to its depiction in an August video from “The Simpsons,” it now features the delightful addition of a framed photo of POTUS pretending to drive a truck.

As he relaxes, Trump reviews the accomplishments from his first 100 days, including lowering his golf handicap, raising his number of Twitter followers and legalizing the hunting of hibernating bears.

Meanwhile, daughter Ivanka Trump is using her new place on the Supreme Court to peddle wares while Ruth Bader Ginsburg is physically removed from the bench.

Back in Springfield, the D.C. antics have all been a bit much for Marge Simpson, who’s already run through four years’ worth of Prozac.

“One hundred days. We’re 6.8% of the way home,” a narrator intones over a shot of a four-year calendar. “Paid for by ‘Anyone Else 2020.’”

Trump has long been a target for Fox’s long-running animated series, which in a 2000 episode jokingly predicted a Trump presidency and has lampooned the now-president several times since.

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Amid legal brouhaha, Johnny Depp surprises fans on ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ ride

(Richard Shotwell / Associated Press)

Johnny Depp returned to his swashbuckling ways on Wednesday, making a guest appearance on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at the Disneyland Resort, much to fans’ delight.

The attention-averting move happened to come as his former business managers accused him this week of being a “habitual liar.” More on that in a sec.

Though there are three animatronic Jack Sparrows on the ride, Depp’s in-the-flesh appearance and running conversations with boat riders was a welcome surprise to fans who shared it on social media.

The “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales” star greeted riders on the attraction as his rum-swilling alter-ego, resplendent in Sparrow’s eyeliner and dreadlocks, wielded a sword and recited lines from the long-running movie franchise.

The 53-year-old’s appearance came as the ride celebrates its 50th anniversary and ahead of the May 26 release date for the next “Pirates” installment. The new chapter sees the return of fan favorites Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley as Depp’s ill-fortuned Sparrow pursues the legendary Trident of Poseidon in a race against bad guy Capt. Salazar, played by Javier Bardem.

Depp’s outing also comes a day after his public battle with his former management company hit the radar again.

The actor and the Management Group have been embroiled in a dispute over his finances that resulted in the star filing a $25-million lawsuit in January alleging fraud, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty and more against his longtime business managers. He claims they lost tens of millions of dollars over more than a decade.

The Management Group countersued in February, claiming that Depp refused to reign in his “voracious spending.”

“Why didn’t they drop me as a client if I was so out of control?” Depp told the Wall Street Journal this week in his first public comments on the matter since he filed the lawsuit.

On Tuesday, Management Group spokesman David Shane lobbed his rebuttal, claiming that the film star “is a habitual liar who denies responsibility for his own outrageous conduct” and “has himself to blame for his financial woes.”

Let’s see how good Capt. Sparrow’s sword is at deflecting bad publicity ...

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Seth Meyers makes a major scientific discovery about President Trump

The science on the Trump administration is a little closer to settled.

“Late Night with Seth Meyers” offered a deep dive Wednesday night into the administration’s apparent fondness for executive orders — the president has signed 30 so far — and highlighted how Trump the candidate was less enamored of the practice than Trump the president appears to be.

“It is at this point like a law of physics,” Meyers said at the beginning of one of his “A Closer Look” segments. “For every Trump action, there’s an equal and opposite Trump clip.”

Meyers amusingly applied the same science to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s stance on executive orders as well.

The segment went on to look at further details as Trump approaches the 100-day mark of his presidency, including changes to his much-publicized border wall plans, Ivanka Trump’s difficulties on a public panel in Germany, and the various unintelligible comments during Trump’s interview with the Associated Press about his planned corporate tax cut.

Watch it below.

Putting the comedy in some context: Presidents Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama averaged 45.5, 36.4 and 34.5 executive orders per year, respectively, over their eight years each in office, according to the American Presidency Project at UCSB.

George Washington? The country’s first president averaged only one per year.

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A Star Is Born: Jim James of My Morning Jacket turns 39 today

(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Reverb is like a part of me, it’s a subconscious thing. It started one day at practice when somebody left reverb turned up on the amp. I just stepped up and started singing and all this sound came pouring out. From that day on I haven’t enjoyed singing without it.

— Jim James, 2003

FROM THE ARCHIVES: A mix of styles suits My Morning Jacket

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Jonathan Demme brought out the best in his performers — here’s how

Jonathan Demme, right, with Anne Hathaway before a screening of "Rachel Getting Married" at the 2008 Venice International Film Festival.
(Damien Meyer / AFP/Getty Images)

The death of Jonathan Demme comes as a shock because his films felt so alive. Seemingly guided by the spirited convictions of his creative generosity, emotional openness and observant, exploratory curiosity, Demme was an exemplar of an artist who refused to be defined as any one thing.

He made fiction features and documentaries, worked in television during a long and eclectic career, and won the Oscar in 1992 for directing “The Silence of the Lambs.”

The strongest constant in Demme’s work was his unpredictability and a sense of constantly pressing on to something new.

At the same time he never seemed restless in the conventional mode of agitation. He exuded a contradictory sense of energetic enthusiasm and disarming calm that may well have been the key to his work as a collaborator.

Demme brought out the best in his performers, and had a particular eye to the dynamic of couples or pairs, including Paul Le Mat and Mary Steenburgen in 1980’s “Melvin and Howard,” Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith in 1986’s “Something Wild,” Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins in “The Silence of the Lambs,” Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington in 1993’s “Philadelphia” and Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline in his last fiction feature, 2015’s “Ricki and the Flash.”

He likewise brought out fresh, unexpected contours from performers such as Michelle Pfeiffer in 1988’s “Married to the Mob” and Anne Hathaway in 2008’s “Rachel Getting Married.” . . .

. . . His films never existed in a bubble, always showing an evolving social awareness and often even critique through his interest in the lives of working people, his elevation of female characters and attention to cultural inclusiveness. . . .

. . . “The Silence of The Lambs,” which won a total of five Oscars including best picture, may be Demme’s most accessible, commercial picture and yet it also still feels entirely his own — a film without concessions, pulling together strands from his exploitation-film origins along with his deeply felt emphasis on character to become both a chilling serial-killer tale and a story of self-discovery and self-reliance.

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Another Genesis reunion? The doors are open, according to Mike Rutherford

Mike Rutherford, left, Phil Collins and Tony Banks of Genesis in 2007.
Mike Rutherford, left, Phil Collins and Tony Banks of Genesis in 2007.
(Darryl James / Getty Images)

The three-man incarnation of Genesis could turn it on again in concert — in theory, at least — to mark 50 years of shared history since the group first came together in 1967.

Mike Rutherford, who along with Phil Collins and Tony Banks kept Genesis going after Peter Gabriel’s 1975 departure from the ranks, told Ultimate Classic Rock earlier this month that the three of them are still good friends and might be open to some one-off shows.

“With Phil retired, we never wanted to go on. But we’ll see,” Rutherford said. “I do appreciate the fact that we’re all very good friends, which is nice, especially the three of us. Who knows?”

Such a reunion would echo the group’s 2007 effort, Turn It On Again: The Tour, which capped its five-month run with two shows at the Hollywood Bowl.

Last October, Collins said he would be game. “I wouldn’t want to do anything that lasted six months or a long time. But I wouldn’t rule out doing something.”

The idea of a comeback, Rutherford told Ultimate Classic Rock, was sparked by memoirs he and Collins wrote in recent years.

“I came away, as he did too, with a feeling of what an incredible time we’ve had. How lucky we’ve been. And more importantly, what a great friendship we’ve had.”

Alas, no mention of Steve Hackett, who played with the band through most of the ‘70s and is on tour with his “Genesis Revisited With Hackett Classics 2017” show in Europe and Down Under through the summer. UCR’s Matt Wardlaw, however, told the Los Angeles Times that Rutherford had spoken kindly of his former bandmate.

And as for Gabriel? Though he called a band meeting in 2005 to discuss a possible reunion that didn’t happen, the musician who went solo in the 1970s told Rolling Stone in 2011 that a reunion was “in the outside department of the betting shop,” though he wouldn’t commit to never ever.

“I assume we won’t lose any sleep if we don’t do more,” Gabriel said of his band mates. “You know, we had a great run. They did way better after I left anyway. So I don’t think anyone has anything to complain about.”

Updated, 7:58 a.m. April 27: This article has been updated to link to Ultimate Classic Rock, not the Mirror, as the original source of the Mike Rutherford interview. It has also been updated with additional details about Steve Hackett.

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Anthony Atamanuik’s Trump visits ‘Travis’ Noah on ‘The Daily Show’

(Angela Weiss / AFP/Getty Images, left; Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press, right)

President Trump, or rather comedian Anthony Atamanuik portraying him, came by “The Daily Show” Tuesday night to promote his own Comedy Central series “The President Show,” which debuts Thursday after Trevor Noah’s half-hour.

Although Alec Baldwin still wears the title of America’s Trump — for now — Atamanuik, who honed his impression in a series of “Trump vs. Bernie” mock debates with James Adomian, does an impressive turn as the commander in chief, getting the vagueness, the rapid swings in tone, the weird softness and the wandering syntax.

Noah began the segment without faux-Trump, commenting on the looming/not looming government shutdown, the president’s claim that human trafficking is “probably worse now than at any time in the history of this world” (“You know who told him that?” Noah asked. “His good friend Frederick Douglass”) and the downgrading of the border wall to maybe a fence, maybe a blimp, or whatever: “Pretty soon it’s just gonna be a ditch, and then it’ll just be stern words – no crossing, no crossing, bad Mexican, no.”

Atamanuik’s Trump, calling Trevor “Travis,” arrived from the wings to “push back on the lies and the slander. There’s a beautiful work, it’s called counterpoint, it’s unbelievable.” And he pointed at the desk – the counter.

“I never watch your show,” he told Noah, who attended the TIME 100 Gala in New York on Tuesday night, “but I’ve seen all the episodes, and you’ve said some very not nice things about me.” He described himself as “nicely on top of bigly on an angel food cake.”

As to how to pay for his wall, the imitation president floated a novel idea: “We’re going to bring millions upon millions of Mexicans into the United States and let them — let them — do the low-paying jobs that Americans won’t do and then we’re going to save so much money, and we’re going to save so much money -- and then we can use that to pay for the wall.”

As Noah moved on to Trump’s proposed corporate tax cut, Antamanuik loomed behind him as if behind Hillary Clinton in a presidential debate, then compared taxes to tipping.

“I tip all the time, everybody,” he said. “I tip everywhere, sometimes I don’t even leave the money for the bill, I just leave the tip.. and I’ll leave it peeking out, the tip just peeking out, from underneath, and I don’t put the tip everywhere, and China is underneath, we know China is underneath the world.” This devolved into a rude joke (those who are not afraid of some mildly blue humor can hear it in the video below).

Atamanuik-as-Trump closed with a promo for his new series, which of course has yet to air.

“It’s a huge hit, tremendous ratings and it starts this Thursday right here, on the failing Comedy Central.”

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One of Jonathan Demme’s last works, an episode of ‘Shots Fired,’ will air tonight on Fox

Director Jonathan Demme in Utah in 2006 for the Sundance Film Festival, where he premiered his film "Neil Young: Heart of Gold".
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

In an odd coincidence, the Fox drama series “Shots Fired” will air what amounts to a tribute of sorts to the late Jonathan Demme tonight with a previously scheduled episode that Demme directed.

The Oscar-winning Demme, who died Wednesday morning from complications of esophageal cancer, had occasionally ventured into the world of TV in recent years, directing episodes of AMC’s “The Killing” and HBO’s “Enlightenment.” He won the Oscar for best director in 1992 for “Silence of the Lambs.”

Speaking on Fox 11’s “Good Day L.A.” Wednesday morning, “Shots Fired” actor Aisha Hinds said of her experience workign with the director, “Jonathan Demme came in and truly brought a huge, open heart. . . he certainly has left an incredible fingerprint on this earth, his legacy is broad in so many ways.”

“To work with a legend, and then have them made fully human, super empathic, very present, every frame he was there for everyone,” said series costar DeWanda Wise in the same interview. “It was one of the true joys of my life to work with him.”

Wednesday’s episode of “Shots Fired,” titled “The Fire This Time,” will air at 8 p.m.

-------------

For the record

10:17 a.m.: An earlier version of this article reported that Jonathan Demme died Monday. He died Wednesday morning.

-------------

Update

3:19 p.m.: Post updated to add comments from Aisha Hinds and DeWanda Wise of “Shots Fired.”

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DMX cancels L.A. show, citing a medical emergency

Rapper DMX in green lighting
The rapper DMX has canceled his L.A. show due to a medical emergency.
(Mark Davis / Getty Images)

The rapper DMX has canceled his performance tonight at the Novo in downtown Los Angeles due to what organizers described as a medical emergency.

The nature of his condition wasn’t immediately released, and representatives did not immediately respond.

The artist born Earl Simmons has faced significant troubles recently. Last year, he was found unconscious in a New York hotel parking lot, and legal and mental health issues have plagued him in recent years. His allegedly erratic appearance at a Ruff Ryders reunion show caused some fans concern.

The rapper was slated to appear with openers Too $hort, Ying Yang Twins and Suga Free. The show will continue with those acts, but refunds are available for ticket-holders who no longer want to attend.

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Jeff Goldblum primed for return in new ‘Jurassic’ movie

(Jenna Schoenefeld / For The Times)

Once again, Jeff Goldblum’s world is about to get a little more Jurassic.

He will be returning to the “Jurassic Park” franchise in the fifth film, currently untitled and scheduled for release on June 22, 2018, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Goldblum starred in 1993’s “Jurassic Park” and 1997’s “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” as cocky mathematician Dr. Ian Malcolm and will reprise the role in the next film.

Joining Goldblum in the sequel are “Jurassic World” stars Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard.

Details are scarce about the “Jurassic World” sequel, but it’s clear that the box office expectations will be as big as they’ve ever been. “Jurassic World” sold $1.67 billion in tickets worldwide and is the fourth-highest grossing movie of all time.

Those eager to see Goldblum in action sooner can catch him in “Thor: Ragnarok,” which opens Nov. 3.

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A Star Is Born: Carol Burnett turns 84 today

(Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times)

We could not do today what we did then. We used to have a 28-piece orchestra. We used to do medleys of songs, and now the estates won’t let you do more than 10 seconds of a song or you have to pay. Then we had singers and dancers and costumes and all of that scenery. It was a mini-Broadway show every week. So now when they just do these reality shows … what [is the budget]? $1.98 and car fare? It is not show business.

— Carol Burnett, 2010

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Carol Burnett and Tim Conway: bonded through comedy

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‘The Bachelor’s’ Chris Soules arrested, charged with leaving the scene of fatal crash

Chris Soules of “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette” was arrested overnight in Iowa and arraigned Tuesday morning on a charge of leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

The “Dancing With the Stars” alum, 35, was arrested at 1:16 a.m. Tuesday, a jail official told the Des Moines Register. The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to the newspaper that the arrest was in connection with an accident that happened at 8:20 p.m. Monday in which a pickup truck rear-ended a tractor north of Aurora, Iowa.

Both vehicles went into ditches on opposite sides of the road, according to an Iowa State Patrol report obtained by the Register. Soules abandoned his truck in the ditch and left the scene on foot, the report said. The driver of the tractor, described by a sheriff’s deputy as an older man, was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Photo gallery: Celebrity mug shots>>

Police documents obtained by TMZ said Soules, who was being held on $10,000 bond, had alcoholic beverage containers in his truck at the time of the accident. Witnesses identified him and called police, the site said.

Soules — an Iowa farmer who in 2015 took his bachelorettes (and, in turn, Season 19 “Bachelor” viewers) on a tour of his small, remote hometown of Arlington, Iowa — was in Buchanan County court Tuesday morning for arraignment, as reported on Twitter by local NBC affiliate KWWL. The crash scene is about 15 miles south of Arlington, the station said.

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Broadway stars align for ‘Concert for America: Stand Up, Sing Out!’

A range of stars from Broadway and musical theater will come together for the upcoming “Concert for America: Stand Up, Sing Out!,” a civic-minded charity event coming UCLA’s Royce Hall on May 24.

Acts include Chita Rivera, Cheyenne Jackson of “American Horror Story,” Rachel Bloom of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” Jane Lynch of “Glee” and scores of others.

This is the fifth edition of the show, and the first time it has come to Los Angeles. Hosts and creators Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley also founded Broadway for Orlando, an effort to help victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Florida.

Proceeds from this concert will go to a variety of civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, SPLC, and National Immigration Law Center.

On sale now, tickets are $30.

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Stephen Colbert thanks Donald Trump for boosting his ratings during first 100 days in office

During his monologue Monday night, “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert took a look at Donald Trump’s first 100 days as president.

Colbert had a quip for every development, from Trump’s recent interview with the Associated Press -- in which he compared ratings for his appearances on recent Sunday morning news programs to those for the shows in the wake of Sept. 11 -- to the campaign promises he hasn’t kept.

“This Saturday he will reach 100 days in office and, boy, it sure seems longer,” the host joked. (He then showed a gag photo of himself as a young boy hosting the show at the start of the 100 days.)

Trump has tweeted complaints about the “ridiculous standard” of the 100-day benchmark, and Colbert noted that he has yet to make good on some of his campaign promises. But he did point out that at least one person has benefited from Trump’s presidency: Colbert himself.

He was referring, of course, to the bump in ratings for “The Late Show,” which has been on a winning streak for nearly three months.

“I’ve got to say, Donald Trump has done a lot for me in the first 100 days,” Colbert said with a grin and a salute. “Thank you for your service, Mr. President.”

And then, with a laugh: “And now I feel dirty.”

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HARD Summer, Life Is Beautiful festivals announce lineups

DJ Snake, who performed at this year's Coachella, will also be part of the HARD Summer festival.
(Christopher Polk / Getty Images for Coachella)

It’s a big morning for festival announcements.

After a yearlong absence, the team behind the EDM and hip-hop-driven HARD festivals will return to Fontana for a new edition of HARD Summer.

DJ Snake, Justice, Snoop Dogg (performing his classic LP “Doggystyle”) and the Skrillex/Boys Noize project Dog Blood are at the top of the bill for this year’s event, slated for Aug. 5 and 6 at the Auto Club Speedway of California.

Rae Sremmurd, Migos, Skepta, JME, Mike Will Made It and Ty Dolla Sign are among the other hip-hop and grime acts in notable slots. Formidable dance acts include Anna Lunoe, Ellen Allien, Jai Wolf and Jackmaster. (Recent Coachella-goers will find a lot of return visits from acts who played that event.)

The fest marks the 10th anniversary of HARD Summer (and a fitting return for Justice, who headlined the first one). Last year’s edition was its biggest yet, but it was marred by three fan deaths (possibly drug-related), and HARD did not produce a Halloween-timed festival that year, as it usually does.

Also, the Las Vegas music-and-food extravaganza Life Is Beautiful released its own lineup, covering a huge swath of rock and hip-hop favorites. Muse, Blink-182, Gorillaz and Chance the Rapper top the bill, along with Lorde, Kaskade, the xx and Wiz Khalifa. The fest takes place in downtown Las Vegas on Sept. 22-24.

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Scott Baio defends himself now that he knows how Erin Moran died

Scott Baio.
(J. Scott Applewhite / Associated Press)

Scott Baio is defending himself against recent backlash over comments made in the immediate aftermath of “Joanie Loves Chachi” co-star Erin Moran’s death on Saturday.

On Monday, Baio appeared on WABC radio’s “The Bernie and Sid Show” and said, “If you do drugs or drink, you’re going to die,” before adding that he didn’t actually know the circumstances surrounding the troubled actress’s death.

“She was just an insecure human being and fell into this world of drugs and alcohol,” Baio said during his radio appearance.
“Again, I don’t know if that’s what killed her. I’m sure it was a culmination of years and years of doing it that might have had something to do with it. She just never found her way.”

The Harrison County (Ind.) Sheriff’s Department stated Monday that autopsy results revealed Moran likely died from complications related to stage 4 cancer. She was 56.

Toxicology reports are still pending, but officials also noted that no illegal narcotics were found in Moran’s home at the time of her death.

Facing criticism for his comments, Baio first took to Twitter to build his defense on the fact that he said “if you use drugs and alcohol,” before moving on to blame critics for only hating him because of his support for the president.

Baio then turned to Facebook to explain the real culprit behind the miscommunication: fake news. In a Monday evening post, Baio stated that he had been influenced by media outlets that suggested Moran’s died from a drug overdose.

As for the interview itself, Baio contends that he was asked only about Moran’s past substance abuse issues and had yet to learn her cause of death.

“I was still upset and said I felt that living that kind of a lifestyle will catch up with you and nothing good would come of it,” Baio wrote.

Baio went on to talk about how he was heartbroken over Moran’s death, especially now that he knew it was from cancer.

Read Baio’s full Facebook post here.

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A Star Is Born: Al Pacino turns 77 today

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

When I do a part, it’s an empty canvas. I don’t know anything about acting. I’m not exaggerating. I must know a lot about acting if I’ve done it this much, but I don’t feel like I know it. I go, ‘What am I going to do?’ There are some times I just can’t put anything on that canvas. I either get lucky or I just don’t do it well.

— Al Pacino, 2015

FROM THE ARCHIVES: At 74, Al Pacino is still chasing that next great role

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Tucker Carlson: ‘What Bill O’Reilly did was not easy’

Tucker Carlson
(Richard Drew / Associated Press)

Fox News’ Tucker Carlson acknowledged his position as a new face for those tuning into Fox News during the 8 p.m. EST time slot Monday evening with a few brief remarks to top his broadcast.

“I watched Bill O’Reilly for years,” Carlson began, noting that viewers were seeing an unfamiliar sight with “Tucker Carlson Tonight” in the place of the network’s 20-year-plus fixture, “The O’Reilly Factor.”

After expressing his admiration for “The Factor’s” former host, Carlson said, “What O’Reilly did was not easy. He set a high bar and I’m going to do my best to meet it.”

Carlson’s broadcast then continued with the analysis of recent poll numbers that indicated President Trump would still defeat Hillary Clinton if the election were held today. In short, the beat goes on at Fox News.

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Faye Dunaway feels ‘very guilty’ about Oscars mishap. She thought Beatty was joking

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Faye Dunaway thought Warren Beatty was simply being Warren Beatty when he hesitated before showing her the winner’s card at the end of the Oscars in February.

“He took the card out, and he didn’t say anything. He paused,” the actress said with a laugh Monday on “NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt.” “He looked over me, offstage. He looked around. And I finally said, ‘You’re impossible.’

“I thought he was joking,” she said. “I mean, I thought he was stalling. Warren’s like that. He kind of holds the power....”

Dunaway and Beatty were onstage to present the Academy Award for best picture — but the “Shampoo” star held a card saying Emma Stone had won for “La La Land.” And that was the movie Dunaway notoriously declared to be the winner of the Oscars’ top 2017 prize.

The world knows the rest of story, of course. Spoiler: “Moonlight” actually came out on top.

The 76-year-old “Chinatown” star, who’ll have more to say on the “Today” show Tuesday morning, said she was “completely stunned” by the gaffe and felt “very guilty” about it.

“I thought, ‘I could have done something, surely,’” she said. “Why didn’t I see Emma Stone’s name on the top of the card?”

And as for Dunaway’s assumption that Beatty was pausing for dramatic effect?

“It’s part of his charm.”

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Elton John recovering from ‘rare and potentially deadly’ infection contracted in South America

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Elton John contracted “a harmful and unusual” bacterial infection during his recent South American tour and, after an extended hospital stay that included two nights in intensive care, has canceled all of his shows scheduled for April and May.

“During his return flight home from Santiago, Chile, he became violently ill,” his reps said Monday in a statement. “Upon returning to the UK, Elton’s Doctors admitted him to hospital, where he underwent immediate treatment to remove the infection.”

John was discharged on Saturday and, on doctor’s orders, is resting at home. He’s expected to make a full recovery.

The South American portion of John’s “Wonderful Crazy Night Tour” included four dates in Brazil between March 31 and April 6, plus the April 10 gig in Chile.

“Infections of this nature are rare and potentially deadly,” the statement said.

The canceled gigs include the entire April/May run of “The Million Dollar Piano” at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, plus a May 6 show in Bakersfield.

“I am extremely grateful to the medical team for their excellence in looking after me so well,” the “Tiny Dancer” singer said in the Monday statement. He’ll resume performing on June 3 in Twickenham, England.

Ticket holders who bought via credit card can receive a refund credited to that card; those who paid cash can request a refund at the original point of sale.

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Gregg Allman is resting at home, he says, despite hospice rumor

Gregg Allman says he’s resting at home in Savannah, Ga. — on doctor’s orders — despite reports Monday that he had entered hospice care.

“I want to thank you for all the love that you are sending. Looking forward to seeing everyone again,” the 69-year-old Allman Brothers Band veteran said on Facebook. “Keep Rockin’.”

Allman announced in mid-March that he wouldn’t be touring in 2017 and offered refunds to fans who’d purchased tickets for shows in June.

It’s unclear where the hospice rumors originated, but stories from an Iowa radio station and Relix magazine, along with a concerned tweet from country star Travis Tritt, gained a high profile before Allman’s team set the record straight.

Allman, who had a liver transplant in 2010 after contracting hepatitis C, also axed shows in 2011 to recover from a transplant-related respiratory infection. In 2016 he canceled shows because of unspecified “serious health issues” that were being treated by the Mayo Clinic.

The rocker has said his doctors believe he contracted hep C from a contaminated tattoo needle.

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Riding high from Coachella, Kendrick Lamar will take his act on the road

Kendrick Lamar performs at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 23.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Kendrick Lamar, fresh off his second weekend of headlining the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, has announced a new run of arena-headlining dates for the summer.

The MC’s tour will take him to L.A.’s Staples Center on Aug. 6, at the tail end of a monthlong tour beginning July 12. The tour is in support of his new, widely acclaimed album “Damn,” released last week to coincide with his Coachella dates.

Openers for the tour include Travis Scott — who made a cameo with Lamar to perform “Goosebumps” in Indio — and D.R.A.M.

To the delight of fans, Lamar recently swung through his hometown of Compton to sign albums in a surprise appearance at a Best Buy store.

Writing about Lamar’s Coachella spectacle during the fest’s first weekend, The Times’ Mikael Wood said, “If Lamar’s star turn in Indio cemented his status as hip-hop royalty, his performance also demonstrated how uniquely he wears that crown.”

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Amber Heard, Elon Musk downplay dinner date with matching Instagram posts

The last time Amber Heard made news out of Australia it was for smuggling two dogs. This time it’s for mugging with some big dogs.

Heard, whose acrimonious divorce from Johnny Depp was finalized in January, posted a pic Sunday having dinner with Tesla-SpaceX billionaire Elon Musk at Moo Moo restaurant on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Could’ve been a birthday dinner, as the “Aquaman” actress turned 31 on Saturday.

“Cheeky,” she wrote in the caption, drawing attention to her lipstick print on Musk’s face. He posted a similar pic on his Instagram account.

Musk also noted that they were out to eat with “Aquaman” director James Wan and executive producer Rob Cowan.

Sounds, ahem, romantic.

Amber Heard pleads guilty to dog smuggling, makes a stiff PSA with Johnny Depp

Heard and Musk hung out together over the weekend at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, holding hands and walking arm in arm, according to People, which said they’ve been friends for four years and sparked rumors when they showed up at the same time last summer in Miami and London.

Musk is said to have asked “Machete Kills” director Robert Rodriguez to introduce him to Heard after they were both involved in that 2013 movie.

Heard’s dad, for one, sounds like he’s gung-ho — surprise —about his daughter connecting with a billionaire.

“Amber and Elon are both very serious about each other. She would love to get married,” David Heard told Grazia Daily last week. “One of the things they want to do is settle down and have a family.”

Then again, Papa Heard was also pretty stoked about Johnny Depp back in the day.

“I’m so pleased that he’s in our family. The age difference makes him a bit closer to my age, so we get on great. We have a lot of fun together, and he takes good care of my daughter, so what more could I ask for?,” he told Grazia a few years ago.

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L.A. street artist mocks Caitlyn Jenner as ‘It’s’ Pennywise clown in ads around town

(Richard Drew / Associated Press, left; Jean-Baptiste Lacroix / AFP / Getty Images, right.)

Sabo, a right-wing street artist in Los Angeles, is raising eyebrows with advertisements posted around town that depict Caitlyn Jenner as the scary clown from Stephen King’s “It.”

Jenner’s head is transplanted onto Pennywise the clown’s body in one poster, while her face floats eerily in others, with the ads’ original title “IT” in big red letters on all of them.

The ads are seen as a protest of Jenner’s appearance Monday on “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” which replaces “The O’Reilly Factor” at 8 p.m. EDT weeknights on Fox News.

The altered advertisements are reportedly near Fox News’ Los Angeles bureau in Hollywood.

“I have nothing against gays or transexuals [sic],” Sabo said in all-caps Monday on Twitter. “Just stop trying to normalize it. Thank you ...”

In King’s book, Pennywise resurfaces every 30 years to kill children in a Maine town.

Previously, the artist told the Los Angeles Times, “I don’t think my work is meant to offend. I think I challenge people to such a degree that maybe I scare them.”

“I converted to the Muslim faith and I joined ISIS, so what’s going on with Bruce Jenner goes against my newfound faith,” Sabo told the Hollywood Reporter. “If any progressives have a problem with this poster, then I’ll just have to label them ‘Islamophobic.’”

Tweaking the posts with Jenner’s image, he told the trade paper, was hardly as brutal as the treatment of gays and transgender people in some Muslim nations.

Jenner’s high-profile appearance on Carlson’s show is meant to launch the new host in the time slot left vacant after Bill O’Reilly’s abrupt exit from Fox News last week. Jenner has been doing the rounds to promote her new book, “The Secrets of My Life.”

“I’m interested in Caitlyn Jenner’s politics and what it must be like to be in that position, having people coming at you from both sides, and so I’m going to have a conversation about it,” Carlson said Friday on “The Five.”

Meanwhile, Stephen King himself was riffing on O’Reilly last week as well — and in the process revealed the awesome fact that yes, even a bestselling author throws a blanket on the couch to protect it from dog hair.

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‘Happy Days’ star Erin Moran likely died from cancer, officials say

Erin Moran and Marion Ross at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences' "Father's Day Salute to TV Dads" in North Hollywood in June 2009.
Erin Moran and Marion Ross at the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences’ “Father’s Day Salute to TV Dads” in North Hollywood in June 2009.
(Matt Sayles / Associated Press)

Authorities said Monday that former “Happy Days” star Erin Moran likely died from cancer at her southern Indiana home.

A statement released by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Department said an autopsy revealed that the 56-year-old actress had stage-four cancer. The statement did not specify what type of cancer.

ALSO: Moran’s ‘Happy Days’ family wishes her peace: ‘Erin always brought light to the party’

The department said Moran died Saturday in the rural community of New Salisbury, about 20 miles northwest of Louisville, Ky. Officials said standard toxicology test results are pending but that no illegal narcotics were found at the home.

A Burbank, Calif., Moran began acting in TV and movies before she was 10 years old. In 1974, she was cast in “Happy Days” as Joanie Cunningham, the kid sister to high school student Richie Cunningham, played by Ron Howard.

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If Jared and Ivanka are helping you sleep at night, you should ‘still be awake,’ says John Oliver

Since Donald Trump took office in January, a narrative has emerged that his daughter, Ivanka, and son-in-law, Jared Kushner, are more moderate voices in an administration known for more extreme personalities.

But on Sunday, “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver threw cold water on that widely held assumption. Here’s a link to the video (warning: Oliver is known to use language that could offend).

With both Kushner and the younger Trump now assuming official roles in the White House -- and Kushner, in particular, tasked with a Herculean to-do list that includes bringing peace to the Middle East and ending the opioid epidemic -- Oliver attempted to answer two questions.

Is Ivanka really the moderating influence that people claim?

And what in Jared’s background justifies such a gigantic White House portfolio?

As for Ivanka, who has been “cast as the calm, reasonable, indoor-voiced” member of the Trump clan, Oliver saw little evidence of her oft-cited support for Planned Parenthood or concern over climate change. Instead, she is “trained to be as vague and likable as possible so everyone can plausibly think she shares their values,” he said.

On the rare occasion she has publicly voiced her opinion on matters of policy, as in a television appearance in which she inaccurately characterized Hillary Clinton’s parental leave plans, she was misleading, Oliver said. “When it comes to lying about easily observable facts, the apple does not fall far from the orange.”

Oliver was similarly unimpressed by Kushner, whose Harvard degree is often cited as evidence of his capabilities. After all, he joked, “the Unabomber went to Harvard,” and not everyone’s father can afford to donate $2.5 million to their first-choice school, as Kushner’s did.

Given Kushner’s ubiquity at the president’s side, Oliver also wondered why it was so rare to actually hear him speak and did not, unlike some pundits, consider it evidence of his quiet brilliance. Instead, Kushner was more akin to “a sentient Kohl’s mannequin who read a book once.”

Running through Kushner’s business record, including a stint as the publisher of the New York Observer and the troubled purchase of a Fifth Avenue skyscraper, Oliver determined there was not much to recommend this “creepily silent 36-year-old heir to a real estate fortune” for a job that “would be unmanageable for the smartest man on Earth.”

Oliver’s ultimate conclusion? “If they are the reason you’re sleeping at night, you should probably still be awake.”

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A Star Is Born: Shirley MacLaine turns 83 today

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

What I want to do now is devote my life to concentrating on roles for older women that can help this culture become more equal not only in gender but in age. That demographic of our society so often is forgotten on screen unless it’s somebody with a really sad problem or somebody with very comical Alzheimer’s.

— Shirley MacLaine, 2017

MORE: Shirley MacLaine talks about Oscars, Robert Osborne and her new film

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In ‘Be Myself,’ Sheryl Crow returns to her rootsy sound, but the ‘dorky mom’ is here to stay

Sheryl Crow
(Christopher Berkey / For The Times)

Sheryl Crow pulled up a stool and sat down at the counter in the spacious kitchen of her farmhouse about 10 miles out of downtown Nashville.

It’s casual Thursday on the Crow family spread that she shares with her two sons, who are in school this morning while she greets a visitor. She’s sporting a fading Bruce Springsteen T-shirt, well-broken-in jeans and black boots, an ensemble that’s more about function than fashion, comfort not couture.

Just five nights earlier, she was on stage at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, where she gave a boisterous crowd of about 500 fans their first sampling of material from her latest album, “Be Myself,” out April 21 through her new record deal with Warner Bros. Records.

I was feeling like I’ve spent no time capturing my relationships artistically. I’ve showed up for everything — I’ve recorded with a lot of people, I’ve produced people, but I’ve not asked people to come in and record with me. So I started asking.

— Sheryl Crow

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Erin Moran’s ‘Happy Days’ family wishes her peace: ‘Erin always brought light to the party’

Erin Moran, in the blue dress, with Garry Marshall, left,Tom Bosley, Marion Ross, Henry Winkler and Anson Williams in 2001.
Erin Moran, in the blue dress, with Garry Marshall, left,Tom Bosley, Marion Ross, Henry Winkler and Anson Williams in 2001.
(E.J. Flynn / Associated Press)

The surviving members of Erin Moran’s “Happy Days” family are remembering her in death as a “sweet angel” with a kind heart.

The 56-year-old was found dead Saturday afternoon in Indiana after authorities responded to a 911 call reporting that a woman was unresponsive.

Henry Winkler, who played the Fonz on the popular sitcom, wished Moran the peace “she wanted so badly here on earth.” Scott Baio, who played her boyfriend Chachi Arcola on the show, echoed the sentiment, saying he’d “always hoped she could find peace in her life.”

Ron Howard, who played her brother, Richie Cunningham, and Anson “Potsie” Williams, remembered her as a person who could light up a room, while Don “Ralph Malph” Most and Marion Ross, her TV mom, were simply saddened.

“I can’t really comprehend this right now,” Most tweeted. “Very painful loss.”

“She was the quickest, fastest little kid. Wonderful,” Ross, who played Marion Cunningham, told NBC News as she remembered how a young Moran would switch between on-set schooling and on-camera work with the adults. “This breaks my heart.”

Tom Bosley, who played “Happy Days” patriarch Howard Cunninham, died in 2010. Al Molinaro, who played the owner of the diner on the show, died in 2015, and Garry Marshall, who created that sitcom along with “Laverne & Shirley,” “Mork & Mindy,” “Joanie Loves Chachi” and many others, died last year.

Outside the “Happy Days” family, Moran was remembered by other celebrities who either worked with her back in the day or grew up watching her on TV. Among them were Lisa Whelchel,— who played Blair Warner on “Facts of Life,” an NBC series that overlapped a few years with “Happy Days” and the short-lived “Joanie Loves Chachi” spinoff — and Maureen “Marcia Brady” McCormick from “The Brady Bunch,” which like Moran’s shows ran on ABC.

While no details about Moran’s death were immediately available over the weekend, an autopsy was pending, according to the Associated Press.

For the record, 9 a.m. April 24: An earlier version of this article said the “Happy Days” matriarch’s name was June Cunningham. The character’s first name was Marion.

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Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News podcast will be back as he returns from vacation

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Bill O’Reilly is far from muzzled — the former top dog in the Fox News roster will be back with his No Spin News podcast starting Monday.

O’Reilly was fired from “The O’Reilly Factor” last week. “The No Spin News returns,” the broadcaster announced Saturday night on his website. It airs at 7 p.m. EDT, an hour earlier than “Factor” used to start on Fox News.

What’s next for Bill O’Reilly? We have some ideas

The most recent episode of the podcast, which goes back to 2009 as a premium-access series on O’Reilly’s website, is from April 11, the day before he went on vacation.

Commentors on the website were, in general, sad about O’Reilly’s departure from cable news, supportive of him and enthusiastic about hearing the host again online come Monday evening.

Timeline: The rise and fall of Bill O’Reilly

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A Star Is Born: Dev Patel turns 27 today

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

I was thrown right into the deep end. ‘Slumdog’ was my first film. Normally you can go off the radar and make mistakes as a young performer, but [M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘The Last Airbender’] was this massive $150-million studio film. The craft services budget was probably the entire budget of ‘Slumdog.’  I was out of my depth.

— Dev Patel, 2016

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Actor Dev Patel has gone from ‘Slumdog’ to ‘Infinity’

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A Star Is Born: Jack Nicholson turns 80 today

(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Yeah, well, you can change some of your spots, but not all of them.

— Jack Nicholson, 1990

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Jack laid-back

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Steven Spielberg, Jordan Peele attend grand opening of Universal CityWalk’s multimillion-dollar Universal Cinema

Steven Spielberg and Jordan Peele attended the inauguration of Universal CityWalk’s newly revamped AMC movie theater Thursday night, now dubbed Universal Cinema after a multimillion-dollar renovation.

“Universal Studios has been a part of my life for as long as I can actually remember my life,” Spielberg told the crowd. “I am happy to be here tonight to join the official opening of Universal Cinema, where moviegoers have the rare opportunity to see movies at the very place where movies are actually made.”

Filmmaker Will Packer (“Straight Outta Compton”) and producer Jason Blum (“Get Out”) also were in attendance at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which featured a Universal Pictures film reel in lieu of the traditional red ribbon.

NBCUniversal Vice Chairman Ron Meyer and Universal Studios Hollywood President and COO Karen Irwin delivered opening remarks before ushering the media inside for a tour of the new facility.

“We wanted to create a venue that was equal to how filmmakers watch movies,” Meyer said. “The transformation of Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal CityWalk is the result of a 25-year comprehensive blueprint.”

The theater is the first in the U.S. to combine Christie laser projection, Christie Vive audio and Dolby ATMOS surround sound and also offers reserved recliner seating in all 18 of its auditoriums.

The split-level structure features a Director’s Lounge Cocktail Bar on the upper level with a full-service bar in place of a typical concession stand. Guests are allowed to bring their drinks into the second-level auditoriums.

Auditoriums were designed as “black boxes” with black walls, speakers, seats and floors, allowing for minimal light interference. The renovation also included the addition of more than 700 speakers with an average of 40 per auditorium.

With Universal Studios’ production lot and filming locations just down the road from CityWalk, guests now can watch a movie and then potentially tour the lot where it was filmed.

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Does the feud of the ‘Furious’ rage on? Universal plans Diesel-less spinoff

Justin Chang reviews “The Fate of the Furious,” directed by F. Gary Gray and starring Vin Diesel, Charlize Theron, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Ludacris, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Statham, Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood and Nathalie Emmanuel. Video

In a twist that might suggest all is not well among the “Fast and the Furious” family, Deadline reported Friday that Universal is entertaining the idea of a spinoff from the series featuring Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson.

The plan to expand the universe through a film anchored by Johnson comes after a summer of speculation about bad blood between the former WWE superstar and “Fast and the Furious” star and executive producer Vin Diesel.

Last August, Johnson took to social media with an expletive-laden rant about some of his male co-stars on “The Fate of the Furious,” the eighth film in the franchise. Though never confirmed officially, reports maintained that Diesel was the target of Johnson’s ire.

In an April interview with The Times, Diesel called himself “a good scapegoat” with regard to Johnson’s displeasure on-set, but he added, “You can’t really feud with me too much if I’m hiring you, right?”

After Johnson’s posts, Diesel visited his trailer to try to clear the air.

“People are all human. I think it was a hard shoot,” Diesel said.

The spinoff is still in the early stages but will be written by Chris Morgan, who penned the last six of the franchise’s installments.

“The Fate of the Furious” opened in theaters April 12 and has grossed more than $685 million globally.

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Late-night hosts couldn’t resist Trump’s White House visit with Sarah Palin, Kid Rock and Ted Nugent

The White House visit this week by Ted Nugent, left, Sarah Palin and Kid Rock was too just too good for late-night TV to pass up.
(Pablo Martinez Monsivais / Associated Press; Cliff Owen / Associated Press; Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

Bill O’Reilly was the butt of jokes on late night this week, but the White House visit from an unusual trio -- Sarah Palin, Kid Rock and Ted Nugent -- had late-night hosts in stitches Thursday night.

The Internet exploded after Palin, the former Alaska governor who was the Republican vice presidential nominee in 2008, posted a set of photos on her Facebook page from throughout the executive mansion, including in front of a portrait of Hillary Clinton.

The trio of Trump supporters had been treated to a private dinner, a tour and a free-range policy chat Wednesday night with Trump.

On “The Late Show,” Stephen Colbert quipped in his opening monologue: “Kim Jong Un might be dragging us into thermonuclear conflict. Faced with the possible annihilation of all living things, yesterday President Trump met in the Oval Office with the joint chiefs, the head of the CIA the national security advisor and the secretary of State.”

He paused. “I’m just kidding .… He met with Sarah Palin, Kid Rock and Ted Nugent.”

But he wasn’t done. He showed an Oval Office photo of the three with President Trump and said that after they took the picture, Nugent “hunted Reince Priebus with a crossbow.”

Later on CBS, James Corden showed the same photo. “For once, Trump really was the smartest person in the room,” he said, with some laughter, on “The Late Late Show.”

His glee continued: “Look at this photo! They are one Vanilla Ice away from the next season of ‘The Celebrity Apprentice.’”

Meanwhile, over on NBC’s “Tonight Show,” Jimmy Fallon was so amused by this visit that he had to repeat their names twice.

“Sarah Palin, Ted Nugent and Kid Rock … or as they’re more commonly known, the Redneck Holy Trinity.”

Fallon, as if needing his own convincing, showed the picture as evidence.

“This really happened,” he said. “They were going to do a silly one and then they realized that was the silly one.”

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Summer movie guide: ‘Wonder Woman,’ ‘Dunkirk,’ ‘All Eyez on Me’ and more

From “Wonder Woman” to “Atomic Blonde,” women are shattering the glass ceiling with their fists this summer. But it’s not just comic book superheroes and blockbuster franchises vying for moviegoers’ attention this season. Get a closer look at some of the most-anticipated films in The Times’ 2017 Summer Movie Guide.

Plan your summer: A list of every single movie coming out this season

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Depeche Mode makes history with four-show run at Hollywood Bowl

(Giuseppe Cacace / AFP/Getty Images)

Depeche Mode fans just can’t get enough.

After selling out three previously announced concerts, the veteran synth-pop band said Friday it was adding a fourth night to its upcoming run of shows at the Hollywood Bowl.

The new gig will happen Oct. 18, following earlier shows on Oct. 12, 14, and 16. Tickets for the Oct. 18 show will go on sale April 28.

In a statement, Depeche Mode’s handlers said the four-night stand will mark the first time any act has played that many consecutive concerts at the Hollywood Bowl.

The band also said it would play a “special, intimate show” in Hollywood on Wednesday, with tickets being given away for free “as a thank you to fans in L.A. for their support and for helping to make history.” Details are on Depeche Mode’s website.

The concerts are part of the group’s Global Spirit Tour behind its 14th studio album, “Spirit,” which came out in March.

Listen to the lead single, “Where’s the Revolution,” below.

Update, 2:45 p.m.: This story was revised to reflect that the third show (on Oct. 16) is also sold out.

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A Star Is Born: Patti LuPone turns 68 today

(Robert Lachman / Los Angeles Times)

If this acting thing doesn’t work out, I might try to pursue [a] career in sleight of hand.

— Patti LuPone, 2015

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Patti LuPone on cellphone abusers: ‘Arrogance and defiance’

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Fox revives ‘The X-Files’ ... again

David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson have returned for "The X-Files."
(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

The truth is out there and it’s this: Fox is re-resurrecting “The X-Files.”

Following last year’s successful revival, the network announced Thursday that it has ordered a second chapter to “The X-Files” event series.

Stars Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny will once again reprise their roles as Dana Scully and Fox Mulder for the 10-episode installment, which will again be executive produced by creator Chris Carter.

“Chris’ creativity, along with the brilliant work of David and Gillian, continue to propel this pop culture phenomenon, and we can’t wait to see what fresh mysteries Mulder and Scully uncover in this next chapter of ‘The X-Files,’ ” said David Madden, president of Fox Broadcasting Co., in a statement.

“The X-Files,” which ran for nine seasons from 1993 through 2001 in its initial run, was revived as a six-episode event series last year. It drew an average of 16 million viewers across multiple platforms.

Production on the next chapter in the event series will begin this summer, and the series is slated to air during the 2017-18 season.

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‘Atlanta,’ ‘Lemonade’ and ‘Veep’ among Peabody honorees

Louis C.K. and FX reigned supreme among this year’s Peabody Award winners for entertainment announced Thursday.

The cable network had two television series — Donald Glover’s “Altanta” and Pamela Adlon’s “Better Things” — among the seven entertainment programs honored by the University of Georgia’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Louis C.K.’s independent television series “Horace and Pete” was also among winners. C.K. is a co-creator of “Better Things” and previously scored Peabody honors for his FX series “Louie.”

The other Peabody winners in the entertainment category are:

“Happy Valley,” a heart-wrenching BBC One crime drama.

“Lemonade,” Beyoncé’s critically acclaimed visual album produced by HBO Entertainment, in association with Parkwood Entertainment.

“National Treasure,” a disturbing examination of sexual abuse and celebrity from Hulu and the UK’s Channel Four.

“Veep,” HBO’s two-time Emmy-winning comedy series featuring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as the center of an American political satire.

The Peabody Awards will announce the winners of the news, radio/podcast, children’s, education, and public service categories on April 25.

Here is a link to a video of clip of this year’s Peabody Award-winning television. Some adult language is featured in the video.

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That new Prince music is not coming out — at least not yet

(Bertrand Guay / AFP / Getty Images)

Prince’s “Deliverance” will not be delivered — at least not on Friday.

A federal judge in Minnesota ruled late Wednesday that Ian Boxill, a songwriter and producer who planned to release a collection of previously unheard Prince songs this week, is not allowed to do so, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

In her ruling, the judge sided with the estate of the late pop singer, which argued that the “Deliverance” EP violated a contract Boxill had entered into that gave Prince sole ownership of any music they recorded together.

The six-song collection, which had already been made available for pre-order on iTunes, was to come out Friday, exactly one year after Prince died from a fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park complex near Minneapolis.

Boxill said he and the singer had recorded the material — including the title track, which you can hear below — between 2006 and 2008 and that he’d continued to work on the music following Prince’s death.

The Star Tribune said U.S. District Judge Wilhelmina Wright told Boxill to surrender all recordings of his work with Prince that was subject to the agreement he’d made with the singer.

But the block is only temporary, the paper added. Prince’s estate will have to argue its case further next week to stop the music from being released in the future.

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Bruce Springsteen tells President Trump in new song: ‘Don’t tell me a lie and sell it as a fact’

(Chris Young / The Canadian Press via Associated Press)

There’s a new Bruce Springsteen song out, and it takes on President Trump.

“That’s What Makes Us Great” comes from Springsteen and his longtime friend and collaborator Joe Grushecky, who was inspired to write the tune after Trump was accused of mocking a disabled reporter and finally put pen to paper around the time the new president took office.

“I had this song, and Bruce and I had been talking,” Grushecky told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I sent it to him and he liked it. I said, ‘What do you think about singing on it?’ He gave it the Bruce treatment.”

That “treatment” included Springsteen’s emailing his vocals, Grushecky said; the Pittsburgh musician and his band, the Houserockers did the rest in the next state over.

The song — which is very much a duet, not pure Bruce — riffs on immigration policy and “alternative facts.” Some sample lyrics, sung by Springsteen: “Don’t tell me a lie/ And sell it as a fact/ I’ve been down that road before/ And I ain’t goin’ back/ And don’t you brag to me/ That you never read a book/ I never put my faith/ In a con man and his crooks.”

The Boss, who supported Hillary Clinton in the final stretch of the election, shared his thoughts about Trump in an interview with Rolling Stone that ran about two weeks before Trump was elected.

“The republic is under siege by a moron, basically. The whole thing is tragic,” he said. “Without overstating it, it’s a tragedy for our democracy.”

He told Britain’s Channel 4 News three weeks before the election that he understood Trump voters and was unwilling to paint anyone with the broad brush of racism.

“He gives these very glib and superficial answers to very entrenched and very difficult problems,” Springsteen said, “but they’re answers that sound pretty good if you’ve struggled for the past 20 to 30 years.”

Then he said Trump was a “flagrant, toxic narcissist” with no sense of decency or responsibility, who wanted to take down the entire democratic process.

“That’s What Makes Us Great” debuted on E Street Radio on Sirius XM on Wednesday morning and was available for purchase on Grushecky’s website later that day, with availability on iTunes and various streaming services promised as well.

As word spread Thursday morning, however, Grushecky’s site was crashing off and on.

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Stephen Colbert sends off Bill O’Reilly as only ‘Stephen Colbert’ can

Bill O'Reilly, left, welcomes Stephen Colbert, then host of Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report." to the set of the Fox News show "The O'Reilly Factor" in 2007.
(Jeff Christensen / Associated Press)

With the news that Bill O’Reilly had been dismissed from his show on Fox News, it was inevitable that late-night hosts would weigh in.

And with the exception of a spring-breaking Seth Meyers and Samantha Bee (whose “Full Frontal” is also in reruns in advance of next week’s “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner”), they didn’t disappoint.

“I owe a lot to Bill O’Reilly,” admitted “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert in his opening monologue. “I spent over nine years playing a character based largely on him -- and then 12 months in therapy to debloviate myself.”

While Colbert refused to gloat about O’Reilly (on camera at least), he did throw the show to his alter ego from “The Colbert Report.” “Stay strong, Papa Bear,” the retired faux-pundit said tearfully after inviting O’Reilly to the same mountain getaway he shares with Jon Stewart.

On Stewart’s former shop, “The Daily Show,” Trevor Noah began his O’Reilly segment saying he wanted to give him the send-off he deserved, something an in-denial Fox wouldn’t provide despite so many departures as a result of sexual harassment accusations (“No news to report here, everything is fine. Back to you, Megyn. I mean, Greta. I mean, Gretchen.”)

Noah then offered a look back at O’Reilly’s career that included a rage-filled outburst from his days on “Inside Edition” that had been making the rounds once more on social media with the day’s news.

“Some of us watch that clip and we see madness,” Noah said. “But in the mid-’90s a man by the name of Roger Ailes watched it, and he saw greatness.”

Noah then recounted some of O’Reilly’s moments that promoted the “white Christian resentment” that fueled Fox News, including his show’s repeated coverage of “The War on Christmas.” “Here’s what I don’t understand,” the South African-born Noah said in response. “If white people don’t have it good in the U.S., then which race does?”

Noah then ran clips of O’Reilly’s more racist outbursts, including telling Columbia professor Marc Lamont Hill that he looked “a little bit” like a cocaine dealer. It was the kind of deep dive into the Fox News archives that fell squarely in “The Daily Show’s” wheelhouse.

“A lot of people said Jon Stewart was the Yoda of cable news,” Noah said near the segment’s conclusion. “Well, Bill O’Reilly was the Sith Lord.”

Will “The Daily Show” miss its longtime adversary and the mountain of material he generated? Perhaps, but smart money says it won’t have a problem finding another.

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California knows how to party: MTV’s VMAs to return in 2017

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

The 2017 MTV Video Music Awards will return to the best coast in August. The cable network announced Thursday that this year’s ceremony will be held at the Forum in Inglewood on Aug. 27.

“The City of Inglewood welcomes the return of the MTV VMAs to the number 1 concert venue in California, the Forum,” said Inglewood mayor James Butts in a statement. “Once again, Madison Square Garden set the standard for both East and West Coasts.”

The VMAs have split their locations between the two coasts for the last decade, specifically in New York City and the greater Los Angeles area. 2007 was the last time the awards eschewed the coast, landing instead in Las Vegas at the Palms Casino Resort.

“MTV, at 35 years old, has been around almost as long as the Forum. Together, we’re 85 and enjoy lifetimes of music history,” said Shelli Azoff, managing partner for the Forum. “This year is sure to be another epic show with many incredible memories for MTV, the award winners, and especially the fans. The entire Forum family is thrilled to welcome back the VMAs!”

The Forum also hosted the 2014 VMAs, when Miley Cyrus’ “Wrecking Ball” won video of the year.

Beyoncé dominated the awards last year, taking home eight Moonmen trophies and, with 24 total wins, surpassing Madonna as the most decorated artist of all time,

The 2017 VMAs will air live from the Forum on Aug. 27 at 8 p.m.

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A Star Is Born: George Takei is 80 today

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Celebrities often focus on their daily lives. But here’s the thing about social media: It ain’t about you. Fans don’t care about what you’re eating, where you’re shopping or what products you have to sell.

— George Takei, 2015

WALK OF FAME: Visit George Takei’s star

FROM THE ARCHIVES: George Takei: How to bend social media to your will

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Serena Williams is pregnant — her swimsuit selfie spoke the truth

(William West / AFP / Getty Images)

Serena Williams is pregnant, her representative confirmed Wednesday afternoon, hours after the tennis star posted and then deleted what appeared to be a baby announcement on social media.

“I’m happy to confirm Serena is expecting a baby this Fall,” the athlete’s rep told the Associated Press via email.

Williams’ early morning Snapchat selfie showed the 35-year-old athlete in profile, wearing a bright yellow one-piece swimsuit and sporting the bittiest of bellies — captioned with the declaration, “20 weeks.”

Williams and Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian got engaged in December. Other posts on her Snapchat showed signs of what appeared to be a vacation in Mexico.

Along with lots of entertainment and news outlets, the Women’s Tennis Assn. picked up on the Snapchat post early in the morning but later took down its congratulations message, according to CNN, which posted a screen grab of the deleted selfie. Tennis’ US Open offered congratulations as well, without question.

Updated, 4:53 p.m.: This post was updated with confirmation that Williams is pregnant.

The article was originally published at 3:19 p.m.

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Marvel’s superheroes go full teen drama in first ‘Cloak & Dagger’ trailer

The first trailer for “Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger” has been released, giving fans their first look at Marvel’s newest TV superheroes.

Starring Olivia Holt as Tandy Bowen (a.k.a. Dagger) and Aubrey Joseph as Tyrone Johnson (a.k.a. Cloak), “Cloak & Dagger” marks Marvel’s first foray into full-on teen soap drama.

If the trailer is anything to go by, “Cloak & Dagger” is a definite departure in tone and style from Marvel’s other ABC and Netflix shows. But the appearance of the Roxxon Corp. sign should reassure fans that the series is definitely a part of the larger Marvel universe.

“Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger” will air on Freeform (formerly ABC Family) in early 2018. Watch the full trailer above.

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‘Don’t underestimate the power of women’: Bill O’Reilly gets no sympathy from celebrities

Billy Eichner, left, Bill O'Reilly and Stephen King.
(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times, left; Nancy Kaszerman / Zuma Press, center; Kenzo Tribouillard / AFP / Getty Images, right)

After Bill O’Reilly’s Fox News bosses announced Wednesday that he had been fired — well, it was a “mutual decision,” which among the rich and famous is a very close cousin to the ubiquitous “amicable divorce” — the reaction from celebrities on social media offered few surprises.

In other words, nobody was shedding any tears.

Mia Farrow, Debra Messing and Alyssa Milano framed the news in a feminist light.

Stephen King got meta in his reaction, adding the TV personality to a list that includes Jesus, Lincoln, Reagan, Kennedy, Patton, Hitler and the nation of Japan. (Those would be the subjects of O’Reilly’s “Killing” book series.)

Game-show host Chuck Woolery, who’s never shy on social media about his conservative politics, took a moment to educate the uninitiated about O’Reilly’s status relative to the conservative movement.

Billy Eichner, who made it all about himself, had the most purely joyful comment ...

... and there were pretty much no surprises from the rest of the social-media regulars who weighed in.

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‘Captain Marvel’ finds its directors

“Captain Marvel” has found not one but two directors to help shape the movie into the star it was always meant to be.

The Times has confirmed that “Mississippi Grind” directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have been tapped to helm the upcoming Marvel feature. The news was first reported by Variety.

Although part of a team, Boden would be the first woman to direct a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie.

Boden and Fleck’s joint film credits also include 2006’s “Half Nelson” and 2008’s “Sugar.” Most recently the two have worked on TV shows including “Billions” and “The Affair.”

Starring Brie Larson, “Captain Marvel” is the first MCU standalone film focused on a sole female title character. Larson will be playing Carol Danvers, an Air Force officer who gains superpowers after her human DNA becomes fused with alien genes.

Written by Nicole Perlman (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) and Meg LeFauve (“Inside Out”), “Captain Marvel” is scheduled for a March 18, 2019, release.

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Julia Roberts as the world’s most beautiful woman: ‘What white nonsense is this?’

(Clive Brunskill / Getty Images)

After Julia Roberts was named People’s most beautiful woman in the world for the fifth time in 28 years, some of the most amusing gifs in the world popped up on black Twitter.

They were drawn heavily from the “wait, what?” genre.

While many other famous names were being floated as better choices — that happens every year — an “anyone but her” sentiment seemed to be popular this time around, given the whole five-times-in-28-years thing.

People’s most beautiful women haven’t all been white. The title went to Lupita Nyong’o in 2014, Beyoncé in 2012, Jennifer Lopez in 2011 and Halle Berry in 2003.

Then again, perhaps this year’s reaction isn’t a race thing after all ...

Or maybe folks simply would have preferred one of the classics.

Who do you consider the most beautiful woman in the world right now? Tweet us @latimesent and let us know.

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Titus goes ‘Lemonade-ing’ in the ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’ trailer for Season 3

Nobody messes with the heart of Titus Andromedon. And if one does, be prepared for the wrath of his very own “Hot Sauce,” Beyoncé’s infamous baseball bat from her “Hold Up” video on the visual masterpiece that was “Lemonade.”

This is one of the many storylines teased in the new trailer for Netflix’s “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” released Wednesday.

“Don’t overreact,” Ellie Kemper’s Kimmy says to Titus after he thinks he’s caught his boyfriend cheating.

“I’m not overreacting,” Tituss Burgess’ Titus responds. “I’m Lemonade-ing.”

The trailer also revealed that as Kimmy finishes her GED, she sets her sights on college life — even though there is no recess. All the while, she’s finally getting a divorce from the Reverend (Jon Hamm). Though confused, as always, Jacqueline (Jane Krakowski) is on hand to help.

Also teased were season cameos from “Hamilton’s” Daveed Diggs and “The Good Wife’s” Josh Charles.

Season 3 of “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” premieres May 19 on Netflix. Check out the full trailer below.

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Matt Damon gets bumped from Jimmy Kimmel’s latest United spoof

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel continued his skewering of United Airlines for brutally dragging passenger David Dao from a flight last week.

Dao, apparently, has an unlikely sympathizer: Oscar winner Matt Damon.

Kimmel spoofed the carrier with an ad on Tuesday with a little help from his faux archnemesis. Damon, whose storied history of getting bumped from “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” has become a thing of memes and awards show infamy, was the ideal celebrity spokesman for Dao’s plight.

“I can’t do this anymore because I know what it’s like to get bumped,” Damon narrates over stock footage from the airline. “Trust me, I’ve been getting bumped from Jimmy’s show for the last eight years, and it takes a toll. We’re people, damn it, and we deserve to be treated with dignity. Not being told night after night, ‘Oh, there’s somebody more important, so take a hike.’”

Appropriately, Kimmel promptly interrupts Damon’s voice-over to tell him that they need his nonexistent seat and a melee ensues.

“In some cases, some people deserve to get bumped,” Kimmel says.

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People magazine names Julia Roberts the ‘World’s Most Beautiful Woman’ (yes, again)

Actress Julia Roberts was named "World's Most Beautiful Woman' by People Magazine for the fifth time.
(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: People magazine has declared Julia Roberts the “World’s Most Beautiful Woman.”

People announced the news on Wednesday, giving Roberts, 49, a title she’s held five times since the award’s inception in 1990.

That means Julia Roberts has been the world’s most beautiful woman for 17.8% of the last 28 years.

“I am very flattered,” Roberts told the magazine of her latest honor.

Roberts was just 23 when she was first feted by People in 1991, breaking through the year before with “Pretty Woman.” She won the title again in 2000, 2005 and 2010.

People’s recognition of Roberts continues its recent trend in embracing more established Hollywood beauties, with Sandra Bullock earning the honor in 2015 at the age of 50 and 47-year-old Jennifer Aniston taking the title for the second time last year.

But where, you may be wondering, are all the beautiful men?

Easy. As of 1999, men are no longer beautiful.

Or, more accurately, 1998 was the last time a man topped the “most beautiful” list — Leonardo DiCaprio, at peak post-”Titanic” beauty. Since then, men have been relegated to the ranks of “Sexiest Man Alive,” a list People has featured since 1985.

Which isn’t to say that women can’t also be sexy. People attempted a “Sexiest Woman Alive” in 2014, a title bestowed on swimsuit model Kate Upton and then never awarded again.

Meanwhile, reigning paragon of beauty Roberts most recently lent her voice to “Smurfs: The Lost Village,” and she stars in “Wonder,” the adaptation of the middle-grade novel of the same name, which will open in November.

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The fate of Prince’s new EP is unclear

(Bertrand Guay / AFP / Getty Images)

New Prince music is on the way — unless his family can stop it.

“Deliverance,” a six-song EP of previously unreleased songs by the late pop star, is scheduled for release Friday, exactly one year after his death from a fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park estate in Minnesota.

The songs, including the bluesy title track (which you can hear below), were recorded between 2006 and 2008 with producer and songwriter Ian Boxill, according to a statement.

After Prince died, Boxill continued to work on the music and arranged for its release through RMA, an independent label based in Vancouver, Wash.

“Prince once told me that he would go to bed every night thinking of ways to bypass major labels and get his music directly to the public,” Boxill said in the statement. “When considering how to release this important work, we decided to go independent because that’s what Prince would have wanted.”

But Prince’s estate — which this year announced a deal with Universal Music Group to issue music from the singer’s storied trove of recordings — is trying to stop Boxill from putting out the EP, according to KSTP-TV in St. Paul.

Citing court documents, the station in Prince’s hometown said the estate had filed a federal lawsuit against Boxill, accusing him of violating a contract that gave Prince “sole and exclusive” ownership of any music they recorded together.

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Alec Baldwin teaches you how to impersonate President Trump

Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump on "Saturday Night Live."
(Will Heath / NBC via AP)

Alec Baldwin — whose career and credibility owe much to NBC, producer Lorne Michaels and “Saturday Night Live,” a show he has hosted 17 times — wandered over to CBS’ “Late Show” on Tuesday night to promote his new memoir, “Nevertheless.”

Since the end of “30 Rock,” his most regular gig, he has been playing the president on “SNL,” following in the footsteps of Phil Hartman, Darrell Hammond, Taran Killam and Jason Sudeikis.

But none has owned the role as he has, and after Donald Trump himself, Baldwin is the “President Trump” one is most likely to picture, and the impersonation one is most likely to confuse and conflate with the real thing.

“When I saw your Donald Trump for the first time,” Colbert told him, “I think, like a lot of people, I thought, ‘Oh, thank God, somebody has cracked that nut.’ ”

Because Baldwin lives in New York, a city where celebrities go out on the street among the people, he often has received silently mouthed thanks for playing the part, he said, miming silently mouthed thanks.

In case his Trump is something you would like to try at home, here is the Baldwin method he revealed.

His Trump, Baldwin said, demonstrating, is “totally a caricature, you just pick a few things … left eyebrow up, right eyebrow down, shove your face [out] like you’re trying to suck the chrome off the fender of a car.” It works!

Colbert silently mouthed his thanks.

ALSO:

Is watching ‘Saturday Night Live’ in prime time different? Not so much

‘Saturday Night Live’ returns with Alec Baldwin as Trump and Bill O’Reilly

‘He won, but he acts like he lost’: Alec Baldwin riffs (yes, again) on Trump

Dominican paper apologizes after illustrating Trump story with photo of actor Alec Baldwin

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A Star Is Born: Kate Hudson is 38 today

(Ringo H. W. Chiu / For The Times)

Some days you feel more confident than others. But insecurities always creep in; we’re human so it’s a natural thing to have happen .... [But] is it worth expending energy to work from a place of fear? No, I want to understand why I’m feeling this way and try to move past it.

— Kate Hudson, 2003

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Want to look like super-fit Kate Hudson?

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Richard Simmons hospitalized for digestive problems, report says

(Evan Agostini / Associated Press)

Richard Simmons was reportedly hospitalized earlier this week for digestive issues but according to his manager is already feeling better.

The fitness guru — who has been out of the public eye for years but making a number of headlines recently — checked into an undisclosed California hospital on Monday “after a few days of battling severe indigestion and discomfort while eating,” his longtime manager Michael Catalano told ABC News.

It wasn’t an emergency, according to a TMZ source who said no ambulance was involved. Simmons had a three-day hospitalization last summer for what his camp described as dehydration, the website said.

The 68-year-old is expected to make a full recovery, Catalano said.

Simmons’ publicist did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

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Kevin Spacey will host the 2017 Tony Awards

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Kevin Spacey will host the 71st Tony Awards, to be held at Radio City Music Hall in New York City in June, CBS announced Tuesday.

Spacey brings stage chops to the hosting gig: He has a Tony for “Lost in Yonkers,” was artistic director of the Old Vic Theatre Company for more than a decade and has hit the boards on Broadway and in London’s West End frequently.

The “Pay It Forward” star joked in a statement that he was the “second choice for ‘Usual Suspects,’ fourth choice for ‘American Beauty’ and 15th choice to host this year’s Tony Awards.”

“I think my career is definitely going in the right direction,” he said. “Maybe I can get shortlisted to host the Oscars if everyone else turns it down.”

Jack Sussman, CBS Entertainment’s executive vice president for specials, music and live events, praised Spacey’s “extensive repertoire, charisma and unparalleled dedication to live theater.”

Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, returning executive producers of the Tonys broadcast, said in the network’s statement that they were excited to work with “a witty and charming host who is not only a Tony-winning actor and fan of live theatre” but, in his role of President Frank Underwood on “House of Cards,” also “a president who is a true champion of the arts.”

Nominations for the 71st Tony Awards will be announced May 2, and the show will be June 11. Broadcast live on the East Coast, it will air tape-delayed at 8 p.m. PDT on the West Coast.

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‘Huge tomboy’ Kendall Jenner isn’t like the other Kardashians: ‘I think I get that from my dad’

When it comes to being absorbed in the girly-girl world, Kendall Jenner’s not like the other Kardashians.

“I’ve always been the different one,” the high-fashion model tells Harper’s Bazaar in its May issue. “I mean, I’m a girl and I like being a girl, but I’ve just never been into it like they have. I think I get that from my dad. I’d say I’m more of a Jenner than a Kardashian.”

Of course, in recent years Caitlyn Jenner has gone full Kardashian herself, making her own reality show, reveling in her wardrobe, putting out a capsule collection of makeup and hitting red carpets.

“I was a huge tomboy,” said 21-year-old Kendall, who according to her mom had one pair of camo shorts she wore nonstop as a child. “I had a phase where I wore boys’ clothes. I was always hanging out with guys. I’ve always connected with guys more.”

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Lady Gaga and Prince William turn to FaceTime to talk about mental illness

(Heads Together / YouTube)

Lady Gaga and Prince William have gotten together for the best-looking FaceTime conversation ever, building on her PTSD revelation from the end of last year as part of his effort to bring mental illness into the public conversation. On Tuesday, they posted a video of their online exchange, which you can watch below.

“Waking up every day and feeling sad and going on stage is something that is very hard to describe,” the 31-year-old singer said after William mentioned reading her open letter from December about getting treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. “There’s a lot of shame attached to mental illness. You feel like something’s wrong with you.”

She told him she had all these great things around her and should be so happy, but she wasn’t.

“You can’t help it if in the morning when you wake up you are so tired, you are so sad, you are so full of anxiety and the shakes that you can barely think,” she said. “But it was like saying, ‘This is a part of me, and that’s OK.’”

William noted that much of the charitable work he does —addressing veterans issues, addiction, homelessness — can be traced back to mental illness. It shouldn’t be a taboo topic, he said.

“It’s the same about physical health,” said William, who was chatting from his study while Lady Gaga grabbed a cup of coffee in what might have been her kitchen. “Everybody has mental health. We shouldn’t be ashamed of it. Just having a conversation with a friend or family member can really make such a difference.”

Of course, as super-famous people do, he extended an invitation to get together for an in-person chat when she comes to Britain later this year.

As Wills was the interviewer rather than the interviewee, the chat was more about Gaga and less of a royal revelation than his brother Prince Harry’s Telegraph podcast had been. Harry went public Sunday with the personal chaos caused by burying his emotions and grief after his mother, Princess Diana, died when he was only 12.

“My way of dealing with it was sticking my head in the sand, refusing to ever think about my mom, because why would that help? It’s only going to make you sad. It’s not going to bring her back,” the younger prince revealed. “On the emotional side I was like, right, don’t ever let your emotions be part of anything. I was a typical 20-, 25- 28-year-old running ‘round going, life is great, or life is fine.”

His version of “fine” included a lot of acting out in the public eye. Three years ago, the timing was right for him to accept his brother William’s suggestion that he get help, he said.

“It was 20 years of not thinking about it and then two years of total chaos. I couldn’t put my finger on it. I didn’t know what was wrong with me.”

The princes and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, are part of the Heads Together campaign to promote discussions about mental illness. The London Marathon this Friday will cap the effort.

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A Star Is Born: America Ferrera is 33 today

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

I think the purpose of art is the same at all times, but in times like these, of real questioning and reflection and concern, it becomes that much clearer that our role in society is to connect.

— America Ferrera, 2017

MORE: ‘Art in a Time of Crisis’: America Ferrera, St. Vincent, Jessica Williams and Sundance filmmakers on why they make movies now

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Film academy renews CEO Dawn Hudson’s contract to 2020

Dawn Hudson arrives on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars on February 26.
(Valerie Macon / AFP / Getty Images)

In an email to members sent Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that the contract of CEO Dawn Hudson has been renewed through 2020. The academy’s Board of Governors voted on the renewal at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, March 28.

“We are confident in Dawn’s leadership of the Academy, and fully support her as she leads a strong and dedicated team of more than 350 into our ninth decade,” said Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

She and Isaacs have been the most public voices in moving the academy toward increased diversity, both before and after the 2015 and 2016 #OscarsSoWhite years.

“Having the academy be representative of our industry, of our world at this time is really important to us,” Hudson told The Times in 2014. Last year, the academy invited the largest and most diverse group of film professionals to join its ranks.

Hudson’s renewal comes after the controversy and media spotlight following this year’s Oscars telecast in which the incorrect best picture winner was mistakenly announced, leading to arguably the most confusing moment in the history of the ceremony. And plans for an academy museum have met with numerous delays.

Isaacs will be leaving her position later this summer when her fourth term as president ends. Hudson has been with the academy since 2011.

The message sent to members added that the board is “excited that Dawn will continue the Academy’s goals of globalization and inclusion, guide us towards the successful opening of an unprecedented movie museum, and lead us toward next year’s 90th Oscars.”

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La La Anthony and Carmelo Anthony have separated, report says

(Jamie McCarthy / Getty Images)

Carmelo Anthony and La La Anthony have separated after nearly seven years as husband and wife, according to a report Monday.

The “Power” actress and TV personality moved out of the home she shared with the New York Knicks player and their 10-year-old son, Kiyan, last week, TMZ reported. The split is said to be amicable.

The two got married in July 2010 after a six-year engagement, with LeBron James, Spike Lee, Serena Williams, Ciara, Kim Kardashian, Amar’e Stoudemire, Ludacris and Kelly Rowland reportedly among the guests.

A rep for La La Anthony (née La La Vázquez) did not respond immediately to a request for confirmation.

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James Gunn will write and direct ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’

Trailer for “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” starring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista and Karen Gillan.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” will not be James Gunn’s Marvel Cinematic Universe swan song. The filmmaker has announced he will be returning to write and direct “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.”

“In the end, my love for Rocket, Groot, Gamora, Star-Lord, Yondu, Mantis, Drax, and Nebula – and some of the other forthcoming heroes – goes deeper than you guys can possibly imagine,” Gunn wrote in a Facebook post. “I feel they have more adventures to go on and things to learn about themselves and the wonderful and sometimes terrifying universe we all inhabit.”

The filmmaker also explained the role this third “Guardians” film will play in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as it will take place after the events of “Avengers: Infinity War.”

In addition to concluding the story of the current Guardians team, the third installment will help set up the adventures of “both old and new Marvel characters” for the next 10 years of the MCU and beyond. Gunn will be working closely with Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige to craft the story.

The announcement comes in advance of the release of “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.” Gunn, who is preparing to set off on the film’s U.S. press tour, explained he wanted to share the news directly with fans.

“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” hits theaters May 5.

Read Gunn’s full announcement below.

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Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner are moving on to movies, a docuseries plus a new Twitter bio after ‘Girls’

Jenni Konner, left, and Lena Dunham at the Sundance Film Festival in January for director Matt Wolf's movie "It's Me Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise."
Jenni Konner, left, and Lena Dunham at the Sundance Film Festival in January for director Matt Wolf’s movie “It’s Me Hilary: The Man Who Drew Eloise.”
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

“What am I going to change my Twitter bio to?” Jenni Konner wonders aloud.

A few days before the finale of “Girls” — the HBO series she’s run for the past five years alongside Lena Dunham — Konner is in the midst of a minor existential crisis. On her social media page, the 45-year-old has long characterized herself this way: “i write, direct and ep #Girls on HBO.”

As of Monday, that will no longer be the case.

“I’m in a definite postpartum scene right now, as you can tell by the fact that you’re up at my house and I’m drinking wine at 5 o’clock,” she says lounging on a pool chaise in her backyard, hidden in one of the winding hillsides of Nichols Canyon.

Across the country in New York, Dunham was feeling similarly discombobulated. She’d made plans to watch the finale with co-star Allison Williams and pizza. But saying goodbye to the show she began work on at 23 was proving challenging.

“I miss everybody already,” Dunham, now 30, said over the telephone last week. “At a certain point, my entire life was making the show … then I entered a long-term relationship, I had a career, I was financially stable, I was living in a neighborhood that Hannah has probably never even walked through. Our lives diverged.”

While they may be moving away from “Girls,” Dunham and Konner aren’t ready to bid farewell to each other. They’re still running their feminist newsletter, Lenny — an amalgamation of their names — which is about to celebrate its second anniversary. And through their joint production company, A Casual Romance, they’re planning a “VICE”-esque Lenny docuseries for HBO and looking at making their first film.

Plus, they’re totally co-dependent. Every morning, Dunham texts Konner first thing to make sure her partner made it through the night.

“It’ll say, like, ‘Hi, baby!’ but it’s to make sure I’m alive,” said Konner. “If I don’t respond, I’m dead, or something terrible has happened. So I have learned to respond instantly.”

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How ‘Fate of the Furious’ gave F. Gary Gray the highest grossing opening by an African American director

With the $532.5 million global opening of "The Fate of the Furious," F. Gary Gray broke the record for the highest grossing opening ever by an African American director.
With the $532.5 million global opening of “The Fate of the Furious,” F. Gary Gray broke the record for the highest grossing opening ever by an African American director.
(Ron Eshel / Invision / Associated Press)

“The Fate of the Furious,” the eighth installment in Universal’s “Fast & Furious” series, sped to more than $100 million domestically and $532.5 million internationally — notching the biggest global opening of all time — thanks to its muscular star power, fast cars, furious action and the kind of over-the-top spectacle usually reserved for summer blockbuster season.

But the record-breaking franchise, built on physics-defying stunts and fervent fan loyalty across the globe, is also fueled by the one not-so-secret idea more potent than a well-timed blast of nitrous oxide: family.

The recurring motif gets a workout in “Fate of the Furious,” the first sequel without the late Paul Walker, whose character was last seen driving off into the sunset — some might say toward heaven — in 2015’s emotional “Furious 7.”

“As the films have grown and the world’s gotten smaller and we’ve gotten more global in scope, the [characters’] definition of family has widened a lot,” said series screenwriter and producer Chris Morgan, who scripted the last six “Fast & Furious” films.

L.A. Times film critic Justin Chang and film writer Jen Yamato talk fast and furiously about what works and what doesn’t in’Fate of the Furious’ and the idea of family in the record-breaking franchise. (Warning: spoiler revealed halfway into video.)

In the first film, 2001’s “The Fast and the Furious,” the word “family” was sparsely spoken in a story focused on the brooding bromance between gearhead criminal Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and undercover cop Brian O’Conner (Walker).

As the sequels charged on, new members joined the cast (Tyrese Gibson and Chris “Ludacris” Bridges in “2 Fast 2 Furious,” Sung Kang in “Tokyo Drift,” Gal Gadot in “Fast & Furious,” Dwayne Johnson and Elsa Pataky in “Fast Five,” Nathalie Emmanuel in “Furious 7”) and original members came back (Michelle Rodriguez in “Fast & Furious 6”).

“Fate of the Furious,” directed by “Straight Outta Compton’s” F. Gary Gray, leans further into the “family” theme by making it a plot point and adding Helen Mirren as Magdalene Shaw, mother of the brothers (played by Jason Statham and Luke Evans) who’ve been battling Dom’s crew since the final moments of “Fast 6.” . . .

Rodriguez sees another reason the loyal “Fast & Furious” fandom has grown exponentially as the franchise’s episodic story arc has taken its heroes global, from racing the streets of Los Angeles a quarter mile at a time to saving the world from nuclear annihilation on the icy plains of Russia: diversity.

“There’s a void in the market,” said Rodriguez, pointing to Hollywood’s market-dominating presence worldwide. “When you have that kind of penetration but everybody who’s leading your movie on the big screen is white, a lot of people don’t feel included. Don’t you think they’re going to buy more tickets to those movies where they do feel included?”

The series is not only known for its multiethnic cast, but for the diversity of its directors, starting with John Singleton taking charge in “2 Fast 2 Furious.” Justin Lin steered four chapters in the series through “Fast & Furious 6,” James Wan took on “Furious 7” and with “Fate” Gray has broken the record for the highest grossing opening ever by an African American director.

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Oh, very bunny: Kanye West and John Legend delight their kids for Easter

Superstar musicians Kanye West and John Legend recently collaborated on a project that had nothing to do with music. The Grammy-winning rapper and Oscar-winning crooner decked themselves out as Easter bunnies for their kids on Easter Sunday.

Their wives, reality star Kim Kardashian West and model Chrissy Teigen, let the bunny out of the bag — so to speak — on Instagram and Snapchat as the costumed dads greeted their delighted kids at the Kardashian-West’s expansive Bel-Air residence.

Kardashian dubbed her husband “Dadye” in one photo that showed daughter North, niece Penelope and a few other kids petting the fur-clad rapper. North, as well as her brother, Saint, and Legend’s daughter, Luna Stephens, were decked out in their Sunday best, and fan accounts on Instagram eternalized the fleeting Snapchat details.

The Wests were joined by Kim’s sister Kourtney Kardashian and her brood, as well as hair-stylist pal Jen Atkin. And the first ladies of Easter posed with baby pets at a mobile petting zoo set up in the sprawling backyard.

It’s not the first time the rapper slipped into the bunny costume either. Last year, West and Kylie Jenner’s then-beau Tyga donned the costumes for the holiday celebration. But the real question is: What do they do with those things the rest of the year?

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A Star Is Born: Rooney Mara is 32 today

(Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

I’m a very moody person. I’m kind of all or nothing. A lot of times, I feel like I have to spend some time living in order to act again.

— Rooney Mara, 2015

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Telluride: Rooney Mara explains her ‘moody’ road to ‘Carol’ at tribute

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A Star Is Born: Martin Lawrence is 52 today

Martin Lawrence
(Marsha T. Gorman / Los Angeles Times)

 If you’re a Martin fan, whether I’m being edgy or clean, I like to think that I’m likable, no matter what I’m doing. My adult audience has kids, so there’s a little something for everyone.

— Martin Lawrence, 2008

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Welcome home, Martin

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A Star Is Born: Seth Rogen is 35 today

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

I think we try to make movies that in some way reflect what we’re going through at the time. We couldn’t make ‘Superbad’ now because I personally don’t feel that strongly about whether an 18-year-old is having sex.

— Seth Rogen, 2015

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Seth Rogen and Co. talk up their R-rated Christmas film, ‘The Night Before’

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Coachella 2017 live updates

A crowd dances at the Do Lab on day one of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio on April 14, 2017.
(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Anchored on Saturday by Lady Gaga, who stepped in for expectant superstar Beyoncé, this year’s Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival will feature headliners Kendrick Lamar and Radiohead. Lorde, DJ Khaled, Hans Zimmer and more are also set to perform. Wait ... Hans Zimmer? Stay tuned for updates from the desert throughout the weekend.

Live updates: Coachella 2017

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Sigur Ros concert at Disney Hall to be livestreamed on Pitchfork and Facebook

Icelandic art-rock band Sigur Ros’ second night at Walt Disney Concert Hall will be streamed live on Pitchfork and Facebook beginning at 8:50 p.m. Friday.

The evening is part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Reykjavik Festival, which features an eclectic mix of classical, contemporary, choral, chamber, symphonic, pop, experimental and electronic music from Iceland.

Curated by Icelandic composer and conductor Daniel Bjarnason and L.A. Phil conductor laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen, the festival boasts 18 world premieres, three art installations and more than 24 hours of music.

Sigur Ros, which opened its three-night run on Thursday, is a high point of the festival. The concerts feature 50 minutes of music by the band accompanied by the L.A. Phil, and 50 minutes of the band by itself. Bassist Georg Holm told The Times in March that the band was excited for the challenge of working with such a large and storied orchestra, but that it wasn’t going to be easy.

“It’s either going to be a huge success or a massive failure,” Holm joked. “This is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime thing for Sigur Ros.”

This will be the first time a concert is livestreamed from Disney Hall. The concert will be streamed on Pitchfork.com and Facebook Live.

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Our 3 instant reactions to Kendrick Lamar’s startling new album

Kendrick Lamar at the 2016 Austin City Limits Music Festival.
(Suzanne Cordeiro / AFP/Getty Images)

After weeks of feverish anticipation — and just days ahead of his headlining performance at this weekend’s Coachella festivalKendrick Lamar released his new album, “Damn,” on Thursday night.

“Damn” was preceded by the release last month of “The Heart Part 4” — a fiery diss track in which he boasted, “My fans can’t wait for me to son your punk ass” — and the album’s equally swaggering lead single, “Humble.”

Yet “Damn” is rich with other moods, themes and textures.

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Grab a Kleenex: Glen Campbell’s final studio album is called ‘Adiós’

Glen Campbell, who is in the final stages of Alzheimer’s disease, will release a final studio album in June. Its title: “Adiós.”

The country singer, who turns 81 next weekend, recorded the album after his 2011-2012 “Goodbye Tour,” which was chronicled in the Oscar-nominated 2014 documentary “Glen Campbell ... I’ll Be Me.”

The album came about after Campbell and his wife, Kim Campbell, spent time with longtime banjo player Carl Jackson and “reminisced about all of the songs that Glen had always wanted to record but had never gotten around to,” she says in the “Adiós” liner notes, released exclusively to People,

Though her husband struggled at times in the studio, Kim Campbell says in the notes, he was “clearly ecstatic” about being there.

“Glen was barely able to remember the words that he was singing at times,” she says. Jackson, who also produced the album, fed him the lyrics in large type a line at a time, holding them up on sheets of paper.

The album also features Campbell’s take on classics by Jimmy Webb, Bob Dylan and Roger Miller and includes collaborations with daughter Ashley Campbell, Vince Gill and Willie Nelson, with whom he duets on a heartrending version of Nelson’s “Funny How Time Slips Away.”

“Adiós” will be released June 9, but you can hear Campbell’s take on “Everybody’s Talkin’” below. (And yes, his dulcet voice is still largely intact.)

Here’s the full track listing:

1. Everybody’s Talkin’
2. Just Like Always
3. Funny How Time Slips Away (featuring Willie Nelson)
4. Arkansas Farmboy
5. Am I All Alone (Or Is It Only Me) (intro by Roger Miller)
6. Am I All Alone (Or Is It Only Me) (featuring Vince Gill)
7. It Won’t Bring Her Back
8. Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
9. She Thinks I Still Care
10. Postcard From Paris
11. A Thing Called Love
12. Adiós

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Watch the first trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

“The Last Jedi” continues the episodic story of Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega) and a few original characters, including Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).

The first-ever scenes from “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” have arrived. Behold!

Directed by Rian Johnson (“Looper,” “Brick”), the next “Star Wars” film will continue the episodic story of new characters Rey (Daisy Ridley), Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), Finn (John Boyega) and a few members of the original crew, including Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill).

So how have the years changed the young Skywalker from Tatooine?

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi” is to premiere Dec. 15.

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Watch the ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ panel from Orlando

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ photos

Try not to cry: ‘Star Wars’ tribute to Carrie Fisher reveals never-seen footage of Princess Leia

Star Wars land to open at Disneyland in 2019

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Watch the ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ panel from Orlando

Those cheers you’re hearing across the Internet this morning? They’re coming from Orlando, Fla., where Star Wars Celebration -- “a convention that strictly caters to the fans of a galaxy far, far away” -- kicked off today.

The cast and creative team behind “The Last Jedi” teased the live audience with bread crumbs about the forthcoming film during the hourlong panel, which you can watch above.

ALSO

Watch the first trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ photos

Try not to cry: ‘Star Wars’ tribute to Carrie Fisher reveals never-seen footage of Princess Leia

Star Wars land to open at Disneyland in 2019

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A Star Is Born: Sarah Michelle Gellar is 40 today

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

I don’t want to feel like a failure to my daughter. She’s the best thing I’ve ever done. Buffy — pretty great and all, but Charlotte’s way better.

— Sarah Michelle Gellar, 2011

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Sarah Michelle Gellar: mother of one, actress of two

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Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner officially file for divorce nearly two years after split

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner filed for divorce Thursday, finally making their protracted split official.

The “Alias” alum filed the petition and the “Justice League” actor filed his response in Los Angeles Superior Court, citing irreconcilable differences, the Los Angeles Times has confirmed.

The A-listers are seeking joint physical and legal custody of their three children, daughters Violet, 11, and Seraphina, 9, and son Samuel, 5.

The joint filing came pro per — without lawyers — suggesting it was orchestrated amicably.

Affleck and Garner, both 44, costarred in 2003’s “Daredevil” and wed in 2005. They announced their intention to divorce in June 2015, after 10 years of marriage, but did not file documents until now.

“After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the couple said in a joint statement in 2015.

“We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time.”

The friendly exes did not list a date of separation in their documents.

According to TMZ, Affleck and Garner do not have a prenuptial agreement, meaning they would equally split their earnings gained after their marriage, and are likely to settle the case out of court with a mediator. The site said they are still negotiating a financial settlement; however, per California law, the split could be finalized in as little as six months.

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Try not to cry: ‘Star Wars’ tribute to Carrie Fisher reveals never-seen footage of Princess Leia

Star Wars Celebration, a convention that strictly caters to the fans of a galaxy far, far away, will launch in Orlando, Fla., this weekend.

But before the four-day extravaganza of cosplay, screenings, games and major reveals for the future of the “Star Wars” franchise, Lucasfilm and Disney aired a tribute to the lost member of the original film. Carrie Fisher, the actress, author and beloved face of an intergalactic rebellion, passed away on Dec. 27.

As a tribute, Celebration screened a five-minute video with behind-the-scenes footage from her days as Princess Leia, past interviews and remembrances from her co-stars.

Warning: It’s fairly hard to watch without getting teary-eyed, especially when director Rian Johnson is seen leading Fisher on the set of the next episodic film, “The Last Jedi.” It’s presumably Fisher’s last (non-computer-generated) “Star Wars” cameo.

Fans at the 40th-anniversary panel also received an exclusive Fisher remembrance poster, which is already being hawked on EBay for a whopping $399.99.

ALSO

Watch the first trailer for ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

Watch the ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ panel from Orlando

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ photos

Fans celebrate lives of Carrie Fisher and mother Debbie Reynolds at joint memorial service

‘Rogue One’ director Gareth Edwards on bringing CG Tarkin and Leia into his galaxy

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The new trailer for ‘Orphan Black’ shows Clone Club ready to fight as one

The first trailer for the fifth and final season of “Orphan Black” has been released, and it shows Sarah, Alison, Helena and Cosima are ready for a fight.

In the new trailer — which is as much a feminist manifesto as a preview for a TV show — the clones vow to fight “to control our bodies,” “to love whom we choose,” “for the family we’ve chosen” and “for our freedom.”

“Together we are one,” they proclaim.

Sarah and her sestras have been hunted, captured and manipulated by various corporate and religious forces during the last four seasons, but they have remained united in their quest to protect one another and those they love.

The final season of “Orphan Black” will see Sarah and her family finally uncover the hidden pieces surrounding the clone conspiracy as well as the story behind their creations. Their quest will either set them free or result in their demise.

Season 5 of “Orphan Black” will premiere June 10 on BBC America.

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Wait, ‘Friends! The Musical!’ is happening?

Forget that mythical “Friends” reunion that’s never going to happen — “Friends! The Musical!” is on track for an off-Broadway run.

The unauthorized parody’s song titles should resonate with fans of the long-running NBC sitcom. Courtesy of the musical’s co-writers, Bob and Tobly McSmith, the soundtrack includes: “The Only Coffee Shop in New York City,” “45 Grove Street — How Can We Afford This Place” and “Hey Ugly Naked Guy Who Lives Across the Street!” Oh, yeah, and “How You Doing, Ladies?”

Tobly McSmith said a “Friends” parody “was the next logical step” in a sequence of almost-homages that has included send-ups of “Full House,” “Saved by the Bell” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

“We also did ‘Katdashians! Break the Musical!’” McSmith said. “But that was different.” (It portrayed the Kardashians as, um, cats.)

It’s time to “lovingly lampoon” a show he and others grew up with, McSmith said, adding that fans want to see it exaggerated, with commentary on the sillier story lines and those things that never quite made sense.

(Did we mention that huge apartment? Yeah, things like that.)

“We always try to get alumni to come watch the shows and possibly host,” McSmith said. Getting someone from the “Friends” cast to show “is a dream of ours.”

Hey, it could happen: They snagged Dustin Diamond for the “Saved by the Bell” parody, but no dice on the Kardashians, McSmith said.

Auditions will be held next month in New York City, and the show should open in September or October at the Triad Theatre. Paul Stancato will direct.

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American indie darlings Noah Baumbach, Todd Haynes and Sofia Coppola head to Cannes

A range of unconventional American players — from Sofia Coppola to the Safdie brothers, Noah Baumbach to Netflix — will populate this year’s Cannes Film Festival competition lineup, which is set to kick off May 17.

Among the more indie elements at this year’s festival are Baumbach and his “The Meyerowitz Stories,” a story of adult siblings starring Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller; Coppola and her “The Beguiled,” based on the same novel as Clint Eastwood’s outre 1971 film; and Benny and Josh Safdie and their caper “Good Time.” All three movies will play in competition.

Ditto Todd Haynes’ “Wonderstruck.” With his time-spanning adaptation of Brian Selznick’s children’s book, the “Carol” director will make his return to the Croisette after his 2015 appearance — which was his first in 17 years.

Making an even rarer showing on the Croisette is the offbeat hyphenate John Cameron Mitchell, with his “How to Talk to Girls at Parties” playing out of competition.

Nicole Kidman, Elle Fanning, Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell star in Sofia Coppola’s “The Beguiled.”

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Josh Brolin joins ‘Deadpool 2’ as Cable, beefing up his comic-book cred

Josh Brolin has joined the cast of the upcoming "Deadpool" sequel.
(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Josh Brolin has joined the cast of “Deadpool 2” as Nathan Summers, also known as Cable, who will next take on Ryan Reynolds’ foul-mouthed mercenary.

In the comics, Cable was the son of Scott Summers (Cyclops) and Madelyne Pryor (a clone of Jean Grey). The cybernetically enhanced mutant had various dealings with Deadpool as friend and foe. His powers include telekinesis and telepathy, with technological enhancements giving him the abilities of time travel, superhuman strength and teleportation -- or “bodysliding.”

News of Brolin’s casting was met with surprise from comic book and film fans, who also know the Oscar-nominated actor as Thanos from Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. His character will play a major role in the forthcoming “Avengers: Infinity War” installment.

The quick-witted Reynolds, who is starring in and co-producing “Deadpool 2,” fanned the flames of Brolin’s dual roles.

“Fox! You can’t play 2 characters in the same universe!! Josh Brolin was in Sicario and I was in Sabrina The Teenage Witch,” he tweeted on Wednesday with additional language fitting of his irreverent antihero.

While “Deadpool” also falls under the Marvel marquee, the films are produced under competing studios: Deadpool hails from the “X-Men” milieu and belongs to 20th Century Fox along with the other “X-Men” films. Meanwhile, the “Avengers” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchises belong to Disney. (The Avengers and Guardians are set to team up in “Infinity War.”)

The R-rated “Deadpool” was a 2016 breakout hit that grossed more than $783 million worldwide and became a surprising awards contender, earning two Golden Globe nominations and a Directors Guild of America Awards nomination for director Tim Miller.

Miller bowed out of the the sequel after a series of creative differences with Reynolds, and director David Leitch is now on board. The film is expected to hit theaters next year.

-----------

For the record, 5:35 p.m.: An earlier version of this post said that the character Cable is a villain. He is a time-displaced mutant often viewed as a hero.

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‘Survivor’ contestant outed as transgender on TV: ‘You didn’t just tell six people, you told millions of people’

Zeke Smith, second from right, was outed as transgender on Wednesday's episode of "Survivor: Game Changers."
(Jeffrey Neira / CBS via Associated Press)

Looks like the “Bachelor” franchise has something to learn from “Survivor” when it comes to “the most dramatic episode ever” — not that any show would necessarily want to repeat what happened on Wednesday night’s “Survivor: Game Changers.”

A contestant outed a fellow cast member as transgender, sparking widespread criticism that has rippled well beyond the show’s audience.

It was an episode so unusual that the network, contestant Zeke Smith and GLAAD worked for “several months” between when it was taped and when it aired to allow Smith to speak his mind.

“There is deception here. Deception on levels ... these guys don’t even understand ... ,” contestant Jeff Varner told host Jeff Probst and the six other survivors at the show’s tribal council, which concludes each episode with someone being voted off the island, and Varner was fighting to stay.

“Zeke, why haven’t you told anyone you’re transgender?”

And like that, Smith, who apparently was working an alliance to take Varner out of the competition, was outed to the world. Varner exposed Smith, he said, because the secret “reveals the ability to deceive.”

The rest of the group was shocked by Varner’s insensitivity, and let him know.

“You should be ashamed of yourself ... for what you’re willing to do to get yourself further in a game for a million dollars,” said Ozzy Lusth, Smith’s ally.

“That has nothing to do with the game, that’s personal,” a tearful Andrea Boehlke said. Later on in tribal council, conservative Midwesterner Sarah Lacina noted her own personal growth as she realized the new information didn’t change how she felt about Smith.

“Is it starting to hit you, the gravity, that you didn’t just tell six people, you told millions of people?” Probst asked Varner as the latter appeared to regret what he’d done. “Is that what’s happening, you’re realizing now?”

Varner said he thought “everyone” in Smith’s real-life circles knew. “I thought he was just deceiving these people. It never dawned on me that no one knew. ... I’m just devastated.” By the end of the council, he was in tears, as were several other contestants.

Smith, who has represented himself as a gay man for two seasons on the show, said he didn’t broadcast anything else because, “I didn’t want to be the trans ‘Survivor’ player. I wanted to be Zeke the ‘Survivor’ player.”

Varner wound up being kicked off the island without need for a secret vote as the rest of the survivors made it clear they would be writing his name on their ballots. “Just grab your torch,” Probst said.

In a Hollywood Reporter guest essay published immediately after the show aired on the West Coast, Smith relived the moments after Varner’s question.

“I sat blank, almost in a trance, unaware of what happened around me, trying to form a plan,” he wrote. “‘Survivor’ had spun out of control. That’s the risk you take when you dance in the ethical borderlands, where you’ll betray a friend, swear on your mother, and lie to a priest all before you eat whatever meager crumbs count as breakfast. In ‘Survivor’ much is permissible which is typically objectionable, but there are limits, as there should be on a family-friendly reality show on network television.

“It’s one thing to lie about someone sneaking off at night to search for hidden advantages,” Smith continued in his essay. “It is quite another to incense bigotry toward a marginalized minority.”

As Varner left the group, the two men exchanged a handshake and a hug and an “I’m sorry” and a “We’ll be OK,” but Smith said that he’s struggled since that moment to forgive his former castmate.

“While I can reconcile the personal slight of him outing me, I continue to be troubled by his willingness to deploy such a dangerous stereotype on a global platform.”

Varner spoke his piece in a Wednesday night post on Twitter.

“Let me be clear, outing someone is assault. It robs a strong, courageous person of their power and protection and opens them up to discrimination and danger. ... Zeke is a wonderful man and I will forever be amazed and inspired by his forgiveness and compassion,” he wrote.

“Zeke Smith, and transgender people like him, are not deceiving anyone by being their authentic selves, and it is dangerous and unacceptable to out a transgender person,” Nick Adams, director of GLAAD’s Transgender Media Program, said in a statement. “It is heartening, however, to see the strong support for Zeke from the other people in his tribe.

Smith will also appear on “The View” and in People magazine.

The tribal council clip below is long, but the human drama is fascinating.

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Cue the teen screams: Harry Styles unveils art and release date for debut solo album

(Ian Gavan / Getty Images)

One Direction fans, gird your loins: Harry Styles has unveiled splashy plans for his upcoming solo debut.

The British band’s long-haired lothario is releasing his self-titled album on May 12. On Thursday, Styles tweeted accompanying album art that featured him neck-deep in a pool of water as well as the 10-song track list for “Harry Styles.”

Not surprisingly, the reveal instantly racked up thousands of retweets and likes.

Styles, 23, later shared a photo of his bare back in what we can only guess is him coming out of the aforementioned pool of water. That too was met with fanatic excitement.

The new album bears Styles’ new single, “Sign of the Times,” the power ballad he co-wrote and released to some acclaim last week. The Times’ Mikael Wood said it “recalls music from the early 1970s, such as David Bowie’s album ‘Hunky Dory’ and ‘All the Young Dudes’ by Mott the Hoople.” Billboard dubbed it “an instant pop-rock classic.”

Styles is the latest member of the five-man One Direction — the outfit put together on Britain’s “The X-Factor” — to branch out on his own. Styles’ former bandmate Zayn Malik was the first to leave the group in 2015 and released his debut album in “Mind of Mine” in 2016. He has climbed the charts with hits such as “Pillowtalk” and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever,” his duet with Styles’ ex Taylor Swift.

1D’s Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson also have gone solo, but Liam Payne has yet to make his debut.

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A Star Is Born: Allison Williams is 29 today

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

The blessing of having your first project be something as fantastic as ‘Girls’ is that it gave me room to be selective because I didn’t feel pressure to do other things. The curse is that my standards were really high.

— Allison Williams, 2017

MORE: How Allison Williams mined the horrors of white privilege for ‘Get Out’

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Los Angeles makes it official: April 25 is ‘La La Land’ Day

Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in "La La Land."
(Dale Robinette / Lionsgate via Associated Press)

It turns out there’s a mutual love affair between Los Angeles and the film that recently immortalized it on screen.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti announced Wednesday that he will declare April 25 “La La Land” Day in honor of the Oscar-winning film.

Open to the public, the dedication ceremony will take place on the steps of L.A. City Hall and will begin at 8:30 a.m. A jazz band will open the ceremony followed by the mayor’s dedication. BANDALOOP aerial dancers will perform a dance medley inspired by the film, and then the jazz band will return to close the show.

Director Damien Chazelle, composer Justin Hurwitz, production designers David and Sandy Wasco, choreographer Mandy Moore and jewelry designer Kyle Chan are all expected to attend the ceremony.

“La La Land” Day, which coincides with the film’s release on DVD and Blu-ray, makes sense given how much of the city provided the film’s backdrop.

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Rapper Tyga is detained then released by police after driving away from Hollywood nightclub

Tyga and ex-girlfriend Kylie Jenner at a New York fashion event on Feb. 13.
Tyga and ex-girlfriend Kylie Jenner at a New York fashion event on Feb. 13.
(Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images )

Rapper Tyga, these days most famously known for being Kylie Jenner’s ex, was detained by Los Angeles police early Wednesday morning under suspicion of possible DUI, according to media reports.

The 27-year-old was driving home from Hollywood’s Avenue nightclub at about 2 a.m. when he was pulled over by police, TMZ and E! News report. He was driving a Mercedes G Wagon near 1600 N. Cherokee Ave. when police stopped him for running a stop sign and for having paper license plates, the reports said.

Tyga voluntarily left his car but was handcuffed and, because of a growing crowd of onlookers, taken to the Hollywood police station to take a sobriety test, according to the reports. Once there, he passed a field sobriety test and was released after about 90 minutes with a traffic ticket for not having a driver’s license or insurance, the reports said.

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Jude Law cast as Dumbledore in ‘Fantastic Beasts’ sequel

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Jude Law is ready for wizarding school.

Warner Bros. has conjured up the actor to play a young Albus Dumbledore in the next installment of the “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” franchise.

In the film, fan favorite Dumbledore will be shown before he became headmaster at Hogwarts, as he was portrayed in the eight “Harry Potter” films, initially played by Richard Harris before being replaced by Michael Gambon following Harris’ death.

Two-time Oscar nominee Law is no stranger to Warner Bros. franchises, having appeared as Dr. Watson in the studio’s two “Sherlock Holmes” films, as well as the upcoming “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.”

“As fans ourselves, we are thrilled to have Jude Law joining the ‘Fantastic Beasts’ cast, playing a character so universally adored,” Warner Bros. president Toby Emmerich said in a press release. “Jude has been a member of the Warner Bros. family for years and we’re excited to embark on this new adventure with him.”

The film is scheduled to shoot this summer, with returning stars Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston and Johnny Depp, director David Yates and producer J.K. Rowling.

The as-yet-untitled “Beasts” film will arrive in theaters Nov. 16, 2018.

MORE:

Jude Law may play the ‘Young Pope’ but curiosity is his religion

Review: ‘Harry Potter’ prequel ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’ casts a faltering spell

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Melania Trump settles libel lawsuits against London tabloid

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

Melania Trump and the Daily Mail have settled two libel lawsuits over an article that suggested the first lady may have once worked as an escort.

The British tabloid’s parent company, Mail Media, apologized to Trump and agreed to pay damages over an article titled “Racy photos and troubling questions about his wife’s past that could derail Trump,” which was published in August amid her husband’s heated run for the White House.

The story, which was later retracted, “questioned the nature of [Mrs. Trump’s] work as a professional model, and republished allegations that she provided services beyond simply modeling,” the publication said in a statement.

Though it included statements of denial about the allegations and noted that there was no evidence to support the allegations, the story also claimed that she may have met her future husband “three years before they actually met, and ‘staged’ their actual meeting as a ‘ruse.’”

Trump filed lawsuits against the newspaper in London and against its Mail Online website in New York, seeking compensatory and punitive damages of at least $150 million. She argued that the article damaged her ability to build businesses based on her status as a well-known figure and “successful businesswoman,” according to the Associated Press.

The Mail acknowledged that “these allegations about Mrs. Trump are not true” and apologized for any distress that the publication caused her.

The parties announced their settlement in a joint statement Wednesday. The exact amount of the settlement has not been disclosed.

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Retooled for a younger generation, ‘Fear Factor’ is returning with Ludacris as host

MTV is bringing back “Fear Factor” and has tapped “Fate of the Furious” star Ludacris as host and executive producer.

The network has ordered a 12-episode reboot that will premiere on May 30, and the rapper-actor will fill in for former host Joe Rogan as part of an overall deal with MTV.

“MTV is about celebrating youth culture, and with the reinvented ‘Fear Factor,’ we are putting the power in our audience’s hands to face and overcome their biggest fears,” Chris McCarthy, president of MTV, VH1 and Logo, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to partner with Ludacris, one of the biggest global stars who has a rich history with MTV, to energize this franchise for a whole new generation.”

The original “Fear Factor” first aired on NBC in 2001 for six seasons and was among the first syndicated reality competition series. It featured the wild and the gruesome and got a lot of attention for being inhumane.

MTV’s iteration will shift focus from gross-out stunts to more lighthearted fare “custom-created for a generation that is increasingly empowered, while also more anxious than ever,” according to a statement. Stunts will be inspired by “urban legends, popular scary movies and viral videos from today’s cultural zeitgeist,” MTV said.

Apparently, that means personal cellphone rescues and challenges called “Roach-ella” and “Trap Queen.”

“MTV’s intention with the show is to empower people to overcome their fears. We’re not looking to be mean-spirited,” McCarthy told the Hollywood Reporter.

Each one-hour episode will enlist eight contestants -- paired into four teams of two -- as they face off for a $50,000 cash prize.

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Watch John Boyega in the new trailer for Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘Detroit’

The first trailer for Kathryn Bigelow’s new movie, “Detroit,” debuted online Wednesday. It stars John Boyega, John Krasinski, Anthony Mackie, Will Poulter and Jacob Latimore, among others.

From Annapurna Pictures, “Detroit” chronicles the infamous five days of civil unrest in the Michigan city during the summer of 1967. The gripping tale explores systemic racism through the killing of three young men by the police, known as “the Algiers Motel killings.”

“I’ll sleep when they stop rioting,” says Boyega in the trailer.

Bigelow, whose 2013 “Zero Dark Thirty” nabbed a best-picture Oscar nomination, is still the only woman to have won the Academy Award for best director (for “The Hurt Locker” in 2010). With such a captivating trailer, she and Boyega, known for his role in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” may both be on their way to awards-show stages.

“Zero Dark Thirty” and “Hurt Locker” screenwriter Mark Boal penned the script.

“Detroit” will open Aug. 4. Check out the trailer below.

“Detroit,” from the director of “The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” stars John Boyega and is based on the civil unrest that rocked Detroit in the summer of 1967.

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A Star Is Born: David Letterman is 70 today

(Martha Hartnett / Los Angeles Times)

I myself get tired. And you have to create the illusion of not doing the same thing night after night after night.

— David Letterman, 1985

FROM THE ARCHIVES: If it’s stupid, it must be Letterman

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‘My career is over now’: Marvel terminates ‘X-Men Gold’ artist’s contract amid controversy

Marvel has fired “X-Men Gold” artist Ardian Syaf after the controversy over the politically charged hidden messages in the first issue.

“Marvel has terminated Ardian Syaf’s contract effective immediately,” the company said in a statement that also explained that Syaf’s work will still be seen in “X-Men Gold” Nos. 2 and 3 because the next two issues of the bi-weekly series have already been shipped to the printer.

“Issues No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 will be drawn by R. B. Silva and issues No. 7, No. 8 and No. 9 will be drawn by Ken Lashley,” the statement continued. “A permanent replacement artist will be assigned to ‘X-Men Gold’ in the coming weeks.”

Featuring superheroes fighting to save humanity despite the fear and bigotry they often have to face as mutants, “X-Men” has always been political. But Marvel found their latest comic unexpectedly thrust in the conversation around the complicated religious and political reality of Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim-majority country.

Readers pointed out that it seemed Syaf, an Indonesian artist, had included some anti-Christian and anti-Semitic messaging within the pages of “X-Men Gold” No. 1. Others more attuned to Indonesian politics said the messages seemed to be referencing the current tensions around Jakarta Gov. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who is facing accusations of blasphemy against Islam and is currently up for reelection.

Elected in 2014, Purnama is the first ethnic Chinese Indonesian to be elected governor of Jakarta and the first Christian to serve in the office in 50 years. Last year, video surfaced of Purnama telling voters they were being deceived by politicians who said the Koran prohibits Muslims from voting for a non-Muslim, which led to multiple major protests.

Readers noticed that “X-Men Gold” seemed to make reference to both the Koranic passage in question as well as the date that more than 200,000 conservative Muslims rallied in Jakarta to protest Purnama.

The first reference was spotted on a shirt worn by Colossus, which read “QS 5:51” (for Quran, Chapter 5, Verse 51) while the second was the number “212” (for Dec. 2, 2016) spotted above the character Kitty Pryde on a building. Readers also noted that the latter image included a jewelry store with the first three letters of “jewelry” placed right next to the Jewish Pryde’s head.

While translations of Koran 5:51 vary, hard-line Islamists in Indonesia have reportedly used the verse to defend their views about non-Muslims (“Ms. Marvel” writer G. Willow Wilson has broken down the various interpretations of the verse in response to the controversy). Syaf also reportedly shared in a Facebook post (that has since been removed) that he was inspired by the Dec. 2 protest. In a subsequent post, Syaf revealed his “career is over now.”

As backlash to these revelations spread over the weekend, Marvel released a statement on Saturday explaining that it was unaware of the meaning of these references inserted into “X-Men Gold” and that the artwork would be removed from all upcoming versions of the issue, including the digital version and trade paperbacks.

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Alabama guitarist Jeff Cook has Parkinson’s, will ‘take a break’ from band

Jeff Cook of Alabama at an April 6 performance in Nashville.
(Al Wagner / Associated Press)

Jeff Cook, guitarist and fiddle player for Alabama, has Parkinson’s and will be taking a break from the award-winning country-rock band, he announced Tuesday.

The disease, which affects coordination and balance and causes tremors, “is making it extremely frustrating to try to play guitar, fiddle or sing,” Cook said, reading a statement aloud on video to the Tennessean with his cousins and band mates Teddy Gentry and Randy Owen at his side.

The band tweeted a picture and a link to the story, telling friends and fans, “We wanted you to be among the first to know.”

The 67-year-old lead guitarist told Owen and Gentry immediately after he was diagnosed four years ago, but beyond that had “tried not to burden anyone else with the details” of his condition, he said.

“I do not want the music to stop nor the party to end, and that won’t change no matter what,” Cook said. “Let me say I’m not calling it quits, but sometimes our bodies dictate what we have to do, and mine is telling me it’s time to take a break and heal.”

Owen told the Tennessean that in recent years, some people had speculated that Cook’s behavior was due to substance abuse.

“That’s the part that hurts so bad, for people to think that he’s intoxicated or something,” said the lead vocalist. “He’s not, and me and Teddy wanted to say a lot of things to these people.”

Cook will stop touring effective April 29 and has given his blessing to his cousins to keep the group going, with other musicians covering his parts, the paper said.

“He wants us to go on,” Owen said. “We want the music to go on. I’m going to be very honest. I don’t know if I have the fire. The only way I do, is knowing that Jeff is totally, ‘Go get it.’”

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‘We’re United Airlines, you do what we say’: Kimmel skewers the embattled airline

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel took aim at United Airlines on Monday night after video of security officers forcibly removing a passenger from an overbooked flight triggered a mounting backlash.

In the disturbing video, a man was bloodied and dragged through the aisle of the plane in Chicago after United could not find enough volunteers to deplane and take an alternate flight to Louisville, Ky.

Like many who watched the video -- which spawned dozens of memes and hashtags such as #NewUnitedAirlinesMottos -- Kimmel was incredulous.

After recapping the incident and airing the video, the host lambasted United Chief Executive Oscar Munoz for using the word “re-accommodate” in his statement apologizing for the incident. “That is such sanitized, say-nothing, take-no-responsibility, corporate BS-speak,” Kimmel said.

He then shared a mock United commercial with a benign-looking flight attendant brandishing brass knuckles, offering a profane new slogan and intoning, “We’re United Airlines, you do what we say, when we say, and there won’t be a problem.”

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Alanis Morissette isn’t buying her ex-business manager’s embezzlement explanation

Alanis Morissette.
(Steve Granitz / WireImage)

Jonathan Todd Schwartz, the business manager who admitted embezzling millions from Alanis Morissette and other clients, has penned an open letter explaining his actions — but at least one of his victims isn’t buying it.

Morissette told the Hollywood Reporter, which published the convicted felon’s apology, that she would be “apprehensive to believe” anything Schwartz said.

In his essay, Schwartz blamed his crimes on a longtime gambling addiction that was worsened by job stress and drugs.

“I lived a double life since no one other than my bookie knew I had this ‘dark’ side. At first, I ‘borrowed’ a little from clients, with the hopes that I would pay them back if I won that night’s bet,” he wrote. “That snowballed, and as I kept losing, I kept stealing. I kept telling myself that I just needed one lucky break, and I’ll pay them back.

“That lucky break never came — thankfully. I say thankfully because when I was finally caught, a bright spotlight shined on my deplorable conduct,” Schwartz said. “I could not hide any longer and hit rock bottom. By seeing how pathetic I had become, I finally got the courage to ask for help.”

After changing representation, the “Jagged Little Pill” singer sued Schwartz and GSO Business Management, her former representatives, alleging $4.8 million had been stolen from her accounts. In her May 2016 suit, she alleged that cash had been taken from her accounts and delivered to Schwartz at least 116 times, for a total of $4,767,900, from 2010 to 2014.

GSO, which sued Schwartz around the same time, promptly settled with Morissette.

In January, Schwartz admitted in federal court that he’d committed wire fraud and filed false tax returns from 2010 to 2014, stealing $4.8 million from Morissette and more from other clients whose names weren’t revealed. Under the terms of his plea deal, he’s looking at paying $8.2 million in restitution and a possible sentence of four to six years in federal prison.

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‘American Crime Story’ eyes Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal for upcoming season

Showrunners Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk are setting their sights on the sex scandal involving President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky for an upcoming season of FX’s “American Crime Story.”

Murphy, who is also behind the anthologies “Feud” and “American Horror Story,” has reportedly optioned Jeffrey Toobin’s bestseller “A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President” as source material for the next installment of his true-crime franchise, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Murphy is said to be fast-tracking the anthology and meeting with actresses to play Lewinsky, the former White House intern who claimed to have had intimate relations with Clinton, and her colleague Linda Tripp, who recorded Lewinsky talking about their “inappropriate relationship.”

The late 1990s saga resulted in perjury charges and impeachment hearings for the 42nd U.S. president that titillated and disgusted Americans for more than a year.

Murphy drew from Toobin’s book “The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson” for the debut season of “American Crime Story,” which became a smash hit in 2016 and garnered nine Emmy Awards. Toobin also served as a consultant and writer on the anthology’s first season.

Toobin’s account of the Lewinsky scandal “contends that the legal system was hijacked for political ends, a development that he says has been part of our national life for the last three or four decades, dating to the civil rights movement and Watergate,” according to The Times’ review of the book.

Meanwhile, Season 2 of “American Crime Story” will focus on Hurricane Katrina, and Season 3 will chronicle the 1997 murder of fashion designer Gianni Versace. Both are due in 2018.

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A Star Is Born: Joss Stone is 30 today

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

When I got freed from [former label EMI], I still wasn’t completely free. There were things I had to pay them for. They had a bit of this, a bit of that, so that went on for years. But now, I’m completely free. I don’t regret it at all. It taught me to be strong and happy with my core because it served me. Every time you choose to go with your gut, every single time, it’s really good.

— Joss Stone, 2015

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Joss Stone explains the worldly influences on ‘Water for Your Soul,’ her new album

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Ashton Kutcher says cheating scandal was a character-building affair

(Evan Agostini / Associated Press)

Ashton Kutcher’s divorce from Demi Moore and the cheating scandal that preceded were among the moments that set him up to receive an award for character, he said as he accepted the honor in his home state of Iowa on Saturday night.

“I’m probably the first guy to get this award who had a deferred judgment for a felony burglary for trying to break into my high school,” the 2017 Robert D. Ray Pillar of Character Award recipient said.

“I’m probably also the first guy to get this award who ever got pulled over by a state trooper while tripping on mushrooms.... I’m also probably the first person to get this award for character who had his name splashed across every gossip magazine as an adulterer, like, five years ago.”

It was actually about 5½ years ago when Kutcher, now 39 and married to Mila Kunis, allegedly romped with a woman in San Diego on the sixth anniversary of his marriage to Moore. (Fun fact: Scott Eastwood said in 2015 that the woman had been his girlfriend at the time.)

As that scandal unfolded, Kutcher said via Twitter that people shouldn’t put much stock in rumors that he and Moore were splitting up.

Their divorce was final two years later.

“Character,” Kutcher said, “comes when those magazines tear you apart for something you may or may not have done and you gotta go out and perform tomorrow with everyone looking at you like you might be an adulterer.”

He said that after his first marriage failed, he finally understood his parents’ divorce. “I felt how much loss is in there and how much love is in there and it’s not neat or clean or messy.”

Watch Kutcher’s acceptance speech here.

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Bye-bye, Britney: Spears announces final dates of Las Vegas residency

Britney Spears is leaving Las Vegas.

The pop superstar has set the final dates for her “Britney: Piece of Me” show, closing the curtain on her four-year residency as her contract with Caesars Entertainment has come to an end.

The high-octane production will return to the Axis at Planet Hollywood on Sept. 3 with 18 performances slated until her final show closes out 2017 on New Year’s Eve.

“As I prepare to say goodbye to ‘Piece of Me,’ I had no idea how magical this experience would be,” the 35-year-old entertainer said in a statement on Monday. “Having my fans from around the world come see my show has been amazing. I love Las Vegas and will miss performing this show.”

The “Slumber Party” singer continued her farewell on social media, adding, “Saying goodbye to this show is going to be SO hard.”

The headliner has revamped the show several times since its debut in 2013. In February, the oft-sold out production grossed more than $100 million in ticket sales, making it one of Las Vegas’ most successful residencies, especially with younger audiences.

“We are done with this show, and our next move is undecided,” her manager, Larry Rudolph, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We are still talking with Caesars Entertainment and other interested parties in Las Vegas.”

Spears will end the show’s current run on Saturday and will return for performances between May 3 and May 20. She’ll then gear up for a summer tour of Asia and Israel.

Tickets for the final dates will go on sale to the public on Friday.

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It runs in the family: Kylie Jenner gets her own TV series, ‘Life of Kylie’

Kylie Jenner is heading back to TV with her own docu-series.
(Rich Fury / Associated Press)

Kylie Jenner is getting her own TV show — because of course she’s getting her own TV show. It’s what you get the person who has everything, right?

“Life of Kylie,” an eight-part docu-series, will go behind the scenes of the 19-year-old’s “unique life as an entrepreneur, fashion designer, author, television star, style icon and CEO/Founder of Kylie Cosmetics,” the E! network announced Monday.

All that in eight half-hour episodes that will premiere this summer.

“This show will allow me to give them [fans] a peek inside all of the exciting things I am working on as well as some personal time with friends,” Jenner, who’s an executive producer on the project, said in a statement.

Because those peeks on her Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat accounts aren’t enough? With more than 100 million followers on those three platforms combined, Jenner would appear likely to find an audience.

In addition to “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” and its attendant reality spinoffs, there’s docu-series precedent in the family: Caitlyn Jenner’s show “I Am Cait” ran for two seasons on E!

“Life of Kylie” is produced by Bunim/Murray Productions and Ryan Seacrest Productions, which also handle the “KUWTK” mother ship.

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Pippa Middleton sets wedding date, and here’s everything we know so far

Pippa Middleton is going to the chapel.
(Tim P. Whitby / Getty Images)

Pippa Middleton is gearing up for her royal wedding-adjacent nuptials. The younger sister of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, is set to wed hedge fund manager James Matthews next month.

So whip out those frilly hats and start pouring the tea. We have a wedding to discuss here!

The younger Middleton launched on the world stage when she turned heads in her sleek bridesmaid gown at her sister’s globally watched royal wedding in April 2011. She was then dubbed the ultimate bridesmaid and launched many a fan page exalting her pert posterior.

Now, her time to shine has come. Since the 33-year-old hails from a wealthy upper middle-class family -- as does her fiancé -- the wedding is expected to be quite the society affair.

Here’s a breakdown of the details that have been reported so far:

The date: The couple is rumored to wed on May 20, according to E! News.

The ring: The wealthy banking tycoon, 41, popped the question in July while they were visiting the picturesque Lake District. There he presented Middleton with a 3.5-carat Asscher cut diamond engagement ring, according to the Daily Mail.

The dress: Still TBD. But a designer was seen visiting Middleton at home at the end of last year. She was also spotted shopping at Susan Neville in tony Knightsbridge with her mom, Carole, the Mirror said. Speaking of Carole...

The event coordinator: Middleton’s mother, Carole, is a renowned party planner who amassed her wealth from Party Pieces, a company that trades in all things festive. The mother of the bride is expected to have a heavy hand in the affair. The bride, who has written for Vanity Fair and a Waitrose food column, also penned the event-planning tome “Celebrate: A Year of Festivities for Families and Friends.” (Incidentally, the book was criticized for sharing overly simple tips.)

The venue: The ceremony will take place at her village church, the 12th-century St. Mark’s Church in Englefield, Berkshire. And it will be followed by a cocktail hour on the private estate nearby, which has been featured in “The King’s Speech,” “X Men: First Class” and “The Crown.”

The evening reception will be held in the gardens of Middleton’s parents’ lavish Bucklebury manor, which is only a few miles away.

The maid of honor and best man: Middleton served as maid of honor at the royal wedding, but it’s still unclear if Kate will return the favor. She may do a reading instead, as not to steal her sister’s thunder. Matthews’ brother, the hunky Made in Chelsea soccer star Spencer Matthews, who is quite the lothario, has reportedly been tapped as the best man.

The guest list: About 150 people are expected to attend, according to the Mirror, but the Mail estimated about 350 will show up for the low-key affair. William, Catherine and the royal babies Prince George and Princess Charlotte are on the star-studded guest list. Middleton’s royal niece and nephew will serve as flower girl and ring-bearer/page boy, according to the BBC, though rumor has it that Kate feels that her kids are still too young to take on the responsibilities.

Wills’ brother, Harry, who gets along famously with Middleton, is also on the guest list, the BBC said, though his girlfriend, “Suits” actress Meghan Markle, probably won’t be. (Middleton has reportedly invoked the “no ring, no bring” policy and didn’t give her future brother-in-law a plus-one, so it’s doubtful that Harry will get one.) Middleton’s brother, James Middleton, however, is expected to attend with his girlfriend, Donna Air.

Author and broadcaster Ben Fogle and tennis Roger Federer are also rumored to attend. The queen likely will not.

The honeymoon: The bride and groom will reportedly head off to Kenya for their private post-wedding celebrations.

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In ‘Thor: Ragnarok’ teaser, Chris Hemsworth’s superhero is having a really bad day

Thor without his hammer? That can’t end well, can it?

Chris Hemsworth’s superhero is having a seriously bad day in a new teaser trailer for “Thor: Ragnarok.”

He’s stuck on the other side of the universe while a big problem brews back home in Asgard: New baddie-on-the-block Hela, played by Cate Blanchett, is doing her best to bring about Ragnarok — see what they’re doing here? — the destruction of Asgardian civilization.

Coming between Thor and saving the world is a gladiator-style competition that includes, among other things, a familiar green face.

If nothing else, it’s proof that “The Immigrant Song” makes everything awesome.

With Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Jaimie Alexander as Sif, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner and the Hulk, Benedict Cumberbatch as Dr. Strange, Idris Elba as Heimdall and Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster, “Thor: Ragnarok” hits theaters Nov. 3.

READ MORE: Thor is still the worst roommate in new ‘Team Thor’ short

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Janet Jackson’s back in control? The new mom and her husband, Wissam Al Mana, call it quits

Janet
Janet
(Francois Nel / Getty Images)

Janet Jackson has ended it with Wissam Al Mana, her husband of about five years.

News of the breakup, reported by several outlets over the weekend, comes a little more than three months after the singer, 50, and the über-wealthy Qatari businessman, 42, welcomed a son.

Jackson and Al Mana separated shortly after son Eissa’s birth, according to People.

At that point, “The cultural differences between her and Wissam became even more obvious,” a Jackson family source told the magazine Monday. “They come from very different worlds.” Despite trying for years to adapt, Jackson “often felt she disappointed Wissam,” the source continued.

The vibe on the split was either good or not-so-good, according to Page Six, which covered all its bases in reporting the news.

The not-so-good version: Jackson thought Al Mana “had become too controlling during the pregnancy” after previously demanding that she change her manner of dress (covered up from head to toe on the street and neck to toe onstage, instead of courting wardrobe malfunctions) and performance style (bumping and grinding simply danced off into the sunset), a source told the outlet.

“It drove her crazy and she felt she was losing her fan base,” the Page Six source said.

The breakup news comes after a recent two-month visit to London — where the couple made their home — by matriarch Katherine Jackson, TMZ noted Sunday. The site also ruminated on the timing of the split, pointing out that at the five-year and 10-year marks in a marriage, many prenups increase the amount of money that would be paid out in a settlement.

While Jackson’s bank account is rumored to be $175 million to $250 million, Al Mana’s piggy bank is allegedly much fatter: He’s in the billionaires club.

This was the “Rhythm Nation” singer’s third marriage.

Updated, 10:25 a.m.: This post was updated to include information about the timing of the split.

This article was originally published at 8:39 a.m.

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Bradley Cooper, model Irina Shayk reportedly welcome first child

(Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images; Michael Loccisano / Getty Images)

Four-time Oscar-nominated actor Bradley Cooper has a new meaty role to sink his teeth into: fatherhood.

The “Silver Linings Playbook” actor, 42, and his girlfriend, Russian supermodel Irina Shayk, 31, welcomed their first child two weeks ago, according to several reports out Monday.

No details were made available, but CBS News reported that the couple had a girl. Cooper’s rep did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for confirmation. Until we know more, we’re obliged to call the new bundle of joy Baby Coopshayk.

It’s the first child for the pair, who have been dating since spring 2015 when they were spotted attending “Finding Neverland” on Broadway.

News of Shayk’s pregnancy broke in November following the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, which featured the lithe stunner walking the runway in lingerie that covered her midsection.

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A Star Is Born: Q-Tip is 47 today

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

I feel like Obama in a way. His idea that hope means not shrinking from a fight; it’s the courage to reach for something. My music is that. Those are principles I try to embody.

— Q-Tip, 2008

FROM THE ARCHIVES: A solo quest

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A Star Is Born: Kristen Stewart turns 27 today

(Stefano Paltera / For the Times)

At times, [following my creative impulse] made it difficult to adapt to such an occasionally stupid world. But I learned I can float above that, not feel moored to it. I used to think, ‘This is all B.S., it’s all about money, money, money.’ But it’s not all that way, everyone is not that way, and we can find each other.

— Kristen Stewart, 2016

FROM THE ARCHIVES: At Cannes, Kristen Stewart reminds us why she’s one of cinema’s most promising young actresses >>

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Why you have Donald Trump to thank for tonight’s ‘Juno’ live read with Ellen Page, Kristen Wiig and Tig Notaro

Ellen Page and Jason Reitman on the press tour for 2007's "Juno," which launched their careers in Hollywood.
(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

On a stage at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art last April, Jason Reitman stood before a crowd gathered for a live reading of his 2005 screenplay “Thank You for Smoking.” He had an announcement:

“It is very hard for me to say tonight that this is going to be the last one,” the director said. “I have to make movies, guys.”

After five years and 40-some odd performances, Reitman felt it was time to bring his live read series to a close. Finding actors to perform classic screenplays for free, annotating the scripts, publicizing the events — it was fun, but it was taking away from his filmmaking.

But then Nov. 8 happened. Reitman was on the Manhattan set of his upcoming film “Tully” on the night President Trump was elected, and instantly he felt his world shift.

“It was a very confusing feeling,” he recalls, sitting in his two-room office on the Sunset Strip, perched above the city lights. “People were crying. It was very hard to work. There were people who wanted to go home, and they had full permission to do so. Fortunately, that night we were shooting at a bar, so the alcohol was available. It felt like ‘Star Wars’ went the wrong direction — like the empire won. It was sad.”

After production wrapped a few days later, the 39-year-old — who is Canadian and can’t vote — grappled with how best to handle his feelings of frustration. He thought back to the live reads he’d done for Film Independent and how well-attended they had been. “And I went: ‘Oh, well, we have this great show that we did, and maybe we could use it to raise money for good causes.’ ”

His idea just happened to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the release of “Juno,” the Ellen Page-starring teen pregnancy film he’d directed in 2007. So he and the actress started talking about putting on an all-female live read of Diablo Cody’s Oscar-winning screenplay and donating the ticket sale proceeds to Planned Parenthood.

“We kept coming back to the importance of Planned Parenthood — and not its relationship with abortion, but its relationship with women’s health,” he says. “How devastating this new presidential administration has been and could be to women. I thought we could maybe emphasize that note by doing an all-women cast.”

The event, which takes place on Saturday at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel, will see Page reprise her original role: Juno, a spunky high schooler who decides to give her child up for adoption. Jennifer Garner, who also appears in the film, will again have the part of the hopeful mama ready to take in Juno’s child. The other parts will be read by new actors: Tracee Ellis Ross as Juno’s mom (originally Allison Janney), Tig Notaro as Juno’s dad (J.K. Simmons), Kristen Wiig as Juno’s older crush (Jason Bateman) and Alia Shawkat as Juno’s BFF slash baby daddy (Michael Cera).

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A Star Is Born: Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig turns 33 today

(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

You never know what’s gonna connect with people. One thing I’ve noticed is that the biggest artists tend to be the weirdest. Sometimes it’s hard to realize that because when they get so big, their weirdness ceases to be weird; it’s been mainstreamed. But think about it: The Beatles. Prince. Lady Gaga. Psy.

— Ezra Koenig, 2013

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Vampire Weekend braces for bright lights with big-idea ‘City’ album >>

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Spike TV, Comedy Central and TV Land to re-air Don Rickles comedy tribute

Spike TV, Comedy Central and TV Land on Friday announced plans to re-air “One Night Only: An All-Star Comedy Tribute to Don Rickles,” a 2014 celebration of the comedian’s life and legacy.

Rickles died Thursday morning of kidney failure. He was 90.

The special features Rickles seated at a table with close friends and collaborators, including Jon Stewart, Robert De Niro, Martin Scorsese and Jerry Seinfeld as he is lauded (and roasted) by Hollywood elites influenced by his work.

“The great thing about Don is that his jokes appeal to everyone,” Tina Fey quipped during the original broadcast, “Pollacks, Chinamen, the coloreds, broads... What, no? We’re not allowed to say that anymore? Why is he still saying that?”

“One Night Only” will air April 9 on Spike at 11 p.m. Pacific and Comedy Central and TV Land at 1 a.m. Pacific early Monday morning.

If nothing else, we’re sure Rickles would have had plenty to say about a tribute named “One Night Only” being re-broadcast at a later date.

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New motion picture academy rule makes docu-series like ‘O.J.: Made in America’ ineligible for Oscar consideration

"O.J.: Made in America" director Ezra Edelman, left, and producer Caroline Waterlow after winning the documentary feature award at the Oscars in February.
((Jordan Strauss / Invision/Associated Press) )

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced a series of new rules for the upcoming 90th Academy Awards — including, most notably, a new regulation that, had it been enacted earlier, would have rendered this year’s documentary feature winner, “O.J.: Made in America,” ineligible for consideration.

Under the new rules approved by the board of governors at its March 28 meeting, in the documentary categories “multipart or limited series are deemed not eligible for awards consideration.”

Ezra Edelman’s 7 1/2-hour “O.J.: Made in America” drew controversy among some academy members who felt it should be considered a TV docu-series rather than a true theatrical feature. The ESPN-produced project about the life of O.J. Simpson debuted at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was screened in theaters in its full form in a limited Oscar-qualifying run, but a far larger audience saw it when it aired over several episodes on ABC and ESPN.

As the academy continues to grapple with the ever-blurrier line between film and television, any future questions of eligibility for particular documentary films will be resolved by the executive committee of the documentary branch.

Among other rules announced Friday, the academy is also opening up nominations voting in the animated feature category for the first time to the group’s entire voting membership, with invitations to join the nominating committee going out to all members rather than “a select craft-based group.”

Historically, animation nominations have often spread some love toward relatively little-seen hand-drawn and stop-motion-animated films like last year’s nominees “My Life as a Zucchini” and “The Red Turtle.” With the expansion of the nominating process to include members from all branches, animation nods could end up shifting to some degree away from such quirky indie fare in favor of broader, more commercial films.

The academy also announced new regulations aimed at further cracking down on excessive campaigning.

“Prior to nominations, academy members may not be invited to or attend any lunch, dinner or other catered affair that promotes an eligible film for awards consideration that is not associated with a screening,” one new rule states.

The rule essentially further clarifies campaign regulations that were enacted in June with the goal, the academy said in its release, of “keeping the attention on the movies themselves.”

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Richard Simmons’ new business deal might bring him out of seclusion — maybe

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

A new business deal might lure Richard Simmons back into the spotlight.

Might. Maybe. It’s “possible,” his longtime manager says.

The fitness guru, who’s been missing — OK, not exactly missing, just out of the public eye — since early 2014, just signed a three-year licensing deal, License Global reported Wednesday.

There should be a “global line of thoughtful motivation and inspiration-based products” on the way soon, said Dan Levin of Prominent Brand + Talent. And why not: Over the years, Simmons has already sold a billion-and-a-half bucks worth of merchandise, according to License Global.

Michael Catalano, Simmons’ longtime manager, told the New York Times that his currently reclusive client had been actively involved in pursuing the deal and might be willing to step out publicly to promote the new products.

“All I can say, at least for now, is it is possible,” Catalano allowed.

Turns out there may have been an unintended consequence from “Missing Richard Simmons,” the podcast that brought widespread attention to the fact that the fitness star had dropped off the radar. Now, Simmons is on the radar with a whole new group of people.

“[W]ithout a doubt, a younger demo is aware of Richard as a result,” Catalano said. “At the end of the day, if it helps deliver his message to people who were unaware of it previously, fantastic.”

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TBS teases Samantha Bee’s ‘Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner’

President Trump won’t be attending this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, but that isn’t going to keep TBS and Samantha Bee from proceeding with their counterprogramming.

On Friday the network released a teaser for the “Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” special from “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” featuring “clips” from WHCDs past and Bee explaining the theme of the festivities.

“This year, a lot of people’s plans changed,” Bee intones over a shot of Trump, “so we’re throwing a party to toast the free press.”

“While we still have one,” she deadpans.

“Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner” airs April 29 on TBS.

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Olivia Munn and Aaron Rodgers have broken up, reports say

Olivia Munn and Aaron Rodgers at the Academy Awards in February 2016.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

After nearly three years together, Olivia Munn and Aaron Rodgers have broken up, according to reports out Friday.

The split was — wait for it — amicable, a source told People, which first reported the news. Post-breakup, they’re still “close friends and wish nothing but the best for each other moving forward,” the source said.

“It was Olivia that called the break,” an E! News source said.

Munn, 36, told Conan O’Brien in 2015 that when she first connected with Rodgers, she had no idea that he was a star player for the Green Bay Packers.

“All I saw was that he was, like, really attractive. I didn’t really care what he did,” she said. “I was like, you are such a big man!”

The couple went to the ESPY Awards together in July — right around the time brother Jordan Rodgers started airing some of the family’s dirty laundry on “The Bachelorette” — but an Instagram purge by Munn in October started whispers that they were on the rocks.

Rumors that they were engaged had circulated in January 2016 and were debunked by Munn, who said the magazine that first reported the story just made it up. A similar rumor bubbled up this past January too after she was photographed with big bling on her left-hand ring finger. Seems safe now to say that was a bust as well.

The E! News source wouldn’t rule out a future reconciliation but said the two were at different places in life right now.

“They were great together ... but as of now, they need time.”

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Scarlett Johansson, baffled and disappointed by Ivanka Trump, calls her ‘cowardly’

Ivanka Trump explained this week that there are many ways to have your voice heard — but Scarlett Johansson clearly doesn’t think all of those ways are created equal.

Rather, she called Trump “cowardly” and “old-fashioned” for saying she would influence her father, the president, via direct discussions rather than public protests and interviews.

Johansson was, in a word, “disappointed.”

“It’s such an old-fashioned concept that to be this powerful woman you can’t appear to be concerned with — you’re going to feel that somebody’s going to think that you’re ‘bitchy,’” the “Ghost in the Shell” actress said at the Women in the World Summit on Thursday.

“It’s so uninspired, and actually I think really cowardly, and I was so disappointed by that interview she gave yesterday.”

That interview was a sit-down the younger Trump had with CBS News’ Gayle King, where. among other things, the first daughter explained what she’d be doing as an assistant to the president and how she intended to do it.

“I think most of the impact I have, over time, most people will not actually know about,” Trump said.

Johansson — who proclaimed her own views loud and proud at the Women’s March on Washington in January — was not OK with that approach. “It baffles me. The whole situation baffles me,” she said.

The 32-year-old granted that things must be complicated for the first daughter, whom she’d met in the past growing up in New York, though in explaining herself she made one presumption not necessarily backed up by facts.

“I can’t imagine how complicated it must be to see your parent ... in the position that he’s in and know, deep down, and not so deep down, that it’s a position he never actually really wanted,” Johansson said. “And now he’s in this position, finds himself there, and I think as a daughter and as somebody that looks up to a parental figure like that, it must be pretty -- it’s a unique and strange thing.”

Trump told King that her critics shouldn’t think that because she’s keeping her mouth shut publicly on various issues, she’s doing the same in private.

“We’re in a very unique time where noise equals, in a lot of people’s perception, advocacy, and I fundamentally disagree with that,” said the businesswoman, 35.

When it comes to being heard, Trump said, “In some case, it’s through protest and it’s through going on the nightly news and talking about or denouncing every issue in which you disagree with. Other times it is quietly, and directly, and candidly.”

She wasn’t the one who’d been elected president, Trump explained, but wanted to help her father do a “tremendous” job. It wouldn’t make her a more effective advocate for her positions, she said, to go public whenever she disagreed with her dad.

Johansson would do it differently, it appears, were she an assistant to the president. “How old-fashioned, this idea that behind a great man is a great woman,” the actress said. “What about being in front of that person or next to them or standing on your own?”

You can hear Johansson’s comments above, and Trump’s below.

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‘Your Name.,’ the biggest anime box office hit ever, opens in North America today

The film that unseated “Spirited Away” as the highest-grossing anime film of all time is finally opening in North American movie theaters Friday.

“Your Name.,” a body-swap love story from writer and director Makoto Shinkai, opened on Aug. 26 in Japan before going on to earn more than $328 million worldwide to date.

And it’s done so without an extensive North American release — in order to qualify for Oscar eligibility, the film did have a one-week Los Angeles release in December.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Assn.’s winner for best animated film is opening Friday on 303 screens.

READ THE TIMES’ REVIEW OF “YOUR NAME.” >

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Jimmy Kimmel and other late-night hosts bid emotional farewell to Don Rickles

A profoundly saddened Jimmy Kimmel paid homage to frequent guest and king of insult comedy Don Rickles on Thursday night.

“I know it sounds crazy to say he was too young, but he was. Because he was youthful and funny and sharp and generous,” Kimmel explained tearily, his hands clenched in front of him in an attempt to steady his voice. “I was fortunate enough to not only have Don on this show as my guest, but also to become close to him and his wife, Barbara, which was a lot of fun for me.”

The comedy legend died Thursday morning at age 90.

Rickles, who garnered the nickname “Mr. Warmth” ironically thanks to his cutting witticisms, was actually a warm and loving individual, Kimmel said.

“He would always ask about my parents, my kids. When my uncle Frank passed away, I called [Don] and asked him to be the guest on that show. Which was a tough show. And he helped all of us through it,” Kimmel recalled. “He gave me advice. And good advice, not just the advice people give you to hear themselves giving the advice.”

Kimmel concluded his monologue with a collection of some of his late friend’s finest moments from his 18 appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

Kimmel was not alone in his late-night remembrances of Rickles. “The Late Show” host Stephen Colbert shared his own anecdote about meeting the comedian backstage at the Emmys.

“He hugged me and told me I was good,” Colbert said with a smile, emotion welling in his voice. “I felt like a made man. We all should have his career and be who he was.”

“God bless you, Don Rickles,” Colbert said. “And thank you.”

On “Late Night” Seth Meyers had his own Rickles story, which seemed a bit more in line with the public perception of him as king of the one-liners.

At a party, Meyers explained, he approached Rickles and introduced himself and stated that he was on “Saturday Night Live.”

“And he just looked at me,” Meyers recalled, “and said, ‘Oh, I was so sorry to hear “Saturday Night Live” was canceled.’ ”

Meyers then assured Rickles that the show hadn’t been canceled.

“And then he just went, ‘Ugh, a guy can dream,” Meyers concluded. “I remember thinking there’s just nothing better than getting burned by Don Rickles.”

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Paley Center to showcase Netflix’s ‘One Day at a Time’

Fans of Netflix’s reboot of “One Day at a Time” have reason to celebrate today as the Paley Center for Media announced “An Evening with ‘One Day at a Time,’” scheduled for May 4.

The event is part of the PaleyLive LA spring season and will feature a screening, as well as a panel and audience Q&A with cast members Justina Machado, Rita Moreno, Isabella Gomez, Marcel Ruiz and Todd Grinnell, as well as executive producers Norman Lear, Gloria Calderon Kellett, Mike Royce and Brent Miller.

The original iteration of Lear’s series debuted in 1975 and featured a divorced mother raising her two teenage daughters in Indianapolis.

The Netflix series debuted in January to critical acclaim and centers around the Cuban American Alvarez family, featuring Machado as a divorced mother raising her son and daughter with some assistance from her immigrant mother (Moreno).

In March, the streaming service renewed the series for a second season.

Tickets for “An Evening with ‘One Day at a Time’” go on sale to Paley Center supporting and patron members today at noon Pacific.

Tickets are available for Paley Center individual members on Saturday at 9 a.m. and to the general public on Sunday at 9 a.m.

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A Star Is Born: Jackie Chan turns 63 today

(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)

All the directors, they think about me: OK, ‘Rush Hour 4’ and ‘Shanghai Noon.’ You have to do your own stunt, Jackie. [I’d] rather do a drama, comedy drama, a love story, sing a song on the beach, running around, slow motion, with a girl, kissing. But nobody buys a ticket to see Jackie Chan in a theater kissing.

— Jackie Chan, 2013

FROM THE ARCHIVES: The very alive action star Jackie Chan wants to be a man of acting >>

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Shonda Rhimes joins Planned Parenthood national board

Shonda Rhimes announced Thursday that she is joining the national board of Planned Parenthood.
Shonda Rhimes announced Thursday that she is joining the national board of Planned Parenthood.
(Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times)

Shonda Rhimes is leveling up her women’s health advocacy, announcing Thursday that she is joining the national board of Planned Parenthood.

Rhimes, creator of TV’s “Grey’s Anatomy” and a producer, screenwriter and author, joined Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards in an interview with Elle.com to share the news, stating that Richards asked Rhimes to take on the role.

“When someone you really admire calls on you to serve, you say yes,” Rhimes said. “The fact is that women’s health is under fire right now and so to me, it feels like it’s important to help fight back.”

“When so much basic health care is under attack, as we saw just a few weeks ago as a room full of men negotiated away maternity benefits for women, it’s never been more important for people’s stories to be told,” Richards stated when asked about what Rhimes’ role will entail.

Rhimes has served on the Los Angeles Planned Parenthood board of directors for several years.

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‘Get Out’ leads all nominees at first-ever MTV Movie & TV Awards

MTV announced the categories and nominees for the inaugural MTV Movie & TV Awards Thursday, with Jordan Peele’s horror film, “Get Out,” scoring six nominations to lead all nominees.

The debut MTV Movie Awards were held in 1992, and 2017 marks the first year that television has been added to the mix.

Along with the addition of a new medium, MTV has also given its categories a makeover.

Gone are the traditional categories for best actress and best actor, replaced with gender-neutral categories for actor (in the SAG award sense) in a show and actor in a movie.

The ceremony is also adding two new categories, including best American story, given to the nominee that showcases the country at its best, and best fight against the system, which rewards the nominee trying to fight back against systemic oppression. Really.

Trailing the six nominations of “Get Out” are “Beauty and the Beast” and “Stranger Things,” each of which scored four nods.

MTV announced Wednesday that actor and comedian Adam Devine (“Pitch Perfect” and “Workaholics”) will be hosting this year’s ceremony, airing live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on May 7.

A partial list of this year’s nominees for the MTV Movie & TV Awards can be found below.

MOVIE OF THE YEAR

  • “Beauty and the Beast” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
  • “Get Out” (Universal Pictures)
  • “Logan” (20th Century Fox)
  • “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
  • “The Edge of Seventeen” (STX Entertainment)

BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE

  • Daniel Kaluuya – “Get Out” (Universal Pictures)
  • Emma Watson – “Beauty and the Beast” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
  • Hailee Steinfeld – “The Edge of Seventeen” (STX Entertainment)
  • Hugh Jackman – “Logan” (20th Century Fox)
  • James McAvoy – “Split” (Universal Pictures)
  • Taraji P. Henson – “Hidden Figures” (20th Century Fox)

SHOW OF THE YEAR

  • “Atlanta” (FX)
  • “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
  • “Insecure” (HBO)
  • “Pretty Little Liars” (Freeform)
  • “Stranger Things” (Netflix)
  • “This Is Us” (NBC)

BEST ACTOR IN A SHOW

  • Donald Glover – “Atlanta” (FX)
  • Emilia Clarke – “Game of Thrones” (HBO)
  • Gina Rodriguez – “Jane the Virgin” (The CW)
  • Jeffrey Dean Morgan – “The Walking Dead” (AMC)
  • Mandy Moore – “This Is Us” (NBC)
  • Millie Bobby Brown – “Stranger Things” (Netflix)

BEST KISS

  • Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome – “Moonlight” (A24)
  • Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling – “La La Land” (Summit Entertainment)
  • Emma Watson and Dan Stevens – “Beauty and the Beast” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
  • Taraji P. Henson and Terrence Howard – “Empire” (FOX)
  • Zac Efron and Anna Kendrick – “Mike & Dave Need Wedding Dates” (20th Century Fox)

BEST VILLAIN

  • Allison Williams – “Get Out” (Universal Pictures)
  • Demogorgon – “Stranger Things” (Netflix)
  • Jared Leto – “Suicide Squad” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
  • Jeffrey Dean Morgan – “The Walking Dead” (AMC)
  • Wes Bentley – “American Horror Story” (FX)

BEST HOST

  • Ellen DeGeneres – “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” (NBC)
  • John Oliver – “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (HBO)
  • RuPaul – “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1/Logo)
  • Samantha Bee – “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee” (TBS)
  • Trevor Noah – “The Daily Show” (Comedy Central)

BEST DOCUMENTARY

  • “13th” (Netflix)
  • “I Am Not Your Negro” (Magnolia Pictures)
  • “O.J.: Made in America” (ESPN Films)
  • “This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous” (YouTube|Red)
  • “Time: The Kalief Browder Story” (Spike)

BEST REALITY COMPETITION

  • “America’s Got Talent” (NBC)
  • “MasterChef Junior” (FOX)
  • “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (VH1/Logo)
  • “The Bachelor” (ABC)
  • “The Voice” (NBC)

BEST COMEDIC PERFORMANCE

  • Adam Devine – “Workaholics” (Comedy Central)
  • Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson – “Broad City” (Comedy Central)
  • Lil Rel Howery – “Get Out” (Universal Pictures)
  • Seth MacFarlane – “Family Guy” (FOX)
  • Seth Rogen – “Sausage Party” (Sony)
  • Will Arnett – “The Lego Batman Movie” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

BEST HERO

  • Felicity Jones – “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
  • Grant Gustin – “The Flash” (The CW)
  • Mike Colter – “Luke Cage” (Netflix)
  • Millie Bobby Brown – “Stranger Things” (Netflix)
  • Stephen Amell – “Arrow” (The CW)
  • Taraji P. Henson – “Hidden Figures” (20th Century Fox)

TEARJERKER

  • “Game of Thrones” – Hodor’s (Kristian Nairn) death (HBO)
  • “Grey’s Anatomy” – Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) tells her children about Derek’s death (ABC)
  • “Me Before You” – Will (Sam Claflin) tells Louisa (Emilia Clarke) he can’t stay with her (Warner Bros. Pictures)
  • “Moonlight” – Paula (Naomie Harris) tells Chiron (Trevante Rhodes) that she loves him (A24)
  • “This Is Us” – Jack (Milo Ventimiglia) and Randall (Lonnie Chavis) at karate (NBC)

NEXT GENERATION

  • Chrissy Metz
  • Daniel Kaluuya
  • Issa Rae
  • Riz Ahmed
  • Yara Shahidi

------------

For the record

12:40 p.m. An earlier version of this post stated that Adam Levine will be hosting the “MTV Movie & TV Awards.” Adam Devine will be hosting the awards.

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FYF Fest announces daily lineups and adds Chicano Batman, Kelly Lee Owens and more new acts

Chicano Batman
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

FYYF Fest organizers have announced a number of additions to the already stacked lineup for this year’s expanded event, along with a schedule of which days acts will play.

Set for July 21-23 at Los Angeles’ Exposition Park, the Goldenvoice-produced festival has added L.A. band Chicano Batman, Welsh singer and producer Kelly Lee Owens, Montreal-based Homeshake (Peter Sagar’s indie pop/R&B project) and DJ outfit Honey Soundsystem.

The festival’s opening day will feature headlining performances by two of pop music’s most innovative artists, Missy Elliott and Björk.

Frank Ocean will headline the following evening and FYF will wrap with Nine Inch Nails closing.

Take a peek at the pretty sweet lineup poster FYF debuted with the announcement:

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Trayvon Martin docu-series from Jay Z and Weinstein Company coming to Paramount Network

Jay Z, right, and Weinstein Company's Harvey Weinstein are working on a docu-series about Trayvon Martin.
(Dave Kotinsky / Getty Images)

A docu-series on the killing of Trayvon Martin helmed by Shawn “Jay Z” Carter and the Weinstein Company is headed to Viacom’s newly minted Paramount Network.

The six-part event series, titled “Rest In Power: The Trayvon Martin Story,” centers around the 2012 killing of the unarmed Florida teenager by neighborhood watch member George Zimmerman, in the community where they both lived. (Zimmerman was later acquitted of second-degree murder.)

Production on the docu-series will start later this year, with a premiere slated for 2018. The project is one of the first major new series for Paramount Network, which is rebranding from its current name, Spike TV. (Paramount Network will relaunch under its new moniker in January.)

“This is an important American story,” Carter said in a statement. “We’re honored that Trayvon’s family has entrusted us to share the truth with the world. Thank you, again, to Paramount Network/Spike TV for being brave enough to partner with us and tell these complex narratives. It’s through these conversations that we can begin to heal.”

The series will be based on two books: Lisa Bloom’s “Suspicion Nation: The Inside Story of the Trayvon Martin Injustice and Why We Continue to Repeat It” and “Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin,” by Trayvon’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin.

Fulton and Martin said in a statement: “We know this means a lot to this country. We continue to tell our story in order to unite people. We are very hopeful that this project will bring about a healthy and helpful conversation on the injustices that have divided society. That is also why we started the Trayvon Martin Foundation. We know as parents that the third act of our son’s legacy is hope.”

The Trayvon Martin project is a follow-up to Paramount/Spike’s recent collaboration with Carter and the Weinstein Company, previously teaming on the docu-series “Time: The Kalief Browder Story,” which concluded Wednesday night.

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Stephen Belafonte says Mel B is lying; Spice Girl’s sister calls him ‘a sorry excuse of a man’

Stephen Belafonte and Melanie "Mel B" Brown in April 2016.
Stephen Belafonte and Melanie “Mel B” Brown in April 2016.
(Richard Shotwell / Associated Press)

Mel B’s estranged husband, Stephen Belafonte, and her sister, Danielle Brown, are speaking out in the wake of the former Spice Girl’s detail-packed request for a domestic violence restraining order.

Belafonte “vehemently denies” his ex’s allegations, which include claims of emotional and physical abuse spanning their nearly 10-year marriage. That’s according to a statement his attorney gave to TMZ on Wednesday.

“When the Court determines the truth, it will become clear that this entire charade was nothing more than a smear campaign intended to cover up Ms. Brown’s own conduct during the marriage in light of her current involvement with a family television show,” the attorney said, “and in an effort to unfairly gain leverage both financially and with respect to custody of the children.”

READ MORE: Mel B’s marriage to Stephen Belafonte unravels in a slew of domestic violence allegations

In her petition to the court, the “America’s Got Talent” judge, real name Melanie Brown, said Belafonte married her after a two-month courtship while representing himself as Harry Belafonte’s son. Over the years, she claims he allegedly choked her; punched her with a closed fist more than once; forced her to lie about evidence of her injuries; and had an affair with and impregnated their nanny, among other things.

A temporary restraining order was granted Monday, telling Belafonte to stay away from his estranged wife, her kids and the daughter they share and barring him from releasing any video of her. A hearing is scheduled for April 24.

On the other side of the fight, Danielle Brown, Melanie’s sister, spoke out on Instagram on Wednesday in what she said would be her only statement, as the family mourned the death of her and her sister’s father: “8 years of abusive calls me and my mum have had stating we would never see Melanie again.I am laughing and celebrating as you were wrong.you are a sorry excuse of a man !!”

Mel B filed for divorce on March 23, a few weeks after returning home to Britain to her family before her father died. She accused Belafonte of hiding her passport to prevent her from getting home before her dad succumbed to multiple myeloma.

Before ending her statement with a bundle of nasty accusations via hashtag, Danielle Brown said, “I hope you, Lorraine Giles [sic] and Michael Bleu [sic] go to jail and rot in hell !!”

Lorraine Gilles is Mel B and Belafonte’s former nanny; Michael Bleau is now Gilles’ husband.

Gilles’ sister Jacqueline Baartz told the Mirror on Wednesday that if Mel B’s allegations of fights or a pregnancy during Gilles’ seven years as a nanny were true, she would have heard about it. “I don’t know where this is coming from,” Baartz told the British outlet.

According to Mel B’s filing, Gilles was paid $300,000 over three years by Belafonte, and he gave $60,000 to a company called Events Locker, which employed the former nanny after the singer finally fired her.

Bleau is a co-founder of Events Locker.

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That infamous Pepsi ad was the butt of jokes on late-night TV

Pepsi has moved on from its Kendall Jenner “Live for Now” ad, but pop culture has plenty of jokes left in its arsenal for the misguided campaign. Even Madonna got in on the action.

The multinational food and beverage company sparked harsh scrutiny when it released the ad Tuesday, with critics suggesting it appeared to lean heavily on imagery from the Black Lives Matter movement.

Björn Charpentier, the director of photography for the ad, told TMZ that it was actually an image from a Vietnam War protest -- wherein a woman offers a flower to heavily armed police forces -- that inspired his vision.

Let the late-night TV games begin!

On Wednesday night’s “Late Show,” host Stephen Colbert dissected the ad, which he suspected was a rally for “Attractive Lives Matter.”

“Luckily, Ms. Jenner, a wealthy young white woman, knows exactly how to handle police at a protest,” Colbert quipped.

On “The Daily Show,” Trevor Noah took a different angle, calling for more corporations to follow Pepsi’s lead.

“I think all brands need to become more woke,” Noah said, imagining how they could incorporate pressing social concerns into their advertising.

“Let’s see Coca Cola address climate change,” Noah said, as a picture of a sad Coca-Cola polar bear adrift on an ice floe was displayed. “Let’s have a wedding for Mr. and Mr. Clean!”

Meanwhile, on “Late Night,” Seth Meyers discovered an “alternate ending” to Jenner’s Pepsi commercial, which featured a black woman attempting the same protest-ending move, which starts off well but goes awry by the end.

And if all of the late-night ridicule weren’t enough, Madonna weighed in on her Instagram account Wednesday night. She posted a snippet of the Pepsi ad and recounted her own controversy with the brand.

“My Pepsi commercial was pulled 30 years ago because I was kissing a black saint,” she wrote.

Madonna later posted a cheeky classic photo of herself with a Coca-Cola in hand.

Stars: They’re just like us when it comes to making fun of corporations!

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A Star Is Born: Paul Rudd turns 48 today

(Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times)

I didn’t want to do all-American, boy-next-door stuff -- generic romantic comedies I could have had a shot at. I wanted to do lots of other things. And so, since then? I work on things I like. I didn’t see success as bigger paychecks, bigger opportunities, more fame.

— Paul Rudd, 2007

FROM THE ARCHIVES: The rapid rise of the regular guys

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MTV taps ‘Pitch Perfect’ star Adam Devine to host 2017 MTV Movie and TV Awards

Actor-comedian Adam Devine at the Hollywood Improv, where he once worked.
(Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times)

MTV has tapped “Pitch Perfect” star Adam Devine to host the network’s newly minted MTV Movie & TV Awards.

The network announced last month that its annual movie fête would be making room for television after 25 years of honoring the big screen with prizes as varied as best kiss, best villain and best shirtless performance.

The ceremony will air live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles at 8 p.m. Sunday, May 7.

“I’m so excited to host the MTV Movie & TV Awards,” said Devine, whose other credits include “Modern Family,” Comedy Central’s ‘Workaholics” and Netflix’s upcoming “When We First Met.”

Nominations are set to be announced Thursday.

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Motion picture academy launches new ‘Academy Gold’ internship program aimed at boosting diversity

A faux Oscar statue can be seen backstage during rehearsals at the Dolby Theatre for the 88th Academy Awards.
(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

In the latest step in its continuing effort to boost diversity both within its ranks and across the film business, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced a new industry-wide summer internship and mentoring program aimed at broadening opportunities for students and young professionals from underrepresented communities.

Launching in June, the “Academy Gold” initiative will strive to connect a range of companies from across the entertainment landscape with a pool of diverse young talent. All of the major studios have committed to the program, along with companies such as HBO, IMAX, Lionsgate/Starz, Panavision and Dolby Laboratories, with each partner pledging to sponsor up to three interns.

In the pilot year, more than 50 interns will participate in the eight-week program, including 15 who will be placed within the academy itself. The academy will also develop an alumni database to track the professional development of participants once they’ve completed their internships and provide them with further networking opportunities.

In a statement, the academy’s director of talent development and inclusion, Edgar Aguirre, who was hired last year, said that the program “will empower and create new opportunities for emerging and diverse talent, while engaging our membership and underscoring the impact these leaders can have on shaping the future of our industry.”

With academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs entering the home stretch of her final term in office, the move affirms that the diversity push that she helped spearhead will continue long after her tenure ends.

“I’ve been in this business a long time and I’ve seen the door open and close many times,” Boone Isaacs told the Los Angeles Times in December. “But this conversation of inclusion is really bubbling up, so I don’t think it will slow down.”

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Producer claims Alec Baldwin was aware Nikki Reed was underage when filming ‘Mini’s First Time’

Alec Baldwin's new memoir claims he had no idea co-star Nikki Reed was underage when filming "Mini's First Time," an assertion disputed by the film's producer.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Alec “Boss Baby” Baldwin’s memoir, “Nevertheless,” was released Tuesday with plenty of juicy tidbits about the accomplished actor’s career.

But one claim from the book is being vociferously disputed by the producer of one of Baldwin’s previous films.

Baldwin asserts in the book that he was unaware that costar Nikki Reed was underage during the filming of 2006’s “Mini’s First Time.” Reed played a teenager who ends up sleeping with her stepfather (Baldwin) and persuading him to murder her mother.

“I was forty-seven, and it never occurred to me to ask how old Nikki Reed was. When I found out, just as we finished, that she was seventeen, I flipped out on the producers, who had told me something different,” Baldwin wrote.

Producer Dana Brunetti, who produced the indie and went on to produce “House of Cards” and “Fifty Shades of Grey,” remembers it differently.

Brunetti went on an extended Twitter rant Tuesday afternoon refuting Baldwin’s claims that he didn’t know Reed’s age during filming and that he consequently yelled at the producers after the fact.

“It’s a lie,” Brunetti told the Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday. “Of course he totally knew how old she was. That’s why there’s no nudity in the movie. He knew before we even cast the movie. I think he’s been method acting Trump too much and he doesn’t know the difference between fake news anymore.”

Fellow producers Evan Astrowsky and director Nick Guthe both corroborated Brunetti’s version of events to THR.

Brunetti claims that Reed’s age was seen as a plus during casting because it allowed a built-in excuse to not show more nudity. Because Reed was just 16 at the time of filming, the Child Labor Board would have needed to approve the nudity, which would not have happened due to the sexual nature of the scenes.

Representatives for Baldwin did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

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Barry Manilow feared ‘disappointing’ fans if he came out as gay — but it looks like he made it

Garry Kief, left, and Barry Manilow in February 2016.
(Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images)

Barry Manilow, who for decades has kept his private and public lives separate, is opening up for the first time about his sexuality and his partner of 39 years, manager Garry Kief.

All that time, the “Looks Like We Made It” pop star was thinking about his fans, he told People, which features him on its newest cover.

“I thought I would be disappointing them if they knew I was gay. So I never did anything,” the 73-year-old said.

But in 2015, news leaked that he and Kief (who’s president of Barry Manilow Productions and Stiletto Entertainment) had gotten married in front of a few dozen guests in a surprise ceremony at their Palm Springs estate. Manilow had managed to keep the April 2014 wedding so far off the radar it took more than a year for the media to get wind of it.

The leak, he said, was both blessing and curse, given that he’d kept his private life so very private until then — even though his sexuality was an open secret among his most loyal fans. But he needn’t have worried about the public reaction.

“When they found out that Garry and I were together, they were so happy,” Manilow said. “The reaction was so beautiful — strangers commenting, ‘Great for you!’ I’m just so grateful for it.”

From the Archives: Barry Manilow knows he isn’t the coolest or the greatest, but that’s OK. He’s got ‘Fanilows’ >>

Incidentally, it was the behavior of his “Fanilows” that had the singer worried Kief would bolt after attending a Manilow concert long ago and experiencing what the star’s world entailed.

“I got into the car with him, and [the fans] were rocking the car,” said the man behind “Mandy.” “He was like, ‘I can’t handle this. It’s not for me.’”

“I’m glad he stayed,” Manilow said.

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Just how many more ‘Transformers’ movies can we expect?

Due in June, the fifth “Transformers” movie is subtitled “The Last Knight,” but it’s far from the last entry in the lucrative franchise.

In fact, according to Michael Bay, it could be just the beginning.

In a recent interview with MTV (above), the “Last Knight” director revealed that there have been 14 separate stories written for potential movies.

The glut of ideas is a result of the Marvel-inspired writers room assembled by Hasbro and Paramount Pictures in 2015 to develop ideas for future installments and spinoffs, under the guidance of Oscar winner Akiva Goldsman. The first of these, a younger-skewing “Bumblebee” solo film, will be directed by “Kubo and the Two Strings’” Travis Knight.

The “Transformers” films, based on the 1980s animated series, have so far grossed nearly $4 billion worldwide and have transformed toy company Hasbro into a powerful Hollywood entity. (It also owns the rights to “G.I. Joe,” “My Little Pony,” “Micronauts” and other child-friendly properties.)

“Transformers: The Last Knight” arrives June 23.

Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Hopkins and Laura Haddock star in “Transformers: The Last Knight.”

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Pepsi apologizes, pulls controversial Kendall Jenner ad

Well, that was fast. Less than a day after defending its new ad campaign as “a moment of unity,” Pepsi has pulled its “Live for Now” commercial and released an official statement on Wednesday.

“Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize,” the statement read. “We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are removing the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position.”

Despite the hilarity of the company referring to itself in third-person, the highlight of this mea culpa is clearly the company’s sympathy for Kendall Jenner.

Won’t someone think of Kendall Jenner?!

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Squirrel Girl fans, unite: Marvel and Freeform to team up for ‘Marvel’s New Warriors’

Freeform now has two Marvel shows in the works, according to Wednesday’s announcement that “Marvel’s New Warriors,” a live-action adaptation of the eponymously titled comic, is headed to the channel formerly known as ABC Family.

“New Warriors” centers around six young people struggling to make a difference and learn how to harness their powers, making it an appropriate fit for Freeform’s mission to deliver quality content to young adults.

Though the complete cast of characters has yet to be announced, the project will prominently feature comic fan favorite Squirrel Girl, whom several Hollywood actresses, including Anna Kendrick, have lobbied to play.

“’Marvel’s New Warriors’ have always been fan favorites, and now particularly with the addition of Squirrel Girl, they are Marvel Television favorites as well,” said Marvel’s head of television, Jeph Loeb. “After the amazing experience we’ve had with Freeform on ‘Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger,’ we can’t think of a better place for our young heroes.”

Cloak & Dagger,” the tale of an interracial teenage couple who fall in love while acquiring superpowers, is scheduled for release in 2018.

“New Warriors” marks Marvel’s first venture into television comedy, with DC beating it to the punch in February with NBC’s “Powerless.”

Though not a part of Wednesday’s official announcement, Karey Burke, executive vice president of programming and development at Freeform, told the Hollywood Reporter that Kevin Biegel (“Enlisted, “Cougar Town”) is nearing a deal to write the script and serve as show runner on “New Warriors.”

The first season of “New Warriors,” featuring 10, 30-minute episodes, is scheduled for release in 2018.

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Pepsi defends Kendall Jenner ad amid widespread outrage

Pepsi launched what’s been called a tone-deaf advertisement in which Kendall Jenner solves the American racial divide — an issue that predates the union — with a can of Pepsi Max and a smile.

The ad in question ignited a firestorm when it was released on Tuesday. The commercial features Jenner walking out of a photo shoot to join a nearby demonstration rife with imagery seemingly meant to evoke Black Lives Matter and other protests, before calming the unrest with carbonated aspartame water.

UPDATE: Pepsi apologizes, pulls controversial Kendall Jenner ad >>

While the Internet burned in reaction, Pepsi said in a statement to Adweek, “This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that’s an important message to convey.”

The company had a similar message in a statement to Teen Vogue.

“The creative showcases a moment of unity, and a point where multiple story lines converge in the final advert. It depicts various groups of people embracing a spontaneous moment, and showcasing Pepsi’s brand rallying cry to ‘Live for Now,’ in an exploration of what that truly means to live life unbounded, unfiltered and uninhibited,” the brand reiterated.

Twitter remains underwhelmed.

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India banned a movie about four women because it was ‘lady-oriented.’ It plays in L.A. this week

Disproving the ‘black films don’t travel’ Hollywood myth

Asian American media group condemns Scarlett Johansson in ‘Ghost in the Shell’ controversy

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A Star Is Born: Roger Corman turns 91 today

(Perry Riddle / Los Angeles Times)

I’ve only backed pictures with my own money, so I never had that much money to gamble on a film. People tried to convince me over the years to go public, but I was a young boy during the Depression and I saw poverty firsthand, so it probably made me more cautious. Look at all the companies that did go public — once they started spending huge amounts of money, they lost it all.

— Roger Corman, 2011

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Roger Corman: Hollywood’s original low-budget superhero >>

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Ian McKellen could have been the Dumbledore of your dreams, but for one little thing

Fans of the “Lord of the Rings” saga are well aware that there’s just one ring to rule, bring, find and bind them all — but Ian McKellen recently revealed that there could have been just one wizard to oversee all of pop culture as well.

In an interview with BBC’s “HardTalk,” McKellen said that after the death of Richard Harris, who originated the role of Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” movies, he was approached to star in the series to fill, he surmises, Dumbledore’s shoes.

The revelation came after McKellen was asked about a quote from the late actor in which Harris had said fellow thespians Derek Jacobi and McKellen were “technically brilliant, like Omega watches, but underneath they are hollow, because their lives are hollow.”

“I couldn’t take over the part from an actor who I’d known didn’t approve of me,” McKellen said.

“You mean you could have been Dumbledore?” asked “HardTalk” host Stephen Sackur.

After a pause, McKellen said, “Well, sometimes when I see the posters of Mike Gambon, the actor who gloriously plays Dumbledore, I think sometimes it’s me.”

In life, Harris was a notoriously prickly actor who once said, “I’m not interested in reputation or immortality. I don’t care if I’m remembered. I don’t care if I’m not remembered. I genuinely don’t care.”

That’s probably best, as now Harris will forever be known to some as the muggle who kept McKellen out of the Potterverse.

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‘Invader Zim’ is returning to Nickelodeon as a TV movie

Nickelodeon has announced a new “Invader Zim” TV movie.

Get ready for new “Invader Zim.” After more than 10 years off the air, Nickelodeon’s animated alien bent on conquering Earth is set for a comeback.

The network has given the green light to a brand new “Invader Zim” TV movie from series creator Jhonen Vasquez that will include original cast members Richard Horvitz, Rosearik Rikki Simons, Andy Berman and Melissa Fahn reprising their roles.

“What makes this announcement extra thrilling is the adventure that Jhonen has created for Zim,” said Chris Viscardi — Nickelodeon’s senior vice president of content development and production, animation — in a press release. “I can promise you that it is as wonderfully absurd and strangely heartfelt as any fan of the original series could hope for, and kids seeing it for the first time will love it too.”

“Invader Zim,” which debuted in 2001, follows the adventures of incompetent yet overconfident alien invader Zin (Horvitz), who’s on a mission to conquer Earth for the Irken Empire. Joining him on this quest for world domination is GIR (Simons), a taco-loving robot that dresses like a dog.

Despite Zim and GIR’s subpar disguises, the only humans who realize they are extraterrestrials are school-aged paranormal investigator Dib (Berman) and his disinterested sister Gaz (Fahn).

Vazquez will serve as the executive producer for the 90-minute “Invader Zim” movie.

“Invader Zim” joins “Hey Arnold!” and “Rocko’s Modern Life” as the third fan-favorite animated series Nickelodeon is reviving as a TV movie. The “Hey Arnold!” movie is slated to air some time in 2017.

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See Steph Curry and Shaquille O’Neal sing, dance and be generally delightful

When watching world-class professional athletes, it’s easy to forget that many of the elements that make them great at their given sports also make them great as all-around entertainers.

Luckily, Monday’s late shows after the NCAA championship game went a long way to remind us how some sports stars are destined to be stars, whether or not sports are involved.

Take, for example, Golden State Warriors phenom Steph Curry.

On “The Late Late Show” on Monday, host James Corden played at being Curry’s life coach in a segment that went on for entirely too long. But the glorious four minutes at the end where the athlete went full-on super dad made it all worthwhile.

Did you know you needed to see Curry doing “Carpool Karaoke” to “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana” with full-throated enthusiasm? Well, now you do.

To see Curry’s glorious renditions of modern Disney classics, skip to the six-minute mark and prepare yourself for all the mouth guard-chewing, “Frozen”-dueting action.

Meanwhile, Shaquille O’Neal stopped by “The Tonight Show” to lip-sync battle against host Jimmy Fallon.

This segment also goes on far too long, and it features a completely unnecessary bit with Fallon dressing as both Ariana Grande and John Legend and performing “Beauty and the Beast” by himself.

But again, it’s all worth it just to see Shaq toting Fallon around in a bridal carry and Pitbull appearing as if from nowhere wearing what appears to be elaborate Paul Shaffer cosplay.

Truly, as we’re reminded of annually at the NBA All-Star celebrity game, watching basketball stars sing is far more entertaining than watching singers play basketball. Talk about going on far too long ...

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Academy Awards dates set through 2021; Winter Olympics bump 2018 Oscars to March

((Danny Moloshok / Associated Press)

Mark your calendars, Oscar watchers, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and ABC announced Tuesday that the 90th Oscars will be held on March 4, 2018.

This year’s Oscars took place Feb. 26. Next year’s March date will give the movie industry’s biggest night breathing room after the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea, which will conclude Feb. 25.

For those who really want to get an early jump on planning their Oscar parties, the academy also set dates for the three Academy Awards ceremonies to follow: Feb. 24, 2019; Feb. 23, 2020; and Feb. 28, 2021.

The academy also announced the dates of a few other key events for next awards season as well. The next annual Governors Awards will be on Nov. 11, 2017. Voting for next year’s Oscar nominations will open Jan. 5, 2018, and conclude Jan. 12, and the nominations themselves will be announced Jan. 23.

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NOW wants Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly fired

While advertisers reconsidered running spots on “The O’Reilly Factor,” the National Organization for Women on Tuesday called for Fox News personality Bill O’Reilly to be fired.

The feminist group also asked for an independent investigation of the cable network’s workplace culture

NOW’s demands come in the wake of a New York Times report that about $13 million had been paid out by Fox News or O’Reilly himself to silence allegations of sexual harassment leveled at the host by five women who worked at the network. “The O’Reilly Factor” star has said the claims were meritless.

“Mr. O’Reilly’s case is part of a larger culture that condones the harassment and objectification of women at Fox News,” NOW President Terry O’Neill said in a statement that referenced former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes’ departure after a series of sexual harassment allegations.

Two of the complaints against O’Reilly came after Ailes was dismissed, the New York Times said.

READ MORE: Fox News faces another sexual harassment claim as Mercedes, Hyundai pull ads from ‘The O’Reilly Factor’>>

“Men like Mr. O’Reilly and Mr. Ailes will never be stopped as long as their behavior is allowed to continue, even supported, by their employer,” O’Neill said, calling the cable news station “too big and too influential to simply let this go.”

“The O’Reilly Factor” has consistently been the top-rated show on cable news. Fox News representatives did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

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Comedy Central announces new late-night series starring Jordan Klepper from ‘The Daily Show’

Comedy Central has — for the second consecutive day — announced a new show to fill its post-”Daily Show” time slot.

Jordan Klepper, with his goofy, overconfident “Daily Show” persona, has been tapped to host his own late-night talk show to air at 11:30 p.m. Eastern.

“Jordan’s talent has become so increasingly obvious it would take a real fool to not offer him this opportunity,” Kent Alterman, Comedy Central president, said in a statement Tuesday.

“The choice to entrust me with the 11:30 p.m. time slot is both incredibly humbling and deeply disturbing,” Klepper said in the statement. “Without a doubt, it has utterly destroyed my confidence in Comedy Central’s decision-making acumen. Dear God, now I have to work with these fools.”

Klepper joined “The Daily Show” in 2014 under Jon Stewart and has risen in the ranks to senior correspondent.under new host Trevor Noah, who took over in September 2015.

In its statement, the network said the new show “will look to embrace and define the chaos of our country by channeling Klepper’s steadfast attitude that institutions are to be trusted less than the lies of the mainstream media.”

Comedy Central’s 11:30 p.m. slot has seen a lot of upheaval since the departure of Stephen Colbert and “The Colbert Report” in 2014.

Former “Daily Show” correspondent Larry Wilmore originally took over the space with “The Nightly Show,” which debuted in January 2015 but was canceled that August because of declining ratings.

Rather than find a dedicated replacement for “The Nightly Show,” Comedy Central moved Chris Hardwick’s “@midnight” up a half hour, though neglected to rename it “@eleventhirty.”

Now the network seems determined to find something that will stick after “The Daily Show.”

On Monday, Comedy Central announced “The President Show,” a new program to air at 11:30 p.m. Thursdays featuring Anthony Atamanuik as President Trump hosting a late-night show from the Oval Office.

“The President Show” premieres April 27.

Klepper’s show premieres this fall.

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Marvel’s ‘Defenders’ release date revealed in teaser video

Netflix has revealed the release date of the Marvel superhero team-up show “The Defenders,” bringing together the four heroes who have already anchored their own solo shows.

The new teaser features surveillance footage showing Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter), Luke Cage (Mike Colter), Daredevil (Charlie Cox) and Iron Fist (Finn Jones) riding in an elevator together at Midland Circle Financial, before Jones angrily takes out the camera.

The video’s time code then freezes on “08:18:20:17,” a fun way to indicate the show’s release date of Aug. 18, 2017.

MORE:

First look at ‘Marvel’s Iron Fist’ and ‘Defenders’ series

Mike Colter, Marvel’s new Luke Cage, talks about the soul of his new Netflix series

Watch Marvel’s Defenders gather together for the first time at New York Comic Con

‘Smile!’ How a villain’s phrase in ‘Jessica Jones’ exposes modern-day sexism

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‘1984’ in 2017: Movie based on George Orwell’s classic screens today, nationwide

The 1984 remake of the movie “1984,” based the classic George Orwell novel that introduced terms such as “Big Brother,” “doublethink,” “thoughtcrime” and “memory hole” back in 1949, is screening today in nearly 200 theaters nationwide and around the world.

The timing of the screenings — held in response to the current political climate — is not random: April 4 is the date of the first entry in “1984” protagonist Winston Smith’s resistance diary. The late John Hurt stars in the dystopian drama as an employee of a totalitarian regime’s Ministry of Truth, whose job it is to rewrite history to support the party line.

The screenings are a joint effort by the Art House Convergence and United State of Cinema organizations. Theaters showing “1984” locally are:

Los Angeles County

  • Art Theatre, Long Beach, 7 p.m.
  • The Cinefamily, Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.
  • Santa Monica Public Library, Santa Monica, 2 p.m.
  • UCLA Film & Television Archive, Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m.

Orange County

  • The Frida Cinema, Santa Ana, 7:30 p.m.
  • Regency Rancho Niguel, Laguna Niguel, 7:15 p.m.

Contact the theaters or visit their websites for ticket information. Some screenings are free; theaters that charge admission will donate a portion of the ticket price to local charities or will use the money for future educational or community-related programs.

Five theaters in Canada and one each in England, Sweden, Holland, New Zealand and Croatia will join in the event.

------------

For the Record

1:09 p.m.: An earlier version of this article referred to the regime in “1984” as authoritarian. The regime in the book is totalitarian.

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A Star Is Born: Jill Scott turns 45 today

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)

I went to all the Grammy events and spoke on the panels. I took pictures. And I performed right before my category, which always means you’re going to win. And they didn’t say my name. I think it took me a month to recover. It was a heartbreak. At that point I realized you can hope, but don’t wish too hard. If it happens, celebrate. If it doesn’t, celebrate.

— Jill Scott, 2009

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Emmy hopeful Jill Scott on her cool African sleuth and the day her melting shoes stopped the show >>

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Asian American celebs take on Hollywood whitewashing with viral T-shirt

“Scarlett & Emma & Tilda & Matt.” Four names; one instantly recognizable message. What do these A-listers have in common? They’re all members of what some are calling the Hollywood whitewashing club, and the Asian American community is not having it.

A T-shirt emblazoned with the names of “Ghost in the Shell” star Scarlett Johansson, “Aloha’s” Emma Stone,” “Doctor Strange’s” Tilda Swinton, and “The Great Wall’s” Matt Damon went viral over the weekend when a photo of it modeled by actress Michele Selene Ang, one of the stars of Netflix’s “13 Reasons Why,” blew up on Twitter.

Ang first posted the pic to her Instagram account back in February, but the release of Paramount’s big-budget “Ghost in the Shell” adaptation prompted renewed social media interest months later as the conversation around representation in Hollywood returned to the spotlight.

The whitewashing shirts were originally made by L.A.-based comedian and performer Will Choi for a comedy showcase for Asian performers he created in response to Johansson being cast as the Major, a character who is Asian in the original “Ghost in the Shell” manga and anime.

The comedy show, co-hosted by “Gilmore Girls”’ Keiko Agena at the Upright Citizens Brigade theater and dubbed “Scarlett Johansson Presents: Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month,” was so popular that the creators turned it into a series. New installments have been timed to the release of subsequent Hollywood blockbusters with whitewashing issues, including Marvel’s “Doctor Strange,” Universal’s “The Great Wall” and Paramount’s “Ghost in the Shell.”

“The purpose of [the shirt] was to address the whitewashing issue in a comedic way,” Choi, who also runs the “Asian AF Show,” told the Times on Monday. Interest skyrocketed so much over the weekend that Choi has now made the shirt available online at $25, with proceeds going toward the cost of staging the “Asian AF Show” -- the first Asian American variety show hosted at UCB.

His friendly advice to studio execs developing future projects that borrow from Asian or Asian American stories, settings, characters, and culture?

“Hollywood just needs to try a little bit harder to include us in stories that take from Asian elements,” he said. “You’re using our culture as set pieces or accessories, and that is unfortunate. I hope things will change.

“I’m not angry about it,” Choi added. “But this is a thing that’s happening and I’m going to call it out, because that’s what we have to do to be heard. To approach it in a way that’s fun and clever, I think, gets more traction than just being angry about it by going off on Twitter. This is a way to address it in a way that’s not just me yelling at someone. It’s more, ‘You think there are no Asian or Asian American stars out there? You’re wrong! We have so many at these shows.’

“The hunger is there. People really want representation -- especially Asian Americans.”

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Blac Chyna won’t be trademarking ‘Angela Kardashian’ name

(Greg Doherty / Getty Images)

Blac Chyna won’t be a Kardashian after all — professionally speaking, that is.

The sisters Kardashian — that’s Kourtney, Kim and Khloe — have succeeded in blocking Chyna’s request to trademark the name Angela Renée Kardashian.

Chyna, 28, real name Angela Renée White, was hoping to adopt the name and own the rights to it upon marrying their brother Rob Kardashian. The volatile pair are parents to daughter Dream Kardashian, who was born in November, and have been a couple on and off since they were first linked romantically, including since Chyna’s trademark request.

The “Rob & Chyna” star, an entrepreneur in her own right, planned to use the name on social media and while working in entertainment.

According to TMZ, the Kardashian sisters didn’t want Chyna to profit from their family name, even if she did marry their brother. Legal documents filed in response to her trademark petition asked to block Chyna’s request, claiming that it would create confusion in the marketplace.

The siblings’ companies claimed they would “suffer damage including irreparable injury to their reputation and goodwill” if Chyna took the Kardashian name, People said, and asserted that she was “deliberately seeking to profit from the goodwill and popularity” by changing her name.

Chyna never responded to that petition, TMZ said.

And, as of this weekend, she and Rob Kardashian appeared to be back on as a couple, posting cuddly videos on Snapchat.

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Mike Epps apologizes for kangaroo gag that went sideways in Detroit

(John Salangsang / Associated Press)

Mike Epps regrets and is apologizing for bringing a kangaroo onstage for a gag in front of a screaming crowd at the end of his show Friday in Detroit.

“I wanna sincerely apologize to everybody,” the comic said Sunday on Instagram. “I don’t own the kangaroo and did not mean any harm to the animal it got outta hand and I am sorry.”

Video from the concert shows two men and Epps dancing around with the kangaroo, which was in a harness, on a leash and appeared uncomfortable in the noisy, confusing situation. One of the handlers picked up the animal and showed it off to the crowd, almost as if it were a prop.

“I made a bad decision. I made a bad move,” Epps told TMZ on Monday. The plan, he said, was to have the kangaroo run across the back of the stage at the end of the show and draw a laugh from the crowd, with the comic then making like he didn’t know what was going on.

“But that’s not what happened,” he said. “They ended up bringing the kangaroo up and wanting to show the kangaroo off on the front of the stage. It just made me look bad.”

Epps, who said he will be donating to the kangaroo-preservation foundation Viva!, told TMZ that he didn’t think the animal’s owner should bring it out for entertainment purposes in the future.

A rep for Epps didn’t respond immediately to a request for comment.

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With ‘The President Show,’ Comedy Central commits to peak Trump

Anthony Atamanuik as President Trump on Comedy Central's upcoming "The President Show."
(Gavin Bond / Comedy Central via Associated Press)

Comedy Central is about to go into Trump overdrive: “The President Show,” featuring Anthony Atamanuik as President Donald J. Trump if he were a late-night talk show host, is set to debut on the network later this month.

In the weekly show, “the president” will broadcast “direct from the Oval Office” at 11:30 p.m. Thursdays with a lead-in from “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah.”

With Vice President Mike Pence -- played by Peter Grosz -- as his sidekick, Atamanuik’s Trump will select from the standard menu of late-night elements, including guest interviews, desk segments and field pieces, Comedy Central said Monday in a statement. All, of course, delivered a la Trump.

“Laughing at the President is a proud American tradition and we hope not to disappoint anyone in that department,” said Atamanuik, who also created the show.

“But our political system is too broken for us to be content joking about one man, even though he is a disastrous silly little toddler boy. Mostly I’d just like to thank Comedy Central for giving us this platform to speak truth to power and if we’re lucky, end up in prison!”

Comedy Central hinted at the new show Wednesday during “The Daily Show,” when a faux hack full of Russian imagery pointed viewers to a Russian website that now redirects visitors to the show’s Twitter feed. That account fired up March 21.

“The President Show” premieres April 27.

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Martin Lawrence is engaged again: Check out his fiancee’s ring!

(Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images)

Actor-comedian Martin Lawrence is about to give marriage another shot.

The “Bad Boys” and “Blue Streak” star, 51, popped the question to girlfriend Roberta Moradfar last week. He presented his wife-to-be with a staggering engagement ring featuring personalized details -- “M (heart) R” to be exact.

Moradfar, an aesthetics nurse practitioner, shared the news on Instagram by posting a collage of photos and a note: “And I said ‘Yes!’ 3.31.2017 marks a huge milestone in my life.”

The jeweler, Iconic Jewelry, also posted a close-up video showing off the emerald cut diamond and its sparkling band.

This will be the “Martin” alum’s third marriage. He was wed to Shamicka Gibbs, with whom he has daughters Iyanna and Amara Trinity, from 2010 to 2012. Before that, he was married to beauty queen Patricia Southall from 1995 to 1997. They had daughter Jasmine Page Lawrence together; Southall is now married to former football pro Emmitt Smith.

Lawrence most recently starred in the short-lived 2014 comedy “Partners” with Kelsey Grammer and has been attached to another installment of the “Bad Boys” franchise for years.

A rep for Lawrence did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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Everybody loves ‘The Walking Dead’s’ Sonequa Martin-Green

Warning: Spoilers for the Season 7 finale of “The Walking Dead” to follow.

“The Talking Dead” turned into more than just the usual love fest Sunday as “The Walking Dead” stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Norman Reedus expressed their deep affection and admiration for departing cast member Sonequa Martin-Green.

Martin-Green, who played Sasha Williams on the long-running zombie apocalypse series, had a major role in the Season 7 finale, providing a strategic sacrifice that caught even the villainous Negan (Morgan) off guard.

To say more would be to spoil the elegant plot twist, so instead let’s talk about all the fond words Martin-Green’s co-stars lobbed her way on the after-show.

“There’s not anyone like her. She’s very unique and she’s such a fighter and does everything authentic,” Reedus said as Martin-Green sat next to him, battling back tears. “There’s not a false bone in her body. I’m really going to miss her.”

Morgan was similarly complimentary, saying that Martin-Green was “so great. She knocked it out of the park.”

Martin-Green did shed a tear eventually, taken down by a clip in which co-star Lennie James talked about the actress’ “most explosive, most fantastic” laugh and likened her departure to when Steven Yuen and Michael Cudlitz left the cast after their characters died in the season opener.

“One of the things I dislike most about this show is that you make friends with people, you become family with people,” said James, who plays Morgan Jones. “The loss of her is massive.”

Fortunately, host Chris Hardwick was quick with the Kleenex.

But weep not for Martin-Green, who joined “TWD” in the eighth episode of Season 3: She has plenty on her post-post-apocalyptic plate.

CBS All Access announced in December that Martin-Green was cast as the lead in their upcoming series “Star Trek: Discovery,” playing Lt. Cmdr. Rainsford, the first African American woman to lead a cast in the epic sci-fi franchise.

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Determined Kim Kardashian will likely use a surrogate to have another baby

(Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images)

Reality star Kim Kardashian West, who seems determined to procreate again, will likely recruit a surrogate to grow her brood with husband Kanye West.

The mother of two -- daughter North is 3 and son Saint is 1 -- has been vocal about her two complicated pregnancies and deliveries.On Sunday’s episode of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” the 36-year-old revealed that she underwent a procedure to improve her ability to carry another child, but it was unsuccessful.

“I feel like surrogacy is the only option for me,” she said, later noting that she and her husband had looked into other options to see what they were more comfortable with.

“After talking to Kanye … I always knew surrogacy was an option, now it’s my reality,” she said. “Whatever is meant to be will be.”

The urgency to have more kids comes in the wake of the life-changing armed robbery that shook the mogul to her core in October. Kardashian, once a ubiquitous force on social media, has pared down and carefully selected her public appearances and social media presence as a result.

But this weekend boasted plenty of Snapchat and Instagram opportunities. First, she took her daughter to meet up with singer Ariana Grande at the “Bang Bang” singer’s Los Angeles concert. Then, on Sunday, she attended the Daily Front Row’s 3rd Fashion Los Angeles Awards in a glimmering Givenchy couture archives gown, posing for impromptu shots while celebrating photographer Mert Alas.

However, it appears that wherever she goes, drama follows. After photos surfaced online showing a man appearing to accost the reality star and her friends reaching out in concern, Kardashian took to Twitter to clear up rumors that she had been attacked again.

“So @JonathanCheban just called me & asked if I was ok & read online I was attacked outside of Mr. Chow. Totally not true! Such weird rumors,” she tweeted, adding, “A random guy walks near me & almost bumped into me but he hit the parking meter. Not attacked me. Hope he’s ok!”

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Doris Day turns 95 today — not 93 — and she’s as surprised as anyone

Screen legend and animal-rights advocate Doris Day turned 95 the hard way on Monday: She skipped right past 93 and 94.

Upon obtaining the Ohio birth certificate of the Presidential Medal of Freedom winner recently, the Associated Press made an enlightening discovery. Born Doris Mary Kappelhoff, Day’s date of birth was indeed April 3, but the year was 1922, not 1924.

“I’ve always said that age is just a number and I have never paid much attention to birthdays, but it’s great to finally know how old I really am!” Day told the AP in a statement released Sunday.

In terms of Hollywood living legends, 1922 was a good year. Betty White turned 95 in January, nine-time Emmy Award winner Carl Reiner turned 95 in March and comic book icon Stan Lee is set to turn the big nine-five in December.

Day’s rep wasn’t 100% sure how the actress’ age got lost in time, but offered one possibility.

“The story I have heard the most is that at one point Doris was up for a role when quite young and her age may have been miswritten on the audition form,” Charley Cullen Walters told AP. “We don’t know if that’s correct, but if so it could’ve simply stuck for all these years.”

The Doris Day Animal Foundation is celebrating Day’s birthday with a social media event encouraging pet owners to post pictures of their pets with the hashtag #DorisBirthdayWish, though the group’s the website was still touting Day as turning 93.

Day established the foundation in 1978 to fund nonprofit causes that aim to help animals and those who love them.

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John Cena and Nikki Bella get engaged mid-ring at WrestleMania 33

John Cena and Nikki Bella show off her new engagement ring at WrestleMania 33 in Orlando.
(Phelan M. Ebenhack / Associated Press)

Roman Reigns may have taken down the Undertaker at Sunday’s WrestleMania main event, but the real winner of the evening was love.

After defeating the Miz and Maryse in a tag-team match, John Cena and Nikki Bella made the battle one to remember when he dropped to one knee and proposed to his longtime girlfriend.

Bella accepted Cena’s proposal, and the two are planning a SummerSlam wedding.

OK, just kidding on that last part, but it’s possible that the WrestleMania proposal will make an appearance on the next season of “Total Bellas,” the reality TV series focused on the lives of Nikki and her twin sister, Brie.

Season 2 of the E! spin-off from WWE reality series “Total Divas” is scheduled to debut later this year and will feature Cena and Nikki moving in with Brie and her husband, former WWE champion Daniel Bryan.

Now the season can feature not just anticipation for the birth of Brie’s first child, but plenty of planning for Nikki’s wedding, in addition to promotion for Cena’s upcoming film “Ferdinand” and Bryan’s role as general manager of WWE’s SmackDown Live.

Bella and Cena have been dating since 2012. This will be her first marriage and his second.

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A Star is Born: Alec Baldwin turns 59 today

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

I think the only change, or wrong turn, was when I made movies I should have gone with my instincts when I knew I was doing something for a paycheck. Like, I’d go into a room and I would do a movie and I’d say to myself, if everybody on this movie does their job perfectly — that’s a big assumption — the most we can hope for is mediocrity.

— Alec Baldwin, 2013

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Alec Baldwin chats: MSNBC show and his ‘Seduced and Abandoned’ film

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Eric Church and 16,000 of his closest drinking buddies at Staples Center

Eric Church performs Friday night at Staples Center.
(Jenna Schoenefeld / For The Times)

Was it the Roxy or the Whisky?

Eric Church couldn’t recall which of the two famed Sunset Strip venues he’d played at on a long-ago visit to Los Angeles, years before he became one of country music’s biggest stars. Either way, the sweaty gig had been one to remember, he said — for him as well as for the early adopters he thanked for helping to spread the word about him.

On Friday night, Church reminisced before a much larger crowd at Staples Center, where the singer’s latest tour stopped en route to Sunday’s Academy of Country Music Awards in Las Vegas. The singer is nominated for song of the year with “Kill a Word,” a thoughtful plea for tolerance from his latest album, “Mr. Misunderstood,” which he released with little warning in late 2015.

But if Church’s popularity has propelled him from clubs to arenas — and enabled him to surprise-drop new work à la Beyoncé — he hasn’t lost his affection for the tiny rooms he used to haunt.

“Let’s turn this place into a 16,000-17,000-person bar,” he said onstage at Staples before handing a drink to a fan in the front row. Then he revved up his song “Jack Daniels,” in which he admits that the booze in question “kicked my ass again last night.”

What was remarkable about Friday’s concert is how Church managed to create that sense of intimacy even as he embraced the scale of an arena production.

For starters, the show was long: nearly 3½ hours (including an intermission), with about three dozen songs from throughout Church’s decade-long career.

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‘The Boss Baby’ takes charge at the box office because ‘boom!’ Alec Baldwin

After two weeks of domination by Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast,” there’s a new boss in town.

In a squeaker, Fox and DreamWorks Animation’s CG-animated family comedy “The Boss Baby” claimed the top spot at the box office, pulling in a bigger-than-expected weekend estimate of $49 million in the U.S. and Canada.

Continuing to hold strong in its third weekend in release, “Beauty and the Beast” followed closely behind with $47.5 million, bringing the musical fairy tale’s domestic total to within spitting distance of $400 million and its global haul to more than $875 million.

Heading into the weekend, box office prognosticators were projecting an opening for “The Boss Baby” in the neighborhood of $33 million. But, with many kids across the country now on spring break and “Beauty and the Beast” no longer sucking up all the oxygen, “The Boss Baby” managed to handily outperform those expectations.

Reviews for “The Boss Baby” — which cast Alec Baldwin as the voice of a ruthless capitalist infant who declares with Trump-ian bluster that “cookies are for closers” — were mixed at best, but audiences proved more favorable, giving the CG-animated film a CinemaScore of A-minus.

“This was a comedic take on a great concept that audiences just gravitated towards,” said 20th Century Fox’s domestic distribution chief, Chris Aronson, noting the film proved a particularly strong draw in the middle of the country, propelled by its simple, grabby hook. “I think Alec Baldwin as the voice of the baby — boom, you’re in. I mean, come on, a baby in a suit with a briefcase!”

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‘I was Superman’: ‘Wonder Woman’ director Patty Jenkins talks lassos, capes and some superhero role reversal

“Wonder Woman” took center stage at Anaheim’s WonderCon on Saturday. The comic book convention packed the arena for the Warner Bros. panel with a crowd thirsty for new footage of Diana Prince in action. The studio was happy to oblige, with just a taste of what’s to come with the movie’s June premiere. But would the comic book aficionados be pleased?

Unfortunately, the titular character (played by Gal Gadot) was absent from the festivities, but director Patty Jenkins and executive producer Geoff Johns (who is also the chief creative Ooficer at DC Comics) were on hand to answer (a few) questions from the fans. First, they discussed at length what they believed was the essence of Wonder Woman.

“[Wonder Woman] is the best fighter in the DC universe,” Johns added.

What makes the Amazonian warrior different from the rest of the superheroes? Love.

Jenkins and Johns spent a lot of time discussing the character and said that, despite her formidable fighting skills, Diana is and always will be about love. It’s what makes her unique in the DC universe.

“She’s not the only character who has a strong moral compass and a belief system, of course, but what I like about her is that that is her mission,” said Jenkins. “Her mission is a belief of mankind and what they can be. I feel like there are a lot of superheroes who are chosen or find themselves in these positions. She’s one of the very few who believes in goodness and kindness and justice and love, who comes to our world hoping to instill that in other people, but is willing to use force if that’s what she must do, to keep mankind safe.”

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‘Right now trans visibility really matters’: Patricia Arquette’s moving words about her sister at GLAAD Media Awards

Patricia Arquette accepts the Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Patricia Arquette accepts the Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
(Emma McIntyre / Getty Images for GLAAD)

Patricia Arquette’s acceptance speech at the GLAAD Media Awards on Saturday night was nearly drowned out by the audience’s raucous applause.

The outspoken actress, who used her 2015 Oscars acceptance speech to speak out against the gender wage gap, got choked up accepting the organization’s Vanguard Award, reading a speech that focused on her sister Alexis, a trans woman who died last year because of AIDS-related complications.

“My sister Alexis challenged the movie industry at its core,” she said. “She had a very successful career as an actor and she knew she was risking losing her livelihood in living her truth, that she would lose parts in living her life as a trans woman. She risked it all because she knew she couldn’t live a life that was a lie. So whatever mark I have made in this life in activism will always pale in the light of Alexis’ bravery and the light of every trans kid growing up in America.”

Teary-eyed, Arquette added: “Visibility matters, and right now trans visibility really matters. It is not an easy life to be a trans person in the United States of America today.”

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What the film world is saying about ‘Ghost in the Shell,’ ‘Donnie Darko,’ ‘The Blackcoat’s Daughter’ and Walter Hill

The new movie “Ghost in the Shell” had me thinking a lot this week about critics, movie journalism and how the conversation around a movie can come to define that movie. In some ways a movie only comes to really matter because of conversation around it, and “Ghost” generated some inspired, thought-provoking writing, including Justin Chang for The Times, Emily Yoshida for Vulture and Alison Willmore for Buzzfeed.

The TCM Classic Film Festival kicks off on Thursday and runs through Sunday, April 9. It is always a treat because of the expertly chosen lineup, this year running from “America America” to “Zardoz,” but also for the madcap enthusiasm of the audience members. This year will be especially poignant given the recent death of network host Robert Osborne, to whom this year’s festival is now dedicated.

More movies you’ll read about in this week’s Indie Focus Newsletter:

The three-part documentary series “Five Came Back,” based on the 2014 book by Mark Harris, which covers the experiences of five Hollywood directors during World War II. Premiering on Netflix (and getting a limited theatrical run), it hasMeryl Streep as the film’s narrator, and contemporary filmmakers paired with each of the five filmmakers. The impressive casting features Steven Spielberg for William Wyler, Guillermo del Toro for Frank Capra, Paul Greengrass for John Ford, Francis Ford Coppola for John Huston, Lawrence Kasdan for George Stevens.

“Donnie Darko,” Richard Kelly’s 2001 apocalyptic suburban sci-fi teen drama. A flop on its initial release, the film built a cult following that resulted in a 2004 director’s cut and an ongoing afterlife. Both versions of the movie are being re-released in a new restoration.

“The Blackcoat’s Daughter,” written and directed by Osgood Perkins (son of “Psycho” star Anthony Perkins). The film premiered in 2015 under its original title: “February.” In an odd bit of distribution voodoo, Perkins second film, “I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In the House,” actually saw release before this, his debut. Starring Kiernan Shipka, Emma Roberts and Lucy Boyton, “The Blackcoat’s Daughter” is a horror thriller set at a girls boarding school.

And the films of Walter Hill, who is being celebrated by the American Cinematheque in a mini retrospective, with the filmmaker present for some of the screenings. Among them will be Hill’s new film, “The Assignment,” a provocative hitman revenge saga starring Michelle Rodriguez, which screens Thursday, followed by a weekend series that will include “The Warriors,” “Streets of Fire,” “The Driver,” “Hard Times” and “Geronimo: An American Legend.” Hill is a filmmaker frequently mentioned by other filmmakers as an influence for his handling of storytelling and action, making him something of a tough guys’ tough guy.

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Indie Focus hosts ‘Lost City of Z’ director and world-class talker James Gray on Monday

Filmmaker James Gray at the U.K. premiere of "The Lost City Of Z" at London's British Museum.
(Ben Stansall / AFP / Getty Images)

Our Indie Focus screening last week of Marc Webb’s “Gifted” was powered by 10-year-old star Mckenna Grace’s boisterous enthusiasm. We will be showing “The Lost City of Z,” with director James Gray on hand for a Q&A, on Monday at the ArcLight Cinemas in Sherman Oaks. It’s a chance to see the movie before its April 14 theatrical release.

Plus, Gray is a world-class talker about movies, and as I wrote in this week’s Indie Focus Newsletter, it’s a conversation I’m really looking forward to. Keep on the lookout for updates and future events at events.latimes.com.

Meanwhile, enjoy this interview Steven Zeitchik did with Gray after “The Lost City of Z’s” world premiere last fall at the New York Film Festival.

“The Lost City of Z,” Zeitchik writes, “marks the latest movie from one of the greatest (to fans) and frustrating (to some establishment skeptics) of modern American filmmakers. For its creator, it involved nearly a decade of production obstacles that included potential star Brad Pitt’s second thoughts and the pregnancy of prospective star Ben‎edict Cumberbatch’s wife — and tastemakers who scrunched their faces at a longtime chronicler of New York City immigrants and outsiders tackling empire expansion in South America.”

The movie, he continues, is “a cause for celebration to Gray’s devotees and a chance for wariness from those who’ve dismissed him before — and its own end to an improbable odyssey.”

As Gray put it, “I find an endless obsession extremely fascinating as a narrative.”

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