Today in Entertainment: Carol Burnett to receive Golden Globe award for TV achievement

“Morning Joe” co-hosts Mika Brzezinski, left, and Joe Scarborough.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

“Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski has apologized for referring to Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo as “wannabe dictator” President Trump’s “butt boy.”

During a segment discussing the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi on the MSNBC show Wednesday morning, Brzezinski questioned whether Pompeo’s comments were “the words of a patriot.”

“I understand that Donald Trump doesn’t care. … He doesn’t care,” said Brzezinski. “But why doesn’t Mike Pompeo care right now? Are the pathetic deflections that we just heard when he appeared on ‘Fox & Friends,’ is that a patriot speaking? Or a wannabe dictator’s butt boy?”

Critics were quick to point out the homophobic nature of the insult, and Brzezinski promptly apologized on Twitter for her “super bad choice of words.” (While sometimes referring to a person eager to please for personal gain, a “butt boy” is also understood as a derogatory term for gay men.)

“I should have said ‘water boy’ like for football teams or something like that,” tweeted Brzezinski. “So Sorry!”

And it’s not the first time Trump’s critics have been called out for relying on homophobic jokes in their efforts to mock the president.

Fans are pushing back against the “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” backlash, driving the song to surge in both sales and streaming.

(Eric Risberg / Associated Press)

“Baby, It’s Cold Outside” got a chilly reception on some airwaves earlier this year, but the seasonal favorite is heating up the charts, thanks to loyal fans who are pushing back against, well, the backlash.

The tune has grown controversial in recent years, due to a changing cultural climate and conversations cropping up in the wake of #MeToo, prompting some radio stations to remove the song from airplay.

But the tide appears to be turning for “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”

On Monday, San Francisco-area radio station KOIT-FM (96.5) announced that it had returned the song to its rotation after a vast majority of listeners in an online poll voted to have it reinstated.

“KOIT’s listeners have spoken, and the overwhelming message is they do want to hear ‘Baby, It’s Cold Outside’ on our station, as they have throughout the years,” KOIT program director Brian Figula said in Monday’s statement.

The radio station was one of several that had excised the song from their playlists, is now among those that reversed their original decision after fan outrage.

And it’s not just on the radio where “Baby” is gaining ground.

Billboard’s Holiday Digital Song Sales chart for the week of Dec. 15 feature three different versions of the song, with Dean Martin’s 1959 rendition at No. 2, Idina Menzel and Michael Bublé’s 2014 duet reentering the chart at No. 29, and Leon Redbone and Zooey Deschanel’s 2003 duet from the “Elf” soundtrack debuting at No. 41.

As for radio stations, they remain dedicated to giving the audience what it wants.

“More than seven out of every ten listeners who responded said although some lyrics of the song may reflect a different era and a different sensibility than today, still they love the tradition and history of the song, and want to hear it as part of their holiday season,” Figula’s statement added.

“At KOIT, we always listen carefully when our listeners take time to comment. In this case, it was very obvious what they wanted us to do.”

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Lucas Hedges finds the lightness within the dark drama of ‘Manchester by the Sea’

The late Tejano singer Selena was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 Grammys.

(Photo by Rick Corrales)

Netflix is ready to “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.”

The streaming platform has ordered a new scripted series about the life of famed Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla.

“Selena: The Series” will follow the coming-of-age of a young Selena as her dreams of becoming a professional singer come to fruition, forcing her and her family to make life-changing personal and professional choices.

The family of the late singer is involved with the project and will serve as executive producers. Moises Zamora (“Star,” “American Crime”) is attached to write and executive-produce the series, which hails from Campanario Entertainment.

“Selena will always have a lasting place in music history and we feel great responsibility to do justice to her memory. With this series, viewers will finally get the full history of Selena, our family, and the impact she has had on all of our lives,” Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s sister, said in a statement. “We are excited to partner with Campanario and Netflix to give fans a never-before-seen glimpse at our story and highlight why Selena will remain a legend for generations to come.”

Selena rose to fame in the late ’80s and early ’90s with hits like “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” and “Como La Flor.” She was shot and killed in 1995 at the age of 25 by her former fan club manager. Her death came months before she was slated to release her first crossover English-language album, which featured the hit singles “I Could Fall in Love” and “Dreaming of You.”

Jennifer Lopez famously played the singer in a 1997 biopic, which marked one of Lopez’s early breakout roles.

More recently, Selena served as the inspiration for a posthumous makeup line for MAC cosmetics that launched in 2016.

There is no premiere date yet for the series.

Hump day might be a lot more enjoyable this week thanks to Awkwafina, Laverne Cox and the Screen Actors Guild.

Cox (“Orange Is the New Black” and “Bad Hair”) and Awkwafina (“Ocean’s 8” and “Crazy Rich Asians”) are teaming up to announce the nominations for the 25th SAG Awards on Wednesday and will hopefully enliven the typical awards-show announcements with their sass and comedic chops.

The acting nominees will be revealed at 7 a.m. Pacific time at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood.

The announcement — being made on TNT, TBS and truTV — will also be carried live on each outlet’s website and social media pages, as well as the SAG Awards site.

Here’s when and how to watch:

• Live on TNT, TBS and TruTV and their websites and social media pages
• tntdrama.com/sag-awards
• truTV.comsagawards.org
• TNT’s Facebook, Twitter @TNTdrama and YouTube channel
• TBS’ Facebook, Twitter @tbsnetwork and YouTube channel
• The SAG Awards homepage

Actresses Awkwafina, left, and Laverne Cox will announce the Screen Actors Guild Award nominees on Wednesday.

(Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times)

SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris will introduce Awkwafina and Cox.

Before that — at 6:50 a.m. Pacific — nominees in the the stunt ensemble categories will be announced by SAG Awards Committee chair JoBeth Williams and committee member Elizabeth McLaughlin during a live webcast on TNT and the SAG Awards’ websites.

The 25th SAG Awards ceremony will be simulcast live on Jan. 27 at 5 p.m. Pacific on TNT and TBS and on the networks’ mobile and smart TV apps.

Kathie Lee Gifford’s announcement that she’s leaving NBC’s “Today” show reduced her on-air BFF Hoda Kotb to a sea of tears on Tuesday, and their life preserver was the box of tissues that a prop master dropped from the ceiling.

Kotb, who knew about Gifford’s departure before the live announcement, was still emotional afterward, telling her longtime co-host that she had changed her life.

“The minute you stepped into my life with both feet, everything changed,” Kotb said through tears, prompting the tissue-box drop.

“You chose me and that’s how it started,” she added. “I was thinking about everything good that’s happened in my life has happened since you came.”

Kotb, who has become a fan favorite since co-hosting the freewheeling 10 a.m. hour of the program with Gifford since 2008, said Gifford hiring her enabled her to meet husband Joel Schiffman and adopt their daughter, Haley Joy Kotb. Gifford also invited Kotb to meet her family when she first joined the “Today” team.

“Everything happened. … How does one person step in your life and change it like that? And you did that for me,” Kotb said.

Gifford, who will officially sign off the show in April, referred to Kotb as “a beautiful Egyptian goddess” and thanked their viewers for sticking with them from their disastrous early days as a “nothing burger” outside on the plaza.

“You start sharing life, and your friendship shows up on the air,” Gifford said. “We weren’t colleagues very long. We became friends and now we’re going to be friends for the rest of our lives.

“I’m grateful to God for you,” Gifford added. “God’s used you in my life every bit as much as he’s used me in yours, sweetie. That’s the way it goes. No crumbs on his table.”

Gifford has co-anchored “Today’s” fourth hour with Kotb for the last decade and is retiring from the program to pursue other creative endeavors.

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Try telling him he can’t do it all

Time’s Person of the Year recognition for 2018 is shining a collective spotlight on “guardians” in what the magazine calls “the war on truth.”

The group is made up of four journalists and a newspaper that Time says “are representatives of a broader fight by countless others around the world.”

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Carol Burnett will need to clear some space on her crowded mantel: At next month’s Golden Globes ceremony, she will pick up yet another award honoring her long and distinguished career in television.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. announced Tuesday morning that Burnett will receive the inaugural Carol Burnett Award, a new prize honoring lifetime achievement in television.

The award was teased at last week’s nominations announcement for the Globes; it’s meant to be a bookend prize to the HFPA’s Cecil B. DeMille Award for film achievement. A five-time Golden Globe winner, Burnett is also the most decorated honoree of all time in the TV category, according to the organization.

“For more than 50 years, comedy trailblazer Carol Burnett has been breaking barriers while making us laugh,” HFPA President Meher Tatna said in a statement Tuesday. “She was the first woman to host a variety sketch show, ‘The Carol Burnett Show.’ She was also the first woman to win both the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and Kennedy Center Honors.

“And now we add another first to her running list: the first recipient — and namesake — of the new Golden Globe top honor for achievement in television, the Carol Burnett Award.”

Burnett, 85, will receive the award at the Golden Globes ceremony, which NBC will broadcast live from coast to coast on Jan. 6 from the Beverly Hilton hotel.

As if British Prime Minister Theresa May weren’t in enough of a Brexit bind, now she has to deal with a biting Andy Serkis impersonation that’s making the digital rounds.

Literally biting because it’s Serkis via his immortal rendition of Gollum.

The “Lord of the Rings” actor reprised a version of the One Ring-obsessed character in a new video posted by We Wants It. Much like the Gollum of the film series, Serkis’ May has her own fixation: the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

“Oh, Precious, our agreement,” says a blue-suit clad Serkis. “This is it. Our deal … We takes back control: Money, borders, laws, blue passportses.”

But another May personality quickly rebuts: “No. It hurts the people. Makes them poorer.”

The parody features the two sides of May arguing with herself and it’s somehow both hilarious and terrifying. One personality only cares about how much she wants the “juicy and sweet” deal, while the other recognizes that there are plenty of people opposed to the idea.

“They hates the deal, all of them hates it. They wants a people’s vote,” Gollum/May says to herself.

The People’s Vote refers to the efforts of those in the U.K. calling for a public vote on whether Britain will leave or remain in the EU based on the terms of the final exit agreement.

On Monday, the real May delayed the parliamentary vote for the Brexit plan because she feared it did not have enough support to pass. The vote had been scheduled for Tuesday.

While May has defended the deal (that EU leaders have said is the only one on the table), it has been slammed by both Brexit-backers and “remainers” who oppose leaving the 28-nation bloc. As of now Britain is scheduled to leave the EU on March 29, 2019.

Sarah Hyland

(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)

After her body rejected her first kidney transplant, “Modern Family” star Sarah Hyland underwent dialysis last year and had to have a second transplant, she revealed Monday in an interview.

Recovery from that surgery has been relatively smooth, but the 28-year-old has contended with a spate of other medical issues that resulted in additional procedures.

After the second transplant, she had surgery to mitigate her endometriosis and another to repair a hernia. The chronic illnesses have resulted in six surgeries in the past 16 months, she told Self magazine, where she opened up about her tumultuous medical journey.

“I’m stable. I’m thriving. I’m super happy with life,” the 28-year-old actress said.

Hyland was born with kidney dysplasia, which causes the organs to grow debilitating cysts. She had a kidney transplant in 2012, with her father giving one of his kidneys to his daughter.

But in October 2016, her body began rejecting the transplant and — under the scrutiny of social media and the public eye — Hyland’s weight dropped, her face swelled due to immunosuppressant drugs and fluid retention and her blood pressure spiked, damaging her vision, the mag said.

The candid star said she began dialysis in February 2017 to filter her blood because her kidneys couldn’t. However, the treatment fell short and the transplanted kidney had to come out. Doctors removed it that May, then in September of that year transplanted a kidney donated by her younger brother, Ian.

“I was very depressed,” she told the magazine. “When a family member gives you a second chance at life, and it fails, it almost feels like it’s your fault. It’s not. But it does.”

Hyland felt completely helpless, she said, and for a long time contemplated suicide.

“I didn’t want to fail my little brother like I failed my dad,” she said. “I had gone through [my whole life] of always being a burden, of always having to be looked after, having to be cared for.”

The thoughts subsided after she reached out to a friend, and she encouraged others to do the same.

“It’s not shameful,” she said. “For anybody that wants to reach out to somebody but doesn’t really know how because they’re too proud or they think that they’ll be looked upon as weak, it’s not a shameful thing to say. It’s not a shameful thing to share.”

Hyland said on Instagram on Monday that she shared her story so others might “feel like they’re not alone.”

“Hopefully those that are lucky enough not to experience this will learn about something new and take a moment to appreciate their health,” she wrote.

Prince’s estate announced its first crop of re-releases Monday.

(Chris O’Meara / Associated Press)

Three albums from late music legend Prince are about to see new life in vinyl, according to a Monday announcement from the artist’s estate.

Sony’s Legacy Recordings, in conjunction with Prince’s estate, announced the first wave of physical media re-released from the artist’s catalog, making it the first time that albums “Musicology,” “3121” and “Planet Earth” have been released on vinyl.

First announced in August, the deal between Legacy Recordings and the estate aims to make more of Prince’s catalog available to fans, including rare and out-of-print materials.

“The album trilogy … celebrates a sustained period of renewed creative energy and commercial triumph in Prince’s multi-faceted career,” Legacy said in a statement.

“These three albums marked Prince’s return to the top of the popular mainstream, a position he maintained while simultaneously pushing the envelope and breaking industry norms pertaining to marketing, distribution and live performance,” the release continued.

The era encapsulated by the albums — released in 2004 (“Musicology”), 2006 (“3121”) and 2007 (“Planet Earth”) — feature several of Prince’s most iconic live performances, including with Beyoncé at the 2004 Grammys, at his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2004 and from his Super Bowl halftime show in 2007.

The albums will be re-released on Feb. 8. In the meantime, new Prince music videos are released weekly to streaming services.

When the first trailer for “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” was released in July, it delved deep into the lives of its human characters — which was fine — and was accompanied by Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” — which was awesome — and everyone seemed happy to see that the titular titan seemed to be doing OK for himself. It was arty and magnificent.

But there wasn’t any fighting. And there was barely any destruction.

And if you’re coming in here to sell me a Godzilla film, then by gosh, it had better be apocalyptic.

Luckily, most of that appears to be rectified in the second trailer for “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” which was released Monday morning.

While the humans are still hanging out in the background, wringing their hands and staring in mute disbelief, far more of the footage is given over to the wrath of the titans.

Heck, Godzilla even takes on King Ghidorah head-to-head(-to-head-to-head) and it looks amazing.

See what it looks like when the world burns, but this time the old gods are to blame.

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” is scheduled to stomp its way into theaters May 31.

It’s summer 1985 and things are still pretty strange in Hawkins, Ind.

Netflix on Sunday unveiled a teaser for Season 3 of “Stranger Things,” giving fans a list of eight episode titles to mine for clues about the sci-fi series’ new season.

The new season will reunite viewers with Chief Hopper (David Harbour), Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and their gang of middle-school outcasts, who find themselves at the center of the peculiar happenings in their small town.

The streaming giant also confirmed a 2019 release for the new season, which will center on the already announced arrival of the Starcourt shopping mall, which makes the finale episode title all the more foreboding. (Check out that earlier teaser below.)

Here’s the title list:

“Suzie, Do you Copy?”

“The Mall Rats”

“The Case of the Missing Lifeguard”

“The Sauna Test”

“The Source”

“The Birthday”

“The Bite”

“The Battle of Starcourt”

In March, Netflix announced that Priah Ferguson would return as Lucas Sinclair’s (Caleb McLaughlin) younger sister Erica, and Maya Hawke was cast in the new role of Robin.

Last week, the Emmy-winning show earned a Golden Globe nomination for dramatic television series and a supporting actor nod for Harbour, who in addition to playing the town sheriff is now Eleven’s adoptive father.

The Broadcast Film Critics Assn. clearly has a thing for crime, with Monday’s announcement of the TV nominees for the 24th annual Critics’ Choice Awards revealing lots of love for shows about skirting the law.

“The Americans,” famous for its super sneaky Russian spies; “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” and its depiction of the murder and aftermath; and “Escape at Dannemora,” with its tale of a real life jailbreak, lead all television nominees with five mentions apiece.

“Gianni Versace” and “Dannemora” are competing in limited series, with “Americans” in drama, but all four projects were buoyed by their performances, which got four nominations each.

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The Broadcast Film Critics Assn. announced its film nominees for the 24th Critics’ Choice Awards on Monday, with period black comedy “The Favourite” earning 14 nominations, just ahead of box office blockbuster “Black Panther,” which scored 12.

Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz all garnered nominations for their performances in “The Favourite,” with Yorgos Lanthimos also nominated for direction and editing.

Nipping at the heels of the two front runners are Damien Chazelle’s “First Man” with 10, “Mary Poppins Returns,” “A Star is Born” and “Vice” all nabbing nine nominations each and “Roma” with eight notices.

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Actress-turned-duchess Meghan Markle is on Time magazine’s short list for 2018 Person of the Year.

(Gareth Fuller / Associated Press)

Actress-turned-duchess Meghan Markle and “Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler joined Donald Trump, separated families, Robert S. Mueller III and Christine Blasey Ford on Time magazine’s shortlist for the 2018 Person of the Year.

Selected by the magazine’s editors since 1927, the title is bestowed on a person — or people — who most influenced the news and the world, for better or for worse, during the last year. On Monday, the magazine revealed the top 10 candidates on NBC’s “Today” show, which will also name the titleholder on Tuesday’s show. Markle and Coogler were the only entertainment figures represented during another contentious news year.

Last year, the “Silence Breakers” who spoke out against sexual assault and misconduct earned the magazine’s cover spot.

Here’s who made the shortlist this year:

Donald Trump: The tweet-happy U.S. president was named the 2016 Person of the Year when he was president-elect. Last year, when he also made the shortlist, Trump tweeted he had passed on the nominal title, though Time disagreed

Separated families: Despite weathering the fallout of putting a crying Honduran child who had not been separated from her family on its magazine cover earlier this year, Time still selected migrant families at the U.S.-Mexico border as candidates for its Person of the Year, again highlighting the battle over immigration in the U.S.

Vladimir Putin: The Russian president was named Person of the Year in 2007 and has continued to make headlines due to Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election, and his relationship with Trump. Which brings us to ...

Robert Mueller: The special counsel appointed by the Justice Department, who has been investigating allegations of Russian meddling in the election and Trump’s ties to Russia, has become a foil to the bombastic leader. Though the investigation has ensnared Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen, his former campaign Chairman Paul Manafort and several others, Trump has repeatedly decried it as a “witch hunt” for evidence of collusion with Russia.

Ryan Coogler: The “Black Panther” director and screenwriter turned a lesser-known superhero into a cultural phenomenon with his groundbreaking film, which became a critical darling and broke a bevy of box-office records while boasting a predominantly black cast.

Christine Blasey Ford: The university professor who accused U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her when they were teenagers brought the nation to a standstill with her emotional testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee in September, throwing Kavanaugh’s shoo-in appointment into question for weeks.

Jamal Khashoggi: The Saudi journalist was killed soon after he entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, and his disappearance led to widespread criticism of the Arab nation, particularly Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is believed to have ordered Khashoggi’s murder.

March for Our Lives activists: The teenagers who survived the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., assembled to take on gun control and march on Washington, D.C., to speak out against gun violence.

Moon Jae-in: The South Korean president, who helped host the Olympic Games this year, mounted a historic summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, officially bringing about an end to the war between the two countries.

Meghan Markle: The “Suits” actress who hails from California became the Duchess of Sussex when she married Britain’s Prince Harry in May, offering a fairy-tale reprieve from pressing conflicts around the world. In October, the couple announced that they were expecting their first child, who would be seventh in line to the British throne.

After a week full of new revelations from the Robert Mueller investigation, it was probably no surprise that Robert De Niro got the call to reprise his role as the special counsel for this week’s Saturday Night Live, which was hosted by Jason Mamoa with the musical guest Mumford and Sons.

With the always-on news cycle of 2018, the cold open is typically a feast-or-famine affair that benefits from standout, vaguely surreal moments — Kanye West in the White House, for example.

With so much news this week surrounding the legal affairs of the president’s inner circle, “SNL” imagined the FBI’s special counsel as the boogeyman in Eric Trump’s closet.

“Don’t be scared, it’s just me,” De Niro assured him, “your dad’s friend from work.”

Alex Moffat as a clueless Eric and Mikey Day as Don Jr. has been a solid pairing on Weekend Update, and they were natural choices given the news cycle.

Still, the segment lacked the sort of standout snap that makes the cold open the usual talking point for the episode, apart from its closing exchange. “People say you’re the worst thing that happened to my dad,” Moffat’s Eric Trump told De Niro. “No, getting elected president was the worst thing to happen to your dad,” he countered.

Watch a clip below.

Approaching the one-year anniversary of the movement’s birth, Time’s Up congratulated the women who earned 2019 Golden Globe nominations, including “Crazy Rich Asians” star and activist Constance Wu.

“We celebrate all of our sisters who were nominated for Golden Globe awards this year, including Constance Wu who became the first Asian woman to be nominated for best actress in more than 40 years,” the organization said in a statement to The Times.

(While few women of Asian descent been nominated for best actress in the awards’ 75-year history, Hailee Steinfeld, who is part Filipino, was nominated in 2017 for “Edge of Seventeen.”)

“As far as Asian Americans go, not Asian-Asians, there have been two others [in the comedy/musical category],” Wu told The Times on Thursday morning, reacting to her nomination for “Crazy Rich Asians,” the first contemporary-set all-Asian studio film in 25 years.

It is especially meaningful to receive a nomination for a leading role in an Asian American-centered story, Wu added.

In its Globes nominations kudos, Time’s Up also called out the lack of female filmmakers among this year’s all-male directing nominees.

“We are thrilled to see some progress in the diversity of artists recognized, but, once again, the best director category lacks a single woman nominee,” the statement read. “The body of work directed by women this year deserves acknowledgement.”

The Time’s Up movement was first announced Jan. 1, unveiling an initiative to battle sexual harassment in industries including Hollywood, which included a legal defense fund to help underprivileged women.

The movement called for supporters to wear all black to the glitzy 2018 Globes ceremony and speak out against harassment and gender inequality.

As of Thursday, Wu was not yet sure if there will be a repeat of last year’s red carpet call to action or similar coordinated show of solidarity.

“I don’t know if it’s going to be a clothing statement, but the solidarity and the sisterhood that we have is always there and is growing every day — so it will 100% be there at the Golden Globes,” she said. “Maybe not in terms of wardrobe, but in terms of passion? For sure.”

Read the full Time’s Up statement below:

Statement from TIME’S UP on the 2019 Golden Globe Nominations

We celebrate all of our sisters who were nominated for Golden Globe awards this year, including Constance Wu who became the first Asian woman to be nominated for best actress in more than 40 years. We are thrilled to see some progress in the diversity of artists recognized, but once again the best director category lacks a single woman nominee. The body of work directed by women this year deserves acknowledgement. While we greatly admire the excellent work honored yesterday, we are also reminded of the vast imbalances that still exist across our industry and many other industries, and remain committed to our collective work.

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Sinéad O’Connor is singing a new tune these days

Comedian Kevin Hart decided not to host February’s Academy Awards.

(Willy Sanjuan / Associated Press)

GLAAD would rather Kevin Hart hadn’t quit as Oscars host, with its leader expressing disappointment Friday morning on social media and on CNN.

“Kevin Hart shouldn’t have stepped down; he should have stepped up,” tweeted Sarah Kate Ellis, president and CEO of the LGBTQ advocacy group. “Hart’s apology to LGBTQ people is an important step forward, but he missed a real opportunity to use his platform and the Oscars stage to build unity and awareness.”

Ellis said the group “would still welcome that conversation” with the 39-year-old comic.

Hart, who got the job only Tuesday, walked away Thursday night rather than cave to “internet trolls” for old anti-gay tweets that had resurfaced after he deleted them. He later did an about-face and offered an apology to those he had hurt, saying he was stepping down because he didn’t want to distract from the awards themselves.

“We were hoping that this was going to turn into a teachable moment,” Ellis told CNN on Friday morning.

Ellis said Hart could have become an ally of the community if he had faced it, explained he had evolved and was willing to lead moving forward.

“It wasn’t the conclusion that I think everybody would have liked,” Ellis said.

The academy has yet to respond to Hart’s public exit or announce a replacement host. (But we have some ideas about who should get the gig.)

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: ‘I was terrified’: Kristen Stewart on working with Nicholas Hoult on their new movie ‘Equals’

The end is near. Or more precisely, the “endgame.”

On Friday, Marvel Studios unveiled the official first trailer for the latest “Avengers” film. The clip also confirmed the title for the project, “Avengers: Endgame,” and an April 26 release.

“Endgame” picks up where the events of “Avengers: Infinity War,” released in April, left off.

The beginning of the trailer focuses largely on Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in solitude before moving the focus to Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

The new footage also shows the return of Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, who did not appear in “Infinity War.” He was last seen in “Captain America: Civil War.”

Watch the trailer below.

(Jordan Strauss / Invision)

Kevin Hart is not going to apologize even if it costs him his Oscars gig.

The comedian took to social media multiple times on Thursday to address the backlash around his past homophobic comments that have resurfaced since it was announced Hart will host the Academy Awards in 2019.

[UPDATE: Kevin Hart steps down as 2019 Oscars host after backlash over past homophobic comments]

“I just got a call from the Academy and that call basically said, ‘Kevin, apologize for your tweets of old or we’re going to have to move on and find another host,’” said Hart in a video posted on Instagram. “I chose to pass. I passed on the apology.”

The tweets in question were those that resurfaced after it was announced Tuesday that Hart would host the 2019 Oscars by critics who pointed out the comedian has a history of making homophobic remarks (which he reportedly started deleting after the Oscars announcement).

In this latest post, Hart insisted that he had already “addressed this several times” and that he has “moved on.” He added that he was refusing to bow to any “internet trolls.”

“I’m not going to do it, man. I’m going to be me. I’m going to stand my ground,” said Hart. “Regardless, Academy, I’m thankful and appreciative of the opportunity. If it goes away, no harm, no foul.”

Hart had urged people to “stop searching for reasons to be angry” in an earlier post on Thursday.

“Our world is becoming beyond crazy. I’m not going to let the craziness frustrate me or anger me especially when I worked hard to get to the mental space that I’m at now,” Hart said in the earlier Instagram video. “I’m almost 40 years old. If you don’t believe that people change, grow, evolve as they get older, I don’t know what to tell you.”

He added in the caption: “If you want to search my history or past and anger yourselves with what you find that is fine with me.”

In addition to the comments made on Twitter, Hart was getting backlash for a joke featured in his 2010 stand-up special.

“One of my biggest fears is my son growing up and being gay,” Hart said in the special. “I’m not homophobic, I have nothing against gay people … But me, being a heterosexual male, if I can prevent my son from being gay, I will.”

As in, Hart would interject whenever his son exhibited any behavior that could be even vaguely perceived as “gay.”

When asked about the segment by Rolling Stone in 2015, Hart explained that the joke was supposed to be about his worries as a dad. He admitted it was not a joke he would make anymore, but not necessarily because he considered the joke or his attitude problematic.

“I wouldn’t tell that joke today, because when I said it, the times weren’t as sensitive as they are now,” said Hart.

More recently, GLAAD specifically called out Hart by name in their 2016 “studio responsibility index,” which examined LGBTQ representation in films released by the major studios the year prior.

“This year, there was a noticeable resurgence of outright offensive depictions of LGBT people, which relied on gay panic and defamatory stereotypes for cheap laughs,” said the LGBTQ media advocacy group in their study. “Among the worst were the Kevin Hart-starring films ‘Get Hard’ and ‘The Wedding Ringer,’ which contain more blatant and incessant gay panic humor than we have seen in a Hollywood film in years.”

In his Thursday statement, Hart chose to emphasize how people “live” and “learn” and “grow” and “mature” over the years rather than directly address any of his past comments.

“I’m in a great place,” said Hart. “A great mature place where all I do is spread positivity.”

Justin Timberlake.

(Amy Harris / Invision/Associated Press)

Justin Timberlake is sorry that the remainder of his Man of the Woods tour has now been postponed to next year while the singer recovers from bruised vocal cords, a problem that has dogged him since October.

“My vocal cords are healing but they are not all the way back to normal yet, so my doctors want me to continue to rest my voice,” the 37-year-old wrote on Instagram Wednesday night.

That means he’ll hold off on singing until next month.

“I’m really sorry,” Timberlake wrote. “I want to be back on the stage and I am doing all I can to get there quickly.”

Live Nation, the producer of the tour, confirmed on Thursday that the tour would resume in January, and tickets for the originally scheduled shows will be honored at the 2019 events.

Timberlake, whose tour accompanies his folksy fifth studio album, “Man of the Woods,” first canceled his Madison Square Garden show in New York in late October and had since postponed a slew of dates. (Though that didn’t derail his “silent interview” on “The Tonight Show” to promote his memoir “Hindsight” shortly after.)

The North American tour will now resume in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 4, according to Live Nation.

Timberlake’s Los Angeles stop at the Staples Center — originally set for Nov. 27 — is now slated for March 10, Live Nation said. He’s also been rescheduled to play the Honda Center in Anaheim on Feb. 22.

Additional appearances in Phoenix, Las Vegas, Fresno and Oakland have also been pushed back to March, and tickets for the previously scheduled concerts are valid at the respective new dates in each city. Refunds are also available at point of purchase. (A full list of the rescheduled shows can be seen here.)

(Lionel Cironneau / Associated Press)

Oscar winner Faye Dunaway is returning to Broadway to play four-time Oscar winner Katharine Hepburn.

The “Bonnie and Clyde” star will embody the legendary actress with a devil-may-care personality in Matthew Lombardo’s “Tea at Five,” marking the show’s Broadway debut and Dunaway’s return to the Great White Way after 35 years, producer Ben Feldman said in a statement on Thursday.

Lombardo has created a new version of the one-woman-show, which took audiences to 1938 as Hepburn awaited word on the final casting for the role of Scarlett O’Hara to 1983, where they witness the sunset of her health and career.

The new show will be directed by Tony Award nominee John Tillinger and will have a limited engagement in summer 2019.

Additional information, including the complete creative team, dates and theater, will be announced early next year.

Dunaway made her Broadway debut in 1961 with “A Man for All Seasons” and followed it up with appearances in “After the Fall” and “The Changeling.” However, her breakthrough happened off-Broadway when she appeared in “Hogan’s Goat,” which led to her casting in 1967’s “Bonnie and Clyde.” (She later earned her Academy Award for the 1976 drama “Network.”)

The 77-year-old actress last appeared on Broadway in 1982 in the original play “The Curse of an Aching Heart.”

Father John Misty announced that he will host a benefit concert for victims of California’s recent wildfires.

(Suzanne Cordeiro / AFP/Getty Images)

Father John Misty, the singer, songwriter and occasional Chateau Marmont pianist, announced Thursday morning the California Wildfire Benefit Concert, an evening of music to benefit victims of the recent fires.

Misty, the stage name of Josh Tillman, is teaming up with Los Angeles-based concert promoter Goldenvoice and has scrolled through his contacts for a coterie of special guests, including Haim, Mac DeMarco, Lucius, Tim Heidecker, Rostam, Jonathan Wilson, Rivers Cuomo and Weyes Blood, among others.

Set for Dec. 18 at the Theatre at Ace Hotel in L.A., the night promises to be an intimate affair: an all-acoustic session of songs from some of the area’s most accomplished songwriters, with a Steinway & Sons-donated piano to add some class.

The benefit is the latest to raise money for those affected by the devastating fires. Over the weekend, Katy Perry, Gwen Stefani and Robin Thicke raised a reported $1 million as part of the One Love Malibu Benefit Concert. Last week, garage rocker Ty Segall and friends took over Zebulon in Frogtown to make money for those in need.

Proceeds from Tillman & Co.’s event will go to the Southern California Disaster Relief Fund, created by the United Way of Greater Los Angeles in partnership with United Way of Ventura County.

In a statement Thursday morning, organizers explained that “the fund is directed at low-income families whose lives and livelihoods are affected by the current wildfires in Southern California.” Specifically, the fund focuses on longer-term support to help individuals and families in need to rebuild their lives.

Bonus opportunity: Fans will be able to bid on front-row tickets to the concert through CharityBuzz. The high-bidder will also get a commemorative poster signed by participating artists and a room at the Ace Hotel.

Tickets for the all-ages concert range from $59.50-$199.50 and go on sale Friday at 10 a.m. Pacific.

(Joe Pugliese / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: The Lowdown on ‘Hi-Fi’

Andy Samberg, left, and Sandra Oh will co-host the 2019 Golden Globes.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times; Micha Theiner / Los Angeles Times)

“Killing Eve” will meet “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” at the 76th Golden Globe Awards next month now that Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg have been announced as co-hosts of the annual show.

“They bring wit, charm and style to a room filled with the very best of film and television. It’s sure to be another unforgettable fun-filled night,” said NBC co-chairmen Paul Telegdy and George Cheeks in a statement on Wednesday.

The party-like ceremony, hosted by the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. at the Beverly Hilton hotel, will honor the best in film and television and marks the official kickoff of the 2019 awards-show season.

The three-hour telecast will air live, coast to coast, on NBC on Jan. 6 at 5 p.m. Pacific time.

Golden Globes nominations preview: 5 things to watch for, including ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ vs. ‘Roma’ »

The nominees will be announced early Thursday across 25 categories — 14 in film and 11 in television — and the winners are voted on by members of the HFPA.

“We’re excited to welcome Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg as co-hosts of Hollywood’s Party of the Year,” said HFPA President Meher Tatna in a statement. “Both Golden Globe Award recipients have continually showcased their talents in film and television, and we can’t wait see what their undeniable chemistry will bring to the Golden Globes stage.”

Oh, who famously starred as Dr. Cristina Yang on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy,” won a 2006 Golden Globe for performance by an actress in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television; a Screen Actors Guild Award for the role and five Emmy nominations for supporting actress in a drama.

Her role as an MI5 officer hunting down a female assassin on BBC America’s “Killing Eve” earned her another Emmy nomination earlier this year.

As for Samberg, the “Saturday Night Live” alum won two Golden Globes in 2014 for his work on the cop comedy “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” which recently landed at NBC after being canceled on Fox.

It won’t be the first time for him to host a major awards show either: The comedian previously emceed the Primetime Emmy Awards as well as the Film Independent Spirit Awards.

The duo take over hosting duties from recent hosts Seth Meyers, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, and Ricky Gervais.

Actress Natalie Portman, left, in a recent interview alluded to a bikini photo of Jessica Simpson.

(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times, left; Evan Agostini / Invision/Associated Press, right))

Oscar winner Natalie Portman hears you, Jessica Simpson, and agrees that women should dress and behave however they like without judgment.

That’s a different tune than the one Portman appeared to sing in a USA Today profile published on Tuesday — one that prompted a lengthy statement from Simpson calling out Portman for shaming her, particularly amid the Time’s Up era that Portman helped usher in.

Portman plays a pop star in the upcoming film “Vox Lux,” which explores the underbelly of the music industry, and in discussing the topic, she lauded Madonna but appeared to throw shade at Simpson and the industry that touted “the virgin/vixen paradigms” around the millennium.

“I remember being a teenager, and there was Jessica Simpson on the cover of a magazine saying ‘I’m a virgin’ while wearing a bikini, and I was confused. Like, I don’t know what this is trying to tell me as a woman, as a girl,” Portman, 37, told the publication.

Simpson. 38, read those words Wednesday morning and, in a missive posted on Instagram and Twitter, said she was “disappointed,” but did not indicate what magazine cover Portman was referring to.

“As public figures, we both know our image is not totally in our control at all times, and that the industry we work in often tries to define us and box us in,” the fashion designer wrote.

“However, I was taught to be myself and honor the different ways all women express themselves, which is why I believed then — and I believe now — that being sexy in a bikini and being proud of my body are not synonymous with having sex,” Simpson added.

Simpson, who made no secret of losing her virginity after she wed 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey in 2002, had said that she’s always embraced being a role model to women by letting them know they can look and wear whatever they want and choose to have or not have sex whenever they want.

“The power lies within us as individuals,” Simpson wrote.

Addressing Simpson directly (and publicly) in the comments section of the post, Portman thanked her and said she she completely agrees with her.

“I only meant to say I was confused — as a girl coming of age in the public eye around the same time — by the media’s mixed messages about how girls and women were supposed to behave,” Portman wrote.

The actress said she didn’t mean to shame Simpson and is sorry for any hurt her words might have caused.

“I have nothing but respect for your talent and your voice that you use to encourage and empower women all over the globe,” Portman said.

UPDATE

2:21 p.m.: This story was updated with Portman’s apology.

This story was originally published at 11:52 a.m.

Singer R. Kelly.

(Noam Galai / Getty Images)

Phoned-in threats cleared the house at a screening of the “Surviving R. Kelly” documentary Tuesday night in New York City, leaving the singer’s ex-wife Drea Kelly more fired up than deterred.

“[S]everal anonymous threats were called in,” Lifetime said in a statement to The Times. “As a precaution, the network elected to evacuate the building.”

The incident was investigated and concern about a gunman in the house was determined to be unfounded, a New York Police Department spokeswoman told The Times.

The R&B singer has been accused of abusive and controlling behavior toward women, especially younger ones, allegations R. Kelly has denied. Those allegations are detailed in the three-part documentary series.

Tuesday’s screening was attended by alleged victims Jerhonda Pace, Kitti Jones, Assante McGee, Lisa Van Allen and Lizzette Martinez, in addition to Drea Kelly. Also there were #MeToo activist Tarana Burke, radio host Angela Yee and former Fox News host Gretchen Carlson. Burke and Yee were to have been part of a panel with Lifetime executive producer Brie Miranda Bryant.

“They thought they were putting us out; they just put gasoline on a fire and now we’re just gonna burn longer and stronger. You actually helped us when it was meant to harm us [because] this did nothing but unite us even more,” Drea Kelly told Rolling Stone.

The incident “lets me know we’re on the right track. We’re causing people to listen. We’re getting people’s attention and we’re getting attention from the one who thought that he was invincible and untouchable,” she said.

“Surviving R. Kelly” airs Jan. 3-5 on Lifetime.

Offset, left, and Cardi B arrive at the American Music Awards in October.

(Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press)

A little more than a year after they secretly wed, rappers Cardi B and Offset have split, according to Cardi B, who announced the break-up in an Instagram video on Tuesday night.

“Things just haven’t been working out between us for a long time. And it’s nobody’s fault, it’s just like I guess, we grew out of love,” the Okurr-trilling, “I Like It” rapper said.

“We’re not together anymore. It might take time to get a divorce, but I’m always gonna have a lot of love for him because he is my daughter’s father,” she added.

Cardi and Offset, a member of the rap trio Migos, secretly wed in Georgia in September 2017 before the arrival of their daughter, Kulture, who’s now nearly 5 months old.

Cardi, 26, real name Belcalis Marlenis Almanzar, said that they remain good friends and business partners “who got a lot of love for each other.”

Offset, also 26, real name Kiari Kendrall Cephus, very publicly proposed to the “Bodak Yellow” MC in October and the two often discussed their plans for a blowout celebration. Then news of their actual marriage — and marriage certificate — leaked in June and the two welcomed their baby girl in July.

Reps for Cardi and Offset did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment.

(Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Joan Didion writes through ‘Blue Nights’

Kevin Hart will be hosting the Oscars next year.

(Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times)

Stepping into what is often considered one of the most difficult – and at times thankless — gigs in Hollywood, Kevin Hart is set to host the 91st Academy Awards.

The stand-up comedian and actor made the announcement himself Tuesday on Instagram, promising, “I will be sure to make this years Oscars a special one.”

“For years I have been asked if I would ever Host the Oscars and my answer was always the same,” Hart wrote. “I said that it would be the opportunity of a lifetime for me as a comedian and that it will happen when it’s suppose to.”

In tapping Hart, who has starred in box-office hits like “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” and “Central Intelligence�