Contestants on Jeopardy! have caused an uproar on the internet after no one could guess the answer to a $200 clue. Not only was the clue straightforward, but it was actually part of the beloved game show’s history. Keep reading to see what the clue was and why fans are so upset.
Jeopardy! Contestants Freeze On Easy $200 Clue
On Monday night, Amy Hummell scored her fourth win on Jeopardy!, reaching a total of $85,974. The ER doctor from Milwaukee, Wisconsin went up against Kirsten Lundquist and Ferdinand Percentie.
Before she won the episode, Amy and the other contestants encountered a clue that none of them could answer. What surprised fans was that the clue was literally part of Jeopardy! history.
Underneath the category “Greater Than, Less Than, or Equal To” for $200, the clue asked, “One statute mile is equal to this number of feet.”
The three contestants froze. Only Kirsten buzzed in to answer.
Jeopardy! Contestants Freeze On Easy $200 Clue
On Monday night, Amy Hummell scored her fourth win on Jeopardy!, reaching a total of $85,974. The ER doctor from Milwaukee, Wisconsin went up against Kirsten Lundquist and Ferdinand Percentie.
Before she won the episode, Amy and the other contestants encountered a clue that none of them could answer. What surprised fans was that the clue was literally part of Jeopardy! history.
Underneath the category “Greater Than, Less Than, or Equal To” for $200, the clue asked, “One statute mile is equal to this number of feet.”
The three contestants froze. Only Kirsten buzzed in to answer.
- 5/3/2024
- by Amanda Blankenship
- TV Shows Ace
Pat Sajak’s final run on Wheel of Fortune is quickly coming to a close. After more than four decades as host of the iconic game show, Sajak’s final episode will air on Friday, June 7, Deadline has confirmed.
Sajak’s farewell episode, which tapes today, will serve as Wheel‘s Season 41 finale.
Sajak announced in June 2023 that he was ready to retire as host from the syndicated game show, and Season 41 would be his last. He agreed to stay on as a consultant on the show for three years following his final year hosting, said Suzanne Prete, EVP Game Shows at Sony Pictures Television, when Sajak announced his retirement.
Sajak and longtime colleague Vanna White signed contract extensions in 2021 that take them through the current season. He has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981 and has won three Emmys for his work, not counting the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award he received from the TV Academy.
Sajak’s farewell episode, which tapes today, will serve as Wheel‘s Season 41 finale.
Sajak announced in June 2023 that he was ready to retire as host from the syndicated game show, and Season 41 would be his last. He agreed to stay on as a consultant on the show for three years following his final year hosting, said Suzanne Prete, EVP Game Shows at Sony Pictures Television, when Sajak announced his retirement.
Sajak and longtime colleague Vanna White signed contract extensions in 2021 that take them through the current season. He has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981 and has won three Emmys for his work, not counting the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award he received from the TV Academy.
- 4/5/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Jean-Paul Vignon, the romantic French vocalist and actor who impressed audiences on both sides of the Atlantic during an eight-decade career, died March 22 of liver cancer in Beverly Hills, his family announced. He was 89.
Performing a repertoire of contemporary pop and American standards, Vignon debuted in the U.S. in 1963 at the famed New York supper club The Blue Angel, where he opened for stand-up comic Woody Allen.
Ed Sullivan would soon showcase him on his Sunday night CBS variety show in eight appearances — including one in which he sang a duet with young Liza Minnelli — and he became a regular guest on Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin’s programs.
Signed to Columbia Records, Vignon released his first U.S. album, Because I Love You, in 1964. Three years later, he had a supporting role opposite William Holden and Cliff Robertson in the World War II film The Devil’s Brigade.
In...
Performing a repertoire of contemporary pop and American standards, Vignon debuted in the U.S. in 1963 at the famed New York supper club The Blue Angel, where he opened for stand-up comic Woody Allen.
Ed Sullivan would soon showcase him on his Sunday night CBS variety show in eight appearances — including one in which he sang a duet with young Liza Minnelli — and he became a regular guest on Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin’s programs.
Signed to Columbia Records, Vignon released his first U.S. album, Because I Love You, in 1964. Three years later, he had a supporting role opposite William Holden and Cliff Robertson in the World War II film The Devil’s Brigade.
In...
- 4/3/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jean-Paul Vignon, a French actor and vocalist who frequently lent his Gallic accent to Hollywood productions, died of liver cancer on March 22 in Beverly Hills, Calif. He was 89.
Among his notable work, Vignon lent his voice to Marc Webb’s romantic comedy “(500) Days of Summer” as the French narrator. His voice appears when the lovelorn Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) goes to the movies by himself after Summer (Zoey Descanel) breaks up with him, only to fall asleep and dream of a black-and-white French film that speaks to his “suffering.”
Vignon voiced one of Robin Hood’s Merry Men in the first “Shrek” film, part of a group of antagonists encountered by Shrek, Fiona and Donkey along their journey to Duloc. He also voiced the character Gena in the animated feature “The Adventures of Cheburashka and Friends,” which features the titular Russian cartoon character.
Among his other acting credits, Vignon also appeared...
Among his notable work, Vignon lent his voice to Marc Webb’s romantic comedy “(500) Days of Summer” as the French narrator. His voice appears when the lovelorn Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) goes to the movies by himself after Summer (Zoey Descanel) breaks up with him, only to fall asleep and dream of a black-and-white French film that speaks to his “suffering.”
Vignon voiced one of Robin Hood’s Merry Men in the first “Shrek” film, part of a group of antagonists encountered by Shrek, Fiona and Donkey along their journey to Duloc. He also voiced the character Gena in the animated feature “The Adventures of Cheburashka and Friends,” which features the titular Russian cartoon character.
Among his other acting credits, Vignon also appeared...
- 4/3/2024
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
Joe Flaherty, founding member of “Sctv” and ubiquitous comic actor for decades including a stint as the Dad on “Freaks and Geeks,” has died at the age of 82, according to multiple reports.
The Pittsburgh-born performer (a rare American in the Canadian comedy sphere) got his start with the Chicago-based Second City Theater, first appearing on the “National Lampoon Radio Hour” before resettling in Toronto to become part of Second City’s core in the Great White North. He was one of the initial writer/performers on “Sctv,” a vanguard sketch comedy series co-starring John Candy, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O’Hara, Harold Ramis (for a little while), Dave Thomas, and, later, Martin Short, that mixed parody programming with behind-the-scenes shenanigans at a low rent television station in “Mellonville.” Indeed, if “Sctv” could be said to have a main character, it would be Flaherty’s Guy Caballero, the corrupt,...
The Pittsburgh-born performer (a rare American in the Canadian comedy sphere) got his start with the Chicago-based Second City Theater, first appearing on the “National Lampoon Radio Hour” before resettling in Toronto to become part of Second City’s core in the Great White North. He was one of the initial writer/performers on “Sctv,” a vanguard sketch comedy series co-starring John Candy, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O’Hara, Harold Ramis (for a little while), Dave Thomas, and, later, Martin Short, that mixed parody programming with behind-the-scenes shenanigans at a low rent television station in “Mellonville.” Indeed, if “Sctv” could be said to have a main character, it would be Flaherty’s Guy Caballero, the corrupt,...
- 4/2/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Recently, Jeopardy! Offered a strange tribute to announcer, Johnny Gilbert. However, the creation has fans and Johnny alike in amusement.
Johnny Gilbert Gets A Bizarre Tribute From Co-hosts
In 1984, Johnny Gilbert joined the crew of Jeopardy! Since taking over the role, he the only cast member in every episode of the show. In honor of Johnny’s huge accomplishments, Jeopardy! co-hosts made a big bizarre gesture. On the official Instagram page, they detail an intricate cake sculpting process of the long-time TV announcer’s face and body. Who wouldn’t be surprised by a replica of themselves in cake form?
Johnny Gilbert Receives The Gesture With Grace
In the Jeopardy! video, the artist is using modeling chocolate and fondant icing to create a miniature Johnny Gilbert. Additionally, fitting him to a tee, the tiny figure sports the signature silver and red coat and a headset. Furthermore, the little chocolate hand...
Johnny Gilbert Gets A Bizarre Tribute From Co-hosts
In 1984, Johnny Gilbert joined the crew of Jeopardy! Since taking over the role, he the only cast member in every episode of the show. In honor of Johnny’s huge accomplishments, Jeopardy! co-hosts made a big bizarre gesture. On the official Instagram page, they detail an intricate cake sculpting process of the long-time TV announcer’s face and body. Who wouldn’t be surprised by a replica of themselves in cake form?
Johnny Gilbert Receives The Gesture With Grace
In the Jeopardy! video, the artist is using modeling chocolate and fondant icing to create a miniature Johnny Gilbert. Additionally, fitting him to a tee, the tiny figure sports the signature silver and red coat and a headset. Furthermore, the little chocolate hand...
- 4/1/2024
- by Bonnie Kaiser-Gambill
- TV Shows Ace
Jeff Margolis will never forget his first time directing the Academy Awards — we won’t let him.
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the 61st Academy Awards. You may not remember that “Rain Man” won Best Picture, Barry Levinson Best Director, Dustin Hoffman Best Actor, and Jodie Foster Best Actress for “The Accused.” But seared into our collective subconscious is the production number that opened the show — already, you’re cringing at the thought — featuring Snow White and Rob Lowe.
To this day, clickbait headlines (from The Guardian in 2019: “How Snow White and Some Coconuts Killed the 1989 Oscars”) are a testament to that debacle’s enduring legacy. Hollywood, nor the world, had never seen anything like it, which was kind of the whole point of the thing, according to Margolis, who spoke to IndieWire about his memories of what Collider just last year proclaimed, “the worst moment in Oscars history…...
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the 61st Academy Awards. You may not remember that “Rain Man” won Best Picture, Barry Levinson Best Director, Dustin Hoffman Best Actor, and Jodie Foster Best Actress for “The Accused.” But seared into our collective subconscious is the production number that opened the show — already, you’re cringing at the thought — featuring Snow White and Rob Lowe.
To this day, clickbait headlines (from The Guardian in 2019: “How Snow White and Some Coconuts Killed the 1989 Oscars”) are a testament to that debacle’s enduring legacy. Hollywood, nor the world, had never seen anything like it, which was kind of the whole point of the thing, according to Margolis, who spoke to IndieWire about his memories of what Collider just last year proclaimed, “the worst moment in Oscars history…...
- 3/8/2024
- by Donald Liebenson
- Indiewire
When, in a Feb. 7 report, short-sellers eviscerated Soho House — pronouncing it “a zero,” prophesying it would “meet the same fate” as notorious IPO flameout WeWork — the company’s crisis of cool had already been years in the making. The publicly listed private members club, a seeming oxymoron bearing the sticker symbol Shco, has for years faced brickbats about how it shed its exclusive appeal: It morphed from a Hollywood-favored hangout with just a few outposts in London, Manhattan and Los Angeles into an international empire of 42 locations with a quarter million dues-paying clients. But now, along with serious allegations about its accounting and critiques of its debt levels, the club is also fending off mortifying questions about overexpansion, overcrowding and brand dilution.
Soho House, now known even to your small-town aunt as the place Prince Harry met Meghan Markle, owes much of its runaway success to conjuring spaces for the...
Soho House, now known even to your small-town aunt as the place Prince Harry met Meghan Markle, owes much of its runaway success to conjuring spaces for the...
- 3/6/2024
- by Gary Baum and Lachlan Cartwright
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As my 13-year-old son and I browsed a Buffalo, NY, record shop on a recent Saturday morning, his eyes were drawn to two action figures dangling from the wall. Both were from the popular ReAction toy line, known for its delightfully offbeat takes on pop-culture icons as diverse as Joe Strummer, Megan Rapinoe, Jimi Hendrix, the Creature From the Black Lagoon, and late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. The two figures my son grabbed confounded him even more than the Dee Snider hanging nearby. One of them was an intense, glasses-sporting figure brandishing a whip while wearing a red flower pot on his head. The other clutched a guitar while wearing shades and a yellow jumpsuit. “Devo,” I said happily, while starting to ponder this most unique and easily identifiable group.
What’s with the outfits? How did this band become so iconic? What did they do beyond “Whip It”? These are legitimate questions,...
What’s with the outfits? How did this band become so iconic? What did they do beyond “Whip It”? These are legitimate questions,...
- 1/25/2024
- by Christopher Schobert
- The Film Stage
David Soul, who is best known for starring as Detective Kenneth “Hutch” Hutchinson in the 1970s TV series Starsky & Hutch, died on January 4. He was 80 years old. The actor passed away “after a valiant battle for life in the loving company of family. He shared many extraordinary gifts in the world as actor, singer, storyteller, creative artist and dear friend,” his wife Helen Snell said (via BBC). “His smile, laughter and passion for life will be remembered by the many whose lives he has touched.” Soul was born on August 28, 1943 in Chicago, Illinois. He used ingenuity to break into the show business and sent out glossy photos of himself with his head covered as the “mystery singer.” His break came when Merv Griffin put him on his syndicated talk show. He continued singing throughout his career and has performed at Radio City Music Hall in New York City as...
- 1/5/2024
- TV Insider
Judy Balaban, the daughter of a longtime studio mogul who dated Montgomery Clift and Merv Griffin, married Tony Franciosa and served as one of Grace Kelly’s bridesmaids at her wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco, has died. She was 91.
Balaban died Thursday night in a hospital in Los Angeles, her friend, author and documentary filmmaker Cari Beauchamp, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Balaban was a champion for civil rights, serving on the board of directors for the ACLU of Southern California for decades.
In a 2010 piece for Vanity Fair that she and Beauchamp co-wrote, Balaban described using LSD (then legal) as a form of therapy in the early 1960s when her good friends Cary Grant and his third wife, Betsy Drake, were using it, too.
“What I had with Cary and Betsy was a kind of soul-baringness that the culture didn’t start to deal with until years later,” she says in the story.
Balaban died Thursday night in a hospital in Los Angeles, her friend, author and documentary filmmaker Cari Beauchamp, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Balaban was a champion for civil rights, serving on the board of directors for the ACLU of Southern California for decades.
In a 2010 piece for Vanity Fair that she and Beauchamp co-wrote, Balaban described using LSD (then legal) as a form of therapy in the early 1960s when her good friends Cary Grant and his third wife, Betsy Drake, were using it, too.
“What I had with Cary and Betsy was a kind of soul-baringness that the culture didn’t start to deal with until years later,” she says in the story.
- 10/20/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Vanna White celebrated the 40th anniversary of her Wheel of Fortune debut in December 2022, and now the syndicated version game show is hitting its 40th. But by the time the current, nighttime Wheel incarnation premiered — on September 19, 1983 — daytime versions of the show had been spinning for years. Read on for a chronology, Fortune fans. NBC introduced Wheel of Fortune as a daytime game show on January 6, 1975, with Chuck Woolery hosting and actor Susan Stafford turning the letters. Woolery, who’d go on to host the game shows Love Connection and Scrabble, told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021 that game-show mastermind Merv Griffin approached him to host a pilot called Shopper’s Bazaar, a proto-Wheel that also featured a roulette wheel and Hangman-like puzzles. NBC passed on that “horrible” pilot, Woolery explained, but when Griffin reconfigured the format and renamed it Wheel of Fortune, the network put in on the daytime schedule.
- 9/19/2023
- TV Insider
Merv Griffin is one entertainment icon and business magnate whose name needs no introduction. Through his visionary leadership and trailblazing innovations, Griffin revolutionized the television and music industries. In the process, he established a legacy that continues to shape our media landscape today. From creating beloved game shows like Wheel of Fortune to producing hit songs like “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts” Griffin cohesively bridged the gap between television and music. It’s safe to say that he underscored his unparalleled versatility and multidimensional talent. But Griffin’s impact reaches far beyond his creative contributions. As a shrewd businessman, he was...
- 9/6/2023
- by Ima Whyte
- TVovermind.com
On Tuesday, Ryan Seacrest announced that he will take over as the new host of Wheel of Fortune. This comes three weeks after the current host, Pat Sajak, announced he will retire.
Seacrest shared the news on his Twitter account stating, “I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak. I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”
He included some praise for Sajack as well, “Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”
Secrest ended the post by saying, “Many people probably don’t...
Seacrest shared the news on his Twitter account stating, “I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak. I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.”
He included some praise for Sajack as well, “Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”
Secrest ended the post by saying, “Many people probably don’t...
- 6/28/2023
- by Nina Hauswirth
- Uinterview
“Wheel of Fortune” has found its new host!
Ryan Seacrest will be doing the honours, replacing Pat Sajak after he steps down from his role after the upcoming 41st season, which premieres this fall.
Sony Pictures Television confirmed that Seacrest would be hosting the show as of 2024 in a press release Tuesday.
The “American Idol” host has signed a multi-year agreement to front the daily syndicated game show.
Seacrest said, “I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak. I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.
“Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward...
Ryan Seacrest will be doing the honours, replacing Pat Sajak after he steps down from his role after the upcoming 41st season, which premieres this fall.
Sony Pictures Television confirmed that Seacrest would be hosting the show as of 2024 in a press release Tuesday.
The “American Idol” host has signed a multi-year agreement to front the daily syndicated game show.
Seacrest said, “I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak. I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them.
“Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward...
- 6/27/2023
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
Ryan Seacrest will take over as “Wheel of Fortune” host, Sony Pictures Television announced Tuesday.
Seacrest has signed a multiyear agreement to host the syndicated game show beginning in 2024, taking the reins from longtime host Pat Sajak, who recently announced he would step down as host after the show’s upcoming 41st season. The former “American Idol” and “Live with Kelly and Ryan” host will also serve as a consulting producer on the show while Sajak remains on as a consultant for “Wheel of Fortune” for the subsequent three years.
“We are ecstatic to have Ryan as the next host of ‘Wheel of Fortune,'” Sony Pictures Global Television Studios chairman Ravi Ahuja said in a statement. “Ryan loves ‘Wheel’ as much as we do and is the perfect person to continue the show’s four-decade success into the future.”
Also Read:
Pat Sajak Says He’s Retiring From ‘Wheel of Fortune...
Seacrest has signed a multiyear agreement to host the syndicated game show beginning in 2024, taking the reins from longtime host Pat Sajak, who recently announced he would step down as host after the show’s upcoming 41st season. The former “American Idol” and “Live with Kelly and Ryan” host will also serve as a consulting producer on the show while Sajak remains on as a consultant for “Wheel of Fortune” for the subsequent three years.
“We are ecstatic to have Ryan as the next host of ‘Wheel of Fortune,'” Sony Pictures Global Television Studios chairman Ravi Ahuja said in a statement. “Ryan loves ‘Wheel’ as much as we do and is the perfect person to continue the show’s four-decade success into the future.”
Also Read:
Pat Sajak Says He’s Retiring From ‘Wheel of Fortune...
- 6/27/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Ryan Seacrest confirmed in an Instagram post on Tuesday that he will take over “Wheel of Fortune” from longtime host Pat Sajak. In June, Sajak announced his plans to retire from hosting the game show after 41 seasons.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Ryan Seacrest (@ryanseacrest)
“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest wrote. “I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them. Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”
During his tenure hosting “Wheel of Fortune” alongside letter turner Vanna White,...
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Ryan Seacrest (@ryanseacrest)
“I’m truly humbled to be stepping into the footsteps of the legendary Pat Sajak,” Seacrest wrote. “I can say, along with the rest of America, that it’s been a privilege and pure joy to watch Pat and Vanna on our television screens for an unprecedented 40 years, making us smile every night and feel right at home with them. Pat, I love the way you’ve always celebrated the contestants and made viewers at home feel at ease. I look forward to learning everything I can from you during this transition.”
During his tenure hosting “Wheel of Fortune” alongside letter turner Vanna White,...
- 6/27/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Pat Sajak is just about done watching the wheel spin: The longtime Wheel of Fortune host announced that he is retiring from the syndicated game show next season.
“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last,” Sajak said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!”
Related: ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Pat Sajak Defends Contestants Who Repeatedly Failed To Solve Puzzle: “Have A Little Heart”
Sajak and longtime colleague Vanna White signed contract extensions in 2021 that take them through next season. He has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981 and has won three Emmys for his work, not counting the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award he received from the TV Academy.
“Well, the time has come. I’ve decided that our 41st season, which begins in September, will be my last,” Sajak said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “It’s been a wonderful ride, and I’ll have more to say in the coming months. Many thanks to you all. If nothing else, it’ll keep the clickbait sites busy!”
Related: ‘Wheel of Fortune’ Host Pat Sajak Defends Contestants Who Repeatedly Failed To Solve Puzzle: “Have A Little Heart”
Sajak and longtime colleague Vanna White signed contract extensions in 2021 that take them through next season. He has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981 and has won three Emmys for his work, not counting the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award he received from the TV Academy.
- 6/12/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Pat Cooper, an acerbic stand-up comedian who later had a career acting in films and TV series including Analyze This, Seinfeld and the original Charlie’s Angels and was a favorite of Howard Stern, died Tuesday at his home in Las Vegas. He was 93.
His wife, Emily Connor, announced the news.
Born Pasquale Caputo on July 31, 1929, in Brooklyn, he tried to join multiple branches of the U.S. Armed Forces but was rejected and turned to comedy. He adopted his stage name during an early-’60s stint doing stand-up, which further angered the Italian family he often roasted in his act.
Cooper became estranged from his parents while focusing on his insult-heavy comedy career. His angry onstage persona led to multiple firings from stints opening for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka. By the mid-’60s, he was being booked on many of the era’s most popular variety...
His wife, Emily Connor, announced the news.
Born Pasquale Caputo on July 31, 1929, in Brooklyn, he tried to join multiple branches of the U.S. Armed Forces but was rejected and turned to comedy. He adopted his stage name during an early-’60s stint doing stand-up, which further angered the Italian family he often roasted in his act.
Cooper became estranged from his parents while focusing on his insult-heavy comedy career. His angry onstage persona led to multiple firings from stints opening for the likes of Frank Sinatra and Paul Anka. By the mid-’60s, he was being booked on many of the era’s most popular variety...
- 6/7/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
A version of this interview with Brooke Shields and “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields” director Lana Wilson originally ran in the Race Begins issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
Brooke Shields was once the most famous teenager in the world. A model at 11 months old, by high school she had played a child prostitute in Louis Malle’s controversial 1978 film “Pretty Baby” and starred in a series of provocative Calvin Klein jeans ads in which she uttered the now iconic line, “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” Over the years, Shields has fielded no shortage of offers to tell her story on camera, but she wasn’t comfortable doing so until now, with “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” directed by Lana Wilson (“Miss Americana”) and exec-produced by Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos. The two-part Hulu documentary chronicles Shields’ rise to superstardom, her complicated relationship with her mother,...
Brooke Shields was once the most famous teenager in the world. A model at 11 months old, by high school she had played a child prostitute in Louis Malle’s controversial 1978 film “Pretty Baby” and starred in a series of provocative Calvin Klein jeans ads in which she uttered the now iconic line, “You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” Over the years, Shields has fielded no shortage of offers to tell her story on camera, but she wasn’t comfortable doing so until now, with “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” directed by Lana Wilson (“Miss Americana”) and exec-produced by Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos. The two-part Hulu documentary chronicles Shields’ rise to superstardom, her complicated relationship with her mother,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
Ask around, and you’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who has not seen at least an episode or two of the popular game show Wheel of Fortune. The show is fun and, let’s face it, a little addictive to watch. Pat Sajak has been hosting Wheel of Fortune for decades and is arguably one of the most recognizable faces on television. However, he wasn’t the first to be in that iconic position. Wheel of Fortune hired Pat Sajak after the original host asked for more money.
About the show
According to Paleymatters.org, the game show has been in syndication for about four decades. It continues to entertain people just like it did when it first premiered.
In 1975, creator Merv Griffin had the idea for a hangman-type game show. As a result, Wheel of Fortune was born. Three contestants compete in each episode, and The New Republic...
About the show
According to Paleymatters.org, the game show has been in syndication for about four decades. It continues to entertain people just like it did when it first premiered.
In 1975, creator Merv Griffin had the idea for a hangman-type game show. As a result, Wheel of Fortune was born. Three contestants compete in each episode, and The New Republic...
- 4/17/2023
- by Lisa Geiger
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Three new celebrities gained billionaire status in 2023, while one high-profile star lost the rarefied perch, according to Forbes.
Jimmy Buffett, LeBron James and Tiger Woods all reached the nine-zero threshold to make Forbes 2023 Billionaires List for the first time, the magazine reported.
Meanwhile, Kanye “Ye” West, who saw business deals crumble with Adidas, Gap, Balenciaga, JPMorgan Chase, Foot Locker and more following a series of antisemitic comments, reportedly costing him $1.5 billion, was the only star to fall off the list this year.
Just 14 entertainment and sports celebrities have worked their way to billionaire status since Forbes started ranking the world’s richest people, with eight of them climbing to those heights in the past three years.
That’s a significant change from the first list in 1982, when the only entertainers among the richest Americans were Yoko Ono and Bob Hope. By 2002, just six more were added, and only three of...
Jimmy Buffett, LeBron James and Tiger Woods all reached the nine-zero threshold to make Forbes 2023 Billionaires List for the first time, the magazine reported.
Meanwhile, Kanye “Ye” West, who saw business deals crumble with Adidas, Gap, Balenciaga, JPMorgan Chase, Foot Locker and more following a series of antisemitic comments, reportedly costing him $1.5 billion, was the only star to fall off the list this year.
Just 14 entertainment and sports celebrities have worked their way to billionaire status since Forbes started ranking the world’s richest people, with eight of them climbing to those heights in the past three years.
That’s a significant change from the first list in 1982, when the only entertainers among the richest Americans were Yoko Ono and Bob Hope. By 2002, just six more were added, and only three of...
- 4/7/2023
- by Eileen AJ Connelly
- The Wrap
Perry Cross, who served as Johnny Carson’s first producer on The Tonight Show before he exited to run an ABC program hosted by Jerry Lewis that came and went after 13 episodes, has died. He was 95.
Cross died March 9 of kidney cancer at a hospital in Los Angeles, his son, Larry Cross, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Cross started out producing Ernie Kovacs’ CBS weekday morning show in 1952 and also worked on The Red Skelton Hour, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, The Soupy Sales Show, Life With Linkletter, The Garry Moore Show and several Jonathan Winters live specials during his career.
Cross had been producing The Tonight Show in the immediate aftermath of host Jack Paar’s departure on March 30, 1962, guiding the NBC program in Hollywood and New York that featured guest hosts for six months until Carson took over.
NBC wanted Cross to be Carson’s producer,...
Cross died March 9 of kidney cancer at a hospital in Los Angeles, his son, Larry Cross, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Cross started out producing Ernie Kovacs’ CBS weekday morning show in 1952 and also worked on The Red Skelton Hour, Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In, The Dinah Shore Chevy Show, The Soupy Sales Show, Life With Linkletter, The Garry Moore Show and several Jonathan Winters live specials during his career.
Cross had been producing The Tonight Show in the immediate aftermath of host Jack Paar’s departure on March 30, 1962, guiding the NBC program in Hollywood and New York that featured guest hosts for six months until Carson took over.
NBC wanted Cross to be Carson’s producer,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Steven Spielberg made a rare appearance on late-night television Thursday night, sitting for an interview with Stephen Colbert.
But the director and co-writer of “The Fabelmans,” currently up for seven Oscars (including Best Picture), did not make a typical appearance. The 76-year-old filmmaker’s four-segment interview was not taped in front of the assembled studio audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in midtown Manhattan but was pre-shot “last week” at his own Hollywood offices at Amblin Entertainment
Spielberg opened with some fun stories about how he basically trespassed (multiple times!) on the Universal Studios lot as a youth, and how unusual it was to be directing a legend like Joan Crawford when he was still using Clearasil at age 22.
He claims that he rarely goes back and watches his older movies (“I’m not Gloria Swanson”) but has, over the years, introduced some of his films to his kids, to...
But the director and co-writer of “The Fabelmans,” currently up for seven Oscars (including Best Picture), did not make a typical appearance. The 76-year-old filmmaker’s four-segment interview was not taped in front of the assembled studio audience at the Ed Sullivan Theater in midtown Manhattan but was pre-shot “last week” at his own Hollywood offices at Amblin Entertainment
Spielberg opened with some fun stories about how he basically trespassed (multiple times!) on the Universal Studios lot as a youth, and how unusual it was to be directing a legend like Joan Crawford when he was still using Clearasil at age 22.
He claims that he rarely goes back and watches his older movies (“I’m not Gloria Swanson”) but has, over the years, introduced some of his films to his kids, to...
- 3/3/2023
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
John Dean doesn’t recall the exact date more than 50 years ago when he first met Martha Mitchell, but he remembers his impressions.
“The Attorney General [John Mitchell] used to have lunches every Wednesday for the senior staff, which I was a part of. He’d have them in his large conference room at the Department of Justice. And often Martha would attend those,” recalls Dean, the former White House Counsel under President Nixon, and a key figure in the Watergate coverup. “She was always a bright light in any room she walked into. She was vivacious, she was smart.”
There was a time, even before she became a kind of Watergate whistleblower, when seemingly all of America knew Martha Mitchell. The Arkansas charmer with the bulletproof beehive hairdo captivated the public with her remarkably outspoken manner. But that very quality, refusing to hold her tongue, would bring severe consequences,...
“The Attorney General [John Mitchell] used to have lunches every Wednesday for the senior staff, which I was a part of. He’d have them in his large conference room at the Department of Justice. And often Martha would attend those,” recalls Dean, the former White House Counsel under President Nixon, and a key figure in the Watergate coverup. “She was always a bright light in any room she walked into. She was vivacious, she was smart.”
There was a time, even before she became a kind of Watergate whistleblower, when seemingly all of America knew Martha Mitchell. The Arkansas charmer with the bulletproof beehive hairdo captivated the public with her remarkably outspoken manner. But that very quality, refusing to hold her tongue, would bring severe consequences,...
- 3/2/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Actress and singer Naomi Ackie credits dialect coaches Tangela Large, Bridgette Jackson and Denise Woods with helping her immerse herself in the voice of the one and only Whitney Houston for the biopic “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” and says nailing down Houston’s speaking voice was the key to inhabiting the role — especially since Ackie is English.
From Houston’s early choir days to catching her big break in the presence of legendary producer Clive Davis, to the more tumultuous moments of her career like her deterioration due to drugs and her declining marriage to rapper Bobby Brown, director Kasi Lemmons, Ackie, co-stars Nafessa Williams and Stanley Tucci as well as many more helped craft the prism through which audiences will glimpse the music artist in the TriStar Pictures release, now playing in theaters.
On top of mimicking Houston’s singing and performing techniques, Ackie also had...
From Houston’s early choir days to catching her big break in the presence of legendary producer Clive Davis, to the more tumultuous moments of her career like her deterioration due to drugs and her declining marriage to rapper Bobby Brown, director Kasi Lemmons, Ackie, co-stars Nafessa Williams and Stanley Tucci as well as many more helped craft the prism through which audiences will glimpse the music artist in the TriStar Pictures release, now playing in theaters.
On top of mimicking Houston’s singing and performing techniques, Ackie also had...
- 12/24/2022
- by Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Naomi Ackie in Tristar pictures I Wanna Dance With Somebody
With a little over a week left in 2022, it looks like the cinematic musical “biopic” of the year will be Elvis, so who’s next…oh, wait, we’ve got another one sneaking in just under the wire. And it turns out that this singer (according to many music charts and lists) had more hits than the King or the “Fab Four”. And all after “E” had “left the building”, er…planet. Aside from success, she certainly had enough drama in her short life for a feature film (actually she was the focus of a cable TV flick and a supporting player in three others). So after the gifts are unwrapped you may want to head to the multiplex for an eye and ear-full of Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Naturally, the story begins on the concert stage,...
With a little over a week left in 2022, it looks like the cinematic musical “biopic” of the year will be Elvis, so who’s next…oh, wait, we’ve got another one sneaking in just under the wire. And it turns out that this singer (according to many music charts and lists) had more hits than the King or the “Fab Four”. And all after “E” had “left the building”, er…planet. Aside from success, she certainly had enough drama in her short life for a feature film (actually she was the focus of a cable TV flick and a supporting player in three others). So after the gifts are unwrapped you may want to head to the multiplex for an eye and ear-full of Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Naturally, the story begins on the concert stage,...
- 12/23/2022
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Georgia Holt, best known as Cher’s mother but an actress, model, and singer in her own right, has died. Cher confirmed the death on social media. Holt was 96 and no details on her death were given, although it was previously revealed she was hospitalized with pneumonia earlier this year.
Cher said she had been “very careful” to avoid exposing her elderly mother to any potential illnesses during the pandemic.
“We have a little bubble that we’ve had all this time,” she said. “We wear masks, and there’s not very many of us. It’s my sister, my brother-in-law, my mom, my assistant. And we stay far apart from each other.”
She added: “I have to be careful too because I have asthma. … I have different health problems.”
Holt was born in Arkansas in 1926. She moved to Los Angeles and had roles in such shows as “I Love Lucy...
Cher said she had been “very careful” to avoid exposing her elderly mother to any potential illnesses during the pandemic.
“We have a little bubble that we’ve had all this time,” she said. “We wear masks, and there’s not very many of us. It’s my sister, my brother-in-law, my mom, my assistant. And we stay far apart from each other.”
She added: “I have to be careful too because I have asthma. … I have different health problems.”
Holt was born in Arkansas in 1926. She moved to Los Angeles and had roles in such shows as “I Love Lucy...
- 12/11/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Vanna White is approaching her 40th anniversary with Wheel of Fortune and isn’t ready to stop turning those letter tiles just yet. Speaking to People ahead of her Lion Brand Yarn event at Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts, White opened up about her time on the show and the idea of handing over the reins to someone else. “I think when Merv Griffin chose both of us, 40 and 41 years ago, he saw something between us — a brother-sister type relationship,” White said, referring to her on-screen relationship with Wheel of Fortune host Pat Sajak. White and Sajak have hosted the show for the past four decades since taking over from original hosts Chuck Woolery and Susan Stafford. “And I think that is kind of what it is,” she continued. “[Griffin] saw that we would be able to get along, and we do. .” However, after 40 years, it’s not unreasonable to think...
- 12/6/2022
- TV Insider
Sacheen Littlefeather made Oscars history in 1973 when she became the first Native woman to stand on stage at the awards ceremony. When Marlon Brando was named best actor for “The Godfather,” Littlefeather declined the prize on behalf of him, as he had boycotted the Oscars in protest of Hollywood’s portrayal of Native Americans. Met with both boos and cheers, she was escorted off the stage.
But her 60-second Oscar speech was life-changing for her, as well as others. “He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award,” Littlefeather said to an audience of millions in her 1973 speech. “And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry… and on television in movie re-runs, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.”
Now, 50 years later, Littlefeather has received a letter of apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. And this weekend,...
But her 60-second Oscar speech was life-changing for her, as well as others. “He very regretfully cannot accept this very generous award,” Littlefeather said to an audience of millions in her 1973 speech. “And the reasons for this being are the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry… and on television in movie re-runs, and also with recent happenings at Wounded Knee.”
Now, 50 years later, Littlefeather has received a letter of apology from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. And this weekend,...
- 9/13/2022
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Johnny Carson signed off as the host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” on May 22, 1992 after being the King of Late Night for nearly three decades. But Carson has never left thanks to DVDs and repeats on such nostalgia channels as Antenna TV and streaming services like Peacock, as well as YouTube. And even with such late-night hosts as Stephen Colbert, Bill Maher, Trevor Noah, Jimmy Fallon, who is the current host of “The Tonight Show,” and Jimmy Kimmel, none of them hold a candle to Carson.
While I was working at the Los Angeles Times, I talked to experts, filmmakers and even his nephew about what made Carson so unique.
“The thing about Carson is that he had all the exemplary skills needed for a late-night host,” Ron Simon, curator of the Paley Center for Media in New York. “Everyone that has followed has skills, but they don’t have every skill.
While I was working at the Los Angeles Times, I talked to experts, filmmakers and even his nephew about what made Carson so unique.
“The thing about Carson is that he had all the exemplary skills needed for a late-night host,” Ron Simon, curator of the Paley Center for Media in New York. “Everyone that has followed has skills, but they don’t have every skill.
- 5/20/2022
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Dick Carson, brother of TV legend Johnny Carson and a former director for The Tonight Show, died at 92 at his home in Studio City, Calif. on December 19, 2021 following a brief illness, his family said.
Richard Charles Carson, was born in Clarinda, Iowa, the youngest of three children of Homer Lloyd (“Kit”) and Ruth Hook Carson.
He began his career in Nebraska radio. Later, at San Diego television station Kogo-tv, the local NBC affiliate, he first worked as a “floor man” for local programming, and then began directing commercials and local news and sports shows.
When a summer job opportunity as a stage manager and associate director for ABC in Los Angeles became available in 1960, he commuted to fill it. Within months, that led to moving his family to the city to take a permanent position directing children’s programs including “Chucko the Birthday Clown.” He later moved on to directing “The Soupy Sales Show.
Richard Charles Carson, was born in Clarinda, Iowa, the youngest of three children of Homer Lloyd (“Kit”) and Ruth Hook Carson.
He began his career in Nebraska radio. Later, at San Diego television station Kogo-tv, the local NBC affiliate, he first worked as a “floor man” for local programming, and then began directing commercials and local news and sports shows.
When a summer job opportunity as a stage manager and associate director for ABC in Los Angeles became available in 1960, he commuted to fill it. Within months, that led to moving his family to the city to take a permanent position directing children’s programs including “Chucko the Birthday Clown.” He later moved on to directing “The Soupy Sales Show.
- 1/9/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Yvonne Wilder, the actor known for her work in “West Side Story,” “Seems Like Old Times” and numerous TV shows, died Nov. 24 at her home in Los Angeles. She was 84.
Wilder played the role of Consuelo in Robert Wise’s landmark 1961 film adaptation of the Broadway musical “West Side Story.” She also appeared in the role of Anita in a West End production of “West Side Story” and in the first international touring production of the Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim musical.
Wilder was remembered by friends for her love of dancing and her fiery sense of humor. “West Side Story” co-star George Chakiris recently hailed her contributions to the stage production and the movie.
“Yvonne Wilder had an extraordinary, unique sense of humor. I did the play in London with Yvonne so I knew her before the movie,” George Chakiris told TCM in May. “But Yvonne’s humor was adopted by all of us.
Wilder played the role of Consuelo in Robert Wise’s landmark 1961 film adaptation of the Broadway musical “West Side Story.” She also appeared in the role of Anita in a West End production of “West Side Story” and in the first international touring production of the Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim musical.
Wilder was remembered by friends for her love of dancing and her fiery sense of humor. “West Side Story” co-star George Chakiris recently hailed her contributions to the stage production and the movie.
“Yvonne Wilder had an extraordinary, unique sense of humor. I did the play in London with Yvonne so I knew her before the movie,” George Chakiris told TCM in May. “But Yvonne’s humor was adopted by all of us.
- 12/3/2021
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
Mort Sahl, the acerbic comic whose pioneering style paved the way for such boundary-breaking comedians as Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor and George Carlin, died Tuesday at his home in Mill Valley, CA. He was 94.
A friend confirmed his death to The New York Times.
Showbiz & Media Figures We’ve Lost In 2021 – Photo Gallery
Known for his topical social commentary, he boldly skewered politicians and others in a harsh but clean stand-up act. He hosted the first Grammy Awards in 1959, co-hosted the 1959 Academy Awards and a year later became the first comedian featured to be featured on the cover of Time magazine. He also guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson multiple times during the 1960s.
Born on May 11, 1927, in Montreal, Sahl’s family moved to Los Angeles when he was a child. After a stint in the Air Force, he graduated from USC in 1950. By the mid-’50s he was doing stand-up,...
A friend confirmed his death to The New York Times.
Showbiz & Media Figures We’ve Lost In 2021 – Photo Gallery
Known for his topical social commentary, he boldly skewered politicians and others in a harsh but clean stand-up act. He hosted the first Grammy Awards in 1959, co-hosted the 1959 Academy Awards and a year later became the first comedian featured to be featured on the cover of Time magazine. He also guest-hosted The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson multiple times during the 1960s.
Born on May 11, 1927, in Montreal, Sahl’s family moved to Los Angeles when he was a child. After a stint in the Air Force, he graduated from USC in 1950. By the mid-’50s he was doing stand-up,...
- 10/26/2021
- by Erik Pedersen and Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Mort Sahl, a trailblazing political satirist whose biting wit and uncompromising intellect broadened the world of conventional standup comedy, died Tuesday in Mill Valley, Calif. He was 94.
The New York Times confirmed his death with his friend, Lucy Mercer.
In 1953, when Sahl first appeared at the Hungry i, a San Francisco folk singer’s hangout, he was an unknown with little stage experience. But his rapid-fire monologues about politics, social trends and fads quickly earned him the nickname “Rebel Without a Pause.”
“The three great geniuses of the period were Nichols and May, Jonathan Winters and Mort Sahl,” Woody Allen told New York magazine in 2008. Allen credited Sahl’s intellectual brand of humor for getting him into comedy. “He was the best thing I ever saw,” Allen said in another interview. “He totally restructured comedy. He changed the rhythm of the jokes.”
In 2011, his live 1955 recording “Mort Sahl at Sunset...
The New York Times confirmed his death with his friend, Lucy Mercer.
In 1953, when Sahl first appeared at the Hungry i, a San Francisco folk singer’s hangout, he was an unknown with little stage experience. But his rapid-fire monologues about politics, social trends and fads quickly earned him the nickname “Rebel Without a Pause.”
“The three great geniuses of the period were Nichols and May, Jonathan Winters and Mort Sahl,” Woody Allen told New York magazine in 2008. Allen credited Sahl’s intellectual brand of humor for getting him into comedy. “He was the best thing I ever saw,” Allen said in another interview. “He totally restructured comedy. He changed the rhythm of the jokes.”
In 2011, his live 1955 recording “Mort Sahl at Sunset...
- 10/26/2021
- by Rick Schultz
- Variety Film + TV
All Mike Richards had to do was his job.
That job, of course, was serving as executive producer on two syndicated game show giants: Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Richards held down these roles beginning in May 2020, leaving the same role at The Price is Right and taking over from the beloved Harry Friedman who stewarded Merv Griffin’s two creations into TV icons. It’s as big a producing gig as there is in the game show biz. And yet, like many other American Icaruses with firm handshakes and a surplus of hubris, Richards wanted more.
Richards wanted to host. And so he did…first as a guest host and then as the full time host for five episodes. Now he is no longer a host or an executive producer of Jeopardy!. Suzanne Prete, Sony Pictures Television senior vice president, sent the following message to the show’s crew...
That job, of course, was serving as executive producer on two syndicated game show giants: Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune. Richards held down these roles beginning in May 2020, leaving the same role at The Price is Right and taking over from the beloved Harry Friedman who stewarded Merv Griffin’s two creations into TV icons. It’s as big a producing gig as there is in the game show biz. And yet, like many other American Icaruses with firm handshakes and a surplus of hubris, Richards wanted more.
Richards wanted to host. And so he did…first as a guest host and then as the full time host for five episodes. Now he is no longer a host or an executive producer of Jeopardy!. Suzanne Prete, Sony Pictures Television senior vice president, sent the following message to the show’s crew...
- 8/31/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Better late than never. After the traditional Cannes Film Festival was cancelled last year due to Covid, the glitzy event is back with Covid protocols in order. Instead of taking place in May, the 74th annual gala opened on July 6 and will continue through July 17th at the glamorous French resort town.
Spike Lee, who was supposed to be jury head last year, was asked to take up the reigns of this edition. And he appeared on the legendary red carpet decked out in a striking pink ensemble. The festival opened with the Leos Carax’ offbeat musical “Annette” featuring music by the Sparks Brother and Val Kilmer’s self-titled documentary “Val,” which earned kudos and a long-standing ovation. Other films premiering at the festival including Sean Penn’s “Flag Day,” Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” Asghar Farhadi’s “The Hero” and Francois Ozon’s “Everything Went Fine.”
Besides screening and selling movies,...
Spike Lee, who was supposed to be jury head last year, was asked to take up the reigns of this edition. And he appeared on the legendary red carpet decked out in a striking pink ensemble. The festival opened with the Leos Carax’ offbeat musical “Annette” featuring music by the Sparks Brother and Val Kilmer’s self-titled documentary “Val,” which earned kudos and a long-standing ovation. Other films premiering at the festival including Sean Penn’s “Flag Day,” Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” Asghar Farhadi’s “The Hero” and Francois Ozon’s “Everything Went Fine.”
Besides screening and selling movies,...
- 7/8/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Les McKeown, who sang lead for Scottish ’70s hitmakers Bay City Rollers during its heyday, died Tuesday at home, his family announced. He was 65. No cause of death was revealed.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of our beloved husband and father Leslie Richard McKeown, his family posted on the singer’s Twitter account. “We are currently making arrangements for his funeral and ask privacy after the shock of our profound loss.”
pic.twitter.com/YgZLzuGbM1
— Les McKeown (@LesMcKeownUK) April 22, 2021
Considered a progenitor of the modern boy band, the Edinburgh quintet saw McKeown join in 1973. He replaced original singer Gordon “Nobby” Clark two years after the group had broken through with a top 10 single in the UK. In 1974, Bay City Rollers scored a second British hit with the McKeown-sung “Remember (Sha La La),” which began a streak of nine consecutive Top 10 hits for the Bell label in the UK.
“It is with profound sadness that we announce the death of our beloved husband and father Leslie Richard McKeown, his family posted on the singer’s Twitter account. “We are currently making arrangements for his funeral and ask privacy after the shock of our profound loss.”
pic.twitter.com/YgZLzuGbM1
— Les McKeown (@LesMcKeownUK) April 22, 2021
Considered a progenitor of the modern boy band, the Edinburgh quintet saw McKeown join in 1973. He replaced original singer Gordon “Nobby” Clark two years after the group had broken through with a top 10 single in the UK. In 1974, Bay City Rollers scored a second British hit with the McKeown-sung “Remember (Sha La La),” which began a streak of nine consecutive Top 10 hits for the Bell label in the UK.
- 4/22/2021
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s a long time until the April 25 Oscars, but hopefully “The Trial of the Chicago 7” will maintain its momentum.
The film about the 1968-’69 turmoil in America was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, and offers great work by the cast and artisans. Some critics may carp about a few details, but the Netflix film gets the Big Picture right: the division in the country, the rampant lunacy and the oppression in the name of justice. And of course, parallels to today are sobering.
Most U.S movies about the Vietnam era are told from the troops’ Pov: “The Deer Hunter,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Platoon,” “Full Metal Jacket,” et al. Rare films such as “Coming Home” and “Born on the Fourth of July” addressed the war at home, but very few centered on protesters, so “Chicago 7” is a welcome addition.
Variety didn’t cover the Chicago 7 trial, but it...
The film about the 1968-’69 turmoil in America was written and directed by Aaron Sorkin, and offers great work by the cast and artisans. Some critics may carp about a few details, but the Netflix film gets the Big Picture right: the division in the country, the rampant lunacy and the oppression in the name of justice. And of course, parallels to today are sobering.
Most U.S movies about the Vietnam era are told from the troops’ Pov: “The Deer Hunter,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Platoon,” “Full Metal Jacket,” et al. Rare films such as “Coming Home” and “Born on the Fourth of July” addressed the war at home, but very few centered on protesters, so “Chicago 7” is a welcome addition.
Variety didn’t cover the Chicago 7 trial, but it...
- 12/4/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Alex Trebek was so well-known as the host of “Jeopardy!” that he made memorable cameos in that role on other popular shows, including “Cheers” and “The Golden Girls.”
In a 1990 episode of “Cheers” entitled “What is…Cliff Clavin,” Cliff (John Ratzenberger) appears on the game show during one of its remote tapings in Boston, where the titular bar is located.
Mailman Cliff seems outmatched by his opponents — a doctor and a lawyer — until the categories come up, including civil servants, stamps from around the world, mothers and sons, beer, bar trivia and celibacy.
“Cliff, can I get you to pick a category and an amount?” Trebek asks.
“Why don’t you pick any one you want. I am feeling lucky today. Woohoo,” Cliff responds confidently.
We won’t spoil the end for you, but let’s just say that Cliff wasn’t woohoo-ing after Final Jeopardy! Check out the hilarious clip above.
In a 1990 episode of “Cheers” entitled “What is…Cliff Clavin,” Cliff (John Ratzenberger) appears on the game show during one of its remote tapings in Boston, where the titular bar is located.
Mailman Cliff seems outmatched by his opponents — a doctor and a lawyer — until the categories come up, including civil servants, stamps from around the world, mothers and sons, beer, bar trivia and celibacy.
“Cliff, can I get you to pick a category and an amount?” Trebek asks.
“Why don’t you pick any one you want. I am feeling lucky today. Woohoo,” Cliff responds confidently.
We won’t spoil the end for you, but let’s just say that Cliff wasn’t woohoo-ing after Final Jeopardy! Check out the hilarious clip above.
- 11/8/2020
- by Lawrence Yee
- The Wrap
Alex Trebek, a TV institution and trivia pioneer as the longtime host of the game show Jeopardy!, has died at the age of 80. The show made the announcement via its Twitter account on Sunday afternoon:
“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex.”
A cause of death was not immediately made available but Trebek had been publicly battling pancreatic cancer after receiving a stage 4 diagnosis in March 2019.
It’s hard to overstate Trebek’s impact on the American television landscape. After a brief journalism career, the Canadian-born Trebek went into the burgeoning game show hosting business, starting with Reach for the Top in 1966. In 1984, however, he received the coveted job as the host of Merv Griffin’s Jeopardy! revival (the show had originally premiered in 1964). The studious, authoritative Trebek proved to be a perfect fit for the simple,...
“Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex.”
A cause of death was not immediately made available but Trebek had been publicly battling pancreatic cancer after receiving a stage 4 diagnosis in March 2019.
It’s hard to overstate Trebek’s impact on the American television landscape. After a brief journalism career, the Canadian-born Trebek went into the burgeoning game show hosting business, starting with Reach for the Top in 1966. In 1984, however, he received the coveted job as the host of Merv Griffin’s Jeopardy! revival (the show had originally premiered in 1964). The studious, authoritative Trebek proved to be a perfect fit for the simple,...
- 11/8/2020
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
“Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek passed away on Nov. 8 and left behind an amazing legacy. We’ve compiled a list of nine interesting things you probably didn’t know about the longtime television personality from a new biography written by Lisa Rogak called “Who Is Alex Trebek?” out now from Macmillan Publishers.
He was a troublemaker in his youth
In his teen years, Trebek was sent to a Catholic boarding school after his parents separated. There, he was nearly expelled over disagreements with one of his teachers.
He nearly became a priest
In college, Trebek considered becoming a priest and went so far as to spend a summer at a Trappist monastery. But it was the vow of silence that changed his mind. He later said, “I’m not one to keep my big mouth shut.”
He’s a clean-freak
After quitting his job of 12 years at the CBC, he moved to Los Angeles.
He was a troublemaker in his youth
In his teen years, Trebek was sent to a Catholic boarding school after his parents separated. There, he was nearly expelled over disagreements with one of his teachers.
He nearly became a priest
In college, Trebek considered becoming a priest and went so far as to spend a summer at a Trappist monastery. But it was the vow of silence that changed his mind. He later said, “I’m not one to keep my big mouth shut.”
He’s a clean-freak
After quitting his job of 12 years at the CBC, he moved to Los Angeles.
- 11/8/2020
- by Margeaux Sippell
- The Wrap
Alex Trebek, the beloved host of gameshow “Jeopardy!” since its 1984 debut in syndication, has died of pancreatic cancer. He was 80.
The official “Jeopardy!” Twitter account announced the news on Sunday morning.
” ‘Jeopardy!’ is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends.”
Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex. pic.twitter.com/Yk2a90CHIM
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 8, 2020
Trebek revealed in March 2019 that he had been diagnosed with Stage Four pancreatic cancer. “I have lived a good life, a full life and I’m nearing the end of that life,” he told USA Today in October. Sony Pictures Entertainment, which has owned the show since its predecessor Columbia Pictures Television acquired Merv Griffin Enterprises in 1986, has confirmed that “Jeopardy!” episodes hosted by Trebek will air through Dec.
The official “Jeopardy!” Twitter account announced the news on Sunday morning.
” ‘Jeopardy!’ is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends.”
Jeopardy! is saddened to share that Alex Trebek passed away peacefully at home early this morning, surrounded by family and friends. Thank you, Alex. pic.twitter.com/Yk2a90CHIM
— Jeopardy! (@Jeopardy) November 8, 2020
Trebek revealed in March 2019 that he had been diagnosed with Stage Four pancreatic cancer. “I have lived a good life, a full life and I’m nearing the end of that life,” he told USA Today in October. Sony Pictures Entertainment, which has owned the show since its predecessor Columbia Pictures Television acquired Merv Griffin Enterprises in 1986, has confirmed that “Jeopardy!” episodes hosted by Trebek will air through Dec.
- 11/8/2020
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
Norm Crosby, the comedian whose fractured English won him fame as “Mr. Malaprop,” died Saturday at age 93.
He died of heart failure in Los Angeles, his wife, Joan, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Boston native was a regular on the stand-up comedy circuit in the 1950s, projecting a blue-collar guy-next-door persona that was built on his often shaky grasp of vocabulary — he’d go to the tailor because his pants need an “altercation” or call “catastrophe” a punctuation mark or claim that people who can’t read or write have a problem with “illegitimacy.”
His routine led to frequent appearances on TV talk shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin. He co-starred in Phyllis Diller’s short-lived NBC sitcom in 1968 and appeared on many televised roasts throughout the 1970s and ’80s. From 1978 to 1981, he hosted the syndicated series “The Comedy Shop” featuring appearances by up-and-coming comics.
His...
He died of heart failure in Los Angeles, his wife, Joan, told The Hollywood Reporter.
The Boston native was a regular on the stand-up comedy circuit in the 1950s, projecting a blue-collar guy-next-door persona that was built on his often shaky grasp of vocabulary — he’d go to the tailor because his pants need an “altercation” or call “catastrophe” a punctuation mark or claim that people who can’t read or write have a problem with “illegitimacy.”
His routine led to frequent appearances on TV talk shows hosted by Ed Sullivan, Johnny Carson and Merv Griffin. He co-starred in Phyllis Diller’s short-lived NBC sitcom in 1968 and appeared on many televised roasts throughout the 1970s and ’80s. From 1978 to 1981, he hosted the syndicated series “The Comedy Shop” featuring appearances by up-and-coming comics.
His...
- 11/8/2020
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Two of America’s longest-running game shows, Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! are heading back to the studio.
Both shows were hit by the Covid-19 production shutdown, but Deadline understands that both syndicated shows, which come from Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television Distribution, are set to start filming this week and next.
There will, however, be a few adjustments.
In Wheel of Fortune, Deadline understands that the wheel has been redesigned to provide proper social distancing between contestants.
Over on Jeopardy!, the stage has been slightly redesigned to allow for more space between the three contestant podiums. The contestants will also be at a safe distance from host Alex Trebek at his lectern.
As you can imagine, both shows have taken health and safety precautions as they return to production in Culver City, California. Only essential staff and crew will be allowed on stage, PPE will be provided...
Both shows were hit by the Covid-19 production shutdown, but Deadline understands that both syndicated shows, which come from Sony Pictures Television and CBS Television Distribution, are set to start filming this week and next.
There will, however, be a few adjustments.
In Wheel of Fortune, Deadline understands that the wheel has been redesigned to provide proper social distancing between contestants.
Over on Jeopardy!, the stage has been slightly redesigned to allow for more space between the three contestant podiums. The contestants will also be at a safe distance from host Alex Trebek at his lectern.
As you can imagine, both shows have taken health and safety precautions as they return to production in Culver City, California. Only essential staff and crew will be allowed on stage, PPE will be provided...
- 7/28/2020
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Edwin T. Vane, a former ABC television executive and president of Group W Productions, died of natural causes on June 26 in Los Angeles. He was 93.
A Fordham University graduate, Vane started his career as a page at NBC. After working his way up to become a daytime television executive, he was pitched a game show idea by Merv Griffin in 1963 that was intriguing, but lacked form. Vane suggested a three-stage structure, each with increasing value, capped by a final round that gave trailing contestants a chance to win. Thus, Jeopardy! was created and debuted in March 1964.
In 1965, Vane became VP of daytime programming at ABC. Under his leadership, ABC introduced such shows as The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, Let’s Make a Deal, One Life To Live and Good Morning America. He also developed The Beatles cartoon series, which became the highest-rated show in the history of Saturday morning television.
A Fordham University graduate, Vane started his career as a page at NBC. After working his way up to become a daytime television executive, he was pitched a game show idea by Merv Griffin in 1963 that was intriguing, but lacked form. Vane suggested a three-stage structure, each with increasing value, capped by a final round that gave trailing contestants a chance to win. Thus, Jeopardy! was created and debuted in March 1964.
In 1965, Vane became VP of daytime programming at ABC. Under his leadership, ABC introduced such shows as The Dating Game, The Newlywed Game, Let’s Make a Deal, One Life To Live and Good Morning America. He also developed The Beatles cartoon series, which became the highest-rated show in the history of Saturday morning television.
- 7/5/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
The word rang out this morning in the world of laughter. A member of comedy royalty had taken his last well-deserved bow.
Here’s how the AP news service spread the word:
New York (AP) — Carl Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a “second banana” to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy’s front ranks as creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and straight man to Mel Brooks’ “2000 Year Old Man,” has died. He was 98.
Reiner’s assistant Judy Nagy said he died Monday night of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills, California.
While he made significant contributions to the worlds of live theatre, television, recordings, and literature, we at Wamg would like to applaud his body of work in motion pictures: acting, writing and directing. But in order to begin, lets’ double back to TV. Carl first achieved worldwide...
Here’s how the AP news service spread the word:
New York (AP) — Carl Reiner, the ingenious and versatile writer, actor and director who broke through as a “second banana” to Sid Caesar and rose to comedy’s front ranks as creator of “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and straight man to Mel Brooks’ “2000 Year Old Man,” has died. He was 98.
Reiner’s assistant Judy Nagy said he died Monday night of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills, California.
While he made significant contributions to the worlds of live theatre, television, recordings, and literature, we at Wamg would like to applaud his body of work in motion pictures: acting, writing and directing. But in order to begin, lets’ double back to TV. Carl first achieved worldwide...
- 7/1/2020
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
“It’s so nice to not have to be asking the questions,” says Ryan Seacrest with a chuckle as we record an episode of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast. Described by The New York Times as “the hardest working man in show business,” Seacrest is, of course, best known as the host of the reality competition show American Idol, which went on the air in 2002, and just wrapped up its 18th season — and first conducted remotely, thanks to the novel coronavirus pandemic — Sunday night.
But the 45-year-old has also been the host of the syndicated countdown radio program American Top 40 and Kiis-fm’s morning radio show On Air With Ryan Seacrest since 2004; a host of ABC’s annual Dec. 31 special Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve since 2006 and daily talk show Live With Kelly and Ryan since 2017; and, since 2006, the chief of Ryan Seacrest Productions, which...
But the 45-year-old has also been the host of the syndicated countdown radio program American Top 40 and Kiis-fm’s morning radio show On Air With Ryan Seacrest since 2004; a host of ABC’s annual Dec. 31 special Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve since 2006 and daily talk show Live With Kelly and Ryan since 2017; and, since 2006, the chief of Ryan Seacrest Productions, which...
- 5/17/2020
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Movies to watch when you’re staying in for a while, featuring recommendations from Dana Gould, Daniel Waters, Scott Alexander, and Allison Anders.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Destroy All Monsters (1969)
Planet Of The Apes (1968)
Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970)
Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)
Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)
Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973)
Suparpie
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Hello Down There (1969)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Thirteen Days (2000)
Stalker (1979)
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
No Exit (1962)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Sleeper (1973)
The Tenant (1976)
Final Cut: Ladies And Gentlemen (2012)
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)
La classe américaine (1993)
The Sex Adventures of a Single Man a.k.a. The 24 Hour Lover (1968)
The Omega Man (1971)
Soylent Green (1973)
Knives Out (2019)
The Hunt (2020)
Banana Split (2020)
The Cocoanuts (1929)
Animal Crackers (1930)
Monkey Business (1931)
Horse Feathers (1932)
Duck Soup (1933)
A Night At The Opera (1935)
The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971)
Susan Slade (1961)
My Blood Runs Cold...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Destroy All Monsters (1969)
Planet Of The Apes (1968)
Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970)
Escape From The Planet Of The Apes (1971)
Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes (1972)
Battle For The Planet Of The Apes (1973)
Suparpie
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Hello Down There (1969)
Koyaanisqatsi (1982)
Thirteen Days (2000)
Stalker (1979)
Last Year At Marienbad (1961)
No Exit (1962)
The Exterminating Angel (1962)
Sleeper (1973)
The Tenant (1976)
Final Cut: Ladies And Gentlemen (2012)
The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)
La classe américaine (1993)
The Sex Adventures of a Single Man a.k.a. The 24 Hour Lover (1968)
The Omega Man (1971)
Soylent Green (1973)
Knives Out (2019)
The Hunt (2020)
Banana Split (2020)
The Cocoanuts (1929)
Animal Crackers (1930)
Monkey Business (1931)
Horse Feathers (1932)
Duck Soup (1933)
A Night At The Opera (1935)
The Incredible Two-Headed Transplant (1971)
Susan Slade (1961)
My Blood Runs Cold...
- 3/27/2020
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Italian actress Lucia Bosè has died at the age of 89. She was most known for appearing in films from acclaimed Italian directors such as Michelangelo Antonioni and Federico Fellini.
Her son, the Spanish singer Miguel Bosè, confirmed the news on social media, tweeting the below with the caption, “Dear friends … I inform you that my mother Lucía Bosé has just passed away. She is in the best of places.”
More from Deadline'Modern Family's Beloved French Bulldog Beatrice Dies After Series Finale WrapKevin Conway Dies: 'Gettysburg', 'Thirteen Days' & 'Invincible' Actor Was 77Jack Sheldon, Merv Griffin Sidekick And 'Conjunction Junction' Singer, Dead At 88
Queridos amig@s … os comunico que mi madre Lucía Bosé acaba de fallecer. Ya está en el mejor de los sitios. #Mb pic.twitter.com/H33dlay3lk
— Miguel Bosé (@BoseOfficial) March 23, 2020
According to the Italian press, she died of pneumonia.
Lucia Bosè rose to fame after...
Her son, the Spanish singer Miguel Bosè, confirmed the news on social media, tweeting the below with the caption, “Dear friends … I inform you that my mother Lucía Bosé has just passed away. She is in the best of places.”
More from Deadline'Modern Family's Beloved French Bulldog Beatrice Dies After Series Finale WrapKevin Conway Dies: 'Gettysburg', 'Thirteen Days' & 'Invincible' Actor Was 77Jack Sheldon, Merv Griffin Sidekick And 'Conjunction Junction' Singer, Dead At 88
Queridos amig@s … os comunico que mi madre Lucía Bosé acaba de fallecer. Ya está en el mejor de los sitios. #Mb pic.twitter.com/H33dlay3lk
— Miguel Bosé (@BoseOfficial) March 23, 2020
According to the Italian press, she died of pneumonia.
Lucia Bosè rose to fame after...
- 3/23/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
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