by tyler | Aug 4, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Tina Knowles has appeared to refute the theory that her daughter Beyoncé dropped mentioning Lizzo on tour because of a lawsuit.
The internet took note recently when Beyoncé changed up her usual shoutout during her performance of “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)” while on her “Renaissance” tour.
The lyrics to the song include references to “Betty Davis, Solange Knowles, Badu, Lizzo, Kelly Rowl,’ Lauryn Hill, Roberta Flack” and other prominent women, which Beyoncé recorded with Madonna.
But soon after three of Lizzo’s former dancers filed suit against over harassment and hostile work environment allegations, which Lizzo has denied, some concertgoers noticed that Beyoncé instead sang “Badu” multiple times.
That led some to believe the superstar was distancing herself from Lizzo.
Knowles jumped in the comments on an Instagram post about the alleged snub.
“She also didn’t say her own sister’s name yal [sic] should really stop,” Knowles wrote.
CNN has reached out to a representative of Beyoncé for comment.
by tyler | Aug 4, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Mark Margolis, a veteran actor known for his performances on “Breaking Bad” and “Better Call Saul,” has died, his son, actor and Knitting Factory Entertainment CEO Morgan Margolis, told The Hollywood Reporter.
He was 83.
CNN has reached out to representatives for Margolis for comment.
Margolis had received an Emmy nomination for portraying Hector “Tio” Salamanca . Tio, a fan-favorite character, was a former cartel enforcer who communicated using a brass bell attached to his wheelchair. He later played Tio as a younger man before he was in a wheelchair.
“It was a marvelous creature! The fact that he didn’t have any words was not an issue for me,” Margolis told Time in 2013 of the role. “I was delighted not to have to learn any lines. I mean, I had to know what was going on, I had to my cues, but the fact that I didn’t have to master lines was great. I got to fly out to New Mexico and not worry about memorizing anything.”
Margolis also appeared in “Scarface,” “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective,” and “Oz.” He worked often with director Darren Aronofsky and appeared in six of his movies.
He studied under legendary acting teacher Stella Adler at The Actors Studio in New York.
Though he had well more than 100 film and television credits, Margolis found the staying power of performance as Tio surprising.
“I can’t get down a street 50 feet without taking a picture or signing an autograph! I was just supposed to be on for one episode,” he said in the same 2013 interview. “After the second season, I didn’t know anyone who knew the show, but after the third season — it just blew up.”
Best known for his portrayals as villains, Margolis in actuality was described as humorous and self-deprecating.”
“There are three guys a day that stop me and the only thing they know me from is ‘Scarface.’ I always say, ‘My God, you’re talking about something from 30 years ago,’” Margolis told Vulture in 2016. “I’m a curmudgeon and I get into these things with people. I should just shut up. It makes you feel like they retired you for some reason. It shouldn’t pain me, but I’m a little bit unhinged. Insecure is probably the word.”
Margolis joked about being known for his “Breaking Bad” bell ringing skills when he was hired to be in a commercial for an Apple watch app.
“I don’t do many commercials. I didn’t know why anybody wanted me, and it’s because the thing is called Dingbel and it dings a bell,” Margolis recalled to Vulture. “I tell people I’m the second-most famous bell ringer after Quasimodo. It’s me and Quasimodo.”
Margolis is survived by his his wife, Jacqueline, his son and several grandchildren.
by tyler | Aug 3, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Marvel actor Jonathan Majors’ trial pertaining to assault and harassment charges leveled against him has been pushed to September 6th, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.
Majors was expected in court Thursday for a previously set trial start date.
It was not immediately clear what pushed the trial back.
According to the complaint obtained by CNN, Majors is accused of striking a woman “about the face with an open hand, causing substantial pain and a laceration behind her ear.”
It also claims he “put his hand on her neck, causing bruising and substantial pain.”
Majors’ attorney Priya Chaudhry maintained her client’s innocence in a statement to CNN on Thursday, saying her client was “unjustly cuffed” and hauled off to jail, and is the “real victim in this shameful ordeal,” who “has had his life, career, and reputation torn apart.”
In June, the “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” star appeared at a New York City courthouse for a hearing related to the charges brought against him earlier in the year by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Judge Rachel S. Pauley had set the trial date at that time for August 3.
Through his attorney, Majors has denied the allegations against him related to an incident in New York City on March 25.
by tyler | Aug 3, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Steven Spielberg went to great lengths to convince an initially apprehensive Will Smith to star in the 1997 sci-fi blockbuster “Men in Black.”
Appearing on Kevin Hart’s Peacock show “Hart to Hart” on Thursday, Smith said that Spielberg “sent a helicopter for me… to talk,” in order to convince him to take on the movie, which Spielberg executive produced.
“It landed at his house,” Smith said. “And he had me at ‘hello.’”
Smith told Hart that he met with the Oscar-winning director in a room inside his home that was adorned with posters for iconic Spielberg movies such as “Jurassic Park” and “Jaws,” which Smith joked he felt were intentionally present to “remind” him about who exactly he was saying “no” to.
He went on to share that Spielberg asked him point blank, “Tell me why you don’t want to do my movie.”
“I didn’t want to make two alien movies back-to-back,” Smith admitted, adding, “I didn’t want to go from ‘Independence Day’ to ‘Men in Black’ – I didn’t want to be the alien guy.”
Smith starred in “Independence Day,” a sci-fi/action movie about aliens invading Earth, alongside Bill Pullman and Jeff Goldblum in 1996.
“Men in Black” also has to do with aliens, telling the story of a covert intergalactic organization that monitors crimes committed by aliens or those that pose a threat to Earth.
Of course, Smith ultimately did end up taking on the role of Jay in “Men in Black” and credited his decision to feeling “protected” by Spielberg’s credibility.
Clearly, it was the right decision, as “Men In Black” became a supremely successful franchise spawning two sequels, as well as a fourth installment, “Men in Black: International” in 2019.
by tyler | Aug 3, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Cardi B will not face charges related to throwing her microphone into the crowd at a concert in Las Vegas last weekend, according to police.
“After a thorough review of this case and with the consultation from the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, this case has been closed as having insufficient evidence. No charges will be filed in relation to this case,” Las Vegas Metropolitan Police told CNN in a statement on Thursday.
“On behalf of Cardi, we appreciate the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Dept’s diligent and prompt resolution of this matter,” Drew Findling, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonfeld, the attorneys representing Cardi B, said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
On Monday, a concertgoer filed a report with the LVMPD after being “struck by an item that was thrown from the stage,” police told CNN earlier this week.
Authorities did not name Cardi B in their statement, but the address on the incident report matched the location where she was performing when the the concertgoer was allegedly struck.
CNN previously reported that Cardi B was performing at Drai’s Beach Club in Las Vegas last weekend when an audience member threw a drink toward the stage, as seen in video footage posted to social media.
In the clip, the rapper is seen getting splashed with liquid from the cup while performing her 2018 hit “Bodak Yellow.” Cardi B quickly reacted by throwing her microphone into the audience as security guards rushed to the stage and into the crowd.
In another video shared to social media from the concert, Cardi B and her DJ are seen asking the crowd to “splash” her with water due to the heat. It’s unclear if this occurred before or after the incident with the microphone.
by tyler | Aug 2, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Maude Apatow is mourning her late friend and “Euphoria” co-star, Angus Cloud.
The actor died Monday at age 25.
“Angus was the funniest person ever,” Apatow wrote in a post shared on Instagram Wednesday. “I would get so excited to see on the schedule that we would be working together because I knew we’d have the best day, laughing so hard.”
Cloud played Fezco, a sweet-natured drug dealer who grew a close connection with Apatow’s Lexi in the HBO teen drama. (CNN and HBO are both part of Warner Bros. Discovery).
“He was the sweetest and made everyone around him so happy,” Apatow’s tribute continued. “He was just the best. Words can’t really capture how magical of a person he was. My heart is broken.”
The cause of Cloud’s death has not yet been determined. His family shared he had buried his father days prior to his death in a statement to CNN on Monday.
“The only comfort we have is knowing Angus is now reunited with his dad, who was his best friend. Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence,” they wrote.
Apatow concluded her post with a message of gratitude for her colleague.
“Angus, getting to know and work with you was one of the greatest joys and blessings of my life,” she wrote. “I will love you forever.”
