by tyler | Jun 13, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Treat Williams, a veteran actor who starred in the TV dramas “Blue Bloods” and “Everwood,” died Monday night as the result of a motorcycle accident in Vermont, his longtime agent, Barry McPherson, told CNN.
He was 71.
According to Vermont State Police, the crash occurred around 5:00 pm ET Monday on Vermont Route 30 when a driver of a vehicle attempted to turn left into a parking lot and collided with Williams, who was operating a 1986 Honda VT700c motorcycle. Williams was thrown from his motorcycle and suffered critical injuries. He was airlifted to Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York, where he was pronounced dead, officials said.
Born Richard Treat Williams in Rowayton, Connecticut, he studied theater in college and moved to New York shortly after graduating. There, he nabbed the understudy role to John Travolta in “Grease” and later replaced him as Danny Zuko.
Williams’ versatile screen career included an early role in director Milos Forman’s adaptation of the musical “Hair” in 1979, followed by a starring vehicle with another A-list director, Sidney Lumet, in the gritty undercover crime drama “Prince of the City” two years later.
While Williams appeared destined for major stardom, his next several movies didn’t equal that early promise, though he continued to work steadily, including in a TV movie remake of “A Streetcar Named Desire” and additional TV movies in which he played boxer Jack Dempsey and FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover.
In the ’90s, the actor segued into different kind of roles, playing the villain in the pulp-comic adaptation “The Phantom” and super-agent Michael Ovitz in the HBO movie based on the book “The Late Shift,” about “The Tonight Show” succession battle between Jay Leno and David Letterman. He earned a Primetime Emmy nomination for that role.
Later in that decade, Williams enjoyed leading action star status in 1998’s B-movie “Deep Rising,” about a killer sea monster, starring opposite Famke Janssen, Wes Studi and Djimon Hounsou.
Williams subsequently found new success in television, starring in the CW series “Everwood” for four seasons in the aughts and a more recent stint on “Chicago Fire.” He was also part of the core cast of “Chesapeake Shores,” appearing in 53 episodes between 2016 and 2022. He last year also co-starred in the HBO miniseries “We Own This City,” producer David Simon’s chronicle of corruption and internal politics in the Baltimore police department.
The late actor is survived by his wife Pam Van Sant and their two children.
“I’m just devastated,” McPherson told People of Williams on Monday. “He was the nicest guy. He was so talented.”
“He was an actor’s actor. Filmmakers loved him. He’s been the heart of the Hollywood since the late 1970s,” he added.
In 2020, Williams filmed an “Acting Lessons” video for Netflix, in which he said, “The one thing I would say to younger actors is, be concerned with what you’re doing, not how you’re doing.
“If you’re very focused on what you have to say, or what you’re trying to tell the other person, or what you’re sharing with the audience, you’re going to be a lot more comfortable, and I think, truthful.”
by tyler | Jun 13, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
An array of Black artists and musicians will take the stage at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles next week for CNN’s second annual “Juneteenth: A Global Celebration for Freedom” concert.
Produced by Live Nation Urban and Jesse Collins Entertainment, the event will commemorate the federal holiday that marks the emancipation of enslaved people in the United States.
Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver special remarks during the event, which will be broadcast on CNN and OWN at 8 p.m. ET on June 19.
The night’s performers will include Charlie Wilson, Miguel, Kirk Franklin, Nelly, SWV, Davido, Coi Leray, Jodeci and Mike Phillips, with Academy-award winning director Questlove and Adam Blackstone serving as the musical directors.
The show will also feature a tribute to the late music legend Tina Turner by singer and “Grown-ish” star Chlöe Bailey.
Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, but many Black Americans have honored the date for years with parades, parties and family gatherings. It marks June 19, 1865: the day that Union Army Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger rode into Galveston, Texas, and issued General Order No. 3, proclaiming that the enslaved African Americans there were free. The end of slavery came over two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
Johnita P. Due, CNN’s executive vice president of integrity and inclusion, said the show has been “meticulously crafted as an expression of the excellence and resilience of the Black community and the ongoing pursuit of equality.”
“We are thrilled to continue to elevate the importance of the Juneteenth holiday,” Due said in a statement.
Shawn Gee, president of Live Nation Urban, recalled how last year’s inaugural edition of the Juneteenth concert was emotional and unforgettable.
“We are looking forward to educating and celebrating the Juneteenth holiday,” Gee said.
by tyler | Jun 13, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Ezra Miller made their first public appearance Monday after facing some upheaval last year.
The actor, who is nonbinary and uses “they/them” pronouns, walked the red carpet at the Hollywood premiere of the movie “The Flash.”
In video shared on social media by Deadline, Miller thanked multiple people, including “the dynamic duo” of DC Studios co-chairs and co-chief executive officer Peter Safran and James Gunn “for your grace and discernment and care in the context of my life and in bringing this moment to fruition.”
“Just the thousands of artists and workers who made this movie, everybody who supported us in our lives and in the world,” Miller said. “And everybody who supported me in my life and in the world along this decade-long, trying, and very beautiful peregrination.”
DC Studios is owned by CNN’s parent company.
Last year Miller sought mental health treatment amid a string of legal issues. They pled guilty to a charge of unlawful trespassing in January 2023.
“The Flash” is in theaters Friday.
by tyler | Jun 8, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Michelle Yeoh has won best actress at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday night, becoming the first woman of Asian descent to win the award.
Yeoh, who earned the trophy for her acclaimed performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” has also entered the history books for becoming the first Malaysian-born performer to be honored with a best actress Oscar.
Yeoh is the fifth person of Asian descent to win an Oscar in an acting category and the first to win in a lead acting category.
“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof to dream big and dreams do come true,” Yeoh gushed while accepting her Oscar.
She added: “Ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you’re ever past your prime.”
Yeoh dedicated her Oscar to her mother, and “all the moms in the world, because they really are the superheroes and without them none of us would be here tonight.”
In “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” Yeoh portrayed Evelyn Wang, a beleaguered Asian American immigrant who runs a laundromat and is confronted with the staggering prospect of infinite possible lives as part of the multiverse. As she navigates this bizarre new terrain and gains exceptional new powers, she must come to terms with rifts within her family that ultimately pose a grave existential threat – all while also facing a tax audit.
Upon learning of her history-making nomination for the film in January, Yeoh told The Hollywood Reporter that “it’s taken a long time. But I think this is more than me.” She also mentioned that constantly, “Asians (are) walking up to me saying, ‘You can do it, you’re doing it for us.’ It’s like, ‘I understand. I totally understand.’ All this time, they’ve not been recognized, they’ve not been heard.”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once” also stars Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis, who both won in their respective supporting acting categories on Sunday night.
In total, the film won seven Academy Awards out of 11 nominations, including best picture. Among its other wins, “Everything Everywhere” clinched best original screenplay and best director for duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
by tyler | Jun 8, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
If Yvonne Orji looks comfortable portraying a talk/game show host in a new set of Hertz commercials, there’s a reason.
The “Insecure” star pointed out to CNN in a recent interview that she had guest hosted for Ellen DeGeneres in the past, and expressed interest in helming her own chat show some day.
“I’m hosting this fictitious game show, right,” she said. “So I’m like, someone is going to give me a talk show.”
Orji believes in manifestation, and it’s clearly working for her.
Not only is she starring in the car rental company ads opposite football great Tom Brady, but her book “Bamboozled by Jesus” comes out in paperback in September, she has two comedy specials under her belt, as well as forthcoming films “Vacation Friends 2” and “The Blackening.”
The actor told CNN her years starring on HBO’s “Insecure” – which ended in 2021 after five seasons and earned Orji an Emmy nomination – helped prepare for it all (HBO is owned by CNN’s parent company).
“I’m honestly living the dream,” she said. “‘Insecure’ was a fantastic foundation for me. And it just springboarded all the things that I desire to do. And I’m still doing more of them.”
Stand-up comedy remains a favorite form of expression, she said, because “I love the immediate response you get from the audience.”
Orji is expecting laughs as well for “The Blackening,” due out this month.
The film pokes fun at the trope of Black people always dying first in horror films, and the actress said audiences will enjoy how funny it is, even as it also touches on the serious issue of who determines Blackness.
“It’s a satire, but it’s a really interesting conversation starter about like, what does it mean?” she said.
To Orji, it sounds like a topic she would explore on her long-hoped-for talk show.
“It would be fun,” she said. “It would almost be a mix of those roundtable talk shows where comedians are just talking about stuff, and then kind of like Oprah.”
by tyler | Jun 8, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
There was a tie for first place when it came to the most shocking part of the “Vanderpump Rules” reunion finale.
The third and final installment of the Season 10 reunion aired Wednesday night and it was a doozy.
Cast member Tom Sandoval, who cheated on his life partner of nine years Ariana Madix with her best friend Raquel Leviss, insulted his ex with a comment about sex before he was exposed for having cheating much longer than had originally been claimed.
The quip came after Madix said Sandoval was sleeping with her at the same time he was cheating with Leviss.
“You know who he did sleep with after him and Raquel started sleeping together? Me,” Madix said, to which Sandoval replied: “Yeah, she kept her t-shirt on. It was really hot.”
The rest of the cast then unleashed on him.
“You’re disgusting,” Lala Kent said.
“Scandoval” as it has been dubbed by fans of the show was front and center during the episode that aired Wednesday.
Madix spoke her truth, including telling former best friend Leviss where she stands with her now.
“You’re disgusting, and I wish nothing but the worst (expletive) that can ever happen to a person on you,” Madix told Leviss.
“My dog had just died. I cried in your (expletive) arms,” Madix went on to say. “You’re a (expletive) psychopath. You are terrifying to me as a person. … You’re a dementor. … You’re a soul-sucking individual, and I will, after today, never see or speak to you ever again, and I will be better for it.”
Leviss said she was so nervous to face her former friends, she nearly skipped the reunion.
“I’m so ashamed and embarrassed that I’m even capable of keeping this secret from somebody who has been in my corner since the beginning,” Leviss said. “Ariana, I am so sorry for betraying you. I can’t even fathom the pain that I caused you. I have been completely selfish, and you’re right: Selfish isn’t even the right word, because it doesn’t even begin to describe the state of mind I have been in.”
She continued: “It was a mistake. The way it was handled was a complete mistake. The way that we have betrayed the people closest to us was detrimental to all of your friendships, and I’m seeing all of the consequences for my actions that I never even considered because I was living in the moment.”
At the end of the episode, Leviss had yet another confession, admitting that she slept with Sandoval in the home he shares with Madix, something Leviss said she and Sandoval had earlier agreed to lie about as it made them look even worse.
“I am so sick of lying. I hate it,” she said. “I hate being deceitful. It’s horrible.”
