Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, Dead at 63
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Disco and pop music icon Donna Summer has died, ABC News has confirmed. The singer passed away after a battle with cancer and died in Florida. She was 63 years old.
A statement from the family of Summer’s husband, Bruce Sudano, reads: “Early this morning, surrounded by family, we lost Donna Summer Sudano, a woman of many gifts, the greatest being her faith. While we grieve her passing, we are at peace celebrating her extraordinary life and her continued legacy. Words truly can’t express how much we appreciate your prayers and love for our family at this sensitive time.”
The statement ends with a request to make a donation in Summer’s name to the Salvation Army, in lieu of flowers.
Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines, Summer — a five-time Grammy Award winner known as the Queen of Disco — revolutionized dance music with her seminal hits “Love to Love You Baby” and “I Feel Love.” Those tracks established her career and were followed by a string of hits, including “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff,” “MacArthur Park,” “Bad Girls” and “Dim All the Lights.”
Summer continued her career into the ’80s with hits like “She Works Hard for the Money” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real.” The first woman and the first African-American Artist ever to win a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, for “Hot Stuff,” Summer was shortlisted for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but to date has never been inducted.
Summer’s chart achievements and awards were numerous. She was the first artist ever to score three consecutive number-one double albums. She scored at least one Top 40 hit in every year from 1976 to 1984. Her presence on Billboard’s Disco/Club Play chart spanned from 1975, with “Love to Love You Baby,” through 2010, with “To Paris with Love.”
In addition to her five Grammy Awards, Summer won six American Music Awards and was the first African-American woman to be nominated for an MTV Video Music Award, for “She Works Hard for the Money.” She was honored twice by the Dance Music Hall of Fame; she herself was inducted as a recording artist, and her song “I Feel Love” was also inducted.
According to Billboard, Summer is survived by her husband, three daughters, and four grandchildren.
Nile Rodgers, founder of Chic and one of dance music’s architects, tweeted, “For the last half hour or so I’ve been lying in my bed crying and stunned. Donna Summer RIP.”
Summer was most recently seen performing with Seal in David Foster’s 2010 PBS special Foster & Friends and on America’s Got Talent, performing with former contestant Prince Poppycock.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Osama Bin Laden Battle Brewing in Cannes
AFP/Getty Images(CANNES, France) — The battle for bin Laden is on — that is, the battle to bring the killing of the Al-Qaeda leader to the big screen is on.
At the just-opened Cannes Film Festival, The Weinstein Company is close to buying Code Name Geronimo, a movie about the manhunt for Osama bin Laden. And, according to the Los Angeles Times, company chairman Harvey Weinstein has pretty much decided to release it in the fall — ahead of the presidential elections and the release of another bin-Laden-assassination film, Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow‘s Zero Dark Thirty.
Sony Pictures had decided not to release Zero Dark Thirty, which features Joel Edgerton and Jessica Chastain, until December 19, presumably to avoid politicizing the film. The movie was already the subject of Congressional scrutiny over whether the administration had leaked classified information to the filmmakers.
Weinstein, who rolled out Michael Moore’s Farenheit 9/11 the summer before the Bush-Kerry contest in 2004, apparently has no such qualms.
Code Name Geronimo is directed by John Stockwell, the actor-turned-director behind such films as Dark Tide and Blue Crush. According to industry gossip website Deadline Hollywood, the deal for the film, which is still in post-production, is being negotiated in the $2 million range on the basis of a trailer and additional footage.
The Los Angeles Times reported that the film centers on the CIA, U.S. military brass and the Navy Seals who took the risky mission. The film is reportedly more modest in budget and scope that Zero Dark Thirty. Though Geronimo may have first-to-screen advantage, Zero Dark Thirty comes with a more impressive pedigree. It’s by the same team behind the Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker — Bigelow and fellow Oscar-winner, screenwriter Mark Boal.
By the way, The Hurt Locker producer who shared in the Best Picture Award, Voltage Pictures’ Nicolas Chartier, has switched sides in this battle. He’s the producer behind Geronimo.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Jennifer Lopez Tops "Forbes’" 100 Most Powerful Celebs List
Kevin Winter/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Forbes magazine has released its annual list of The World’s Most Powerful Celebrities, and American Idol’s Jennifer Lopez tops the list for the first time ever.
According to Forbes, once Lopez landed the American Idol judging job, it revived her career and gave her a platform to build her empire. She now has big endorsement deals with L’Oreal and Gillette, a clothing line at Kohl’s, a fragrance line, and another show, Q’Viva!, with her ex-husband Marc Anthony.
She has a strong social media presence, with 12 million Facebook fans and 6.6 million Twitter followers, and she’s reportedly earning $20 million for her second season on Idol.
Oprah Winfrey is in the number two slot, with pop sensation Justin Bieber rounding out the top three.
The rankings were determined by money earned and fame.
Forbes defines fame as “media visibility in print, television, radio and online, plus social media power,” which the magazine measures by looking at a celebrity’s presence on Facebook and Twitter. Money earned was determined only by dollars earned between May 1, 2011 and May 1, 2012.
Other celebrities who made the Forbes list:
#7 — Kim Kardashian
#9 — Tom Cruise
#10– Steven Spielberg
#12 — Tiger Woods
#13 — Angelina Jolie
#20 — Tyler Perry
#22 — Jennifer Aniston
#28 — Brad Pitt
#29 — Ryan Seacrest
#34 — Ellen DeGeneres
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
"Marvel’s The Avengers" Becomes Highest-Grossing Movie of the Year
The Walt Disney Company/Marvel Comics(LOS ANGELES) — It was only a matter of time, but Marvel’s The Avengers is now the biggest movie of the year to date.
Through Tuesday, the superhero film has earned $389.5 million at the domestic box office, according to Hollywood.com. The total eclipses that of The Hunger Games, which raked in $387.9 million.
The Avengers currently ranks ninth all-time at the worldwide box office and 13th all-time at the domestic box office. It has earned $1.036 billion globally.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Reports: Jennifer Lopez Leaving "American Idol"
Theo Wargo/WireImage for Tommy Hilfiger(LOS ANGELES) — Earlier this week on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jennifer Lopez said she doesn’t know if she’ll return to American Idol next season. There are now multiple reports claiming she will in fact leave the Fox competition.
A source tells E! News that Lopez is “just too busy” to continue with Idol.
Similarly, an insider who spoke to Us Weekly says, “There is just too much going on for her right now.”
Lopez told Ellen DeGeneres this week that she is unsure of her Idol future in part because she has four-year-old twins to consider. She also has a summer tour with Enrique Iglesias on the horizon.
Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is keeping his fingers crossed that Lopez will commit to another season of the show.
He tells TMZ.com, “We want her back. I want her back.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
"The Dictator" Director Denies Film Is Offensive to Arab-Americans
Paramount Pictures(NEW YORK) — Sacha Baron Cohen’s new comedy, The Dictator, has irked some Arab-American groups who feel his character, a fictional North African dictator named Adm. Gen. Aladeen, casts an unflattering light on them.
For example, Nadia Tonova, director of the National Network for Arab American Communities, tells E! News, “I have not seen the film, but based on the trailer and interviews that I have seen him do in character, it really seems to be that it’s perpetuating a negative stereotype against Arabs and therefore Arab-Americans.”
Tonova previously criticized Cohen after he appeared on the Oscars red carpet as Aladeen and pretended to spill the ashes of the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il onto Ryan Seacrest.
The director of the film, Larry Charles, rejects the notion that the character is offensive to Arab-Americans.
He tells ABC News Radio that Aladeen was inspired by several past dictators, such as Moammar Gadhafi, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Il, Augusto Pinochet and Idi Amin.
“There’s a wide range historically of dictators that you can draw from and they share many personality traits. It’s not an ethnic thing. It’s a personality disorder, in a sense,” he says.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
"Two and a Half Men" Moving to Thursdays, CBS Announces
Sonja Flemming/CBS(NEW YORK) — TV’s highest-rated network is keeping its primetime lineup mostly intact for the 2012-2013 season.
CBS confirmed Wednesday that it is bringing back 19 of its series in the fall, though a couple of them are switching to new nights. Two and a Half Men, which will retain Ashton Kutcher for a second season, will move from Mondays to Thursdays, where it will air after The Big Bang Theory.
The Simon Baker drama The Mentalist will shift from Thursdays to Sundays.
CBS will introduce four new shows in the fall:
– Elementary, a modern-day Sherlock Holmes drama starring Jonny Lee Miller as the legendary detective and Lucy Liu as a female version of his sidekick Watson.
– Vegas, a 1960s-era drama starring Dennis Quaid as a Las Vegas sheriff and Michael Chiklis as his gangster-rival.
– Made in Jersey, a drama about a young woman with street smarts who works at a New York law firm.
– Partners, a comedy about two guys whose “bromance” is tested when one of them gets engaged.
CBS also has three midseason programs in the works: the cop drama Golden Boy, the comedy Friend Me, and the Mark Burnett reality series The Job.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Manny Pacquiao’s Conservative Punch
Jeoffrey Maitem/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Manny Pacquiao’s latest jab toward gay marriage has landed him on the wrong side of the rope in Tinseltown. Pacquiao was scheduled to be interviewed on the set of the TV show Extra at The Grove Wednesday but the owner banned him after his comments against gay marriage were made public.
“God only expects man and woman to be together and to be legally married,” said Pacquiao in a recent interview with The National Conservative Examiner. “It should not be of the same sex, so as to adulterate the altar of matrimony, like in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah.”
Pacquiao’s comments arrive on the heels of President Obama’s endorsement of same-sex marriage. The endorsement has managed to be a catalyst for both sides of the debate and has been met with a payload of opposition.
The 33-year-old boxer and Sarangani representative in the Filipino Congress, who’s also No. 33 on Forbes’ world’s most powerful celebrities list, has made no secret of his conservative politics after denouncing a reproductive health care bill that would benefit Filipinos seeking contraception.
It was reported that Pacquiao had quoted Leviticus 20:13 verbatim during the interview, which states, “If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.”
It then turned out that he had not said that, but not before the media frenzy took off and an online petition was created to encourage Nike to drop a deal they have with Pacquiao. Nearly 5,000 signatures were gathered before it was shut down.
Pacquiao, a devout Catholic, released a statement Wednesday on his website to clear up what he said during the interview.
“I’m not against gay people,” he wrote. “I have a relative who is also gay. We can’t help it if they were born that way. What I’m critical of are actions that violate the word of God. I only gave out my opinion that same-sex marriage is against the law of God.”
Another message on his official website further explains the boxer’s beliefs. “Pacquiao does not now and has never believed that people deserve death because of their sexual orientation.”
Besides Nike, the married father of four has deals with Monster Energy, Hennessy and Hewlett Packard.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Charlize Theron Fine Being a Single Mom — For Now
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic(NEW YORK) — Charlize Theron opens up about aging, motherhood and relationships in an interview with InStyle magazine. As she gets older, the 36-year-old actress says she can feel her body changing and she’s OK with that. “Part of me understands I may not be in front of the camera forever, and maybe not just because of age, but because of me.” She notes that she has started her own production company, with an eye towards a behind-the-scenes future in Hollywood.
Theron has an adopted son named Jackson and hopes to be “10 percent of the mom mine was to me.” She adds that she wants her son to be confident and enjoy life.
When it comes to relationships, the Snow White & The Huntsman star says she’s always open to opportunity but is “not putting feelers out there now.” She muses, “I’m a relationship girl. That’s kind of just how I’m made.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
John Travolta’s Sexual Assault Accuser Drops Lawsuit
Ryan Pierse/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — After two men filed lawsuits, alleging that John Travolta sexually harassed them, the actor’s initial accuser has dropped his lawsuit, TMZ.com reports.
The masseur, identified only as John Doe, accused Travolta in a $2 million lawsuit of assault and sexual battery for allegedly attempting to have sex with him on Jan. 16 at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Now, John Doe has filed dismissal papers, according to TMZ.
John Doe’s dropped lawsuit comes after reports showed Travolta photographed in New York on the day of the alleged sexual assault.
Travolta still faces claims from a second unidentified masseur, who claimed that during a massage at an Atlanta resort in late January, the actor tried to force the masseur’s hand onto his private parts and later performed a lewd act. The masseur says he left the room and complained to his supervisors and co-workers, after which Travolta unsuccessfully “demanded” that the masseur continue the massage.
A Chilean cruise ship employee named Fabian Zanzi has also claimed Travolta made sexual advances at him, according to E! Online. He told the Chilean news program Primo Plano the incident occurred during a Royal Caribbean cruise in 2009. He has not filed a lawsuit.
Travolta’s attorney, Marty Singer, has long denied the allegations against the actor. He responded to E! News regarding Zanzi, saying, “This is just another ridiculous claim by someone hopping on the bandwagon to get his 15 minutes of fame with a story about something that supposedly happened over three years ago.”
Regarding the initial accuser dropping his claim, Singer tells E! News in a statement, “My client is completely vindicated by Doe No. 1 dropping his claims and dismissing his lawsuit.” The statement continues, “We fully expect that my client will similarly be vindicated with respect to Doe No. 2, as well as with respect to any other person who makes meritless claims against John Travolta.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Tiger Woods’ Ex Elin Nordegren Is Single Again
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images(PALM BEACH, Fla.) — Tiger Woods’ ex Elin Nordegren is single again.
According to People magazine, Nordegren broke off her relationship with financier Jamie Dingman in January.
“She says Jamie’s a great guy — and they’re still friends — but I think it was just too early [after the divorce] for her to get serious with anyone,” a friend of Nordegren told the magazine.
The pair were first linked last summer. Dingman, the son of billionaire Michael Dingman, president of international investments firm Shipston Group Ltd., manages his father’s business in China. He and Nordegren’s pro golfer ex-husband reportedly share something in common — a fling with former nightlife hostess Rachel Uchitel.
Nordegren lives with her two children in North Palm Beach, Fla., and is a part-time college student working on her psychology degree.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Sacha Baron Cohen Fondles Clooney’s Ex for Latest ‘Dictator’ Stunt
Mike Marsland/WireImage(CANNES, France) — The stunts just never stop with Sacha Baron Cohen. At the Cannes Film Festival Wednesday, he paled around on a yacht with Elisabetta Canalis, the Italian model famous for once dating George Clooney.
Dressed as the star of his new movie, The Dictator, Cohen oiled up Canalis’ legs, showed her what was inside his speedo, and eventually threw her overboard in a body bag. Photos of Canalis lounging at a Cannes hotel after the playdate confirm she was not actually killed and disposed of unceremoniously.
Cohen also arrived at a Cannes press conference for The Dictator on a camel. All of this comes as The Dictator, which opens Wednesday, is getting lukewarm reviews compared to the raves showered on Borat, Cohen’s first big-screen satire.
“What’s shocking this time is how tame Sacha Baron Cohen’s newest wild man is, for all the kerfuffle the comedian can stir up on the promotional trail,” Entertainment Weekly’s Lisa Schwarzbaum said.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Lady Gaga Accused of ‘Worshipping Satan,’ Concert Canceled
Alo Ceballos/FilmMagic(JAKARTA, Indonesia) — Lady Gaga’s June 3 concert in Jakarta, Indonesia — the subject of protests and complaints by that country’s hard-line Islamist organizations — will not go forward as scheduled.
The Jakarta Globe reports a police spokesman as saying, “The National Police said verbally that [the concert] would not be permitted,” while the Jakarta Post reports that Gaga has become the first foreign artist ever denied a concert permit by Indonesian authorities.
A spokesperson for the National Police said that it denied the permit based on the police recommendation. Also, police were swayed by protests from the Islamist groups who had accused Gaga of being vulgar, corrupting the morals of the country’s youth, and worshiping Satan. One group said it would send crowds of its supporters to intercept Gaga at the airport and prevent her from staging the show.
Nevertheless, there was plenty of public support for the concert, which was sold out.
The concert promoter told the Jakarta Globe that the idea that Gaga worships the devil is ridiculous.
“Lady Gaga is a Catholic and she has many charitable works. How could she be a devil worshiper?” the promoter said.
He also had promised that Gaga would tone down her provocative outfits for the show: “The concert will be different from video clips [online]. It will not be vulgar.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Halle Berry Vows to Take Her Anti-Paparazzi Crusade to Obama
Steve Granitz/WireImage(LOS ANGELES) — Halle Berry says she will go directly to President Obama to seek help passing laws to protect children from paparazzi after an incident last week in which she lost her cool when photographers came uncomfortably close to her daughter, Nahla.
The Oscar-winning actress was caught on camera as she lost her temper outside a Los Angeles school Thursday, yelling at photographers, “I’m doing something honorable. I’m not harassing people.”
Berry, 45, has since said she regrets losing her temper, but also revealed her new plan to take her plight straight to the top of the federal government.
“There are no laws here that protect our children and, as a mom coming to the school … not only my child, but all the children that are there. It’s just wrong, wrong, wrong,” Berry told Extra.
“You know, I think I’m going to call Obama and say, ‘Look, can you help us? I know this seems like a little issue right now, but it’s a big issue in our lives and our lives at the school and our children being protected,’” she added.
Berry, however, appears to be unaware of the myriad of laws that have already been put in place to protect her and her child from such unwanted intrusions from paparazzi. California’s 10-year-old anti-paparazzi statute, for instance, was given added traction two years ago.
The original statute, which came in the wake of Princess Diana’s death in Paris as she was being followed by paparazzi, expanded the reach of the California trespass law when it created a civil damages cause of action for three tactics commonly used by paparazzi to gain photos and footage of stars.
First Amendment attorney and partner in the Los Angeles office of Loeb & Loeb LLP Douglas E. Mirell says that Berry has a number of options on the local and state levels at her disposal before taking her problem to Washington.
“She should first report the incident to local law enforcement authorities – police or sheriff,” Mirell says. “[They] would then investigate and bring the matter to the city attorney or district attorney’s office for prosecution, either as a misdemeanor or felony, depending upon the precise nature of the conduct.
She filed a criminal complaint in 2008 against a photo agency that, she claimed, was circulating pictures of her and her daughter pictured in their backyard. And a man, who had previously served a 10-year prison sentence for threatening to kill Madonna, was taken into custody in February after allegedly stalking Berry for a week that month.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Deion Sanders Ordered to Pay Pilar Sanders Legal Fees
Elsa/Getty Images(MCKINNEY, Texas) — Football legend Deion Sanders has been ordered by a Texas court to pay his estranged wife Pilar Sanders $10,500 per month in child support for their three children and $275,000 to cover her legal fees.
Sanders learned in court Tuesday that despite the hefty monthly fee, he will not have to pay spousal support, according to TMZ.com. Pilar was also ordered to return six containers of Deion’s property by July 1, the website reported.
Deion Sanders, 44, filed for divorce from Pilar, 38, in December after 13 years of marriage. The couple had continued to live together with their children in their sprawling mansion outside of Dallas, despite the divorce drama. Pilar reportedly has a home in Celina, Texas.
The two have reportedly worked out a schedule for visitations rights with their kids. A full custody hearing is scheduled for later this month.
A domestic dispute broke out between the couple on April 23 at the family’s $5.7 million Prosper, Texas, mansion that ended with Pilar being held in jail overnight on a misdemeanor assault charge and her husband cited, also for misdemeanor assault.
Texas State District Judge Ray Wheless last week ordered Pilar to stay 500 yards away from the family’s home and gave Deion temporary custody of the couple’s two sons and daughter, pending a full custody hearing. The judge also ordered that the children undergo psychological counseling.
Sanders, who became known as “Primetime” during his college and NFL days and was an icon in the Dallas area during his five seasons as a cornerback with the Cowboys, has frequently taken to Twitter as the bitter divorce has unraveled. He seemed contemplative in a recent posting.
“God is good Good is faithful God is who he says he is. Don’t ever doubt him. Truth,” he tweeted on Tuesday.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Movie Review: "The Dictator"
Paramount Pictures(NEW YORK) — We’re going to keep this review short and to the point because I don’t want to give away The Dictator’s best jokes. And when I started writing, I realized that’s what I was doing. So let’s stick to the basics.
Sacha Baron Cohen is Adm. Gen. Aladeen, the tyrannical dictator of the Wadiya, a fake North African country sitting on a hefty supply of oil Aladeen refuses to sell. On top of that, he’s trying to build a nuclear weapon and the whole world knows it. Aladeen has enough money to fly movie stars to Wadiya for sex: I refuse to reveal who we see in bed with him, but trust me, it’s funny.
When the United Nations demands Aladeen’s presence in New York to clear the air about his nuclear energy program, he takes with him his trusted right-hand man and uncle, Tamir, played by Ben Kingsley, but it turns out Tamir really is not to be trusted. Aladeen also has a body double whose sole purpose in life is to take a bullet for his supreme leader. Of course, Baron Cohen plays his own body double, a casting decision that’s kind of genius.
Once in New York, Aladeen is abducted by a rogue security guard (John C. Reilly) who shaves off Aladeen’s enormous beard, making him completely unrecognizable — so much so that once he escapes, it’s impossible for him to return to his hotel or the U.N. because nobody believes he’s Aladeen. As fate would have it, Aladeen meets Zoey (Anna Farris), a left-wing feminist who manages a food co-op in Brooklyn and who’s the perfect “straight man” for Baron Cohen’s extremely politically incorrect humor. Then enter Nadal (Jason Mantzoukas, HBO’s Enlightened), the man once in charge of Aladeen’s nuclear weapons program, until Aladeen had him killed. As it turns out…actually, I don’t want to spoil things by telling you how it turns out. I do want to tell you that Mantzoukas, an under-appreciated comedy veteran, not only holds his own against Baron Cohen, he steals entire scenes from him.
Cohen’s habit is to do press as his characters. Frankly, I consider that not only a distraction but also unnecessary, especially since Cohen often repeats some of the movie’s funnier bits and jokes, spoiling them. So, points off for that. And while The Dictator isn’t the funniest or the most shocking of Cohen’s three major releases (although like Borat and Brüno, he brings the shocks and the humor), it does contain what might be one of the most intelligent scenes we see all year in any film: a satirical speech to members of the international community in which Aladeen extols the benefits of dictatorship, in the process reflecting the climate in our own country. It’s a shining moment for Sacha Baron Cohen and a nice payoff for the audience who, up until that point, will have experienced inconsistent, though spirited, fits of laughter.
Three-and-a-half out of five stars.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
"Terminator 3" Star Nick Stahl Missing
Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Nick Stahl, the actor who played John Connor in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, has been reported missing by his estranged wife, TMZ reported early Thursday morning.
The gossip site says Roseann Murphy told the Los Angeles Police Department she hasn’t heard from Stahl since May 9, and he’d been spending time in L.A.’s dicey Skid Row area.
The Carnivale actor, 32, was rumored to be dabbling in drugs, according to custody paperwork his wife filed in February, reports the gossip site. The couple had one child together.
Stahl took over the John Connor role from Edward Furlong, whose own career was sidetracked by drug addiction after 1991′s Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Sacha Baron Cohen’s "The Dictator" Opens Wednesday
Paramount Pictures(NEW YORK) — Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest comedy opens Wednesday.
The Dictator stars the British comedian as Admiral General Aladeen, the cruel leader of the fictional North African country of Wadiya.
Aladeen comes to the United States to make a speech, but he’s betrayed by one of his officials and is tortured by a U.S. agent. Stripped of his thick beard, he’s left to fend for himself with the help of a grocery store worker, played by Anna Faris.
Ben Kingsley and John C. Reilly also star in The Dictator, which is rated R.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
ABC Confirms All-Star "Dancing with the Stars" Season
ABC(NEW YORK) — In announcing its 2012-2013 schedule on Tuesday, ABC confirmed that the next season of Dancing with the Stars will feature an all-star cast of past contestants.
ABC Entertainment Group president Paul Lee wouldn’t provide any names, but he said he would “love to see some of the fan favorites…from the last seasons come back.”
A recent TV Guide report stated the all-star edition may feature Melanie “Scary Spice” Brown, Sabrina Bryan, Mario Lopez, Gilles Marini and Kyle Massey.
On Tuesday night’s Dancing with the Stars, host Tom Bergeron said former champions will be involved.
ABC will premiere 10 new series over the course of the 2012-2013 season. Four of them will begin in September:
– The Neighbors, a comedy about a family that moves into a New Jersey community where aliens reside, disguised as humans.
– Nashville, a drama about two country stars — a veteran played by Connie Britton and an up-and-comer portrayed by Hayden Panettiere.
– Last Resort, starring Andre Braugher as the captain of a nuclear submarine.
– 666 Park Avenue, about a New York City apartment building occupied by supernatural forces.
Revenge will move to Sunday nights, taking over the time slot that had belonged to the recently-concluded Desperate Housewives.
In November, Tim Allen’s sitcom Last Man Standing returns on Friday nights and will be paired with a new Reba McEntire comedy, Malibu Country.
Later in the season, ABC will debut the Sarah Chalke-Brad Garrett comedy How to Live With Your Parents (For the Rest of Your Life), the comedy The Family Tools, the crime series Red Widow, the Anthony Edwards thriller Zero Hour, and the Alyssa Milano series Mistresses.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Report: Robert Downey Jr. Set to Make $50M from "The Avengers"
Charles Eshelman/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) — Iron Man is a very rich man, thanks to the worldwide success of Marvel’s The Avengers.
Robert Downey Jr. stands to make $50 million or more for his portrayal of Iron Man in the blockbuster superhero film, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The total includes box office bonuses and other yet-to-be-determined incentives.
Downey’s massive payday stems from the fact that his camp renegotiated his deal with Marvel after the first Iron Man film, released in 2008, proved to be a big hit. His reworked contract reportedly called for him to receive a percentage of Marvel’s revenue from future films in which he reprises the Iron Man role.
Downey’s Avengers co-stars will earn far less for their performances in the film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo will all receive $2 million to $3 million each, while Samuel L. Jackson and Scarlett Johansson will get about twice as much.
The Avengers has already raked in over $1 billion worldwide.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
‘Dancing with the Stars’: Maria Menounos Eliminated, Finalists Are Revealed
ABC/ADAM TAYLOR(LOS ANGELES) — Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Maria Menounos eliminated from Dancing with the Stars!
The Extra correspondent and her partner, Derek Hough, on Tuesday night failed to advance to the finals of the ABC competition. Next week, Welsh opera singer Katherine Jenkins and her partner Mark Ballas, telenovela actor William Levy and his partner Cheryl Burke, and NFL star Donald Driver and Peta Murgatroyd will face off for the Mirror Ball trophy.
Menounos’ dismissal was surprising, considering that she and Hough topped the semifinals leader board with a near-perfect overall score the previous night.
Following the announcement, Menounos said her experience as a contestant was a rewarding one for her. She said, “I learned so many things. I learned how strong I was. I learned to persevere.”
Jenkins is headed for the finals despite suffering what she described on Twitter as a “reflectorical spasm” in her lower back during this week’s performance show. She jumped up and down after learning that she’d advanced, then stated that she’ll be OK to compete next Monday night.
The musical guests on the results show were Carrie Underwood, who sang her new hit “Good Girl”; Alanis Morissette, who performed her new single “Guardian”; and Rock of Ages stars Julianne Hough, Mary J. Blige and Diego Boneta, who did a medley of ’80s rock hits from their upcoming film. It was a homecoming of sorts for Hough, who was a pro dancer on the show for several seasons.
The Dancing with the Stars finals begin next Monday night at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Jay-Z: Obama Better Than Romney by ‘Leaps and Bounds’
Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — If there was any lingering doubt about whether rapper Jay-Z is an Obama supporter, as he was in 2008, the hip-hop megastar dispelled it Tuesday.
In an interview with CNN, Jay-Z said President Obama is a better choice for the country than Mitt Romney “by leaps and bounds.”
The rapper praised Obama’s recent support for same-sex marriage, saying the issue “is still holding the country back.”
“You can chose to love whoever you love; that’s your business,” Jay-Z, 42, said. “It’s no different than discrimination against blacks. It’s discrimination, plain and simple.”
Jay-Z and wife Beyonce have been ardent Obama supporters since his 2008 campaign. And the president is equally supportive of the hip-hop duo. When The Atlantic asked whether he preferred Jay-Z or Kanye West, Obama said, without hesitation, “Jay-Z,” noting that Kanye is a “jackass,” referring to Kanye’s interrupting Taylor Swift’s Grammy acceptance speech.
Beyonce last month showed her love for the first family, penning a letter to Michelle Obama in which she said the first lady was “the ULTIMATE example of a truly strong African American woman.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Cast Agrees: ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ Ain’t Your Father’s Snow White
Stuart Wilson/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — In a summer of highly anticipated movies, Snow White and the Huntsman is holding its own against avenging superheroes and invading alien armies in terms of buzz. The film, a darker take on the Snow White story, stars Charlize Theron as the evil Queen Ravenna, and Twilight series star Kristen Stewart as the titular heroine — re-envisioned in this film more warrior princess than damsel in distress.
Chris Hemsworth, who played Thor in The Avengers, also stars as the Huntsman, who is sent to bring Snow White to the queen, but has a change of heart.
Snow White and the Huntsman had its premiere in London Monday night, and the stars made something clear: this is no kid’s movie. “It’s a kind of gothic, darker more epic version of it, you know?” Hemsworth said. “It’s similar to Lord of the Rings and Gladiator more so than the clean Disney fairytale we’ve seen before.”
Oscar winner Theron says the movie “is a throwback to the original darker Brothers Grimm,” version of the tale.
Snow White and the Huntsman hits theaters June 1.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Lady Gaga’s Indonesia Concert Permit Denied
PRNewsFoto/Interscope Records(JAKARTA, Indonesia) — Lady Gaga’s June 3 concert in Jakarta, Indonesia — the subject of protests and complaints by that country’s hard-line Islamist organizations — will not go forward as scheduled. The Jakarta Globe reports a police spokesman as saying, “The National Police said verbally that [the concert] would not be permitted,” while the Jakarta Post reports that Gaga has become the first foreign artist ever denied a concert permit by Indonesian authorities.
A spokesperson for the National Police said that it denied the permit based on the police recommendation, as well as the protests from the Islamist groups, who had accused Gaga of being vulgar, corrupting the morals of the country’s youth, and worshiping Satan. One group said it would send crowds of its supporters to intercept Gaga at the airport and prevent her from staging the show.
Nevertheless, there was plenty of public support for the concert, which was sold out. The concert promoter told the Jakarta Globe that the idea that Gaga worships the devil is ridiculous. “Lady Gaga is a Catholic and she has many charitable works. How could she be a devil worshiper?” the promoter said. He also had promised that Gaga would tone down her provocative outfits for the show. “The concert will be different from video clips [online],” he explained. “It will not be vulgar.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Obama Hosts David Beckham, LA Galaxy at the White House
MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Congratulating the L.A. Galaxy on their Major League Soccer championship, President Obama had a little fun Tuesday at the expense of the team’s biggest star, David Beckham.
“He is tough. In fact, it is a rare man who can be that tough on the field and also have his own line of underwear,” the president said to laughter at a White House ceremony honoring the team. “David Beckham is that man.”
Obama jokingly referred to the world famous English soccer star as a “young up-and-comer” and ribbed him about his age. Beckham is 37 — old for a soccer star.
“Half his teammates could be his kids,” the president quipped. “We’re getting old, David. Although you’re holding up better than me.”
The jokes didn’t stop with Beckham, however. The president also called out several of his teammates by name, including the captain, Landon Donovan, and Ireland’s Robbie Keane, whom the president called “a cousin of mine.” The president has roots in Ireland.
“Together they represent one of the most talented lineups that MLS has ever seen,” Obama concluded.
The Galaxy beat the Houston Dynamo 1-0 last November to take the Major League Soccer title.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Protection Order Extended for Alec Baldwin’s Accused Stalker
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — An order of protection against the Canadian actress accused of stalking Alec Baldwin has been extended by two months, according to the New York Post.
Forty-year-old Genevieve Sabourin is prohibited from having contact with the 30 Rock actor.
She was arrested at Baldwin’s New York City apartment building last month.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
"Anchorman 2" Sneak Peek to Play Ahead of "The Dictator?"
Frank Micelotta/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Ron Burgundy himself took a mid-sip Twitter break to break some news about Anchorman 2 on Monday evening.
Will Ferrell’s newsman alter-ego posted that fans’ first sneak peek of the anticipated sequel will play in theaters before screenings of The Dictator starting Wednesday.
“Dont get Twirter,” Burgundy posted. “Anchorman2 teaser w Dictator tom night. Dont know what a teaser is. World is crazy? Having a scotch.”
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Food Network Star Weds Pro Wrestler
PR Newswire/iStockphoto/Thinkstock(LOS ANGELES) — Food Network star Robert Irvine, 46, wed professional wrestler Gail Kim, 35, in Napa Valley, Calif., on Thursday, People reports.
The pair met on the set of Irvine’s former gig, Dinner: Impossible.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
Report: Britney Spears Earning 15 Times Demi Lovato’s "X Factor" Paycheck
Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) — It was formally announced Monday that both Britney Spears and Demi Lovato would be joining Simon Cowell as judges on the upcoming season of The X Factor. And while much has been made about Spears’ reported $15 million deal, not much is known about what Lovato would be pulling down — until now.
TMZ is reporting that Lovato will make just over a million bucks for her work on the show — nothing to sneeze at, for sure, but a fraction of Spears’ take home, considering the comparable star wattage.
The gossip site also reports Lovato is so happy about the deal she’s rearranged her tour schedule so she won’t miss an episode of The X Factor.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio
NBC Confirms "30 Rock" Will End Next Season
NBC/Jessica Miglio(NEW YORK) — The critically-acclaimed, but low-rated Tina Fey comedy 30 Rock will indeed come to an end next season.
NBC confirmed Monday that the series will end with an abbreviated 13-episode seventh season next year. The finale will be an hour long.
Over the weekend, when it announced its 2012-2013 schedule, NBC said it had not decided whether 30 Rock’s next season will be its last.
NBC on Monday dropped a few other tidbits regarding the 2012-2013 season, according to Variety: it has ordered 10 episodes of a pirate drama, Crossbones, that is set in the 1700s, and a potential Munsters remake titled Mockingbird Lane could debut in mid-season if the network approves of the yet-to-be filmed pilot.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio