News

The entertainment industry responded with shock and deep sorrow Friday at the news of actor Lance Reddick’s passing at the age of 60.

Those who worked with the actor, who appeared on long-running television shows like “The Wire” and “Lost” and in movies like the “John Wick” franchise and recent blockbuster “Godzilla vs. Kong,” mourned the performer and the person in equal measure. From across Twitter, love and support has been flowing.

Wendell Pierce, who starred alongside Reddick on “The Wire,” wrote: “A man2 of great strength and grace. As talented a musician as he was an actor. The epitome of class. An sudden unexpected sharp painful grief for our artistic family. An unimaginable suffering for his personal family and loved ones.” Jake Fogelnest, who worked with Reddick on “Corporate,” shared a similar sentiment.

A man of great strength and grace. As talented a musician as he was an actor.

Refresh for updates... The Wire actors Wendell Pierce and Isiah Whitlock Jr. and creator-ep David Simon are among the Hollywood colleagues, friends and fans paying tribute to John Wick and The Wire star Lance Reddick, who died today at 60.

Related Story ‘John Wick’s Keanu Reeves, Chad Stahelski & Lionsgate Mourn “Consummate Professional” Lance Reddick: “A Joy To Work With” Related Story Lance Reddick Dies: 'John Wick', 'The Wire', 'Fringe' & 'Bosch' Actor Was 60 Related Story John Jakes Dies: 'North And South', 'The Bastard' Author Was 90

“A man of great strength and grace,” writes The Wire co-star Wendell Pierce. “As talented a musician as he was an actor. The epitome of class. A sudden unexpected sharp painful grief for our artistic family. An unimaginable suffering for his personal family and loved ones. Godspeed my friend. You made your mark here. Rip”

Related:...

Olivia Newton-John died today at the age of 73, prompting an outpouring of love for the singer from friends, peers, family and famous admirers.

The singer’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, who has been by her mother’s side through her battles with cancer, was among the first to pay tribute. She posted a photo gallery of herself and her mother together from the time she was a baby until now. There was no caption.

Newton-John’s friend and co-star John Travolta wrote in part, “We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”

Mia Farrow admitted that she’d never met the Grease star, but called her “lovely, talented, brave” and noted that “everyone says she was wonderful – always kind.”

Yvette Nicole Brown wrote, “That’s it. I’m done guys. Heartbroken doesn...

Click here to read the full article.

Jak Knight’s death sent shockwaves through Hollywood on Friday as word spread of his untimely passing at age 28.

Originally from Seattle and based in L.A., Knight was a regular on the stand-up stage and collected many admirers, friends and fans during a brief but bright career that included writing and voicing a character on Big Mouth, co-creating and starring in Peacock’s just-released Bust Down opposite close friends like Chris Redd and Sam Jay, and opening for stand-up legends like Dave Chappelle.

Below is a roundup of tributes and responses making the rounds on social media.

Rest In Peace Jak Knight. Hilarious comedian and a great guy. I can’t believe it.

— Kumail Nanjiani (@kumailn) July 16, 2022

I’m in shock. There was no one like Jak Knight. A singular talent, actually funny and a genuinely kind person, a rare combo. I...

After news broke on Thursday that Anne Beatts died, celebrities took to social media to offer condolences and share memories of the groundbreaking writer.

Beatts, who was 74, was a pioneering figure in comedy, serving as one of the few women writers on “Saturday Night Live” at the time of its debut in 1975. With her then-writing partner Rosie Shuster, Beatts created some of “SNL’s” most memorable early sketches and characters, including Todd and Lisa Loopner, Uncle Roy, Laraine Newman’s child psychiatrist, Irwin Mainway and Fred Garvin, and male prostitute.

In 1982, Beatts created “Square Pegs,” a beloved sitcom that celebrated the humor, pain and awkwardness of adolescence. Beatts was also the first female contributing editor to National Lampoon.

Original “SNL” star Newman honored Beatts on Twitter.

Michael McKean, who was on “SNL” from 1994 to 1995, also paid tribute to Beatts, writing, “She was awesome.”

Writer Jake Fogelnest wrote, “Anne Beatts was...

As a writer, producer and performer, Will Ferrell has earned eight Primetime Emmy nominations over the course of his career thus far, but he still hasn’t won one. However, he may finally get his due next month at the Daytime Emmys, where he’s nominated not once, but twice for Best Special Class Writing, both for the “Cord and Tish” live specials he co-hosted with Molly Shannon.

Emcees Cord Hosenbeck (Ferrell) and Tish Cattigan (Shannon) parodied the live commentaries of major televised events. One of Ferrell’s nominations is for “The 2018 Rose Parade Hosted by Cord and Tish,” which streamed on Amazon and poked fun at the annual New Year’s Day event, where floats are required to be covered in organic materials like flowers, plants, vegetables and seeds. Ferrell is nominated for that alongside co-writers Jake Fogelnest and Andrew Steele, and they also received a Writers Guild Award...

George Romero’s passing has left an especially deep void in the world of film. One of the most influential horror filmmakers of all time, the “Night of the Living Dead,” “Martin” and “The Crazies” director appears to have been beloved by everybody who knew him, worked with him or simply grew up watching “Dawn of the Dead” on repeat.

Read MoreGeorge Romero, Horror Icon and ‘Night of the Living Dead’ Director, Dies at 77

The likes of Stephen King, Jordan Peele and Eli Roth have all taken to social media to memorialize Romero:

Romero started it. pic.twitter.com/i4dnxi8EFV

— Jordan Peele (@JordanPeele) July 16, 2017

Sad to hear my favorite collaborator–and good old friend–George Romero has died. George, there will never be another like you.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 16, 2017

Romero has passed away. Hard to find words right now. The loss is so enormous.

— Guillermo del Toro...

Comedy Central’s latest development slate is diverse in more ways than one.

Not only has the cable network put together several new series with performers of color at the center, but the three shows picked up Tuesday by Comedy Central are all very different.

Ordered to series are the stand-up/musical show “The New Negroes,” the comedy game show “Taskmaster” and the scripted comedy “Corporate.” In development are shows from creators including Awkwafina, Neal Brennan, Arturo Castro, Franchesca Ramsey, Noël Wells and Flint Wainess, among others.

“The network when I got here was pretty traditionally targeted toward young white guys, both in terms of who the audience was and who was creating the shows for the audience,” said Comedy Central president Kent Alterman. “We started changing that a few years ago by expanding that into having funny women on the network, with Amy Schumer and Broad City and a lot more since.

The Atx Television Festival has announced the currently running shows that will be attending the event in Austin, Texas from June 4th to the 7th. The main highlight of the new entries is the presence of the FX series Justified. The appearance of the creators and castmembers at the Atx Festival will mark their first public interaction since the series finale airs in a few weeks, and will also give the show’s crew one more chance to go around the victory lap. Attendees have not been announced yet, but it has been confirmed that creator Graham Yost will be present.

Yost will also be on hand to discuss the show Boomtown, which he also created, and which will be part of a panel titled “Cancelled Too Soon”. Yost will be joined by numerous individuals involved in the show, including producer Jon Avnet and castmembers Neal McDonough, Mykelti Williamson, and Jason Gedrick.

IFC is developing comedy “Start Making Sense” (working title) from creator and writer Jake Fogelnest (“Billy on the Street”), beginning the relationship with a multiple script order. The series, which is in contention for the comedy network’s 2016 lineup, is produced by Legendary Television and executive produced by Ben Stiller, Debbie Liebling, Stuart Cornfeld and Mike Rosenstein through Red Hour. “Start Making Sense” follows Jack desperately clinging to his fading relevance as a best-selling author, and his son Shane basking in popularity by expressing his teen angst in 140 characters or less. As these generational voices collide they must navigate new waters of texts,...

Following their collaboration on the comedy variety series The Birthday Boys, IFC is reteaming with Ben Stiller’s Red Hour on a new project — comedy Start Making Sense (working title), from creator and writer Jake Fogelnest (Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp, Billy On The Street). The network has ordered multiple scripts from the project, now in development, which is being produced by Legendary Television and executive produced by Stiller, Debbie Liebling, Stuart…...

Chris is in the middle of another controversy after spending a day in jail in Washington D.C. for allegedly assaulting a man on Oct. 27. His alleged nose-breaking punch brought out a ton of opinions — mostly from celebrities, who were either totally shocked or not shocked at all.

Chris Brown has unfortunately given his critics more ammo after getting arrested on Oct. 27 for felony assault. As more news of Chris’s arrest and alleged altercation came out, celebrities everywhere weighed in, expressing their disappointment and lack of surprise.

Chris Brown Arrested: Celebrities Weigh In On Twitter

Judging from the celebrity response to Chris’s arrest, everyone is let down by the fact that he has seemingly thrown yet another second chance out the window. Here’s what they had to say:

I think I’ve got a pretty good take on this thing. Here goes: Boy that Chris Brown has...

Once again, Tom Scharpling (The Best Show) has directed a music video for a cool indie band and populated it with hilarious people. We simply can't get enough of these.

This song in question this time is "Easy" by New Jersey band "Real Estate." Featuring a street team from hell that will do whatever it takes to get their favorite band's music heard, the video stars Chris Gethard, Gabe Delahaye & Leah Giblin, plus Jake Fogelnest as a DJ who gets on the wrong side of the team.

The sweet turn at the end is a nice surprise, reminding us that all of those weirdos out there have a reason they do what they do.

Also, if you need more Scharpling and music in your life, check out the latest installment of his song by song review of Metallica/Lou Reed album Lulu.

Via Spinner...