February 19, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC(LOS ANGELES) — Elizabeth Olsen has spent her career trying to set herself apart from her famous older sisters Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen, but understands their connection may have opened a few doors for her.

Speaking with Grazia on Thursday, the WandaVision star acknowledged, “Nepotism is a thing and I’m very aware of it.”

If she had things her way, however, Olsen maintains “I’ve always wanted to do it alone.”

The 32-year-old actress has found success within the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing Wanda Maximoff in the Avenger movies and later starring in the massively popular Disney+ series WandaVision, which drops its seventh episode Friday.

Olsen recalled her reaction to hearing the show’s pitch for the first time, which was the MCU’s first foray into television.  “I thought it was perfect for television, and a very original idea that made me excited,” she claimed, adding that the series was also a full-circle moment for her.

“I was a very hammy, performative child,” described Olsen, influenced by the countless Nick at Nite reruns she’d watch back in the day. “So, I do think I got to live out some sort of childhood dream doing the show.”

Olsen was also thrilled to work with co-star Paul Bettany, who plays Vision, again, beaming, “He’s very precise, like me!”

Overall, she’s curious to see what happens with her character, Wanda, who has been met with countless tragedies throughout the Avengers movies.

“I see Wanda as a victim of extreme trauma, who does not understand how to process it,” she notes. “She has been a human experiment.”

As for Olsen’s personal life, she doubled down on one thing: You will never see her on Instagram.

“I don’t think that I would like to use that tool to promote myself,” she confessed.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

February 19, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Vera Anderson/WireImage(LOS ANGELES) — More details about the death of veteran award-winning actress Cloris Leachman, who died last month, have been revealed.

On Thursday, the county of San Diego released Leachman’s death certificate that shows she passed away from a stroke. She had also contracted COVID-19, but the virus was not the cause of the stroke, according to Entertainment Tonight. 

The iconic actress had more than seven decades’ worth of film and TV credits to her name, including her Oscar-winning role in 1971’s The Last Picture Show and eight Emmy Awards, including one for The Mary Tyler Moore Show and two for Malcolm in the Middle. 

Phyllis, the Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoff starring Leachman as her MTMS character Phyllis Lindstrom, also earned the actress a Golden Globe Award in 1975. 

She was also known for her roles in Mel Brooks’ comedy films, including Young Frankenstein and History of the World, Part 1.

Leachman passed away on January 27 at the age of 94; she was cremated on February 7. 

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

February 19, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Steve Parsons – WPA Pool/Getty Images(LONDON) — Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, will not return as working members of Britain’s royal family, Buckingham Palace confirmed Friday.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family,” the palace said in a statement.

Harry and Meghan shocked the world last January with their announcement that they planned to step back as “senior” royals, and “balance” their time between the U.K. and North America.

At the time, Harry and Meghan said they planned to “continue to honor our duty to The Queen, the Commonwealth, and our patronages,” but now they have confirmed a more permanent split from the royal family.

In their new roles, Harry and Meghan will no longer hold their royal patronages, while Harry, who served in the British Army, will no longer hold his military appointments, according to Buckingham Palace.

“Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family, it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The statement continued, “The honorary military appointments and Royal patronages held by The Duke and Duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of The Royal Family.”

Harry and Meghan, who are expecting their second child, now live in California, and will remain financially independent. A spokesperson for the couple also issued a statement, saying the couple “offers their continued support” of the charities they will no longer formally represent.

The Duke and Duchess plan to break their silence in a 90-minute primetime special with Oprah Winfrey, set to air March 7.

February 19, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC(LOS ANGELES) — Tayshia Adams has weighed in on Chris Harrison’s announcement that he’ll be stepping away from his Bachelor hosting duties for a while, saying it was “absolutely” the right move.

Harrison made the decision after facing controversy following remarks he made during an interview with former Bachelor contestant Rachel Lindsay last week, suggesting that Rachael Kirkconnell, a contestant on the current season of The Bachelor, deserved “compassion” after social media posts of hers showed the 24-year-old graphic designer dressed up as a Native American person and attending an antebellum plantation-themed ball.

“His words affected a lot of people, you know, myself included,” Tayshia, the most recent Bachelorette, said during Thursday’s episode of the podcast Click Bait with Bachelor Nation.  “I think that by him taking ownership, and just not just saying issue an apology and then just going back to work the next day like nothing happened speaks volumes on his behalf.”

Adams, 30, added that Harrison’s apology “meant a lot to her,” particularly his assertions that “By excusing historical racism I defended it” and this being “not just a moment, but a commitment to much greater understanding that I will actively make each day.”

However, Adams said she also believes in second chances, citing her fiancé Zac Clark, who has been open about his past alcohol and drug addiction and now works as an addiction recovery specialist.

“I feel like we have to allow people to prove us wrong, and prove themselves,” she explained.  “And I’ve learned this even in my relationship.  I mean, Zachary used to be an addict and he’s done a lot of wrong, in a time that I never even knew of him, and he needed somebody to give him a second chance in order to prove himself.”

By George Costantino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.