February 11, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Ray Fisher expressed his support for Charisma Carpenter, following her Twitter post in which she detailed alleged “abuse” she suffered under creator Joss Whedon while working on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off, Angel.

On Wednesday, the Justice League actor retweeted Carpenter’s post, which included the hashtag #ISupportRayFisher, writing, “Charisma Carpenter is one of the bravest people I know.”

“I am forever grateful for her courage and for her lending her voice to the Justice League investigation,” he continued.  “Read her truth. Share her truth. Protect her at all costs. ‘It is time.’ #IStandWithCharisma.”

Fisher, 33, who played Victor Stone/Cyborg in the DC film, repeatedly accused Whedon and two producers, Jon Berg and Geoff Johns, of misconduct.

Two of Carpenter’s Buffy co-stars, including lead Sarah Michelle Gellar and Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s little sister, Dawn, have also voiced their support for the 50-year-old actress.

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

February 11, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Disney+(LOS ANGELES) — Gina Carano, who plays Cara Dune on The Mandalorian, has been fired from the show.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the former MMA fighter allegedly compared the treatment of Jewish people during the Holocaust to how modern day Republicans are treated.  The social media post has since been deleted.

In a statement to ABC News, a Lucasfilm spokesperson confirmed that Carano will not be returning to the Star Wars spinoff.

“Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future,” the statement read. “Nevertheless, her social media posts denigrating people based on their cultural and religious identities are abhorrent and unacceptable.”

Carano, an outspoken conservative, had weathered increased calls for her removal from the popular Disney+ show for months because of her controversial social media posts.

The #FireGinaCarano hashtag ignited over the summer when she was accused of racism for declining to condemn police officers during the height of the BLM protests over the summer.  Some critics were reported to have baited Carano to “say ACAB” — the acronym meaning “All Cops Are Bast****” — which she refused to say.

Carano was also accused of being transphobic last month when she was asked about her preferred pronouns, to which she wrote “beep/bop/boop” — which she claimed was an R2-D2 joke — on her Twitter bio.   

Cara Dune, a Rebel Alliance soldier, had become a fan favorite character on The Mandalorian, which premiered its second season on October 30. 

Lucasfilm is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

February 11, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Larry Flynt, the controversial founder of Hustler magazine, died on Wednesday in Los Angeles following “the recent onset of a sudden illness,” the magazine has confirmed. He was 78.

The mogul, a notable figure in the porn industry for nearly 50 years, “passed quietly in his sleep at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center with his wife Liz and daughter Theresa by his side,” according to the statement.

Flynt, a ninth grade dropout, launched his raunchy magazine in 1974, which led to a $400 million empire that included other publications, strip clubs, “adult” shops and several television channels known as Hustler TV.

A self-described First Amendment champion, Flynt was involved in a number of legal battles involving free speech and pornography regulations.

While leaving a 1978 court a hearing in Georgia, he was shot by a gunman, later revealed to be serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin.  The shooting left Flynt partially paralyzed from the waist down.  Following the incident, Flynt used a gold-plated, velvet-lined wheelchair.

Flynt was famously sued by televangelist Rev. Jerry Falwell in a case that made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.  It inspired the 1996 Oscar-nominated biopic, The People vs. Larry Flynt, in which he was portrayed by Woody Harrelson.

Flynt also dabbled in politics with a brief presidential campaign in 1984, and a run for Governor of California in a 2003 recall election.

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