Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) — Former Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman will return to ABC with her first acting role since being released from prison after serving time for her part in the Varsity Blues college admissions cheating scandal.
Deadline reports Huffman will play a widow who takes over her husband’s minor league baseball team in the untitled comedy series. It’s based on the real-life owners of the Sacramento River Cats, a AAA team that became the minor league’s most valuable team after Susan Savage inherited the team from her late husband.
Huffman was sentenced to 14 days in prison and served 11 after pleading guilty in the scandal. Also sentenced to prison after pleading guilty were actress Lori Loughlin and her husband, designer Mossimo Giannulli.
Zack Gottsagen, the actor with Down syndrome who starred alongside Shia LaBeouf in The Peanut Butter Falcon, will also star as Huffman’s baseball-obsessed son, says Deadline.
ABCDarius Rucker has teamed up with Lindsey Stirling for a mystical rendition of “What Child Is This?”
Acclaimed instrumentalist Lindsey provides the haunting violin as Darius sings the Christmas classic that dates back to 1865, accompanied by a twinkling piano and steady drums.
The pair will perform their rendition of the song on CMA Country Christmas tonight at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.
“I was so honored when the CMA asked me to perform ‘What Child Is This?’ and to be getting to do it with an amazing musician like Lindsey is just awesome,” Darius says.
“I was so excited to be a part of ‘CMA Country Christmas’ again this year. Every year, they give me an amazing chance to sparkle in their spectacular show,” adds Lindsey, who also covered the song on her 2017 album, Warmer in the Winter.
She adds, “This year was extra special since I got to collaborate with the amazing Darius Rucker. Hope everyone loves it as much as we do!”
Timothy T Ludwig/Getty ImagesBY: JULIA JACOBO, ABC NEWS
(WASHINGTON) — Minnesota Vikings linebacker Cameron Smith is feeling “great” as he recovers from open heart surgery for a birth defect that was detected as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Smith received a presumptive positive test result when the Vikings reported for training camp in July, but when another optional test came up positive for the antibodies, meaning he had contracted the virus at some point, a cardiac work-up was ordered.
The closer look at Smith’s heart may have saved his life, Vikings head athletic trainer Eric Sugarman told the Minnesota Star Tribune. Doctors discovered Smith was born with an bicuspid aortic valve, Smith wrote on Instagram in August, which means the valve has only two leaflets instead of three and can eventually lead to heart failure.
Smith’s heart was “severely enlarged” and would not have lasted much longer, he wrote. Doctors told Smith that had the condition not been discovered, it could have meant “sudden death,” he told the Star Tribune.
Smith has periodically posted updates to his recovery on the social media platform, including when the surgery was deemed a success and when he attempted his first steps following the surgery.
The linebacker told the Star Tribune he feels blessed he hasn’t struggled physically.
“I haven’t hit a low point. I haven’t struggled,” he said. “Sometimes I feel that’s not fair of me to say because I know some people struggle with open heart surgery. But for me, I just look at God and I say, ‘Thank you. I appreciate You giving me this sign.’”
Smith has slowly been increasing how much weight he can lift — starting from 15 pounds in September, but no upper body exercises, and 25 pounds through October. He has now been given unrestricted clearance and is building back the muscle he lost.
Smith believes the surgery changed him mentally as well, saying that he no longer feels “on edge” and doesn’t “get angry anymore.”
“It’s all just like, ‘Life’s too short for this.’ Life is supposed to be fun,” he told the newspaper. “It’s about doing things and creating memories, not just talking about it.”
HBO MaxThe trailer for Carrie Underwood‘s HBO Max special is giving fans a preview of what will be a truly festive holiday event.
My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood finds the superstar singer performing a myriad of Christmas classics and original songs from her album My Gift.
Poised on an elaborately decorated stage adorned with elegant Christmas trees, Carrie is seen in the trailer crooning “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” followed by a jubilant performance of “Let There Be Peace” supported by a socially-distanced choir.
In between a pitch-perfect duet with John Legend on “Hallelujah,” Carrie can be seen belting out “O Holy Night” and offering the festive “Favorite Time of Year.”
“More than anything, I wanted to make this album full of so much love and so much heart and we wanted to bring it to life in a visual way,” Carrie says in the clip, as she reflects on the meaning of Christmas growing up.
The special also offers an inside look at the recording process of “Little Drummer Boy,” which features vocals by Carrie’s five-year-old son, Isaiah.
My Gift: A Christmas Special debuts on HBO Max on December 3.
ABC/John Fleenor(LOS ANGELES) — Celebrity chef, restaurateur, and Ugly Delicious host David Chang snagged the top prize on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? on ABC Sunday night — but it’s restaurant workers who will benefit.
Chang’s jackpot will be donated to the Southern Smoke Foundation, which is dedicated to helping restaurant workers in need — and thanks to the pandemic shutdowns, that’s no small number.
On the million-dollar question, Chang called upon ESPN personality Mina Kimes for help; she correctly advised him how to answer this: “Which U.S. president was the first to have electricity in the White House?”
“No celebrity in the 20 years that this show has been on has ever won the million dollars,” host Jimmy Kimmel warned before Chang pulled the trigger with the right answer Kimes gave: Benjamin Harrison.
In response, the charity tweeted its gratitude to Kimes and Chang, noting, “This is going to change so many peoples’ lives for the better!” along with the hashtag, “#takingcareofourown.”
Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic(LOS ANGELES) — Former Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman will return to ABC with her first acting role since being released from prison after serving time for her part in the Varsity Blues college admissions cheating scandal. 
