October 27, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post via Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Jamie Foxx is grieving the unexpected loss of his little sister, 36-year-old DeOndra Dixon.  

In an emotional announcement on Monday, the Academy Award-winning actor shared the heartbreaking news about his younger sister alongside a series of photos of the two over the years.

“My heart is shattered into a million pieces,” Foxx expressed in the emotional eulogy that honored Dixon.  “My beautiful loving sister Deondra has transitioned… I say transitioned because she will always be alive.”

“Anyone who knew my sis… knew that she was a bright light,” continued the Just Mercy star. “I can’t tell you how many times we have had parties at the house where she has got on the dance floor and stolen the show.”

Foxx warmly remarked that his little sister was known to bust moves that “gave her boyfriend @chrisbrownofficial a run for his money.”

“I know she is in heaven now dancing with her wings on,” the 52-year-old actor noted, who went on to add that the “pain is unbelievable” as he relives all the “great memories” that they shared.

“Deondra you have left A hole in my heart… but I will fill it with all of the memories that you gave me,” he vowed. “I love you with every ounce of me… our family is shattered but we will put the pieces back together with your love.”

Foxx signed off asking fans to send their prayers and positive thoughts to his mourning family.

Dixon, who had Down Syndrome and was a Special Olympics athlete, was honored by the Global Down Syndrome Foundation in 2011 when they made her their ambassador. 

The organization honored her on Monday, writing, “Devastated for DeOndra’s family, devastated for our community, devastated at Global. She will ALWAYS be remembered.”

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 27, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Netflix(LOS ANGELES) — The Queen of Tejano Music Selena Quintanilla lives on in the new Netflix bio-drama, Selena: The Series, set to debut December 4.  Netflix premiered the series’ official trailer on Monday.

The Walking Dead‘s Christian Serratos has completely transformed into the Tejano queen to tell her life story before it was tragically cut short in 1995. 

Serratos, playing Selena, revisits the “Dreaming of You” singer’s path to stardom and explores how the 24-year-old shattered several glass ceilings to become a force within a male-dominated genre of Latin music.

The series will explore the singer’s life from when she was first inspired to pursue a singing career to becoming the first female artist to win the Grammy for Best Mexican-American album. 

In addition, the series will go behind the scenes, exploring the singer’s professional, romantic and familial relationships and how they changed as her career exploded.

Moisés Zamora, who executive produces the series, tells Entertainment Weekly, “Fans can expect to see us go into the depths of this family’s journey, including their early days going from gig-to-gig.”

“Selena was on the road since she was like 11 or 12 and it was truly a family affair,” continues Zamora. “You’ll see her coming of age as she transforms into the incredibly confident superstar everyone knows and loves. We will dive into the family dynamics and will show some interesting things people don’t know about the Quintanillas.”

Selena was murdered in 1995 by her fan club’s president, Yolanda Saldivar. 

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 27, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Amazon Studios(KAZAKHSTAN) — The government of Kazakhstan, which once threatened to sue comedian Sacha Baron Cohen for his 2006 mockumentary Borat, has done an about face following the sequel’s release on Friday.

Following the opening of Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, the sequel to Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, the Kazakh tourism board has officially adopted the Borat’s “very nice!” catchphrase as its slogan, according to The New York Times.

A series of new ads released on Sunday features visitors experiencing the country’s architecture, landscapes, food and culture for the first time, reacting with “That’s very nice!”

The idea to embrace the slogan came from Dennis Keen — a former Los Angeles resident who now makes his home in Kazakhstan and hosts a travel show airing on a state TV channel — and Yermek Utemissov, who helps foreign film companies shoot projects in the country, according to the Times.

“In COVID times, when tourism spending is on hold, it was good to see the country mentioned in the media,” Kairat Sadvakassov, deputy chairman of the Kazakhstan tourism board, tells the newspaper.  “Not in the nicest way, but it’s good to be out there.  We would love to work with Cohen, or maybe even have him film here.”

Upon hearing about the reversal, Cohen said in a statement obtained by the Times, “This is a comedy, and the Kazakhstan in the film has nothing to do with the real country. I chose Kazakhstan because it was a place that almost nobody in the U.S. knew anything about, which allowed us to create a wild, comedic, fake world. The real Kazakhstan is a beautiful country with a modern, proud society — the opposite of Borat’s version.”

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRGXq4t9wY4&w=640&h=360]

By George Costantino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

October 27, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — It’s been nearly a year since Anne Hathaway gave birth to her second child, however, The Witches actress revealed on Monday what she named her son.

Hathaway, who was a guest on Monday’s episode on Live With Kelly and Ryan opened up about filming her newest movie and why it was so special for her, because she was pregnant with little Jack.

“I have a beautiful almost-11-month-old boy, but I was pregnant when I made The Witches, so technically he’s all over that performance,” the 37-year-old actress smiled before diving into how she kept that secret under wraps from the rest of the cast and crew.

It was then the actress revealed what she and husband Adam Shulman — whom she already shares four-year-old Jonathan with — named their baby boy.

Noting how much Jonathan adores his little brother, Hathaway revealed, “Now Jack’s big enough to wrestle with, and that’s brought a new element to their relationship that’s really cute.”

Hathaway also revealed that she found out she was pregnant shortly before her first fitting with costume designer Joanna Johnston, which forced her to come up with some elaborate excuses to wiggle out of wearing tight-fitting clothes during filming.

“[Johnston] goes, ‘I really want you to have a really tight waist,’ and I had just found out that I was pregnant and I was like, ‘Mmm, no. No, I don’t think so. No,'” the Interstellar star recounted. “She was like, ‘Well, why?’ And I was like, ‘Eh, you know, I just know myself.’ I’m scrambling for a reason.”

Eventually, Hathaway managed to finagle a believable excuse that she wouldn’t be “as free” in restrictive clothing, so it was best to “make everything loose.”

The Witches is now available for streaming on HBO Max.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.