August 11, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Todd Wawrychuk(LOS ANGELES) — Despite a hat, face covering and sunglasses, a sharp-eyed paparazzo spotted Ellen Degeneres’ wife Portia de Rossi on a dog walk in Santa Barbara, and asked her how Ellen was holding up in the wake of the toxic work environment controversy surrounding her show. 

“She’s doing great,” de Rossi insisted, according to PageSix, with the Arrested Development co-star adding that reports DeGeneres was considering walking away from the show have been exaggerated.

When pressed if Ellen planned to go on with the program, de Rossi said plainly, “Yes, she is.” 

A Buzzfeed article back in July saw former and current show staffers blast a “toxic” work environment on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, touching off an investigation from Warner Bros. Television and prompting an apology from Ellen herself, who vowed the bullying and racial tensions some say they suffered on set would not be tolerated.

“I’m committed to ensuring this does not happen again,” DeGeneres said in part in an email to staffers.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

August 11, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Lara Solanki(LOS ANGELES) — A never-before-seen episode of the ABC series black-ish made nearly three years ago is now available to watch on Hulu.

“In November 2017, we made an episode of black-ish entitled ‘Please, Baby, Please.’ We were one year post-election and coming to the end of a year that left us, like many Americans, grappling with the state of our country and anxious about its future,” series creator Kenya Barris wrote in a statement posted Monday on Instagram and Twitter accounts.

He continued, “Those feelings poured onto the page, becoming 22 minutes of television that I was, and still am, incredibly proud of. ‘Please, Baby, Please’ didn’t make it to air that season and, while much has been speculated about its contents, the episode has never been seen publicly… until now.”

The episode’s description on the streaming site simply reads, “Dre reads a crying Devante a bedtime story.”

Barris said he asked Walt Disney Television to make the episode available in the wake of renewed interest in the Black Lives Matter movement after George Floyd’s death on Memorial Day.

“Recognizing the importance of this moment, they listened and agreed,” he added.

“I cannot wait for everyone to finally see the episode for themselves and, as was the case nearly three years ago, we hope it inspires some much-needed conversation — not only about what we were grappling with then or how it led to where we are now, but conversations about where we want our country to go moving forward and, most importantly, how we get there together,” Barris explained.

Barris concluded by thanking ABC Entertainment “for allowing this moment to happen,” and thanking the entire black-ish family “for never shying away from tough conversations, making telling stories like this possible.”

By Carson Blackwelder
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

August 11, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Disney+(LOS ANGELES) — Leslie Odom Jr. shocked Hamilton fans last week when he revealed he almost didn’t appear in the filmed adaptation of the musical.

Odom, who originated the role of Aaron Burr that won him a Tony Award, recently told Dax Shepard on his podcast Armchair Expert why he nearly bowed out of the opportunity.

The 39-year-old explained when executives approached him about filming, he remained adamant that he would not “sell it away for magic beans” nor “give it away” because “This is my area of expertise. This is all I have. This is my life’s work on the stage.”

Odom understood that he was a major part of the production and wanted to ensure he would be compensated fairly. So, he did his homework and asked around to find out what Aaron Tveit, a white actor, made when performing Grease Live! on TV.

“So when I found out what he made, I didn’t ask for a penny more. I didn’t ask for one penny more, but I said, ‘You must pay me exactly what that white boy got to do Grease Live!‘ That’s the bottom line,” Odom recounted.

Apparently, those behind the filmed adaptation didn’t budge, which resulted in the Grammy Award-winner to make one final stand.

“The day before we shot that movie I called out. I was not kidding…I was not coming to work the next day to do the movie,” Odom attested. “It was a principle for me.”

While it is unknown what executives paid the Broadway star in the end, Odom did go on to appear in the movie, which was originally slated to hit theaters in October 2021.

However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was released early on Disney+ last July, much to the delight of fans everywhere.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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

August 11, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC PHOTO ARCHIVES(LOS ANGELES) — For Robin Williams’ daughter, Zelda Williams, remembering the comedian on the anniversary of his death is a private affair.

Williams shared in a statement Monday that on “regular, good days,” it’s difficult for her to “graciously accept the world’s need to share their memories of [her father] and express their condolences for his loss.”

On the anniversary of the actor’s death, which occurred on Aug. 11, 2014, it’s “simply too much,” she added.

“While I am constantly touched by all of your boundless continued love for him, some days it can feel a bit like being seen as a roadside memorial — a place, not a person — where people drive past and leave their sentiments to then go about their days comforted their love for him was witnessed,” she wrote. “But sometimes, that leaves me emotionally buried under a pile of other’s memories instead of my own. After all, even roses by the truckload still weigh a ton.”

Robin Williams was 63 when he died by suicide. In subsequent tweets Monday, Zelda Williams, 31, listed contact information for organizations including the National Suicide Prevention Hotline, the Veterans Crisis Line, and the Trevor Project to help those in need.

“Whoever out there needs to hear it, please use this as your signpost in the desert,” she added. “Reach out. Seek help. Keep fighting.”

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, or worried about a friend or loved one, help is available. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 [TALK] for free confidential emotional support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even if it feels like it, you are not alone.

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