March 17, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Monty Brinton/CBS @2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.(LOS ANGELES) — With CBS extending The Talk‘s hiatus to further “investigate” the explosive segment between Sharon Osbourne and co-host Sheryl Underwood regarding Piers Morgan, Osbourne spoke to Entertainment Tonight Tuesday about the situation. 

Osbourne blamed the fallout from the segment on the network, claiming she was deliberately ambushed by Underwood at the direction of CBS executives, because CBS produced the Oprah Winfrey interview with Megan Markle and Prince Harry.

Morgan quit Good Morning Britain after an on-air flap in which he dismissed Markle’s comments during the Oprah chat as unbelievable.  Afterward on The Talk, Sharon said of Morgan, “just because he doesn’t like her doesn’t make him racist.” She later apologized on Twitter.

Osbourne recalled to ET‘s Kevin Frazier, “Sheryl…asks me this question and….she was reading it off a card. It wasn’t on my cards. And then [co-host] Elaine [Welteroth]’s reading her questions and I’m like, ‘I’ve been set up.’ They’re setting me up…”

That said, Sharon said she was sorry for how the situation played out. “I got too personal with Sheryl. I should’ve never said ‘stop her tears.’ She was hurting as I was hurting.”

She added, “I should never have dismissed her feelings on national TV, ever. But…I have to own it.”

Osbourne said she’s since reached out to Underwood, but that she hasn’t responded. “I can understand,” she said. “Sheryl needs her time.”

As for her future with The Talk, Sharon said, “…I don’t know whether I even want to go back. … I don’t know whether I’m wanted there.”

The conversation with ET came as former co-host Leah Remini leveled new accusations against Osbourne, claiming she used gay slurs regarding former co-host Sara Gilbert’s sexuality, and made bigoted comments about former co-host Julie Chen, who is Asian.

By Stephen Iervolino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 17, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

HFPA(LOS ANGELES) — Amid fallout from a New York Times exposé revealing the lack of Black members in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — the organization behind the Golden Globes — and a demand from more than 100 PR firms to provide “explicit plans” for “transformational change,” the organization is assuring people it has gotten the message.

In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, the HFPA, whose membership consists of 87 Los Angeles-based journalists, none of whom are Black, on Tuesday wrote in part that they are “committed to making necessary changes within our organization and in our industry as a whole, adding, “We also acknowledge that we should have done more, and sooner.”

“As a demonstration of our commitment, the board has unanimously approved a plan to increase membership to a minimum of 100 members this year, with a requirement that at least 13 percent of the membership be Black journalists,” the statement continued.

“While we recognize this is a long-term process, we will continue to be transparent, provide updates, and have confidence in our ability to change and restore trust in our organization and the Golden Globes,” added the statement. “As we do so, we invite others in the Hollywood community to join us in advancing racial equity in our industry.

Meanwhile, Black creators, including Shonda Rhimes, continued to attack the HFPA’s “ignorance.”

In response a story from The Wrap alleging the organization “rejected requests to hold press conferences for major projects with Black-led casts in recent years,” Rhimes tweeted her claim that the HFPA rejected her press conferences, yet “they STILL asked me to show up in person to present at the Globes.”

“This is why HFPA’s house is on fire. They lit the flame w/their own ignorance,” she added.

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

March 17, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Disney Junior/Fred Watkins(LOS ANGELES) — It was a battle of wills on Tuesday when former first lady Michelle Obama squared off against Jimmy Kimmel’s six-year-old daughter, Jane, in an attempt to get the picky eater to try some vegetables.

Obama tried — and failed — to persuade Jane to diversify her diet on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

“So Jane, why don’t you like vegetables?,” the Waffles + Mochi creator started off as the child and her nervous dad sat at the kitchen table.

The six-year-old responded, “Because I don’t really like to try new things.”

Obama, who made healthy eating in schools a priority during her husband Barack Obama’s tenure in the White House, tried to reason with Jane by revealing a little-known secret about herself.

“Do you know… the only thing I’d like to eat for breakfast every morning until I was 19?  Peanut butter and jelly,” the former first lady deadpanned.  

The story interested the picky eater, but Michelle quickly lost her when redirecting attention back to veggies.

“Here’s what I learned. If you try something new — just try it —  that you open up your taste buds and then you’ll like a whole bunch of new things,” coached the Becoming author as Kimmel whipped out a plate of carrots.

Of course, Jane immediately grimaced as Michelle encouraged her to take a small bite.

“No way, I can’t,” the little one declared despite both Kimmel and Obama’s best tactics, and she further fell into her seat when she stared down a plate of green beans.

Jane even rebuked the former first lady’s attempt to play the “small bite game” with her.

Hilariously enough, her little brother Billy saved the segment by proving that he loves eating carrots — leading Obama to declare the experiment “an epic fail” and “a complete set up.”

By Megan Stone 
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