March 30, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Todd Wawrychuk / ©A.M.P.A.S.(LOS ANGELES) — In a Zoom call Tuesday morning with nominees, Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh and the other producers of this year’s Academy Awards telecast announced the ceremony will allow European participants to attend virtually if they can’t, or aren’t willing to, fly to Los Angeles for the April 25th ceremony. 

This comes after nominees balked at the producers’ former “no streaming” rule amid high rates of COVID-19 in Europe and elsewhere. In short, producers said either the nominees come in person, or they won’t be part of the program.

However, in Tuesday’s call, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the producers changed their tune, with Soderbergh promising to “be more transparent from this point forward.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Soderbergh was joined on the call by fellow producers Jesse Collins and Stacey Sher, and UMass Dartmouth COVID-19 consultant Dr. Erin Bromage. They promised that the safety precautions that are being instituted at Los Angeles’ Union Station for the show will be mirrored at the yet-to-be announced venues in Paris and London.

That said, producers still “encouraged” the participants to come to the L.A. venue if they can, and if they agree follow Los Angeles County’s policies regarding travel and quarantine — expenses the Academy will cover.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, producers said the traditional two-week quarantine period can be shortened if the participants travel in first or business class, if they’ve been vaccinated, or if they’re already working under the strict “bubble” conditions that have become the norm in the film and TV industry.

The 93rd Annual Academy Awards will air live on ABC on April 25. 

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

March 30, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

ABC/Eric McCandless(LOS ANGELES) — ABC just announced that its hit reality competition series Dancing with the Stars will return for a landmark 30th season. 

Host Tyra Banks and judges Len Goodman, Derek Hough, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli are all expected to return, the network noted in the announcement. 

Banks took over from longtime hosts Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews for season 29, and also took the reins as an executive producer on the show for that fall season. The series saw a ratings bump of nine percent over its among adults 18-49, and ranked as the #1 show in its two-hour time slot.

The premiere date for season 30, as well as a new slate of celebrity dancers and their pro partners, will be announced at a later date. 

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

March 30, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Courtesy Teramana tequila(LOS ANGELES) — (NOTE LANGUAGE) Superstar and spirits entrepreneur Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is using his successful tequila brand, Teramana, to raise money for bar and restaurant workers whose bottom lines were devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Instagram, Johnson announced a new line of Teramana-branded swag — everything from hats to hoodies and more — and declared that 100% of the profits will go to Another Round Another Rally, which has already donated more than a million dollars to pandemic-strapped hospitality workers and their families.

The announcement was made to celebrate Teramana’s first birthday, and “to show our love and gratitude to the ones who pour the bottle, to the ones who serve,” Johnson said. 

He added, “We want to do everything we can to support our local businesses…and to take care of the people who were knocked on their a**es by COVID, and there were a lot of them.”

Offering a toast to them, Johnson said of the country, “We are gonna come back…and we’re gonna own that rebound…This is gonna be our bounce-back year.”

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

March 30, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Mathieu Young/ FOX(LOS ANGELES) — I Know What You Did Last Summer star Jennifer Love Hewitt says she now cringes whenever she looks back at her old interviews — not because of what she said, but because of what she was asked.

Speaking with Vulture on Monday, the 42-year-old actress recalled being asked a slew of inappropriate questions about her body when she was younger.

The 9-1-1 star was 22 when her 2001 film Heartbreakers hit theaters, where she played a temptress.  She says when promoting the film, the attention was on her physique and not about the character she played.

“Gosh, I wish that I had known how inappropriate that was so I could have defended myself somehow or just not answered those questions,” she lamented. “I was disappointed that it was all about body stuff, because I had really worked hard in that movie to do a good job as an actress.”

Hewitt adds that she also noticed that her female Heartbreakers co-stars such as Sigourney Weaver and the late Carrie Fisher were not asked such invasive questions, which further vexed her.

“I remember one specific moment wishing that the acting had overshadowed all that — that for five minutes, [interviewers] had said I was really great in the movie versus made a body comment,” said the Ghost Whisperer star.

Now, she’s glad times have changed and such explicit questions are now frowned upon because, “I was really tired of that conversation.”

“Interviewers were asking what now would be incredibly inappropriate, gross things,” said Hewitt, even though she admits that, back then “it didn’t feel that way.”

Now, Hewitt is hoping that a Heartbreakers sequel is in the works, but joked, “I’m in my 40s, so I’m not going to do [Page’s] wardrobe again right now.”

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 30, 2021 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Troy Harvey/ABC via Getty Images(LOS ANGELES) — Taraji P. Henson took to Instagram on Monday to share the sad news that her beloved pup, KBall, passed away, saying she’s “a wreck.”

Alongside a photo of the French bulldog, the Hidden Figures star wrote.  “Had to say good bye forever to my baby @kballhenson I AM GOING TO MISS MY SWEET BABY SO MUCH. KBall was so good to me. Gave me three beautiful love filled years.”

“KBall you calmed mommy’s anxiety,” she continued.  “What will I do without you. Mommy tried everything to save your life. EVERYTHING!!! I couldn’t watch you suffer any longer.”

Henson described KBall’s life as “rough,” explaining that the pup suffered from breathing problems that required two surgeries.

“I gave you the best three years ever,” she concluded.  “Private jets vacations shopping movie sets photo shoots the best dog food money could buy and ALL OF MY LOVE!!! Jesus this is hard and yes I AM A WRECK!!! #RIPKBallHenson”

A couple of days ago, Henson asked her Instagram followers to pray for KBall.

“I NEED ALL PRAYER SOLDIERS TO PRAY FOR MY BABY @kballhenson,” she wrote. “He is having some complications after his surgery. He is fighting and I am loosing [sic] my mind. PLEASE KEEP FIGHTING @kballhenson MOMMY NEEDS YOU!!!!!!!”

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