September 17, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Courtesy of Netflix(CHICAGO) — Cheer star Jerry Harris was arrested Thursday and charged with one count of producing child pornography, the United States District Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Illinois announced.

Harris, 21, has been accused of contacting two underage boys on social media and repeatedly asking them to produce and send sexually explicit videos and photographs of themselves, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

The complaint also states that one of the victims, who said that he was first contacted by Harris in December 2018, informed Harris during a conversation on social media that he was 13 years old.

An attorney for Harris did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment. His attorneys also declined to speak to reporters while leaving court on Thursday.

Harris is scheduled to appear in court for a detention hearing on Monday. If convicted, the TV personality could face 15 to 30 years in prison.

USA Today reported Monday that the FBI had executed a search warrant at Harris’ home in Naperville, Illinois, amid allegations that he’d solicited sex and sexually explicit photographs from minors. At the time, a representative for the FBI would only confirm that the organization was conducting “court-authorized law enforcement activity in the area,” and offered no additional comment.

A spokesperson for Harris denied the allegations in a statement provided to ABC News.

“We categorically dispute the claims made against Jerry Harris, which are alleged to have occurred when he was a teenager,” the spokesperson said. “We are confident that when the investigation is completed the true facts will be revealed.”

The alleged victims and their mother filed a lawsuit on Monday in Texas against Harris, Varsity Brands, the U.S. All Star Federation and the Cheer Athletics gym where Harris cheered.

By Lesley Messer , Matthew Stone & Monica Escobedo
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

September 17, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Snapchat(LOS ANGELES) — Jaden Smith is taking on a leadership role amongst his generation when it comes to combating social injustice.

Smith will host a new eight-episode series called The Solution Committee through Snapchat’s Snap Original series platform.

The millennial-friendly show features discussions with several of today’s young voices about how to create solutions to the world’s most prevalent issues including racism, education, climate change, voting and climate racism. 

Smith takes on a news anchor-like role on “the show where we bring people together to talk about complex issues,” he describes, leading discussions that explore the dynamics between young people and the political process.   

In the trailer that boasts neon colors, cartoons, and all-around vintage vibes, Smith is joined by such figures as Emmy winning screenwriter and actress Lena Waithe who says “it can be very daunting for people, especially young people, when they want to change the world. How does one do that?” she poses.    

Other guests include Smith’s sister Willow Smith, Hailey Bieber, Janelle Monae, Common and more as the show aims to transform viewers’ mentality from “feeling hopeless to hopeful.” 

The series will premiere on September 21, one day before National Voter Registration Day, with each episode providing viewers with access to voter registration information.

The Solution Committee will air Monday, Wednesday and Friday on Snapchat’s Discovery page. 

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

September 17, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Eddy Chen/NBC(LOS ANGELES) — In the midst of the Black Lives Matter movement, Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Andre Braugher is seeing his portrayal of police officers in a new light. 

For the past seven years, Braugher is known to TV viewers as beloved Captain Holt on the critically acclaimed NBC comedy. Before that, he spent seven seasons as Detective Frank Pembleton on the ’90s cop show, Homicide: Life on the Street. 

Speaking to Variety, Braugher says that cop shows hold a certain responsibility when it comes to accurately portraying the police system in America, and has noticed a specific trend in how police officers are portrayed on screen. 

“I look up after all these decades of playing these characters, and I say to myself, it’s been so pervasive that I’ve been inside this storytelling, and I, too, have fallen prey to the mythology that’s been built up. It’s almost like the air you breathe or the water that you swim in. It’s hard to see,” he explains. 

“But because there are so many cop shows on television, that’s where the public gets its information about the state of policing. Cops breaking the law to quote, ‘defend the law,’ is a real terrible slippery slope,” he continues.

“It has given license to the breaking of law everywhere, justified it and excused it. That’s something that we’re going to have to collectively address — all cop shows. The myth that the outcomes of the criminal justice system are not dependent upon your race has to be confronted.” 

As Brooklyn approaches its eighth season, the actor hopes that the show will “commit itself” to telling the stories of the relationship between race and policing in an honest way.

The new season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine is expected to premiere in 2021.   

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

September 17, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Efren Landaos/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Ahead of the Emmy Awards on Sunday night, Wu-Tang founder RZA is still reeling over the moment when he first learned that he had been nominated for an Outstanding Original Main Title Theme Music Emmy for his Hulu series Wu-Tang: An American Saga.

“When I got that Emmy nod, first of all, I didn’t expect it,” RZA tells ABC Audio. “And when it came, I kind of didn’t believe it because I wasn’t reaching for it. I just was creating art.”

“And when they said, ‘Yo, yo. You got nominated for the Emmy.’ I was like, ‘Huh?,'” he recalls. “I didn’t believe it at first…And then it kept popping up like… emails from the Hulu team and the Imagine [Television Studios] team, ‘Congratulations. Congratulations.'”

Although he wrote the score for his Hulu drama series, RZA is not selfish when it comes to his Emmy nod. The gifted composer, producer and director calls the honor “not just an Emmy for [himself, but] an Emmy for our show.” He’s also just as humble when it comes to an actual Emmy win, adding he’s thankful for the recognition which has made him feel “so much happier and joy.”

“I don’t normally kind of geek out on things, but I really felt it was a nice surprise for me,” RZA says. “COVID has been some downers for this year and definitely for the summer. So that has been one of the highlights of my summer — is that Emmy nomination.”

The 2020 Emmy Awards air September 20 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

By Candice Williams
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

September 17, 2020 • No Comments • Entertainment News

Disney+(LOS ANGELES) — Disney+ took home its first Emmy Awards last night for The Mandalorian. 

The streaming platform was awarded five accolades during the third night of the virtual Creative Arts Emmy Awards: Outstanding Special Visual Effects, Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation, Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation, Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-camera Series (Half-hour) and Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour). 

The wins are part of the series’ 15 total Emmy nominations this year. The Mandalorian premiered on Disney+ in 2019 and stars Pedro Pascal as the title character, with Giancarlo Esposito, Carl Weathers and Gina Carano in supporting roles. It marks the first Star Wars live-action series.  

HBO’s Watchmen also picked up multiple wins last night for Outstanding Cinematography for a Limited Series or Movie and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Limited Series or Movie, among others. 

The fourth round of Creative Arts Emmy winners will be announced tonight on Emmys.com. It all leads up to the Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted live by Jimmy Kimmel on Sunday on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.

The show will air without an in-person audience; the winners give their acceptance speeches from their respective locations.    

By Cillea Houghton
Copyright © 2020, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.