News

The police procedural drama NCIS has helped launch the careers of several actors. But out of the lot, the most famous of them would definitely be actor Michael Weatherly. Though he arrived in New York City with big dreams, he soon realized how tough it was to make it in Hollywood. After doing some minor roles, NCIS gave him his big break in the industry as Tony Dinozzo.

Cote de Pablo in NCIS (2003) | Credits: CBS

Another inclusion of actress Cote de Pablo in the show also turned heads, and she was quickly able to establish her own place in NCIS. However, before she landed the role, an incident with Weatherly during the auditions left her sweating.

Michael Weatherly’s Unscripted Move Could Have Derailed Cote De Pablo’s NCIS Dreams Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo in NCIS (2003) | Credits: CBS

Auditions in themselves are quite nerve-wracking, but if it’s...

Michael Weatherly has enjoyed a splendid career, from TV shows to movies, particularly well known for his portrayal of the charming, wise-cracking Special Agent Tony Dinozzo on NCIS. But long before he became one of the most recognizable faces on telly, he was just another actor learning to navigate the muddy waters of the sea called Hollywood.

Michael Weatherly as NCIS Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo | Credit: NCIS / CBS

As he was making his way, the actor got a life lesson during one particular instance, where he ended up in the bad books of Bill Cosby.

Michael Weatherly Had His First Acting Job Opposite Bill Cosby Michael Weatherly on The Cosby Show | Credit: NBC

Michael Weatherly is one of the finest actors on television, who gained prominence for his role in the American military police procedural drama NCIS. Yet, way before he was first cast as the popular character, he was...

In the fallout from the Huw Edwards scandal, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts has passed a new rule allowing the awards body to retroactively strip competitive awards from future winners convicted of serious crimes following a review process. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the new rules go into effect for awards starting in 2025.

“Earlier this year, we were shocked by the news of the former BBC newsreader Huw Edwards’ arrest and subsequent conviction for child pornography offenses,” BAFTA chair Sara Putt wrote in a letter to BAFTA members announcing the change, via THR. “He won seven individual BAFTA Cymru awards for television presenting between 2002 and 2017. Following the news, deeply complex questions were raised regarding historic awards won by individuals and specifically, whether awards won in competition should ever be removed retrospectively.”

Putt writes that “there are exceptional grounds in which an award won in competition should be reviewed and possibly rescinded,...

Born in New York City in 1986, Lindsay Lohan began her performance ventures at the tender age of three as a Ford model, quickly becoming one of the most successful child models in the industry. Her early work included over 60 television commercials, including a notable Jell-o spot with Bill Cosby – an association that now carries uncomfortable undertones, given subsequent revelations about Cosby’s conduct.

However, it was in feature films that Lohan would truly shine. Her breakthrough came in 1998 with Disney’s remake of The Parent Trap, where, at age 11, she masterfully played dual roles as separated twin sisters. The performance showed the world not only her natural charm but also her remarkable technical skill for such a young actor, earning critical acclaim and establishing her as a rising star. The early 2000s marked Lohan’s ascension to Hollywood royalty. Her starring role in 2003’s Freaky Friday opposite Jamie Lee Curtis...

President-elect Donald Trump has been extremely controversial. The former President had a polarizing tenure from 2016 and it is only bound to be more during his upcoming presidency. Trump is also the oldest president of the USA and the only one with pending criminal charges on him.

Trump also reportedly has a connection to disgraced comedian and actor Bill Cosby. Cosby was accused of s*xual assault by over sixty women and was convicted of one count of aggravated assault in 2018. Trump mentioned once that he had never been a fan of the actor.

What Was Bill Cosby Convicted For? Bill Cosby in The Cosby Show | Credits: NBC

Bill Cosby was known for his image as ‘America’s Dad’ for years. He was known for his stand-up comedy as well as headlining the sitcom The Cosby Show. For many decades, he was one of the most respected actors in the industry,...

Did Cardi B actually confess to drugging and robbing men? ( Photo Credit – Instagram )

Picture this: a young Cardi B, just a few steps away from superstardom, spills the tea on her wild past in an Instagram Live that would return to haunt her. Fast forward three years and that video resurfaced, causing a digital uproar. In it, Cardi got honest about her days as a stripper, recalling how she’d invite men to hotel rooms only to hit them with the ultimate betrayal—drugging and robbing them. Talk about a plot twist!

The clip set off a social media frenzy when it made its rounds. “Ni**as must have forgotten the shit that I did to motherfucking survive,” she declared, ready to snatch the narrative back from the critics who claimed she hadn’t worked for her success. She laid it down straight: “Nothing was motherfucking handed to me!”

Suddenly,...

In a candid live stream, Cardi B once dropped a bombshell that now can jeopardize her entire career. She confessed to drugging and robbing men before she hit the big time, all in the name of making ends meet. While she thought it would be an empowering revelation, it sent shockwaves across the internet, and rightly so!

Cardi B in her music video of Wap Credits: YouTube/Cardi B

The drama set off a whirlwind of social media chatter, fueling debates about her past. But did Cardi B face any real consequences for her actions?

Cardi B on Her Problematic Past

In a livestream, Cardi B once opened up about her journey to success, sharing the struggles she faced. She detailed the lengths she went to, admitting that she had to strip, take men to hotels, and even resort to drugging and robbing them. Saying (via CNN),

I had to go strip,...

A funny thing happened to comedian Tom Papa as he prepared to promote his hysterical new stand-up special, Home Free — Jerry Seinfeld stopped by Papa’s Breaking Bread podcast. “We were just planning on talking about comedy in general,” Papa told me. “You know, just catching up with old friends.”

It was the pod in which Seinfeld walked back earlier comments about the Left killing comedy, landing Papa directly in the middle of a national conversation. As Home Free premieres today on Netflix, we discussed what happens when Seinfeld weighs in on comedy culture, the time Tom Cruise got him all sweaty before his first Letterman appearance and how the podcast revolution has put comedians right back where they started.

“The cool thing about Jerry Seinfeld is he’s not afraid to go back on things. He’s not set in stone on stuff.”

“It is pretty amazing how certain...

When authorities arrested Sean “Diddy” Combs and unsealed their sex trafficking and racketeering indictment against him in mid-September, it was the culmination of a vast federal criminal investigation. After countless hours spent combing through evidence, interviewing 50 witnesses, and presenting to a grand jury, prosecutors finally unveiled the case they hope will convict Combs.

In an instant, Combs’ once-opulent world was reduced to the confines of a stark jail cell. If convicted as charged, the onetime billionaire Bad Boy Entertainment founder faces a minimum of 15 years in prison. Even with good behavior,...

Bill Maher has had strong words about Donald Trump in the run-up to the 2024 presidential election, but now he’s comparing the Republican nominee to disgraced TV star Bill Cosby. “This is our last show before the last show before the election, so just know that if Trump does win, he will be the oldest president ever, passing even Joe Biden, and remember what a bunch of laughs that was,” the comedian said in the episode of Real Time With Bill Maher airing on Friday, October 25. “Yeah, let’s do that again, but with a sex criminal…. It would be like rebooting The Cosby Show with Bill Cosby.” Elsewhere in his opening monologue, Maher noted that Halloween is around the corner. “I’ve already seen so many people out, wearing crazy makeup and trying to scare people — what Trump calls campaigning,” he said. But Maher took shots at Vice President Kamala Harris,...

Back in 2022, Will Smith got up on stage during the Oscars telecast to slap host Chris Rock for making a joke about his wife's hair. "Keep my wife's name out of your f***ing mouth" he yelled. Smith, it should be noted, also won the Oscar for Best Actor that night. Almost immediately, however, pundits took to their keyboards to discuss the consequences for Smith, weighing in on any possible punishments or exoneration of his brash behavior. Smith, some might say wisely, resigned from the Motion Picture Academy of his own volition and was subsequently banned from the Academy Awards for 10 years. By late 2024, this all seemed like a tempest in a teapot.

But Smith's resignation from the Academy brought up a few interesting pieces of trivia about Hollywood, notably that the Academy has only very, very rarely expelled its members. Indeed, as noted by the Independent, only the most...

During his opening monologue for tonight’s installment of Real Time with Bill Maher, host Bill Maher cracked jokes across political aisles, taking hits at candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, as well as the Menedez brothers.

Getting started with a Halloween-themed joke ahead of the weekend, he said, “I’ve already seen so many people out, wearing crazy makeup, trying to scare people — what Trump calls campaigning. Kamala, also, in the Halloween mood; she loves it when the little kids come up on her porch and say those three little words: ‘Please don’t shoot.'”

Maher, whose prediction that Harris will win received cheers, cautioned that they’re not through the wringer yet, joking, “Her supporters are getting very nervous, they just can’t put their finger on it, but they feel something is wrong, like when Doug Emhoff drives the babysitter home.”

When that comment drew chuckles,...

As Halloween approaches, there's one Disney movie that, both as a film itself and its star, may well rank as the darkest film the company has ever produced!

Disney has always dabbled in dark stuff ever since the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. For a "family-friendly" company, they've dipped their toes into horror-themed storylines a lot. That was especially true in that late 1970s/early-80s period, when the company was trying to win over new fans and break out of that image.

That included darker fare like The Watcher in the Woods, The Black Hole, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Yet one movie has to stand out as a film you cannot believe was ever made by Disney for its dark tones. As time has gone on, it's only become darker for shades the company couldn't possibly predict.

The Devil and Max Devlin.

This...

Ed Wheeler, a veteran actor who appeared in Law & Order, Blue Bloods, Broadcast News, Mickey Blue Eyes and many other films, TV shows, stage productions and commercials, has died. He was 88.

His wife, Messeret Stroman Wheeler, told Deadline that he died August 21 at Englewood (NJ) Hospital of respiratory failure due to pneumonia complications.

Born on February 18, 1936, in Brooklyn, Wheeler got his start in showbiz doing TV commercials, including national ads for the likes of Luvs diapers, Reynolds Wrap, Sudafed, Pepcid AC, Computer Associates and many others.

He trained under Gene Frankel and Vin Diesel’s stepfather Irving Vincent and earned his first screen credits on such TV series as Watch Your Mouth, 3-2-1 Contact and The Core of the Apple. Wheeler’s first film role was opposite William Hurt, Albert Brooks and Holly Hunter in James L. Brooks’ Broadcast News (1987).

He went on to appear in such films as Presumed Innocent,...

As “Reasonable Doubt’s” Jax Stewart becomes the newest Black woman lawyer to grace our television screens, TheWrap wanted to take a trip down memory lane by listing the most iconic Black woman TV lawyers our time.

For fans, these roles may just be the characters we show up to watch in our favorite shows weekly, but for the actresses that play them and the writers that write them, their existence has impacted on-screen representation for Black women as well as the careers of Black Hollywood actresses.

That rings true for Kerry Washington’s role in “Scandal.” While we primarily recognize Olivia Pope as a crisis manager in the series, she was a former lawyer who often exhibited those tactics from her legal career. Until Washington signed on for the role — which ABC originally suggested a non-Black actress take — there hadn’t been a drama series with a leading Black woman on TV for 37 years.

“Saturday Night Live” premiered October 11, 1975 on NBC with a group of fresh-faced cast members known as the “Not Ready For Prime-Time Players.” None of those original stars lasted for more than five seasons, but they all made their mark on the late night sketch series that is still going strong five decades later.

Over the past 50 seasons (and counting), who are “SNL’s” longest-running cast members ever? Kenan Thompson currently holds the record at a whopping 22 seasons. His closest competition is Darrell Hammond, who starred for 14 seasons before leaving and then returning as the show’s announcer. Scroll through our “Saturday Night Live” photo gallery above (or click here for direct access) to see more long-time cast members.

See‘SNL’ 5-Timers Club: Who has hosted ‘Saturday Night Live’ at least five times?

Kenan Thompson

22 seasons (2003-Present)

Popular characters: Diondre Cole, Steve Harvey, Darnell Hayes, Bill Cosby, Diner Lobster, Lorenzo McIntosh...

Given the recent allegations against music mogul Sean P Diddy Combs, several institutes and organizations have distanced themselves from him, severing all ties with the rapper. One of the prominent institutions is Howard University, which conferred an honorary degree to the rapper in 2014.

Bill Cosby | Credit: Jimmy Fallon / YouTube

While the university was quick to distance itself from Diddy, a glaring inconsistency lingers: Bill Cosby, who was convicted of s*xual assault in 2018, still holds an honorary degree from Howard. While some charges against the former ‘America’s Dad’ have been proved correct, the question remains: Why Howard has yet to take the same decisive action with Cosby?

Howard University Distances Itself From Sean P Diddy Combs Diddy | Image by Arthur, licensed under Cc By-sa 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sean P Diddy Combs has had a controversial life despite his music empire. But things took a turn for the worse when...

Several rappers have come out against Sean “Diddy” Combs since his arrest last week. 50 Cent pointed out that he never attended any of “Puffy’s parties.” Now, texts between Kanye West and the Bad Boy Records owner have resurfaced. There was clearly beef between the two of them. So, what went down? Keep reading to find out.

Kanye West Shades Diddy In Recent Lyrics

Diddy was brought into custody on September 16. He is currently facing racketeering, sex trafficking, and transportation to engage in prostitution charges.

It seems like many people in Hollywood knew what was happening at Diddy’s house long before it was made public. Kanye West hinted at the disgraced rapper’s crimes in lyrics to one of his recent songs.

Kanye West

In the song “Carnival,” which also features Ty Dollar $ign and Rich the Kid, Kanye seemingly put Diddy in the same category as R. Kelly and Bill Cosby.

The lawsuit filed against Sean Combs by singer Cassie Ventura advancing staggering accusations of sex trafficking and a decade of physical abuse sent shock waves through the music industry last November and ignited a flood of legal claims against the mogul.

It also sparked one of the highest-profile federal sex crimes investigations in years. And on Sept. 17, prosecutors detailed what they had found: a vast criminal enterprise through which they say Combs, also known as “Diddy,” trafficked women with the help of his business empire from at least 2008. He pled not guilty to the charges the following day.

If convicted, Combs, 54, faces 15 years to life in prison. The founder of Bad Boy Entertainment recognized as among the chief drivers of the commercialization of hip-hop, with a net worth estimated as high as $1 billion, has turned to Marc Agnifilo, a do-it-all defense lawyer with extensive experience litigating complex racketeering cases involving criminal enterprises,...

Noting the recent trend of Ben Affleck’s “Air,” Matt Johnson’s “Blackberry,” Eva Longoria’s “Flamin’ Hot,” and, though perhaps a bit on the silly side, Jerry Seinfeld’s “Unfrosted,” there seems to be an increasing market for stories about consumer goods and marketing. Deadline announced Wednesday that the latest to get in the act are Judd Apatow and Steven Spielberg with a picture called “Cola Wars,” all about the rivalry between Coca-Cola and Pepsi.

“Cola Wars,” which Spielberg will produce and Apatow will direct, is written by Jason Shuman and Ben Queen. Shuman is best known for co-creating the series “Acapulco” on Apple TV + and was an executive producer on “Winning Time,” another nostalgia-soaked based-on-reality project about the peak years of the Los Angeles Lakers. Queen’s credits include “Cars 2” and “Cars 3.” The project is set up at Sony.

The story of “Cola Wars,” much like “Air,...

Hey, folks—how are those post-debate hangovers coming? If you need a little hair of the dog to help you recover from a night spent stressing about the future of our country and Taylor Swift's friendship with Brittany Mahomes, why not watch Seth Meyers drink Kool-Aid and hot sauce...

How is the Republican Party not being held accountable for Mark Robinson, the party’s nominee for governor of North Carolina?

While there are plenty of Maga partisans in the modern GOP, Robinson stands apart from the rest. As we reported in Rolling Stone five months ago, Robinson’s conspiratorial, racist, homophobic, antisemitic, and frankly batshit statements aren’t merely extreme: They are uniquely shocking, offensive, vulgar, and prejudiced — even by Maga standards — and should be beyond the pale of political discourse.

And yet, I’m sure most Americans don’t even know his name.

BoJack Horseman creator and showrunner Raphael Bob-Waksberg tried to call out Bill Cosby’s behind-the-scenes sexual misconduct before Hannibal Buress brought national attention to the open secret, but Netflix wouldn’t let him target one of the biggest monsters in Hollywood.

Considering the subject matter of BoJack Horseman, it’s no surprise that, early in the show’s run, Bob-Waksberg wanted to address the dark, complicated legacy of Cosby despite the general public’s hesitance to do the same. After all, BoJack Horseman told the story of a 1990s sitcom star whose private life and late-career reputation didn’t match his onscreen personality, and it’s hard to think of a single TV star who better exemplifies that juxtaposition than Dr. Cliff Huxtable. So, when Bob-Waksberg and his writers were planning the show’s second season in late 2014, it only made sense for them to use their satirical dramedy about...

“Blink Twice” opens with a blurry close-up shot of a frog, which then comes into glistening focus. The sound is eerie; the image is sinister, fascinating, mysterious and trippy. That describes the movie as well. “Blink Twice” is the first feature directed by Zoë Kravitz, who also co-wrote it (with E.T. Feigenbaum), and it’s a post-#MeToo feminist party-girl nightmare thriller that’s been made with an unusual sense of intimacy. Kravitz, the veteran actor, doesn’t rely on the standard medium shot/Pov pedestrian film grammar. She composes the movie out of vibrant close-ups, using each shot to tell a story, drawing us into the center of an encounter, so that we’re staring at it and experiencing it at the same time. Her technique is riveting; this is the work of a born filmmaker.

I wouldn’t call “Blink Twice” a horror movie, but it’s rooted in some pretty horrifying things.

Jenn Tran has narrowed her Bachelorette contestants from twenty-five to just four. But one of the men is under fire amid troubling allegations. Keep reading for all the details.

Jenn Tran Sends Sam McKinney Home

Jenn Tran’s season of The Bachelorette has been slammed by viewers for casting the worst group of men as contestants in a long time. Sam McKinney seemed like a great guy on the first night, even getting the First Impression Rose from Jenn.

But as the season continued, viewers spotted red flag after red flag. Sam M. took to social media a few weeks ago to claim the show edited it to make him look bad.

Jenn Tran/Credit: ABC YouTube

The final straw came during the latest episode when Sam M. told Jenn Tran that she wasn’t his usual type and implied he joined the show thinking he would be pursuing Maria Georgas and Daisy Kent.

Despite being popularly known for creating the magical and timeless classic, the Harry Potter franchise, J.K. Rowling has been facing controversies in recent times, due to her alleged transphobic comments. Therefore, in the wake of Rowling’s critical views on transgender issues, fans began revisiting her novels with a new perspective, to figure out early signs of red flags.

J.K. Rowling in an interview with BBC

As discussions around J.K Rowling’s views intensified, some readers took to Reddit to reflect on elements from the beloved books that they believed might hint at her personal beliefs. This growing scrutiny led people to take a closer look at certain aspects of the series, including the portrayal of female characters and settings, that perhaps hinted at the author’s views and had a potential influence on her writing.

Did the Harry Potter Books Exhibit Early Signs of J.K. Rowling’s Controversial Views?...

Relax, relate, release. According to Variety, Netflix is developing a sequel series for the seminal sitcom A Different World. Details are scarce, but Variety says the project focuses on Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitney’s (Jasmine Guy) daughter. On the project’s ground floor is writer and executive producer Felicia Pride, whose impressive list of work includes Grey’s Anatomy and Queen Sugar. Debbie Allen, Mandy Summers, Tom Werner, Gina Prince-Bythewood, and Reggie Bythewood join the effort as executive producers. Netflix will neither confirm nor deny the project’s status.

A Different World ran for six seasons from 1987 to 1993 and revolved around a group of students at a historically Black university. The show focuses on their struggles and up-and-coming youths in a world trying to keep pace with their radical ideas and worldview. The show is a spinoff of The Cosby Show, with Lisa Bonet’s Denise Huxtable leading the cast.

A sequel series to “A Different World” centered on Dwayne and Whitley’s daughter is in early development at Netflix, Variety hears from sources.

The project hails from writer and executive producer Felicia Pride, whose credits include “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Queen Sugar.” Debbie Allen, Mandy Summers, Tom Werner, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Bythewood also serve as executive producers. Werner produced the original show via The Carsey-Werner Company.

Netflix declined to comment.

“A Different World,” itself a spinoff of “The Cosby Show” and created by Bill Cosby, ran for six seasons on NBC starting in 1987, and it followed Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and her new classmates at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black university. After Bonet exited the series after one season, “A Different World” shifted its focus to the other students, played by Dawnn Lewis, Glynn Turman, Cory Tyler, Kadeem Hardison, Lou Myers, Darryl M. Bell, Cree Summer, Jasmine Guy,...

A follow-up to A Different World is reportedly in the works at Netflix, after being stalled by the legal issues that surrounded the Cosby Show spinoff’s creator, Bill Cosby, from 2015 to 2021.

A Different World ran from September 1987 to July 1993 on NBC, and followed Lisa Bonet’s Cosby Show character, Denise Huxtable, as she attended Hillman College, a fictional Hbcu. Following Bonet’s exit after one season, the sitcom pivoted to focus on the characters of Dwayne and Whitley (played by Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy).

More from TVLineThe Diplomat Sets Terrifying Season 2 Release DateStranger Things Prepares to Cast The...

Netflix is eyeing a return to Hillman College.

The streamer is in the early stages of development on a sequel series to A Different World, the 1987-93 NBC sitcom that was set at a historically Black university. The new project would center on the youngest daughter of Whitley (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), now a student at Hillman.

Netflix declined to comment.

The potential sequel comes from writer Felicia Pride (Grey’s Anatomy, Queen Sugar) and includes several members of the original show’s creative team, among them producer and director Debbie Allen, Tom Werner (whose Carsey-Werner produced A Different World), and writers Reggie Rock Bythewood and Gina Prince-Bythewood. They’ll all serve as executive producers on the project, along with Pride and Mandy Summers.

A Different World was a spinoff of The Cosby Show, following Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) to college at Hillman. Bill Cosby (who is not...

Exclusive: An A Different World sequel series chronicling Dwayne and Whitley’s daughter’s time at Hillman College, is in early development at Netflix, sources tell Deadline. The single-cam, half-hour comedy comes from writer/executive producer Felicia Pride and executive producers Debbie Allen, Mandy Summers, Tom Werner, Gina Prince-Bythewood and Reggie Bythewood.

Netflix declined to comment for this story.

Allen, Werner, Prince-Bythewood and Bythewood all worked on the original hit NBC series, a spinoff of The Cosby Show, which ran for six seasons. Allen was director-producer, Prince-Bythewood and Bythewood were writers, and Werner executive produced for The Carsey-Werner Company.

A Different World followed Denise Huxtable (Lisa Bonet) and her new classmates at Hillman College, a fictional historically Black college. Though Bonet exited after one season, the show continued with the leading cast of Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Dawnn Lewis, Darryl M. Bell, Sinbad, Charnele Brown, Cree Summer and Glynn Turman.

Lo, the enduring miracle of the film awards year. Just when things begin to look hopeless—and it was looking pretty bleak a month ago—intriguing, maybe even watchable, prospects suddenly sprout. The movies are like Osiris, that old Egyptian resurrection god: You just can’t keep ‘em down.

As August arrives, more than a few adult viewers, unattuned to the ongoing fantasy-and-animation boom, are now peeking around the corner at Saturday Night, Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night Live origins story. The film was scheduled last week by Columbia Pictures for release on Oct. 11—the 49th anniversary of NBC’s first SNL broadcast, back in 1975.

As historical moments go, that may or may not impress the film Academy’s growing body of foreign-based Oscar voters. But for the domestic crowd, especially those in upper age brackets, the birth of an American comedy phenomenon, still alive some five decades later, is compelling.

Meshell Ndegeocello, like many people, would rather not turn on her camera during Zoom calls. “I want to hear you,” she says. “I enjoy my hearing apparatus. The eyes will fool you.”

It’s for this reason that, during a recent conversation from her home in Red Hook, Brooklyn, Ndegeocello’s only visible presence on-screen was her Zoom display name: “Just a Soul on a Planet.”

It’s a fitting description for the one-time Nineties R&b and dance music hitmaker (1994’s “Wild Night” with John Mellencamp, 1996’s “Who Is...

Bob Newhart, an Emmy winner and nine-time nominee who helped launch the recorded comedy craze with two smash stand-up albums before starring in the revered TV shows The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart, died today at his Los Angeles home. He was 94.

His longtime publicist Jerry Digney said Newhart died after a series of short illnesses.

Newhart broke out in 1960 with a pair of No. 1 comedy albums — despite never having done stand-up before. The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart spent 14 weeks atop the Billboard 200 and stayed on that chart for more than two years. The Button-Down Mind Strikes Back! arrived about 10 months later and also hit No. 1. The former won Grammys for Album of the Year, Comedy Album of the Year and Best New Artist and featured a slow-spoken still-cited monologue with Newhart as Abe Lincoln.

Related: Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2024: Photo Gallery & Obituaries

“I worked as an accountant for 2½ years,...

Richard Pryor gave Eddie Murphy a hard time later in his career — right? At least, that’s the story The New York Times’ David Marchese tried to confirm with Murphy in a recent podcast interview. Murphy vehemently disagreed. “No, he didn’t,” insisted the Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F star. “Bill Cosby gave me a hard time.”

When Murphy was hitting it big on Saturday Night Live and the movies, Cosby was arguably still the bigger star. The Cosby Show was “TV’s biggest hit in the 1980s,” said TV Guide, arguing that it also breathed new life into the dying sitcom format. Cosby should have been a comedy elder statesman, but from the sound of things, America’s Dad didn’t appreciate the competition from the upstart Murphy.

Ostensibly, clean comic Cosby disapproved of Murphy’s liberal use of profanity in his stand-up act, but “it wasn’t so...

Sorry/Not Sorry Image: The New York Times Sorry/Not Sorry opens with a smattering of journalists and comedians (mostly men) mourning what could have become of Louis C.K.’s genius. And it’s true, Louis C.K.’s genius—a word that gets used a lot throughout Cara Mones...

Sorry/Not SorryImage: The New York Times

Sorry/Not Sorry opens with a smattering of journalists and comedians (mostly men) mourning what could have become of Louis C.K.’s genius. And it’s true, Louis C.K.’s genius—a word that gets used a lot throughout Cara Mones and...

Pat Colbert, who played the role of the Oil Baron’s Club host Dora Mae in the CBS soap Dallas, has died. She was 77. Colbert died on June 23 in her Compton, California home. She had three strokes in the last 10 years, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Colbert’s first television appearance was in 1979. She played a model in Eischied, the series which starred Joe Don Baker. The actress would then go on to co-star in the NBC soap opera Flamingo Road, sharing credits with actors such as John Beck, Howard Duff, Morgan Fairchild, Barbara Rush, and Mark Harmon. She appeared in the two-hour pilot and was a recurring role throughout the first season. Her character was eliminated in Season 2 when the brothel was turned into a supper club. Through the 1980s, Colbert appeared in other television series such as Benson, The Fall Guy, Knots Landing, and A Death in California.

Pat Colbert, who played the role of Dora Mae in the series Dallas, has died. She was 77.

According to multiple reports, Colbert died on June 23 at her home in Compton. Colbert had suffered three strokes over the last decade.

Colbert’s first television appearance was in 1979’s Eischiled, playing a model in the series which starred Joe Don Baker. The actress would soon co-star in Flamingo Road, sharing credits with John Beck, Woody Brown, Peter Donat, Howard Duff, Morgan Fairchild, Barbara Rush, and many more.

Throughout the 1980s, Colbert made appearances in shows like Benson (1982), The Fall Guy (1982), Knots Landing (1983), and A Death in California (1985).

Colbert also starred in CBS’s Capitol, a soap about politics in D.C., playing the character named Cora Mullens.

She first appeared in Dallas Season 7 in 1983, portraying Dora Mae, the host and manager of the Oil Baron’s Club. Colbert stayed on the nighttime...

Pat Colbert, who played restaurant host Dora Mae on the long-running primetime soap Dallas, has died at the age of 77, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Colbert passed away on June 23, her sister Tami Colbert says, after suffering three strokes over the past decade.

More from TVLineDoug Sheehan, Knots Landing and General Hospital Actor, Dead at 75Dawn Hollyoak, Former Great British Baking Show Contestant, Dead at 61Love & Marriage: Huntsville's KeKe Jabbar Dead at 42

The actress co-starred on the NBC series Flamingo Road and appeared in episodes of Benson and The Fall Guy before joining the cast of Dallas in Season 6. Colbert played Dora Mae,...

Pat Colbert, who portrayed the stylish Oil Baron’s Club host and manager Dora Mae on the final eight seasons of the CBS primetime soap Dallas, has died. She was 77.

Colbert died June 23 at her home in Compton, her sister Tami Colbert told The Hollywood Reporter. She had suffered three strokes over the past decade.

Colbert also played the wife of Bill Cosby’s character in the lamentable 1987 spy spoof Leonard Part 6 (1987) and showed up on episodes of Benson, The Fall Guy, Sisters and True Colors.

In 1980-81, Colbert was one of the working girls in the roadhouse run by Stella Stevens‘ Lute-Mae Sanders on the NBC primetime soap Flamingo Road, which like Dallas came from Lorimar Productions.

She appeared in the two-hour pilot and recurred throughout the first season, but her character was eliminated in season two when the network — pressured by Rev. Donald Wildmon, who as head...

Bart Simpson’s greatest mortal enemy — other than Dr. Demento and, of course, Bill Cosby — is Sideshow Bob, Krusty the Clown’s former sidekick-turned-homicidal maniac. Bob is mostly defined by his refined taste, his right-wing politics, his passionate hatred for Bart and a penchant for stepping on rakes and smacking himself in the face.

There is perhaps no more iconic Sideshow Bob scene than the one that happens toward the end of “Cape Feare.” After following the Simpsons — make that the Thompsons — to Terror Lake, Bob extracts himself from the underside of their car and immediately steps on a rake. Then he steps on another. And another. Bob keeps stepping on rakes, and grumbling in pain, for what feels like an interminably long time.

It’s such a memorable character-defining moment that The Simpsons has even brought back the rakes for more recent Sideshow Bob episodes.

Yet, while it’s...

The secret behind the enduring success of Saturday Night Live is its ability to evolve and diversify its talent base, according to Kenan Thompson, who pointed to the iconic ‘Black Jeopardy’ sketch as an exemplar.

Speaking at Cannes Lions, the SNL stalwart said the near-50-year-old format is “constantly changing,” adding: “Every week there’s a new host, every season there’s a new cast, also it’s weird how the crowd all seems to stay young, and I keep getting older.”

During a 21-year-stint on the show, Thompson said it has evolved in several ways, including format changes from its live Saturday night presence to videos being shared on a Sunday morning.

But a bigger change has come in its diversity, he added.

“It’s more than format changes, it’s reach,” he said. “For decades, SNL had only one maybe two Black cast members. Today, I’m one of five,...

Who is the best male TV star of all time? Our photo gallery above takes on the tough task of ranking the 50 greatest actors and performers. Agree or disagree with our choices?

With over 70 years of television to consider, we had to provide ourselves with a few rules to help simplify things. One of those was that every man in our gallery must have been an ongoing leading star at some point, preferably more often than not. That’s why you will not see such classic supporting actors as Art Carney, Tim Conway, Don Knotts, Peter Dinklage and more. We also do not include any news/sports anchors or journalists such as Walter Cronkite, Edward R. Murrow, Peter Jennings, Howard Cosell since they are not performers.

In order to place them in the rankings, we were looking at a combination of quality (top rated shows with the public or critics...

Hollywood star Johnny Depp has gradually resumed his normal life two years after the notorious trial involving his ex-wife, Amber Heard. The actor has reportedly found peace in London, where he spends most of his time and is hopeful about his future. Despite a successful career in the industry, Depp experienced a significant setback after his ex-wife claimed to be a victim of domestic violence.

Johnny Depp in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series | Credits: Disney

After prevailing in the legal battle against Heard, Depp returned to the silver screen with the historical drama Jeanne du Barry and has lined up a number of future projects as well. Recent reports have revealed how the actor spent his last two years following the trial, while the Aquaman actress continues to experience a decline in public favor.

Johnny Depp Reportedly Found New Beginnings in London

As per new reports from Us Weekly,...

Rick and Morty has amassed a strong fan following, particularly among the millennials. However, many would be surprised to know that the sci-fi adult animated show shares a notable connection with Christopher Lloyd’s Back to The Future series. The movie follows an eccentric older man and a teenager who embark on a time-traveling adventure with the help of their hi-tech vehicle.

Rick and Morty in Season 7 | Adult Swim

Primarily due to its character inspirations and thematic elements, the animated show was conceived out of Lloyd’s movie parody, The Real Animated Adventures of Doc and Mharti. The film franchise star, in an old interview, addressed the same, confirming how the animated series shares a great connection with the sci-fi trilogy.

Back to the Future Star Christopher Lloyd Got Candid About the Movie’s Connection With Rick and Morty

Since its premiere in 2013, Rick and Morty has developed a significant cult following.

Quick Navigation Eddie Izzard – $20 million Albert Brooks – $30 million Whitney Cummings – $35 million Chelsea Handler – $35 million Kathy Griffin – $35 million Louis C.K. – $35 million Amy Schumer – $45 million George Lopez – $45 million Dave Chappelle – $60 million Howie Mandel – $60 million Chris Rock – $60 million Bob Newhart – $65 million Russell Peters – $75 million Roseanne Barr – $80 million Martin Lawrence – $110 million Jon Stewart – $120 million Woody Allen – $140 million Steve Martin – $140 million Ricky Gervais – $140 million Jeff Dunham – $140 million Bill Maher – $140 million Terry Fator – $160 million Drew Carey – $165 million Jim Carrey – $180 million Eddie Murphy – $200 million Steve Harvey – $200 million Ray Romano – $200 million Bill Cosby – $400 million David Letterman – $400 million Larry David – $400 million Adam Sandler – $440 million Kevin Hart – $450 million Jay Leno – $450 million Ellen DeGeneres – $500 million Jerry Seinfeld – $950 million

Most stand-up comics are barely getting by. Many are happy if they can make it onto a stage and elated if people laugh at their jokes. Stand-up comedy is a complex art, but some people make it look effortless.

Those who make...

The Simpsons has come under repeated scrutiny for its voice cast, particularly the various races and cultures they are representing. The most damning attacks have been at Hank Azaria, who voiced Kwik-e-Mart owner Apu Nahasapeemapetilon up until 2020. But Harry Shearer had to step away from one of the show’s most beloved supporting characters – Dr. Julius Hibbert – as well once showrunners decided that no white people would be voicing people of color. And he doesn’t seem too happy with how that has turned out.

Speaking with The Times, Harry Shearer said that people are adamant that The Simpsons is too PC anymore considering all of the casting changes. “Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected. I voiced the black physician, Dr Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he was known as the ‘whitest black man on television.

Harry Shearer voices many characters on The Simpsons and was recently replaced as the voice of Dr. Hibbert.

In 2020, producers decided to have no longer white actors voice characters of color, a decision which also made Hank Azaria retire from voicing Apu Nahasapeemapetilon.

Shearer recently reflected on the change and who inspired Dr. Hibbert’s voice.

“Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected,” Shearer said on The Times of London. “I voiced the Black physician, Dr. Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he was known as the ‘whitest Black man on television.’ Then, a couple of years ago, I received an email saying they’d employed a Black actor, who then copied my voice. The result is a Black man imitating a white man imitating the whitest Black man on TV.”

Kevin Michael Richardson took over the role of Dr.

Harry Shearer has voiced dozens of characters on Fox’s “The Simpsons,” from Mr. Burns to Ned Flanders and Principal Skinner, but he was replaced as the voice of Springfield physician Dr. Hibbert when producers of the show vowed in 2020 to no longer have white actors voice characters of color. Shearer recently reflected on the change during an interview with The Times of London.

“Folk say the show has become woke in recent years and one of my characters has been affected,” Shearer said. “I voiced the Black physician, Dr. Hibbert, who I based on Bill Cosby. Back then he was known as the ‘whitest Black man on television.’ Then, a couple of years ago, I received an email saying they’d employed a Black actor, who then copied my voice. The result is a Black man imitating a white man imitating the whitest Black man on TV.”

Shearer appeared to question his re-casting,...