Jay Leno to play Ed Sullivan in Beatles biopic “Midas Man”

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Jay Leno has been cast as the late Ed Sullivan in the forthcoming Beatles biopic Midas Man, marking the Tonight Show host’s first feature film appearance as a character since the ’90s,  The Beatles appeared on Sullivan’s show three times in February 1964, and several more times over the years. Their first appearance was watched by 73 million viewers at the time.

Midas Man recently shut down production after director Jonas Akerlund ‘took a break” from production. A quote from the production read:  “Until some matters become clearer, we are not able to add any further comment to this statement. In the meantime, we can confirm that filming of Midas Man will continue in London in November before breaking for Christmas. Filming will restart in early January in Los Angeles.” It was since confirmed that Vinyl director Sara Sugarman would be taking over from Akerlund.

Midas Man stars ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ actor Jacob Fortune-Lloyd as Epstein, a record shop manager who is credited with signing the biggest band of all time. Epstein also discovered other popular acts including Cilla Black, Billy J Kramer, Gerry And The Pacemakers, and helped promote acts including Jimi Hendrix.

A release date for Midas Man has not been announced as of press time.

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Take a look at the Season 6 Trailer for the final season of ‘This Is Us’

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The final season of ‘This Is Us’ is ahead, and in the first trailer for Season 6, Rebecca (Mandy Moore) looks back at some of her favorite memories. As “Time After Time” (sung by Chrissy Metz aka Kate) plays, Rebecca says: “Sometimes I think about what my very last memory will be before the candle goes out. I don’t know how much longer I have before things get worse. … I’m not worried about forgetting about the big stuff. It’s the little things I’m not ready to let go of.”

As she speaks, we see flashbacks to key moments throughout the series, showing Rebecca when she was younger and dating Jack (Milo Ventimiglia), Kevin (Justin Hartley) and Randall (Sterling K. Brown) comforting each other, and the three Pearson siblings celebrate their birthdays as ‘the Big Three’.  The trailer also teases Kate’s future marriage to Phillip (Chris Geere) as he stares at her longingly. The season five finale showed us their wedding, shocking everyone that it wasn’t Toby.

The sixth and final season of “This Is Us” will premiere on Jan. 4, 2022, and will consist of 18 episodes.  Check out the Season 6 trailer – here.

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Chance the Rapper and Dionne Warwick share their new single “Nothing’s Impossible”

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Chance the Rapper has teamed up with R&B legend Dionne Warwick for the new single, “Nothing’s Impossible.” Chance and Warwick famously made their first interaction on Twitter back in December 2020, when Warwick tweeted: “Hi, @chancetherapper. If you are very obviously a rapper why did you put it in your stage name? I cannot stop thinking about this.”

Shortly after, Warwick teased that the duo would be in the studio together to put out a song benefitting both their charities (Chance’s SocialWorks and Warwick’s Hunger: Not Impossible).  The resulting song, “Nothing’s Impossible,” is an uplifting ballad from the two artists.  Warwick announced the song’s release on Twitter, writing: For those of you asking about the song with @chancetherapper… well, it’s out NOW. I am very excited about this. If you can’t find the link to stream in Chance’s bio, you can find it in mine. Ok… Bye!”

Take a listen to the collaboration from Warwick and Chance – here.

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Ed Sheeran & Elton John announce their new Christmas collaboration

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Ed Sheeran and Elton John announced in a video posted on social media that their highly-anticipated new song, a holiday collaboration, will be released on Friday, December 3.   In the ‘Love Actually’ themed video, Ed knocks on Elton‘s door with some note cards (channeling Andrew Lincoln‘s character confessing his love for Kiera Knightly‘s character in the 2003 holiday film).

Elton wrote on Twitter: “Just under a year ago, I called @edsheeran to see if he wanted to make a Christmas single with me and now it’s nearly here! ‘Merry Christmas’ will be out Fri 3 Dec with all proceeds from this year’s Christmas period going to the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation & [the Elton John Aids Foundation].”

Sheeran also shared on Instagram: ‘Our song “Merry Christmas” is out this Friday. Link in bio to pre-order it or pre-save it. All UK profits from this year’s Christmas period will go to the Ed Sheeran Suffolk Music Foundation (www.essmf.com) and the Elton John AIDS Foundation (@ejaf )’

To pre-order/pre-save “Merry Christmas” head here.

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Louis Vuitton designer Virgil Abloh passes away at 41 after private battle with cancer

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Fashion designer Virgil Abloh died Sunday after a private battle with cancer, according to a post shared on his social media. He was 41 years old. Abloh, the founder and CEO of fashion house Off-White, battled a “rare, aggressive form of cancer” known as cardia angiosarcoma, for two years before his death, according to the post shared to his verified Instagram account.  The post read: “He chose to endure his battle privately since his diagnosis in 2019, undergoing numerous challenging treatments, all while helming several significant institutions that span fashion, art, and culture.” 

Abloh was the American-born son of Ghanaian immigrants who became fashion’s highest profile Black designer and the creative mind behind Louis Vuitton’s menswear collections. He also worked as a DJ and visual artist, had been men’s artistic director for Vuitton, the world’s biggest luxury brand, since March 2018.  CEO Bernard Arnault said in a statement that he was “shocked after this terrible news,” adding, “Virgil was not only a genius designer, a visionary, he was also a man with a beautiful soul and great wisdom. The LVMH family joins me in this moment of great sorrow and we are all thinking of their husband, their father, their brother or their friend.”

Abloh was well-respected in the fashion and music worlds, frequently collaborating with celebrities such as Ye (formerly known as Kanye West). Abloh is survived by his wife, Shannon Abloh, his children Lowe Abloh and Grey Abloh, his sister Edwina Abloh, his parents Nee and Eunice Abloh and “numerous dear friends and colleagues” the post on his Instagram states.

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Peacock drops first teaser for ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ dramatic reboot, ‘Bel-Air’

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The first teaser for Bel-Air, a dramatic reboot of Will Smith’s iconic 90s sitcom Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, was released by NBC. The network’s online streaming service Peacock will air the new one-hour Bel-Air starting next year.

The minute-long teaser features Smith voicing lyrics from the original show’s opening theme as star Jabari Banks — who plays Smith’s character — sits on the titular throne.

Peacock announced earlier this year it had ordered two seasons of the drama, which will be set in a modern-day America and delve deep into social issues. Bel-Air is being produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Universal Television.

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Valerie Bertinelli files for legal separation from husband Tom Vitale after 10 years of marriage

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Actress and Food Network star Valerie Bertinelli has filed for legal separation from her husband Tom Vitale after 10 years of marriage. The 61-year-old Bertinelli filed the documents in Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, according to court records obtained by PEOPLE magazine. In the documents, Bertinelli cites “irreconcilable differences” between the pair as the reason for the separation. At this time, she has not filed for a dissolution of marriage. The court records also incidate that Bertinelli and Vitale have a premarital agreement that they will be adhering to.

Bertinelli wed Vitale in January 2011 after several years of dating. The couple was introduced by Bertinelli’s brother, Patrick. Bertinelli was previously married from 1981 to 2007 to Eddie Van Halen, with whom she shares 30-year-old son Wolfgang. Eddie Van Halen died in October 2020 from lung cancer at age 65; following his death, Bertinelli publicly mourned him, and posted about the effect of his loss on her via social media.

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Jessie J announces pregnancy loss on social media

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Singer-songwriter Jessie J has announced that she recently suffered a pregnancy loss, explaining that she decided to have a baby on her own because it was all she ever wanted and “life is short.”

In a now-deleted post on Instagram, the 33-year-old shared a a photo of herself holding up a positive home pregnancy test, writing:  “Yesterday morning I was laughing with a friend saying ‘seriously though how am I going to get through my gig in LA tomorrow night without telling the whole audience I am pregnant.  By yesterday afternoon I was dreading the thought of getting through the gig without breaking down. … After going for my 3rd scan and being told there was no longer a heartbeat This morning. I feel like I have no control of my emotions. I may regret posting this. I may not. I actually don’t know. What I do know is that I want to sing tonight. Not because I’m avoiding the grief or the process, but because I know singing tonight will help me.”

Her Instagram post also included a screenshot of a quote from Australian poet Seyda Noir, saying: “Sometimes love won’t be enough to make it work, and that’s ok. It doesn’t mean that you failed.” 

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Take a look at The Weeknd’s new video for “Die for You”

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The Weeknd has dropped a new music video for ‘Die For You’, which is off his 2016 album ‘Starboy’.  The video, a homage to the sci-fi film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial and Netflix show Stranger Things, features a young boy resembling The Weeknd – real name Abel Tesfaye – hiding out in a garden shed, only to be found by one of the home’s residents, a young girl.  Afterwards, it’s learned that the boy is a telekinetic being on the run from government officials. They later discover his location, leading to a dramatic face-off.

The music video arrives as part of Tesfaye’s five-year anniversary celebrations of ‘Starboy’ . The artist has also announced a limited-edition collection of streetwear merchandise with Los Angeles-based brand Seventh Heaven.  The five-piece capsule offers fans graphic hoodies, short-sleeve tees, a shoulder bag. It also features premium handmade jackets available in either denim or leather. The collection is available exclusively on The Weeknd’s official store.

Watch the music video for ‘Die For You’, directed by Christian Breslauer, here.

Watch the Weeknd Reference ‘Stranger Things’ in ‘Die for You’ Video

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HBO’s ‘Euphoria’ releases teaser and shares premiere date for Season 2 on January 9th

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HBO released a teaser  for Season 2 of Euphoria is coming to HBO on Jan. 9. Euphoria, from creator Sam Levinson, follows a group of high school students as they deal with drugs, sex and violence. Euphoria Season 1 wrapped up in August 2019l, and HBO also released a pair of special episodes that aired in December 2020 and January.

The teaser trailer for Season 2 features Rue Bennett (played by series star Zendaya) dancing while listening to “Call Me Irresponsible.” Rue says in the clip: “When you’re younger, everything feels so permanent. But as you get older, you begin to realize nothing is.”

Euphoria also stars include Hunter Schafer, Maude Apatow, Angus Cloud, Eric Dane, Alexa Demie, Jacob Elordi, Barbie Ferreira, Nika King, Storm Reid, Algee Smith Sydney Sweeney.

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