Month: January 2022

‘WKRP in Cincinnati’ and ‘Head of the Class’ actor Howard Hesseman has died at the age of 81. Hesseman’s wife Caroline Ducrocq and manager Robbie Kass confirmed the news on Sunday, stating that the actor died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles due to complications from colon surgery he underwent last summer.

The two-time Emmy nominee played radio disc jockey Dr. Johnny Fever on WKRP in Cincinnati from 1978-1982, and portrayed teacher Charlie Moore on Head of the Class from 1986-1990.  He also hosted NBC’s Saturday Night Live three times.

Some of Hesseman’s other credits include One Day at a Time, Petulia, Dragnet, The Bob Newhart Show, Doctor Detroit, Soap, The Sunshine Boys, Shampoo, Silent Movie, This Is Spinal Tap, Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, Heat, About Schmidt, Boston Legal and Fresh Off the Boat.

Hesseman is survived by his wife Caroline Ducrocq, and their godchildren Grace, Hamish and Chet.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Former Miss USA winner and “Extra” correspondent Cheslie Kryst has died after falling from her high-rise apartment building in Manhattan. She was 30 years old.  NYPD sources are calling the case a suspected suicide, saying that early Sunday morning Kryst jumped from the 60-story building, where she resided on the ninth floor. She was last seen on a terrace on the building’s 29th floor.

Kryst’s death was confirmed in a statement from her family: “In devastation and great sorrow, we share the passing of our beloved Cheslie. Her great light was one that inspired others around the world with her beauty and strength. She cared, she loved, she laughed and she shined. Cheslie embodied love and served others, whether through her work as an attorney fighting for social justice, as Miss USA and as a host on ‘Extra.’ But most importantly, as a daughter, sister, friend, mentor and colleague – we know her impact will live on. As we reflect on our loss, the family asks for privacy at this time.”

Kryst graduated from the University of South Carolina with a degree in marketing and human resource management. She subsequently enrolled at Wake Forest University School of Law, where she graduated with an MBA and Juris Doctor in 2017.  Kryst competed in pageants throughout her education, and represented North Carolina at the Miss USA competition, where she won the national title. She also represented the USA at that year’s Miss Universe competition, where she finished in the top 10.

Kryst began working as a N.Y. correspondent for “Extra” in Oct. 2019, receiving two Daytime Emmy Award nominations for outstanding entertainment news program for her work on the show.  A statement from “Extra” read: “Our hearts are broken. Cheslie was not just a vital part of our show, she was a beloved part of our ‘Extra’ family and touched the entire staff. Our deepest condolences to all her family and friends.”

Editorial credit: Eugene Powers / Shutterstock.com

CBS has announced the new cast for season 3 of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition.

The cast includes: Former NBA star Lamar Odom, TV personality Teddi Mellencamp, former Miss USA Shanna Moakler, style guru Carson Kressley, Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey, Olympian ice-skater Mirai Nagasu, singer/influencer Todrick Hall, *NSYNC’s Chris Kirkpatrick, Diff’rent Strokes actor Todd Bridges, Saturday Night Live alumnus Chris Kattan and UFC fighter Miesha “Cupcake” Tate.

Host Julie Chen Moonves teased the cast reveal in a video posted to CBS’ Twitter account: “@CBSBigBrother fans you’ve been patient. We hear you, we see you and we want to reward you with some clues on who the #BBCeleb Houseguests will be,” the tweet read. “Listen along and make your guesses. The reveal will be here sooner than you think.”

Season 3 of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition comes after the show’s nearly three-year hiatus. having previously aired in 2018 and 2019. Tony-winning actress Marissa Jaret Winokur won season 1 and four-time Grammy nominee Tamar Braxton won season 2.

Season 3 of Big Brother: Celebrity Edition premieres on Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. ET/9 p.m. PST on CBS.  According to CBS, the winter edition will air “multiple nights each week throughout February,” following the typical Big Brother format, but will only last just one month, with the finale date set for Feb. 23.  Viewers will be able to watch the 24/7 live feeds of the celebrity cast on Paramount+, where the upcoming winter edition will also be available to stream live and on-demand.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

Bravo fired cast member Jennie Nguyen from The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City on Tuesday, after a series of racially insensitive posts from her deactivated Facebook page resurfaced. In an Instagram post, the channel announced that it would stop filming with Nguyen, 44, and apologized to fans for not taking action sooner.

Now Nguyen is commenting on the matter, speaking at length on Instagram Live and admitting that the controversial posts—many of which were critical of the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd —were “very insensitive”. However she backed her decision to “support my political stance.”  Said Nguyen: “I take full responsibility and accountability for what was posted. I know my viewpoint during that time in 2020 was emotional, and it brings back a lot of memories during that time when we went through such a tragic, terrible year.”  Jennie said she’s very proud to be a Republican:  “I am proud to be able to say I have the freedom of speech to choose and to have an opinion. I respect your opinion. I respect your political stance. We are different, but we need to respect each other and we need to understand that we live in this country where we have the freedom to speak online.”

Jennie’s RHOSLC co-stars have yet to publicly react to her firing, but most of the cast members issued previous statements condemning Jennie’s posts when they first resurfaced.  Co-star Jen Shah wrote on social media: “Since my RHOSLC cast member has admitted that she made those horrible comments and posts, I must now stand up, on behalf of my husband and sons who are African American, to say that I am deeply offended by the racially insensitive posts and comments.”

Season 2 of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City is currently airing on Sundays.

Editorial credit: monticello / Shutterstock.com

Chris Evans will star opposite Dwayne Johnson in the holiday film Red One for Amazon Studios. Jake Kasdan will direct the film, which will reunite him with Dwayne Johnson and Seven Bucks Productions after their collaboration on Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Jumanji: The Next Level.   Plot details on Red One are vague; but the movie, with a script penned by Chris Morgan, will be based on an original story from Hiram Garcia, president of production at Seven Bucks Productions.  The film is being touted as ‘an action-adventure comedy that imagines a new universe for the holiday genre.‘

Evans will next be seen in the The Gray Man for Netflix, and is voicing the role of Buzz Lightyear in Lightyear for Pixar.

Editorial credit: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com

CBS legal drama ‘Bull’ will end with its sixth season.  Bull is loosely based on the work of Dr. Phil McGraw as a jury consultant; McGraw is also an executive producer of the show.  Series star Michael Weatherly tweeted the news, saying: “It’s been my privilege to play Dr. Jason Bull but after 6 seasons of incredible storylines, it’s time to pursue new creative challenges and bring his story to a close.”  Sources confirm that Weatherly’s decision to move on led to the decision to bring the series to an end.

The series has dealt with a good amount of controversy.  In 2018, CBS paid actress Eliza Dushku $9.5 million to settle a sexual harassment claim against Weatherly. Dushku alleged he made a series of inappropriate comments to her while she recurred on the show’s first season.  The actress had originally signed on to the show with the possibility of becoming a regular in season two, but her character was written out following her complaint and the settlement.  In addition, showrunner Glenn Gordon Caron was let go from the show and dropped from an overall deal at CBS Studios following an internal investigation into allegations that Caron fostered an unhealthy work environment on Bull. Actor Freddy Rodriguez also departed after an investigation.

CBS said in a statement:  “For six seasons, Bull has established itself as a ratings winner with its fresh take on the judicial process never before seen on television. We extend our thanks to the talented cast, Michael Weatherly, Geneva Carr, Yara Martinez, Jaime Lee Kirchner, Christopher Jackson, MacKenzie Meehan, the incredible creative team led by Kathryn Price and Nichole Millard, and our hard-working crew, for bringing to life these innovative stories. We also thank our loyal viewers and look forward to providing them with a final run of compelling episodes filled with the humor, intelligence and twists that have made the drama a fan favorite.”

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com