Month: September 2022

Buckingham Palace announced on Thursday that Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving monarch in British history, died at her Balmoral estate in Scotland at the age of 96.  “The queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The king and the queen consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow,” a statement from the Palace read.  Queen Elizabeth’s son, Charles, has ascended the throne and will be known as King Charles III. Charles’s eldest son, Prince William, is now heir to the throne.

Elizabeth was born Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary on April 21, 1926, in London, to Prince Albert, duke of York (later to become King George VI), and Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. She wasn’t destined to be queen; her father was the second son of King George V and Queen Mary Elizabeth, and was not expected to become sovereign. That all changed, however, with the abdication crisis of 1936 when her uncle King Edward VIII gave up the throne to spend his life with American divorcée Wallis Simpson.

Princess Elizabeth was married to Philip Mountbatten in 1947, the son of Prince Andrew of Greece.  Within months, they had their first child, Charles, followed by Anne, Andrew and Edward over the next 16 years. Elizabeth’s father, George VI, died on Feb. 6, 1952 at just 56 years old, and Elizabeth took the throne.

The queen’s husband, Prince Philip, died April 9, 2021 at age 99. He was the longest-serving consort of a reigning British monarch.  After his death, the queen’s health slowly deteriorated.  She was hospitalized for one night in late October 2021 for what Buckingham Palace described as “preliminary investigations.” A few weeks later on Nov. 14, the queen missed the annual Remembrance Sunday service after she sprained her back. And in February 2022, the queen tested positive for COVID-19 but had only “mild cold-like symptoms” as a result of the virus.

In April, the queen celebrated her 96th birthday at Sandringham, her country estate in Norfolk. And just this past June, the queen celebrated her Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years on the throne. She attended just three events during the four-day celebration due to what Buckingham Palace described at the time as “some discomfort.”

Queen Elizabeth is survived by her three sons, Princes Charles, Andrew and Edward; one daughter, Princess Anne; eight grandchildren, Princes William and Harry of Wales, Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York, and Peter and Zara Phillips, as well as Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn. She is also survived by 12 great-grandchildren.

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Comedian David A. Arnold, an actor/producer who headlined two Netflix comedy specials, and was a writer/producer on the streamer’s ‘Fuller House’ reboot, died on Sept. 7 at age 54.

At the time of his sudden death, Arnold was three stops into a four-month national comedy tour.  The Arnold family issued a statement confirming the death. “It is with great sadness that we confirm the untimely passing of our husband, father, brother and friend, David A. Arnold. David passed away peacefully today in his home and doctors have ruled the cause of death due to natural causes. Please keep our family in prayer and respect our privacy at this time, as we are all shocked and devastated by this loss.”

Arnold started his career as a stand-up comic; he also wrote for several comedy series, including Meet The Browns, The Rickey Smiley Show, Raising Whitley, and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.  He also created and was executive producer/showrunner on Nickelodeon’s hit series That Girl Lay Lay.  Nickelodeon said in a statement :“We are shocked and incredibly saddened by the sudden passing of our dear friend and creative partner, David A. Arnold. David was an immense talent and a gifted storyteller with a wide range of fans, from adults through his stand-up, to kids and families through the Nickelodeon show he created and executive produced for us, ‘That Girl Lay Lay.’  On behalf of everyone at Nickelodeon, we send our thoughts and condolences to his family, his friends and his fans.”

Arnold’s first stand-up comedy special for Netflix, ‘David A. Arnold: Fat Ballerina,’ debuted in 2019. His recent Netflix comedy special ‘It Ain’t For The Weak’ premiered this past July 19.

Arnold is survived by his wife, Julie L. Harkness, and two children, Anna-Grace and Ashlyn.

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On Thursday, Disney+ announced the celebrity cast for ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Season 31. The streaming service tweeted: “Dancing with the Stars enters a whole new world with this cast! Get ready to see them shine in the season premiere of #DWTS, streaming live September 19 only on #DisneyPlus”

Fitness model (and son of Arnold Schwarzenegger) Joseph Baena, actress Selma Blair, comedian Wayne Brady, Good Morning America contributor Sam Champion, singer Jessie James Decker, actors Trevor Donovan and Daniel Durant will compete on the show. Also among the celebrity cast are ‘Real Housewives of New Jersey’ star Teresa Giudice, ‘Jersey Shore’ star Vinny Guadagnino, actress Cheryl Ladd, actor Jason Lewis, RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Shangela, singer Jordin Sparks and Bachelorette alum Gabby Windey. TikTok star Charli D’Amelio and her mom, Heidi D’Amelio, were previously announced as contestants.

The new season marks DWTS‘ move to Disney+ after 30 seasons on ABC.  Tyra Banks and DWTS Season 19 winner Alfonso Ribeiro will host Season 31, with Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough returning as judges.

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Actors Sean Penn and Ben Stiller have been officially and permanently banned from entering Russia, along with 23 other “members of the US Congress, high-ranking officials, representatives of the business and expert communities, as well as cultural figures.”  

The personal sanctions were announced in a statement by Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to what it calls “the ever-expanding personal sanctions by the G. Biden Administration against Russian citizens.”  The sanctions also target Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Export Thea Kendler, as well as several other officials in the department of trade.

Penn had traveled to Ukraine to make a documentary for Vice as Russia was planning its invasion of the sovereign nation. In February, he issued the following statement: “Already a brutal mistake of lives taken and hearts broken, and if he doesn’t relent, I believe Mr. Putin will have made a most horrible mistake for all of humankind. President Zelensky and the Ukrainian people have risen as historic symbols of courage and principle. Ukraine is the tip of the spear for the democratic embrace of dreams. If we allow it to fight alone, our soul as America is lost.”

Stiller traveled to Ukraine in June as part of the UN Refugee Agency to meet people “who have been impacted by the war” and hear “how it’s changed their lives.”  Stiller said as part of a video message posted by the UN Refugee Agency that “war and violence are devastating people all over the world. Nobody chooses to flee their home. Seeking safety is a right, and it needs to be upheld for every person.”

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Tiffany Haddish posted a message on Instagram addressing the sexual misconduct allegations recently lodged against her and her fellow comedian Aries Spears.  The 42-year-old Haddish wrote: “I know people have a bunch of questions. I get it. I’m right there with you. Unfortunately, because there is an ongoing legal case, there’s very little that I can say right now. But, clearly, while this sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn’t funny at all — and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it. I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can.”

A lawsuit filed last week in Los Angeles accused Haddish and Spears of recruiting underage children for the purpose of filming sexually explicit comedy skits several years ago. The plaintiffs, who are now 14 and 22, said the experiences made them “physically, emotionally, and mentally uncomfortable.” They also said they felt they had been “groomed” when they were young and are now “traumatized for life.”

Haddish and Spears have denied all allegations through their attorneys.

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