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Josh Groban has tested positive for Covid-19, forcing him to sit out his next string of performances in Broadway’s ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ‘  Groban’s understudy, Nicholas Christopher, will go on stage in his place, taking on the title role of Sweeney Todd during his absence.

Josh released the news in a video on Instagram, along with the caption: “Well, after avoiding it for a good long stretch, I’m bummed to say this mystery illness is in fact Covid. Tested positive today and will be resting hard to get well and back on stage ASAP. If you have tickets, I assure you the show is in brilliant hands with @nikriz and I’m grateful to him and the entire cast. I’ll see you again very soon! ”

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street began performances on February 26, and opened on March 26, at Broadway’s Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City. The show features music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Hugh Wheeler, from an adaptation by Christopher Bond,

Joining Groban as Sweeney Todd are Annaleigh Ashford as Mrs. Lovett, Jordan Fisher as Anthony, Gaten Matarazzo (“Stranger Things”) as Tobias, and Ruthie Ann Miles as Beggar Woman.

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Ron Cephas Jones, who won two Emmy Awards for his role on the hit NBC television drama “This Is Us,” has died at age 66. Jones’ manager, Dan Spilo, confirmed the actor’s death in a statement: “Beloved and award-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones has passed away at the age of 66 due to a long-standing pulmonary issue. Throughout the course of his career, his warmth, beauty, generosity, kindness and heart were felt by anyone who had the good fortune of knowing him. Ron’s inner-beauty and soul was evident to the huge audience from his multi-Emmy award winning performance on This is Us. He is survived by his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones.”

Jones was best known for playing William Hill, a recovering drug addict with terminal cancer who reconnects with his biological son, Randall Pearson, played by Sterling K. Brown. Jones was nominated for an Emmy four consecutive times from 2017-2020 for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, winning in 2018 and 2020. That same year, his daughter Jasmine Cephas Jones won an Emmy for her performance in the Quibi series “#FreeRayshawn,” making the pair the first father-daughter pair to win Emmys in the same year. Jones appeared in the shows “Mr. Robot,” “The Get Down,” and “Luke Cage,” as well as in the movies “Half Nelson,” “Across the Universe,” “Dog Days,” and “Dolemite Is My Name.” Jones was also a stage actor on and off Broadway, and he was nominated for a Tony Award in 2022 for his portrayal of Montrellous in the play “Clyde’s.”

Jones revealed to The New York Times in 2021 that he had a double-lung transplant at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in May 2020 after struggling from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, where he was a patient for almost two months. He was on and off a ventilator and had to learn to breathe, eat and walk again.

Sterling K. Brown posted a tribute to the actor, sharing: “Life imitated art today, and one of the most wonderful people the world has ever seen is no longer with us. [Jones] has passed away, and the world is a little less bright. Brother, you are loved. And you will be missed. Keep them laughing in the next phase of existence, and I’ll see you when I get there.”

“This Is Us” co-star Mandy Moore also shared: “Getting to know and work with Ron on the wild ride of ‘This Is Us’ was the greatest gift- he was pure magic as a human and an artist…I will treasure all of the moments forever.”

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AMC released a new trailer for the upcoming spinoff series The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, starring Norman Reedus.

The trailer sees Daryl Dixon (Reedus) is France, and features a new character (played by Clémence Poésy). Poésy’s character asks Daryl what led him to France; who replies, “bad decisions,” while she responds: “Maybe we’re the same that way, broken until the world ended.” Daryl Dixon also stars Adam Nagaitis, Anne Charrier, Eriq Ebouaney, Laika Blanc Francard, Romain Levi and Louis Puech Scigliuzzi.

Daryl Dixon joins two other ‘TWD’ spinoffs:  Dead City, (which had its season finale on July 20), and The Ones Who Live, which reunites Andrew Lincoln and Danai Gurira. Dead City and Daryl Dixon have already been renewed for second seasons.

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon premieres Sept. 10 on at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT on AMC and streaming on AMC+.  Take a look at the trailer – here.

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The trailer for the new film The Kill Room has been released, starring Samuel L. Jackson and Uma Thurman.

In The Kill Room, Thurman plays art dealer Patrice Capullo, while Jackson plays Gordon Davis, a mob boss who needs to launder money from hit jobs. According to a film synopsis, ‘Gordon concocts a scheme where Patrice will sell paintings for millions of dollars to launder his money. Gordon lets his hitman (Joe Manganiello) make the paintings too. However, those paintings become a phenomenon in the art world, bringing unwanted attention to Gordon’s scheme and demand for more product to sell.’

The Kill Room also stars Maya Hawke (Thurman’s daughter), as well as Debi Mazar, Dree Hemingway, Amy Keum, Candy Buckley, Larry Pine, Jennifer Kim, Matthew Maher, Tom Pecinka, and Alexander Sokovikov.

The Kill Room is set for release in theaters on September 29th.  Take a look at the trailer – here.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Britney Spears husband Sam Asghari filed for divorce on Wednesday after 14 months of marriage, citing “irreconcilable differences” in the divorce filing. TMZ was the first to report the news that the couple had split and were currently living separately, with multiple sources noting that the separation stemmed from  “a nuclear argument that involve[d] allegations of cheating.”

Spears, 41, first met the 29-year-old Asghari — a model, actor, and fitness trainer — on the set of her music video for “Slumber Party,” from her album Glory, in 2016. The couple married in June 2022 in a lavish, star-studded wedding held in Los Angeles with approximately 60 guests in attendance, including Drew Barrymore, Madonna, Paris Hilton and Selena Gomez.

Spears and Asghari’s union marked Spears’ third marriage, and Asghari’s first. Spears was previously married to her childhood friend, Jason Allen Alexander, for 55 hours in 2004. Following the annulment, Spears married Kevin Federline that same year. The duo divorced in 2007, and share two children: Sean Preston, 17, and Jayden James, 16

Asghari and Spears were together throughout her efforts to terminate her conservatorship, which came to an end in November 2021, allowing Spears to regain control of her estate and finances. However, rumors began circulating in March that the couple were having marital woes. When addressing photos that showed Asghari and Spears without their wedding bands, Asghari’s rep, Brandon Cohen from BAC Talent, told PEOPLE that Asghari simply took off his ring because he was filming a movie.

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Usher has dropped the video for his new song titled “Boyfriend”, which stars actress and singer Keke Palmer.   The collaboration between Usher and Palmer comes shortly after the viral moment when Usher serenaded Keke at his Las Vegas residency, where she was later criticized by her boyfriend Darius Jackson, who is also the father of her child.

Jackson called out Palmer in numerous tweets after she was seen wearing a black, sheer outfit to Usher’s Vegas concert. Jackson’s initial tweet featured Palmer being serenaded by Usher with the caption. “It’s the outfit tho… you a mom.” After receiving backlash, Jackson didn’t back down, later tweeting: “We live in a generation where a man of the family doesn’t want the wife & mother to his kids to showcase booty cheeks to please others & he gets told how much of a hater he is. This is my family & my representation. I have standards & morals to what I believe. I rest my case.”

In response to the drama, Palmer released a line of T-shirts she promoted on her Instagram, sharing: “One thing is certain and one thing is true, IM A MOTHA, through and through! ‘IM A MOTHA’ and ‘Stevie to the bulls***’ shirts available NOW! To all my mom’s out there, how did your baby change you?? Mine empowered me! On such another level, my perspective changed because when my baby is good I’m GREAT! Look at that face! Gratitude galore.”

When sharing the ‘Boyfriend’ video on Instagram, Usher referenced the incident with the cheeky caption: ‘Nothing that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas…’Boyfriend’ starring the BIG BOSS herself @keke OUT NOW’

Take a look at the video for ‘Boyfriend’ – here.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com