Steve Pond's Blog, page 2015
January 11, 2020
Hollywood Superman Christopher Dennis’ Cause of Death Even Grimmer Than You Imagined
Street performer Christopher Dennis, best known as the Hollywood Boulevard Superman for the past 25 years, died from suffocation after crawling into a clothing donation bin while high on methamphetamine, according to the L.A. County Coroner.
The street performer was discovered dead, lying headfirst in a clothing donation bin in November. The coroner’s office told TMZ Sunday that Dennis “suffocated to death as a result of blunt force trauma to his head and neck … after being partially entrapped within a metal box used for donating clothes.” The coroner’s report also cites “methamphetamine toxicity as a significant factor in his death” and ruled Dennis’ death accidental, TMZ reports.
Investigators believe Dennis, who was homeless at the time, was trying to gather clothes for himself.
Dennis first began portraying Superman and became a fixture on Hollywood Boulevard in June 1991 after constantly being told how much he resembled former Superman actor Christopher Reeve. He went on to star in the 2007 documentary, “Confessions of a Superhero,” and made numerous appearances on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
Dennis was 52.
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‘Resident Alien’ Showrunner Chris Sheridan Says He Boarded Syfy Comedy After Honeymoon UFO Experience
“Resident Alien” showrunner Chris Sheridan is no stranger to alien encounters. Literally.
“The real genesis of the show is, actually, about 20 years ago I saw a UFO on my honeymoon,” Sheridan told a crowd of reporters at the Television Critics Association press tour alongside the cast of the Syfy comedy on Saturday.
“I don’t tell this story a lot because people will think I’m insane,” he said. “But now working on this show for the last few years, I could care less.”
An adaptation of the Dark Horse comic of the same name, “Resident Alien” stars Alan Tudyk as an alien who crash lands on Earth and takes on the identity of a small-town Colorado doctor. During his stay in Colorado, he slowly adapts to human life and begins to question his mission of destroying the entire species.
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Of his real-life UFO sighting, Sheridan said, “I was in the Bahamas with my wife. We were walking on the beach and we both saw this dot on the horizon rising up — you can see every star in the sky because it’s the Bahamas — and we both noticed this one star moving up and we stopped and looked at it.”
He and his wife quickly realized, however, that the star wasn’t actually a star at all, but some kind of aircraft. “I swear this is true,” he said.
“In two seconds the thing was over us. It was triangular and it had, like, six circular lights on the bottom of it. It slowly went over us and it had this light sweeping the beach,” he said. “She tried to run and I grabbed her. You know, a ‘take her first’ kind of thing.”
“Resident Alien” also stars Sara Tomko, Corey Reynolds, Alice Wetterlund and Levi Fiehler in the upcoming project from Universal Content Productions in association with Amblin Television and Dark Horse Entertainment.
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‘The Biggest Loser’ Host Bob Harper Weighs in on Jillian Michaels’ Comments About Lizzo
“The Biggest Loser” host Bob Harper has weighed in on his former colleague Jillian Michaels’ recent comments about musician Lizzo’s body.
“The bottomline is this: It’s none of my business to make an observation of her or anyone unless [they’re] asking for my advice or opinion,” Harper told TheWrap on Saturday at the Television Critics Association press tour. “All I know about Lizzo is I never met the woman, I love her music, and I know she can play a mean flute.”
“If you come up to me at the airport or the grocery store, which people do all the time, and go like this, ‘Bob, what do I need to eat today?’ — I’m gonna tell you all day long,” he added. “But if you’re, like, minding your own business at the grocery store with your little buggy and you’ve got, I dunno, frozen pizzas — it is none of my business what you’re doing.”
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Michaels came under fire Wednesday on social media after appearing on Buzzfeed’s “AM to DM” show, where she suggested that Lizzo’s body positivity wasn’t a thing to be celebrated.
“Why are we celebrating her body? Why does it matter? Why aren’t we celebrating her music? ‘Cause it isn’t going to be awesome if she gets diabetes,” Michaels said at the time. “I’m just being honest. I love her music, my kid loves her music, but there’s never a moment when I’m like, ‘I’m so glad she’s overweight.’ Why do I even care? Why is it my job to care about her weight?”
Michaels’ critics accused her of body-shaming the pop star and weighing in on her health without facts to back up the assertion that Lizzo could be at risk for diabetes.
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“As I’ve stated repeatedly, we are all beautiful, worthy, and equally deserving,” Michaels tweeted out later the same day. “I also feels strongly that we love ourselves enough to acknowledge there are serious health consequences that come with obesity – heart disease, diabetes, cancer to name only a few. I would never wish these for ANYONE and I would hope we prioritize our health because we LOVE ourselves and our bodes.”
In addition to her work on the original “Biggest Loser,” Michaels hosted a short-lived spinoff series “Losing It With Jillian” in 2010.
Harper graduated from being a coach on NBC’s old version of “The Biggest Loser” to hosting USA’s reboot, which premieres later this year. The trainers are newcomers Erica Lugo and Steve Cook.
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Former NBC Hockey Analyst Jeremy Roenick Belatedly Apologizes for Kathryn Tappen Threesome Remark
Former NBC hockey analyst and former Chicago Blackhawks forward Jeremy Roenick has belatedly apologized for a remark he made about a threesome with co-worker Kathryn Tappen on a podcast back in December.
“I want to take this opportunity to apologize to NBC Sports, Kathryn Tappen, Patrick Sharp, Anson Carter for some insensitive comments that I made on a recent podcast,” Roenick said on Saturday in a video posted on his Twitter account. “I never meant to offend anyone and I definitely want too far and for that I deeply regret it.”
— Jeremy Roenick (@Jeremy_Roenick) January 11, 2020
NBC Sports suspended Roenick on Monday for “making inappropriate comments about his co-workers,” an NBC Sports spokesperson told The Wrap. The suspension is indefinite and without pay.
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Roenick was a guest on a Dec. 19 episode of Barstool Sports’ Spittin’ Chiclets podcast and joked about wanting to have a threesome with his wife and Kathryn Tappen, another NBC Sports host.
During the appearance, Roenick talked about a vacation to Portugal with his wife and Tappen, who he said are good friends. He said on the podcast that when another guest at the resort asked about the situation, he replied, “I play it off like we’re going to bed together every night, the three of us.”
Roenick subsequently added, “If it really came to fruition, that would really be good, but it’s never going to happen.”
Roenick’s decades-long career in the NHL included stints with the Chicago Blackhawks, Arizona Coyotes, Philadelphia Flyers, San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings. He is a nine-time NHL All-Star. In 2010, Roenick began his TV career with NBC Sports as an analyst.
The retired NHL player has also made cameos and guest appearances in shows like “Bones” and “Ghost Whisperer.”
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Why ‘Council of Dads’ Star Sarah Wayne Callies Wanted to Be on a Nice Show for Once
Sarah Wayne Callies has done enough fighting for a lifetime — or at least, for a television-acting career. The star of NBC’s upcoming tearjerker “Council of Dads” told reporters on Saturday why she was so dead-set on finding the opposite of another “Walking Dead.”
“I hit a little bit of an ‘I will fight no more, forever” moment,” Callies said of her recent gigs, which also include “Prison Break” and “Colony,” while sitting on a panel to promote “Council of Dads” at the Television Critics Association press tour. “I felt like I had put a lot of violence into the world.”
Of course, she’s not the only one. By this point, we have no shortage of violence on TV — a fact reflected by Callies’ own viewing habits, as well as her auditioning choices.
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There was a moment where Callies — who played Lori Grimes, Rick Grimes’ (Andrew Lincoln) wife, on “The Walking Dead,” until the character was killed off the AMC series during its third season in 2012 — “couldn’t consume any television that wasn’t stand-up comedy,” she said.
“I wanted something that made me feel like this. That made me feel like we’re going to be OK,” Callies said. “We can do this with each other. We’re going to get through it. We might cry a little, but we got this.”
Here’s the description for that series, “Council of Dads”:
Family takes on a different meaning in this transformative and inspirational new drama when Scott Perry, a loving father of five, has his entire life’s plan thrown into upheaval by an unexpected health scare. He calls on a few of his most trusted friends to step in as back-up dads to help guide and support his growing family – just in case he ever can’t be there to do it himself. There’s Anthony, Scott’s oldest and most loyal friend; Larry, his tough-love AA sponsee; and Oliver, his dedicated doctor and wife’s dearest friend. Together, they discover that there’s more to being a father than anyone could do alone – and more to being a family than they ever thought possible.
“Council of Dads” debuts Tuesday, March 10 at 10/9c on NBC, immediately following “This Is Us.” We recommend stopping by your local warehouse store for a giant box of tissues for those shared nights.
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‘Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector’ Producers on Hunt That Resulted in a Really Long Title
“Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector” is a very long title for NBC’s new crime series, but there’s a reason the show’s producers made that choice, which they explained Saturday at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour in Pasadena.
Based on the 1997 novel “The Bone Collector” by Jeffery Deaver, the series follows quadriplegic forensic criminalist Lincoln Rhyme (Russell Hornsby) as he hunts down a gruesome serial killer. The book series has 13 sequels that follow the first novel.
“‘The Bone Collector’ is the title of only the first book, and we wanted to open it up to the option to potentially use other killers or references to subsequent episodes,” executive producer Rachel Kaplan said.
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“I think we took longer with the title, and everybody wanted to open it up and expand across all platforms that exist from the books — 14 best sellers, readership internationally, the legacy that we carry from the movie — and we just found this more sort of dynamic, fuller title really brought all viewers into the story,” executive producer Barry O’Brien added. “This title does it.”
Executive producer Peter Traugott said more villains may appear in future seasons of the show.
“Eventually we hope to do something with the characters from the other books,” he said.
The show was originally titled simply “Lincoln,” but the producers conceded that there are some other household names the show might be confused with.
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“Personally we all encountered a little confusion about the single name title,” said Traugott.
“People went first to the president, then they went to the car — we wanted to refocus them,” Kaplan added.
“Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector” airs Fridays at 8/7c on NBC.
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‘Peter Pan’ Limited Series ‘The League of Pan’ in the Works at Syfy
Syfy has put into development “The League of Pan,” a limited series extension of the classic “Peter Pan” fairy tale.
Described as “a thrilling and mysterious continuation of the beloved story of Peter Pan,” “The League of Pan” picks up with Wendy Darling and The Lost Boys after 10 years on the mainland. Now grown up and estranged, they must return to Neverland “to face a new evil that threatens the very existence of the magical place they once called home, reigniting bitter rivalries and unearthing twisted secrets from their past.”
Brian McCauley Johnson will serve as writer and producer on the project.
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“The stories of Peter Pan, The Lost Boys and the Darlings have provided us with epic tales of gallantries and escapism for generations,” said Bill McGoldrick, President, Original Content, NBCUniversal Entertainment Networks and Direct-to-Consumer. “Now, SYFY is developing an original take on the classic, setting the limited series in uncharted lands, making for new adventures and showcasing these characters like you’ve never see them before.”
On Saturday, at the network’s Television Critics Association press tour on Saturday, the network also announced a straight-to-series order to a “Chucky” series from Don Mancini, the writer and director from the original “Child’s Play” franchise.
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January 10, 2020
Trump Allies Seek Buyout of One America News Network (Report)
Allies of President Trump are seeking a buyout of One America News Network, a conservative cable news channel, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The Journal reported on Friday that Hicks Equity Partners, an investment firm owned by the family of Republican National Committee chairman Thomas Hicks Jr., is courting other GOP donors to buy out OANN’s parent company, Herring Networks Inc. The Journal said the deal is valued at $250 million.
According to OAN’s website, the for-profit company was established in 2004 with primary production operations in California and Washington, D.C.
While it professes to be “a family owned and operated, independent media company,” OANN’s stories often align with White House talking points; on Friday the network posted a story about how Iranian military leader Qasem Soleimani had been planning “imminent” attacks on four U.S. embassies — information that was not shared with Congress before the Trump-ordered strike that killed the general.
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The site also posted other stories about a petition to recall California Democratic governor Gavin Newsom and Texas Republican governor Greg Abbott, rejecting new refugees into the state. Stories that don’t necessarily fit a conservative agenda — including a sex toy review from CES and praise of an Alibaba ad featuring a gay Chinese couple — also appeared on OANN, but were aggregated from Reuters.
The buyout report comes at a time when President Trump has been increasingly critical of Fox News and its coverage, despite the network being the home of some of his staunchest supporters.
In July, Trump chastised the cable news network after polls showed Democratic candidate Joe Biden beating Trump in his re-election bid. “So different from what they used to be during the 2016 Primaries, & before – Proud Warriors!,” Trump tweeted. “Now new Fox Polls, which have always been terrible to me (they had me losing BIG to Crooked Hillary), have me down to Sleepy Joe.”
In December, he blasted the network for interviewing former FBI director James Comey and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff during the height of the impeachment hearings. “Fox is trying sooo hard to be politically correct, and yet they were totally shut out from the failed Dem debates!” the tweet read.
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Trump still posts favorable stories and soundbites from Fox News personalities and often calls into “Fox & Friends,” “Hannity,” and other shows. On Friday, Trump appeared on Laura Ingraham’s show to discuss Iran.
A spokesperson for Hicks Equity partners told the Journal that any interest in OANN is “purely business” and not political.
“Over the last 25 years, we have been active media investors. Any interest in OANN is from a purely business standpoint,” said Rick Newman, a partner at the investment firm.
In an email, OANN president Charles Herring said the company has seen an increase in suitors ahead of the upcoming election. “With the 2020 political season in full swing, expressed interest is on the rise,” he wrote. “Yet our family didn’t build our operations to sell it.”
OANN has only a fraction of Fox News’ audience and partially relies upon monthly subscriptions to their Facebook feed.
OANN did not return TheWrap’s request for comment.
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John Boyega Rips (and Kicks and Punches) Toxic ‘Star Wars’ Fandom
After three films and five years, “Star Wars” actor John Boyega is kicking the toxic fandom surrounding the sci-fi film franchise… literally.
The actor, who played Finn in 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” 2017’s “The Last Jedi” and 2019’s “Rise of Skywalker,” posted a video on his Instagram account Friday of the many critical social media posts he’s received, some of which are downright offensive. Many of the posts were in reference to “Reylo” — the relationship between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo (Adam Driver) — which Boyega playfully mocked via Twitter on New Year’s Eve.
The offensive posts were edited into various interviews that he’s done showing off his dance moves and stunt training. Boyega literally slaps, kicks and even pelvic thrusts the haters’ words away.
Later, he’s seen slicing a tweet with a lightsaber, running over another with an e-scooter and even delivering a flying punch to a third.
“I got that out of my system,” Boyega says at the end of the montage. That sentiment is also echoed in his Instagram caption with a laughing emoji.
In a December interview with Variety, Boyega was asked about his perspective on navigating social media reaction with regard to the “Star Wars” films, to which he replied, “you are weak to believe in every single thing that you read.”
Some people took his comments to be a veiled criticism of costar Kelly Marie Tran, who was driven off Instagram due to the intense amount of harassment she received for being the first non-white woman to hold a major role in a “Star Wars” film. Boyega later apologized for his interview comments, saying they were “badly worded.”
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Boyega has himself been critical of the franchise, describing Finn’s arc in “The Last Jedi” — where he is separated from the rest of the cast — as “a bit iffy.”
With the conclusion of the “Skywalker Saga,” Boyega does not plan to reprise his character, telling MTV News, “Honestly, the bottom of my heart, I don’t think I am [coming back]. I don’t think I am. I really do feel that way. This really is that movie, I think everyone doesn’t believe it, but this is that war that just ends everything.”
Watch his Instagram video below:
View this post on Instagram
Glad I got that out of my system ????
A post shared by John Boyega (@johnboyega) on Jan 10, 2020 at 4:03pm PST
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