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Three Weeks After His Death, Still No One Has Said Why KTLA Anchor Chris Burrous Overdosed at a Suburban Days Inn

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December 28th– it wasn’t that long ago. Three weeks.

Yet in that time no one from Los Angeles or from KTLA has answered this question: Why was anchor Chris Burrous at a suburban Days Inn at one o’clock in the afternoon? Why did he overdose and what from? What caused his death?

The 43 year old anchorman, so popular in Los Angeles, remains a mystery and so does his tragic death. Married, with a young daughter, Burrous was the embodiment of a public celebrity– peppy, avuncular, full of life. One thing we know is that he loved to eat. His “Burrous Bites” segments were a highlight of the station and his career.

But on December 28th a still unknown man– known, actually to the Glendale Police Department– called in Burrous’s overdose.

No police report is available from the incident and won’t be until the autopsy is released. Even then we may not know what happened. And L.A. media quickly covered up whatever they knew about Burrous. Did he have a secret life? Was there another side to Burrous the public was unaware of?

And meantime, Burrous’s family has raised $135,000 in two separate gofundme campaigns. Even that begs questions no one in Los Angeles asked. Didn’t he have savings? A pension? Life insurance? Gofundme is usually used to raise money for people who’ve survived natural disasters, or don’t have insurance, or are destitute. Wasn’t Burrous earning a decent wage at KTLA?

Below, a video from Burrous’s funeral, which was held without much fanfare. Sadly, it was on his 44th birthday.

If anyone can contribute something substantial to this, confidentially, please email me at showbiz411@gmail.com

 

Box Office: “Glass” Cracked Over the Weekend, Coming in Low, But “Bohemian Rhapsody” Crossed the $200 Mil Mark

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M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass” cracked over the weekend. After a $16 million Thurs-Fri opening, the comic book thriller slowed down considerably. The three day take is at $40 million. That strong opening didn’t translate into “legs,” although snow may have slowed the audience down. It remains to be seen how “Glass” will pay out for Universal, since Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson no doubt get dollar one, and James McAvoy is no slouch either.

Good news: “Bohemian Rhapsody” crossed the $200 million mark. “A Star is Born” beat them to it, which means two of the biggest movies of 2018 were musical in nature. That’s good news for the Elton John movie coming called “Rocket Man.” Are more music movies coming? Undoubtedly.

“The Mule” will hit $100 million this week, with a final goal of $120 million. I’ve been hammering away at it not getting an Oscar campaign, but insiders say no one involved was interested. Clint Eastwood has nothing to prove or gain, and apparently Dianne Wiest– who has an Oscar– just wasn’t into it.

PGA Awards: “Green Book” Wins Best Picture, Heads to Oscars As Favorite, Television Winners Include “Mrs. Maisel,” “The Americans”

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GREEN BOOK won Best Picture at the PGA Awards Saturday night, mostly ensuring its Oscar win. There have been notable exceptions though, in the last 3 years the PGA and the Academy did differ.  The PGA’s 2015’s awards show saw “The Big Short” winning although the Oscar went to “Spotlight.”  In 2016, “La La Land” took top PGA honors, with the Oscar going to “Moonlight.”  So in its 29 year history, PGA has picked the winner 20 times, 21 in a way as well as in 2013 “12 Years a Slave,” and “Gravity” tied for PGA honor, with “12 Years” winning the Oscar.  Peter Farrelly’s wonderful story of two unlikely friends deserves all its accolades.

Among the VIP’s were Universal’s Ron Meyer, Warner’s Kevin Tsujihara, Disney’s Alan Horn and brimming with executives, agents, and celebrities.  Bradley Cooper chatting with Michael Bay, the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom was the room to be in.

The “Green’s Book” win did illicit a surprise from the crowd, and none was more thrilled than the film’s director, Farrelly.  He remarked that,  “This is my first PGA awards, really this is the first time I’ve heard of them.  I’m so grateful to be in this business. It’s like Warren Buffett winning the lottery. When you make ‘Dumb and Dumber you don’t think you’re ever going to be here. Peter then looked around the star-studded room, commenting that Norman Lear and Jane Fonda were there.  He explained that, “Cat Ballou” was the inspiration for “There’s Something About Mary.”

“Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” has won Best TV show comedy.  Tony Shalhoub was the only member of the cast to join the producers on stage, as Mrs. Maisel herself, Rachel Brosnahan, was simultaneously hosting “Saturday Night Live” in New York.

“The Americans” won Best Episodic Television.  Octavia Spencer presented the award to the winner for non-fiction TV which was the late Anthony Bourdain’s show.  His producers gave a poignant speech in his honor.  “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” garnered the Best Limited series Television award.

Robert Downey Jr. presented the David O. Selznick award to Marvel head Kevin Feige. Downey said “Kevin 12 years ago met me on high insurance risk mountain and told me I was Tony Stark. ” Then he roasted him a bit. “He’s a nice guy and a handsome one when he’s not dressed like an umpire, which is never.” Kevin then thanked the late Stan Lee “for providing the foundation for everything we do.”

Sterling K Brown then introduced a clip from “Black Panther” followed by John David Washington introducing a clip from “Blackklansman.” “Gilmore Girls” star Lauren Graham presented the Norman Lear award to Amy Sherman Palladino. Amy quipped “A prize and dinner. A favorite Saturday night for a Jewish girl. Norman Lear is a god to me and all comedy writers. He fights for the story and the voice. Norman taught us to spread the wealth that’s the legacy he taught me to take care of my group.”

Norman Lear, age 96, then went on to give the Visionary award to his friend “Blackish” creator Kenya Barris.  Norman, the master of the moment said: “How the fuck can a man prepare for this?” Then he asked, to laughs: “Do you know how many evenings I’ve spent in this room?  Thousands. But is this is the most delicious.” He pointed to Amy Sherman Palladino. “I treasure what you said. Laughter has added years to my life and this evening has added on to that so you’ll see me for many more.”

Barris responded: “Norman is my boy. We talk, we hang. I’m the most surprised in this room that I’m here. Coming where I came from. Norman is the reason I’m here. He made a kid from the hood feel seen.”

Jane Fonda won the Stanley Kramer Lifetime Achievement Award which was presented to her by her good friends Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen.  Jane is an established Producer; she produced a series of hit movies in the 70s and 80s including Best Picture “On Golden Pond.”

Jane was in top spirits, exuberant and clever.  “The food is unusually good; I think it’s because women organized this.” She observed that nearly half of the PGA members are women. “And that’s really important, we don’t have our masculinity to prove.” She also said she liked Ted’s show, “The Good Place.” “It’s a guilty pleasure.”

Bradley Cooper presented the Milestone Achievement Award to one of the Warner Bros. chiefs. Toby Emmerich. Toby’s brother, Noah Emmerich, won Best Supporting Actor in a Drama last week at the Critics Choice for “The Americans.” Cooper thanked Emmerich for letting him change the ending of “A Star is Born” halfway through the shoot.

“Spider Man: Into the Spider Verse” won Best Animated Feature. Amy Pascal was among the Producers.

The Mister Rogers doc “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” won best documentary for theatrical motion pictures. Director Morgan Neville is on track for his second Oscar.

RuPaul’s Drag Race won for Best Game & Competition Television.

Jerry Seinfeld won for short form program for our beloved “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee.”

Ben Stiller had a funny moment when after the “In Memoriam” segment, where Penny Marshall and Craig Zadan got the most applause, he sarcastically thanked for the PGA for putting him after that. “Ah death,” he noted with his signature smirk.

Jane Fonda, of course, had the best line of the night after acknowledging that she knew many of the men the awards were named after. “It is fun to be old, it is so hard to be young.”

Producers Guild Awards Best Picture Announced Tonight: With Very Few Exceptions, A Strong Predictor of the Oscar

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Tonight in Los Angeles, the Producers Guild of America will announce their choice for Best Picture.

ALmost with exception, that movie has gone on to win the Academy Award. Stay here for updates around 10pm Pacific Time.

The only times the PGA and Oscars have gone different ways were in 2017, when they chose “La La Land” and “Moonlight” won; 2016 when “The Big Short” was theirs and “Spotlight” won the Oscar. They were also wrong in 2005, 2006 and 2007 when “The Aviator,” “Brokeback Mountain,” and “Little Miss Sunshine” were their choices, as opposed to “Million Dollar Baby,” “Crash,” and “The Departed.”

A lot of the PGA choice goes into who the actual producers are. This year. Graham King, of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” is very popular. So we’ll see what happens. The winner will be a strong indicator, but nothing is 100%.

Sony Music Drops R. Kelly, Who Hasn’t Had a Hit in Years: It’s His Music Publisher That Makes Millions from Songs Like “I Believe I Can Fly”

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Sony Music has dropped  R. Kelly over his long history of possible sexual misconduct with underage girls.

It’s not a big deal.

R Kelly was a record-selling star in 1998, when “I Believe I Can Fly,” his biggest hit, won 3 Grammy Awards. That was 21 years ago.

Kelly’s last album, “The Buffet,” sold just 140,000 copies after its release in December 2015. Prior to that, “Black Panties,” did a little better– 500,000 copies– in 2013.

But R. Kelly’s days as a chart topper have been over for a while. He hasn’t had a top 10 hit since 2008, with “Number One,” a duet with Keri Hilson. Kelly is a 1990s artist, trapped in a closet of time.

If anything, the organization that should drop him is his publishing company. Universal Music Publishing makes far more money from R. Kelly songs than Sony Music. They administer the profitable publishing rights to “I Believe I Can Fly” and maybe a dozen other Kelly songs that can be covered by other artists, play on radio and Muzak, etc.  Plus BMI, the music agency, collects fees for those broadcasts. If they all drop R. Kelly, then it will make a difference. Right now, the Sony Music drop is just symbolic.

Meantime, R. Kelly hits like “I Believe I Can Fly” are still playing on YouTube. And “I Believe I Can Fly” has sold the equivalent of 9,700 million copies since January 1st based totally on his notoriety.

Box Office: M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass” Doesn’t Shatter Expectations, But Heads to a $45 Mil Three Day Opening

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“Glass” is the kind of movie that invites a dozen different puns for headlines. Shattered, cracked, etc. So let’s just say M. Night Shyamalan’s sequel to “Unbreakable” and “Split” looks like a winner after its opening night.

“Glass” took in $16 million including $3.7 million from Thursday previews. The Universal feature will make $45 million over the three day weekend, and over $50 mil for the MLK holiday. Bad reviews didn’t kill it.

Elsewhere, “The Upside” has turned into a real hit. They’ll hit $40 million this weekend. Somewhere Harvey Weinstein is toasting himself. It was all his idea, he made it, he knew he had the real deal. Again, mixed reviews didn’t cause a downside.

And “Green Book” finally crossed $40 million after 64 tough days. See this movie! It may win the Oscar. I’ll bet no one who made “Green Book” could have imagined the crazy resistance and criticism. Neither could I!

 

Donald Trump Posts Video (Made Tonight? Outside WH?) About Wall: “If we don’t do it, we’re a very, very sad and foolish lot”

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It seems like Donald Trump has made and posted a video tonight, right now, from outside the White House. He says of his wall: “If we don’t do it, we’re a very, very sad and foolish lot.”

This comes right after Trump announced a 3pm speech addressing the Wall and the government shutdown. It doesn’t sound like he’s going to end the shutdown.

PS It literally looks like they went out in the backyard and shot this, and just put it up.

Stay tuned…

Nail Biter: Oscar Show Insiders Are Counting on Black Panther for a Best Pic Nomination to Boost TV Ratings, Worried it Won’t Happen

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The countdown to Oscar nominations on Tuesday morning is more of a nail-biter than ever.

There are many dramas-within-dramas, including which actors and actresses will be cut off from the top 5 in every category. The Oscar-nosticators are busy all weekend trying to divine who will be in and who will be out.

But the biggest drama is about “Black Panther.” The Academy and ABC TV are counting on Ryan Coogler’s $700 million epic making the finals for Best Picture. If it doesn’t, there will be huge headaches.

“Black Panther” is the one movie everyone who loves movies saw last year. It’s also considered a watershed moment for comic book movies, and for films featuring African Americans. If it’s in the running, fans may very well tune in to see its cast featured and maybe some below-the-line wins.

But if “Black Panther” somehow doesn’t make the cut, there will be terror in all conference calls and group emails about the February 24th show. Right now, “Black Panther” is the key to survival in the ratings. The word is that the show’s producers are trying to round up a huge group of Marvel universe actors including the ones from “BP.” That would be a ratings draw.

So far the good money on Best Picture includes “Roma,” “Green Book,” “A Star is Born,” “The Favourite,” and “Vice.” But then what? “Blackkklansman” is definite. “If Beale Street Could Talk” looks good. That’s seven. Only two more than statistically fit. “Black Panther” would have to be 8, with “Bohemian Rhapsody” or “Mary Poppins Returns” as 9th. “Can You Ever Forgive Me?” lingers at 10.

Let’s say some prayers then for “Black Panther” and hope when Kumail Nanjiani and Tracee Ellis Ross read the list next Tuesday morning, it’s in alphabetical order. Otherwise, we’ll be hearing from the folks in Wakanda.

More Trouble at Annapurna Pictures as Cate Blanchett “Bernadette” Moved for a Third Time

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Where’d you go this time. Bernadette?

Richard Linklater’s comedy starring Cate Blanchett was supposed to be released last May, 2018. Then it was moved to March 22nd, next month.

Now Annapurna Pictures has moved “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” to August 9th. If I were Cate Blanchett I’d be asking questions now.

Here are some of them:

What is going on with Annapurna Pictures? They aren’t having an easy time right now. “Vice” is their only real hit, with $35 million in the bank. But “Vice” is coming to an end soon, it might hit $40 million if it gets some Oscar nods.

“If Beale Street Could Talk” has made just $8 million. It won’t go much beyond $10 mil even with Regina King sure to win Best Supporting Actress. The company has spent a lot already on both movies’ Oscar and other awards campaigns. Probably more than the movies have made.

And there’s Nicole Kidman in “Destroyer.” Here Annapurna just surrendered. In 23 days “Destroyer” has made less than half a million dollars. Kidman gives an incredible performance, and will probably get an Oscar nomination. But the movie’s had no support.

Now Annapurna has to deal with releasing “Bernadette.” It’s led by a two time Oscar winner, Blanchett, and features Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer, and Billy Crudup. Linklater has an army of his own fans. But Annapurna can’t keep all these balls in the air. Moving “Bernadette” gives them some time to regroup. But if “Bernadette” is marketed like “Destroyer,” there will be blood indeed. These actresses don’t need this tsuris, frankly, especially when they’re doing such good work.

Let Them Eat Cake: Melania Trump Flies to Palm Beach On Government Plane Despite Shutdown

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Today, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s work trip to Europe and to visit our troops in Afghanistan was cancelled by Donald Trump, who cited the government shutdown.

“Due to the Shutdown, I am sorry to inform you that your trip to Brussels, Egypt, and Afghanistan has been postponed,” Trump wrote to Pelosi in a letter tweeted by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders Thursday afternoon. “In light of the 800,000 great American workers not receiving pay, I am sure you would agree that postponing this public relations event is totally appropriate.”

He added, thinking he was a smart-ass: “Obviously, if you would like to make your journey by flying commercial, that would certainly be your prerogative.”

That didn’t stop the First Lady from availing herself of a free ride from Washington to Palm Beach. Melania Trump flew down to her private country club, Mar-a-Lago, on what’s known as EXEC1F aka MelaniaForceOne.

Her arrival was noted by the pool reporters down in Florida.

There are 800,000 government workers not getting paid. Food banks are being set up for them, including at places like the FBI. No one is exempt from the shutdown– except Melania Trump.