Thursday, December 18, 2025
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ABC: Breaking Up is Hard to Do, So They’re Keeping Shonda Rhimes’s Last Shows, But Also Setting Priyanka Chopra Free to Become a Movie Star

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All the networks are announcing the shows they’ve renewed, cancelled or picked up. And of course, no one is happy, especially the fans of “Brooklyn Nine Nine” on Fox. Fox cancelled this popular, smart show so they could revive Tim Allen’s dull as dishwater “Last Standing Man.” Blech. This is because Allen is a conservative, and his agents picked up on the fake “Roseanne” right wing success to bring Allen back.

Anyway. over at ABC they could have gone two ways on Shonda Rhimes. She’s already cut a new deal with Netflix for new shows, so she’s left the building. And “Scandal” has finished up. But they still have Viola Davis in “How to Get Away with Murder” (a show no one can explain). This is a coup because Viola is an Oscar and Tony winner. She’s ABC’s prestige.

But now ABC is also keeping its last two Rhimes shows — for good reason. “Station 19” and “For the People” will  return next season. Breaking up is hard to do! Are these shows any good? Who knows, really? But maybe they’ll settle in and hit a groove with the audience. “Station 19” is a spin off of “Grey’s Anatomy” which is STILL ON THE AIR (after 15 years, believe it or not) with Ellen Pompeo acting out all the roles (including the orderlies).

ABC has also set Priyanka Chopra free by cancelling “Quantico.” No one knew what this show was either, but in 50 episodes, Chopra became a huge star. She comports herself in person like a movie star, and I think she will be one now. She’s smart and gorgeous, but she also has something ‘extra.’ Good for her!

Johnny Depp, In Debt and Without A Hit Movie In Years, Confesses Why His Films Are So Bad

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Johnny Depp is notably in a lot of trouble. He’s in debt, he’s being sued by lawyers and creditors, he’s a mess.

As well, Depp — other than the “Pirates of the Caribbean” series — hasn’t had a hit in years. His movies are routinely panned, along with his performances.

These include things like “Mortdecai,” “The Lone Ranger,” “Black Mask,” and so on. He was part of the ensemble in “Murder on the Orient Express,” and was terrible.

Now he’s hired by Dior to promote a fragrance called “Sauvage.” Or maybe “Sausage.” I don’t know. Anyway, in what is otherwise a puff piece masquerading as advertorial, Depp reveals what’s gone wrong. He tells glossy throw away Manhattan magazine, maybe by accident: “Years and years ago, I stopped reading screen direction. When you read a script the first time, you read the dialogues and the directions to see what the film is as a whole. After that first time, I never read screen direction again. I don’t want to know what I am supposed to do or where I am supposed to be because it should just happen. It allows more freedom.”

So that’s it. Explains a lot. Depp has a complete disregard for everyone else on the movie, how it was written, why it was written, etc. Filmmakers should remember this in the future.

One Depp movie we won’t see for a while: “London Fields,” based on Martin Amis’s novel, apparently so bad that everyone involved has gone to court over it.

TV: Is “Atlanta” Over? Even with Donald Glover’s Huge Success with “Solo: A Star Wars Story” and Number 1 Video?

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Is it curtains for Donald Glover’s beloved and much awarded FX series, “Atlanta”?

Last night came the season finale of the show’s second season, and there is no renewal in place. Fans started freaking out as cryptic messages on Twitter seemed to indicate we’d watched the end of the whole project.

It wouldn’t be a shock. Glover stars as a young Lando Calrissian in the new “Star Wars” movie. His new single/video, “This is America,” considered a tour de force, is number 1. His recording star alter ego, Childish Gambino, will issue a new album this year.

Indeed, Glover’s stock is rising fast. With “Atlanta,” he made a perfect series. He could always pick it up again, like Larry David with “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Or he could just let it go, as Amy Schumer–whose own star was in ascent with the movie, “Trainwreck.” She just let it go.

FX has not made an official announcement.

“Atlanta,” however, is not a big hit on FX. The fans (I count myself among them) are a discerning lot. According to tvseriesfinale.com, “Atlanta” ranks 7 out of 13 among FX scripted shows.

UPDATE: Last night’s episode scored only 553,000 viewers, down from 694,000 a week ago– more than 20% drop. Ouch!

Annette Bening on Joining the Marvel Universe: “I signed an NDA! I’m just like Stormy Daniels!”

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Annette Bening is already pretty Marvel-ous. The multiple Oscar nominee is now starring in Michael Mayer’s very accessible and commercially tipped film adaptation of “The Seagull” along with an all star cast that includes Saorise Ronan and Elisabeth Moss, as well as Brian Dennehy, Corey Stoll, Mare Winningham and one of my favorite actors from “Billions,” Glenn Fleshler.

At last night’s premiere of “The Seagull,” Annette was happy to see lots of friends and well wishers including the great Patti Smith, John Cameron Mitchell, newly engaged Tony winner Nikki James, and Tony winner Lena Hall, plus famed writer Patricia Bosworth and A.M. Homes. All of them converged on Lincoln restaurant in Lincoln Center.

And while Annette is super (I’m not getting into awards-worthy, because she always is) in “The Seagull,” there was some talk of her next venture– joining the Marvel Universe in the upcoming “Captain Marvel.” Is it true? Can it be?

“It is,” Bening told me. “But I can’t say a word. I signed an NDA. I’m just like Stormy Daniels!”

Does she have any super powers?

“I can’t even tell you that! I can’t say a word. You know how they are!”

Alas, we do.

“The Seagull” opens this weekend. And let we fear about those awards, Oscars, etc, Annette stars this fall in one of the most anticipated movies of the year, Dan Fogelman’s “Life Itself,” from the creator of “This is Us.” So hold on.

“NCIS” Star Mark Harmon’s Sister, Kristin, Ex Wife of Ricky Nelson Died April 26–And it Only Came Out Today

If it weren’t for her daughter, Tracy Nelson, posting on Facebook on May 1st, we’d never have known that Kristin Harmon Nelson died on April 26th.

As it is, no one seemed aware of Tracy’s post until yesterday, when Radar Online posted a story about the death of Mark Harmon’s sister.

Kristin Harmon Nelson Tinker, an artist, painter, and author, was 72. She was the daughter of football great Tom Harmon. As a teenager she married America’s TV heart throb Ricky Nelson and appeared with him on his parents’ TV show “The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.”

Kristin and Ricky Nelson had four children– Tracy, Matthew and Gunnar– who become the rock group Nelson, and Sam. By the mid 80s the marriage was over. Ricky Nelson died in a plane crash in 1985. Kristin turned to booze and drugs and went into rehab.

Mark Harmon, then on “St. Elsewhere,” and his wife Pam Dawber, took custody of Sam, who was a teen. But when Kristin recovered she had to go to court to fight her brother to get her son back. It was a nasty tabloid fight that left the future “NCIS” star estranged from his sister.

Kristin remarried — to “St. Elsewhere” producer Mark Tinker, son of MTM and NBC president Grant Tinker — in 1988. They divorced in 2000 and Mark Tinker married a woman 20 years his junior. This is Hollywood, remember.

Tracy Nelson posted a loving remembrance of her mother to Facebook on May 1st, but somehow it went unseen– until today, after “NCIS,” coincidentally, had its season finale. Remember, this is Hollywood. Last year, Tracy writes, Kris Nelson almost died was put into a coma. Tracy writes: “But I looked at that clenched jaw even in her unconsciousness and told my kids, nope, she’s coming back, you watch. And she did. No one could light up a room like she could, or a conversation, or lead an army of friends into joyful noise like she could. If you knew her you knew this.”

It’s a tragic ending from a family that in 1963, seemed perfect. To this day when we hear of a happy suburban family we call them “an Ozzie and Harriet family.” But it was never like that. They were human, just like the rest of us.

Mamma Mia! Watch Lily James of “Downton Abbey” Fame Sing “When I Kissed the Teacher” from New ABBA Movie

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“Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” is coming soon with new performances of old ABBA songs, some which you’ve never heard of. In this video, Lily James– of “Downton Abbey” fame — sings “When I Kissed the Teacher.”

An all star cast, this time including Cher, premieres in the movie on July 20. I never thought “Waterloo” would turn into this when I first heard it on the radio in the 70s. But you never thought Donald Trump would be president.

“Law & Order: SVU” Renewed for 20th Season, Ties Original Show’s Record as Producer Dick Wolf Brings “FBI” to CBS

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“Law & Order: SVU” has its hard core fans. So they will be thrilled to know that their show, starring Mariska Hargitay, has been renewed for its 20th season.

This means they’ve tied the run of the original “Law & Order,” which ran 20 seasons before getting abruptly cancelled after ratings fell out in the final season.

“SVU” is planning a cliffhanger season finale for May 22nd, by the way, so they’d better be coming back this fall!

What a tribute to Hargitay, who assumed the starring role when Chris Meloni left several years ago. Her mother, the late great star Jayne Mansfield, must be smiling in heaven. Mansfield’s life was cut short in a terrible car accident in 1967. Mariska was just three years old. She’s gone on to be such a success on “SVU,” as well as being a tireless advocate for women as a documentary producer.

NBC also renewed producer Dick Wolf’s three Chicago shows– police, fire and post office. (Just kidding.) It’s actually kind of amazing that Wolf had all those New York shows that were hits, then changed the locale to Chicago and had hits all over again.

Today, Wolf also formally announces his branching out to CBS, as well, where his new “FBI” rolls out in the fall with 13 episodes. Jeremy Sisto, an alum of “Law & Order” and “Six Feet Under,” stars with hot newcomer Zeeko Zaki as the lead FBI agent. Zaki is going to be The New Guy this fall who everyone’s talking about. His six foot five and of Egyptian descent although raised in the US.

UPDATED 8/23: Leonardo DiCaprio BFF Helly Nahmad, Jailed for a Year in Gambling Sting, May Face Twist in Probation Ending Next Week

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UPDATED AUGUST 23RD with corrections:

You may remember the name Helly Nahmad. He’s the son of the Madison Avenue art dealer and BFF to Leonardo DiCaprio. (Correction: Mr. Nahmad’s attorney says his father is not involved in the art gallery. We regret the confusion.)

Back in 2013, Helly received a one year prison sentence and three years’ probation for being part of an international gambling scandal. He was portrayed in Aaron Sorkin’s movie, “Molly’s Game,” based on the book by Molly Bloom’s book, in which Nahmad is mentioned several times concerning Bloom’s high stake poker games.

CORRECTION: Helly was accused (but not convicted) of laundering millions of dollars along with two Russians  and more than two dozen others in a scheme that included seven-figure card games, international sports betting rings and mixed martial arts fighters as debt collectors. He also had to pay a $30,000 fee. He also coughed up over $6.4 million and rights to the 1937 painting “Carnaval à Nice” by Raoul Dufy as part of a plea deal.

Nahmad got out of jail on November December 8, 2014, five months early. From there he went to a halfway house where he remained until May March 2015. But he still had the three years’ probation. It ends on May 14th. But I’m told there may be a last minute twist in the story before Nahmad can put all this behind him. There’s some static about what Nahmad may have been up to during the probation.

Nahmad is the latest DiCaprio pal to serve time or be involved in a financial scandal. The first was his late manager Dana Giacchetto who ran an infamous Ponzi scheme with Hollywood clients and spent 14 months in prison. Giacchetto committed suicide a couple of years ago. DiCaprio is also still caught up in the Malaysian public fund scandal known as 1MBD in which that government’s money was tied up in the financing of “The Wolf of Wall Street.”

Nahmad has long been part of what used to be called DiCaprio’s “Pussy Posse” and more recently goes by the name “The Wolf Pack.” This is a real thing, complete with a club medallion worn around the neck on a chain by members, divided into East Coast and West Coast, according to sources. The medallion has a gold W with a drop of blood, for wolf’s blood. (Yes, this is real.) It can be seen in some photos of members including DiCaprio and friends like actor Lukas Haas.

One member of the Wolf Pack is–and that may now be past tense–magician David Blaine. Blaine was the subject of a 2017 Daily Beast story in which he was accused of rape by model Natasha Prince just two weeks after the Harvey Weinstein story broke in the New York Times and New Yorker.

It’s unclear right now what may impede Nahmad’s exiting his probation, if anything. So we’ll stay tuned…

 

TV: “Roseanne” Episode with Muslim Neighbors Beaten Handily by “NCIS” Season Finale Whopping 14.8 Mil

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Bringing on Muslim neighbors didn’t do much for the “Roseanne” ratings last night. They were pretty much the same as last week, with 10.1 million viewers tuning in. The good news is that there wasn’t a huge drop off. But “Roseanne” did lose 300,000 viewers from last week, and that’s significant.

Still, for the night, “Roseanne” was not the biggest event. That honor went to “NCIS” with nearly 15 million people tuning in for the season finale and exit of two characters. So five million more people went for Pauley Perrette’s goodbye over Roseanne and co.

“Bull” on CBS followed with 11.8 million viewers, pushing “Roseanne” to third place for the night.

Roseanne Barr Maryland Show for This Month Canceled Due to Poor Ticket Sales

How “NCIS” Tricked Fans Over Abby’s Goodbye: Pauley Perrette and Mark Harmon Didn’t Share One Scene or Speak to Each Other

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“NCIS” fans are crying this morning over the exit of actress Pauley Perrette after 15 years. She played forensic scientist Abby Scuito with verve and humor and was the de factor leading lady of the series.

There was no reason Perrette should leave. and she’s never given an adequate explanation. But last night’s episode was meant for reading between the lines. Perrette and the series’ difficult leading man, Mark Harmon, never shared a scene or spoke to each other for the whole hour.

NCIS Scores Huge Numbers for Finale

This was cleverly accomplished. Right until the end, Abby and Harmon’s Gibbs weren’t even in the show together. For the final moments, the producers cut together two close ups as the characters waved goodbye in sign language.

Otherwise, Abby and Gibbs had no contact with each other. She told her pals at NCIS she was leaving and hugged them all– except Gibbs, who wasn’t even in the room. Think about it: Abby was shot and Gibbs didn’t even visit her in the hospital.

Years ago, when Lauren Holly was the female star of the show, sources told me in detail how badly Harmon treated her. She was forced to leave the show. Perrette has been very diplomatic about her exit. She hasn’t said a word about Harmon. But silence speaks volumes. She’s posted a lot of photos and Tweets to other fellow stars of the show, but none about or with Harmon.

In addition to Abby’s exit, another character left “NCIS” last night, the MI6 agent Clayton Reeves. He was played by so well by black British actor Duane Henry. So, “NCIS” managed to shed a woman and a black man. Was this part of CBS’s diversity program? On a network that has one female (Tea Leoni) and one black dramatic lead (Shemar Moore) for its series, this news should be pretty upsetting.