Friends say Paul O'Grady 'didn't listen' to concerns about his health

MGM+ has given the green light to Hollywood Black, a documentary series from director Justin Simien that aims to serve as “a definitive chronicle of a century of the Black experience in Hollywood.”

MGM+ has greenlit “Hollywood Black,” a new docuseries directed by Justin Simien (“Dear White People,” “Haunted Mansion”). Based on the book by historian Donald Bogle, this four-part docuseries tells the epic story of the actors, writers, directors and producers who fought for their place on the page, behind the camera, on the screen and in the credits.

TV series adaptation of the Harry Potter books … only 11 years after they completed a massively popular eight-film adaptation of those same novels, which loads of people are still watching. Disney is planning a live-action version of its musical cartoon “Moana,” which hit theaters in 2016 and is best known for its suddenly threatening song title “How Far I’ll Go.” It will star famed Disney princess Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.And — in a galaxy, far, far away that’s become far, far overstretched — Daisy Ridley is returning to play boring Rey in yet another “Star Wars” film, even though we were adamantly told that the Skywalker Saga was over back in 2019. Hollywood is suffering from a far more insidious disease than a simple bout of sequelitis. And its symptoms are much worse than those of the Nostalgiavirus.

Time to unwind! When the biggest names in Hollywood aren’t busy working in their respective fields, they find time to relax with some of the best wellness products.

Ashley Roberts looked stunning as she wore a tiny blue bikini during a sun-soaked holiday with Amanda Holden sharing a sneak peek inside her luxurious hotel in Hollywood.The former Pussycat Doll and Heart Radio presenter took to Instagram on Saturday to share a series of snaps from her holiday with the latest consisting of sun loungers and selfies. In the first photo, she candidly looked away from the camera as she sat casually on a sun lounger under an umbrella with her hair in a grip claw for a casual yet glam look.

Heather Graham is calling it out as she sees it – there is still sexism in Hollywood.

Christopher Biggins has revealed his close friend Paul O’Grady was still smoking the week he died. The national treasure died ‘unexpectedly but peacefully’ on March 28 aged 67, his husband Andrew Portasio confirmed. Biggins, 74, also reiterated that O’Grady died ‘peacefully’ and shared fond memories of their past holidays with the late Cilla Black.

Christopher Biggins has spoken out after Paul O’Grady’s death following the pair’s decades-long friendship. Showbiz veteran Christopher, 74, said Paul, who tragically died aged 67 last week, didn’t appear to take medics’ concerns very seriously despite having heart problems.The Paul O’Grady Show host suffered three heart attacks over the years: one in 2002, another in 2004 and a third in 2014. With this in mind, Paul had been urged to give up smoking and drinking for the sake of his health.

Paul O'Grady reportedly 'didn't listen' to medics' concerns over his health prior to his death, a friend claimed.

Paul O'Grady didn't listen to his friends concerns about his ill health, according to one good pal.

Meghan Markle could land prominent acting roles after hiring a well-known Hollywood dealmaker, a PR expert has said. The Duchess of Sussex, 41, who rose to fame starring as Rachel Zane in US legal drama Suits, is working with respected industry “fixer” Adam Lilling, according to reports. Meghan and Prince Harry are said to have met Adam as Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi renewed their wedding vows in Los Angeles last month.

Sweet baby Jesus! Sheryl Lee Ralph has received critical acclaim for her portrayal of Barbara Howard on ABC’s Abbott Elementary — but that wasn’t always the role she wanted to play.  

its namesake blog, founder Melissa Silverstein announced Monday. The move went into place on April 1, she said, in an effort to evolve the company’s mission and expand to a new podcast initiative, “In Her Voice: A Women and Hollywood Podcast.”“Have no fear: I will be launching the truth bombs and amplifying women’s voices,” Silverstein said in a statement.

Olivia Hawkins has revealed that she’s going to feature in the new Fast & Furious film, Fast X.The Love Island star will star in the film, which is set to hit screens next month, alongside huge Hollywood names like Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jason Momoa. Fast X marks the final instalment of the popular Fast & Furious franchise, bringing it to an end after 22 years of action-packed films. Olivia revealed she was going to feature in the film while chatting to fellow Love Islander Toby Aromolaran on his Fancy A Chat? podcast.The scenes were filmed prior to Olivia’s villa stint.

Quinta Brunson took the Saturday Night Live stage as host to deliver a monologue where she took a swipe at Friends and made a plea in the name of teachers.

Natasha Lyonne if she’s irritable today. She just quit smoking, which is no small feat for someone who’s so synonymous with the habit that there’s an Instagram account dedicated to the coolness of her taking a drag. “I’ve been putting it off for so long,” she tells me, pointing to the small Nicorette pack on the coffee table in her East Village apartment. “I’m naturally wired for self-destructive crutches. I fucking love a vice.” Though she admits there are “immense” consequences of raging nicotine withdrawal, the health benefits far outweigh the discomfort (at least, that’s what she’s telling herself).

John Leguizamo has plans for his future roles in Hollywood. In an appearance on The Daily Show, Leguizamo talked about representation and Latino actors, and how it’s still common for white actors to still take Latino parts.

Kate Hudson defended her mother, Goldie Hawn, as "determined" after saying that some people in the industry have labeled her as "difficult" or "complicated" because of how hard she works to get things right. "She decided to tell people that told her to stay in her lane to go f--- themselves and basically started producing her own movies, which wasn’t happening at the time," the "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" actress, 43, told Kelly Ripa Tuesday on her "Let’s Talk Off Camera" podcast, after Ripa noted that Hawn grew up in Hollywood in a "totally different time" when actresses were just expected to act.

Rosie Perez slides into a booth at an upscale Italian restaurant in Manhattan. She pushes up the sleeves on her wool sweater dress and settles in to talk about the state of Hollywood. And women in Hollywood. And Latinos in Hollywood. Or maybe that lack of cultural specificity in the homogeneous blob of film content that is created to appeal to the widest possible global audience. On this afternoon in early March, the Academy Awards are still dominating the conversation, and Perez, a supporting actress nominee for the 1993 drama “Fearless,” has some thoughts. “I think Brendan deserved the Oscar,” she says. “But I wouldn’t be mad if Colin had got it for ‘Banshees of Inisherin.’ He did something specific to his culture, right? How many other movies has he done that were specific to his culture?”

Diane Garrett With Women’s History Month well underway, Variety asked female leaders in Hollywood a simple question: Are we better off today than we were five years ago? More pointedly, how many gains have there really been in the battle for gender equality since the industry’s great #MeToo reckoning – and what is the outlook for further change? Lately, there have been mixed signals: Time’s Up faded away in January after a series of missteps, and high-profile female Oscar contenders ended up empty handed once again in traditionally male-dominated categories earlier this month. Harvey Weinstein is in jail but new reports of sexual misconduct by other men in positions of authority continue to pop up with unsettling frequency. Recent academic studies have not given those fighting for gender equality much to cheer about either.