Magic Johnson Reflects on the Impact of Announcing His HIV Diagnosis (Exclusive)

Tonight’s tenth and final episode of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty begins with the kind of adversity the team and owner Jerry Buss have overcome all through this charmed ’79-’80 NBA season. In the final moments of Game 5 of the finals, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar launches his patented sky hook, only to land wrong and severely sprain his ankle. The HOF center, dominant to this point, shrugs off the pain and wills the Lakers to being a win away from the NBA title. Magic Johnson, meanwhile, learns he has lost Rookie of the Year to his rival Larry Bird, who materializes in Magic’s apartment in a vision, meant to tear away at the Laker star’s confidence.

Flying Lotus has released the song he made for Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson's new documentary series They Call Me Magic. "They Call Me Magic (Main Title Theme)" is out now, and you can listen to it below.

Meek Mill has asked “big homie” Elon Musk to let him get in on his recent Twitter investment.The Tesla founder and entrepreneur successfully acquired the social media platform last month (April 25) for approximately $44billion (£34.5b).His offer was initially turned down by Twitter, which put a “poison pill” measure in place to stop a takeover attempt by Musk. However, the two parties later entered talks before the deal entered its final stages of negotiations.Mill has now publicly tweeted Musk and asked him directly if there’s any room for him to get in on the deal.“Elon musk let us invest in Twitter with you ‘big homie,’” Mill wrote, as you can see below.

William Earl It goes without saying that Variety’s Power of Women New York event is taking place at an exceptionally difficult and divisive time — and while we are gathering to celebrate the formidable achievements of women in entertainment and the charities they generously support, it also goes without saying that there is still a very long way to go, and the importance of having women in power in entertainment is more vital than ever.On the positive side, there are more women in C-suites and positions of power in the music industry than ever before — as Variety noted earlier this year, even the traditional boys’ club of major-label A&R has seen several female executives made heads of those departments. But as the latest USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative report shows, the music industry has a lot of work to do.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA “Harley Quinn” spinoff series titled “Noonan’s” has officially been ordered at HBO Max, Variety has learned exclusively.The series will focus on lovable loser Kite Man and his new squeeze, Golden Glider, as they moonlight as criminals to support their foolish purchase of Noonan’s, Gotham’s seediest dive bar. Matt Oberg will reprise the role of Kite Man, whom he voiced on “Harley Quinn.” HBO Max has given the show a 10 episode order.The show is executive produced by “Harley Quinn” co-creators Justin Halpern, Patrick Schumacker, and Dean Lorey, as well as “Harley Quinn” star Kaley Cuoco via Yes, Norman Productions.

Video: When satire is factchecked without needing to be factchecked (France 24)High stakes rematch: Can Le Pen turn the tide against Macron in TV debate?Fragile coalition under threat in Israel: Arab party suspends government membershipGeothermal power in Kenya: Providing the country with clean energyEU's Borrell says bloc 'will continue' providing military support to UkraineNetflix loses users for first time in a decadeFrench presidential candidates gear up for election debate rematch'There is no independent journalism left in Russia': Exiled journalist Denis KataevUkraine's prosecutor general: 'I expect to find evidence of genocide in Mariupol'France's presidential rivals gird for high-stakes TV debateFake subtitles attributed to Vladimir Putin in parody viral videoThe battle of Donbas: What's Putin's plan for Ukraine now?Made in Hollywood, censored by China: How the film industry is abiding by Beijing's lawsFrance's Macron reveals his war chestFrench presidential candidates spar over wind energy sectorFrench presidential election: Macron 'trying to speak to voters on the centre left'South African military deployed to flood-ravaged provinceJohnson is a calm, pleasant presence throughout, often laughing heartily at the end of the most banal anecdotes, in the manner of someone who has never failed for long enough to sharpen a sense of humour. The way serious issues pose virtually no threat to him does, however, border on comical.

Staying in championship condition isn’t easy for a basketball star in their 30s.

Magic Johnson is leading by example. The basketball legend spoke with ET's Kevin Frazier ahead of the release of his new Apple TV+ docuseries,, about how his support of his son, EJ Johnson -- who came out publicly as gay in 2013 -- inspired Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade, when Wade's daughter, Zaya, came out as transgender.«We've always been people who try to do the right thing and do the thing we were supposed to do,» Johnson shared. «No way we were not gonna support our son.

Michael Cooper, a Lakers guard from 1978-1990, says, “It was fun, it was exciting. If you were a married guy, you’d get in trouble.

KT Tunstall, Annie Lennox, Hamilton, The Wombats, Meas Soksophea, Star Feminine Band, South Africa’s Soweto Gospel Choir, Harmony Chorus Bangalore, Stewart Sukuma, The NHS Choir and many more.The global project will see these artists take ‘Resolution Song’ and perform it for the camera to call for peace, unity, global harmony and action on climate, celebrating the differences and similarities that bring us all together.“‘Resolution Song’ is a joyous demonstration of the power of humanity when we come together,” organisers said. Find out more info here.An EP was released to DSPs last Friday (April 15), which you can hear below, and an album is set to arrive this Friday (April 22) along with access to the entire performance collection online.There will also be “over 100 unheard, unreleased, and brand new tracks available to buy from Bandcamp in support of the most impactful climate charities”.While the full line-up of artists behind the tracks won’t be announced until 7am on Earth Day (April 22), ‘No Music On A Dead Planet’ have confirmed involvement from Brian Eno, Hot Chip, Coldplay, Murkage Dave, Declan McKenna, The Weather Station and Laura Misch.With artists to be announced on the day, organisers have announced that this inaugural song drop will be a regular feature for Earth Days in the years to come.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterBenjamin Bratt has been cast in the Natasha Lyonne-led Peacock series “Poker Face,” which hails from creator Rian Johnson.Variety has learned exclusively that Bratt is the latest addition to the rapidly expanding cast. Another recently announced cast members include Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Stephanie Hsu, and David Castañeda. Plot and character details for the series are being kept largely under wraps, though sources say the show will follow a procedural format and see Lyonne’s character working to solve different murders in each episode.Bratt most recently appeared opposite Rosario Dawson in the HBO Max limited series “DMZ,” which debuted in March on the streamer.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeU.S.-based Spanish lingo programmer Estrella Media has sealed a two-year deal with Mexico-based broadcasting powerhouse TV Azteca to jointly create, produce and air new series on both sides of the border.The companies are set to announce some of those offerings next month during the 2022 IAB NewFronts on May 5, followed by Estrella Media’s upfront presentation on May 9. But the new partnership, set to be announced on Tuesday, includes creating more than 600 hours of original programming for both the U.S. and Mexico, as well as production of existing series and the licensing of library content for air in both countries.

Gabrielle Union keeps close to husband Dwyane Wade at the premiere of Apple’s They Call Me Magic held at Regency Village Theatre on Thursday (April 14) in Los Angeles.

Ashley Hume Earvin “Magic” Johnson Jr. and his family — wife Cookie, daughter Elisa and sons Andre and EJ — were joined by a star-studded roster of celebrities and professional athletes as they attended the premiere of “They Call Me Magic” at the Regency Village Theater in Westwood on Thursday night.Directed by Rick Famuyiwa, the four-part Apple TV+ docuseries explores the personal and professional life of the basketball legend, as well as his lasting cultural impact, through a series of interviews with Johnson and his family, friends and fellow athletes.Johnson’s life and rise to basketball glory was recently depicted in the HBO drama miniseries “Winning Time,” though the NBA champion previously told Variety he was not consulted on the project and had no plans to watch the show.

Kelsea Ballerini is shifting her hosting duties to remote for Monday's 2022 CMT Music Awards after testing positive for COVID-19.«CMT Music Awards co-host Kelsea Ballerini tested positive for COVID-19. Fortunately, she is asymptomatic and remains excited to co-host the show (remotely),» a CMT spokesperson told ET in a statement. “Kelsea’s good friend, Kane Brown, who co-hosted with her last year, has graciously agreed to step in alongside Anthony Mackie.

Billy Porter is weighing in on the headline-grabbing Oscars slap, and what he felt it represented about the societal perception of masculinity.ET's Kevin Frazier spoke with Porter at the grand opening of the Shonda Rhimes Performing Arts Center, home of the Debbie Allen Dance Academy, in Los Angeles on Saturday, and he shared his take on the incident and its aftermath.Will Smith's actions at the 2022 Oscars have been at the forefront of public discourse since the moment he took the stage to hit Chris Rock during the live show. Now, less than two weeks later, Smith has been banned from attending the Oscars for 10 years, and Porter says it's tough to really address the altercation.«It's a really rough one for me, you know, because I don't know that I have the authority to speak on it.

Gabby Barrett is returning to Nashville to hit the CMT Music Awards stage. The «I Hope» singer exclusively confirmed the news to ET on Sunday, where she shared her gratitude for those who have supported her music along the way, ahead of Monday's fan-voted awards show.«The CMT Music Awards are just such a fun show to be a part of, and I’m so honored to be performing!» Barrett told ET.