Niecy Nash-Betts Hopes ‘The Rookie: Feds’ Will Be Renewed: ‘I’m Happy for Little Black and Brown Girls to See Something That They Can Aspire to Be’

Coronation Street star Samia Longchambon has shared why she took some time away from the cobbles to challenge herself in a new show. The actress, who plays Maria Windass in the ITV soap, revealed back in April that she is one of the celebrities taking part in the next series of Cooking With The Stars.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Dermot Mulroney is showing his support for the writers on strike — in somewhat dramatic fashion. Mulroney walked off “The View” during a segment that is scheduled to air on Friday, a source tells Variety, explaining to the hosts that he was going to “symbolically walk off in support of the writers” as he left the stage toward the end of his interview. Before leaving the stage, the actor asked the hosts if they were getting ready to go to commercial break and then thanked them before walking off mid-segment, according to an individual who was on-set, who adds that Mulroney’s interview was friendly and went smoothly, covering topics of his upcoming Disney+ series “Secret Invasion,” his past roles, his career, family and work ethic and longevity in Hollywood. When Mulroney left the stage, Variety is told the hosts remained professional and Joy Behar plugged his Disney+ series as she tossed to break.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent NBC has announced its panel of coaches for “The Voice” Season 25, with Grammy-winning artists Dan + Shay joining the show as the first-ever coaching duo. Dan + Shay will serve as coaches alongside RebaMcEntire, John Legend and Chance the Rapper. Season 25 will air in the spring of 2024. The network’s announcement comes ahead of the show’s 24th season, which airs this fall with the previously-announced coach lineup of Niall Horan, Gwen Stefani, Legend and McEntire in her debut season as coach. Season 24 will be the first season without veteran coach Blake Shelton, who has been with “The Voice” since it premiered in 2011 and took his final bow with Season 23, which wrapped up last month.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Brooke Shields came up in a different time. The model and actress has been working since infancy, and when she shot to superstardom in the ’70s and ’80s, she became a lucrative commodity whose own opinion was rarely heard, but became the focus of many other people’s opinions. This is all explored in her two-part documentary, “Pretty Baby: Brooke Shields,” which hails from ABC News Studios and launched on Hulu earlier this year. Produced by Ali Wentworth, George Stephanopoulos and director Lana Wilson (Taylor Swift’s “Miss Americana”), the doc that received rave reviews out of its premiere at Sundance uses Shields’ story of being sexualized as a child to paint a bigger picture of the treatment of women in society.

A New Wave of K-Cinema: Korean Women Directors,” The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is hoping to change that. Across the month of June, the Los Angeles museum is showing 10 contemporary Korean films made by women that “explore the complexities of diverse conditions, including the trauma of domestic violence, investigations into gender and class politics, humanity’s relation to nature and the environment, and love and friendship.” Hyesung ii, who organized “A New Wave of K-Cinema,” told TheWrap it is a series she has had in mind since she began working at the museum.

Vanderpump Rules is over for now after the explosive three-part reunion, and the crew is now speaking out.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Sherri Shepherd’s daytime talk show, “Sherri,” is shaking up its executive ranks, setting a new senior producing team ahead of its second season. The inaugural season of the top-rated freshman show carried over the production staff from “The Wendy Williams Show,” which was replaced in its time slot on the Fox stations by “Sherri” when Williams’ show ended in 2022. Now, Shepherd’s show has parted ways with some of Williams’ top producers, who helped launch “Sherri,” which has been renewed through 2025. “Sherri” hails from Lionsgate’s Debmar-Mercury, the same company that was behind “The Wendy Williams Show” for its 13-year run.

As soon as DeAndre Hopkins became a free agent, The Cleveland Browns were very much in play to land the star WR. His relationship with QB Deshaun Watson, and Cleveland’s talent pool seemed perfect for the former pro-bowler. Hopkins recently had a visit with the Tennessee Titans.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Jimmie Allen has been dropped byBBR Music Group, the label confirmed to Variety late Friday, after a second woman sued him for sexual assault. “BBR Music Group has dissolved its relationship with Jimmie Allen,” the brief statement reads. “He is no longer an active artist on its roster.” The country singer was previously put on suspension by label, as well as his agency and manager, in the wake of being sued by his former female manager for sexual assault and battery. Allen denied the claims from his ex-manager that he raped and sexually abused her over the course of 18 months, calling the allegations “not only false, but also extremely damaging.” But less than one month after those first accusations, another woman came forward to accuse Allen in a new sexual assault lawsuit in which the second Jane Doe alleges the singer secretly filmed her during sex without her consent or awareness. After that alleged incident, which occurred in July 2022, this woman filed a police report, according to her lawsuit.

Project Angel Food has announced its upcoming Lead with Love telethon will feature a slew of celebrity guests, including Carol Burnett, Cindy Crawford, Niecy Nash-Betts, Kris Jenner and Earvin “Magic” Johnson and many more. The event will take place on June 24 and broadcast live on KTLA and the KTLA YouTube channel at 7 p.m. PT. Project Angel Food and the Lead with Love fundraiser strive to end food insecurity and deliver medically tailored meals to critically ill men, women and children in Los Angeles County. “Through Lead with Love, Los Angeles comes together to support one another and help Project Angel Food’s vital mission serving those living at the intersection of health, food and financial insecurity,” Project Angel Food CEO Richard Ayoub said in a statement.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Country star Jimmie Allen is being sued for sexual assault by a new accuser, who claims she filed a police report after Allen secretly filmed her during sex. This is the second woman to come forward publicly with sexual assault allegations against the Grammy-nominated country singer. The new lawsuit, filed Friday in Tennessee federal court, comes less than one month after Allen was accused of rape and repeated sexual abuse by a woman who worked on his former management team. Those accusations, first reported by Variety, resulted in Allen being dropped by his publicist and suspended by his label, agency and management. In the new lawsuit, obtained by Variety, the woman — who is identified as “Jane Doe 2” – alleges that she was randomly approached by Allen on a plane last year, and after that first meeting, the country singer pursued her and engaged in daily communication over the phone. After two months of constant, long-distance conversation, they agreed to meet in Las Vegas where, according to the lawsuit, she was sexually assaulted.

The Cleveland Browns have been one team to watch to sign DeAndre Hopkins. From Deshaun Watson going on record to say he wants him in CLE. To many big teams backing out of the race.

Niecy Nash-Betts, 53, graced the latest cover of Variety‘s Emmy Extra Edition as the face of Women of Awards Season, where she sat down for an exclusive interview to discuss her thoughts on her controversial series “Dahmer”.

Niecy Nash-Betts faced tragedy. Her 17-year-old brother, Michael Ensley, was shot and killed at his high school in California. Nash-Betts has personally experienced the worst version of loss. That’s why when Netflix’s “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” was condemned by victims’ families, she had a unique perspective on the criticism. “My brother was murdered on his high school campus. And you never forget,” Nash-Betts says through tears. “You’re reminded if you pass a cemetery, by a favorite song, a smell, memory, photo. If you have had a loved one die in a horrific way, it is going to be with you for the rest of your life, not just from a TV show, so the goal would be — how do people remember them? Hopefully, there is some solace in us introducing your loved ones to the world, and not just having them just be a faceless, nameless person connected to this case. That was what I prayed for.” 

Ever since DeAndre Hopkins was released from the Cardinals rumors of him possibly coming to Cleveland have been flying. The Cleveland Browns have a full receiver room. It is no question who has had a better career, but on the other hand, Donovan Peoples-Jones has been stellar for Cleveland.

The 2023 WeHo Pride Parade was the place to be this weekend in the Los Angeles area!

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent Lily-Rose Depp takes on her biggest role to date, playing pop star Jocelyn, in HBO’s “The Idol,” which premiered on Sunday night. Depp — who knows a thing or two about stardom, having grown up in the Hollywood limelight herself — says she was interested in “The Idol” because it delves into the crazy and chaotic world of the music industry. “I was really intrigued by this project as soon as I heard about it. The world that it was exploring with all of the craziness and chaos that goes on is one that we don’t get to see all the time,” Depp says. Speaking about her character, she adds, “Jocelyn is a pop star who is constantly surrounding by people who she’s not sure if she can trust.”

With the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes still in full swing, can the Cleveland Browns make it happen? Cleveland has done a lot this offseason to revamp both ends of the ball. Mainly working to fix their defense, a possible signing of DeAndre Hopkins could top off a great offseason. With a full season of Deshaun Watson the Cleveland Browns look scary on paper. According to BrownsNation.com, There is a mutual interest between CLE and Hopkins.

Elizabeth Wagmeister Senior Correspondent A paparazzi photographer is suing Ye — the musician formerly known as Kanye West — for assault, battery and negligence after he was caught on-camera grabbing her phone and throwing it into the street. The photographer, Nichol Lechmanik, says she was just doing her job as a celebrity photojournalist when she was capturing content of Ye. “He reached into my car as if he were going to hit me, he grabbed my phone out of my hand and then angrily threw it into the street,” Lechmanik said on Thursday during a press conference. “He caused so much fear that I have not been the same since.”

Angelique Jackson Ava DuVernay’s arts and social collective ARRAY has announced its slate of summer programming, including an actor’s masterclass taught by Emmy winner Niecy Nash-Betts, a cinematic celebration of Jean-Michel Basquiat and the debut of two new commissioned projects from ARRAY’s Law Enforcement Accountability Project (LEAP).  The summer lineup is curated by ARRAY’s SVP of public programming, Mercedes Cooper, and in keeping with the ARRAY’s mission of “igniting social change through the cinematic arts,” all events are free to the public.  “ARRAY’s focus on instigating narrative change through our non-profit ARRAY Alliance allows us to gather audiences around issues aligned with our core mission and everyday work,” said Cooper in a statement announcing the lineup.