Ellise Shafer Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Ellise Shafer Country singer Laine Hardy, who won “American Idol” in 2019, was arrested on Friday by the Louisiana State University Police Department for allegedly planting a listening device in his ex-girlfriend’s dorm roomLSU spokesman Ernie Ballard confirmed to Variety that 21-year-old Hardy, who is not a student at LSU, was arrested on Friday on a felony charge of interception and disclosure of wire, electronic or oral communication. Hardy has been booked in the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.The Associated Press reported that Hardy’s ex-girlfriend and her roommate found the alleged listening device, which looked like a phone charger, in their dorm room on April 6. She reported it to LSUPD the next day, and officers noted in a police affidavit acquired by the AP that they found recordings from a 10 day span in February.

Ellise Shafer The more companions, the merrier! Varada Sethu has officially joined “Doctor Who” Season 2 as the new companion of Ncuti Gatwa‘s Doctor — but she won’t be replacing current companion Millie Gibson, as previously reported. In January, rumors swirled that Gibson, who made her debut as companion Ruby Sunday in the sci-fi show’s Christmas special, would not be returning for Season 2 after Gatwa was spotted filming with Sethu.

Ellise Shafer A film starring Russell Peters will be the first project under a new $100 million, five-year, 10-picture production deal between Beacon Media and Daljit DJ Parmar’s Parmar Entertainment. The new partnership will focus on action and comedy projects in the $10 million to $25 million range, with full financing from Beacon Media. The agreement also includes a seven-figure development fund in order to source and foster new projects.

Ellise Shafer BBC director general Tim Davie was grilled over the corporation’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war during a meeting on Wednesday night with the 1922 Committee of Conservative Members of Parliament, particularly over the broadcaster’s policy not to call Hamas “terrorists.” Since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the BBC has received backlash from the public and government alike for its refusal to use the term, despite Hamas having been deemed a terrorist organization by the U.K.

Ellise Shafer European Union commissioner Thierry Breton has issued a warning to Elon Musk over “illegal content and disinformation” about the Israel-Hamas war on X, formerly known as Twitter, giving him 24 hours to respond. “Following the terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel, we have indication that your platform is being used to disseminate illegal content and disinformation in the EU,” Breton wrote in a letter to Musk, which he also posted on X.

Ellise Shafer A documentary about musician Pete Doherty will have its world premiere at this year’s Zurich Film Festival in the Sounds section. Described as “an intimate film portrait of his scandalous rockstar life,” “Peter Doherty — Stranger in My Own Skin” is helmed by Doherty’s wife, Katia deVidas.

Variety Staff Follow Us on Twitter Daniel D’Addario is stepping into a new role at Variety. The journalist, who was brought on as chief television critic in 2018, has been named chief correspondent for the magazine, co-editors-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh and Cynthia Littleton announced.

Ellise Shafer The scripted pilot based on Jessica Simpson’s bestselling memoir “Open Book” is not moving forward at Amazon Freevee, Variety has confirmed. Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s period comedy “Western” has also been scrapped, though both potential series are now being shopped elsewhere. The pilot for “Open Book” was ordered by Amazon Freevee back in October, with Tom Kapinos set to write and executive produce and Adam Bernstein on board as a director and executive producer. Katelyn Tarver would play Sadie Sparrow, a young singer based on Simpson, while John Stamos was cast as her older songwriter, Butch. Over time, the two would develop a connection that went beyond music.

Ellise Shafer A man was found dead at country singer-songwriter Kellie Pickler’s home in Nashville, Tenn. on Friday, Variety has confirmed. According to the Nashville Police Department, the death is being investigated as an apparent suicide. The police would not disclose the identity of the male. Pickler lives at the home with her husband, songwriter Kyle Jacobs. Jacobs and Pickler eloped in 2011. In 2015, they starred in a CMT reality show about their relationship, titled “I Love Kellie Pickler.” Pickler finished in sixth place on “American Idol” in 2010, and went on to release four albums.During his career as a songwriter, Jacobs co-wrote Garth Brooks’ No. 1 song “More Than a Memory” as well as Tim McGraw’s “Still” and also collaborated with Pickler, Tim McGraw, Kelly Clarkson, Scotty McCreery and Darius Rucker.

Ellise Shafer Oscars producer Will Packer has addressed Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday night.In a preview clip of Packer’s upcoming interview on “Good Morning America” with T.J. Holmes, he revealed that the Los Angeles Police Department was on the scene Sunday night and ready to arrest Smith if Rock wanted to press charges.“They were saying, you know, this is battery, was a word they used in that moment. They said we will go get him.

Ellise Shafer A Dutch journalist was interrupted and pulled out of frame by a Chinese security guard while covering the Beijing Olympics on Friday.As can be seen in a video that quickly went viral on Friday, NOS correspondent Sjoerd den Daas was reporting outside of the National Stadium in Beijing during the Olympics’ opening ceremony when he was stopped by a security guard and pushed out of frame.Onze correspondent @sjoerddendaas werd om 12.00u live in het NOS Journaal door beveiligers voor de camera weggetrokken. Helaas is dit steeds vaker de dagelijkse realiteit voor journalisten in China.

Ellise Shafer administratorBlumhouse’s upcoming horror film starring Ethan Hawke has delayed its release to summer 2022.Originally scheduled for Feb. 4, “The Black Phone” will now hit theaters on June 24.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Dune” is officially getting a sequel.Legendary Entertainment announced the news in a tweet on Tuesday, writing: “This is only the beginning…” along with a photo stating “Dune Part Two.”This is only the beginning…Thank you to those who have experienced @dunemovie so far, and those who are going in the days and weeks ahead.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Eternals” stars Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Gemma Chan and Lauren Ridloff and director Chloé Zhao did not attend Elle’s Women in Hollywood event on Tuesday night due to possible exposure to COVID-19.“Earlier today we were made aware of a possible exposure to COVID-19, and while all of our talent have tested negative, out of an abundance of caution, we are pivoting to virtual appearances rather than in-person events,” a Disney spokesperson told Variety.Elle

Ellise Shafer administrator“America’s Got Talent: Extreme” has paused production after an on-set accident, Variety has confirmed.The accident occurred during a show rehearsal Thursday night and involved escape artist Jonathan Goodwin. According to TMZ, Goodwin was performing a stunt involving escaping from a straitjacket while suspended mid-air between two cars.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Venom: Let There Be Carnage” is expected to dominate the domestic box office this weekend, with an estimated opening haul of $71.3 million.The Marvel sequel, which is distributed by Sony and playing exclusively in theaters, sank its teeth into $37.25 million on Friday from 4,225 locations.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Generation” has not been renewed for a second season at HBO Max, Variety has confirmed.The teenage-centered dramedy was created by father-daughter duo Zelda Barnz and Daniel Barnz, and premiered on the streamer on March 11. The show focuses on a group of high school students in Orange County, Calif.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Betty” has been canceled after two seasons at HBO, Variety has confirmed exclusively.Created by Crystal Moselle, “Betty” is a teen comedy series based on Moselle’s critically-acclaimed 2018 film “Skate Kitchen.” It follows the lives of an all-girl group of skateboarders as they navigate the male-dominated sport.“We will not be moving forward with a third season of ‘Betty,'” HBO said in a statement.

Ellise Shafer administrator“CSI: Vegas” star William Petersen was briefly hospitalized on Friday after feeling unwell on the set of the sequel series, Variety has confirmed.However, a representative for Petersen says the 68-year-old actor was taken to the hospital “as a precautionary measure,” as he has been exhausted from working long hours on the set of the show for the past 12 weeks. As TMZ first reported, Petersen is now out of the hospital and is recovering.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Free Guy,” the comedic action film starring Ryan Reynolds, is set to debut in the top spot at the domestic box office this weekend with $26 million.The well-reviewed film took in around $10.5 million on Friday from 4,165 theaters, and is expected to add another $13 million to $16 million to its haul throughout the weekend.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk was rushed to the hospital on Tuesday after collapsing on the set of the AMC show, Variety has confirmed.Odenkirk is currently in production on the sixth season of “Better Call Saul,” a spin-off to the wildly popular series “Breaking Bad.” Odenkirk collapsed on Tuesday at the Sony Lot in Culver City and crew members called an ambulance.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Old,” the newest thriller from director M. Night Shyamalan, is poised to top the domestic box office charts this weekend with an estimated $15.75 million.The Universal film, starring Alex Wolff and Thomasin McKenzie, took in $6.8 million from 3,355 theaters on Friday.

Ellise Shafer administrator“F9,” the ninth installment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise, is holding its own at the top of the domestic box office charts in its second week of release.Over the Fourth of July long weekend, the action flick is expected to add another $32.9 million to its gross from 4,203 theaters, raising its cume to a stunning $126 million.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Unforgivable,” a film hailing from El Salvador, won the best of the festival award during the 2021 edition of the Palm Springs International ShortFest.Directed by Marlén Viñayo, “Unforgivable” follows a hitman for the 18th Street gang as he serves his sentence in an evangelical Salvadorian prison, where he is punished not only for his crimes, but for being gay.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Manifest” has been canceled at NBC after three seasons, Variety has confirmed.The news comes as the supernatural drama has been released on Netflix, where it currently sits at No. 1 in the streamer’s U.S.

Ellise Shafer administrator“In the Heights” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is addressing criticism over the film’s lack of Afro-Latino representation.In a statement posted to Twitter, Miranda apologized for not including more dark-skinned Afro-Latinos in the film’s cast, especially in the leading roles.“I started writing ‘In the Heights’ because I didn’t feel seen. And over the past 20 years all I wanted was for us — ALL of us — to feel seen,” Miranda’s statement begins.

Ellise Shafer administrator“American Idol” alum David Archuleta has come out as part of the LGBTQIA+ community and is opening up about his experience balancing his Mormon faith with his sexuality.“I like to keep to myself but also thought this was important to share because I know so many other people from religious upbringings feel the same way,” Archuleta began the post.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Gossip Girl” is back — and is giving viewers a deeper look into Manhattan’s new elite via the revival series’ official trailer.Soundtracked by an impressive and all-too-perfect sync of Frank Ocean’s “Super Rich Kids,” the new footage proves that the new “Gossip Girl” cast still has plenty of drama to go around.

Ellise Shafer administrator“The Conjuring: Devil Made Me Do It” is set to out-scare “A Quiet Place Part II” at the domestic box office this weekend, with an estimated 3-day gross of $25 million in 3,102 theaters.Though “A Quiet Place Part II” solidified the biggest debut of the pandemic era last weekend with $48 million and continued to an extended gross of $58 million, its estimated income this weekend is predicted to be $20 million.

Ellise Shafer administrator“A Quiet Place II” is set to make a loud debut at the domestic box office this Memorial Day weekend.The sequel to 2018’s “A Quiet Place” is projected to bring in $47 million through Sunday and $57 million by Monday from 3,726 North American theaters, with some experts even predicting that the film will hit the $60 million mark in its four-day numbers.

Ellise Shafer administrator“F9,” the ninth installment in Universal’s “Fast and Furious” franchise, is speeding toward a pandemic-era box office record.The film has generated $127 million at the international box office to date, and it’s expected to gross more than $160 million through Sunday.

Ellise Shafer administrator“American Idol” finalist Caleb Kennedy is exiting the ABC show after a social media post resurfaced depicting him sitting next to and filming someone wearing what appears to be a Ku Klux Klan hood.Variety has confirmed that 16-year-old Kennedy is no longer in the competition, and that Sunday’s episode will feature the show’s top four singers with one contestant elimination.The video in question shows a younger Kennedy sitting next to a person who is wearing a white

Ellise Shafer administrator“Escape Room 2” has moved up its release to July.The sequel to the 2019 psychological thriller will now debut on July 16, 2021, nearly six months earlier than its planned release date of Jan. 7, 2022.With the box office beginning to revive after the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s possible that “Escape Room 2” moved up in the schedule to compete within the summer blockbuster timeframe.

Ellise Shafer administrator“American Gods” has been canceled at Starz.The series adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s novel of the same name will not return for a fourth season. However, sources tell Variety that the network is open to a potential event series or movie to wrap up any loose ends.“American Gods will not return for a fourth season.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Killing Eve” actor Sandra Oh made a surprise appearance at an Oakland, Pa. Stop Asian Hate protest on Saturday, giving a passionate speech and encouraging others to reach out to Asian communities.“Thank you to all the organizers for organizing this just to give us an opportunity to be together and to stand together and to feel each other,” Oh said in the speech, which was captured by CBS Pittsburgh.

Ellise Shafer administrator“Firefly Lane” star Katherine Heigl has shared that she is now “bionic” after undergoing major neck surgery.On Thursday, Heigl posted a photo sporting a neck brace and revealed that she had surgery to insert two titanium disks into her neck.“Well…I am now bionic!! Two titanium disk now inhabit my neck and I can probably stand on my head for like hours,” Heigl wrote.