Kim Foxx Survives Jussie Smollett Controversy

Coachella and Stagecoach festivals have dropped all COVID-19 safety precautions ahead of both events making a return this spring.Coachella will take place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California between April 15-17 and 22-24, while Stagecoach will be held at the same venue between April 29-May 1.Previously, the festivals’ promoter Goldenvoice had announced that proof of vaccination against COVID-19 would no longer be required. Now, it has also dropped entry requirements including a negative test taken in the 72 hours prior to attendance and the wearing of masks.The health and safety guidance on the websites for both events has now been updated to confirm that the new policy is “in accordance with local guidelines”.

BTS member, V, has tested positive for COVID-19.Weverse, the official fan source for the K-pop group, shared a statement from Big Hit Music about V's diagnosis Tuesday.«V visited the hospital Tuesday afternoon on the 15th after experiencing a mild sore throat and took the PCR test. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 tonight,» the statement began.

Hoda Kotb and her daughters had the sweetest Valentine’s Day surprise.“When you just get home from a long eye doctors appointment for the girls-- and look what is waiting at home! A valentines day Surprise courtesy of my sister Hala!,” the co-host captioned a post on her Instagram.In the video, Kotb and her daughters, Haley, 5, and Hope, 2, walk into a room filled with balloons. The proud mom takes one out of the bag as Haley exclaims, “It’s a unicorn.” In addition to the red and white balloons, there were cards and teddy bears.

Foo Fighters have shared an unexpected new song, ‘March Of The Insane’, which takes the band into unfamiliar territory – thrash metal.The track was quietly released earlier today (February 15) under the alias Dream Widow and features frontman Dave Grohl growling his way through the lyrics.“Sing in a villainous choir / Join in a chorus of pain,” Grohl sings on the track. “Rise in a ruinous army / Dance to the march of the insane”.In the YouTube description box, the track is said to be from Dream Widow’s “never released self-titled album”.

Alec Baldwin's lawyers released a statement just hours after Halyna Hutchins' estate filed a wrongful death lawsuit against him and the producers of, calling the «reckless» claims against them as «entirely false.»In a statement to ET, lawyers for Baldwin and the producers named in the lawsuit say Baldwin, Hutchins «and the rest of the crew relied on the statement by the two professionals responsible for checking the gun that it was a 'cold gun' — meaning there is no possibility of a discharge, blank or otherwise.»The lawyers say the protocol «has worked on thousands of films, with millions of discharges, as there has never before been an incident on a set where an actual bullet harmed anyone.» The statement went on to say that «actors should be able to rely on armorers and prop department professionals, as well as assistant directors, rather than deciding on their own when a gun is safe to us.»«Any claim that Alec was reckless is entirely false,» the statement also said.In legal documents, obtained by ET, the Hutchins estate claims in the wrongful death suit that the «defendants had the power to prevent her death if they had only held sacrosanct their duty to protect the safety of every individual on a set where firearms were present instead of cutting corners on safety procedures where human lives were at stake, rushing to stay on schedule and ignoring numerous complaints of safety violations.»Some of the cost-cutting measures the estate claims Baldwin and production undertook included «hiring inexperienced and unqualified armorers or weapons masters, requiring the film’s armorer to split time as assistant props master, establishing and aggressively adhering to unreasonably rushed production schedules, and hiring

Dylan Dreyer is all about putting family first, as evidenced by her latest social media post celebrating Valentine's Day with her loved ones.MORE: Dylan Dreyer sparks fan response with backstage insight on the Today ShowThe Today star took to Instagram to post a picture of her "messy" Valentine's with her husband Brian Fichera and her three sons, all flopped on top of each other on the couch.WATCH: Dylan Dreyer reunites with Today co-stars"All my Valentines!!! Just one big perfectly messy ball of love #theboys #boscotoo," she captioned her post, also featuring her dog Bosco curled up in the corner as her two older sons also wore their special Christmas pajamas.Fans immediately began inundating the comments section with heart emojis and a resounding "aww", including co-host Sheinelle Jones.MORE: Dylan Dreyer’s video of mini-me son sparks overwhelming reactionOne wrote: "It goes so fast! Enjoy every messy minute," with another saying: "When they're grown and out of the house you'll wish your house is 'one big perfectly messy ball of love'. They don't look messy! Precious family.

a statement released on Tuesday afternoon. O’Rourke — a libertarian famed for his razor-sharp wit — notably skewered both Democrats and Republicans in print and on television. “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys,” O’Rourke famously wrote in 1991.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterWarner Bros. argues in new court filings that it never agreed to an exclusively theatrical release for “The Matrix Resurrections,” and that Village Roadshow still owes $112.5 million in production expenses on the project.The studio is responding to a lawsuit filed last week, in which Village Roadshow alleged that Warner Bros. had breached its co-financing agreement by releasing the film simultaneously on HBO Max.

Manori Ravindran International Editor“Sexy Beast” is back, and it’s part of a slate of six international scripted originals heading to Paramount Plus, Variety can reveal.The long-simmering “Sexy Beast” prequel series has evidently been resuscitated for the streamer after being scrapped for Paramount Network in 2020.The U.K.-originated show, based on the cult classic film of the same name, centers on the characters of Gal Dove and Don Logan (originally played by Ray Winstone and Ben Kingsley, respectively) as they descend into London’s criminal underbelly during the volatile 1990s.Paramount Plus describes the series as “a love story between two men — à la Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” It’s produced by Chapter One and VIS, with showrunner Michael Caleo (“The Sopranos”) attached. Also heading to Paramount Plus out of the U.K.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorMadison Avenue is getting closer to realizing its dream of using TV advertising to talk to viewers in a style more akin to a one-to-one conversationThe future of the humble TV ad has long been described as the following: New data and interactive technology will trim the practice of throwing a diaper ad or a car spot at every single member of the audience. Instead, more marketers will use addressable technology that allows them to beam different ads to different household, all in the same “slot” in a commercial break.Horizon, the independent media-investment company, will help deploy addressable ads in national linear inventory on networks owned by A+E Networks and Fox Corp.

Maluma appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show to chat about his acting debut in the rom-com Marry Me alongside HOLA! USA Latina Powerhouse Jennifer Lopez and actor Owen Wilson. While talking to Ellen, the Colombian singer shared details of his first day on set and how he ended up yelling at his co-star. The singer also opened up his thoughts on marriage, revealing what kind of wedding he would want —if he ever walks down the aisle.

Drew Barrymore is putting in the work. The actress says she is proud of herself for working up the courage to start dating again, and while her first try didn’t go as expected, Drew is definitely making progress.During a recent episode of ‘The Drew Barrymore Show,’ the host detailed a recent encounter she had with a man she saw while going on a walk in New York City.The Hollywood star said she was in Central Park over the weekend and noticed a man who “was really cute,” so she decided to start following him.“I was wearing a full balaclava so the only thing that’s out is my peepers,“ she explained, adding that she approached the mystery man and said, “Hi, I was wondering if I could ask you a question.”Drew asked him if he was single, to which he responded hesitant, so she asked “are you gay?” adding that she has “no gaydar” and because she is “so gay man adjacent and everyone around me is gay and I always fall for the wrong guy.”So when the man said “no,” she went on to remove her hood and balaclava, however he didn’t recognize her.

The Amber Ruffin Show” will return with new episodes Feb. 25, Peacock announced Tuesday.The critically acclaimed late-night variety series is hosted by comedian Amber Ruffin, who made history as the first Black woman to write for a late-night network TV show when she joined the writer’s room of “Late Night with Seth Meyers” in 2014. Ruffin’s own show premiered in 2020, as one of the first originals for the Peacock streaming platform.

Mindy Kaling has a special new role. The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) announced on Tuesday that the actress, writer and producer is the official ambassador for PanCAN PurpleStride, the organization’s annual fundraiser that raises money for pancreatic cancer research.Why Mindy Kaling almost turned down her Vogue cover“I am so happy to be working with PanCAN again and to participate in PurpleStride. I miss my mother every day, but when I can do anything to help the fight against pancreatic cancer, I feel like I am honoring her memory,” The Office alum, 42, said in a press release.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is mourning the death of his friend, Ivan Reitman. The Czechoslovak-born Canadian film and television director, producer and screenwriter died ‘unexpectedly’ in his California home Saturday night at age 75. The Ghostbusters director and actor worked together on Twins, Junior, and Kindergarten Cop.

Paramount+ may have already had its moment in the sun during the still-ongoing Winter Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour, but today, during their ViacomCBS Investors Event, the company and streamer revealed even more. First off, ViacomCBS? It’s going back to being called just Paramount.

The Dutton Family is a booming business for Paramount, writer/director Taylor Sheridan and the Kevin Costner-led “Yellowstone” franchise has already spun off with the hit prequel “1883” taking more of a direct western leaning and is looking to move forward with the next incarnation. This Montana-set series explores the last real frontier as business interests and nature collide.

NCIS is going abroad!

New 'Yellowstone' Prequel Series '1932' Greenlit at Paramount Plus What's New on Paramount Plus in February 'SEAL Team,' 'The Game' and 'Mayor of Kingstown' Renewed at Paramount+

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterParamount Pictures has given a taste of its upcoming theatrical film slate. During its annual investor day presentation on Tuesday, the studio announced plans for “A Quiet Place 3,” as well as another sequel to “Sonic the Hedgehog.”“A Quiet Place Part III” will debut in 2025.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter“Billions” has been renewed for Season 7 at Showtime, Variety has learned exclusively. Season 6 of the series debuted on Jan. 23, with new episodes airing every Sunday on Showtime.In season 6 , the dust of season five clears to reveal a world that has evolved.

Selome Hailu “South Park” is headed back home to ViacomCBS.The company announced that the Comedy Central adult animated series will stream exclusively on Paramount Plus beginning in 2025, after the expiration of “South Park’s” $500 million deal with HBO Max, set in 2019. In markets outside of the U.S., the full “South Park” catalog will become available on Paramount Plus later this year.In addition, all new episodes of the series will go to Paramount Plus, starting with Season 27 in 2024, both in the U.S.

Emily Longeretta Paramount Plus and CBS are expanding their reality TV lineup. On Tuesday, the streaming service announced the renewals of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” “Queen of the Universe,” “The Real World Homecoming” and “The Challenge: All Stars,” as well as multiple new series.“The Challenge: All Stars,” which landed a Guild of Music Supervisors Award nomination for best music supervision in reality TV, will launch its third season on May 11, Chris McCarthy, chief content officer of unscripted entertainment at Paramount Plus, announced on on Tuesday’s ViacomCBS’s Investor Day event, sharing that the universe is expanding across broadcast and cable channels.Internationally, the streamer will launch “The Challenge: Argentina,” “The Challenge: Australia” and “The Challenge U.K.” Each will be available to stream on demand in their respective markets.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterThey’re boldly going back.Paramount is planning to enter negotiations for “Star Trek” stars Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, John Cho, and Simon Pegg to return to the Enterprise for their fourth tour of duty in the venerable sci-fi franchise.The announcement was made by J.J.

A U.S. federal judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by former “Empire” actor Jussie Smollett who accused the city of Chicago of malicious prosecution in concluding that his claim to having been the victim of a racist and homophobic beating was a hoax.

A federal judge on Wednesday dismissed actor Jussie Smollett’s malicious prosecution lawsuit against the city of Chicago and several police officers. The former Empire actor told police that he was beaten by two men who looped a noose around his neck and hurled vile comments at him in an attack near his home in downtown Chicago in January 2019.

Jussie Smollett’s malicious prosecution lawsuit against the City of Chicago was dismissed by a federal judge on Wednesday.

The current coronavirus crisis is bringing people from all walks of life together as we all face the same circumstances—this includes celebrities who are using their platform to connect with their fans. Jussie Smollett took to social media to provide a bit of musical healing for his fans in the hopes to make them cope as self-quarantine orders continue.

Jussie Smollett says he is on “quarantine day 421” amid the coronavirus outbreak while he awaits trial for allegedly staging a hate crime against himself. The former “Empire” star took to Instagram on Wednesday when he jokingly captioned a video of himself playing the piano, “Quarantine day 421,” likely alluding to the fact he’s been away from the public eye for over a year and staying low amid the yearlong developments surrounding the alleged hoax.

Actor Jussie Smollett has returned to social media to share a song with fans in self-isolation amid the coronavirus chaos, joking he’s been in “quarantine” for over a year.

Jussie Smollett’s efforts to get his recent felony disorderly conduct charges dropped have proved unsuccessful.

By Dominic Patten

The Illinois Supreme Court on Friday refused to throw out charges against former Empire actor Jussie Smollett that accuse him of staging a racist, homophobic attack against himself and rejected his effort to remove the special prosecutor in the case. Smollett's lawyers argued in an emergency petition that Cook County Circuit Judge Michael Toomin overstepped his authority and misinterpreted the law when he ordered the appointment of a special prosecutor.