Penn Badgley Almost Played Aaron Paul's 'Breaking Bad' Role of Jesse Pinkman

Tom Brady recently retired from the NFL for a second time, having previously retired in early 2022 only to announce he was un-retiring 40 days later, ultimately playing two more seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Mo’Nique is opening up about her high-profile feuds. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the 55-year-old comedian discusses both the origins and current standings of her public feuds with Lee Daniels, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry.

It’s a rare Hollywood actor who hasn’t been involved with a project that was savaged by critics, and it’s easy to assume that stars are so thick-skinned that they can easily brush off scathing reviews.

A post shared by Zaya Wade (@zayawade)Dressed in an olive green dress with a matching jacket and a brown handbag, Zaya commanded the runway, while her proud parents watched from the front row, wearing all-black outfits with matching sunglasses.This momentous occasion was a proud moment for Dwyane, who took to social media to share his emotions. He posted, “I’m proud” and humorously added, “I’m not crying, you’re crying.”Dwyane could not contain his joy at seeing his daughter succeed at something she loves, and was seen smiling wide throughout the entire show.

Metro Weekly. The audience likely identifies as part of the acronym. Or Same-Gender-Loving (SGL).

Shazam! sequel, Shazam! Fury of the Gods is one of the most highly anticipated films of 2023, and now there’s even more reason to be excited – especially for LGBTQ fans of the brand.In an interview with a website called Dorkaholics, the film’s screenwriters Henry Gayden and Chris Morgan opened up about their decision to confirm that one of the main characters in the franchise is, in fact, gay, as many had suspected.“The only new addition for this movie is being a lot more forthright about Pedro being gay,” Gayden admitted. “That was hinted at in the first movie very subtly.”While he didn’t get into the discussions the screenwriters had with those in charge at DC, it sounds like Gayden and his writing partner faced some blowback regarding their decision.“I thought it was really important and really, really fought for us including that and bringing that into the fore in this movie,” the writer stated in the interview.Pedro, portrayed by DJ Cotrona, is the older foster brother to Shazam (Zachary Levi), the main superhero in the film.

MLive Media Group.Democratic lawmakers — who control the legislature for the first time in 40 years following the 2022 election — spoke favorably of the bill, which was one of the first six pieces of legislation they introduced on the first day of this year’s legislative session.Taken together, those six bills provide a glimpse at the party’s economic and social agenda, which includes repealing a 1931 ban on abortion, repealing “right-to-work” laws, rolling back the retirement tax for seniors, and expanding the earned income tax credit.“No one should be afraid to go to work, or school, in fear of their safety,” openly gay Rep. Mike McFall (D-Hazel Park) said of the nondiscrimination law, which liberals have argued is long overdue in a so-called “blue state” like Michigan.“It’s long past time for us to amend Michigan’s civil rights law so we can make our state a place where everyone is welcome, regardless of who they love or how they identify,” McFall added.Republicans offered a series of amendments to the bill seeking to carve out special exemptions for religious individuals or organizations, to drop gender identity from the bill, and to require individuals to use restrooms matching their assigned sex at birth.

Ouija Board game is blamed for sending twenty-eight girls to a hospital in Colombia. Reports state that all the participants became ill during a seance at the Galeras Educational Institution. Medical issues began plaguing the young girls, who began passing out and experiencing bizarre medical symptoms.The head of the Galera Educational Institution in Galeras, Columbia, Hugo Torres, says 28 female students are allegedly playing with an Ouija Board.

Jim Goodwin insists Dundee United proved they have the guts required to beat the drop by fighting back to claim a point at Livingston.

Robbie Neilson insists rivals teams need to have a man DECAPITATED to get a red card at Celtic Park.

Police believe a man who vanished from Aberdeen may have travelled to Glasgow. Alex Ewing was last seen in the Northfield area of Aberdeen at around 11.50 am on Monday, March 6.

Detectives investigating the murder of Elle Edwards outside a pub in Wallasey, Wirral, on Christmas Eve arrested three people on Wednesday, Merseyside Police said.

King Charles is understood to have long desired a stripped-back monarchy with a reduced number of working royals as well as royal titles, which means the Sussexes' kids titles have been up in the air. However, on Wednesday it was announced that Harry and Meghan christened their daughter Lilibet, who has now been given the title of Princess.

Malina Saval Associate Editor, Features Adare ManorCounty Limerick, Ireland Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin” is a heart-crushing meditation on friendship torn asunder. It’s also a story set amidst the lush, emerald greenery of an island off the coast of Ireland in the early 1920s. Watching the film, one can’t help being captivated by its verdant, idyllic scenery — cows roaming the pasture, horses braying along a long dirt road. Adare Manor in Co. Limerick, Ireland, a five-star resort comprising a fairy tale-esque castle, Medieval ruins and winding woodsy paths, evokes the bucolic cinematic backdrop of “Banshees.”  A 25-minute drive from Shannon Airport and two and a half hours from Dublin Airport, the sprawling resort is set on an 842-acre estate in Adare Village. The hotel features 104 guest rooms and a luxe, high-end spa with an indoor pool overlooking the Maigue River. For the ultimate in fine dining, Adare Manor guests can enjoy the Oak Room, the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the region. Guests can also partake in a plethora of on-site outdoor activities, including golf (there’s an 18-hole course) and trout fishing, falconry and clay pigeon shooting. Irish gun dog training with Irish Labrador Retrievers your thing? Adare Manor has that, too. adaremanor.com 

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor “Not drinking any liquids after 12 o’clock noon because I didn’t want to miss a thing, didn’t want to have to go to the loo and missing anything — not just my category but anyone’s category. I just wanted to soak it all in.” “Yea, it was 2019 with ‘Knives Out.’ I remember hanging out at the bar with Adam Driver, Noah Baumbach and the whole ‘Marriage Story’ crew and discovering the bar is the cool place to be during the ceremony. I remember when ‘Parasite’ won.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. No one will be leaving this year’s Oscars ceremony empty-handed.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director James Gunn is the new co-head of DC Studios, where he’s shepherding a new DC Universe that will include movies about Superman, Supergirl and more, but first Gunn will return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the release of his trilogy-ending “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.” The new Marvel tentpole pits the eponymous superhero gang against the High Evolutionary, played by Chukwudi Iwuji. The villain is Rocket’s creator and is hellbent on creating a special race of enhanced beings. Gunn recently celebrated Chukwudi Iwuji’s introduction into the Marvel Cinematic Universe by posting to social media a photo of the High Evolutionary with the following caption: “Can’t wait for you all to meet this guy.”

wcinkala pmc-editorial-manager Variety and IllumiNative are partnering with SXSW to host a panel on the importance of Native American representation in Hollywood. The event, held at Moonshine Grill from 1:00-3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, will include a one-on-one conversation with Crystal Echo Hawk, founder and executive director of IllumiNative, followed by a conversation with Lashay Wesley, director of communications and storytelling at IllumiNative, and Patrick Smith, executive producer at DIGA, about IllumiNative’s new podcast, “American Genocide: The Crimes of Native American Boarding Schools.” The podcast examines the atrocities and human rights violations committed against Native children at Native American Boarding Schools and follows Crystal and Lashay as they investigate and search for answers and justice at Red Cloud Indian School, a former boarding school in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Both conversations will be moderated by Cynthia Littleton, co-editor-in-chief, Variety.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter The upcoming Shondaland mystery series “The Residence” at Netflix has added four recurring cast members, Variety has learned exclusively. E.L. Losada (“Loot,” “Los Frikis”), Matt Oberg (“Veep,” “Superstore”), Ryan Farrell (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “The Deuce”), and Alexandra Siegel (“Bosch,” “American Auto”) are the latest additions to the cast. They join series lead Uzo Aduba in the show along with cast members: Andre Braugher, Edwina Findley, Molly Griggs, Jason Lee, Ken Marino, Al Mitchell, Dan Perrault, Bronson Pinchot, Susan Kelechi Watson, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Mary Wiseman, and Randall Park. The official logline for the show states, “132 rooms. 157 suspects. One dead body. One wildly eccentric detective (Aduba). One disastrous State Dinner. The Residence is a screwball whodunnit set in the upstairs, downstairs, and backstairs of the White House, among the eclectic staff of the world’s most famous mansion.”

Goldie Hawn – whose debut in the silver screen was 1968's The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band when she was 23 years old – has successfully gone from Hollywood starlet to Hollywood icon.Her roles in classic movies like Overboard, The First Wives Club, Private Benjamin, Foul Play and more made her a household name, but she is also known for her epic, 40-year romance with Kurt Russell.The two raised the actress' kids with her ex Bill Hudson, Kate and Oliver Hudson, as well as their son Wyatt Russell. While they're certainly one of Hollywood's most beloved couples, there's one question they have never been able to escape: why have they never tied the knot?WATCH: Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell tease a marriage proposal in adorable throwback videoMORE: Kate Hudson's son Ryder supported by famous mom and Goldie Hawn for glimpse of life away from homeIn a new interview with Variety, Goldie touched on the neverending conversation about their relationship, and recalled the time she and Kurt made it the butt of the joke when presenting an award at the 1989 Academy Awards.Before presenting the Best Director award to Barry Levinson for Rain Man, the two pretended to have a tense moment between each other over the fact that Kurt hadn't proposed; they had been together for nearly a decade at that point.MORE: Goldie Hawn looks tiny alongside supertall grandson for family reunionIt was an off-script moment they came up with just hours before the Oscars – while taking a shower together, Goldie, 77, revealed – because they didn't like what had been prepared for them.

Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel took a swipe at the Golden Globes in a new interview with Rolling Stone — and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association hit back.Kimmel, 55, was asked about the “no-holds-barred roast” approach to hosting award shows — popularized by Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes — and if it’s “representative of a growing hostility toward celebrity.”“I think there’s always been hostility toward celebrities,” Kimmel declared in the conversation published Wednesday.“First of all, the Golden Globes is not a real awards show. Let’s be honest.

Fox’s new dating show “Farmer Wants a Wife,” premiering Wednesday, March 8 at 9 p.m. On the first episodes, all of the ladies, who are from cities across the US, meet their eligible bachelors: Hunter Grayson, 31, a cattle and horse rancher in Watkinsville, Georgia; Ryan Black, 32, a horse trainer and breeder in Gastonia, North Carolina; Landon Heaton, 35, a cattle rancher and farmer in Stillwater, Oklahoma; and Allen Foster, 32, a cattle rancher in Santa Fe, Tennessee.AdvertisementThen, each of the four men select a group of the women they’re most interested in and host them back at their ranch. It’s essentially “The Bachelor” by way of “Yellowstone” — with plenty of potential for fish-out-water moments.

Alec Baldwin has one less Rust trial to worry about, for now.

The Price Is Right is on the move. The popular CBS daytime game show, produced by Fremantle, will leave Television City, where it has taped since its 1972 launch, and relocate to a new facility in Glendale, Haven Studios, in which Fremantle is the investor with a long-term lease.

EXCLUSIVE: Marsha Stephanie Blake(When They See Us), Gabrielle Graham (Twenties), John Ortiz (Promised Land) and Tamsin Topolski (Slow Horses) have been cast opposite Colman Domingo in Netflix’s The Madness limited series. The conspiracy thriller hails from Chernin Entertainment via its first-look deal with Netflix, creator and co-showrunner Stephen Belber (O.G., The Laramie Project) and co-showrunner VJ Boyd (Justified, S.W.A.T.)

After weeks of speculation, Oscarcast director Glenn Weiss said today that Lady Gaga will not perform her Best Song nominee “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick at Sunday’s 95th annual Academy Awards.

As Comcast NBCUniversal aggressively plans and executes a number of new theme park and destination initiatives, the company announced today a rebrand of its Universal Parks & Resorts unit, which will now be known as Universal Destinations & Experiences.

Spotify CFO Paul Vogel said the company’s decision several weeks ago to cut 6% of its global workforce was a “a real positive” in terms of the company being willing to take a hard look at its operations and “evolve.”

Actors’ Equity Association has condemned Tennessee’s new legislation restricting drag performance, urging theaters in the state to “join us in rejecting it entirely and lobbying for its elimination.”

Like mama, like son! Reign Disick followed in mom Kourtney Kardashian’s footsteps by debuting a new platinum blonde look.

Possible PDA! Kendall Jenner and rumored boyfriend Bad Bunny were spotted sharing a hug — and maybe a kiss — after an outing with friends.

Coming clean! Kristin Cavallari opened up about her secret to keeping her skin looking healthy — and why she doesn’t plan on getting Botox or filler anytime soon.

Lise Pedersen Following in the footsteps of its Nordic neighbors, Finland is fast becoming a destination of choice for foreign co-productions, not least thanks to its up-front cash-back tax incentive introduced in 2017. Despite a slight drop in 2020 due to the COVID pandemic, figures show a 40%-plus growth of the audiovisual industry in the past five years, distributed evenly between co-production and service production. In addition to the national rebate of 25%, productions can get up to 40% incentive money thanks to top-ups from regional film commissions. Other support mechanisms include public broadcaster YLE and the Promotion Centre for Audiovisual Culture (AVEK), as well as a growing number of private investors such as VOD platform Elisa Viihde and Aurora Studios,  which   are   working actively on getting Finnish content out to the world.

Breaking Bad, describing the part as “the one that got away”.The You star was asked in a new interview with Buzzfeed to name a role fans would be surprised that he auditioned for but didn’t get.“One I got close on was Breaking Bad,” Badgley said. “It was between me and Aaron Paul, we tested.” Paul ended up getting the role of crystal meth cook and dealer Jesse Pinkman in the hit series, which aired for five seasons between 2008 to 2013.Actually, that was the best television script I’d read at that point,” added Badgley.

Had things gone another way, Penn Badgley would have played Jesse Pinkman alongside Bryan Cranston in “Breaking Bad”.