'Scooby-Doo' writer wanted character 'explicitly gay'

EXCLUSIVE: Larry Teng has been tapped as director and executive producer on CBS Studios’ CW pilot Walker: Independence, executive produced by Jared Padalecki. The project fall under Teng’s overall deal with the studio.

EXCLUSIVE: IFC Films has acquired North American rights to Julian Higgins’ feature directorial debut God’s Country, starring BAFTA and Emmy winner Thandiwe Newton (Westworld, Crash), on the heels of its debut at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. It will release the film won in a bidding war in theaters this fall.

Bill Lawrence, the top comedy showrunner at the moment amid the enormous critical and commercial success of Ted Lasso, is staying put at Warner Bros. TV Group through 2028. After lengthy negotiations, Emmy winner Lawrence, who had a little time left on his current overall pact at the studio, has closed a blockbuster new five-year deal for his Doozer production company, I have learned. Noone is commenting but sources value the pact at more than $100 million, catapulting Lawrence in the very top tear of TV showrunners.

EXCLUSIVE: Emerging filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun, whose narrative feature debut We’re All Going to the World’s Fair premiered in the NEXT section of the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, has signed with CAA for representation.

EXCLUSIVE: When Calls the Heart‘s Chris McNally has landed heavily recurring roles on two series — Paramount+’s upcoming Grease prequel Rise of the Pink Ladies, and season 2 of Netflix’s Firefly Lane, opposite Katherine Heigl and Sarah Chalke.

Jennifer Lopez‘s new movie Marry Me is now in theaters and streaming on Peacock!

Kanye West and Julia Fox have had a whirlwind relationship over the past month and now it seems they are “cooling off” as a couple.

Megan Thee Stallion looks great in her mini black dress while leaving The Nice Guy on Thursday night (February 10) in West Hollywood, Calif.

Dakota Fanning makes a funny face while getting ready to shoot new scenes for Ripley in Venice, Italy, on Friday afternoon (February 11).

T.I. wraps his arm around Tiny while out and about in Los Angeles on Thursday night (February 10).

Spotted! New York Fashion Week is officially in session, which means Us Weekly’s Stylish is keeping an eye on the always-fabulous celebrity street style. 

Chris Willman Music WriterOn the opening night of the Bud Light Super Bowl Music Fest Thursday night, Halsey — doing her first concert in two years — was even more mindful in her remarks of what else happens in the host venue, Crypto.com Arena (formerly Staples Center), than what might be going down across town at SoFi Stadium this weekend.“I know it’s football time, but I’ve gotta say something,” Halsey said, finally adding after a pause: “Go, Lakers.” She explained herself: “I was getting ready for the show tonight and I was like, something good has to happen here. The people of L.A.

Boris Johnson has tonight received a legally-binding questionnaire from police investigating allegations of lockdown-breaching parties inside No 10.

Outlander fans are being treated with an extra special Valentines Day gift this year as they're in for a chance to attend the season six world premiere in London.

The Niche, based at Irvine's Harbourside, is serving up a dinner devoted to lovers this Valentine's Day weekend.

A vile drug dealer who asked a 16-year-old to perform a sex act on him to pay for cannabis was caught out when pictures were taken of the distinctive bend in his penis.

A five-year-old boy was rushed to hospital after ingesting a 'hazardous substance' in school and suffering burns to his tongue.

reported on by Cleveland Scene this week ahead of the team’s face-off with the Los Angeles Rams, which will be the Bengals’ first Super Bowl appearance since 1988.The 72-year-old regional brand has been dubbed the “official chili” for many local professional sports establishments, including MLB’s Cincinnati Reds and ice hockey team Cincinnati Cyclones — that’s how much they love this stuff. So when Cincinnati’s own Bengals clinched a spot at Super Bowl LVI against NFC champs Los Angeles Rams, Cincy citizens toasted to their beloved food mascot, then took a big, meaty gulp.If the Bengals win the Super Bowl, CJ Uzomah promises to swim in Skyline Chili.

Tom Brady is working on his parenting skill now that he has retired from the NFL.

Ryan Reynolds is keeping his mock feud with Hugh Jackman alive and well.

Adele seemingly doubled down on declaring her love for "being female" after she faced criticism over her acceptance speech at the 2022 Brit Awards. The 33-year-old artist was videoed by fans while hanging out at G-A-Y's Porn Idol event at Heaven in London. Videos showed Adele pole dancing and cohosting a stripping contest alongside RuPaul Drag Race UK star Cheryl Hole.

Megan Fox is ready to move on after finalizing her divorce from Brian Austin Green after nearly 10 years of marriage. “Megan is relieved to have this whole process behind her and she’s thankful that she and Brian have managed to co-parent amicably and keep their divorce just between them,” a source EXCLUSIVELY revealed to HollywoodLife.

Rita Ora has shown off her intricate tattoos during a walk down the blue carpet as she opted to reveal her back in a slinky top. The 31 year old singer was proud to pose for the cameras as she revealed the detail in her ink at the 11th Annual NFL Honors Post-Party: The Chairman's Party, which was taking place at SoFi Stadium in California. On her right side, Rita had an incredible sketch design of a 1920s woman going across her ribs.

Gordon Ramsay is a doting dad to his children, but he's been missing youngest daughter Tilly since she's been taking part in the Strictly Live Tour in recent months.INSIDE: Gordon Ramsay's £6million Cornwall holiday home will take your breath awayBut as the tour reaches its conclusion in London at the O2 Arena, Gordon prepared to reunite with his daughter, and he had the sweetest response. In a video shared by his daughter Holly, the Hell's Kitchen star did a little jig through the corridors to the Strictly Come Dancing theme as he prepared to reunite with Tilly.WATCH: Gordon Ramsay has sweetest response as he prepares to reunite with daughter TillyHe took on a complicated routine, even throwing in a couple of spins, however, he then jokingly pretended to have thrown his back out at the clip ended.READ: Gordon Ramsay shares details about daughter Megan's ex-boyfriend - and he's not impressed!SEE: Gordon Ramsay celebrates his twins' 22nd birthday – and the photo is incredible"@gordongram is excited to see @tillyramsay & @nikita_kuzmin tonight," Holly wrote on the clip.Tilly was clearly excited to reunite with her father as she reshared the amazing video on her own Instagram Stories.

Magnolia Network star Joanna Gaines has opened up on recent hard times, sharing with fans how she "nurtured" herself back from a place of "unbalance".MORE: Magnolia Network star Joanna Gaines shares adorable family video that has fans saying the same thingThe mom-of-five wrote a new essay for the Spring issue of Magnolia Journal, the quarterly lifestyle magazine she publishes with her husband, Chip, and shared that she found herself in a rough patch in late 2021, "unbalanced by how much I was pouring out without being poured into in the ways I really needed."WATCH: Magnolia Network star Joanna Gaines shares adorable family video that has fans saying the same thing"I was learning that a well that's only ever knee-deep can't outlast a drought and that I had to figure out what it was that would pull me out of the grind and give me renewed perspective," she shared.The 43-year-old continued that she "considered what I'm already drawn to, what I already know wakes me up and brings me life — nature, the garden, being in my kitchen, and the peace that meets me there — and I leaned in".MORE: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill's lavish Nashville home could rival a palaceHowever, although her family "joked that I'd gone a little extreme" she found comfort and solace in the action of reading, gardening and canning "just about anything" and that it left her, for the first time in a long time, feeling "full, truly full"."And at the end of those days, I was bursting with so much more to give. And really, that's all that I was after." she concluded.

Jennifer Aniston's birthday and to celebrate Reese Witherspoon shared a brilliant throwback of the time she appeared as a guest star on the hit sitcom Friends.MORE: Jennifer Aniston's zen $21million home where she married ex Justin Theroux – insideJennifer's character Rachel had a sister, Jill, who made an appearance in season six and was played by Reese. In the clip, Jill appears at the local coffee shop Central Perk and Rachel is shocked at how Jill looks in a black slinky skirt with a slit, a crop top and leather jacket.WATCH: Reese Witherspoon shares incredible throwback of Jennifer Aniston for special celebration"Really?" asks Jill, "because it's yours." Shocked, Rachel then quips: "Yeah well, I'm a [expletive]" to which Jill retorts: "Me too.""In honor of @jenniferaniston’s bday: the Green Sisters,"  Reese captioned the post.MORE: Jennifer Aniston shares teary goodbye and fans can't handle itMORE: Reese Witherspoon is the ultimate snow bunny in all-white ski outfit"The Green sisters are the best," commented one fan as another joked: "Rachel and Jill, what a duo!!" Reese also shared a picture of the pair backstage on their hit Apple TV+ show The Morning Show and praises Jennifer for her "endless positivity"."When I think of Jen and all the wonderful adventures we have had together, I just smile.

Julia Garner is having quite a year!First, the actress returned to the screen in her Emmy-winning role as Ruth Langmore on, capping off the first episodes of the crime drama's fourth and final season with a meme-worthy scream and a promise to exact revenge on the drug kingpin who murdered her cousin, Wyatt.«It's always funny because… by the time it comes out, I forget like, how intense it was,» Garner told ET recently of the revelations that set up 's final episodes, due out later this year.«You’re just going to have to wait,» she teased. «It gets more intense. It gets very intense. The ending of season [4A], the first half, was just the beginning of the intensity, that ending.»While fans wait for more , Garner can next be seen playing a completely different but equally compelling role: convicted fraudster Anna Delvey, in Shonda Rhimes’ true-crime limited series, . A far cry from Ruth's Southern drawl, the actress had to master a complicated accent in order to portray the German expat, who pretended to be an heiress as she conned hundreds of thousands of dollars out of New York’s high society and financial institutions. Garner first started by learning “a German accent and then Russian and then put it all together,” she explained, adding that she had to subtly layer in a British accent. And because Anna spent so much time in New York City and interacting with Americans, “musically it shouldn’t sound European.

Wendy Williams has filed for a temporary restraining order against Wells Fargo in her battle over access to her cash.According to legal documents, obtained by ET, the 57-year-old TV personality's asking the judge to order Wells Fargo to «reopen any frozen accounts or assets» and grant Williams «access to any and all accompanying statements.» She also wants the bank to be barred «from freezing any and all assets which contain funds that were removed and/or withheld» from Williams' own personal and business accounts.The request comes after Williams filed a legal letter in court, and obtained by ET, in which Williams claimed Wells Fargo denied access «to her financial assets for weeks without providing her or her counsel with adequate explanation or evidence to support its decision.»In doing so, Williams said she and her family will face financial hardship due to her inability to make payments on outstanding debts and other financial obligations.This all stems from Wells Fargo initially filing a letter in court, claiming it has strong reason to believe Williams «is the victim of undue influence and financial exploitation.» The bank claimed it took the dramatic step because Williams' financial advisor «recently witnessed telltale signs of exploitation, including [Williams'] own expressed apprehensions, but also upon other independent third-parties who know [Williams] well and share these concerns.» In court docs, Williams claimed that financial advisor was terminated due to her «malfeasance in relation to [Williams'] accounts and [her] improper conduct in relation to their professional relationship.»Williams also claims Wells Fargo «continues to rely on Schiller's advisement as support for its decision to deny» Williams

Chloe Bailey and Gunna aren't doing anything to squash the romance rumors surrounding them. The 23-year-old singer and the 28-year-old rapper were snapped holding hands while shopping in Hollywood, California, on Wednesday night.Bailey smiled during the outing, turning heads in a strapless top, a cut-out black skirt, long silver gloves and black high-heel boots.

Larsa Pippen spilled the tea about what led to the end of her friendship with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West – claiming it all came down to the fact that she “knew too much” about them!

Tom Holland really wants to know whether Timothée Chalamet is sitting or standing right now!

James Gunn had other plans for Velma in his 2002 live-action adaptation of “Scooby-Doo”.

James Gunn revealed a little known fact about 2002′s popular Scooby-Doo movie, which he wrote the script for.

Since he’s probably best known for his big-screen superhero spectacle features for Marvel Studios and his low-budget indie horror features, fans likely don’t realize that James Gunn is credited as the writer for both early-2000s live-action “Scooby-Doo” feature films. And recently, on social media, he revealed that his earliest script for “Scooby-Doo” featured the first on-screen version of Velma as a lesbian.

Linda Cardellini has a resume that reads like an overachiever’s guide to Hollywood. There was her break-out role as Lindsay Weir on Freaks and Geeks in 1999, followed by a spot-on turn as Velma Dinkley in the live-action adaptations of Scooby-Doo in 2002 and 2004.