controversy: Celebs Rumors

Sonic 2 stars James Marsden and Ben Schwartz have commented on the original character design controversy – take a look at the interview above.When the trailer for the first Sonic the Hedgehog film was shared, fans criticised the character design of Sonic which eventually prompted a redesign before the film came out.James Marden, who plays Tom in both films, told NME it “didn’t throw me off entirely” but acknowledged the online backlash was “a world I wasn’t really used to.”He added: “Obviously this movie hinges on getting that right, that’s a huge component of the whole thing, and I think we were all in sync with this idea that this is an opportunity to take something that’s maybe viewed as negative and turn it not only into a positive by getting the animation right but also the message you’re sending to the fans that we’re listening to you.“You want to write your own story and surprise people, you have to stay true to your vision, but this one is so important to get right. I thought it was amazing for Jeff [Fowler] the director to come out and say, ‘We’re listening to you, we hear you, we’re making adjustments.’ I think that was pretty unprecedented.

Lesson learned. Tori Spelling and more celebrities have caused controversy for faking pregnancies on April Fools’ Day over the years.

Brian Steinberg Senior TV EditorWill Packer, the producer of this year’s Oscars telecast on ABC, is expected to speak about the controversy at the event that involved actor Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock, in an appearance on Friday morning’s broadcast of “Good Morning America,” according to two people familiar with the matter.The interview may be one of the first public eyewitness accounts from one of the executives in charge of the Oscars broadcast.The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has launched a formal review following Smith’s assault on Rock at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony. Conflicting accounts have emerged, with the Academy claiming it asked Smith to leave Sunday’s Oscars ceremony after hitting Rock, who had made a joke about the appearance of Jada Pinkett Smith.

George Lopez is the latest celerity to speak out following the controversy at the 94th Academy Awards, letting the world know who he’s siding with in the situation. As the comedian attended the grand opening of the Immersive Frida Kahlo exhibit in support of Global Gift Foundation USA on Wednesday, March 30, Lopez expressed his support for Chris Rock after he was slapped onstage by Will Smith.

In the Oscar travesty last weekend, Chris Rock felt the sting of a slap on global TV, Will Smith watched his stellar reputation marred by a lack of self control, and the Academy Awards suffered the shame of doing nothing about it and now catching up with the threat of banishment. But tonight proved there was at least one winner: ticket scalpers, who landed upwards of $1000 for balcony seats. A lot of them seemed to be bought and paid for by journalistic outlets, and the joke was on many of us: security locked down our phones, and pulled us out for scribbling in notebooks or texting from an Apple watch. Where was this crew when Will Smith declined the Academy’s request he leave the premises after assaulting Rock minutes before being awarded the Best Actor Oscar?

Chris Rock is back onstage and back to telling jokes after getting slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars on Sunday. Rock performed two shows at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston on Wednesday night to a sold-out crowd.

Chris Rock is back onstage and back to telling jokes after getting slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars on Sunday. Rock performed two shows at the Wilbur Theatre in Boston on Wednesday night to a sold-out crowd. Rock was met with a standing ovation once he entered the stage.

Amy Schumer is asking Kirsten Dunst’s fans to calm down about what was clearly a scripted comedy bit during Sunday night’s Oscars.

You may want to avoid anything on Twitter dealing with Will Smith or Chris Rock over the next 24 hours. Or maybe the entire week.

As if the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences didn’t have enough embarrassment tonight over Will Smith’s clobbering of Chris Rock, craftsman and filmmakers provided a postmortem backstage on the pre-show that saw eight categories relegated to a taping outside the live telecast.

Prince William is taking a minute to reflect following his and wife Kate Middleton's controversial royal tour of the Caribbean. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge visited Belize, Jamaica, and the Bahamas over their eight-day tour in honor of Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee year. While there, the couple was met with protests and calls for independence from the British royal family. On Sunday, after returning from the last leg of the trip, William, the second in line to the British throne, issued a rare statement acknowledging the backlash and the royal family's thoughts on the future of the Commonwealth. «Foreign tours are an opportunity to reflect.

the riskiest Oscars ever. Can we talk about a different side of the event?  Can we acknowledge the sheer variety of the films that are competing for Best Picture? There’s “Belfast,” a gentle memory piece from Kenneth Branagh that moved me more than anything else I saw in 2021. “CODA,” in which what could be a predictable feel-good story gains resonance in the way it places a deaf family at the center of the story.

Disney is set to welcome the Wall Street crowd to Orlando for two days next week at annual event that’s still a go, even after a corporate retreat was nixed amid swirling headlines.

Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas celebrated the 30th anniversary of "Basic Instinct" on social media. The two stars shared tributes to the film on their personal Instagram accounts.

Kathy Griffin is sharing her thoughts on the controversy surrounding Dave Chappelle.

After coming under fire for its handling of the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, Pixar is restoring a cut scene from its upcoming film “Lightyear”.

Pixar is finally making its return to the big screen after the last three original animated films — “Soul,” “Luca,” and the Toronto-set “Turning Red” — were dumped on Disney+ instead of at least landing hybrid releases like Walt Disney Animation Studios’ “Encanto” and “Raya & The Last Dragon.” This summer will see “Toy Story” action figure Buzz Lightyear get his own solo spinoff, except with “Lightyear,” we’re seeing the character, not the toy.

Kathy Griffin spoke candidly about her suicide attempt in a new interview with the New York Times’ “Sway” podcast.

“It’s really trying to bring the show together, to keep the show moving, so that people are entertained.”

As “The Power of the Dog” continues to earn a ton of awards as it marches its way to what seems to be some more trophies at the Oscars, the discussion surrounding the film has less to do with the content of the feature and more to do with comments made by people surrounding the film. First, we saw Sam Elliott make ridiculous comments about the film and its view on Westerns.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaWhen Christopher Nolan was shopping for a studio for “Oppenheimer,” his look at the creation of the atomic bomb, Donna Langley sprang into action. The Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman believes that Nolan, along with Steven Spielberg and Jordan Peele, is one of the few filmmakers whose name above the title demands that audience will pay attention.

In the first five minutes of his conversation with Universal Film Entertainment Group Chairman Donna Langley today at SXSW, CNN’s Frank Pallotta got to the aorta of what anyone in Hollywood wants to know from the studio boss: what’s the situation on theatrical-day-and-date, the state of moviegoing and whether the pandemic truly messed the business up.

Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 42, recently seemed to try and relax while getting some fresh air on the balcony of his apartment in Malibu, CA, just days after he admitted that his Dancing With the Stars fame helped him to flee Ukraine after Russia’s invasion. The ballroom dance champion was photographed looking at his phone while wearing a white T-shirt and black shorts as he looked up at cameras for a moment during the outing. He also wore white wireless ear buds and appeared to be either listening to something on his phone or chatting with someone.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is facing even more trouble.

When Prince William spoke out about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine during a recent public appearance, his comments were the subject of controversy. However, he was apparently misquoted by several media outlets in attendance.

Prince William is being quoted as having said two very different things with regard to the war in Ukraine right now, and it has caused a massive controversy.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSpotify has suspended premium service in Russia after the country launched its war on Ukraine — a move that the audio streaming powerhouse expects to result in a loss of about 1.5 million paying customers in the first quarter of 2022.That’s according to Spotify CFO Paul Vogel, who spoke at Morgan Stanley’s 2022 Technology, Media and Telecom Conference on Wednesday. According to a Spotify spokesperson, the loss of its business in Russia is not material: The country represents less than 1% of total revenue.Vogel also alluded to the recent controversy over podcaster Joe Rogan, which has spurred calls to boycott the streamer (but Vogel didn’t identify Rogan by name).Prior to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to Vogel, Spotify was trending ahead of its Q1 guidance of adding a net 8 million total users, including 3 million paying customers.

Is Abishek “Shake” Chatterjee finally seeing the error of his ways? Or is love still a little “blurry” for the vet?

Ashley Hume Producer Stacey Sher, her daughter Maggie Brown and Ashley Greene hosted a benefit for The Pad Project at Veronica Beard’s West Hollywood store on Tuesday night.Held in honor of International Women’s Day, attendees of the event were invited to shop at the luxury boutique, which donated 10% of the profits to The Pad Project and its international programs.Launched in 2013 by a group of students and educators at the Oakwood School in Los Angeles, The Pad Project has evolved from a documentary project following the efforts of a small village in India to destigmatize the conversation around menstruation, into an organization that works to end period poverty around the world.Executive-produced by Scher and co-produced by Brown, the documentary short “Period. End of Sentence” won best documentary short at the 2019 Academy Awards.

Abishek «Shake» Chatterjee finally seeing the error of his ways? Or is love still a little «blurry» for the vet? The controversial contestant made headlines last week when the Netflix dating show's reunion episode dropped, featuring an unapologetic Shake alienating himself from his ex, Deepti Vempati, as well as the rest of the show's cast and co-hosts Nick and Vanessa Lachey. He interrupted his co-stars multiple times, claimed to «stand by» his decision to ask women about their size and exercise habits in the pods, and noted that the only woman in the room he was attracted to was Vanessa. A source previously told ET of the reunion, «What you're seeing in the reunion is a watered-down version. Shake wouldn't stop.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefChinese streaming video platform iQiyi has announced plans to raise $285 million from a private placing of shares, part of which will be taken up by parent company Baidu.The move comes in the same week that the NASDAQ-listed company said it was suspending its weekend live broadcasts of English Premier League football (soccer) due to the sport’s public displays of solidarity with Ukraine.iQiyi is understood to have informed the Premier League that it would be removing the coverage following the league’s announcement that a “moment of reflection and solidarity” would be held before matches at the weekend. Several teams also displayed armbands in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Big Bang’s T.O.P has spoken up about the aftermath of his marijuana case publicly for the first time.In 2017, the rapper was charged with marijuana use by the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. He was later found guilty and received a 10-month jail sentence, with a two-year probation. At the time of the controversy, he was serving his mandatory military service as a conscripted police officer.In a recent interview with Prestige Hong Kong, T.O.P described the incident as the “worst moment” of his life and how it took a toll on his mental health.

Morgan Wallen won Album Of The Year at last night’s Academy of Country Music Awards (March 7) a year after he was suspended by his record label for using a racial slur.Wallen sparked controversy back in February 2021 after footage of him yelling a racial slur outside his home in Nashville surfaced. After issuing an apology, he was subsequently dropped by a number of radio stations and temporarily suspended from his label, Big Loud.Wallen was also barred from attending and being nominated at last year’s ACM Awards, while he was banned from attending November’s CMA Awards despite being nominated.Despite this, sales of Wallen’s album ‘Dangerous’ surged in the US and he maintained the Number One spot on the Billboard 200 Albums Chart in the US for a record-breaking 10 weeks.Wallen’s January 2021-released ‘Dangerous: The Double Album’, which was released via Big Loud and Republic Records, won Album Of The Year at last night’s ceremony at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.And ACM Album of the Year goes to… Dangerous: The Double Album by @MorganWallen! #ACMawards pic.twitter.com/4AcbMY0Zyf— ACM Awards (@ACMawards) March 8, 2022Wallen did not address the racism controversy directly during his acceptance speech at the ACM Awards, but he did thank those who had “shown me grace along the way”.While Wallen’s victory in the category was celebrated by his fans, the ACM Awards was also criticised online for their decision to award the singer with the honour.

Morgan Wallen won big at the Academy of Country Music Awards Monday night. The 28-year-old singer took home the Album of the Year Award for, one year after his major controversy.Wallen, who was nominated for four ACM awards Monday, was banned from the academy's 2021 show after he was caught on camera using a racial slur.

Red carpet ready. Morgan Wallen returned to the 2022 ACM Awards after previously being barred from attending in the wake of his N-word scandal.

Water under the bridge? Kanye West sparked speculation that he is on better terms with Larsa Pippen after the rapper showed his support for Kim Kardashian‘s former friend — and fans have questions.