"He had a fantastic sense of humor," the Emmy-nominated star tells THR. "I've seen that in some of the newsreel footage where he could get journalists laughing at the drop of a hat." Twenty years ago, Apple used a now-iconic photo of Albert Einstein -- along with Bob Dylan, Martin Luther King Jr. and Alfred Hitchcock, among others -- for its "Think Different" campaign. But when Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush signed on to play the famed figure in the first season of the Nat Geo drama Genius, Rush knew he wanted to go beyond and show a, well, different side of Einstein. "[We were] hopefully trying to humanize that face that we sort of know from t-shirts or Apple billboards or something but that almost nobody apart from Walter Isaacson, who had written the book, knew," Rush tells The Hollywood Reporter. "He was a man who wept, he was a man who laughed. He had a fantastic sense of humor, I've seen that in some of the newsreel footage where he could get journalists laughing at the drop of … [Read more...] about Geoffrey Rush Talks Showing Albert Einstein’s Lighter Side in ‘Genius’
ENTERTAINMENT
David E. Kelley Talks ‘Mr. Mercedes’, Amazon “Growing Pains” and ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 2
David E. Kelley has already earned praise (and an Emmy nomination) this year for his work adapting Liane Moriaty's Big Little Lies into the acclaimed HBO limited series of the same name. However, for his next act, the veteran TV writer is trying his hand, and his pen, at a genre he's never explored before: horror, with the adaptation of Stephen King's award-winning 2014 novel Mr. Mercedes. The 10-episode drama follows a demented killer (Penny Dreadful's Harry Treadaway) who taunts a retired police detective (Brendan Gleeson) with a series of lurid letters and emails, forcing the ex-cop to undertake a private, and potentially felonious, crusade to bring the killer to justice before he is able to strike again. It's just the latest surprise turn for the 10-time Emmy winner who broke through in the '90s writing acclaimed broadcast legal dramas like The Practice, Ally McBeal and L.A. Law, among others. In addition to Big Little Lies, Kelley also co-created the 2016 Amazon drama Goliath, the … [Read more...] about David E. Kelley Talks ‘Mr. Mercedes’, Amazon “Growing Pains” and ‘Big Little Lies’ Season 2
Gabriel Mann Joins USA Network Period Drama ‘Damnation’ (Exclusive)
Gabriel Mann has booked his next TV role. The Revenge grad has joined USA Network's forthcoming drama Damnation in a recurring role, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Described as "an epic saga of the secret history of the 1930s American heartland," Damnation centers on the struggle between big money and the downtrodden, God and greed, and charlatans and prophets during the Depression. The project centers on Seth Davenport (Ripper Street's Killian Scott), a man pretending to be a small-town Iowa preacher in the hopes of starting a full-blown insurrection against the status quo. Focused on his mission, he is unaware that an industrialist tycoon has hired a professional strikebreaker named Creeley Turner (Quarry's Logan Marshall-Green) to stop the uprising by whatever means necessary. Unbeknownst to those around them, these two men already share a secret bloody past. Mann will play Martin Eggers Hyde, a refined, witty, extremely well-educated and well-spoken … [Read more...] about Gabriel Mann Joins USA Network Period Drama ‘Damnation’ (Exclusive)
The Name Caitlyn Plummeted in Popularity More Than Any Other Name Last Year
The graduating class of 2034 isn't going to have a lot of Caitlyns, Caitlins, Katelynns, or Kaitlynns in it. According to a report from the Associated Press, in the year after Caitlyn Jenner introduced herself to the world, the name she chose plummeted in popularity more than any other. Of course, while it's easy to see a correlation here, it's not necessarily the entire cause for the drop. Laura Wattenberg, founder of BabynameWizard.com told the AP that the name had already been declining in popularity. When Jenner took the name, however, she says it became "controversial" and that the drop was "inevitable." Wattenberg also noted that parents choosing not to name their children Caitlyn generally probably doesn't have to do with her being transgender. People just tend to not give their children names that have even a chance of causing controversy. She noted that "Even parents who are huge Donald Trump supporters are unlikely to name their child Donald," a name which dropped 45% in … [Read more...] about The Name Caitlyn Plummeted in Popularity More Than Any Other Name Last Year
MSNBC Contributor: The Administration in Veep Was Far More Competent Than President Trumps
Julia Louis-Dreyfus has described Veep as a show that used to be a satire but now feels more like a "somber documentary." Apparently, she's not the only one who feels that way. This morning on MSNBC, Chris Jansing discussed President Donald Trump's recent firing of FBI Director James Comey with columnist Mike Lupica and Republican strategist Evan Siegfried. Lupica said that "the message that was sent by firing Comey this way is that everybody there is vulnerable. There's no question that he was trying to, if not hamper the investigation to at least put a slowdown on it." Siegfried said, "Normally I'm the one to accuse Democrats of overstating just about anything. This one, they're proving that they're not always wrong." He added "Not only was it inappropriate, it was rude." When talking about who might be the permanent replacement for Comey, Lupica said, "You have a right to ask yourself: Who takes this job now? Who takes this job under these circumstances? Because they just saw James … [Read more...] about MSNBC Contributor: The Administration in Veep Was Far More Competent Than President Trumps
Rappers Massive Social Media Gaffe Inspires Hilarious #BowWowChallenge Trend
As much as some of you may not like it, we have to talk about the rapper Bow Wow. Once we get through the backstory, we can laugh at the truly great jokes Twitter is serving up about him. So, the last time you heard anything about Bow Wow, it was likely when he had threatened to pimp out Melania Trump. People were so mad about that, but now, everyone is just laughing at him. Why? Well, a few days ago, he posted this… …and then a stranger on Twitter posted this: Lmfaooooo who's mans is this @smoss?! pic.twitter.com/MHDvIcMppG - Osama Bin Drinkin'? (@Al_Khee) May 9, 2017 Oh, dear. You see the problem. Bow Wow posted an Instagram of a private jet… then got caught on a commercial flight. To be clear, there's nothing wrong with a commercial flight! The man got caught in a lie, which is the reason all of this is so funny. Twitter users made quick work of devising a #BowWowChallenge to make their equally regular lives look equally glamorous. About to ride out #bowwowchallenge … [Read more...] about Rappers Massive Social Media Gaffe Inspires Hilarious #BowWowChallenge Trend
Chris Pratts Parks and Recreation Character is Ready to Replace James Comey
Just lemme know pic.twitter.com/KQEqH8aGrX - chris pratt (@prattprattpratt) May 10, 2017 Fans agree: @prattprattpratt This summer, Burt Macklin teams up with Michael Scarn in the hotly anticipated sequel to Threat Level Midnight; Threat Level Twelve o'Two ? pic.twitter.com/O6CcNftuna - Bear Parker (@Bearskopff) May 10, 2017 @prattprattpratt pic.twitter.com/suscztKZv7 - ?Sara Jetlag ? (@SaraJetlag) May 10, 2017 @prattprattpratt When america needed him the most. He vanished pic.twitter.com/FI4UQpJdNy - Thomas Wilkins (@Thomas_445) May 10, 2017 @prattprattpratt HAHAHA YES! We need Burt Macklin. He can save us all! pic.twitter.com/NOhxaekE4F - Rachel Wilson (@RachelWilson94_) May 10, 2017 @prattprattpratt pic.twitter.com/OfUhQdb7US - ?davina|SPOILERS? (@LadyALover95) May 10, 2017 And it's not like the FBI doesn't know who he is: Your ways were unconventional, but you'll be missed Macklin. #ParksFarewell To learn about a real FBI career, visit http://t.co/HIYV9b74KC. - FBI … [Read more...] about Chris Pratts Parks and Recreation Character is Ready to Replace James Comey
Its a Real Possibility: Dwayne Johnson Might Actually Run for President
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has toyed with the idea of running for President for some time now. According to a recent piece in GQ, he definitely still has it on his mind. When asked if he is still considering a White House run, he said, "I think that it's a real possibility. He's already got some ideas about how he'd govern…and how he wouldn't. On how President Donald Trump is doing so far, Johnson said "Mmm… With any job you come into, you've got to prove yourself." He added, "Personally, I feel that if I were president, poise would be important. Leadership would be important. Taking responsibility for everybody. [If I didn't agree with someone] on something, I wouldn't shut them out. I would actually include them." When asked what he would like, he told the magazine, "I'd like to see a better leadership. I'd like to see a greater leadership. When there's a disagreement, and you have a large group of people that you're in a disagreement with-for example, the media-I feel … [Read more...] about Its a Real Possibility: Dwayne Johnson Might Actually Run for President
Hosting a CNN Roast Isnt Helping Your Cause: The Daily Show Mocks Jake Tapper
On last night's Daily Show, senior media analyst Hasan Minhaj called out the media for being too snarky when talking about President Donald Trump. "Media, Trump is out to get you, and he accuses you of being biased," Minhaj began. "And we all want to be on your side but you give him too much ammunition." "You guys know what snark is, right? It's like sarcasm for people with masters degrees. And snark is driving a wedge between the media and its claim of objectivity," he continued. "The news is best when it's serious," Minhaj said. "Take Jake Tapper. You guys know Jake Tapper, right? Right? My main man JT is CNN's diversity hire, because he's the only guy who's not a silver fox on CNN. This guy knows how to be serious. Just look at him stand up to the wicked witch of the wild West Wing, Kellyanne Conway." He then pointed to a discussion from December of last year during which Tapper pressed Conway on whether Trump's use of Twitter was Presidential behavior, and continued to press her, … [Read more...] about Hosting a CNN Roast Isnt Helping Your Cause: The Daily Show Mocks Jake Tapper
Oops! Stephen Colbert Chides Audience After They Applaud Comey Firing
Well, that was a little awkward. At the beginning of his opening monologue during last night's broadcast of The Late Show, host Stephen Colbert informed his audience of the shocking news that FBI Director James Comey had been fired by President Donald Trump. (Apparently, the story had broken just minutes ahead of the taping.) Colbert seemed taken aback when upon the announcement of the bombshell, his audience broke out into applause, likely believing this was something of a setback for the Trump administration. (It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Colbert's core audience is largely anti-Trump.) Noticing the confusing reaction from the crowd, Colbert immediately joked about it. "Oh well, huge, huge Donald Trump fans here tonight," the late-night host said. Colbert would then go on to continue with the rest of his set, which included some snipes at Trump for firing the man who many Democrats have blamed - including Hillary Clinton herself - for costing Clinton the election in November. … [Read more...] about Oops! Stephen Colbert Chides Audience After They Applaud Comey Firing
Orange Is The New Black Star Calls Out Ageism, Sexism in Hollywood in Twitter Rant
Actress Jamie Denbo, best known for her work on Orange Is The New Black, in films including The Heat, and her hilarious podcast/show Ronna and Beverly is 43 years old. Apparently, in Hollywood that makes her too old to play the wife of a 57-year-old. For the record, Denbo is on the left in this photo: Denbo took to Twitter recently after she was apparently passed over for a role that would require her to realistically be "married" to an actor 14 years her senior to call out the ageism and sexism in Hollywood: I was just informed that at the age of 43, I am TOO OLD to play the wife of a 57 year old. - Jamie Denbo (@jamiedenbo) May 4, 2017 Oh, the characters also have an 18 year-old daughter. I am TOO OLD to be the mother of an 18 year-old. - Jamie Denbo (@jamiedenbo) May 4, 2017 Apparently, the actors age limit was 38. This is a FIRST marriage, btw. Not a re-wife. Which would make a little more sense. - Jamie Denbo (@jamiedenbo) May 4, 2017 When asked to name names, she said she … [Read more...] about Orange Is The New Black Star Calls Out Ageism, Sexism in Hollywood in Twitter Rant
MTV is Doing Away with Gendered Awards Because … Nothing Makes Sense Anymore
MTV not only rebooted its annual MTV Movie Awards by adding TV awards this year, but took the supposedly progressive move of eliminating male and female as separate categories from its best acting awards in movies and TV. This year, those who participated in the voting for the awards chose two British actresses - Emma Watson for her lead role in "Beauty and the Beast," and teenager Millie Bobby Brown for her acting in the Netflix series "Stranger Things." "Acting is about the ability to put yourself in someone else's shoes and that doesn't need to be separated into two different categories," Watson said after accepting the best acting award for movies. The irony, of course, is despite Disney's "updating" of Belle for the live-action adaptation, Watson's character falls into an archetype that is quite traditional - a damsel in distress who ultimately has a fairy-tale ending. Fans picked Watson from a calculatedly diverse group that included two white men (Hugh Jackman in "Logan" … [Read more...] about MTV is Doing Away with Gendered Awards Because … Nothing Makes Sense Anymore
Lena Dunham Slams US Weekly for Using Her Image to Promote Diet Tips
On a recent cover, it says "20 Slimdown Diet Tips Stars are Using" next to a picture of her. In case you didn't already know, the Girls creator and star does not care what you think about her body. Apparently, this magazine needed another reminder, so Dunham obliged, and created her own set of 20 tips. The first of these tips is "anxiety disorder," the second is "resultant constant nausea," and the rest of the list continues on in the same manner with tips such as "baseless but still harrowing threats to physical safety online and through snail mail" and "watching institutions you love from Planned Parenthood to PBS be threatened by cartoon mustache-twirling villains." Tip 19 is "um, who the fuck cares?" and in the 20th tip, she provides a message: "I have no tips I give no tips I don't want to be on this cover cuz it's diametrically opposed to everything I've fought my whole career for and it's not a compliment to me because it's not an achievement thanx." [featured image via DFree / … [Read more...] about Lena Dunham Slams US Weekly for Using Her Image to Promote Diet Tips
You Fu*ked Up! Watch John Oliver Slam House GOP After Health Care Vote
John Oliver used the latest episode of Last Week Tonight to slam House Republicans for repealing Obamacare and voting to replace it with a new law that several of them admitted they had not even read. "Multiple members of Congress admitted they did't read the whole thing," said Oliver, - which of course is not news to regular Mediaite readers. "I turned through every page," said Congressman Mark Sanford lamely on CNN. "You turned through every page? That's not how you read a bill, that how you check a bill for spiders," Oliver bellowed in disbelief. The late night host then went into an explanation about how the cost of pre-existing conditions could skyrocket because it would allow insurers to jack rates if individuals suffered coverage lapses for any reason. New York Representative and ardent Trump fan Chris Collins even asked an interviewer to "explain that" to him, something Oliver was happy to do. "I can explain that to you right now. This bill could cause many of your constituents … [Read more...] about You Fu*ked Up! Watch John Oliver Slam House GOP After Health Care Vote
Sesame Street Considering Bringing Elmo and Co. To Refugee Kids
First it was their new autistic character who made a massive amount of headlines last March and now it's a program in the works specifically for refugee kids. Out of the 65 million people displaced around the world, about half are children. According to NPR, Sesame Street and the International Rescue Committee are chatting with relief organizations, trauma experts, academics, and more to make sure that anything they put out for refugee children is done just right. (That tracks, too. During an appearance on The View a few weeks ago, Vice President of Global Impact and Philanthropy Sherrie Westin showed just how much research went into getting the first autistic character right.) The content will be available on a variety of platforms and is designed to "bolster children's resiliency" while working on more standard Sesame Street skills like math and reading as well as emotional intelligence. Next week, something like a focus group will take place when a team from Sesame Workshop heads to … [Read more...] about Sesame Street Considering Bringing Elmo and Co. To Refugee Kids
Maher on Macron Hacking Attack: Very Hard to Slander a Guy Who Married His Mom
It was reported yesterday that the campaign of French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron was the victim of a massive hacking attack. A large trove of emails was dumped online less than two days before France goes to the polls to choose its next president. Unsurprisingly, most of the fingers are being pointed at Russia as being behind the attack. During last night's Overtime segment of Real Time with Bill Maher, host Bill Maher brought up the hacking while also noting that Macron may not be as prone to scandal due to his own personal history. 'Macron has a, shall we say, different personal background than most politicians to begin with," the comedian stated. "It's very hard to slander a guy who married his mom." After some uncomfortable laughter from the panel and audience, Maher pointed out that Macron met his wife, Brigitte Trogneux, when he was 15 and she was his high-school drama teacher. The French presidential frontrunner would eventually marry her in 2007 when he was 29 and … [Read more...] about Maher on Macron Hacking Attack: Very Hard to Slander a Guy Who Married His Mom
Against Everything That I Stand For: Ellen Explains Why She Wont Have Trump on Her Show
Ellen DeGeneres has hosted a successful talk show since 2003, but even if she runs out of guests, there's one person who won't be appearing anytime soon: President Donald Trump. During a recent sit-down with Matt Lauer, which aired on NBC's Today this morning, she said that she has no plans to interview him. When Lauer asked whether she knows Trump, DeGeneres said that she met him when he was doing Celebrity Apprentice. "We went out there and we filmed something with him," she said. "I flew in his helicopter and did a bit with him. And so I knew him then. I have not spoken to him since he's run for President or become President." Asked about whether she'd want to have him on the show, she gave a simple "no," to applause from the audience. Lauer asked her why, and she said, "Because I'm not gonna change his mind. He's against everything that I stand for. We need to look at someone else who looks different than us, and believes in something that we don't believe in and still accept them … [Read more...] about Against Everything That I Stand For: Ellen Explains Why She Wont Have Trump on Her Show
Hanson Performed MMMBop to Celebrate 25 Year Anniversary and Its as Epic as You Remember
ABC Breaking News | Latest News Videos There are things in life that remind us precisely how old we are, which is old AF. In this case, that thing is Hanson performing "MMMBop" 20 years after the song came out to celebrate their 25th anniversary as a band. That's right. "MMMBop" came out 20 years ago, Isaac, Taylor, and Zac Hanson are now full-blown adults (all three are fathers now), and we're…old. This morning, Hanson appeared on Good Morning America and threw it back to 1992 when the group formed. They played their hit that shot to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 list in 1996 on their first album, "Middle of Nowhere." The entire GMA crew and audience got super into it and we will shamelessly admit that during the creation of this post, there was a lot of bopping as well. Hanson has a greatest hits album coming out September 8th of this year and are going on a world tour called the "Middle of Everywhere 25th Anniversary Tour" that kicks off in June. For reference, here's the … [Read more...] about Hanson Performed MMMBop to Celebrate 25 Year Anniversary and Its as Epic as You Remember
Hannity Claims Hes Withholding a Story on Chrissy Teigen Because Hes Being Very Nice
Last night, Chrissy Teigen unleashed a furious Twitter rant about President Donald Trump. The supermodel, who has made it clear over and over that she isn't a fan of the president, called on Trump to pay her medical bills at one point due to the "crippling anxiety" he's caused her recently. Well, during tonight's broadcast of Hannity, host Sean Hannity and his guest, Fox Business host Lou Dobbs, spent a bit of time mocking her for having a "snowflake meltdown." But it went beyond that. With Dobbs wondering aloud who Teigen was and what kind of mentality she had, Hannity hinted to his colleague that he had some dirt the 31-year-old model and her husband, musician John Legend. "I have a story," Hannity stated, "I'm going to be very nice tonight." He continued, "I met John Legend and her at a Super Bowl event. But there's a story that I'm going to keep to myself because I'm being very nice." And, once again, with emphasis, "I'm being VERY NICE!" So, does anyone know anything about this … [Read more...] about Hannity Claims Hes Withholding a Story on Chrissy Teigen Because Hes Being Very Nice
Some Genius Figured Out You Can Backspace on the iPhone Calculator and People are Freaking Out
If you frequently use the iPhone's calculator (guilty), you know how annoying it is when you accidentally type the wrong digit (every time), and you have to start everything over. We've got some good news for you. Make sure you're sitting down. You don't have to do that. Hero Jazz Johnson came upon an old Reddit thread where user sweetbabyapplepie revealed that you can actually just swipe either left or right, and the calculator will delete the most recent digit that's been typed. Johnson told Buzzfeed, "I have actually thrown my phone out of frustration when messing up a calculation," and that this discovery "changed [his] life." So, like the good person he is, he decided to share his discovery on Twitter. PSA: you can backspace on the iPhone calculator pic.twitter.com/sBJMlANDNJ - CENSORED dialogue (@censoredialogue) May 3, 2017 And, people cannot get over it: @RhisiartATRL @censoredialogue @KOLATRL pic.twitter.com/wqj3trrlf6 - F (@B1G_Frank) May 3, 2017 @B1G_Frank @RhisiartATRL … [Read more...] about Some Genius Figured Out You Can Backspace on the iPhone Calculator and People are Freaking Out
