Motown singer dies

Spanish-born fashion designer Paco Rabanne , who was best known for his metallic space-age outfits, has died in France at the age of 88 years old. The self-taught designer broke into the Parisian Haute Couture scene in the early 1960s with a collection composed of 12 unwearable experimental metallic dresses. His designs soon became favorites with stars and models of the time such as France’s Anouk Aimée, Françoise Hardy, Brigitte Bardot and the U.K.’s Twiggy. He soon connected with the cinema world, designing the iconic costumes for Jane Fonda in Roger Vadim’s 1968 cult film Barbarella , which are still on display in MoMA in New York. Other cinema credits included Roberto Enrico’s The Last Adventure and Joël Le Moigné’s Les Ponyettes . Rabanne retired in 1999 but his mothballed label was revived by Spanish company Puig in 2011, which has relaunched it as a fashion house and fragrance business that it now controls. … [Read more...] about Paco Rabanne Dies: Spanish ‘Barbarella” Fashion Designer Was 88

Melinda Dillon , a two-time Oscar nominee for Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Absence of Malice who also played Ralphie’s mom in A Christmas Story , has died. She was 83. Her family said she died January 9 in Los Angeles but did not give other details. Dillon probably is best known for playing a mother whose young son is abducted by the aliens in Steven Spielberg’s 1977 epic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. She and Roy (Richard Dreyfuss) inexplicably are drawn to Devils Tower in Wyoming as they struggle to make sense of what has happened to them. She earned a Supporting Actress Oscar nom for the role. She also played the mother of the young lead Ralphie (Peter Billingsley) in the 1983 holiday classic A Christmas Story , memorably warning the boy who wants a BB rifle that, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” Dillon would earn a second Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination for 1981’s Absence of Malice, playing a close friend of Paul Newman’s … [Read more...] about Melinda Dillon Dies: ‘Close Encounters’, ‘A Christmas Story’ & ‘Absence Of Malice’ Actress Was 83

George R. Robertson , who played Chief Hurst (later Commissioner) in the first six Police Academy films during a half-century screen career, has died. He was 89. His family said he died January 29 at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto but did not give other details. Robertson had been working in TV and films for nearly 15 years when he was cast as the strict but fair Chief Henry Hurst in Police Academy , the 1984 cop farce starring Steve Guttenberg. The film was a left-field hit and went on to spawn a franchise that spanned seven films during the next decade, including one a year through 1989. He appeared in the first six but not the Moscow-set final one in 1994. The movies followed the antics of a group of misfit police recruits who are assembled after their city’s newly elected female mayor announced that the department must take on anyone who applies. Co-stars included Kim Cattrall, Bubba Smith, Debralee Scott and Michael Winslow. Born on April 20, … [Read more...] about George R. Robertson Dies: ‘Police Academy’s Chief Hurst Was 89

TMZ.com Panic! at the Disco frontman Brendon Urie has a few ideas about how to hook up with his man crush, Ryan Gosling -- but he also has a plan B ... and C. We got Brendon at LAX and asked him about his recent admission that he's attracted to Gosling. He told a radio interviewer he's down to get with anyone as long as there's a connection and good convo. Brendon -- who is married to a woman -- told us how he's trying to make the Gosling thing happen, and revealed a couple of other famous guys on his hit list. One of the names escaped him, but we're pretty sure he was referring to a certain superhero . … [Read more...] about Panic! At The Disco Singer On Making Out with Ryan Gosling and Other Famous Guys

A Pinellas County, Florida medical examiner’s report indicates that Fame star Irene Cara ’s official cause of death was Arteriosclerotic and Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease. In layperson’s terms, she had a hardening of the arteries and stress on her heart as a result of high blood pressure. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The report, received by Deadline, also noted Cara was diabetic. The Oscar-winning singer who died at 63 was best known for the Flashdance theme “What A Feeling” and for playing Coco in Fame and singing that film’s unforgettable title song. Cara got her Oscar for Best Original Song for the Flashdance tune “What A Feeling,” and also won two Grammys for the lively chart topper that perfectly captured the underdog journey of the welder-turned-dancer played by Jennifer Beals. Her Grammy wins included Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female and Best Album Of Original Score Written For A Motion Picture Or A … [Read more...] about Irene Cara’s Cause Of Death Revealed By Medical Examiner

Mafia Mamma and Knives Ou t star Toni Collette and Odessa Young ( The Staircase, Mothering Sunday, Shirley ) have signed to co-star in writer and director Nathan Silver’s twisted revenge thriller The Prima Donna . Collette and Young previously worked together on HBO’s award-winning series The Staircase . The drama revolves around dysfunctional family dynamics, the dangers of ambition, and the lengths we will go to make our mark on the world. Set in contemporary Rome, Collette will play a legendary opera diva who is about to step into the role of a lifetime just as her estranged daughter (Young) shows up at her doorstep, right out of rehab. An aspiring opera singer herself, the daughter summons up the courage to ask to be her mother’s understudy.  When her mother callously dismisses the suggestion, she snaps and starts mulling the ultimate revenge, igniting a cut-throat battle of wills. Silver, whose previous credits include Thirst Street, Uncertain … [Read more...] about Toni Collette & Odessa Young Reunite On Nathan Silver’s Revenge Thriller ‘The Prima Donna’; Cornerstone Launching At The EFM

Paramount has just dated the Ridley Scott directed follow-up for Nov. 22, 2024. Aftersun Oscar nominated Best Actor Paul Mescal is in talks to be in the film, as Deadline first told you. Scott produces with Michael Pruss, Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher off David Scarpa’s screenplay. As Justin Kroll first reported, Mescal isn’t replacing Russell Crowe’s Maximus from the first film, who died. He’s playing Lucius, the son of Lucilla ( Connie Nielsen ), who now is a grown man as the story takes place years after the first film ended. Lucius also was the nephew of Commodus ( Joaquin Phoenix ), the son of Roman leader Marcus Aurelius, who murdered his father seized the throne. Commodus wound up in the gladiator ring with Maximus — who, though mortally wounded, skewered the emperor before fading into the great beyond to reunite with his slain wife and son. Maximus saved the boy and his mother while avenging his own family, and left a strong impression on the young Lucius. … [Read more...] about ‘Gladiator 2′ Gets Pre-Thanksgiving 2024 Release

UPDATE 10:58 AM PT -- Brittany Furlan tells us she made the TikTok as a joke, and deleted it because she felt it was going to be twisted. She says she's been faced with a barrage of attacks online from people expressing how much they wanted Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee to get back together -- and wanted to make a joke about it -- hoping it would make people laugh. Before she posted she showed it to Tommy who thought it was funny. UPDATE She also wanted to clarify that she is not annoyed with Pamela. Brittany has had a ton of family and friends reach out her to see if she is ok because they felt the documentary made it very clear that Pam is still very much in love with Tommy. She wishes it was a little less of a love letter to her husband, but gets that Pam is entitled to feel how she feels and she understands. Tommy Lee's wife apparently doesn't think Pamela Anderson gives a damn about her, despite what Pam's said publicly, suggesting Pam doesn't care … [Read more...] about Tommy Lee’s Wife Brittany Furlan Makes Pamela Anderson Joke on TikTok

It has been said that success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan. Evidently, Congressman George Santos didn’t understand the memo. He once claimed he was a producer on the troubled Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark Broadway musical, which was notorious for its many troubles and is considered one of Broadway’s biggest flops. Bloomberg is reporting that Santos claimed his affiliation in 2021 while speaking with potential donors in his run for Congress. The claim was shot down by the show’s lead producer Michael Cohl, who claimed that Santos was never a part of the show, and that his name never appeared in the playbills for it. The revelation is just the latest fantasy spun by Santos, whose long list of fabulist tales encompasses his alleged education, job history, sexuality, and claims that his mom died on 9/11. Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark ran from 2011 to 2014 on Broadway, and had a long delay in opening and several injuries to actors doing stunts. … [Read more...] about George Santos Again Spinning A Tangled Web On His Claimed Role In Broadway’s ‘Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark’

With negotiations for a new of SAG-AFTRA film and TV contract set to begin Monday, all signs are pointing to weeks of intense bargaining — followed by a new deal with significant gains and no rollbacks that will be resoundingly ratified by the union’s members. In other words, no actors strike this year; you can bank on it. The upcoming negotiations will be the union’s first film and TV contract talks since SAG and AFTRA merged in 2012 , but they’ve been jointly negotiating their film and TV pacts since 1981, so in a sense it’s like a couple that’s been living together for 33 years and finally getting married. So don’t expect any big changes in the talks to replace the current contract which expires June 30. Related: WGA Members Approve New Contract DGA Board Approves New Contract With Producers The DGA and the WGA both negotiated new contracts earlier this year, and those deals — both of which were overwhelmingly approved by their members — will set the … [Read more...] about SAG-AFTRA Talks Start Monday: What To Expect