WebProNews

Author: Val Powell

  • Stacey Dash Hates Black History Month, Gets Epic Shade From Gabrielle Union

    Stacey Dash is not yielding to the public’s criticism of her recent comments on BET and Black History Month. As a matter of fact, the actress-Fox contributor is steadfast in her opinions and believes that she deserves an apology from her detractors on social media.

    In a lengthy post that she wrote on Monday on the Patheos blog, Dash shut down her critics using pretty much one argument – that she and esteemed actor Morgan Freeman share the same views on race relations in America.

    Entitled “Twitter Haters, When Do I Get My Apology for Agreeing with Morgan Freeman about #BlackHistoryMonth?” the post further elaborated on the reason why black-oriented events and organizations need to be eliminated.

    “When I spoke out on Fox News and on my blog about the need to get rid of BET and Black History Month, all the same usual Twitter haters came out of the woodwork to troll me and say all sorts of disgusting things about me,” wrote the 49-year-old Clueless actress.

    “If you’re going to call me ignorant, stupid, and an Uncle Tom, you need to be intellectually honest and also call out Morgan Freeman,” she added.

    Stacey Dash References this Morgan Freeman Interview from 2006

    Freeman did suggest the removal of Black History Month back in 2006 during an interview on 60 Minutes. Stacey Dash included the said video in her blog post, and went on to say, “What’s that you say? You didn’t realize that Morgan Freeman agrees with me that having a Black History Month is actually racist and a part of the problem in healing race relations in America?”

    Fellow black actress Gabrielle Union recently joined the Stacey Dash discussion, and gave a perfectly shady response by feigning knowledge of who Dash is.

    The outspoken actress, who stars in the BET drama series Being Mary Jane, feigned knowledge of Dash’s celebrity and called her a “crazy lady.”

    “Who’s Stacey Dash? Is she like related to Dame Dash? Was she on Roc-A-Fella?” Union said. She also called explained the existence of the BET Awards, Country Music Awards, and the ALMA Awards and insisted that they are necessary in addressing the lack of diversity in mainstream awards.

    Gabrielle Union Addresses Stacey Dash Over BET Comment

  • Teresa Halbach Will Have Her Story Told In Book Written By Ex-Prosecutor

    Teresa Halbach was the victim of a gruesome murder, yet people don’t seem to know much about her story. Thanks to the Netflix docu-series Making a Murderer, people have more insight on the story of her alleged killer, Steven Avery. The prosecutor who handled her case has released a statement that he is going to write a book to tell Halbach’s side of the story.

    Former District Attorney Ken Kratz says he will honor Halbach’s memory in his book as he feels the victim’s story has not received the attention it deserves.

    In an interview with local Wisconsin news channel WBAY, Kratz said he is “grateful to tell the whole story” because “the one voice forgotten to this point is Teresa Halbach.”

    Kratz apparently wrote a letter to Avery’s camp in an attempt to get a confession out of their client but Avery’s legal representative Kathleen Zellner shared the alleged letter on Twitter, saying the ex-prosecutor wanted to profit from a tell-all confession.

    Avery served 18 years in prison after a wrongful conviction of rape. Two years since his release, he was charged with the death of Teresa Halbach, a 25-year-old photographer. Avery was convicted of first-degree intentional homicide as a result of her death. Scenes from Making a Murderer hinted on the possibility that the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s Department planted evidence to implicate Avery.

    But the question remains: Who really killed Teresa Halbach?

    Viewers of the docu-series came up with theories about how the young Halbach died. Some speculate that it was not Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey who committed the crime, but instead Brendan’s brother Bobby Dassey, and stepfather Scott Tadych.

    Other avid viewers claim she was killed by her ex-boyfriend Ryan Hillegas. Hillegas previously testified that he guessed Halbach’s password and hacked into her voicemail after she went missing. Some of the messages were deleted from Halbach’s phone after she disappeared.

    Some say one of Avery’s relatives could be the suspect as his brothers were previously charged with sexual assault. Teresa Halbach might have been a victim of serial killer Edward Wayne Edwards, who was known for framing other people for his crimes. Still, some firmly believe Avery was framed by police who neglected to investigate other suspects.

  • Zika Virus Threatens The U.S., Women Warned Not To Get Pregnant

    The tropical Zika virus is expecteded to spread in the U.S. and the Americas – with the exception of Canada and Chile – according to a statement released by the World Health Organization (WHO). Researchers have found out that the virus can cause brain damage in babies and paralysis in most adults.

    According to WHO reports, the virus has already reached 21 countries and territories since May last year and has been traced to the birth of babies with smaller brains in Brazil.

    As many as 1.3 million Brazilians were reportedly affected by the Zika virus. As of now, South American governments including Colombia and Brazil are warning women of the risks of conceiving in the midst of the outbreak. Authorities in El Salvador went as far as advising women to not get pregnant until 2018.

    There has been two known cases that suggest that Zika could be transmitted through sex. Although the number of cases in which the virus was found in a man’s semen has been few, scientists remain very worried about the health threats it poses on pregnant women and the population in general.

    According to WHO’s regional office – The Pan American Health Organization – the virus will possibly reach countries and territories where Aedes mosquitos are found. Canada is not on the list since the country is too cold for the mosquito that carries Zika virus to thrive.

    The organization also commented on the people’s lack of immunity against the virus: “The population of the Americas had not previously been exposed to Zika and therefore lacks immunity.”

    However, some epidemiologists feel Zika may have mutated. “This may be a new strain that’s traveling very quickly but we really don’t know,” Yale epidemiologist Albert Ko stated.

    PAHO have advised the public to take precautions against the Zika virus by frequently cleaning our surroundings, getting rid of places that serve as breeding ground of mosquitoes and use insect repellant to avoid mosquito bites.

  • US Immigration: Disney Allegedly Fires American Workers For Indian Replacements

    US Immigration: Disney Allegedly Fires American Workers For Indian Replacements

    US immigration policies have been placed under intense scrutiny all throughout the election campaign period, with mostly Republican candidates criticizing the influx of foreigners entering the country and the lack of regulations that prevent “bad” immigrants from inflicting harm to American citizens. But it’s not just terrorism that threatening native Americans – apparently even our jobs are at risk of being taken away from us in exchange for cheaper foreign labor.

    One of the biggest American corporations, Disney, is currently facing legal trouble because it allegedly “abused” the country’s H-1B visa system when it laid off 250 tech workers last year. Two of these former employees have filed federal lawsuits against Disney and two other companies, claiming that they were also forced to train their foreign replacements after the layoff.

    One of the plaintiffs is Leo Perrero, a former IT worker at the Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. According to Mr. Perrero, he was completely blindsided by the news that he had 90 days to vacate his desk because his replacement was being flown in from India to take his place.

    The second plaintiff is Dena Moore, who filed a separate, albeit similar complaint against her former employer. After having worked for the company for 10 years, she was also laid off and required to train the immigrant worker who replaced her. She then tried to get another position in Disney but failed even after applying for more than 150 jobs.

    Florida lawyer Sara Blackwell is representing the two employees, who included consulting firms HCL and Cognizant in their class-action lawsuits.

    According to Blackwell, Disney had committed perjury by claiming that no Americans would lose their jobs when they hired immigrant workers. Based on US immigration rules for H-1B visas, employers can hire foreigners provided that it “will not adversely affect the working conditions of U.S. workers similarly employed.”

    FAIR Reaches Out to Victims of Companies that Exploit the US Immigration System

    A new ad campaign produced by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR) features Mr. Perrero recounting the day he got laid off by Disney. FAIR president Dan Stein explained that the ad aims to expose giant companies like Disney who take advantage of loopholes in the flawed US immigration system to “displace and undermine American workers.”

  • Alexis Arquette Gets ‘Reckless,’ Outs Will And Jada Pinkett-Smith As Gay

    Alexis Arquette Gets ‘Reckless,’ Outs Will And Jada Pinkett-Smith As Gay

    Alexis Arquette is under fire for claiming that A-list couple Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith are gay.

    Following the Smiths’ recent call to boycott the Oscars because of the “lack of diversity” in its list of nominees in the last couple of years, celebrities left and right have been weighing in on the issue. While some have expressed their agreement and support, others have not been very keen about the boycott.

    The 46-year-old trans sister of Hollywood actors David, Patricia, and Rosanna Arquette stirred controversy even further by posting a brief rant on his Facebook page last week. The post – which has since been deleted – alleged that Will and Jada Smith are gay and in the closet and that the only way he was going to listen to their protest was if they come clean about their sexuality.

    In the post, Alexis Arquette also accused Will Smith of having sexual relations with music producer Benny Medina and that his first marriage broke down because Smith’s then-wife walked in on them engaged in a sexual act.

    “When Jada comes out as Gay and her beard husband admits his first marriage ended when she walked in to him **** servicing his Sugar Daddy Benny Medina ..then I will listen to them,” Arquette said on the post.

    The couple have yet to comment about Alexis Arquette’s controversial allegations, but Will’s first wife, Sheree Fletcher, has taken to social media to set the record straight.

    In the four-minute video that Fletcher posted in Thursday, she directly addressed Alexis Arquette by denying that infidelity caused their breakdown of their three-year marriage.

    She also called him out on making “malicious” and “reckless” claims that could potentially affect the families involved.

    “Alexis Arquette, let’s just be clear: I don’t know you and you don’t know me,” said Fletcher at the beginning of the video. “For you to claim you have firsthand knowledge information as to why my marriage didn’t work out is completely out of line.”

    https://www.facebook.com/sheree.fletcher2/videos/959806840735956/?theater Posted by Sheree Fletcher on Thursday, January 21, 2016
    Alexis Arquette also alleged that Fletcher was paid by Will Smith to keep mum about his supposed homosexuality. “I know Will has a lot of money, but Will does not have enough money to take my voice away from me - to deprive me of my story. That wouldn’t happen,” Fletcher added.

  • Kate Del Castillo Threatened By Mexican Authorities For Meeting With ‘El Chapo’

    Kate del Castillo is currently under investigation because of her heavy involvement in the secret meeting with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, which resulted in an Rolling Stone interview with actor Sean Penn.

    According to Univision, the 43-year-old Mexican-American actress is worried that the Mexican government wants to “destroy her” and that she is being used as a target of a witch hunt.

    After the controversial El Chapo interview,Kate del Castillo is now a primary suspect in a money laundering investigation by Mexican authorities. Attorney General Arely Gomez stated that they are exploring the possibility of El Chapo’s funding of del Castillo’s Tequila Honor del Castillo business.

    The actress has declined to comment on the allegations in order to avoid further scrutiny from the Mexican government. “I have no reason to give explanations to the press. If I don’t talk it’s because my lawyers told me not to because the government wants to destroy me,” said Kate del Castillo in a message addressed to Univision.

    Mexican journalist Lydia Cacho recently came to del Castillo’s defense and confirmed to the media that her friend is indeed being threatened by Mexican authorities.

    In an interview with TVyNovelas, Cacho revealed parts of her conversation with Kate del Castillo and admitted that the actress was “scared” and that “she doesn’t understand why the Mexican Government is attacking her this way.”

    Despite the gravity of her current situation, Kate del Castillo cheerfully stepped out with another good friend Jillian Barberie on Saturday to have dinner at Mexican restaurant El Coyote in Los Angeles.

    When asked by TMZ to comment about the El Chapo scandal, the Muchachitas star said, “You know what? I can’t talk about him.” Barberie then chimed in, “It’s girls night out. We want a little Mexican, a margarita.”

    El Chapo, who was recaptured earlier this month, was said to have agreed to the rare interview because he was interested in meeting with Kate del Castillo to discuss plans of making a film about his life.

  • Joey and Rory Feek Talk About Their Most Passionate Project Yet

    Joey and Rory are busy working on their upcoming album, and country singer Joey Feek has revealed that it will be their most passionate project yet.

    Joey, who has been battling Stage IV cervical cancer, opened up to People magazine about her love for husband Rory Feek, and that the album Hymns & Stories That Are Important to Us is a tribute to their 13 years of marriage, how they met, and how they have kept their love for each other alive.

    Joey shared to People the first time she saw Rory: “Rory was singing ‘In the Round’ at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville with three other songwriters.”

    “I was just one of dozens of people in the audience that night. From the first song Rory sang, I fell head over heels for him. I didn’t even know him, but something inside me said, ‘You’re going to marry that man and spend the rest of your lives together’” she continued.

    It was a whirlwind romance for Joey and Rory. They tied the knot two months later and in 2014, their daughter Indiana was born.

    As Joey bravely fights cancer, Rory has been documenting his wife’s struggles in his This Life I Live blog. He said writing and sharing little stories about their lives has been therapeutic for him. Sharing their pain through his blog helps him “sort out what I feel and how to respond to the twists and turns that life has taken us on.”

    Rory also chronicles their everyday life through their photos. He was able to capture special moments with her including their “last Christmas together,” and her heartbreaking separation with best friend Julie.

    “Without realizing I was doing it, God has allowed me to capture hours and hours of Joey and her life at home on the farm, raising Indiana and playing music,” Rory shared. “I can’t help but believe that those clips will be an important part of keeping Joey’s memory alive in Indy’s heart.”

    Joey and Rory Feek are releasing their album on Valentine’s Day.

  • Lupita Nyong’o Speaks Out About #OscarsSoWhite Controversy

    Academy Award-winning actress, Lupita Nyong’o has also spoken out about this year’s Oscars’ lack of diversity.

    There hasn’t been any black actors nominated for any category since last year. Nyong’o, who won a Best Supporting Actress Award in 2014 for her work in 12 Years a Slave, took to Instagram on Tuesday to criticize the Academy for “the lack of inclusion” in this year’s ceremony.

    “I am disappointed by the lack on inclusion in this year’s Academy Award nominations,” Lupita Nyong’o wrote.

    “It has me thinking about unconscious prejudice and what merits prestige in our culture,” she continued.

    She added, “The Awards should not dictate the terms of art in our modern society, but rather be a diverse reflection of the best of what our art has to offer today. I stand with my peers who are calling for change in expanding the stories that are told and the recognition of the people who tell them.”

    Lupita Nyong’o is the latest actor to weigh in on this controversy. Jada Pinkett-Smith previously called fellow actors to boycott the Oscars because of the absence of black nominees. Nyong’o has not confirmed whether or not she will attend the ceremony.

    Other celebrities have also shared their thoughts on the growing debate. Director Spike Lee said he will not be attending the awards night through a Facebook post he wrote on MLK day.

    Lee, who holds an honorary Oscar, said in his post: “40 White Actors In 2 Years And No Flava At All. We Can’t Act?!”

    British actor Idris Elba, who received a number recognition for his work in Beast of No Nation was not even nominated for an award.

    Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaac released a statement in response to Lupita Nyong’o and her fellow actors’ complaints.  “We have implemented changes to diversify our membership in the last four years. But the change is not coming as fast as we would like. We need to do more, and better and more quickly.”

  • Farrah Abraham Slams The Kardashians For Commenting On Her ‘Life Choices’

    Teen Mom star Farrah Abraham is picking another huge fight, and this time, it’s with the Kardahisans.

    After learning that her feud with Nicki Minaj was brought up and made fun of on Khloe Kardashian’s new talk show, Kocktails with Khloe, the 24-year-old star took to Twitter to slam the family.

    Kocktails with Khloe premiered on FYI on Wednesday evening, and at the end of the episode, guests Snoop Dogg and Kym Whitley mimicked Abraham and Minaj’s recent Twitter feud. The rapper pretended to be Abraham and Whitley played Minaj.

    After reading the tweets, Khloe, younger sister Kendall Jenner, and another guest Aisha Tyler discussed the duo’s Twitter war. Jenner sided with the “Anaconda” hitmaker, saying she does not agree with Farrah’s decisions in life, which is why she is taking Nicki’s side. She also added that she is “always team Nicki.”

    Khloe backed up her sister: “I’m Team Nicki all day every day.”

    Outraged, Farrah Abraham shot back at the sisters on her Twitter account the following day. The single mom tweeted that she is looking forward to having her own talk show when Khloe’s new show gets axed.

    Abraham, offended by the Kardashian sisters’ critique of her “life choices,” reminded them of their older sister, Kim Kardashian’s sex tape.

    The Teen Mom celeb shared the family’s 2010 Christmas card wherein an image of Ray J, Kim’s sex tape partner and ex-boyfriend, had been included. “I made this whole family famous with my d***!!!” the Photoshopped holiday card read, before adding the hashtags “#Lifechoices @kendalljenner.”

    Meanwhile, Tyler sided with Farrah Abraham, saying she believes the mother-of-one won the Twitter feud.

    “Farrah won that Twitter war because she stayed gracious right until the end when she called her boyfriend ugly,” Tyler said.

    Kendall Jenner and Khloe Kardashian have yet to respond to Farrah Abraham’s diss.

  • Janet Hubert Gives Jada Pinket-Smith A Tongue-Lashing Over Oscar Boycott

    Janet Hubert – or Aunt Viv to us Gen Xers – has finally jumped into the fray. The former The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air alum took to Facebook and posted a video of her own, slamming Jada Pinkett-Smith’s recent call to boycott this year’s Academy Awards for not having any colored nominees in its roster.

    The four-minute video, which was posted on Monday, shows Hubert sitting in what seems to be her kitchen and launching into her own tirade against the Smiths.

    Addressing Pinkett-Smith as “Miss Thing,” Janet Hubert proceeded to criticize the actress’ motives in initiating the boycott, and implied that she was merely sour-graping about the fact that Will did not get an Oscar nomination for his performance in Concussion.

    Watch Janet Hubert a.k.a. Aunt Viv Rant About Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Oscars Boycott Plea

    She also accused Pinkett-Smith of trying to “jeopardize” the careers of other black actors and actresses by dragging them into their cause.

    “For you to ask other actors, other blacktresses [sic] and black actors to jeopardize their career and their standing in a town that you know damn well, you don’t do that,” Janet Hubert ranted.

    In a no-holds-barred interview with The Los Angeles Times on Wednesday, Janet Hubert went into greater detail about diversity in Hollywood as well as other greater issues that need more attention. She stated that some actors have become fixated on working to gain recognition as opposed to focusing on the job at hand and striving to execute it in the best possible way.

    If you are waiting for an award of a little…gold statue and that’s supposed to validate you, then you’re not in this business for the right reasons,” said Hubert in the interview. “We get paid a lot of money to do very little work.”

    Jada Pinkett-Smith has since reacted to Hubert’s rant and noticeably chose a more diplomatic approach to the issue.

    In an informal interview conducted by ETonline, the 44-year-old actress responded to Janet Hubert by suggesting that members of the black community unite instead of antagonize each other in order to address African-American issues more effectively.

  • Stacey Dash Bashes Oscar Boycott, Wants To Get Rid Of Black History Month

    Fox commentator Stacey Dash is stirring the racial pot once again, and people are reacting aggressively from both sides.

    The actress-turned-news contributor, who is best known for her character Dionne in the 1995 film Clueless, is slowly establishing herself as an outspoken conservative pundit. After cursing on air while criticizing President Obama – for which she got suspended by Fox News – Stacey Dash has now weighed in on the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.

    Stacey Dash gave her two cents following the recent call to boycott the Oscars this year by big Hollywood stars such as actress Jada Pinkett-Smith and director Spike Lee. They and many other celebrities complained about the lack of diversity among the nominees.

    During Wednesday’s episode of Fox & Friends, Stacey Dash addressed the boycott by calling it “ludicrous” and implied that black-dominated networks such as BET are just as discriminatory as the Academy Awards for mostly recognizing black artists.

    Watch Stacey Dash Comment on the Recent Oscar Boycott

    “If we don’t want segregation, then we have to get rid of channels like BET and the BET Awards and the [NAACP] Image Awards, where you’re only awarded if you’re black.”

    She also suggested the expulsion of Black History Month, echoing earlier sentiments that she previously expressed in a November 2015 blog post entitled “Why Black History Month is Ridiculous and Why BET Should Not Exist.”

    “There shouldn’t be a Black History Month. We’re Americans, period. That’s it,” she said on the Fox show.

    As expected, Dash’s brash comments drew the ire of her fellow African-Americans in the business. BET took to their official website and social media accounts to slam Stacey Dash’s claims, posting a series of images featuring her old character in Clueless as well as the network’s comedy series The Game, in which she starred.

    Stacey Dash Is Slammed on The View for Her Comments About Black History Month

    The hosts of The View also criticized Stacey Dash for committing “the height of hypocrisy” by suggesting the removal of BET and black organizations when she has benefitted numerous times from their various media outlets.

  • Farrah Abraham Congratulates Fellow ‘Teen Mom’ Maci Bookout On Her Engagement

    Feuding Teen Mom stars Farrah Abraham and Maci Bookout are setting aside their differences, as Abraham congratulated Bookout on her engagement.

    Abraham, 24, told Us that she attended Bookout’s post-engagement celebration over the weekend.

    “After her new fiancé proposed, they came to the studios to finish our reunion taping,” Abraham revealed. “I stopped by their green room to congratulate them. We all hugged and embraced and congratulated Maci!”

    Bookout announced her engagement to her boyfriend of three years, Taylor McKinney, on Instagram on Tuesday, January 9, along with a photo of them kissing at the beach. “Well y’all, my best friend asked me to marry him! I’m one lucky lady, I love you T!” Bookout captioned the snapshot.

    Well y’all, my best friend asked me to marry him! I’m one lucky lady, I love you T! @tmon3yyy ???

    A photo posted by Maci Bookout (@macideshanebookout) on

    Farrah Abraham, who previously had a rocky relationship with Bookout, expressed how happy she is that her fellow Teen Mom will be walking down the aisle soon. “It was very fitting and great to catch their memories for everyone to see. I look forward to supporting their engagement and look forward to their wedding,” she said.

    Abraham also revealed to Us that McKinney had tricked his girlfriend into thinking she was doing an MTV interview before proposing.

    Fellow Teen Mom Amber Portwood is also engaged to her beau Matt Baier, and they are set to exchange their vows in October 2016. Catelyn Lowell and her husband Tyler Baltierra tied the knot in August 2015.

    This leaves Farrah Abraham as the only single lady in the gang, but the reality star is still hopeful.

    “I’m sure they will both bounce ideas off each other as they plan,” said Farrah Abraham. “I’m excited to see their plans come together on their wedding days! Hopefully this engagement luck rubs off on me as I’m the only single lady left.”

  • Danielle Ceasar: Fangirl Ends Up In Bed With Jake T. Austin [Photo]

    Danielle Ceasar is a modern testament that with enough effort and persistence, you can make someone love you over time.

    This feel-good story, which has encouraged fangirls everywhere, reportedly began in 2009, when Ceasar was merely and adoring fan who followed Austin on Twitter. Like most female fans her age, she has been effusive in expressing her admiration for him, telling him how much she “loved” him and that they are “getting married” in the future.

    It wasn’t until 2011 that the Danielle Ceasar actually met the Disney star face to face when she attended an autograph signing in New York.

    After their fateful meeting, the 22-year-old fan posted a photo of them at the signing with the caption, ““Your smile is so cute @JakeTAustin” after which Austin started following her Twitter page as well.

    Since then, they both started messaging each other regularly and after more than 5 years of being a loyal fan, Danielle Ceasar finally captured Jake T. Austin’s heart.

    Three weeks ago, the 21-year-old star of Wizards of Waverly Place posted a photo of him and Ceasar cuddling in bed with the caption, “I’m crazy for her,” thereby making their relationship official on social media.

    I’m crazy for her. ?

    A photo posted by Jake T. Austin (@jaketaustin) on

    Fangirls immediately liked and commented on the photo, which gave them hope that they could also end up dating their respective idols.

    Danielle Ceasar posted the same photo on her Instagram page with the caption, “Every love story is beautiful, but ours is my favorite.” She has since made her social media accounts private, probably after the influx of follower requests and messages that ensued.

    After reports about his new relationship with Danielle Ceasar surfaced, Jake T. Austin responded by saying, “”We’re young and having fun just getting to know each other. It doesn’t matter how you meet someone – on set, in a coffee shop, at school, or in the business.”

  • Debra Messing To Take Part In ‘Will & Grace’ Reunion, Joins Cast Of ‘Dirty Dancing’ TV Movie

    Debra Messing just released great news to Will & Grace fans everywhere. The 47-year-old actress confirmed on Saturday that the cast of the popular 2000s sitcom is indeed reuniting next month for a special tribute show.

    The show, which is entitled Must See TV: A Tribute to James Burrows honors esteemed director’s 1,000th episode and is produced by Sean Hayes, who played the fabulous Jack McFarland on Will & Grace.


    Burrows directed many episodes of the show during its eight-season run as well as other well-known TV sitcoms including Friends, Cheers, Mike & Molly, and The Big Bang Theory among others.

    Will & Grace gained recognition when it aired in the late ‘90s and early 2000s for its straightforward but humorous portrayal of gay issues. Eric McCormack played the role of Will, a gay lawyer who lives with his straight best friend Grace, played by Debra Messing. Megan Mullally played Grace’s rich and condescending assistant Karen Walker.

    Hayes called the tribute “the reunion of all reunion shows” when he made the official announcement during a Television Critics Association press tour.

    Another highly-anticipated reunion is that of the hit show Friends, although not all cast members have confirmed attendance. After reports that Matthew Perry wasn’t going to make it to the special, TVLine officially confirmed that he will be there via taped greeting.

    Apart from the NBC special, Debra Messing also confirmed her role in the ABC TV movie Dirty Dancing. She is set to play the mother of the lead character Baby, who will be played by Scream Queens star Abigail Breslin.

    She made the announcement about her role in Dirty Dancing on Thursday via Twitter.

    According to Variety, Debra Messing will play the role of a 1960s housewife named Marjorie Houseman who is trying to “rekindle her romance with her workaholic husband.”

  • Judge Judy-Survey Reveals ‘Alarmingly Ignorant’ Responses From College Students

    Judge Judy – also known as Judy Sheindlin – the irrepressible legal TV icon, has become so popular among college graduates that they actually think she is a Supreme Court justice.

    Almost 10 percent of 1,000 college graduates surveyed believe that Sheindlin holds a position in the highest federal court of the United States.

    However, Judge Judy is actually an American attorney who plays the role of a judge in a court show that features small lawsuits being tried in a courtroom.

    The survey was conducted by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni back in 2015 but was released in January. They included in a statement that their survey revealed a “crisis in American civic education.”

    In addition, the group also pointed out that recent graduates are “alarmingly ignorant” of some very important information such as America’s heritage and history.

    Aside from facts about the identity of Judge Judy, the respondents were also asked some details about American politics and the Constitution.

    The survey said that about 28 percent of respondents were correct when they chose James Madison as the father of the Constitution, while 59 percent picked Thomas Jefferson, when in fact he was the one who penned the Declaration of Independence.

    The results of the survey also revealed that 60 percent of the graduates did not know any requirements in order to ratify an amendment in the Constitution. Meanwhile, 40 percent of the respondents also did not know that aside from the President, Congress can declare war as well.

    The report also explains why student groups are claiming that the government can ban freedom of speech if the message being conveyed is offensive to minority groups.

    The ACTA also proposed a possible solution to the problem.

    “Instead of demanding content-based coursework, our institutions have, in too many places, supplanted the rigorous study of history and government — the building blocks of civic engagement — with community-service activities,” they said in a statement.

  • Jason Alexander Enters Guilty Plea To Child Pornography Charges

    Jason Alexander – not to be mistaken with the famous Seinfeld cast member – pleaded guilty on Tuesday to possessing and promoting child pornography, according to the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.

    Law & Order director Jason “Jace” Alexander could possibly face seven years imprisonment for child pornography charges.

    The 51-year-old native of Dobbs Ferry, New York, entered guilty pleas to one count of promoting sexual performance and one count of possessing an obscene sexual performance by a child. The charges against the director stemmed from possessing and file-sharing illicit and obscene performances of sexual conduct by children less than 17 years old.

    He is set to be sentenced on May 3, and he could face a maximum jail time of seven years.

    Jason Alexander was arrested in July 2015 after an investigator from the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office downloaded child porn from a suspicious IP address in Dobbs Ferry. Investigators traced the location of the IP address and it was revealed to be assigned to the director’s home. A search warrant was then issued.

    The District Attorney’s Office was able to collect strong evidence against the TV director during the forensic examination of his computer and hard drives that were confiscated from his residence. Illegal digital files of minors engaged in sexual acts were discovered on his personal computer and external hard drives, Westchester County District Attorney Janet DiFiore said.

    Assistant District Attorney Laura Forbes of the High Technology Crime Bureau is prosecuting the 51-year-old director’s child porn case.

    Alexander, who remains out on bail, directed a number of Law & Order episodes since mid ‘90s. His other TV projects include The Practice, Rescue Me, and The Blacklist. Jason Alexander has reportedly served as second vice president of the Directors Guild of America.

  • Kelly Ripa And Michael Strahan’s Show Gets Approved Through 2020

    TV partners Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan are due to continue their hosting duties on daytime television. Disney-ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution confirmed that Live! with Kelly and Michael has been renewed with hosts Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan at the helm.

    Live! with Kelly and Michael has been renewed through 2020. Disney/ABC has also set another long-term renewal with the game show, Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

    “We are exceptionally proud of Live’s unparalleled success and are thrilled to extend our highly-valued partnership with the ABC-owned stations for many more years to come,” said Janice Marinelli, president of Disney/ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution. “We are also very pleased to extend our relationship with their strong stations on Millionaire, which continues to resonate with viewers across the country.”

    The renewals are for the majority of stations owned by ABC.  Live! with Kelly and Michael is aired on eight ABC O&Os in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Fresno, Raleigh-Durham, and Houston. Who Wants to be a Millionaire”, which is hosted by Chris Harrison, has also been renewed on the ABC-owned stations through the 2016-17 seasons with the exception of WLS-TV Chicago.

    Live! is among the most successful syndicated franchises in the history of television. It started airing in 1988 with Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford as the hosts. Kelly Ripa succeeded Gifford, who left in 2001, while Strahan replaced Philbin in 2012.

    “Audiences love watching Live! with Kelly and Michael. During the last week of 2015, the show achieved a 1.8 rating with women 25-54, the highest rating in that demo of any talk show this season,” said ABC Owned Television Stations Group president Rebecca Campbell in a statement. “Produced by our owned station WABC-TV, we are extremely proud of Live’s ability to innovate and connect with viewers and look forward to that continuing into the next decade.”

  • Linda Perry Backpedals After Dissing Lady Gaga’s Oscar-Nominated Song

    Linda Perry may have spoken too much, too soon.

    The American rock veteran previously criticized Lady Gaga’s Oscar nomination alongside esteemed songwriter Diane Warren for the song, “Til It Happens to You,” saying that Gaga is “not deserving” of the recognition and that Warren should be the sole recipient of the nomination.

    In a series of tweets that she posted on Monday, Linda Perry said that Lady Gaga’s only contribution to the song was a rewrite of the last line of the song, which is hardly worthy of sharing the nomination with Warren.

    “I have Diane’s original demo with her singing. The only line that has been changed ‘Till you’re at the end, the end of your rope,’” Perry wrote. “Originally was ’TIL YOU GOT A HOLE RIPPED IN YOUR SOUL.’”

    She also implied that Warren may have included Lady Gaga in the songwriting credits in order to promote the song through the 29-year-old pop singer’s fame and star power.

    The song was written especially for the film, The Hunting Ground, a documentary about sexual assault on college campuses.

    Linda Perry Claims Lady Gaga Wrote Only A Single Line in this Song

    However, Warren reacted to Linda Perry’s allegations and defended Gaga’s inclusion in the nomination through her own Twitter page.

    “The song is the result of a special collaboration between myself and Lady Gaga,” Warren wrote. “As Lady Gaga and I have consistly [sic] said. “To you was inspired by the countless survivors of abuse who need our support and love so they know they’re not alone.”

    Just hours after her initial tweets, Linda Perry backpedaled and apologized for her earlier comments.

    “My sincere apologies. I made a mistake to comment. I wasn’t in the room when the #TIHTY was being written,” Perry wrote.

    More importantly, I wish the focus to remain on the great importance of the song and the message of the film.”

    Linda Perry also wrote the song entitled “Hands of Love” for the film Freeheld, but was not included in the Academy’s list of music nominees.

  • Penthouse Magazine Goes Digital, No More Printed Edition

    Penthouse Magazine Goes Digital, No More Printed Edition

    Penthouse Magazine is ending its print edition after more than 50 years of publication. General Media Communications, which supervises the publication of the magazine, confirmed on Friday that Penthouse will be offered in digital format.

    “Reimagined for the preferred consumption of content today by consumers, the digital version of Penthouse Magazine will combine and convert everything readers know and love about the print magazine experience to the power of a digital experience,” FriendFinder Network said in a statement.

    Penthouse decided to go digital after its rival, popular men’s magazine Playboy, announced that it would stop publishing nude photos of women as part of a redesign that will be revealed in March. Playboy’s last print issue in December featured nude women and Pamela Anderson.

    Ezra Shashoua, CFO of FriendFinder Network, the parent company of Penthouse Magazine clarified that the magazine will still publish print copies until their transition to digital format is complete. “Penthouse Magazine will continue to be published in print during the transition to digital. No specific date to stop print publication of our flagship magazine has been set.”

    As part of the changes, the publication has also closed its headquarters in New York and moved to FriendFinder’s offices in Los Angeles.

    The change is deemed to help keep the magazine competitive in the future.

    “This move will keep Penthouse competitive in the future and will seamlessly combine our unmatched pictorial features and editorial content with our video and broadcast offerings,” said Jonathan Buckheit, FriendFinder Networks CEO.

    Penthouse has reportedly had financial issues for several years now, and in 2013, its publisher filed for bankruptcy. The company – which also owns the AdultFriendFinder website – said the magazine had not turned a profit since 2008, but was cleared to exit bankruptcy court after three months.

    FriendFinder bought Penthouse Magazine in 2004 after it went bankrupt.

  • Chris Rock Feels Pressure To Boycott Oscars, No People Of Color Nominated For Second Straight Year

    Chris Rock has been tapped to host the 88th Academy Awards on Feb. 28, although reports say that he is feeling some pressure about whether to proceed with his hosting duties or drop the gig.

    The pressure comes from his fellow actors and friends in Hollywood who have hinted that he should boycott the awards show for not letting actors of color be nominated.

    On Thursday, the Academy Awards released the list of nominees for the annual awards show. However, not a single person of color was included.

    As a result, several Hollywood celebrities have expressed their disappointment with the decision, and decided not to attend this year’s event.

    Jada Pinkett Smith, was among the first to announce that she and her husband, Will Smith, will not be going.

    In a video that Smith posted on Facebook, the 44-year-old actress hinted that if there’s one person of color that can truly convey express their disappointment, it’s Chris Rock.

    We must stand in our power. Posted by Jada Pinkett Smith on Monday, January 18, 2016
    “Chris, I will not be at the Academy Awards, and I won’t be watching, but I can’t think of a better man to do the job at hand this year than you, my friend. Good luck,” she said in the short clip. In an earlier post on Twitter, Jada Smith said that while people of color are often invited and welcomed to events to entertain, they are rarely recognized for their artistic performances. “Should people of color refrain from participating altogether?” she said. In addition, film director Spike Lee also said on Instagram on Monday that he and his wife, Tonya Lewis Lee, will not attend the awards night due to the same reasons. Lee, 58, said that every year, there has been a lack of black nominees at the Oscars. “For once (maybe), I would like the media to ask all the white nominees and studio heads how they feel about another all-white ballot,” said Lee, who in November received an honorary Oscar from the Academy. Will Smith, who starred in the film Concussion, was not included in the list of nominees, and neither were other veteran actors like Idris Elba, Benicio del Toro, Samuel L. Jackson, Abraham Attah, and Michael B. Jordan, who played Apollo Creed’s son in Creed. Meanwhile, Jordan’s co-star Sylvester Stallone, who played an older Rocky Balboa, was nominated for best supporting actor. After the list of nominees was released, the hashtag #OscarsStillSoWhite began trending on Twitter. It is the second straight year that no actor of color is nominated. Even Chris Rock tried to make a joke out of it in another tweet, labeling the Oscars this year as ‘The White BET Awards.” Unfortunately, his tweet brought some sour replies from other Twitter users, urging him to think what MLK (Martin Luther King) would do in the same situation. Another reply said the 50-year-old comedian should just give up his hosting duties instead of making jokes about it. However, a source close to Chris Rock told a report that the comedian believes that he will make a bigger impact if he does the show. “He thinks it is easier to make a difference from the inside. Chris has already started to write white people jokes for the show,” the source added. In addition, David Boone, who was the head writer for the Oscars in 2015, believes that Rock will not boycott the show because the stage gives him a great platform to share jokes that only he can make. Boone, who has written nine Oscar telecasts in the past, compared Chris Rock to Whoopi Goldberg when she hosted the awards.

  • Candace Cameron Bure Is Okay With Exploring Gay Issues On ‘Fuller House’

    Candace Cameron Bure Is Okay With Exploring Gay Issues On ‘Fuller House’

    Candace Cameron Bure has not been one to hold back on her conservative views on religion, which caused her to gain criticism from both her colleagues in The View and active members of social media.

    Last weekend, however, the 39-year-old actress had a little change of heart when she attended a press tour held by the Television Critics Association.

    When asked about whether Fuller House would be ever tackle with issues regarding homosexuality, the show’s executive producer Bob Boyett said that while they haven’t made any decisions about this possibility, they have received “tremendous feedback” from members of the LGBT community.

    Cameron Bure chimed in on the issue and gave her own response, which came as a bit of a surprise to the audience.

    She said that despite her firm stand on “religious freedom” – referring to her controversial argument with co-host Raven-Symoné regarding the Oregon bakery that refused to service a lesbian couple who was about to get married – that she is open to any ideas that the show’s writers have for her character.

    Watch Candace Cameron Bure’s Controversial Clash with Raven-Symoné on ‘The View’

    “I’m always defending religious freedom and that’s what I was talking about on The View,” said Candace Cameron Bure. “But, I’m an actress on a television show, and I support all things that we go through as human beings, and would love all our characters to explore whatever issues that are current in our culture and our society today, and I’m 100% on board with that.”

    Aside from her clash with Symoné, Candace Cameron Bure was also slammed for her “insensitivity” during an interview of Who’s The Boss? actor Danny Pintauro on the show, in which he discussed his past struggles with alcohol abuse and his current life as an HIV patient.

    Having conservative religious views is something that Candace Cameron Bure shares with her brother, former child actor and teen heartthrob, Kirk Cameron. An evangelical Christian, Kirk leads a California-based ministry called The Way of the Master along with New Zealand-born evangelist Ray Comfort.