Jonathan Van Ness accused of being a "monster" on Queer Eye / Obi-Wan Kenobi looks dead / White House responds to Cookie Monster
PLUS: Drake Bell: Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck of sexually abused me.
Jonathan Van Ness accused of being a "monster" while filming Queer Eye
Bobby Berk's recent exit from the Netflix reality show revealed there was tension among the Fab Five. But, Rolling Stone's Cheyenne Roundtree reports, "even making the show was difficult, four production sources say, due, in part, to Van Ness’ behind-the-scenes behavior. Three more sources who worked with the reality star described Van Ness as emotionally 'abusive' and having 'rage issues.'" Berk's exit ended the illusion of happy family," says Roundtree. "As Queer Eye got bigger, the quintet grew increasingly competitive over screen time and who had the best sound bites, production sources say, as each jockeyed to be the show’s biggest star," reports Roundtree. "Still, it was clear hairstylist Van Ness was the breakout personality. That, however, brought another set of issues. Four Queer Eye production sources and three sources who worked with Van Ness said the reality star was terrible to work with, using words like 'monster,' 'nightmare,' and 'demeaning' to describe them. Three people labeled Van Ness as emotionally 'abusive' and having 'rage issues,' and all seven sources said the star would lash out at crew members and people who worked closely with Van Ness." As one production source put it: “(There’s) a real emotion of fear around them when they get angry. It’s almost like a cartoon where it oozes out of them. It’s intense and scary.” During filming, one production source estimated that Van Ness would explode at least once a week. “He was a yeller,” they said. A Queer Eye production source likened the Fab Five to a boy band that was put together. “Essentially they were a group of people put together in their mid-thirties and told to be best friends," said the source. "But people don’t expect that Queer Eye could be that. That’s truly what it was: a manufactured boy band with big personalities that certain ones were favored and certain ones were not, and then eventually (things) turned really toxic.” Van Ness did not reply to Rolling Stone's multiple requests for comment.
Drake Bell: Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck of sexually abused me
In the upcoming Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, the former Drake & Josh star speaks out for the first time about Brian Peck abusing him when he starred on The Amanda Show from 1999 to 2002. In 2003, Peck — who was the recent subject of a recent conversation on the Boy Meets World podcast Pod Meets World — was arrested on charges of a lewd act against an unnamed child and oral copulation of a person under 16. In 2004, Peck entered a plea of no contest on the charge of a lewd act against a child. "For more than two decades, Bell has remained anonymous as the minor in that case," according to Business Insider.
Nigel Lythgoe slams Paula Abdul's sexual assault allegations as “false, despicable, intolerable and life-changing”
The So You Think You Can Dance co-creator and former judge responded to Abdul's December lawsuit alleging he sexually assaulted her when she was on the Fox reality show. In the new documents filed to the L.A. Superior Court on Friday and obtained by Variety, Lythgoe describes Abdul as a “well-documented fabulist, with a long history of telling wild stories that are untethered from reality and are primarily designed to attract attention and make Abdul appear to be the victim of dreadful misfortune.” The filing adds: “It is unthinkable that Abdul would even tolerate Lythgoe’s physical proximity let alone send him adoring messages and sexually provocative jokes if her allegations were true — which, clearly, they are not."
Biden White House responds to Cookie Monster's "Me hate shrinkflation" tweet
"Me hate shrinkflation! Me cookies are getting smaller," the Sesame Street character tweeted Monday morning. Hours later, the White House responded: "C is for consumers getting ripped off. President Biden is calling on companies to put a stop to shrinkflation." This was the latest viral moment for a Sesame Street character after Elmo went viral in January. "Shrinkflation, a cost-cutting measure by which companies subtly reduce the quantity of their product without changing the price, might seem like an advanced concept for a children’s television puppet," explains The Washington Post's Kelsey Ables. "But Sesame Street watchers aren’t surprised to see a Muppet take up a contemporary cause, and Cookie Monster’s account has often gone beyond singalongs. Striking a tone that sounds more like an internet-savvy millennial, Cookie Monster has appeared to post about Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter, has spoken about therapy and has endorsed self-care."
Patrick J. Adams, Connor Swindells and Merritt Wever join Lockerbie limited series
Former Suits star Adams, Sex Education's Swindell and Wever, who starred on Netflix's Godless, are all returning to the streamer for its co-production with BBC on a limited series based on the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.
Disney to release Blu-rays for Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor, Moon Knight and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier
On April 30, Disney Home Entertainment will release on physical media four more of its streaming series: Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi — The Complete Series, Star Wars: Andor — The Complete First Season, Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight: The Complete First Season and Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and the Winter Soldier: The Complete First Season. Each will be released on 4K UHD and Blu-ray in collectible packaging.
"Obi-Wan Kenobi — The Complete Series" Blu-ray release likely signals the end of the Ewan McGregor series
While Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy has previously said "there’s always the possibility" Obi-Wan Kenobi returning for a second season, another season seems unlikely with "The Complete Series" release.
Rupert Murdoch's British TalkTV is going on online-only and shuttering its linear channel
A month after Piers Morgan announced he was leaving TalkTV to bring his show to YouTube, the conservative-leaning TalkTV is also going online-only two years after launching. “Two years ago, we would not have been brave enough to launch a channel without a linear presence, but audiences of all ages have moved fast and smartphones are now the primary device where news is consumed,” said a note to staff.
Run the Burbs to host a Kim's Convenience reunion
Andrew Phung, who stars on the Canadian sitcom he co-created, will welcome his former Kim's Convenience co-stars Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Nicole Power on a Season 3 episode.
Queen Latifah to return as host of the NAACP Image Awards
Latifah will host for the second consecutive year. The 55th NAACP Image Awards will air live on Saturday, March 16, at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on BET and CBS.
Final batch of Oscar presenters announced
Emily Blunt, Cynthia Erivo, America Ferrera, Sally Field, Ryan Gosling, Ariana Grande, Ben Kingsley, Melissa McCarthy, Issa Rae, Tim Robbins, Steven Spielberg, Mary Steenburgen, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlize Theron, Christoph Waltz and Forest Whitaker are among the new names presenting at Sunday's ceremony.
Amazon orders We Were Liars, starring Mamie Gummer, Caitlin FitzGerald and, in a Vampire Diaries reunion, Candice King
Former Vampire Diaries star King will reunite with Vampire Diaries co-creator Julie Plec on We Were Liars, an adaptation of E. Lockhart’s YA novel of the same name that Plec is working on with The Originals vet Carina Adly MacKenzie. "We Were Liars is a tragic love story and an amnesia thriller set on a privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts. It centers on the wealthy, seemingly perfect Sinclair family, who spend every summer on their private island. Gummer, FitzGerald and King play the three Sinclair sisters," per Deadline.
Caitlin Clark's record-breaking performance delivers a historic 3.39 million for Fox
Women's college basketball had its best regular season viewership in 25 years for Sunday's Iowa-Ohio State game that saw Clark score her 3,668th point to pass Pete Maravich for the most points in Division I history, men’s or women’s. The viewership was so great that Fox Sports' Michael Mulvihill tweeted jokingly of Clark, who is leaving early for the WNBA: "Caitlin, it’s not too late to go for your MBA! You can never have too much education!" ALSO: Fox reportedly considered NIL deal to convince Caitlin Clark to stay in college.
Young Sheldon bringing back Ryan Phuong for its final season
Phuong, now 22, will reprise his Tam role, which he first played at age 15 on Episode 2 of Young Sheldon. Phuong appeared in 30 episodes, with his last appearance being in 2021.
Peacock's horror thriller series Teacup rounds out its cast with Kathy Baker and more
Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman and Chaske Spencer will be joined by Baker, Boris McGiver, Caleb Dolden, Emilie Bierre and Luciano Leroux on the James Wan-produced series based on Robert McCammon's novel Stinger.
Celebrity Jeopardy!'s Ike Barinholtz advances to the regular Jeopardy!'s Tournament of Champions semifinals
The actor and writer prevailed on Monday night’s episode against scenic artist Ray Lalonde and professor Melissa Klapper.
Avatar: The Last Airbender leads Netflix's Top 10 for the second consecutive week
The Netflix live-action adaptation had 19.9 million views in its first full week on the platform, down from the previous week.
Chip and Joanna Gaines will mark 10 years of Fixer Upper with Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse
Although Fixer Upper's 10-year anniversary is in April, Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse will premiere in June on HGTV and Magnolia Network.
Mina Starsiak Hawk recalls getting "nasty" comments after ending HGTV's Good Bones
"When it ended, it wasn't just letting down the people on the show and the production team that was making the show and had jobs, and my family who was getting paid to be on the show,” she tells People. “It was letting down this whole world of HGTV women and they all told me that I did and that they were very upset about it. It was a very weird six months of emotional, not good headspace because even though I feel like I'm very balanced about what I let into my psyche and what I don't, it's still really hard to have people say nasty sh*t all day, every day, and not kind of let it affect you."
Nickelodeon Animation Workers and the Animation Guild
According to The Wrap, "the new contract between animation staffers at Nickelodeon Studios and the Animation Guild combines 2D, 3D and production workers into one comprehensive contract."
Colm Feore joins Paramount+'s Landman
The House of Cards and The Umbrella Academy vet is the latest addition to the Taylor Sheridan Paramount+ series whose stars include Billy Bob Thornton, Ali Larter and Demi Moore, plus Jon Hamm in a recurring role.
Emily Beecham and Clémence Poésy board King & Conqueror
They will co-star with James Norton and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau on the British period drama about the Battle of Hastings for BBC and CBS Studios.
Mike Birbiglia to star in Peacock’s Good One: A Show About Jokes documentary special based on the Vulture podcast
Good One: A Show About Jokes will follow Birbiglia as he prepares new material. The special, based on the Vulture podcast Good One: A Podcast About Jokes, will feature interviews with Seth Meyers, Hasan Minhaj and Atsuko Okatsuka. Watch the trailer.
Live with Kelly & Mark parodies Nicole Kidman's AMC ads in promo for its post-Oscars special
The After the Oscars special airing Monday will also feature The Bachelor's Jesse Palmer as red carpet correspondent.
16 and Pregnant alum Sean Garinger dies in an ATV accident at age 20
Garinger, who appeared on season 6 of the MTV show beside his ex Selena Gutierrez, died Feb. 28 when he was moving an ATV and the ground collapsed from under it, resulting in it flipping over on top of him. The former couple shared two children.
Wicked Tuna: Outer Banks star Charlie Griffin and his dog dies in boating accident
Griffin, who starred as a captain on the Nat Geo reality show, disappeared while boating with a friend Sunday night in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The Coast Guard found his body and his dog’s body on Monday. His friend remains missing
Janice Burgess, a longtime Nickelodeon executive who created The Backyardigans, dies at 72
Burgess, whose Nick Jr. animated musical series for preschoolers aired for four seasons between 2004 and 2013, has died, fellow animation writer Fracaswell Hyman announced on Instagram. Brown Johnson, a longtime friend and the creator of Nick Jr., said Burgess died last Saturday of breast cancer. "In The Backyardigans, five cartoon animals — Tyrone, Tasha, Pablo, Austin and Uniqua — imagine their backyard as a place of adventure, traversing deserts, oceans, jungles, rivers and outer space while dancing and singing to music," John Yoon and Remy Tumin write in Burgess' New York Times obituary. "With the series, Ms. Burgess hoped to help children use their imaginations to have fun. In 2004, Ms. Burgess said in an interview with The New York Times that the idea for the show stemmed from memories of playing in her own childhood backyard in Pittsburgh." As Burgess explained: “I really remember it as a wonderful, happy, safe place. You could have these great adventures just romping around. From there, you could go anywhere or do anything.” In 2008, The Backyardigans was turned into the live show The Backyardigans Live! Tale of the Mighty Knights. Burgess worked at Sesame Workshop before joining Nick Jr. in 1995, becoming an executive who oversaw the production of Blue's Clues and Little Bill. In 2008, Burgess won a Daytime Emmy for The Backyardigans. Burgess later wrote for Winx Club and Bubble Guppies. In a statement, Nickelodeon called Burgess “one of the great architects of Nick Jr.” "Janice swept in with her acid-tongued wit, flowing Hermes scarves and omnipresent cigarettes. Instead of an overseer, she became a friend," Hyman wrote on Instagram. "She recognized my magic before I did and made sure I was in the room and under consideration for many of the shows that came my way including LITTLE BILL and TAINA. Janice created THE BACKYARDIGANS and guided countless other shows for Nickelodeon, Sesame Workshop, Disney and Apple TV. Her script/story critiques were astute, clear and constructive - and I really thank her for that."
LeVar Burton unveils the trailer for his Reading Rainbow documentary Butterfly in the Sky
Premiering in select AMC theaters on March 17, Butterfly in the Sky will explore the creation and production of Burton's iconic 1983-2006 PBS children's show that encouraged reading.
Ramy Youssef says "I'm done apologizing" to Islamophobes in his new HBO standup special trailer
The Ramy star's More Feelings special, his second for HBO, premieres on March 23.
Colin Farrell is a PI searching for a missing woman in Apple TV+'s Sugar trailer
Amy Ryan, James Cromwell, Anna Gunn, Dennis Boutsikaris, Nate Corddry, Sydney Chandler and Alex Hernandez also star in the noir-ish series starring Farrell as a PI on a dangerous search for a missing woman.
Ewan McGregor stars as a Russian count in Showtime's A Gentleman in Moscow trailer
McGregor portrays Count Alexander Rostov, who is banished by the Soviets to an attic room in the opulent Hotel Metropol and threatened with death if he ever sets foot outside again, in the eight episode Showtime limited series adapted from Amor Towles’ bestselling novel. A Gentleman in Moscow premieres March 31.
Netflix is delving into faith-based programming in the trailer for Testament: The Story of Moses
The three-part docu-drama, premiering March 27, explores the life of Moses and his rise from outcast and murderer to prophet and liberator of the Hebrews, according to the official logline.
Watch Alex Rider's final season trailer
The Amazon Freevee spy thriller returns for its "eight-episode" Season 3 shocking conclusion on April 5.