KGET: Entertainment News

Former Bears first-round draft pick Dick Evey dies

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:55:05 -0700

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Dick Evey, a former first-round draft pick who played eight seasons in the NFL, has died at the age of 72.

Lynn Gibson of Smith Funeral & Cremation Service in Maryville, Tenn., confirmed that Evey died Thursday at the Ben Atchley State Veterans Home in Knoxville after a long illness.

Evey played tackle from 1964-69 for the Chicago Bears, who selected him out of Tennessee in the first round of the 1964 NFL Draft. Evey played with the Los Angeles Rams in 1970 and the Detroit Lions in 1971.

Evey lettered at Tennessee in 1961, 1962 and 1963.

NYC lawsuit over alleged Brett Favre texts settled

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:50:49 -0700

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City lawyer for two massage therapists who sued retired NFL quarterback Brett Favre over racy text messages said Friday the case has been settled.

Lawyer David Jaroslawicz said Friday that the lawsuit has been resolved. He would not comment on the terms of the settlement.

Massage therapists Christina Scavo and Shannon O'Toole said Favre sent sexually suggestive texts to another therapist when he was with the New York Jets in 2008.

The women said they lost their part-time jobs with the Jets after they complained about the texts. They sought unspecified damages from Favre, the Jets and a team massage coordinator.

Lawyers for Favre and the Jets did not immediately respond to calls seeking comment.

Fox reality chief Mike Darnell exiting the network

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:50:09 -0700

NEW YORK (AP) — Fox reality chief Mike Darnell says he's leaving the network after an 18-year stay.

Darnell was named the network's President of Alternative Entertainment in 2007. He oversaw such programs as "American Idol," ''So You Think You Can Dance," ''Joe

Millionaire" and "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance."

Other shows he stewarded pushed the limits of propriety to new extremes, such as "Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?" and "When Animals Attack."

The 50-year-old Darnell said Friday that in a changing media world, now is the perfect time for him to try something new.

He joined Fox in 1994 as Director of Specials.

Rupert Murdoch, chairman of Fox parent News Corp., called Darnell "a pioneering force in shaping the reality programming genre."

Fox had no comment on a successor.

Jermaine Jackson plans to create new 'Jackson 5'

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:45:42 -0700

Jermaine Jackson is set to put together a new version of the 'Jackson 5' on an upcoming reality show.

The star, who shot to fame with his brothers in the sibling singing group, is to front a new web series in Australia which will audition wannabes and put them to a public vote as they attempt to win a place in an updated version of the band.

The new group will be known as JJ5 and the show will be aired online at JJ5TV.com, according to News.com.au.

Jackson will reportedly head Down Under next month to launch the series and begin filming the audition stages.

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Singer falls off stage at 'Great Gatsby' premiere party

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:43:44 -0700

The Great Gatsby star Iota suffered a suspected broken arm after falling off stage during his performance at a party following the film's premiere in Sydney, Australia this week.

The Australian singer/actor, who plays Trimalchio the Orchestra Leader in the Baz Luhrmann movie, performed a cabaret routine at a lavish bash after the movie's red carpet unveiling on Wednesday night.

However, the audience was left aghast when he toppled off the stage in front of the star-studded crowd.

The outlandish star refused to let the accident halt his performance and continued to sing as he climbed back on stage, but told the crowd he believed he broke his arm in the fall, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

He is said to have escaped without serious injury.

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'Rocky Horror' actor Tim Curry suffers stroke at LA home

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:42:10 -0700

The Rocky Horror Picture Show star Tim Curry has suffered a stroke.

The 67-year-old British actor is recovering after collapsing at his home in Los Angeles on Thursday.

His longtime agent Marcia Hurwitz has refuted speculation Curry is struggling to speak after falling ill, telling Britain's Daily Mail, "Tim is doing great. He absolutely can speak and is recovering at this time and in great humor."

No other details about Curry's health scare were immediately available.

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Chris Rock auctioning off role in upcoming movie

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:40:10 -0700

Funnyman Chris Rock is selling a walk-on role in his next movie to raise money for a breast cancer charity.

The comedian is giving one fan the chance to play a bit part in his upcoming film Finally Famous, which also stars Rosario Dawson and Gabrielle Union.

The winning bidder will be invited to bring a friend for a meet-and-greet with Rock, and they will be treated to an exclusive tour of the set.

Rock's auction on CharityBuzz.com ends on June 4 and the prize is expected to raise $15,000 for the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation.

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Actress Moore makes fun of Cannes fashion mishap

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:38:50 -0700

Actress Julianne Moore poked fun at her footwear mishap at the Cannes Film Festival on Thursday by pretending to cut off her toes during an appearance on comedian Jimmy Fallon's late night talk show.

The Hours star donned a pair of too-tight silver stilettos to a screening of The Great Gatsby in France on May 15, and posed for photographs with her squished pinky toes hanging out off the side of her shoes, oblivious to her foot fashion faux pas.

Style critics rated Moore's look one of the worst of the week at the festival, and now the 52 year old has opened up about the cringe-worthy moment during an appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

She explained, "There's so much pressure to look good, to look perfect, so you worry about your dress, you worry about your hair, you worry about your makeup and I thought I had everything under control, but I didn't have it, it was a mess.

"(My stylist) Leslie Fremar (and I), we picked out these sandals to wear to Cannes, and you have to be really careful about your footwear, because you have to be able to walk in it and stuff, and we noticed that there was kind of a narrow platform, and there was a possibility of my toes falling off. And I'm like, 'That's not gonna happen!'

"But what I didn't prepare myself for was the pivoting. So you know, you walk, you walk, you stop, you pivot... and I thought it all went fine... Then I went online to see a picture, and what did I see but 'toemageddon'... It was a disaster!"

And to make sure she never falls victim to another toe problem, she presented Fallon with a silver box containing what appeared to be her little digits, adding, "I needed to prevent this from happening again, so... you know what I did? I did what any reasonable person would do... I cut my toes off."

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Vin Diesel uses fans' suggestions for movies

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:37:15 -0700

Vin Diesel turns to his 42 million "Facebook angels" to help him cast his movies.

The XXX star admits he asks fans for advice every time he lands a new role and passes on their thoughts to casting directors and producers.

The actor says, "They were the first ones to suggest Dwayne Johnson and I working together (in Fast Five) and without giving (new film) Fast 6 away, that cameo at the end was strictly from the Facebook page.

"They all said, 'We had a dream of seeing you guys work together.'"

And he always takes his fans' recommendations seriously: "I have to listen to them... It's such a rare moment in Hollywood, where we're able to actually hear feedback from the audience and I think it makes for a better movie."

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Cannes: Dern a leading man again in 'Nebraska'

Fri, 24 May 2013 14:14:26 -0700

CANNES, France (AP) — For the aging, gruff patriarch of his father-son road trip "Nebraska," Alexander Payne tried to lure Gene Hackman out of retirement and considered the likes of Robert Duvall and Jack Nicholson. Bruce Dern calls them "the obvious guys."

"He said to me, 'I got an idea. Let's surprise them with you,'" Dern recalled of learning from Payne that he had the part. Payne, he says, continued: "'You haven't done this. You haven't done anything like this. Let's have fun. Let's knock their socks off.'"

Though the part, reticent and cantankerous, isn't the typical socks-knocking kind of stuff, Dern's unadorned portrait has been one of the most hailed performances at the Cannes Film Festival, where the black-and-white "Nebraska" premiered to warm reviews Thursday. For Dern, whose days as a leading man were largely in the 1970s, working with Payne on "Nebraska" was deeply meaningful.

"All during your career, you look for a certain kind of security from the people you're working with, people that believe you're talented, that you can do what you can do," says the 76-year-old Dern, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance in 1978's "Coming Home." ''I've been overrated sometimes and I've been underrated, probably more than I've been overrated."

Dern is an eager storyteller, and during an interview Friday, his conversation took detour upon detour, ranging from the directions of Alfred Hitchcock to how best to cheat at boarding school. His co-star in "Nebraska," the former "Saturday Night Live" player Will Forte, calls him, with understatement, "a bit of a talker."

In the film, Dern stars as Woody Grant, a retired, alcoholic veteran showing signs of senility. When he receives a mass mailing promising him a $1 million award, he sets out down the road from his Montana home to collect it in person in Nebraska. His son (Forte) placates him by driving him, including a stop his father's old hometown: "The guy needs something to live for," says the son.

It's a sweet but unsentimental tale of a son giving his father a sense of decency late in life. It will be released in November by Paramount Pictures amid the fall award season.

Dern calls Woody "a monument to the people like that, that still exist in this country — a guy that's not going to leave, that's not going to get out." Dern risked, he says, "trying not to act."

"I said: 'I'll give you whatever you want. I won't give you what other directors want, because it's sparse,'" says Dern. "It's not a career-making role. I never smile. I never laugh. He never really gets angry except once. But there's no self-pity with Woody."

This is the second time a Dern has starred in a film by Payne. His 1996 feature debut, the abortion debate satire "Citizen Ruth," starred Laura Dern, Bruce's daughter. The actress lobbied Payne to cast her father.

"Both Derns will do anything you ask them to do," Payne told reporters. The director said he was as much drawn to Dern by his talent as by "who the man is."

"I like actors who can be ornery but heartbreaking at the same time," Payne said.

Dern, an avid lifetime runner, compared Payne's interest to him as coming on the 24th mile to the marathon of his career.

"I'll love him forever for that, for seeing in me that I could pull this off," Dern says of Payne. "He's different folks."

When Forte, early in the production, told Dern that he was having trouble adjusting to dramatic acting and establishing their relationship, Dern gave him some advice.

"I put my hand on his arm and I said, 'Just look at me every time in the movie and realize you may be working with a guy who's never going to make another movie,'" Dern says. "He got big tears in his eyes and said, 'Are you serious?' I said, 'No, it's all bull----. But you don't know that and I don't know that because if this fails, I'm done. They'll never let me play another lead in a movie.'"

The two spent weeks together in the close confines of a Subaru, says Forte: "I could just listen to him forever. He has the best stories. We became very close."

"I've been in some pretty good movies," says Dern. "This is the best movie I've been in. I hope it's as good a work as I've done."

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Follow AP Entertainment Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jake_coyle