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Beyoncé reveals ‘Cowboy Carter’ artwork, shares statement on album

Beyoncé revealed the cover art for her forthcoming album, Cowboy Carter, and posted a statement on social media, detailing how the country album came about. Beyoncé shared the cover art on Instagram, featuring her sitting sideways on a galloping white horse holding an American flag while dressed in a red, white and blue leather suit adorned by a sash that reads “COWBOY CARTER.”

Accompanied with the photo was a lengthy caption: “Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act ii. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the supporters of TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES. I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant.”

“This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history .. The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work .. I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound.”

Beyoncé concluded: “I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE…I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop. This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!”

Beyoncé announced that a new album was on its way during the Super Bowl in February, releasing the first two songs off the album at the time: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” “Texas Hold ‘Em” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.

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Richard Simmons reveals skin cancer diagnosis

Just days after going on Facebook to share a cryptic post about death and dying, Richard Simmons, 75, explained in a new message to his fans he was diagnosed with skin cancer.

The reclusive health guru wrote: “Mirror mirror on the wall what’s that blemish which is so small? There was this strange looking bump under my right eye. I had a tube of neosporin which I would put on I the morning and the evening….it was still there. It was time to call my dermatologist.” Simmons said that his dermatologist had to “scrape it and put it under the microscope,” and when the results came back about 20 minutes later, he was told he had “the C word.” Simmons said: “I asked him what kind of cancer and he said. Basel Cell Carcinoma. I told him to stop calling me dirty names. He laughed.” According to Simmons, his doctor explained he had to ‘burn my skin to remove the cancer cells. There was no numbing it just had to be done with a small instrument ..  It lasted about 30 minutes.”  In a second message, Simmons added, “..With a smile on his face, he said, ‘We got all the cancer cells out.’ I gave him a hug. We are not done yet I have to stitch your face up. It took about 45 Minutes and I was done. ‘I don’t want to see you back here again.’”

Simmons caused concern on Monday after the fitness legend had posted, “I have some news to tell you. Please don’t be sad. I am ….dying. Oh I can see your faces now. The truth is we all are dying. Every day we live we are getting closer to our death .. Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to enjoy your life to the fullest every single day. Get up in the morning and look at the sky… count your blessings and enjoy.” However, he later clarified: “Sorry many of you have gotten upset about my message today. Even the press has gotten in touch with me. I am not dying. It was a message about saying how we should embrace every day that we have. Sorry for this confusion.”

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Netflix to release NFL docuseries ‘Receiver’ ft. Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, and more

Netflix announced the new sports docuseries ‘Receiver’, the sequel to its popular ‘Quarterback’ docuseries released in 2023. The streaming service said in a press release Tuesday that it is developing a series following pass catchers during the NFL 2023-24 season, posting on Instagram: “adams. jefferson. samuel. st. brown. kittle. from the creators of QUARTERBACK, RECEIVER is coming later this year”

‘Receiver’ features five star NFL pass catchers: Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams, Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Deebo Samuel. The series will chronicle the players on and off the field through the 2023-24 season and will premiere this summer, featuring eight, 45-minute episodes.  An official synopsis reads: “It’s been said that there’s no more difficult position in the NFL than the quarterback. But throwing the pass is only half the story. Receiver follows five of the NFL’s best pass catchers throughout the 2023 season on and off the field.” 

“Receiver” is produced by NFL Films, Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions and Mahomes’ 2PM Productions. Manning said in a statement: “We are excited to be working again with Netflix and NFL Films to give fans unprecedented access to what it’s like to play receiver at the highest level. As we did with Quarterback, we look forward to telling the stories of five incredible receivers, each with their unique personality, skillset, and motivation for what drives them to be the best.”

Netflix VP of nonfiction sports Gabe Spitzer shared: “The natural progression is from a pass to a catch, so we’re excited to dive into the Receiver world after the success of our ‘Quarterback’ series. NFL Films, Omaha Productions and 2PM Productions have delivered again in finding unique and dynamic athletes who will further highlight the drama of this sport on and off the field.”

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Kelly Clarkson, Peyton Manning, Jimmy Fallon to host Olympics ceremonies

Singer Kelly Clarkson and retired professional football player Peyton Manning announced on The Tonight Show starring Jimmy Fallon that they will host the opening ceremony at the Paris Summer Olympics with ‘Sunday Night Football’ announcer Mike Tirico. The opening ceremony will take place July 26 along the Seine river, with the Olympic games to run through Aug. 11.

Clarkson, 41, and Manning, 47, will  launch of NBC‘s 17 days of Olympics coverage alongside Tirico, with NBC ‘Today’ co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb reporting along the route of the parade of boats on the River Seine.   Clarkson also said of teaming up with Manning and Tirico: “Together, we are hosting the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympic Games. You will never see these three individuals do anything else together. This is the most random thing that they’ve done and I am down for the ride.”

Fallon will also be heading to Paris to host the 2024 Olympics Closing Ceremony. Fallon himself broke the news on his podcast channel in a YouTube clip: “It’s real, It’s happening, I’m gonna do it. I am heading to Paris. I am going to co-host the Olympics closing ceremony this summer. I had no idea that’s gonna happen…I am beyond excited, I am beyond honored!”

NBC’s live coverage of the ceremony kicks off July 26 on NBC and Peacock at noon ET.

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Vanessa Williams to star as Miranda Priestly in ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ musical in London

Vanessa Williams, 60, and the producers of the upcoming London musical adaptation of ‘The Devil Wears Prada’ announced that Williams  will play the iconic fictional Runway magazine editor-in-chief Miranda Priestly when the show begins performances in October.  Williams said per Variety: “Bringing Miranda Priestly to life in the West End is an absolute dream come true. Gird your loins, folks.”

Williams and the production’s Instagram account shared videos of her in character as Miranda to make the announcement.  Williams wrote in a caption to one post “Yes…it’s me 👹,”and another video she shared shows her entering the fictional magazine’s offices in character.  Williams says the video: “Don’t just sit there. Buy tickets, or something” adding in the caption of the post: “that’s All…now buy some tickets to @pradawestend 🇬🇧 #thehouseofmiranda👠.”

The Devil Wears Prada musical adaptation first opened in Chicago in 2022. The musical is based on the 2006 movie of the same name, which was based on author Lauren Weisberger’s 2003 novel. Tony Award-winner Beth Leavel played Miranda Priestly at the James M. Nederlander Theatre in London prior to the production’s move to the West End. The Devil Wears Prada musical will hold an exclusively preview engagement at Theatre Royal Plymouth in Plymouth, U.K., this July prior to its opening on the West End, as the production previously announced. The show opens at London’s Dominion Theatre in October.

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Margot Robbie, Colin Farrell to star in Sony Pictures’ ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’

“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,” a fantasy romance starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell, has been acquired by Sony Pictures to be distributed worldwide. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey will be directed by Kogonada, who also helmed the TV series “Pachinko” and the sci-fi drama “After Yang.” Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the film is described as “an imaginative tale of two strangers and the extraordinary emotional journey that connects them.” “A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” marks Robbie’s follow-up role to “Barbie,” which she also produced. Production starts this spring in California.

Tom Rothman, chairman and CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, said in a statement: “Every once in a great while in this job you read a script so special and original, that you fly to the last page, inspired and uplifted. ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey,’ by Seth Reiss, is such a script and together with the superb director Kogonada, the perfect cast of Colin and Margot, and top flight producers Bradley Thomas, Dan Friedkin and Ryan Friedkin, it is a project from heaven. We believe the audience is desperate for originality and we feel honored and grateful to all involved to have won out for it.”

Added Imperative Entertainment, “We are thrilled to partner again with our good friend, Tom Rothman, and the great team at Sony. We are big believers in the theatrical experience, which is Sony’s specialty, and we’re excited Kogonada’s creation will be enjoyed on the big screen.”

Margot Robbie & Colin Farrell’s Next Movie ‘A Big Bold Beautiful Journey’ Sells Worldwide To Sony In First Major EFM Deal: Berlin Market Has Liftoff!

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Oprah Winfrey primetime special on weight loss drugs airing on ABC

Oprah Winfrey will host an ABC primetime special about weight loss drugs, airing on ABC. Oprah recorded the special, titled “An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution,” in front of a live studio audience, where she gathers medial experts to discuss weight loss drugs such as Ozempic, Mounjaro and Wegovy. The medical experts featured in the primetime special are Cleveland Clinic’s Dr. W. Scott Butsch, ABC News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton, ABC News medical correspondent Dr. Darien Sutton and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center’s Dr. Amanda Velazquez.

Oprah in a statement: “It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity. This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment and stigma surrounding weight.”

Craig Erwich, president of Disney Television Group, in a statement: “We are thrilled to work with Oprah and the voices she has assembled to open a dialogue that destigmatizes and educates viewers on the important and polarizing topic of weight loss. I can think of no one better to lead this meaningful conversation about such a critical issue that touches all of our lives.”

Oprah recently announced she was stepping down from the board of WeightWatchers after almost 10 years. She had served on the company’s board since 2015, when she acquired a 10% stake in WeightWatchers. The news cam after Winfrey told People magazine last December that she decided to start taking a weight-loss medication: “The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for.”

“An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution” airs Monday, March 18 at 8pm ET on ABC and streams on Hulu the next day.

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Netflix’s ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ renewed for two seasons; will conclude with Season 3

Netflix has renewed Avatar: The Last Airbender for Season 2 and Season 3, with the show to end after its third season. Episode counts and release dates for Seasons 2 and 3 will be announced at a later date. Netflix posted: “The Avatar will return!! Seasons 2 & 3 of AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER are coming!” Netflix also shared a video of Daniel Dae Kim, who plays Fire Lord Ozai, sharing news of the renewal with the cast.

The show’s eight-episode first season premiered on Feb. 22 and recorded 41.1M views in its first 11 days, topping its TV list for the last two weeks and being on track to enter its top ten most-watched list over its first three months. It debuted ranking at No. 1 in 76 countries.

Avatar: The Last Airbender is based on the animated Nickelodeon series of the same name, which had a three-season run from 2005 to 2008. Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender stars Gordon Cormier as Aang, a powerful young warrior who must master the four elements (air, water, earth and fire — in that order!) to defeat the merciless Fire Nation and restore balance to a world threatened by the terrifying Fire Nation. Kiawentiio, Ian Ousley, Dallas Liu, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee, Ken Leung and Daniel Dae Kim also star.

The show’s three season run will mirror the structure of the animated series, which featured three books across three seasons to Aang’s story that premiered on Nickelodeon in 2005, and became a hit on Netflix during the early stages of the pandemic. Netflix plans to film Seasons 2 and 3 in close succession in order to mitigate the fact that child actors tend to grow up quickly.

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Eugene Levy joins cast of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ Season 4

Eugene Levy will appear in Season 4 of “Only Murders in the Building” at Hulu in a recurring role, joining previously announced Season 4 cast members Eva Longoria and Molly Shannon in the comedy series, alongside leads Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez. Meryl Streep is also set to reprise her role from Season 3.

Exact details of Levy’s role are being kept under wraps and plot details are also scarce for the new season, aside from the fact it is known the three main characters will make a trip to Los Angeles before returning to New York.

Levy won two Emmys for his work on the hit series “Schitt’s Creek,” which he co-created with son Dan Levy. He is also known for his work in the films of Christopher Guest like “Best in Show” and “A Mighty Wind” and for the “American Pie” film franchise. Levy currently hosts the Apple TV+ travel series “The Reluctant Traveler.”

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Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik to return for ‘Young Sheldon’ series finale

Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik will reprise their roles as Sheldon Cooper and Amy Farrah Fowler in the series finale of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ prequel series, ‘Young Sheldon.’

Parsons, who executive produces and provides voiceover for ‘Young Sheldon’, and Bialik last appeared onscreen together in the May 2019 series finale of The Big Bang Theory.  Additional details about the onscreen couple’s appearance are being kept under wraps ahead of the series finale of the CBS comedy.

Young Sheldon has featured a number of references to ‘Big Bang’, with series stars Kaley Cuoco (Penny), Simon Helberg (Howard) and Bialik all previously appearing via voiceover. News of Bialik and Parsons’ onscreen reunion comes shortly after CBS officially confirmed that the franchise would continue with a ‘Young Sheldon’ spinoff series following Emily Osment and Montana Jordan’s characters, Mandy and Georgie.

The series finale for Young Sheldon will air Thursday, May 16, on CBS.

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