Here's the Scoop...

Carrie Fisher appears as Princess Leia on a new Vanity Fair cover.

The late actress posed as the princess-turned-general for an issue promoting Star Wars: The Last Jedi and celebrating the 40th anniversary of Star Wars (1977).

Famed photographer Annie Leibowitz shot four covers featuring Fisher, Daisy Ridley, Mark Hamill, Gwendoline Christie, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac, John Boyega and Kelly Marie Tran. She has captured every Star Wars cast since The Phantom Menace.

"I can't say that phrase, what you just said: Carrie's name and then the d-word," Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, said of Fisher's death in the cover story. "Because I think of her in the present tense.

"Maybe it's a form of denial, but she's so vibrant in my mind, and so vital a part of the family, that I can't imagine it without her. It's just so untimely, and I'm so angry," the 65-year-old actor confessed.

Fisher died of a heart attack at age 60 in December. Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy confirmed in April that the actress will appear posthumously in Star Wars: The Last Jedi, but not in Star Wars: Episode IX.

"We finished everything in [The Last Jedi] and Carrie is absolutely phenomenal in the movie," she said. "Unfortunately ... we were well underway in Episode IX in our thoughts, [but] we had not written the script yet."

Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens Dec. 15. Who's NOT excited?!

Be Well,
Steve

Comments? Questions? Nooz? Email Steve



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Zack Snyder thanks fans for support following 'Justice League' exit
Director Zack Snyder thanked fans on Twitter for their support following news that he is stepping down from Justice League due to the death of his daughter.

"Thanks for the outpouring of support. I can't express how much it means to Debbie & I and Autumn's mother, Denise, at such a difficult time," the filmmaker wrote Tuesday.

Snyder's daughter Autumn took her own life in March at the age of 20. The 51-year-old film maker who kept the matter private, initially wanted to continue work on the superhero ensemble, which was put on hold so that the family could deal with the tragedy. Snyder's wife, Deborah, who is a producer on Justice League, is also stepping down.

"In my mind, I thought it was a cathartic thing to go back to work, to just bury myself and see if that was the way through it," Snyder said Monday. "The demands of this job are pretty intense. It is all-consuming. And in the last two months, I've come to the realization ... I've decided to take a step back from the movie to be with my family, be with my kids, who really need me. They are all having a hard time. I'm having a hard time."

Snyder also shared on Twitter a link to The Jed Foundation, which seeks to protect emotional health and prevent suicide in teens and young adults. "To support or seek help, please know there are places such as afsp.org and JEDfoundation.org that are doing great work," he wrote.

Warner Bros. wanted to delay the film, which stars Ben Affleck (Batman), Henry Cavill (Superman), Gal Gadot (Wonder Woman), Ezra Miller (The Flash), Jason Momoa (Aquaman) and Ray Fisher (Cyborg), but Snyder wanted Justice League to reach its planned Nov. 17 release date.

Stepping in for Snyder will be Joss Whedon who directed Disney and Marvel's Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron to lead Justice League through post-production and to direct some additional scenes. Whedon was brought into the DC comics and Warner Bros. fold after he signed on to helm an upcoming Batgirl film in March.

Snyder had previously helmed Man of Steel and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice alongside Deborah as a producer. The couple also produced Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins, that arrives in theaters June 2.


Ariana Grande's mother escorted fans to safety after Manchester blast
Ariana Grande's mother helped escort a group of fans to safety after the deadly explosion at her daughter's concert in England on Monday night.

The singer's mother, Joan Grande, was headed to visit her daughter and helped guide as many as 10 fans seated around her in the front row backstage with her after the bomb exploded inside Manchester Arena, TMZ reported.

Joan Grande escorted the group of fans backstage where they waited to safely exit the arena, ABC News confirmed.

The Islamic State claimed credit for the attack which killed 22 people and injured 59 more, but it wasn't immediately clear if the suspected attacker, 22-year-old Salman Abedi, was directly or indirectly supported by the militant Islamist group.

Ariana Grande tweeted she was "broken" following the attack and suspended the remainder of her tour, as fellow pop stars reacted to the bombing.

"From the bottom of my heart, I am so so sorry. I don't have words," she added.


LOOSE LIPS:
"She handed me a box and there were three pregnancy tests in there and all of them were positive. I think I stared at it for at least two minutes without saying anything because I was literally in shock. We'd been told it was just not in the cards, and I'm staring at this answer to many, many, many prayers."
--Brantley Gilbert, on learning wife Amber is pregnant following their fertility struggle, to PEOPLE



??? Guess Who ???
Which filmmaker and comedian's next social thriller will hit theaters in the spring 2019?


Blake Shelton reacts to Gwen Stefani leaving 'The Voice'
Blake Shelton reacted Monday to news girlfriend Gwen Stefani is leaving The Voice.

The 40-year-old country star said in a Facebook Live interview with Entertainment Tonight that he thinks Stefani and fellow coach Alicia Keys will ultimately return to the show.

"I've looked ahead. This is like those Harry Potter movies. Characters you think are gone, then they come back. I've looked ahead on the script and Alicia, they have her coming back," Shelton said.

"Gwen is coming back. We love Gwen," Keys added before joking, "Hopefully Gwen can replace [Blake]."

Stefani herself confirmed in the interview that she has no future plans with the NBC reality competition.

"I don't have any plans to come back, but I definitely let everybody know I love being here and I'd love to come back," the singer said. "I'll be here to hang out and hang out with Blake."

Keys had told TV Insider in April that Season 12 will be her last as coach. Radar Online reported the same month that Stefani was planning to depart the show.

"Gwen is set on leaving, and it is Blake's choice if he wants to go with her," a source said.

Shelton and Stefani first met on The Voice in 2014, and started dating the next year following their splits from their respective spouses, Miranda Lambert and Gavin Rossdale. The Voice Season 12 will air its finale Tuesday.


'Dark Universe': Universal monster series stars Tom Cruise, Johnny Depp
Universal Pictures has titled its planned monster movie series Dark Universe that begins with The Mummy starring Tom Cruise and Sofia Boutella.

The cinematic universe will feature films based on the studio's catalogue of classic movie monsters such as Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the Invisible Man.

Cruise and Boutella gathered with Russell Crowe, who also stars in The Mummy as Dr. Henry Jekyll to take a group photo alongside Johnny Depp who will portray the Invisible Man and Javier Bardem who is set to portray Frankenstein's monster in future films.

"Witness the beginning of a #DarkUniverse," Universal captioned the image. Accompanying the photo was a Dark Universe announcement trailer that featured footage from Universal's classic horror films alongside a logo and musical theme by composer Danny Elfman that will play before each entry in the series starting with The Mummy.

Crowe's Dr. Jekyll is set to connect all the films together as his character leads an organization known as Prodigium that tracks down, studies and destroys evil monsters, Deadline reported.

Next up on the Dark Universe slate is a remake of Bride of Frankenstein that will be directed by Beauty and the Beast helmer Bill Condon and arrive in theaters Feb. 14, 2019.

"We take enormous pride in the creativity and passion that has inspired the reimagining of Universal's iconic monsters and promise audiences we will expand this series strategically," Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley said in a statement.

"The enterprise masterfully developed by Chris (Morgan) and Alex (Kurtzman) will allow each subsequent chapter the right time to find the perfect cast, filmmakers and vision to fulfill it. As we launch Dark Universe with Danny's provocative theme before 'The Mummy' and collaborate with a brilliant filmmaker like Bill to weave the story of a very modern woman in a very classic tale, we feel confident we're off to a tremendous start," Langley continued about Bride of Frankenstein.


??? Guess Who ???
Which filmmaker and comedian's next social thriller will hit theaters in the spring 2019?

Jordan Peele's next movie with Universal Pictures will hit theaters in a little less than two years.

The project, listed as an untitled social thriller, is set to arrive in theaters on March 15, 2019, Deadline reported.

The release date comes after Peele signed a two-year, first-look deal with Universal Pictures following the success of his film Get Out. The deal gives the studio the first opportunity to produce or distribute films made and produced by Peele and his production company, Monkeypaw Productions.

Peele will be write, direct and produce the project based on his original vision. The new film is said to have a budget five times larger than the one used on Get Out, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Get Out, which tackled themes of racism, was a critical and commercial success grossing more than $194.5 million worldwide.

Peele will also partner with Universal to co-produce several micro-budget projects with his Get Out collaborator Jason Blum and his company Blumhouse Productions.