Here's the Scoop...
Today's issue is jam-packed. JAM-PACKED!
There's Aquaman news! There's Blake Shelton suing a tabloid over 'rehab' allegation news! There's Mariah Carey announcing her new E! reality series news! There's 'too old' actress news! Celebrity Nooz is here to bring you all new news that you will soon know when it was new. You know what I'm talking about.
And on a serious note, character actor Larry Drake, known for his roles on L.A. Law, and films Darkman and Dr. Giggles, has passed away at age 66. Such a memorable screen presence and a great actor. He will be missed.
Please, read more about these entertainment stories below.
Be Well,
Steve
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Amber Heard confirms role in 'Justice League' and 'Aquaman'
Amber Heard will indeed appear in Warner Bros. Pictures' forthcoming Justice League and Aquaman movies.
The 29-year-old actress confirmed she will play the undersea queen Mera, love interest to Aquaman (Jason Momoa), in an interview with Entertainment Tonight on Thursday.
"It's interesting. I'm wearing, like, half suit of armor, half scales," the star dished of her costume. "It's strange... We're in the process of building it now, so it's coming along."
Heard was first linked to the projects in January. She will appear as Mera in The Justice League: Part One in 2017 before returning in the Aquaman solo movie in 2018.
In the DC comics, Mera is the former queen of Dimension Aqua who becomes the queen of Atlantis. She possesses super strength and the ability to control and solidify water, and was previously portrayed by Elena Satine in The WB/CW series Smallville.
Justice League will be directed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice helmer Zack Snyder. The movie will feature an ensemble cast, with Ben Affleck as Batman, Henry Cavill as Superman and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
Aquaman, meanwhile, will be helmed by The Conjuring director James Wan. The standalone film will focus on Aquaman (Momoa), the brooding king of Atlantis, who possesses super strength and the ability to telepathically communicate with marine life.
"Justice League is quite a ways off," Momoa told The Hollywood Reporter in April. "I'll bring my professionalism there. I'll bring my sense of humor. Hopefully people will like that. If they don't, I'll modify it."
Heard is known for the films The Rum Diary, Magic Mike XXL and The Danish Girl, and will also star in London Fields with Theo James. She married actor Johnny Depp in February 2015.
Blake Shelton suing tabloid over 'rehab' allegation
Country music singer and The Voice judge Blake Shelton is suing a tabloid over their report that alcoholism and womanizing ended his marriage to Miranda Lambert.
The magazine In Touch printed in September in the wake of the country couple's divorce, Shelton had been drinking heavily and Lambert begged him to go to substance abuse rehabilitation to get sober. The headline on the cover story was "Rehab for Blake" and the article alleged Shelton was drunk on a friend's bachelor party trip to Mexico when he cheated on Lambert.
The article also described an incident where Shelton urinated on a mailbox in public and alleged he was drinking vodka before 11 a.m. while serving as a coach on NBC's The Voice.
Shelton is suing the publishers of In Touch, Bauer Publishing Co., for $2 million in damages, saying the claims are categorically false.
LOOSE LIPS:
"I was actually at a friend of mine's house when it aired and I remember thinking 'that girl's cute.'"
--Tom Hanks, remembering the first time he saw wife Rita Wilson, when she guest starred on The Brady Bunchin 1972, at the premiere of My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
??? Guess Who ???
Which actress says she was labeled 'too old' for 'Wolf of Wall Street' role?
Larry Drake, 'L.A. Law' star dead at 66
Actor Larry Drake, most known for his role as Benny on L.A. Law, has died at the age of 66.
According to TMZ, Drake was found dead by a friend inside his Hollywood home Thursday. A cause of death has yet to be confirmed. He was pronounced dead once paramedics arrived at the scene.
"He was such a nice man and a great actor," Drake's agent Mike Eisenstadt explained to People magazine in a statement.
Drake notably won consecutive outstanding supporting actor Emmy awards in 1988 and 1989 for his role as Benny, a mentally-challenged lab clerk on L.A. Law, a popular legal drama that ran for eight season on NBC until 1994. Drake reprised his role as Benny in 2002's L.A. Law: The Movie.
Drake is also known for starring in Darkman, Bean, Dr. Giggles, 7th Heaven, Boston Legal and for providing voiceover work on children's cartoons such as What's New, Scooby-Doo?, Justice League and Johnny Bravo.
Mariah Carey announces new E! reality series, 'Mariah's World'
Mariah Carey is now set to star in her own E! reality series, the singer revealed recently.
The eight-part documentary series entitled Mariah's World, will follow Carey as she embarks on her upcoming world tour with shows scheduled in Europe and South Africa.
Expected to debut later this year, the show will also follow the pop star as she plans her wedding to Australian billionaire James Packer after the couple got engaged back in January.
Speaking with the New York Times Tuesday, Carey said that she doesn't consider the upcoming intimate look at her life a reality series. "I refuse to call it a reality show," she explained before saying it won't be exploitative showcasing her 4-year-old twins or exploring her high-profile divorce from television personality Nick Cannon.
"They haven't been filmed at all yet. There might be a couple of moments, but it's not about making them the stars of the show. They're too young to make that decision," she said of her children Monroe and Moroccan.
"I thought it would be a good opportunity to kind of, like, show my personality and who I am, even though I feel like my real fans have an idea of who I am," she continued. "A lot of people have misperceptions about this and that."
Carey last starred in a holiday sketch series entitled Mariah's Holiday Sketchtacular with comedy troupe Funny or Die back in December.
??? Guess Who ???
Which actress says she was labeled 'too old' for 'Wolf of Wall Street' role?
Olivia Wilde revealed on The Howard Stern Show Tuesday that she was considered "too old" to play the part of Leonardo DiCaprio's wife in 2013's The Wolf of Wall Street.
"The funniest thing I heard recently was, I had heard for a part that I was too sophisticated," the actress explained to Stern after being asked if she's ever lost out on a role for being "too beautiful."
"I thought, 'Oh, that sounds nice. I like that feedback. I didn't get the part but I'm a very sophisticated person,'" she continued before revealing what studio executives really meant by using the word "sophisticated."
"Then I found out later they actually said 'old,'" she said laughing. "I had auditioned unsuccessfully for Wolf of Wall Street. That was the one I was too old for."
The part eventually went to to Australian actress Margot Robbie who's impressive turn in the film helped launch her career. "She's perfect - she kicked so much [expletive] in the movie," Wilde said of Robbie's performance. "I have some ability to cut off emotionally - the second I don't get a role, it's dead to me."
The failed audition did however earn Wilde a role on HBO's newest series, Vinyl. According to the 32-year-old, Wolf of Wall Street director Martin Scorsese, who also executive produces the music drama, was so impressed with her acting that she didn't have to tryout for a role on the show.
"It shows that if you don't get something - job interview, whatever you do for a living - it might lead to something else," Wilde said.
On Wednesday Wilde later took to social media to clarify her comments from the interview again praising Robbie's performance in the process. "My point about not being cast in "Wolf o W-Street" was that we have to trust the process because I ended up with my dream job on Vinyl," she wrote on Twitter.
"And my interview went on to say that Margot Robbie crushed that role like a sexy ninja and I LOVED her in it," she continued.
Vinyl airs Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO.