Here's the Scoop...

I am deeply sad to report that legendary comic and actor Don Rickles died today at age 90.

The actor and comic, who was sarcastically known as "Mr. Warmth," died at his home in Los Angeles of kidney failure, publicist Paul Shefrin confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.

Rickles came to fame as a stand-up comedian in the 1950s after catching Frank Sinatra's attention. He made his film debut in the 1958 movie Run Silent, Run Deep, and was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson in the 1960s.

Rickles appeared as an actor on The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Andy Griffith Showand Gilligan's Island comic before landing his own variety show on ABC, The Don Rickles Show, in 1968.

Rickles is survived by his wife Barbara Sklar, whom he married in 1965, and daughter Mindy Rickles. Sources told TMZ Sklar was by the comic's side at the time of his death.

To celebrate the life, talent and memory of Mr. Warmth I'm going to watch "Kelly Heroes" tonight. Oh, maybe I'll watch "Casino". Or some of the Dean Martin's Celebrity Roasts. Rickles was the best!

Be Well,
Steve

Comments? Questions? Nooz? Email Steve



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'Will & Grace' revival order increased to 12 episodes
The Will & Grace revival order was increased to 12 episodes this week.

NBC ordered an additional two episodes of its new, ninth season of the sitcom starring Eric McCormack and Debra Messing, according to Deadline.

The Will & Grace revival initially received a 10-episode order in January after the cast and creators reunited in September to film a surprise 10-minute episode related to the presidential election.

"We're thrilled that one of the smartest, funniest and most defining comedies in NBC history is coming back," NBC Entertainment chairman Robert Greenblatt said Jan. 18.

McCormack and Messing will reprise Will Truman and Grace Adler, with Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes to return as Karen Walker and Jack McFarland. The actors appeared in character in a new NBCUniversal campaign released Wednesday.

"Excited to share our @TogetherNBCU campaign ahead of our 2017 Upfront that will air starting 2morrow across our portfolio #UnequaledNBCU," NBCUniversal chairman of advertising sales and client partnerships Linda Yaccarino tweeted.

Will & Grace originally had an eight-season run from 1998 to 2006. Series creators and executive producers Max Mutchnick and David Kohan and executive producer James Burrows will also return for the revival.


David Letterman replaces Neil Young, will induct Pearl Jam into Rock Hall of Fame
Former Late Show host David Letterman is to induct Pearl Jam into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame after ailing musician Neil Young was forced to bow out of his presenting duties at the gala.

"Due to illness, Neil Young is sadly unable to induct @PearlJam @ this year's ceremony. We're thrilled David Letterman has agreed to step in," organizers of the event tweeted Wednesday.

Dhani Harrison will also be inducting ELO; Pat Monahan will be inducting Journey; Pharrell Williams will be inducting Nile Rodgers; Snoop Dogg will be inducting Tupac Shakur; Jackson Browne will be inducting Joan Baez; and Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush will be inducting Yes.

The event is to take place Friday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.


LOOSE LIPS:
"I think going on that journey ... kind of helped me with my own demons."
--Evan Rachel Wood, on her Westworld character, to PEOPLE



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Sarah Michelle Gellar says 'Buffy' wouldn't work as revival
Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar doesn't think the show would work well as a revival.

The 39-year-old actress said Monday in a Build interview with The Huffington Post that the "horrors of adolescence" in The WB/UPN drama wouldn't "translate" in new seasons with the original cast, who have aged nearly 14 years since the series finale.

"We have to remember it was about the horrors of adolescence and how those manifest into the monsters that were the actual monsters in our show, and I don't know necessarily what that translates into today," Gellar explained.

"We had seven amazing seasons ... [but] none of us are immortal," she added of herself and her co-stars. "I'm just not sure how the horrors of adolescence translate into a very tired girl over here that really doesn't want to work all night in a graveyard."

"If the show still works and people are enjoying it, don't mess with it. If it ain't broke, I'm not fixing it!" the star said. "I feel like there's other ways to keep it going and honor what we created."

Gellar played Buffy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer during the show's seven-season run from 1997 to 2003. She reunited with David Boreanaz, James Marsters and Nicholas Brendon, who portrayed Angel, Spike and Xander, for a 20th anniversary photoshoot last week.

"Reunited and it feels so good @David_Boreanaz," the actress wrote March 29.

Gellar played "Marry, Shag, Kill" with Angel, Spike and Xander on Tuesday's episode of Watch What Happens Live, answering, "I guess marry Angel? But can you really marry the undead. You shag Spike, obviously. I don't want to kill Xander, though."


Freeform greenlights Marvel comedy 'New Warriors,' featuring Squirrel Girl
Freeform says it has ordered 10, half-hour episodes of Marvel's New Warriors, featuring young-adult, superheroes including the iconic Squirrel Girl.

The live-action comedy -- a first for Marvel Television -- is slated to debut in 2018.

"Freeform's mission is to deliver incredible content to young adults, and Marvel Television seamlessly aligns with that mission -- we couldn't be more proud to collaborate with them on Marvel's New Warriors," Karey Burke, executive vice president of programming and development for Freeform, said in a statement Wednesday.

"Marvel's New Warriors have always been fan favorites, and now particularly with the addition of Squirrel Girl, they are Marvel Television favorites as well," added Jeph Loeb, Marvel's head of television and executive producer of the show. "After the amazing experience we've had with Freeform on Marvel's Cloak & Dagger, we can't think of a better place for our young heroes."

No casting has been announced yet.


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Which former 'Batman' may play Dick Cheney in a new biopic?

Christian Bale may play former vice president Dick Cheney in a new biopic.

The 43-year-old English actor is in talks to star with Steve Carell and Amy Adams in the forthcoming film from The Big Short director Adam McKay, according to Variety.

Bale would play Cheney, who served as vice president under George W. Bush, with Carell as two-time Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and Adams as Cheney's wife, Lynne Cheney. Bale and Carell previously worked with McKay on The Big Short.

McKay will write, direct and produce the movie, with Brad Pitt as a co-producer. The project has yet to receive a green light from Paramount Pictures, although Deadline reported McKay plans to start filming in September.

"I've always found Cheney fascinating," the director told Deadline in November. "Questions of what drove him, what his beliefs were."

Cheney served as White House Chief of Staff under president Gerald Ford, and was later chosen as Secretary of Defense during George H. W. Bush's presidency. He became the chairman and CEO of Halliburton oil in 1995 before being sworn in as vice president in 2001.

"Once we started digging, I was astounded at how much he had shaped modern America's place in the world and how shocking the methods were by which he gained his power," McKay said.

Bale will next appear in The Promise with Oscar Isaac. He is also slated for Hostiles with Ben Foster and Rosamund Pike, and will voice Bagheera in a Warner Bros. adaptation of The Jungle Book.