Here's the Scoop...

Looks like those 'Transformers' were turning into cash machines over the weekend!

Transformers: The Last Knight is the No. 1 movie in North America this weekend, earning $45.3 million in receipts, BoxOfficeMojo.com announced Sunday.

Tied at No. 2 are Cars 3 and Wonder Woman with $25.175 million each, followed by 47 Meters Down at No. 3 with $7.4 million and All Eyez on Me at No. 4 with $5.9 million.

Rounding out the top tier are The Mummy at No. 5 with $5.8 million, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales at No. 6 with $5.2 million, Rough Night at No. 7 with $4.7 million, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie at No. 8 with $4.3 million and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 at No. 9 with $3 million.

I have got to get to the movies. I haven't seen anything!

Be Well,
Steve

Comments? Questions? Nooz? Email Steve



************************
T.J. Miller on exiting 'Silicon Valley': 'I think this is for the best'
T.J. Miller has detailed in a new interview why he decided to exit Silicon Valley following Season 4 stating, "It felt like a breakup with HBO."

"I was incredibly busy. People joke about it, but I'm the hardest-working man in show business, maybe," Miller said while siting down with The Hollywood Reporter about of how scheduling played a role in his decision.

Miller portrayed Erlich Bachman on the series starting with Season 1. The character was written off the show during the Season 4 finale Sunday when after his character meets up with Gavin Belson (Matt Ross) in China, he gets so high off of opium that he can barely function. Gavin then pays the owner of the opium den to keep Erlich there for five years.

HBO announced that Miller would not be returning for Season 5, stating, "In Erlich Bachman, T.J. has brought to life an unforgettable character, and while his presence on the show will be missed, we appreciate his contribution and look forward to future collaborations."

The network, Miller explained, offered him a reduced role for Season 5, which the actor turned down. "The final phone call was them going like, 'Well I don't think this is the end of Erlich. I still want to see him on television,' and I was like, 'I know, but I think this is for the best.'"

Miller, during the interview, also shared how his costar Thomas Middleditch took the news, along with Silicon Valley executive producer Alec Berg.

"I think that HBO and Alec Berg, specifically, kind of thought -- and I guess apparently Thomas Middleditch -- I guess they thought, 'Alright, maybe this is the end of the character. But like everything in the show, we'll sort of solve this and then it's back to normal.' And they just didn't imagine that I would be in a position of being like, 'I think that's it,'" Miller shared.


Michael Keaton calls his 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' villain's backstory 'timely'
Michael Keaton says he likes that his Spider-Man: Homecoming villain is grounded in reality and the character's backstory, in a way, reflects the world in which we live.

In the movie, the 65-year-old actor plays Adrian Toomes, a family man and owner of a salvage company hired to collect alien artifacts and weapons from the scenes of destructive Avengers battles. Toomes loses his business, however, when billionaire tech genius Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man teams up with the U.S. government to create the Department of Damage Control. The unfairness of Stark profiting from the havoc he and his fellow superheroes wreak in saving the world drives Toomes to begin a new career as Vulture, a winged criminal, who crosses paths with Spider-Man.

"I'm not really familiar with a lot of the lore, dig it? So, for me, I was trying to catch up," Keaton said at a cast press conference in New York Sunday. "I just thought the simplicity of making this person approachable and, you know, I mean, it's timely. Let's not talk about why it's timely because I want to blow my brains out, but it's timely..."

"He is only threatening his own life," interrupted Robert Downey Jr., who plays Stark, causing Keaton to laugh.

"But I thought it was a really unique approach and kind of obvious when you think of it -- to make this person someone who is approachable and has a legitimate gripe and a legitimate argument. I thought it was really well-written to simplify things and it was fun. It was a fun gig," Keaton said.

Keaton's remarks came days after actor Johnny Depp joked about U.S. President Donald Trump at England's Glastonbury Music Festival, wondering aloud, "When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?" following up the remark with, "It's been a while and maybe it's time."

Starring Tom Holland, Zendaya, Marisa Tomei and Jon Favreau, Spider-Man: Homecoming is set for release on July 7.


LOOSE LIPS:
"Oh my God, towards the end of the Spice Girls ... I was looking like a drag queen. I looked like a man in drag."
--Geri Halliwell, on her Spice Girls style, to Billboard



??? Guess Who ???
Who's not returning for Season 2 of 'Designated Survivor'?


Remy Ma, Chance the Rapper win big at BET Awards
The 2017 BET Awards was a chance for redemption, aspiration and humility for the evening's winners.

Rapper Remy Ma redeemed herself when she beat Nicki Minaj for best female hip hop artist, ending Minaj's 7-year reign in that category.

"I wanna thank God first and foremost," Ma said. "You can make mistakes and come back."

Ma, born Reminisence Smith, was convicted of intentional assault in 2008 for shooting Makeda Barnes Joseph in a dispute over $3,000. She served six years in prison before getting released in 2014.

Since her release, Ma has been busy putting out music, including a collaborative album with Fat joe titled, "Playa o Plomo." She also put out "Shether," a diss track that insults Minaj.

Ma previously won the award in 2005.

Kendrick Lamar took home the best male hip hop artist award, beating out J. Cole, Drake, Future, Chance the Rapper, and Big Sean.

The win marked Lamar's third time he was name best male hip hop artist at the BET Awards, having previously won in 2015 and 2013. But the award-winning rapper remained humble like his latest hit track suggests as he thanked rapper Prodigy, part of the hip hop duo Mobb Deep, who passed away earlier this month.

"Prodigy inspired my first mix tape, Y.H.N.I.C.," Lamar said. "Off that album, I was inspired to study my skills and work on my connection within my neighborhood and see how I can work on them the same way he inspired the streets."

Although Chance the Rapper missed out on winning best male hip hop artist, he was still a big winner Sunday night. The 24-year-old won best new artist and also was honored with a BET humanitarian award for his work to improve Chicago public schools.

In a pre-recorded speech, former First Lady Michelle Obama, a fellow Chicagoan, praised Chance for his work.

"We are so incredibly proud of you, Chance," Obama said. "We have known Chance and his family since he was a wee little baby rapper and it has been a thrill watching him come into his own in so many ways."

"It feels a little early to get something like this, but my God doesn't make mistakes, and I like to think that he's putting this enormous pressure on me to see how I react," Chance said in his acceptance speech. "And I had plans originally to try and tell the world and everybody watching how to make it a better place. To tell everybody in this government that y'all need to let everybody out of jail for selling weed before you start making it legal for people to sell it and make capital off of it."

He went on to criticize the Chicago public school system and the lack of convictions in police shooting cases before vowing to spend more time with loved ones.

I'm a good man, and I'm gonna become a better man," he said.


Paris Jackson honors dad Michael on 8th anniversary of his death
Paris Jackson paid tribute to late dad Michael Jackson on the eighth anniversary of his death.

The 19-year-old aspiring actress said in an Instagram post Sunday that it "feels like a lifetime" has passed since the singer died at age 50 in 2009.

"my angel, my king, my universe. 8 years without you feels like a lifetime," she captioned a fan-altered photo of herself with her dad.

Paris also remembered Michael by getting a new tattoo in his honor Friday. She had the word "AppleHead" -- a term of endearment for Michael -- inked in cursive on the top of her left foot.

"with every step i take, you lift my foot and guide me forward. love you," the star wrote.

Paris is the daughter of Michael and his second wife, Debbie Rowe, and has several other tattoo tributes to her dad. Michael also fathered two sons: Prince Jackson, 20, and Blanket Jackson, 15.

"When I was a kid, I was with my dad and my two brothers," Paris recalled in the April issue of Harper's Bazaar. "Growing up, I was treated as the favorite because I was the only girl. I was the princess; I was perfect in my dad's eyes."

"The first 12 years of my life I was homeschooled," she added. "Which means that the only interactions I'd ever had were with family members or other adults."

Paris made her acting debut on the Fox series Star in March, and will appear in the new film Gringo with David Oyelowo, Charlize Theron and Amanda Seyfried. The movie opens in theaters March 9, 2018.


??? Guess Who ???
Who's not returning for Season 2 of 'Designated Survivor'?

Virginia Madsen says she will not return for Season 2 of the political thriller Designated Survivor.

The actress revealed the news on social media in a reply to a fan who praised her portrayal of principled politician Kimble Hookstraten.

"Thanks Greg! Sorry I won't be back for season2," Madsen tweeted to Greg McCaw, who wrote: "I'm loving @ABCDesignated perfect binge watch on a week off and @madlyv as Kimble Hookstraten - GURL YOU GOT SASS!"

Twitter user David Roberts chimed in: "Damn Virginia, I was looking forward to your next season on Designated Survivor. I'm so bummed!!," prompting Madsen to respond: "Me too David. Me too."

"Overwhelmed by the love for Hookstraten. Thank you. #badasswomen #DesignatedSurvivor," read Madsen's most recent tweet, which was posted early Saturday, after other devotees of the show expressed their disappointment regarding her exit.

Madsen did not offer details pertaining to her departure from the show, which was recently renewed for a second season.

The ABC series stars Kiefer Sutherland as Tom Kirkman, a low-level Cabinet member and Independent politician suddenly appointed President of the United States after an attack on the U.S. Capitol during the State of the Union kills most members of the government. Hookstraten is the surviving, Republican Congresswoman with whom Kirkman develops a complicated, working relationship.