Here's the Scoop...
Any 'True Detective' fans out there!? Well, if so, are you ready for Season 3?
HBO is officially moving ahead with a third season of their crime drama True Detective, starring Mahershala Ali in the lead role.
Series creator Nic Pizzolatto is helming the new season and has written all the episodes for Season 3 except for the fourth episode which he co-wrote with David Milch (Deadwood, NYPD Blue), noted The Hollywood Reporter.
Pizzolatto is sharing directing duties with fellow executive producer Jeremy Saulnier. Previous series stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are also executive producing.
"I'm tremendously thrilled to be working with artists at the level of Mahershala and Jeremy. I hope the material can do justice to their talents, and we're all very excited to tell this story," Pizzolatto said in a statement.
"Nic has written truly remarkable scripts. With his ambitious vision and Mahershala Ali and Jeremy Saulnier aboard, we are excited to embark on the next installment of True Detective," added HBO president Casey Bloys.
Ali will star as Wayne Hays, a detective from northwest Arkansas, reported The Los Angeles Times. The next entry in the anthology series "tells the story of a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods."
No premiere date or episode count was announced.
I only watched Season 1, which was brilliant, and I watched the first episode of Season 2, which was plenty. I have high hopes for Season 3. Do you?
Be Well,
Steve
Comments? Questions? Nooz?
Email Steve
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'The Simpsons' composer Alf Clausen fired after 27 years
Longtime The Simpsons composer Alf Clausen has been fired after 27years of providing music for the long running animated comedy.
Clausen, while speaking with Variety, noted that he received a call from Simpsons producer Richard Sakai who said that the studio was looking for "a different kind of music."
Clausen also confirmed his firing on Twitter writing, "Thank you for all of the support... unfortunately, the news is true..."
The composer has won two Emmy awards and has been nominated 21 times for his work on The Simpsons which started during Season 2. Clausen worked on a number of classic Simpsons songs such as "See My Vest," "Stop the Planet of the Apes, I Want to Get Off!" and "Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?" among many others.
The firing is seen as a way to cut cost on The Simpsons despite the profits the show makes for Fox. Clausen had used a 35-piece orchestra every week to score the show, costing millions every year.
'The Six Million Dollar Man' star Richard Anderson dead at 91
Richard Anderson, the actor who portrayed Oscar Goldman on The Six Million Dollar Man and its spinoff The Bionic Woman, has died at the age of 91.
The actor died Thursday inside his home in Beverly Hills, The New York Times reported. Jonathan Taylor, a spokesman for the family, confirmed Anderson's death.
A cause of death has not been announced.
Anderson starred as Oscar Goldman, the handler of Lee Majors' character Steve Austin on The Six Million Dollar Man, and played the same character in The Bionic Woman from 1973-1978. Combined, both series ran for 150 episodes in addition to several television movies.
"Richard became a dear and loyal friend, and I have never met a man like him. I called him 'Old Money.' His always stylish attire, his class, calmness and knowledge never faltered in his 91 years. He loved his daughters, tennis and his work as an actor. He was still the sweet, charming man when I spoke to him a few weeks ago. I will miss you, my friend," Majors said while speaking to Deadline.
"I can't begin to say how much I have always admired and have been grateful for the elegance and loving friendship I was blessed to have with Richard Anderson. He will be greatly missed," added Lindsay Wagner, his co-star in Bionic Woman.
Anderson's other television credits include roles on Gunsmoke, Hawaii Five-O, Dynasty, Dan August, Perry Mason, The Fugitive, Charlie's Angels, The A-Team, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Bonanza, Ironside, Daniel Boone and Murder, She Wrote.
On the film side, Anderson appeared in films such as Forbidden Planet, Paths of Glory, The Long Hot Summer, Escape From Fort Bravo and Seven Days in May.
Anderson is survived by his three daughters who he shares with ex-wife Katharine Thalberg, Deva, Brooke and Ashley Anderson.
LOOSE LIPS:
"I feel so lucky to be functioning and to be almost normal and to not have cancer."
--Maria Menounos, sharing a health update following her brain tumor diagnosis and subsequent surgery, on Today
??? Guess Who ???
Which actors are joining Season 25 of 'Dancing with the Stars'?
'Blade Runner 2049' short with Jared Leto bridges gap from original film
Jared Leto stars in a Blade Runner 2049 prequel short titled 2036: Nexus Dawn that helps connect the upcoming sequel to the original film.
The clip, released Wednesday, is the first of three planned shorts that will fill in the gaps between 2019, when the first Blade Runner takes place, and 2049, when the new story takes place.
Directed by Luke Scott, the son of Ridley Scott who directed the original and is producing the sequel, the video features Leto as Niander Wallace, a replicant inventor as he pleads his case to end the replicant prohibition.
According to Leto's character, his new replicants, the Nexus 9, are more obedient then ever as he demonstrates how one will follow his commands to kill itself. "This is an angel and I made him," the actor says of his invention.
Blade Runner 2049, starring Leto, Ryan Gosling and a returning Harrison Ford, is set to arrive in theaters on Oct. 6.
'Titans': Brenton Thwaites cast as Dick Grayson in upcoming live-action series
Brenton Thwaites has been cast as DC Comics superhero Dick Grayson (Robin/Nightwing), in the company's upcoming live-action series, Titans.
Thwaites joins a cast that includes 24: Legacy alum Anna Diop as Starfire and up-and-coming actress Teagan Croft as Raven on the series that is based on DC's Teen Titans.
The show will help launch the comic book giant's DC Comics branded streaming service in 2018 alongside Season 3 of animated series Young Justice.
The actor is known for starring in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Maleficent, The Giver and Gods of Egypt.
"Dick Grayson is one of the most important and iconic heroes in the DC universe, and it wasn't easy to find him but we have," Titans executive producer and famed comic book writer Geoff Johns said in a statement. "Brenton has the emotional depth, heart, danger and physical presence of Batman's former protege and the Titans future leader. We're extremely lucky he's chosen to bring his talents to this project and this character."
Grayson is famously known as Batman's first protege who is adopted by Bruce Wayne after his parents are murdered during their high-flying circus act. First becoming Robin the Boy Wonder, Grayson will be seen on the series striking out on his own and becoming the leader of the Titans, noted The Hollywood Reporter.
In the comics, Grayson strikes out on his own when he is older, becoming his second superhero alter-ego Nightwing. The character is also known for having a romance with Starfire.
"Titans follows a group of young soon-to-be super heroes recruited from every corner of the DC Universe. In this action-packed series, Dick Grayson emerges from the shadows to become the leader of a fearless band of new heroes, including Starfire, Raven and many others," reads the synopsis. "Titans is a dramatic, live-action adventure series that will explore and celebrate one of the most popular comic book teams ever."
The series is being written by Akiva Goldsman (Star Trek: Discovery, Underground), Johns and Greg Berlanti who has helped helm the CW's slate of live-action DC programming including Arrow, Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow.
??? Guess Who ???
Which actors are joining Season 25 of 'Dancing with the Stars'?
Actors Frankie Muniz and Jordan Fisher will reportedly join Dancing with the Stars.
The 31-year-old Malcolm in the Middle star and 23-year-old Teen Beach Movie actor will compete in Season 25 of the ABC reality competition, according to E! News.
Sources said Muniz will be partnered with professional dancer Witney Carson, while Fisher will be paired with Lindsay Arnold. Muniz and Fisher join Property Brothers star Drew Scott, who was announced as a contestant Wednesday.
WWE star Nikki Bella and reality star couple Nick and Vanessa Lachey are among the other rumored contestants. Us Weekly reported former NBA star Derek Fisher (no relation to Jordan Fisher), violinist Lindsey Stirling and former Paralympic swimmer Victoria Arlen will also join the celebrity cast.
Muniz and Carson were spotted arriving at rehearsals Thursday in Los Angeles, according to TMZ. ABC will officially announce the contestants and their partners on the Sept. 6 episode of Good Morning America.
Muniz is best known for Malcolm in the Middle, and has since appeared on Criminal Minds and Last Man Standing. Fisher is known for Disney Channel's Teen Beach Movie and for Fox's production of Grease: Live.