Here's the Scoop...
Here's a story from the "You Gotta Be Flushing Kiddin' Me!" File... Mario is no longer a plumber, Nintendo says! What?!
Nintendo mascot and iconic video game character Mario is no longer considered a plumber, the company has announced.
Nintendo announced that Mario has left behind plumbing in a newly updated profile of the character located on the game maker's Japanese site.
"All around sporty, whether it's tennis or baseball, soccer or car racing, [Mario] does everything cool. As a matter of fact, he also seems to have worked as a plumber a long time ago...," reads the profile as translated by Kotaku.
Previously, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto described the character then named Jumpman in 1981's Donkey Kong as a carpenter, before he was called a plumber with the release of Super Mario Bros. in 1985.
Fans on Twitter have poked fun at the announcement and shared their confusion on the matter.
"Then why is he dressed like one?!" James Marsh wrote about how Mario continues to look like a plumber.
"This actually made me think. Have any of the Mario games had a scene that involves you having to do actual plumber stuff?" added Izzy Galvez.
Nintendo's next Mario game, titled Mario Odyssey, is set for to arrive for the Nintendo Switch on Oct. 27. The game features Mario navigating a number of imaginative worlds, including the realistic looking New Donk City. Fans will be able to use a new version of Mario's signature red hat that now appears with eyes and is able to fuse Mario into enemies, giving the player control of a new set of characters.
Mario will always be a plumber to me. #plumber4life
Be Well,
Steve
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Beyonce, George Clooney, Oprah Winfrey to appear on Harvey telethon
George Clooney, Jamie Foxx, Karlie Kloss, Beyoncé and Oprah Winfrey are to appear on the Hand in Hand: A Benefit for Hurricane Harvey Relief telethon.
The one-hour special will be taped primarily in Los Angeles with stages in New York and Nashville. Country music icon and Texas native George Strait will also offer a special performance from his own San Antonio benefit concert.
Hand in Hand will air ABC, CBS, CMT, FOX and NBC on Sept. 12. The show will also be available internationally via live stream on Facebook and Twitter starting at 8 p.m. EST.
"Hand in Hand will bring the country together to raise funds, spirits and help rebuild Texas in the wake of this unprecedented devastation," a press release said. "Proceeds from the telethon will benefit United Way of Greater Houston, Habitat for Humanity, Save the Children, Direct Relief, Feeding Texas and The Mayor's Fund for Hurricane Harvey Relief [administered by the Greater Houston Community Fund] through the Hand in Hand Hurricane Relief Fund managed by Comic Relief Inc."
Also working on the show are Houston native and rapper Bun B, talent manager Scooter Braun and celebrities Matt Lauer, Rob Lowe, Matthew McConaughey, Norah O'Donnell, Dennis Quaid, Julia Roberts, Kelly Rowland, Adam Sandler, Ryan Seacrest, Michael Strahan, Blake Shelton, Barbra Streisand and Reese Witherspoon.
Director Colin Trevorrow leaves 'Star Wars: Episode IX'
Director Colin Trevorrow is no longer helming Star Wars: Episode IX, Lucasfilm announced Tuesday.
"Lucasfilm and Colin Trevorrow have mutually chosen to part ways on Star Wars: Episode IX," said a statement on the official Star Wars website. "Colin has been a wonderful collaborator throughout the development process but we have all come to the conclusion that our visions for the project differ. We wish Colin the best and will be sharing more information about the film soon."
No other details about the director's departure were immediately released. He previously helmed the 2015 blockbuster Jurassic World.
Lucasfilm said in June co-directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller had left its Han Solo standalone project -- a Star Wars spinoff -- four months into production, due to creative differences. Ron Howard is now completing that film.
LOOSE LIPS:
"I don't enjoy being single. It's not something I wanted. There's nothing nice about it. It's just hard."
--Angelina Jolie, on her split from ex Brad Pitt, to the Sunday Telegraph
??? Guess Who ???
Which Tony Award-winning actress is taking over for Bette Midler in 'Hello, Dolly!' on Broadway?
Meghan Markle on Prince Harry: We're 'really happy and in love'
Meghan Markle says she's "in love" with boyfriend Prince Harry.
The 36-year-old American actress opened up about her relationship with the 32-year-old British royal for the first time in the October issue of Vanity Fair.
"I can tell you that at the end of the day I think it's really simple," Markle told the magazine. "We're two people who are really happy and in love."
"We're a couple," she added. "We're in love. I'm sure there will be a time when we will have to come forward and present ourselves and have stories to tell, but I hope what people will understand is that this is our time. This is for us."
Markle has been subject of much public interest since she was first linked to Prince Harry, the younger son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, in October, but said she hasn't let the scrutiny change her identity.
"We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news, and I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people's perception. Nothing about me changed," the Suits star asserted. "I'm still the same person that I am, and I've never defined myself by my relationship.
"I don't read any press. I haven't even read press for Suits," she said. "The people who are close to me anchor me in knowing who I am. The rest is noise."
Markle said the media frenzy can be "challenging," but said she has support, including Prince Harry, "all around" her. Prince Harry had issued a statement in November condemning the "abuse and harassment" Markle has received from the public.
"Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle's safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her. It is not right that a few months into a relationship with him that Ms. Markle should be subjected to such a storm," he said in a news release.
Markle plays Rachel Zane on Suits, which returned for a seventh season in July. The series co-stars Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams and Rick Hoffman, and airs Wednesdays on USA Network.
'Dancing with the Stars' Season 25 cast announced including Sasha Pieterse
The cast of Dancing with the Stars Season 25 has been announced and includes celebrities such as Pretty Little Liars star Sasha Pieterse, Nikki Bella of WWE fame and former NFL star Terrell Owens.
The star-studded cast members, alongside the pros they will hit the dance floor with, were unveiled on Good Morning America Wednesday as the teams showed off their dance moves together.
"I'm happy about this group," host Tom Bergeron said on GMA. "I think you're gonna like this group and I don't say that just because they pay me to say it. I really believe it."
The full-lineup includes Pieterse with Gleb Savchenko, Bella with Artem Chigvintsev, Owens with Cheryl Burke, Shark Tank's Barbara Corcoran with Keo Motsepe, 1980s icon Debbie Gibson with Alan Bersten, former NBA star Derek Fisher with Sharna Burgess, Property Brothers star Drew Scott with Emma Slater, Malcolm in the Middle star Frankie Muniz with Witney Carson, singer Jordan Fisher with Lindsay Arnold, YouTube star Lindsey Stirling with Mark Ballas, 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey with Peta Murgatroyd while Lachey's wife Vanessa Lachey dances with Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Paralympic swimmer Victoria Arlen with Val Chemerkovskiy.
The show also celebrated Pieterse's pairing with Savchenko on Twitter by sharing a photo of duo posing together.
"@SashaaPieterse and partner @Gleb_Savchenko are going for that Mirrorball this season & that's no pretty little lie!" the official Twitter account of DWTS noted.
Dancing with the Stars returns to ABC Sept. 18 at 8 p.m. ET.
??? Guess Who ???
Which Tony Award-winning actress is taking over for Bette Midler in 'Hello, Dolly!' on Broadway?
Bernadette Peters has confirmed she will replace outgoing star Bette Midler in the Broadway production of Hello, Dolly!
Midler won a Tony for her performance in the hit show this past June.
"Hello," Peters tweeted Tuesday, along with a heart emoji and a link to a New York Times story about her casting in the musical.
Producer Scott Rudin told the newspaper Peters and Victor Garber, who will replace David Hyde Pierce as Horace Vandergelder, will join the production Jan. 20.
Midler and Pierce will play their final performances Jan. 14.