Here's the Scoop...

Audiences still love horror movies! Too bad most of them aren't very scary or very good. But that's another column.

The horror movie Happy Death Day is the No. 1 movie in North America with $26.5 million in receipts, BoxOfficeMojo.com announced Sunday.

Coming in at No. 2 is Blade Runner 2049 with $15.1 million, followed by The Foreigner at No. 3 with $12.8 million, It at No. 4 with $6 million and The Mountain Between Us at No. 5 with $5.7 million.

Rounding out the top tier are American Made with $5.4 million at No. 6, Kingsman: The Golden Circle at No. 7 with $5.3 million, The LEGO Ninjago Movie at No. 8 with $4.3 million, My Little Pony: The Movie at No 9 with $4 million and Victoria and Abdul at No. 10 with $3.1 million.

Be Well,
Steve

Comments? Questions? Nooz? Email Steve



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Motion Picture Academy votes to expel Harvey Weinstein
The Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, which oversees the Oscars and serves as Hollywood's de facto governing body, booted legendary producer Harvey Weinstein from its ranks due to mounting sexual assault allegations, a virtual first for the organization.

The academy's 54-member board of governors, which includes such industry luminaries as Stephen Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Whoopi Goldberg, met behind closed on Saturday at its posh Beverly Hills headquarters to debate Weinstein's future as the scandal surrounding his conduct with female employees and young actresses continued to worsen.

Two weeks prior to the board's vote, The New York Times published the first in a series of stories describing more than a dozen women over Weinstein's career who said he used his powerful status as a Hollywood heavyweight to sexually harass and assault them. After the Times story, some of Hollywood's leading actresses, including Oscar winners Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie, came forward with stories of Weinstein groping or coming onto them in hotel rooms early in their careers. Other actresses have alleged Weinstein raped them.

Weinstein has acknowledged poor conduct with female subordinates, but denies any allegations of nonconsensual sex.

The academy has historically overlooked criminal or unscrupulous behavior among its more-than 8,400 members. Director Roman Polanski remains an academy member despite pleading guilty to sex with a 13-year-old girl. Comedian Bill Cosby remains on the academy's rolls despite dozens of women coming forward with allegations he drugged and raped them.

This time, the academy said booting Weinstein was a necessary step.

"We do so not simply to separate ourselves from someone who does not merit the respect of his colleagues but also to send a message that the era of willful ignorance and shameful complicity in sexually predatory behavior and workplace harassment in our industry is over. What's at issue here is a deeply troubling problem that has no place in our society," the academy's board said in a statement.

The group added that the vote was "well in excess" of the two-thirds majority needed under its bylaws to expel a member.

The decision is a stunning one given Weinstein's long history as an Oscar darling.

His studios, first Miramax and later The Weinstein Company, have been the producers of five Best Picture winners: Shakespeare in Love, The English Patient, Chicago, The King's Speech and The Artist. Weinstein, who earned a reputation as a relentless arm-twister of Oscar voters, has spearheaded marketing campaigns that resulted in some 300 Oscar nominations and more than 80 wins in various categories, according to the Times.

In 2003, the year Chicago won Best Picture, Weinstein's production company had a hand in four of the five films nominated in the category.

Weinstein was fired from the company he cofounded with his brother earlier in the week, but has pledged to fight his dismissal, arguing none of the allegations postdate a 2014 company policy expressly prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace.

Prior to the academy's decision, the group's U.K. counterpart, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, suspended Weinstein, the first step in his removal. The Producers Guild of America, which gave Weinstein its lifetime achievement award in 2013, will meet early next week to debate whether to revoke his membership, though under the guild's rules, Weinstein has the right to respond to allegations before the guild's board votes on the matter.

Weinstein checked himself into a rehabilitation facility in the wake of the allegations, saying he needs to overcome sex addiction.


'Jeopardy!' contestant Austin Rogers loses after 12-game win streak
Jeopardy! contestant Austin Rogers lost by $51, ending his 12-game win streak on the trivia show.

"We're sorry to see you go, Austin! However, with stats like these, it's not goodbye - it's see you later," Jeopardy! noted on its official Twitter account Thursday, alongside a video highlighting where Rogers ranks among the best to compete on the show.

Rogers, whose 12-day winnings on Jeopardy equal $411,000, ranks third in all-time single game winnings, fifth in all-time regular season winnings and tied for fifth place for most consecutive games won. His quirky demeanor and success won over many fans of the show.

A 38-year-old bartender from New York, Rogers lost to stay-at-home mom Scarlett Sims from Oak Ridge, Tenn., who won Thursday's game with a total of $33,201 to Rogers' $33,150 after both answered the Final Jeopardy question correctly.

"I didn't lose, I got beaten," Rogers told The New York Times. "Scarlett nailed it, and it was awesome. I was elated for her."

When asked what his plans are now after dominating Jeopardy!, Rogers replied, "I want to take a break and collect my thoughts and then on Monday, it's a brand new workday of a brand new life."


LOOSE LIPS:
"I am 5'10 and a size 6. I have NEVER photoshopped pictures. That's not what I'm about. If you're going to be rude about people's bodies, go elsewhere."
--Mandy Moore, slamming those who accused her of photoshopping her Instagram photos, on Instagram



??? Guess Who ???
Which actor is returning for Season 3 of 'Ash vs. Evil Dead'?


Roy Dotrice, 'Amadeus,' 'GoT' actor dead at 94
Veteran actor Roy Dotrice who was best known for portraying Leopold Mozart in the 1984 award-winning film Amadeus, died Monday at the age of 94.

Dotrice died at his London home surrounded by family including his three daughters Karen, Michele and Yvette, grandchildren and great-godson, the family said in a statement to Independent.

Outside of Amadeus, Dotrice was known for narrating the audiobook editions of author George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series which led to HBO's hit drama Game of Thrones. He voiced 224 characters in the audiobooks series and appeared as Pyromancer Hallyne in the second season of the television adaptation, reported The Guardian.

Dotrice also appeared on Broadway having taken home the Tony award for Best Actor in 2000 for his performance in the revival of A Moon for the Misbegotten.

Other notable television roles included playing the leading character in BBC's 1971 adaptation of Misleading Cases, as Charles Dickens in Dickens of London, on CBS' TV series of Beauty and the Beast and on Buffy the Vampire spinoff Angel among others.


NBC cancels 'The Night Shift' after four seasons
NBC has canceled its medical drama The Night Shift after four seasons.

"We want to thank our amazing creators and executive producers, Gabe Sachs and Jeff Judah, for their dedication and stellar work; a cast and crew that were second to none; and the city of Albuquerque, N.M., which graciously opened its arms to us," Jennifer Salke, president of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement to Deadline.com. "For four seasons, The Night Shift gave audiences a window to heroic doctors, nurses and all-star medical workers who never hesitated to give their blood, sweat and time to help those most in need."

"No season 5! Very bummed. We love you all. Thank you for all the support and love you gave to us @NBCNightShift We wouldn't have been there without you. THANK YOU!!! #nightshift #thenightshift," Sachs tweeted Friday.

Starring Eoin Macken, Jill Flint, Brendan Fehr, Robert Bailey Jr., JR Lemon, Tanaya Beatty and Scott Wolf, the series followed the staff at the fictional San Antonio Memorial Hospital.


??? Guess Who ???
Which actor is returning for Season 3 of 'Ash vs. Evil Dead'?

Bruce Campbell says Lee Majors is returning for Season 3 of Ash vs. Evil Dead -- even though his character was run down by a demonic car in Season 2.

"We brought him back. So, we have some good scenes with him as a ghost," Campbell told UPI recently at New York Comic Con. "He's funny. Lee is funny. Lee has a good sense of humor. This season, now, Lee is way more relaxed because he is like: 'I've got this. I know what this is now.' You come on to a new show, you don't know what the hell it is. You don't know any of these people. He is comfortable with me now and, so, he's great."

Season 3 is scheduled to begin Feb. 25 on Starz. The horror-comedy follows Campbell's Evil Dead movies, which were released in the 1980s and '90s. It co-stars Lucy Lawless, Ray Santiago and Dana DeLorenzo.

Majors is known for his roles on TV's The Big Valley, The Six Million Dollar Man and The Fall Guy. He joined Ash vs. Evil Dead as Ash's father Brock in Season 2.