Here's the Scoop...

Madea is back! And making some big box office bucks!

The holiday comedy Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween is the No. 1 movie in North America this weekend, earning $21.7 million in receipts, BoxOfficeMojo.com announced Sunday.

Coming in at No. 2 is Geostorm with $13.3 million, followed by Happy Death Day at No. 3 with $9.4 million, Blade Runner 2049 at No. 4 with $7.2 million and Only the Brave at No. 5 with $6 million.

Rounding out the top tier are The Foreigner at No. 6 with $5.5 million, It at No. 7 with $3.5 million, The Snowman at No. 8 with $3.4 million and American Made at No. 9 with $3.2 million and Kingsman: The Golden Circle at No. 10 with $3 million.

I was unaware that there was a first Tyler Perry's Boo! A Madea Halloween movie. I am so out of the loop!

Be Well,
Steve

Comments? Questions? Nooz? Email Steve



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Justin Timberlake confirmed as Super Bowl halftime show performer
U.S. pop star Justin Timberlake confirmed via Twitter ?Sunday he will perform at this winter's Super Bowl halftime show.

"I DO have the time. Half the time...#PepsiHalftime #SBLII @Pepsi @NFL @JimmyFallon @FallonTonight," Timberlake tweeted.

"Minnesota. @SuperBowl LII. February 4, 2018. @jtimberlake! #PepsiHalftime #SBLII," the National Football League said in its own post.

Timberlake was first rumored last month to been in talks to provide the high-profile game's musical entertainment, but his participation was not officially announced until this weekend.


David Letterman honored with Mark Twain Prize for American Humor
David Letterman received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor Sunday during a special event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.

A number of celebrities and political figures attended the event including fellow late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, Steve Martin, Sen. Al Franken, Bill Murray and former first lady Michelle Obama who appeared via video.

"When Dave left 17 long months ago, we had no idea how much trouble we were in," Kimmel joked onstage of how Letterman ended his late-night television career after 33 years in May 2015.

"I look at what's going on now and I think this is your [Letterman's] fault. All of it. Everything was fine until you went off the air. You abandoned us. You went out for a pack of cigarettes and left us to live with an abusive orange stepfather," Kimmel continued in reference to President Donald Trump who Letterman has been critical of.

"For over 30 years, on late night TV, no matter what was going on in our lives, we all knew that Dave would be there for us when we needed a laugh," Obama said onscreen.

Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder performed Warren Zevon's "Keep Me in Your Heart" at the event.

The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor "recognizes people who have had an impact on American society in ways similar to the distinguished 19th century novelist and essayist best known as Mark Twain."

Letterman thanked his friends and quoted Twain. "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it," the 70-year-old said.


LOOSE LIPS:
"I got divorced, which is a real healer for me."
--Melanie Griffith, on divorcing Antonio Banderas amid her battle with epilepsy, at a Women's Brain Health Initiative panel



??? Guess Who ???
Which Oscar-winning actress will play Judy Garland in 'Judy'?


38 women accuse film director James Toback of sexual harassment
The Los Angeles Times says it has spoken to 38 women who allege filmmaker James Toback sexually harassed them over the last 30 years.

The women told the newspaper for an article published Sunday that Toback spoke to them in sexually explicit language, attempted to trade sexual favors for career opportunities, rubbed his genitals on them or masturbated in front of them without their encouragement or consent.

"The way he presented it, it was like, 'This is how things are done,'" actress Adrienne LaValley said. "I felt like a prostitute, an utter disappointment to myself, my parents, my friends. And I deserved not to tell anyone."

"It's a common thread among many women I know ... after someone mentions they were sexually abused by a creepy writer-director, the response is: 'Oh, no. You got Toback-ed,'" said Karen Sklaire, a drama teacher, actress and playwright.

The Times said Toback denied the allegations when asked about the women's accounts.

Toback, 72, has credits that include The Gambler, The Pick-up Artist, Bugsy, Black and White, Two Girls and a Guy, When Will I Be Loved and The Private Life of a Modern Woman.

Entertainment Weekly said it tried to reach the filmmaker by phone Sunday for a comment on The Times expose and he did not immediately respond to a voicemail message.

None of the women who talked to The Times have filed criminal charges against the writer-director. They are telling their stories in the wake of a scandal involving producer Harvey Weinstein. Reports of how Weinstein allegedly sexually harassed and assaulted women for years have been fueling outrage from members of the entertainment industry this month and women throughout the world are coming forward to share their own experiences in the workplace.

Weinstein, 65, recently has been seeking help for sex addiction and behavioral issues but has emphatically denied engaging in any non-consensual sexual activity. He has been fired from The Weinstein Co. and his wife left him after more than two dozen women made their claims against him public.


Corey Feldman says he was not arrested for marijuana possession
Actor Corey Feldman is denying media buzz claiming he was arrested this weekend for marijuana possession.

"4 THE RECORD, I WAS NOT ARRESTED OR PUT IN JAIL. I RECEIVED A MISDEMEANOR IN LOUISIANA, DUE 2 A MEMBER OF MY CREW HAVING MEDICAL MARIJUANA, WITH A LEGAL CA PRESCRIPTION, I HAD NOTHING ON ME, BUT WAS CHARGED BECAUSE ITS MY BUS. ALSO 5 OTHERS WERE CHARGED DUE 2 HAVING LEGAL MEDICINES WITHOUT THEIR PARTICULAR BOTTLES. NO ILLEGAL OR STREET DRUGS WERE FOUND ON THE BUS AT ALL! WHICH IS Y NOBODY SPENT THE NIGHT IN JAIL. HOWEVER WE WERE PROMISED THAT THESE CHARGES COULD ALL B DROPPED WITH PROOF OF PROPER SCRIPTS! IT WAS A BIT OF A GOOD OL SHAKEDOWN! AFTER WE PAID THEM IN CASH, THEY ASKED 4 PICS & AUTOGRAPHS, & THEN CALLED THE LOCAL PAPER 2 DO INTERVIEWS! I DO FIND THE TIMING OF ALL THIS IRONIC! BUT HAVE NO FEAR, WE R HEADED 2 HOUSTON, & WE WILL PERFORM THE BENEFIT CONCERT 2NITE 2 HELP RAISE $ 4 #HOUSTONRELIEF EFFORTS! NOTHING CAN STOP THE ASCENSION! #ANGELIC2THEFALLTOUR #COREYSHEAVENLYTOUR PLEASE SEND PRAYERS THAT ALL GOES SMOOTH!" the musician and former child star of The Lost Boys, Stand by Me and The Goonies wrote in a series of tweets Sunday.

The 46-year-old actor -- who is candid about how he battled substance abuse in his youth -- has long claimed he and other actors were molested as children by predators in the entertainment industry.

People magazine said Feldman's allegations have gained fresh attention in recent weeks as dozens of women have accused film and television producer Harvey Weistein of sexually harassing or abusing them.


??? Guess Who ???
Which Oscar-winning actress will play Judy Garland in 'Judy'?

Renee Zellweger has signed on to play iconic entertainer Judy Garland in Pathé and Calamity Films' movie Judy.

Director Rupert Goold is scheduled to begin principal photography in February on the film, which will focus on Garland as she performed her final 1968 concerts in London. The movie was written by Tom Edge.

"It is 30 years since she shot to global stardom in The Wizard of Oz, but if her voice has weakened, its dramatic intensity has only grown," a press release said. "As she prepares for the show, battles with management, charms musicians, and reminisces with friends and adoring fans, her wit and warmth shine through. Even her dreams of romance seem undimmed as she embarks on a courtship with Mickey Deans, her soon-to-be fifth husband. And yet Judy is fragile. After working for 45 of her 47 years, she is exhausted; haunted by memories of a childhood lost to Hollywood; gripped by a desire to be back home with her kids. Will she have the strength to go on?"

Deans found Garland dead of a drug overdose at their rented home in London in 1969. She is survived by her children Liza Minnelli, and Joey and Lorna Luft.

Zellweger, 48, is known for her work in Jerry Maguire, Chicago, Cold Mountain and the Bridget Jones's Diary trilogy. She can now be seen in Same Kind of Different as Me.