Here's the Scoop...

Before you get to all of the bad news, here's some good news for writer-director Rian Johnson.

The Last Jedi writer-director has signed on to create a new Star Wars trilogy, Lucasfilm announced Thursday.

Johnson will write and direct the first installment, with his longtime collaborator Ram Bergman on-board to produce.

The studio said the new films will follow the space adventures of characters who do not appear in the nine-movie Skywalker saga. No casting or release dates have been disclosed.

"We had the time of our lives collaborating with Lucasfilm and Disney on The Last Jedi," Johnson and Bergman said in a joint statement. "Star Wars is the greatest modern mythology and we feel very lucky to have contributed to it. We can't wait to continue with this new series of films."

"We all loved working with Rian on The Last Jedi," added Kathleen Kennedy, president of Lucasfilm. "He's a creative force, and watching him craft The Last Jedi from start to finish was one of the great joys of my career. Rian will do amazing things with the blank canvas of this new trilogy."

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the eighth episode in the Skywalker franchise, is to open in U.S. theaters on Dec. 15. The Skywalker saga will conclude with Star Wars Episode IX in 2019. Johnson's new trilogy will be separate from this series.

Rian Johnson is great! He's made three wonderful movies; Brick, The Brothers Bloom, and Looper. Granted, they are not for everyone, but they are very creative, inventive, and unique movies that showcase a true talent. Good for him!

Be Well,
Steve

P.S. The 'Louis C.K.' story below does feature some strong mature content concerning the sexual misconduct accusations. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.

Comments? Questions? Nooz? Email Steve



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Louis C.K.'s film scrapped, HBO, FX respond to sexual misconduct accusations
Louis C.K.'s film I Love, You Daddy, will no longer be released by indie film company The Orchard after the actor was accused of sexual misconduct by five women.

"The Orchard will not be moving forward with the release of I Love You, Daddy," the company said in a statement Friday.

The film was written and directed by C.K. who was also set to star alongside Charlie Day, John Malkovich, Chloe Grace Moretz, Rose Byrne, Edie Falco, Helen Hunt and Pamela Adlon. The story centered around C.K. attempting to stop an older filmmaker (Malkovich) from dating his teenage daughter (Moretz).

The cancellation of I Love, You Daddy comes after The Orchard scrapped the project's Thursday premiere hours before The New York Times published their piece with the five women accusing C.K. of being sexually inappropriate with them. The film was set to open theatrically on Nov. 17 in limited release before going wide.

Leading up to the cancellation, the film's cast began to drop out of promoting the film including Moretz and Day. "I was as appalled as everyone to read the allegations made in the New York Times, Day said in a statement to The Los Angeles Times. "I do not condone sexual misconduct and, in light of the allegations, will not be promoting the movie further."

The sexual misconduct allegations included comedy duo Dana Min Goodman and Julia Wolov stating that C.K. masturbated in front of them after asking for permission with the pair thinking it was joke, comedian Abby Schachner stating she heard the 50-year-old masturbating over the phone and comedian Rebecca Corry saying C.K. asked her if he could masturbate in front of her while they worked on a television pilot in 2005.

A fifth accuser, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said she was asked by C.K. to watch him masturbate while they worked on The Chris Rock Show in the late 1990s. She said she agreed to it, but knew it was wrong stating, "He abused his power."

HBO in a statement noted that they will no longer be working with C.K. "Louis C.K. will no longer be participating in the Night of Too Many Stars America Unites for Autism Programs, which will be presented live on HBO on November 18," HBO said. "In addition, HBO is removing Louis C.K.'s past project from its On Demand services."

FX which produces C.K.'s acclaimed series Louie among others, also released a statement saying they are reviewing the manner.

"We are obviously very troubled by the allegations about Louis C.K. published in The New York Times today. The network has received no allegations of misconduct by Louis C.K. related to any of our 5 shows produced tougher over the past 8 years. FX Networks and FCP take all necessary actions to protect our employees and thoroughly investigate any allegations of misconduct within our workplace. That said, the matter is currently under review," they said.

Netflix on Friday announced that they were canceling C.K.'s upcoming stand up special, the second half of a two part deal that included a special that debuted in April.

"The allegations made by several women in The New York Times about Louis C.K.'s behavior are disturbing," a Netflix spokesperson said in a statement. "Louis's unprofessional and inappropriate behavior with female colleagues has led us to decide not to produce a second stand up special, as had been planned."


John Hillerman from 'Magnum, P.I.' dies at age 84
Magnum, P.I. and The Betty White Show alum John Hillerman died Thursday in Houston. He was 84.

Variety confirmed the Emmy winner's death. Deadline.com said the cause of it has not yet been determined.

The Texas native and Air Force veteran is also known for playing a recurring role on One Day at a Time and was a popular guest star on shows like Murder, She Wrote, Simon & Simon, Hart to Hart, The Love Boat and Valerie throughout the 1980s and '90s.

His film credits include The Last Picture Show, What's Up, Doc?, Paper Moon, At Long Last Love, High Plains Drifter, Blazing Saddles, Chinatown and Lucky Lady.


LOOSE LIPS:
"I am proud of my wife."
--Ellen DeGeneres, standing by wife Portia de Rossi after the actress accused Steven Seagal of sexual misconduct, on Twitter



??? Guess Who ???
Which star said that a 'Lord of the Rings' series is an 'intriguing idea'?


Portia de Rossi says Steven Seagal unzipped his pants at audition
Portia de Rossi says Steven Seagal once unzipped his pants in front of her at an audition.

The 44-year-old actress accused Seagal of sexual harassment in a tweet Wednesday following other allegations of misconduct against the 65-year-old actor.

"My final audition for a Steven Segal movie took place in his office. He told me how important it was to have chemistry off-screen as he sat me down and unzipped his leather pants," de Rossi wrote.

"I ran out and called my agent," she recalled. "Unfazed, she replied, 'well, I didn't know if he was your type.'"

De Rossi's wife, television personality Ellen DeGeneres, voiced her support for the actress following her post.

"I'm proud of my wife," the Ellen DeGeneres Show host tweeted.

Former Good Wife star Julianna Margulies said last week on Jenny Hutt's SiriusXM radio show, Just Jenny, that she was 23 when a female casting director asked her to go to Seagal's hotel room at night to go over a scene.

"I got to the hotel at 10:40 [p.m.] and she wasn't there. He was, alone. He made sure that I saw his gun, which I had never seen a gun in real life. I got out of there unscathed," the 51-year-old actress said. "For years, we all just shrugged it off. It's not to be shrugged off."

Actress Rae Dawn Chong and television personality Lisa Guerrero have also accused Seagal of sexual harassment. The actor has yet to respond to the allegations.


Writer accuses 'Mad Men' creator Matthew Weiner of sexual harassment
Screenwriter Kater Gordon has accused Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner of sexually harassing her when they worked together on the drama, which was set in the 1960s advertising world.

In an interview with The Information published this week, Gordon alleged Weiner told her one night eight years ago that she owed it to him to let him see her naked.

Gordon said she was uncomfortable with Weiner's remark, but tried to ignore it. She was let go from the show about a year after the alleged incident and the experience was such a negative one, she said she no longer works in the entertainment industry.

"I had the Emmy, but instead of being able to use that as a launch pad for the rest of my career, it became an anchor because I felt I had to answer to speculative stories in the press," Gordon explained. "I eventually walked away instead of fighting back."

Weiner's representative issued a statement to The Hollywood Reporter in response to the allegations made by Gordon.

"Mr. Weiner spent eight to 10 hours a day writing dialogue aloud with Miss Gordon, who started on Mad Men as his writer's assistant," the statement said. "He does not remember saying this comment nor does it reflect a comment he would say to any colleague. During the nine years he was show-runner on Mad Men, Mr. Weiner had a predominantly female-driven writers room. He has long believed in and implemented an egalitarian working environment including the highest levels of production and writing based on mutual respect for all."


??? Guess Who ???
Which star said that a 'Lord of the Rings' series is an 'intriguing idea'?

Sean Astin says the idea of a Lord of the Rings television series is "intriguing."

The 46-year-old actor, who played Samwise Gamgee in the Peter Jackson-directed Lord of the Rings movies, responded in an interview with EW Radio to reports of a possible TV adaptation at Amazon.

"I saw that the other day, and I thought that was intriguing," Astin said. "I've been saying for 15 years that maybe like 12 years after Lord of the Rings came out, that it would get remade."

"People always said, 'Oh no, it'll never get remade! It's a classic! They could never top it!' And I'm like, 'No, it'll get remade. It's a massive story! The characters are so beloved,'" he explained.

Astin, who most recently appeared in Season 2 of the Netflix show Stranger Things, said a series adaptation would face challenges, including the studio's desires versus the director's vision.

"I think it's an intriguing idea [but] the devil's in the details. How would they do it? How? Who?" Astin mused.

"One of the great things about Netflix with Stranger Things is I'm sure [the studio was] giving [the Duffer brothers] script notes, but I never saw 'em," he said. "The Duffers got to make their movie. And the same was true with New Line and Peter Jackson and the Lord of the Rings trilogy."

"There were times they asserted themselves, but in a core way, Peter was making Peter's movie," the star added. "So I don't know. The challenge would be, could they find some team to do it that they could let to their thing, or are they going to squat on it?"

Variety reported last week that Warner Bros. Television and the estate of Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien are in talks with Amazon Studios about a TV series. Sources said Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos is personally involved with the negotiations.