Here's the Scoop...
Did you know that the 2018 Winter Olympics have started? I had no idea!
It seems like the last few Olympic games sneak up on us and then leave like a thief in the night, and there's money missing out of your wallet and your fridge is empty. It's true.
Are you watching? Who are you rooting for? What's your favorite event?
Let the games begin!
Be Well,
Steve
Comments? Questions? Nooz? Email Steve
The latest Hollywood gossip is just a click away... Celebrity Nooz
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Joaquin Phoenix in talks to portray The Joker in planned origin film
Joaquin Phoenix may potentially star as signature Batman villain The Joker in a planned origin film from producer Martin Scorsese and director Todd Phillips.
Phoenix is Phillips' top choice to star as the Clown Prince of Crime with the actor agreeing to take on the role after thinking it over, Variety reported, citing sources.
Phoenix is the second name attached to the role after Leonardo DiCaprio was said to be circling the part, Entertainment Weekly reported.
The Joker was last portrayed by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad -- part of Warner Bros.' DC extended universe -- which also includes films Man of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Wonder Woman, Justice League and the forthcoming Aquaman.
The origin film will take place outside the extended universe and would help launch a new DC Comics banner at Warner Bros. that will allow the studio to tell unique comic book stories using different actors in the the title roles.
Leto is still expected to portray The Joker in a Suicide Squad sequel.
Richard Pryor slept with Marlon Brando, says comedian's widow
Richard Pryor's widow says the late comedian indeed slept with Marlon Brando.
Jennifer Lee confirmed the hookup to TMZ after record producer Quincy Jones claimed in a new interview that Pryor had sex with Brando, who died in 2004.
"It was the '70s! Drugs were still good, especially quaaludes. If you did enough cocaine, you'd [expletive] a radiator and send it flowers in the morning," she said.
Jones had told Variety Brando slept with Pryor, who died in 2005, as well as writer James Baldwin and singer Marvin Gaye.
"He was the most charming [expletive] you ever met," the 84-year-old record producer said. "He'd [expletive] anything. Anything! He'd [expletive] a mailbox. James Baldwin. Richard Pryor. Marvin Gaye."
Lee, who married Pryor twice, said the comedian was open about his bisexuality with friends and wouldn't be fazed by Jones' comments. She said the comedian detailed his relationships in diaries, which she plans to publish this year.
LOOSE LIPS:
"John actually played my father longer than I knew my own father, so he was more like my dad."
--Kelsey Grammer, on former Frasier costar John Mahoney, who passed away this week, on The Talk
??? Guess Who ???
Which comedic actress will play Miss Nanny in the new 'Muppet Babies'?
Mickey Jones: 'Justified', 'Home Improvement' actor dead at 76
Mickey Jones, a television and film actor best known for recurring roles on Justified and Home Improvement and as a drummer for Bob Dylan, has died at the age of 76 following a lengthy illness.
Jones' death was confirmed to Deadline by his representative Cherry Hepburn. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Jean Starr, and their two children.
Jones, who got his start on television by appearing on variety show Rollin' on the River, was a recurring character on Home Improvement as Pete Bilker and most recently starred as Rodney "Hot Rod" Durham on the second and third seasons of Justified.
Other television credits include appearances on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Alice spinoff Flo, M*A*S*H, Baywatch, Entourage. His film credits include roles in Sling Blade, The Beverly Hillbillies, Total Recall, Tin Cup, Shattered Lies and The Last Best Sunday.
The actor first started as a drummer working with Trini Lopez, Johnny Rivers and Kenny Rogers and the First Edition. He later toured with Dylan before the music icon's 1966 motorcycle crash.
'Venom:' Tom Hardy's body gets taken over in first trailer
Tom Hardy slowly transitions into Marvel anti-hero Venom in the first trailer released for the upcoming film based on the Spider-Man character.
The clip, released Thursday, features the actor in a hospital having multiple tests run to discover what his body his going through.
"Everyone's got their thing. Maybe it's a breakup, a death, an accident. Whatever it is, you used to be one thing. Now, you're something else," Hardy says as the trailer offers quick looks at the film's cast including Michelle Williams and Riz Ahmed, seen observing a canister of the black symbiote that will transform Hardy into Venom.
"We all have our own problems, our own issues, our own demons," he continues before he loses control and starts screaming. The trailer shows a crash site surrounded by authorities, hinting at how the symbiote lands on earth.
Venom, from director Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland), is set to arrive in theaters Oct. 5. Woody Harrelson and Jenny Slate also star in the film.
The central character, Venom, is a mainstay in Marvel's Spider-Man comics who first appeared as a villain before becoming an anti-hero. Venom is born after an alien symbiote bonds with photographer Eddie Brock, who is then gifted with powers similar to those of Spider-Man, along with other abilities. Venom was first portrayed in film by Topher Grace in 2007's Spider-Man 3.
??? Guess Who ???
Which comedic actress will play Miss Nanny in the new 'Muppet Babies'?
Jenny Slate will lend her voice to the human character Miss Nanny in Disney Junior's revival of the animated series Muppet Babies, which will debut next month.
Barbara Billingsley originated the role in the 1980s series. Like Billingsley's cartoon caretaker, Slate's Miss Nanny will only be seen from the torso down.
Slate was part of the vocal casts of the blockbuster movies Despicable Me 3 and Zootopia.
"Almost 30 years after the Muppet Babies first stole the hearts of kids and families around the world, the series chronicles the hilarious playroom antics of the young Kermit the Frog, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal and brand-new Muppet Baby, Summer Penguin," a news release said. "Adding a new touch to the reimagined series, the pattern of Miss Nanny's tights will change in each episode to reveal the story's theme. As always, Miss Nanny gently and cheerfully encourages the Muppet Babies to use their imaginations to explore the farthest corners of the universe and to utilize their creative thinking to solve most any problem."
Also joining the show's voice ensemble are Melanie Harrison as Piggy, Dee Bradley Baker as Animal, Ben Diskin as Gonzo, Eric Bauza as Fozzie Bear and Jessica DiCicco as Summer.
Matt Danner will play Kermit and will also serve as supervising director on the series.