Here's the Scoop...

Oscar-winning actresses Jennifer Hudson and Brie Larson are to help announce the nominations for the 89th Academy Awards on Jan. 24.

Also reading from the roster of nominees will be Emmanuel Lubezki, Jason Reitman and Ken Watanabe, as well as Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs.

"In a departure from our tradition of a live audience at the academy, this year's nominations will be announced via a global live stream on Oscar.com, Oscars.org, the academy's digital platforms, a satellite feed, and local broadcasters, including Good Morning America," the organization said in a press release.

Academy Award -- or Oscar -- nominees are traditionally read aloud at a live, televised press conference in Los Angeles.

Winners will be revealed at a ceremony on Feb. 26 at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC. Jimmy Kimmel is to serve as host.

Be Well,
Steve

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Pro-wrestling superstar Jimmy 'Superfly' Snuka, dies at 73
Professional wrestler Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka, a pioneer of high-flying moves off the top turnbuckles as the sport was just starting to break through to the mainstream, died Sunday at his son-in-law's home in Florida.

Wrestlers and fans took to the internet to mourn Snuka, a World Wrestling Entertainment superstar since the 1970s who spent 40 years helping build the popularity of wrestling and helping grow its fanbase with his flashy persona and uniquely exciting moves.

Snuka has been sick for some time and was reported to be in hospice in late December, when his lawyers said he could not stand trial on accusations he was responsible for the death of his girlfriend in 1983. The case was dismissed because Snuka has been suffering from dementia, and had been given six months to live by his doctors.

"Snuka is regarded by many as the pioneer of high-flying offense because of his Superfly Splash from the top turnbuckle," the WWE said in a press release. "His dive off the top of the steel cage onto Don Muraco at Madison Square Garden as hundreds of flash bulbs went off will forever live as one of the most memorable moments in WWE history."

Snuka, born in the Fiji Islands in 1943, came up in wrestling through amateur bodybuilding competitions and the smaller wrestling companies of the 1960s and 1970s.

Joining what was then called the World Wrestling Federation in 1982 as a heel, Snuka came to prominence for his high-flying tactics, including the "Superfly Splash" leap off the top turnbuckle onto an opponent.

Snuka made his name in the WWE during the 1980s, competing with a stream of standard-bearers of the sport including Hulk Hogan, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Andre The Giant and "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.

Although he was never charged in the 1983 death of his girlfriend, Nancy Argentino, Snuka's account of the ordeal caused prosecutors in Pennsylvania to reopen the case and file murder and manslaughter charges against him in 2015.

The case was dismissed, despite inconsistencies in his explanation to police of what happened that night, because of dementia and what his attorneys claimed was a lack of understanding that he was on trial for murder in the first place.


LOOSE LIPS:
"We were getting Cocoa Puffs but spelled with a B: Cocoa Buffs. But we were proud of that, because at the end of the day my parents said, 'Hey, we're here. We're already winning.'"
--Wilmer Valderrama, recounting trips to the 99 Cents Only Store with his immigrant family, at the Looking Ahead Awards



??? Guess Who ???
Which 'Ride Along' comic-actor will star in and produce 'The Black Man's Guide to History'?


TBS orders animated series 'The Cops' featuring Louis C.K., Albert Brooks
TBS said it has green-lit 10 episodes of the animated series The Cops, which was co-created by and will feature the voices of Louis C.K. and Albert Brooks.

C.K. and Brooks will serve as executive producers on the series with Greg Daniels, Dino Stamatopoulos, Dave Becky and Howard Klein.

Set to debut in 2018, the show follows two Los Angeles patrolmen "trying their best to protect and serve, sometimes failing at both," the cable network said in a press release.

"We have made the bold decision to put Louis C.K., Albert Brooks and Greg Daniels at the forefront of what is going to be a serious push into animated comedy for TBS in 2018," Brett Weitz, executive vice president of original programming for TBS, said in a statement. "I only hope these newbies know what they're doing."


??? Guess Who ???
Which 'Ride Along' comic-actor will star in and produce 'The Black Man's Guide to History'?

The History channel says it has green-lit a 2-hour special called Kevin Hart Presents: The Black Man's Guide to History.

The show is billed as "a look at lesser-known, yet important, black-history stories, filtered through the lens of Kevin Hart."

"Kevin is an extraordinary performer with a real appreciation for history," Paul Cabana, executive vice president and head of programming for History, said in a statement Friday. "Only he could bring these true stories to life in such an entertaining way. We're thrilled to be working with him."

"I'm very excited to be working with History on this show because not only is it entertaining, and it's hysterical, but it also is an important program for our country right now. We hope to make people laugh and learn a bit, too," added Hart, who will star in and produce the program.