Here's the Scoop...
Looking forward to the 'Roseanne' spinoff 'The Conners'? Good! Because production has begun in Burbank, California.
The network released a cast photo showing Sara Gilbert (Darlene), Jayden Rey (Mary), Michael Fishman (DJ), Ames McNamara (Mark), John Goodman (Dan,) Laurie Metcalf (Jackie), Lecy Goranson (Becky) and Emma Kenney (Harris), sitting around the kitchen table on the studio set meant to be the titular family's Illinois home, and practicing their lines.
Missing from the group shot is matriarch Roseanne, who was cut from the show after her portrayer -- comedian Roseanne Barr -- was fired after making a racist comment about Valerie Jarrett, a former senior adviser to U.S. President Barack Obama.
The network has not announced how Roseanne's absence will be explained other than to say, "After a sudden turn of events, the Conners are forced to face the daily struggles of life in Lanford in a way they never have before."
Roseanne initially ran 1988-97 and remained popular in re-runs. It earned high ratings when it returned last spring with new episodes and was renewed for an 11th season, which was swiftly canceled after star Barr's racist comment on Twitter
Barr has since repeatedly apologized for what she has called a joke, but she was widely condemned for the remark.
ABC announced in June it was moving forward with a new version of the show without Barr. It is to debut Oct. 16.
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Emmy Rossum announces exit from 'Shameless'
Emmy Rossum announced in a message posted online that she is leaving Shameless after nine seasons of starring in the Showtime series.
Rossum posted an open letter to fans of the series Thursday on Facebook saying she was leaving the series and expected the show to continue without her character, Fiona.
The 31-year-old actress wrote she had become close with her castmates and crew members during their years working together on the show.
"We've watched the kids grow up into the strong, talented, independent human beings that they are," she wrote.
"This kind of stability, this family, has nurtured me and made feel safe enough to stretch and grow creatively. The way [show-runner] John Wells has shepherded me as an actress, and more recently how he's encouraged me wholeheartedly as a director and a writer, has been an honor and a privilege," she wrote.
The post did not specify why Rossum is leaving the series, which premieres its ninth season Sept. 9, but she wrote that she expects it to continue without her.
"There is much more Gallagher story to be told. I will always be rooting for my family. Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block," Rossum wrote.
The show's season eight renewal had previously been held up in 2016 when salary negotiations between Rossum and Warner Bros. Television stalled. The two sides eventually came to an agreement and production began.
Eminem releases surprise new album 'Kamikaze'
Eminem surprised fans Thursday night with the sudden release of his 10th studio album titled Kamikaze.
"Tried not 2 overthink this 1... enjoy," the rapper said on Twitter alongside the project's album art which features the back end of a jet fighter plane on the front and the same plane crashing on the back.
Kamikaze, executive-produced by Dr. Dre and Eminem, features 13 tracks and special appearances by Joyner Lucas, Eminem's manager Paul Rosenberg, Royce Da 5'9?, and Jessie Reyez.
Eminem, on the album, takes aim at President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, the Grammy Awards and the press, who Eminem says panned his previous release, Revival.
Kamikaze can be streamed on services such as Apple Music and Spotify or purchased on iTunes.
LOOSE LIPS:
"When I missed Olympia's walking, I posted about it and so many parents wrote in and said, 'Don't worry about it, I missed it too.' I didn't realize that it's almost more normal to miss it than it is to make it. So I really kind of rely on everyone's help out there."
--Serena Williams, on learning it's okay to miss some baby milestones, on Today
??? Guess Who ???
Which 'Firefly' star will portray villain Mr. Nobody in DC's 'Doom Patrol'?
Peter Dinklage defends casting after whitewashing claims
Peter Dinklage is defending his casting in a new HBO movie following claims of whitewashing.
The 49-year-old British actor spoke out in an interview with Entertainment Weekly after some objected to him playing Hervé Villechaize in the film My Dinner with Hervé based on the assumption Villechaize was half-Filipino.
"The funny thing about the backlash is it addresses what we address in the film about not judging a book by its cover," Dinklage said in response.
"It says [Villechaize was half-Filipino] on Wikipedia. Family members can't change information on there," he explained. "I don't know who is able to put information up, but there are so many things on there that aren't true."
The Game of Thrones star said Villechaize, an actor known for the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun and the TV series Fantasy Island, did not have Filipino heritage.
"I've met his brother and other members of his family. He was French, and of German and English descent. So it's strange these people are saying he's Filipino," Dinklage said.
"He has a very unique face and people have to be very careful about this stuff," he advised. "People are jumping to conclusions based on a man's appearance alone and that saddens me."
Villechaize, who had dwarfism, died of suicide at age 50 in 1993. Dinklage said he hopes the movie will bring Villechaize's "complicated" story to light and challenge people's assumptions.
"I love finding stuff out about somebody I assumed was one thing and they weren't at all. It sheds light on somebody and challenges your assumptions," he said.
My Dinner with Hervé co-stars Jamie Dornan and premieres Oct. 20 on HBO. The network released a sneak peek at the film last week.
'Saved by the Bell' alums Mario Lopez, Tiffani Thiessen reunite
Saved by the Bell alums Mario Lopez and Tiffani Thiessen delighted fans with a surprise reunion.
The 44-year-old actor and Thiessen, also 44, came together on Thursday's episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Thiessen showed Lopez how to make a "boozy date milkshake" with fresh dates, milk and rum. The actress will release the cookbook Pull Up a Chair: Recipes from My Family to Yours in October.
"I am so proud of you. You're a mom, you've got two beautiful kids, and you've got this passion for cooking," Lopez told his former co-star.
Thiessen is mom to 8-year-old daughter Harper and 3-year-old son Holt, while Lopez is dad to 7-year-old daughter Gia and 4-year-old son Dominic. The pair said their kids have watched some of Saved by the Bell.
"I was okay with Season 1," Thiessen said. "But then, after that when kissing started happening, I was like, 'No, no, no. We're done.''"
"My kids have given it a shot... not feeling it," Lopez added. "They're like, 'Daddy, why is your hair like that?'"
Lopez and Thiessen played A.C. Slater and Kelly Kapowski on Saved by the Bell, which had a five-season run on NBC from 1989 to 1993. Thiessen said in March that working on the show Alexa & Katie has brought back memories of her teenage years.
??? Guess Who ???
Which 'Firefly' star will portray villain Mr. Nobody in DC's 'Doom Patrol'?
Alan Tudyk has signed on to star in DC's upcoming live-action series Doom Patrol that will be coming exclusively to the company's upcoming streaming service, DC Universe.
Tudyk is set to portray Eric Morden, also known as the villainous Mr. Nobody. DC confirmed the casting on Twitter Friday by posting a comic book image of Mr. Nobody.
Mr. Nobody, in DC Comics, gains the ability to drain the sanity out of others after he becomes a living shadow following experiments conducted on him by ex-Nazis.
"Watch your sanity or Mister Nobody might just take it! @AlanTudyk joins #DCUDoomPatrol as the crazed Mister Nobody!" DC said on Twitter.
Doom Patrol, based on the comic book series of the same name, follows a group of eccentric and unlikely superheroes led by the mysterious Dr. Niles Caulder, such as Robotman, Negative Man, Elasti-Girl and Crazy Jane, who have each suffered from horrible accidents that have gifted them powers.
Tudyk will be joined by Brendan Fraser as Robotman, Orange is the New Black star Diane Guerrero as Crazy Jane, April Bowlby as Elasti-Woman and The First Purge star Jovian Wade as Cyborg, who calls the Doom Patrol into action to take on a dangerous mission.
DC Universe is set to launch on Sept. 15 with the services first original program Titans, arriving on Oct. 12. There is no timetable for when Doom Patrol will debut.
DC Universe, in addition to offering original programming such as Young Justice Season 3, Swamp Thing and an animated series based around Harley Quinn, will also feature classic DC animated programs and films, live-action films and digital access to a vast comic book library, among other perks.