March 13, 2019
Here's the Scoop...
Have you heard about this college bribery scandal? Say it ain't so Lori Loughlin!
Federal authorities have charged dozens of people in a nationwide college entrance scheme -- including two Hollywood actresses -- that involved millions of dollars, a former soccer coach and a California businessman, an indictment unsealed Tuesday said.
Court documents showed actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin are among more than 40 people indicted in the case. Huffman is perhaps best known for her role in ABC's Desperate Housewives and Loughlin ABC's Full House in the late 1980s and the more recent Fuller House.
So far, 44 people have been charged in the case, some of whom are college coaches.
The indictment unsealed in Boston says dozens of wealthy parents, including the two actresses, bribed college entrance exam administrators to get their children into Ivy-league and other high-profile schools. The accusations say some of the efforts attempted to get athletic scholarships and others paid for high test scores.
Prosecutors said the bribes involved about $25 million in payments, and that FBI agents wiretapped phone calls involving some of the parents and a cooperating witness.
Some of the schools targeted in the entrance scheme are Yale, Georgetown, the University of Southern California, Stanford, UCLA and the University of Texas. None of the schools, however, are accused of complicity in the case.
A former Yale University women's soccer coach, Rudolph "Rudy" Meredith of Madion, Conn. is charged in the case with two counts of wire fraud in connection with the case. The indictment said Meredith conspired with California businessman William Rick Singer, the owner of a for-profit college entrance company.
This is crazy, right?
Be Well,
Steve
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Hugh Jackman to star in Broadway revival of 'The Music Man'
Hugh Jackman is returning to Broadway in an upcoming revival of The Music Man.
"The Music Man. Broadway. October 22, 2020. ?@MusicManBway?," Jackman said on Twitter Wednesday alongside a photo of a suitcase that belongs to the character of Harold Hill.
Jackman will be portraying Harold Hill in the musical, a character that cons the people of a small Iowa town into buying instruments and uniforms for a band that he will never create.
"The idea of bringing The Music Man back to Broadway has been lurking in the back of my brain for a long time, maybe even for 35 years," Jackman said in a statement after explaining how The Music Man was the first play he was a part of.
"When Scott Rudin called me with that very idea, I was floored. To finally be doing this is a huge thrill," he continued about the play's producer.
Jackman has previously appeared in four Broadway productions including 2003's The Boy From Oz, 2009's A Steady Rain, 2011's Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway and 2014's The River.
Jackman is set to embark on a worldwide arena tour that will feature him performing songs from The Greatest Showman and Les Miserables. The tour begins in May.
Lady Gaga confirms new album, denies pregnancy rumors
Lady Gaga confirmed on Twitter that she is working on a new album while denying rumors that she is pregnant.
"Rumors I'm pregnant? Yeah, I'm pregnant with #LG6," the singer said on Tuesday in reference to her sixth studio album.
Gaga's next album will be a follow-up to 2016's Joanne which featured the single "Million Reasons."
The pop star was recently featured prominently on the best-selling soundtrack for A Star is Born, a musical drama she starred in alongside Bradley Cooper. The film's main track "Shallow" won Best Original Song at the Oscars.
Gaga, who made headlines in February after her engagement to talent agent Christian Carino was called off, also recently denied that there was any romantic connection between herself and Cooper following their intimate performance of "Shallow" at the Oscars.
"Yes, people saw love and, guess what, that's what we wanted you to see," she said on Jimmy Kimmel Live about how she and Cooper were acting.
LOOSE LIPS:
"I like to be able to remember the extremely good and extremely bad times. I want to remember the color of the sweater, the temperature of the air, the creak of the floorboards, the time on the clock when your heart was stolen or shattered or healed or claimed forever."
--Taylor Swift, on the importance of capturing particular details and how her music has preserved her memories, in an essay she wrote for Elle UK's April issue.
??? Guess Who ???
Which singer's musical will have a pre-Broadway premiere in October?
'Aladdin' teases 'a whole new world' in first full trailer
Aladdin gives fans a glimpse of its "whole new world" in a first full-length trailer.
Disney released new footage Tuesday featuring Mena Massoud as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Princess Jasmine and Will Smith as Genie.
The preview shows Aladdin become a prince after receiving three wishes from Genie. He meets and romances Jasmine, the daughter of The Sultan (Navid Negahban), before taking on the sorcerer Jafar (Marwan Kenzari).
The trailer features a new version of the Aladdin song "A Whole New World." The beloved song from Alan Menken and Tim Rice plays as Aladdin and Jasmine are shown on their magic carpet ride.
Aladdin is a live-action remake of Disney's 1992 animated film of the same name, which was inspired by the Arabic folktale of Aladdin from One Thousand and One Nights. The new version opens in theaters May 24.
Guy Ritchie directed the new Aladdin, which co-stars Nasim Pedrad, Billy Magnussen and Numan Acar. The full-length trailer occasionally shows Smith without the blue makeup fans commented on following a preview in February.
'Big Bang Theory' season finale to air May 16
The sitcom The Big Bang Theory is scheduled to wrap its 12th and final season with a one-hour episode on May 16, CBS announced.
"273 episodes filmed. 26 days left on the Big Bang stage. 6 episodes to be filmed. 66 days until the 1 hour finale airs. All VERY surreal. Much (heart emoji) to all the fans. @bigbangtheory_cbs @therealjimparsons @kaleycuoco #simonhelberg @kunalkarmanayyar @themelissarauch @missmayim," cast member Johnny Galecki wrote in an Instagram post Monday.
"I'm not crying you're crying," his co-star Kaley Cuoco said on her Instagram Story after the end date was announced.
The show also stars Jim Parsons, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch.
The network announced in August that the show would not return for a 13th season.
"We are forever grateful to our fans for their support of The Big Bang Theory during the past 12 seasons. We, along with the cast, writers and crew, are extremely appreciative of the show's success and aim to deliver a final season, and series finale, that will bring The Big Bang Theory to an epic creative close," Warner Bros. Television, CBS and Chuck Lorre Productions said in a joint statement last summer.
??? Guess Who ???
Which singer's musical will have a pre-Broadway premiere in October?
A new musical featuring the songs of Britney Spears will have its pre-Broadway premiere in October.
Variety confirmed Once Upon a One More Time will begin previews Oct. 29 at the James M. Nederlander Theatre in Chicago, Ill., ahead of its opening night Nov. 13.
Once Upon a One More Time revolves around Spears' music but doesn't recount the singer's life. The musical instead shows Cinderella, Snow White and other fairytale characters explore modern and feminist ideas.
Entertainment Weekly said Once Upon a One More Time features an original book by Jon Hartmere, with Kristin Hanggi as director and Keone and Mari Madrid as choreographers. Spears said she's "so excited" for her songs to appear in the show.
"I'm so excited to have a musical with my songs -- especially one that takes place in such a magical world filled with characters that I grew up on, who I love and adore," the star said. "This is a dream come true for me!"
Nederlander, who owns the eponymous theater, had nothing but praise for Spears and the upcoming musical.
"Throughout her career, Britney has captivated fans across the globe with her singular brand of energy and resilience," he said. "For three years, we have been working closely with her to develop a concept that perfectly encapsulates her unique spirit, and are so thrilled to finally bring this joyous and electrifying show to the stage."
Deadline said Once Upon a One More Time will fill the scheduling vacancy left by the Michael Jackson musical Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough. Producers canceled the show's pre-Broadway run in February in favor of a straight-to-Broadway debut in 2020.
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