January 27, 2020

Here's the Scoop...

The action-comedy Bad Boys for Life is the No. 1 movie in North America this weekend, earning $34 million in receipts, BoxOfficeMojo.com announced on Sunday.

This is the second weekend in a row the Will Smith-Martin Lawrence film topped the chart. It earned $59.2 million when it opened last weekend.

Coming in at No. 2 this weekend is 1917 with $15.8 million, followed by Dolittle at No. 3 with $12.5 million, The Gentlemen at No. 4 with $11 million and Jumanji: The Next Level at No. 5 with $7.9 million.

Rounding out the top tier are The Turning at No. 6 with $7.3 million, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker at No. 7 with $5.2 million, Little Women at No. 8 with $4.7 million, Just Mercy at No. 9 with $4.1 million and Knives Out at No. 10 with $3.4 million.

Be Well,
Steve

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Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, daughter among 9 killed in helicopter crash

Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among nine killed in a helicopter crash Sunday in Calabasas, Calif.

The Federal Aviation Administration said a Sikorsky S-76B helicopter crashed Sunday morning under unknown circumstances in Calabasas, a city of 23,000 people located about 30 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

The helicopter departed from John Wayne Airport at 9:06 a.m. PST, according to flight records. The Los Angeles Times reported the crash occurred shortly before 10 a.m. PST near Las Virgenes Road.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department initially said five people were on board and none survived. But Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said nine people died in the crash though he didn't officially identify the victims saying it was "entirely inappropriate" to do so until the coroner made the identification to next of kin.

TMZ first reported Bryant, 41, was on the helicopter. Other outlets, including ABC News and ESPN, confirmed the reports. His wife, Vanessa, was not on the copter.

ESPN and NBC News reported Bryant, his daughter, and another parent and player were headed to Mamba Sports Academy, a facility that Bryant created and coached at, for a girls basketball game. Bryant coached Gianna's team, the Los Angeles Lady Mambas.

The NBA has sent an email to its employees confirming the deaths of Bryant and his daughter, the Athletic reported.

The crash comes a day after Bryant was passed by Lakers star LeBron James for third place on the NBA's all-time scoring list. Bryant, who scored 33,643 points, was active on social media Saturday night, congratulating James on the feat.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom paid tribute to Bryant with a post on social media Sunday afternoon. President Donald Trump also sent out a tweet, calling the crash "terrible news."

Bryant, an 18-time All-Star, was drafted in the first round (No. 13 overall) of the 1996 NBA Draft out of Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa. He spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers and won five NBA championships.

Bryant averaged 25 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in his career. He was a two-time NBA Finals MVP and was named the league's Most Valuable Player in 2008.

Bryant announced his intent to retire from the league on Nov. 29, 2015, which launched a farewell tour around the NBA. He played in 66 matchups that season with the Lakers, averaging 17.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

In his final professional game, Bryant scored 60 points and led the Lakers past the Utah Jazz on April 13, 2016. He is eligible for the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020.

A moment of silence was held before Sunday's matchup between the Houston Rockets and Nuggets in Denver, the first game of the day. Later Sunday, multiple NBA teams paid tribute to Bryant by committing 24-second shot clock violations and 8-second violations, honoring his famous jersey numbers.

Bryant married Vanessa Laine Bryant in 2001. The couple had four daughters together, aged 17, 13, three and seven months. They welcomed their fourth daughter, Capri Kobe Bryant, last June.

Disney developing photo-real 'Bambi' movie

Disney has named Bambi as the next animated movie it will give the photo-realistic treatment.

The film will follow the studio's recent remakes of its cartoon classics Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Alice in Wonderland and The Jungle Book.

Live-action versions of The Little Mermaid, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio are also in the works.

Variety reported Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Lindsey Beer are writing the screenplay for a new version of Bambi, the 1942 tale of a motherless deer and his woodland friends, including skunk Flower and bunny Thumper.

Deadline.com said Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz and Andrew Miano are producing the project.

No director or voice cast has been announced for it yet.

LOOSE LIPS:

"I'm so much more than that. Because I actually present that [and] I have a whole career; it's not a trend."
--Lizzo, on being a body positivity icon and a musical powerhouse and dealing with people who only focus on her physique, in her Rolling Stone cover interview

??? Guess Who ???

Which actress says her husband initially dated Kate Winslet?

Move 2600 Pounds With This EASY-TO-USE Device! Yes YOU Can Move Anything YOURSELF.

Jonas Brothers announce Las Vegas residency for April

The Jonas Brothers announced Friday a new Las Vegas residency for the month of April.

The band will be performing on select dates from April 1-18 at the Park Theater at Park MGM. All shows are scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. PST.

Tickets starting at $69 go on sale for the general public starting on Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. PST through Ticketmaster. Tickets can also be purchased through the MGM Resorts International Call Center.

"Let's get it! Let's gooooo!!" the Jonas Brothers said on Twitter alongside a promotional video for the residency featuring the group performing onstage.

The Jonas Brothers recently released a new music video for their single "What A Man Gotta Do" that featured their spouses Sophie Turner, Priyanka Chopra and Danielle Jonas.

Joe, Nick and Kevin Jonas will perform "What A Man Gotta Do" live Sunday during the 2020 Grammy Awards.

Cynthia Erivo, Elton John, Idina Menzel to perform at the Oscars

Cynthia Erivo, Elton John and Idina Menzel are confirmed as singers for next month's Oscars ceremony honoring excellence in film.

Also expected to take the stage at the Feb. 9 gala are Chrissy Metz and Randy Newman.

All of the artists are competing in the Best Song Oscar category.

"We're excited to have an incredible group of nominees and performers who will deliver one-of-a-kind music moments you will only see on the Oscars," Lynette Howell Taylor and Stephanie Allain -- producers of the ABC telecast -- said in a press release.

Newman will perform "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" from Toy Story 4, while John will sing "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from Rocketman; Metz will sing "I'm Standing With You" from Breakthrough; Menzel will sing "Into the Unknown" from Frozen II; and Erivo will sing "Stand Up" from Harriet.

There will be no host at the Oscars for a second, consecutive year.

??? Guess Who ???

Which actress says her husband initially dated Kate Winslet?

Emma Thompson says her husband, actor Greg Wise, dated Kate Winslet shortly before they got together.

The 60-year-old actress recalled on Friday's episode of The Graham Norton Show how Wise, 53, initially thought Winslet, their Sense and Sensibility co-star, was his future wife.

Thompson and Winslet played sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood in a 1995 adaptation of Sense and Sensibility, which co-starred Wise as John Willoughby. Thompson was married to actor and director Kenneth Branagh at the time of filming.

"Before [Greg] did the job, he went to see a friend of his who was a bit witchy and said he would meet his future partner on the film," Thompson said. "He assumed it wasn't me because I was married and quite a lot older than him so he thought it might be Kate."

Thompson said Wise took Winslet to Glastonbury music festival, but the pair were both uninspired by the date.

"She was so bored, and he thought, 'This isn't going to work. Who can it be?'" Thompson said of Wise. "Then things happened that probably shouldn't have happened, and it's been 25 years in May."

Thompson and Branagh split in September 1995 amid reports Branagh was having an affair with actress Helena Bonham Carter. Thompson and Wise started dating in 1995 and married in 2003. The couple have two children, daughter Gaia and son Tindyebwa.

Wise said in an interview with the Daily Express in 2014 that Winslet encouraged him to date Thompson.

"She pointed out that we were right for each other and told me that Emma's marriage was over," he said.

On Graham Norton, Thompson also shared how she was once mistaken for a 50 year old man. Thompson regularly bathes in a pond near her sheep pasture and said police once responded to a report that a naked "52-year-old man" was seen intruding on Thompson's property.