Magazine

Trending Now

Netflix orders queerfriendly DeadEndia animated kids series with Beetlejuice musical star

Netflix’s Jeffrey Epstein documentary director reacts to Ghislaine Maxwell arrest Netflix’s Say I Do stars share tips for throwing a wedding

‘HAMILTON’ ISN’T JUST AN ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT— IT’S ALSO A MOMENT OF PUERTO RICAN PRIDE

Unsolved Mysteries Burning Questions Answered

and more celeb news

Hundreds of Hundreds of sign Black artists Black letter artists calling sign letter calling for change in for change in Hollywood: 'We Hollywood: demand better' ‘We demand better’

More than 300 Black artists and executives signed an open letter published Tuesday, demanding systemic change in Hollywood with regard to racism, discrimination, and representation.

The letter, headlined “Hollywood 4 Black Lives,” was spearheaded by actor and activist Kendrick Sampson (Insecure, The Flash) as part of his BLD PWR initiative. Such boldfaced names as Viola Davis, Janelle Monáe, Michael B. Jordan, Billy Porter, and many more joined Sampson’s call for the entertainment industry to “prove that Black Lives Matter to Hollywood by taking bold moves to affirm, defend and invest in Black lives.”

“Hollywood has a privilege as a creative industry to imagine and create. We have significant influence over culture and politics. We have the ability to use our influence to imagine and create a better world,” the letter begins.

“Yet, historically and currently, Hollywood encourages the epidemic of police violence and culture of anti-Blackness.

The lack of a true commitment to inclusion and institutional support has only reinforced “The lack of a of true commitment inclusion andininstitutional support Hollywood’s legacy white supremacy.to This is not only storytelling. It is cultural and systemic in Hollywood,” continues. “Our agencies, which often serve as industry has only reinforcedit Hollywood’s legacy of white supremacy.

This is not gatekeepers, don’t recruit, retain or support Black agents. Our unions don’t consider or deonly in storytelling. It is cultural and systemic in Hollywood,” it continues. fend our specific, intersectional struggles. Unions are even worse for our below-the-line agencies, which often serve as industry don’t recruit, that excrew,“Our especially for Black women.

Hollywood studiosgatekeepers, and production companies ploit and profit from our Black storiesagents. rarely have any senior-level Black executives retain or support Our unions don’t consider or defendwith our greenlighting power.” specific, intersectional struggles. Unions are even worse for our below-theThe letter’s five core demands call for Hollywood to divest from police (“Commit to no line crew, especially for Black women. Hollywood studios and production police on sets or events or for any other purposes”), divest from anti-Black content, invest companies that invest exploitinand profit fromcareers our stories rarelymore havepower any seniorin anti-racist content, Black people’s by giving and financial resources to Black artists and executives, and invest in ” the Black community, including level Black executives with greenlighting power.

Black-owned businesses.

The letter’s five core demands call for Hollywood to divest from police “We know these changes have the power to change Black lives in America. It is time for (“Commit to no police events or responsibility for any otherofpurposes”), divest Hollywood to acknowledge itson rolesets andor take on the repairing the damage and being proactive part of theinvest change,” it concludes. fromaanti-Black content, in anti-racist content, invest in Black This call for action comes amid ongoing protests movements for change after the people’s careers by giving more power andand financial resources to Black killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and other unarmed Black people by white police artists and executives, and invest in the Black community, including Blackofficers. Many celebrities, including Jordan, Tessa Thompson, and John Boyega, have businesses. joinedowned the protests calling for justice. Sampson was hit by rubber bullets while taking part in a protest in Losthese Angeles last month.

“We know changes have the power to change Black lives in America.

“Let’s #DEFUNDPOLICE and use those resources for alternatives to incarceration, unIt is time for Hollywood to acknowledge its role and take on the responsiarmed, non-law-enforcement first responders, mental health care, COVID relief, educability of -repairing the damage beingand a proactive part the change, it tion, housing NEW SYSTEMS built onand wellness centering andof caring for the”most vulnerable in our society,” he wrote in an Instagram post at the time. concludes.

Netflix’s Say I Do stars share tips for throwing a wedding in quarantine Need some inspiration for a backyard wedding in quarantine? Let the gurus of Netflix ’s new surprise wedding show help.

Among the many industries put on hold during the age of COVID-19 lockdowns is wedding season. Our refrigerators are covered with “Save the Date” invites that surpassed their expirations. Social media is flooded with photos of couples, unable to celebrate with a dream ceremony, choosing a more private, backyard-style setting in the meantime. Quarantine, after all, can’t delay love. That’s where the three stars of Say I Do come in.

Interior designer Jeremiah Brent, fashion designer Thai Nguyen, and chef Gabriele Bertaccini know a thing or two about throwing a wedding, no matter the restrictions. On Netflix’s Say I Do (now available to stream), they surprised eight deserving couples—who, for various reasons, couldn’t have their big days—with luxurious dream weddings from scratch.

Life looks a lot different for people now as opposed to a year ago when this trio of creative gurus filmed their show, but they have some ideas about how engaged couples stuck in quarantine can still pull off memorable weddings.

“DO WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY” “Having a wedding is such a special day, especially [because] it’s for your life. It’s not just any day,” says Nguygen, who’s designed for the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Katy Perry. “A wedding gown, it’s not just a gown. It’s a symbol of your love story. I want to see your dress; I want to see the venue, even though it’s in your backyard; I want to see the food; I want everything that represents you, represents your families, represents where you come from.”

All of us face unprecedented levels of stress during the pandemic. Ultimately, Nguyen advises that we all take care of ourselves and do whatever makes us happy—especially under the anxiety of planning a quarantine wedding. “Sometimes a small, intimate wedding in the backyard could be a memory of a lifetime,” he says. “So, really stick to who you are. Do what makes you happy, especially during this time... Everybody wants to have a wedding, but every time they plan a wedding or they come for a dress, they always want to say, ‘I want it nice, timeless, classy, but I want to make it mine.’”

“THE ULTIMATE LUXURY IS PERSONALIZATION” For Brent, whose Jeremiah Brent Design firm operates out of New York and Los Angeles, “the ultimate luxury is personalization.”

“I don’t think it necessarily has anything to do with what you spend or where [the wedding is] at,” he says. “I think it’s all about, can you tell the story? Can you share the experiences that have gotten you there?”

On Say I Do, Brent is used to finding wedding venues and executing the concept for the space in less than a week’s time. In quarantine, he says there are creative ways for bringing people together to celebrate a couple’s love. “Is it Zoomed? Are you having people take videos and send them in and cutting a video together?” he throws out. “I know friends who normally have this fun get-together every year. This year, they cut out pictures of everybody and made them into posters. All your friends are still there, and they took a video. There are things that you can do to make it personal and special, if you have to do it and you want to do it now.”

“KEEP IT SIMPLE AND KEEP IT TRUTHFUL TO YOUR STORY” When it comes to the meal, take it from the man who had to find a way to make diabetic-friendly soul food in Say I Do’s premiere episode.

“When it comes to food, I always say, keep it simple and keep it truthful to your story,” Bertaccini advises. “I actually had a couple of friends that got married during this time and they did a backyard wedding, and it was extremely intimate. In fact, it was just the family because they were quarantined together. The love that was there was palpable because it was true. It was pure. The food that was served was actually food the family has grown up with. It wasn’t anything fancy. It was something comfortable and safe and it told the story.”

That also defines Bertaccini’s aesthetic. Born in Florence, Italy, he came to America and started his own series of award-winning underground dining events, Culinary Mischief, to bring an Italian food experience to the masses. It’s true of his costars, too, he explains. “Thai does it with the design. Of course, Jeremiah does it with his amazing interior design and art that he creates in events and in people’s homes. I do it with food. We are trying to tell a story and the story has to come from the heart. And, really, love is simple. It’s nothing fancy. Food should present itself like that. It should talk about who you are, where you come from.”

Netflix orders queer-friendly DeadEndia animated kids series with Beetlejuice musical star

DeadEndia, a horror-comedy series of graphic novels from Eisner Award-winning comic book artist and animation director Hamish Steele, has been lauded for its art, touching tales of adolescence, and inclusion of LGBTQ storylines. Now, Steele and his creation are looking to break new ground in a different medium.

Netflix announced Thursday that the graphic novels will be adapted into a new animated kids series, which is set to launch on the streaming platform in 2021. At a time when there’s a void left

by Steven Universe (which ended in March) and SheRa and the Princesses of Power (which ended in May), this already seems to tick a lot of the same boxes.

DeadEndia is set in the space of a theme park and the haunted mansion that resides there. Bar-

ney, Norma, and magical talking-dog Pugsley are trying to balance their summer jobs with facing a barrage of supernatural forces—including demonic game show hosts and sleep-sucking witches.

Courtney, a thousandyear-old demon, becomes their guide to the underworld multiplane.

In addition to Alex Brightman, star of Broadway’s Beetlejuice: The Musical, the show has tapped Zach Barack (Spider-Man: Far From Home), Kody Kavitha (Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Emily Osment (The Kominsky Method), Clinton Leupp/Miss Coco Peru (Will & Grace), Kenny Tran (Maybe Happy Ending), and Kathreen Khavari (Big Little Lies) for the voice cast.

Barack became the first trans actor to appear on-screen in a Disney Marvel movie, though he only showed up in a back-

ground capacity in the Spider-Man: Homecoming sequel. Leupp featured multiple times on Will & Grace as drag persona Miss Coco Peru and has appeared in entertainment as far back as 1995’s To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar.

Barack will voice Barney, a trans teen, on DeadEndia, while Leupp will voice Pauline Phoenix.

Kavitha will also voice Norma, Brightman will voice Pugsley, Osment will voice Courtney, Tran will voice Logs, and Khavari will voice Badyah.

“DeadEndia is about terrifying demons, vengeful ghosts, and mysterious magic,” Steele said in a statement. “It is also about coming of age in a world that wasn’t made for you. It’s a drama about found family, identity, and making mistakes.

And of course, it’s a laugh-out-loud comedy!

I’ve always dreamed of

making the show I needed as a lonely, horror-obsessed closeted gay kid and thanks to Netflix and our ridiculously talented, diverse, and representative writers room and crew, we have shot way past my dreams and into wildest fantasy territory!”

Steele won the Eisner Award in 2018 for Promising Newcomer with his graphic novel Pantheon: The True Story of Egyptian Deities. He began the world of DeadEndia as an animated short that he produced in 2014, shown below.

‘HAMILTON’ ISN’T JUST AN A IT’S ALSO A MOMENT OF

“Hamilton” and Puerto Rican pride go hand in hand.

That pride, for those who don’t know, is instilled at an early age, as it was for me. It’s the daily Puerto Rican Day Parade of your mind, or as Kanye West put it, “Puerto Rican Day Parade floatin’.” It’s your abuelos demanding you always know and never forget where they came from (in my case, Mayagüez and Ciales). It’s Roberto Clemente’s rocket arm and humanitarianism.

It’s Rita Moreno in everything she does, and listening to Frankie Ruiz sing “pues boricua me hiciste, hasta la muerte” and wondering how music can sound so amazing. It’s Rosie Perez and that one-ofa-kind voice. It’s Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony shaking their bon-bons and singing their hearts out in the Latin music invasion of the 90s.It’s your titi calling to let you know she cooked arroz amarillo (yellow rice) because she knows you won’t be able to resist making a visit.

It’s thinking the Puerto Rican World Baseball Classic team can’t possibly top a double play with the bases loaded on a ball hit to the outfield against the almighty Dominican Republic — only to later in the game see Javier Baez catch a laser from home plate by Yadier Molina to stop an attempted stolen base while not looking at the runner.

It is a special feeling, and one that comes over you in bunches when viewing Lin-Manuel Miranda’s monumental achievement through Puerto Rican eyes.

Now streaming on Disney Plus, “Hamilton,” regardless of all the flaws of the Founding Fathers, is about the possibility that America creates. And that possibility allowed a New York-born Puerto Rican and the most diverse Broadway cast you’ve ever seen to reimagine the country’s founding through the voices of the same people of color who protest for equal treatment in the United States to this day.

The American Dream is uniquely connected to the Puerto Rican experience. Because despite what the recent federal response to a hurricane disaster on the island might mislead you to believe, Puerto Ricans are 100 percent American.

It’s a heartbreaking deal with unlimited potential. America is there for any Puerto Rican that wants to give it a try. All they have to do is leave paradise.

Miranda perfected two of the greatest American art forms (rap and musical theater) to tell the story of another Caribbean descendant who deeply impacted America. That might not be what Miranda’s father had in mind for his future son when he left Puerto Rico for New York at age 18, but surely he had to know anything was possible.

ARTISTIC ACHIEVEMENT — PUERTO RICAN PRIDE Mind you, that is not an easy decision to make, as the mainland does not wait for Puerto Ricans with open arms. In 2020, you can find viral vitriol showing Puerto Ricans being criticized for daring to speak Spanish, all while being called Mexican. So many stateside Puerto Ricans don’t speak Spanish because their parents and grandparents were scared to teach it to them, for fear of those exact type of confrontations.

To leave an island and a people who love you because they are who you are — for that? For the potential of an American dream that has yet to become a guarantee? That’s the type of bravery, exploration and determination that helps give birth to “Hamilton.”

For stateside-born Puerto Ricans, to see Miranda rapping about taking “my shot” like he’s Carlos Arroyo in the 2004 Summer Olympics is to take pride in the people who decided your life would be one of two entirely different worlds. It could’ve been your parents. Your grandparents. In my case, it was my great grandfather, Rafael Betancourt, who came to Washington from Mayagüez and raised his family in Mount Vernon.

Miranda’s ascension to superstardom is the embodiment of the Puerto Rican-American Dream. When you watch the end of the “Hamilton” trailer and see an animated, black-silhouetted Miranda point his finger to the sky to complete the formation of a black star, in the same shape of the lone star that decorates the Puerto Rican flag, that is what the dream is all about.

KACEY MUSGRAVES AND Kacey Musgraves and Husband HUSBAND KELLY Ruston KellyRUSTON File For Divorce

Kacey Musgraves and husband Ruston Kelly have filed for divorce. The musicians, both 31, made the “painful decision” together, according to a statement released to ET on Friday.

“With heavy but hopeful hearts we wanted to put our own thoughts into the air about what’s happening,” the statement reads. “These kinds of announcements are always met with scrutiny and speculation and we want to stop that before it even starts.”“We believe that we were put into each other’s lives for a divine reason and have both changed each other infinitely for the better,” the announcement continues. “The love we have for each other goes far beyond the relationship we’ve shared as husband and wife. It’s a soul connection that can never be erased.”

The country singers then note that the split was a joint decision and that they will “remain true friends” forever.

“We’ve made this painful decision together -- a healthy decision that comes after a very long period of trying the best we can. It simply just didn’t work,” they say. “Though we are parting ways in marriage, we will remain true friends for the rest of our lives.

We hold no blame, anger, or contempt for each other and we ask for privacy and positive wishes for us both as we learn how to navigate through this.The musicians tied the knot in Tennessee in October 2017.Musgraves opened up to ET in November 2018 about how the couple’s busy professional schedules made it difficult for them to spend time together.

“I have seen my husband two times within two months, basically,” she said. “It’s all good. We will get a chance to slow down [around the holidays]. I’ll get to see my family and just hang and wear sweats and no makeup, and that’s what I like doing.”

She went on to say that the couple were going strong despite time apart, having just completed building a house in Nashville and contemplating when they might be able to start a family.

“Maybe not anytime soon, but definitely though,” she said. “I’m really into it, and we really do want to take that step at some point. He wants to tour and do his thing and get his album out.

You know, I want to make another record, and I don’t know, we’ll see. Time’s ticking I guess, so they say. I don’t know if that’s real.”

Musgraves also noted that her GRAMMY-winning album, Golden Hour, was entirely inspired by Kelly. “The second that I met him, my world just opened up, and I feel like I bloomed in a lot of ways,” she shared. “I kind of had this metamorphosis of self, and I thank him a lot for that.”

Netflix’s Jeffrey Epstein documentary director reacts to Ghislaine Maxwell arrest Netflix’s Jeffrey Epstein documentary series di-

rector Lisa Bryant is speaking out on the arrest of Ghislaine Maxwell.

The Epstein associate was arrested on sex abuse charges in New Hampshire on Thursday. Prosecutors allege in a six-count indictment that the British socialite helped Epstein groom, traffic, and abuse underage girls as young as 14 years old in crimes dating back to 1994.

Bryant has had a busy morning fielding reactions from people involved with Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich.

One of Epstein’s survivors, Sarah Ransome, “just began sobbing on the phone,” Bryan told EW. “She was so relieved, so happy that the main co-conspirator had been arrested, someone she had direct and very negative interactions with.”Speaking more personally, Bryant said she thinks the arrest “is the right move.”“I’d like to see her brought to trial. Everyone is innocent until proven guilty. But all of our research and the women in the series that we spoke to, all their stories added up and they all mentioned Ghislaine’s involvement. I think there’s a lot of evidence, overwhelming evidence, or they wouldn’t have made that arrest today. I hope that perhaps the awareness that the series created worldwide, and the outrage as most of the feedback was, ‘What happened to these co-conspirators? Why aren’t they getting Ghislaine?’ I hope that that might have put pressure on the FBI to act quickly.”

Bryant’s docuseries, Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich, was released in May on the streaming service and documented the mysterious sexual predator’s “molestation pyramid scheme” (as one detective puts it) across four episodes, along with new interviews with many of Epstein’s accusers. Epstein was arrested last summer on charges of abusing dozens of underage girls and committed suicide in August.Bryant noted that she was surprised Maxwell was captured in the United States given all the stories speculating that she must have been holed up in some other country and out of reach. “I was surprised actually,” she said.

“I thought perhaps she was hiding out in a place she would be safe from extradition. There have been a lot of rumors that she might have gone to Paris, she might’ve gone to L.A. for the In-N-Out Burger, her yacht supposedly was spotted in New Zealand as of last week.”

The director added, “She should be worried that she could be behind bars for a long time.

And the other co-conspirators should also be very worried that they might be next to be arrested.”

Unsolved Mysteries Burning Questions Answered

Why is now the right time to bring back the show?

“We had always wanted to bring it back ever since it went off the air. There’s just so many stories unsolved, unsolved cases that still need to be told. We feel that the Netflix streaming service and its global reach was just the perfect fit for Unsolved Mysteries, because we want to tell international stories and we want to be able to solve cases that can be solved internationally,” Terry Dunn Meurer said. “In the past, with the original episodes, there were cases, especially wanted fugitives or missing people, who we found in other countries. So the global reach is really, really important to the brand. I mean, mostly just because we’ve never lost our passion for solving mysteries. It’s just— it’s what we do. That’s what we’ve done and what we want to continue to do.”

Why isn’t there a host?

“We had a lot of discussions about that and just didn’t feel that anyone could fill Robert Stack’s shoes.

The documentary world these days is primarily host-less. It’s rare to see a host in a show like this,” Meurer said.

When the original version was on, having a host was common, but the new episodes take a more documentary feel having “evolved beyond” the format featuring several cases per episode. “We included more archive, we used drone, we use steady-cam and tried to create a mysterious, creepy look using those...We didn’t have those when we were doing this back in the day. [Laughs.] It was great to be able to use different equipment to create that mood as well,” she said.

However, there is a Robert Stack Easter Egg Robert Stack hosted the show from 1987-2002. The actor became synonymous with the show, so much so that they didn’t feel like anybody could step into his shoes as serve as host. Virginia Madsen joined Stack as cohost in 1999 and when the show moved to Spike, Dennis Farina served as host. In the new opening credits on Netflix, Stack’s image is seen over the title as an homage.

“I mean, he just brought so much to the [show]. He’s one of the reasons I think it’s so iconic and that it has been so successful all these years. He just was the perfect person to tell these stories. Such a beautiful, wonderful voice. He was very involved in the series too, he was a prince of a guy,” Meurer said.

How will viewers get updates?

“I think that with social media, if there are updates to these cases, I think we’ll have to probably push them out on, on social media, and news and YouTube. We want to keep the shows as fresh as we can…

So, I think we would certainly start with social media and because the shows are in...[20 languages] or something, there’s a challenge of getting that information out to all the different countries because it’s international,” Meurer said. “We would leave that to Netflix to figure out how to do that, but we definitely want to keep the world updated on any leads that come along on these cases.