Did You Hear ...? Ariana Grande concert turns tragic, Roger Moore dies and more from the week in entertainment
A concert turned to tragedy, a classic spy died, a disgraced TV host grabbed for redemption, a blockbuster movie got a second life and a kitschy TV series hit the big screen. Here’s all that news and more from this week in entertainment.
Concert bombing sends shock waves beyond Manchester
Fallout from Monday’s deadly suicide attack after Ariana Grande’s concert in Manchester, England, continued through the week. While the main stories were the victims and the unfolding news, the entertainment business was reeling as well. Grande tweeted Tuesday that she was “broken” and “so so sorry,” She quickly returned home to Florida, then suspended her European tour through June 5.
Fellow musicians showed their support, as did late-night TV. Concerts were called off. A number of movie and TV-series premieres were canceled in London. In Cannes, film festival organizers held a moment of silence, and the roll-out of a trailer for a drama about a Muslim immigrant was nixed. The head of Grande’s record label’s parent company spoke of “evil.”
On Friday, Grande announced she would return to “the incredibly brave city of Manchester” for a concert to benefit the victims of the attack and their families.
Roger Moore, the wittiest James Bond, is gone
Moore said that as James Bond, he never spoke the phrase “shaken, not stirred” and had only three expressions: “Right eyebrow raised, left eyebrow raised, and eyebrows crossed when grabbed by Jaws.” The star of TV’s 1960s series “The Saint” played Agent 007 seven times, was knighted in 1991 for his charitable work, and when he died Tuesday at 89, even car maker Aston Martin joined the chorus of voices saddened by his passing.
Billy Bush emerges from secret meditation cave
Billy Bush, dumped by “Today” after audio of an off-camera 2005 “Access Hollywood” chat with Donald Trump went public, has taken his first steps toward redemption (read: employment). The best revelation in a couple of high-profile interviews, other than his horror over his daughter’s reaction to the scandal, and his newfound fondness for yoga and meditation? Bush told “Good Morning America” that if he thought the man who’s now POTUS had actually assaulted any women, he would have called the FBI. Oy, James Comey should’ve had such problems.
‘Top Gun’ gets another chance to buzz the tower
A sequel to the 1986 smash “Top Gun” is in the works, Tom Cruise announced Tuesday on Australian morning TV. Aussie TV, Tom? Talk about flying under the radar. We. Have. So. Many. Questions. Not the least of which is where have you people been for 31 years while we waited for more Maverick?
Don’t worry, ‘Baywatch,’ haters gonna hate
Our reviewer Jen Yamato kinda liked “Baywatch,” the As Seen On TV beach-bodies movie with Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron and Priyanka Chopra that hit theaters just in time for Memorial Day weekend. Other critics, however, were not as kind: “Nobody cares about ‘Baywatch.’” “Like a two-hour end-credits gag reel.” “May be singled out as the low point of [Johnson’s] pre-political career.” And those were the compliments.
Domestic Goods — and Bads: Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor, who met in 1999 and married in 2000, called it quits. … Beyoncé, who’s expecting twins with Jay Z, had a “push party,” otherwise known as perhaps the most epic baby shower of all time.
Trumped: John Oliver looked at POTUS’ “Stupid Watergate” week. … Seth Meyers imagined what would have happened if Trump the candidate ever met Trump the president. ... After that Greg Gianforte incident, Meyers and Stephen Colbert reminded us that, yes, people will vote for a candidate who body-slams people.
RIP: Dina Merrill, heiress and actress, died at 93. Jerry Perenchio, pioneering media mogul and L.A. philanthropist, died at 86.
New Trailers:
- “Spider-Man: Homecoming”
- “Games of Thrones” Season 7
Bonus Links: Watch our interview with Aisha Hinds and Jurnee Smollett-Bell of “Underground.” … We’ve conjured up 10 supernatural films to watch this summer. … Don’t follow your nav to these lovely settings: TV has made them lethal.
Did You Hear …? runs Saturday in Entertainment at latimes.com.
cdz@latimes.com
Twitter @TheCDZ
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