By Jessica Wedemeyer
6:01am PDT, Jun 15, 2018
"The Goldbergs" actor Jackson Odell dead at age 20
Actor and singer-songwriter Jackson Odell, who portrayed Ari Caldwell on "The Goldbergs," was found dead at a sober living home in Los Angeles on June 8. No drugs or drug paraphernalia were found at the scene of his death, and there were no signs of foul play. The 20 year old's cause of death is pending an autopsy. The former child actor popped up on episodes of "Private Practice," "iCarly" and "Modern Family," appeared in 2011's "Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer" and wrote several songs for the soundtrack of the 2018 country-music drama "Forever Your Girl," including Lauren Alaina's "Wings of an Angel."
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Whitney Cummings "heartbroken" by "Roseanne" drama, talks spinoff, killing off title character
Whitney Cummings — who executive produced the "Roseanne" revival but left the sitcom months before ABC canceled it in the wake of star Roseanne Barr's racist Valerie Jarrett tweet — told TMZ on June 10 that her "heart's been broken" by the cancellation, which she called "a real shame for everyone" because "all the cast and crew are so proud of the work that we did." She also addressed reports that the network could launch a spinoff centered around Sara Gilbert's Darlene, saying that "everyone is just so desperate to preserve the legacy" of the show and "trying to stop the bleeding." Said the funnywoman, "Maybe they can salvage the legacy in some way. But if it benefits [Barr] financially, it's a bad move." If there is a spinoff, Cummings isn't interested in working on it. "I have too many gray hairs in my head from this whole experience," she said. "I'm doing my own thing and … trying to heal from the whole thing and make sense of it all. I was just as horrified as everybody else and really heartbroken about it. So I'm just trying to put the pieces together." TMZ then asked how the writer-actress would kill off Rosanne's on-screen alter ego. "A humorous killing of a woman? I can't think of any funny ways to kill Roseanne. I don't even want think about it," she said. "Killing her would mean I have to think about her — and I don't even want to do that right now! I'm too p—ed off."
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Barr considering giving up stake in "Roseanne" spinoff, insists racist Valerie Jarrett tweet was about anti-Semitism
On June 12, Page Six reported that Roseanne Barr is "seriously considering" giving up her stake in any "Roseanne" spinoffs so that the team behind the short-lived revival can move forward following the sitcom's cancellation in the wake of her racist Valerie Jarett tweet. (According to earlier reports, ABC is interested in a spinoff centered around Sara Gilbert's Darlene but opposed to any deal that would see Barr, who created "Roseanne," profit.) "Roseanne feels so bad about her antics she is trying to figure out a way to help people harmed by the cancellation. She's considering giving up financial and creative participation in a spinoff so the people she loves can have jobs," a source close to her told Page Six, adding that she's been "hunkered down" with her parents in Utah. On June 13, the controversial comedian emerged on Twitter to argue that her headline-making Jarrett tweet — which compared the former Obama aide to a "Planet of the Apes" character — wasn't actually racist and that she'd simply been misunderstood. "I've never practiced 'RACISM' in my entire life & never will," she wrote before claiming that her tweet "was about Iran's regime, not race." Continued Barr, "Rod Serling wrote Planet of The Apes. It was about anti-semitism. That is what my tweet referred to-the anti semitism of the Iran deal. Low IQ ppl can think whatever they want."
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Amazon might save cancelled FOX series "Lucifer"
FOX cancelled "Lucifer" in May after three seasons, but the series — on which Tom Ellis stars as the devil — could have a new lease on life thanks to Amazon, which recently picked up SyFy's "The Expanse" after it too was cancelled after three seasons. Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke told Deadline that they've been talking about saving "Lucifer" because it has a loyal international audience, especially in the U.K. Salke acknowledged, however, that a deal to resurrect the cult series could be complicated by the show's relationship with Hulu, where the first two seasons are currently available for streaming.
"America's Got Talent" winner Neal Boyd dead at age 42
On June 9, opera singer Neal Boyd, who won the third season of "America's Got Talent" in 2008, died at the age of 42 at his mother's house in Sikeston, Missouri. According to a local coroner, the singer-politican, who was seriously injured in a car crash in 2017, had a number of medical issues including heart failure, kidney failure and liver problems. Boyd released one album, 2009's "My American Dream," before running unsuccessfully as a Republican for a seat in the Missouri House of Representatives in 2012 and 2014.
Megyn Kelly might get a later time slot on the "Today" show
Page Six reported on June 11 that NBC is considering moving Megyn Kelly's ratings-challenged segment of the "Today" show from the third hour to the fourth hour, swapping places with Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb's popular segment, which took a ratings hit after Kelly became their lead-in in October 2017. (That way viewers who don't want to tune in for the controversial journalist are only missing one hour of the show instead of two.) "It's the smart move," a source told Page Six of the potential schedule swap. "At the very least that limits the damage already done to Hoda and Kathie Lee — maybe with a strong lead-in from 'Today' at 9 a.m., they'll even pick up some of the viewers they lost since Megyn went on the air." While NBC reps declined to comment on the story, one network insider told Page Six that Kelly's numbers are actually on the upswing, while another called the schedule rumors "just another 'timeless' rumor about Megyn Kelly."
Stephen Colbert isn't necessarily the king of late-night TV
The Hollywood Reporter attempted to crown "late-night TV's comedy king" as part of a June 13 report breaking down how live TV ratings don't necessarily equate to popularity in the digital age. According to THR, Stephen Colbert is the top dog of live TV ratings, with 3.8 million viewers a night, but he's far from the most popular late-night host when you consider his YouTube audience. Jimmy Fallon has the most YouTube subscribers and total views, as well as the most viewed viral clip (115 million views for a 2015 segment with Ariana Grande). After him are James Corden and Jimmy Kimmel. (Corden has more subscribers but Kimmel has had significantly more views.) Up next are John Oliver and Conan O'Brien. (Oliver has slightly more subscribers, while O'Brien has scored around three times more views.) Then comes Colbert, followed by Trevor Noah, Seth Meyers, Bill Maher, Samantha Bee and Sarah Silverman.
Priyanka Chopra apologizes for controversial episode of "Quantico"
On June 9, Priyanka Chopra apologized on Twitter for the controversial June 1 episode of her ABC show "Quantico," which depicted Hindu Indian extremists plotting to frame Pakistan for an act of terrorism. "I'm extremely saddened and sorry that some sentiments have been hurt by a recent episode of Quantico. That was not and would never be my intention. I sincerely apologise. I'm a proud Indian and that will never change," tweeted the star, the first Bollywood actress to headline a primetime American TV show. ABC also issued a statement apologizing for the controversial episode and noting that "a lot of emotion" has been "unfairly aimed" at Chopra, who "didn't create the show" and "has no involvement in the casting of the show or the storylines depicted in the series." Continued the statement, "The show has featured antagonists of many different ethnicities and backgrounds, but in this case we inadvertently and regrettably stepped into a complex political issue."
"The Bachelorette" contestant convicted of indecent assault and battery for groping a woman
On June 13, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that on May 21 — a week before Becca Kufrin's season of "The Bachelorette" debuted — current contestant Lincoln Adim was convicted of indecent assault and battery for groping a woman on a cruise ship in Boston in May 2016. A judge ordered him to stay away from the victim and to attend three Alcoholics Anonymous meetings a week for two years. If he fails to comply or commits another crime, he'll have to spend a year behind bars. He's also expected to register as a sex offender.
