2019 Emmy nominations announced
On July 16, the Television Academy announced the nominees for 2019 Emmy Awards. "Game of Thrones" scored 32 nominations, breaking the record for the most nominations earned by a single series in a given year, while HBO racked up 137 nominations total. "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel," "Chernobyl," "Barry," "Fosse/Verdon," "When They See Us" and "Saturday Night Live" were among the other top-nominated shows. There were also some major snubs and surprises among this year's crop of nominees: "Schitt's Creek," which is entering its sixth season, scored its first three Emmy nominations. "The Big Bang Theory" failed to earn a single nomination for its final season. Several supporting cast members earned their first Emmy nominations for the final season of "GoT." The cult Netflix cooking show "Nailed It!" earned a nomination for best reality show, while breakout hit "The Masked Singer" failed to earn a single nomination. And the Academy completely overlooked A-listers like Julia Roberts ("Homecoming"), George Clooney ("Catch-22") and Emma Stone ("Maniac"). Those who weren't overlooked released effusive statements expressing their shock, gratitude, pride and joy for their nominations.
"The Bachelorette" creator in criminal domestic violence investigation
On July 16, Laura Kaeppeler filed an emergency domestic violence restraining order against her husband, "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" creator Mike Fleiss, accusing him of violently attacking her at their home in Kauai, Hawaii, over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. Laura alleges that after she told him that she's pregnant with their second child, the super-producer blew up at her — striking her in the head at one point — and demanded that she get an abortion. Mike, meanwhile, alleges that his wife was the aggressor in their physical altercation. In his response to her request for a restraining order, he accused her of being emotionally unstable and of lying to him about using birth control. On July 17, The Blast reported that the Kauai Police Department is investigating Mike for criminal domestic violence. The police reportedly plan to keep the matter confidential until their investigation is complete.
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Whoopi Goldberg and Meghan McCain slam Scarlett Johansson's casting comments
On the July 15 episode of "The View," Whoopi Goldberg and Meghan McCain blasted Scarlett Johansson over the controversial comments she recently made about political correctness in casting. The "Avengers" actress, who later claimed her words were taken out of context, told AS IF magazine that she believes she "should be allowed to play any person" because that's her job as an actor. "There are a lot of social lines being drawn now, and a lot of political correctness is being reflected in art," she added on the subject. After explaining the history of whitewashing in Hollywood, Whoopi said that the reason we don't have to see all roles played by white, cisgender actors anymore is because we simply don't have to: "We didn't have transgender actors 25 years ago that we were aware of. We did not know," she said, adding that people from minority groups "who haven't had the opportunity" to book those roles in the past "want to catch up" now. Meghan agreed that Scarlett — who drew heat for taking on the role of an Asian woman in 2017's "Ghost in the Shell" and then signed on to play a transgender man in the upcoming biopic "Rub & Tug" — needed to be "more understanding" on the subject. "This isn't the first time she's gotten in trouble for it," said the conservative talking head. "And I think a little self-reflection on the amount of opportunity she's had and how big of a star she is, and if she's taking roles away from an Asian actor or actress like she did with 'Ghost in the Shell,' I think that's where the anger comes from. It's not just once, it's two or three times now that she's saying it and I think that's why people are frustrated." (Scarlett dropped out of "Rub & Tug" after receiving rampant backlash.)
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Gayle King says she's not surprised R. Kelly was arrested
During a July 15 interview with "Entertainment Tonight," Gayle King said that R. Kelly's recent indictment on federal sex crimes charges is "no surprise" to her. "We've been hearing that they are coming for quite some time," said the "CBS This Morning" co-host, who made headlines in March for keeping her composure during an extremely volatile sit-down with the scandalized R&B star. "We have heard these charges and these stories about R. Kelly for years. For years! But I think many people just gave him a pass because we liked his music so much and he had been to trial and he had been acquitted in the trial. … But now these are different days and different times and we're hearing things with different ears," she continued, adding that people are more inclined to believe accusers now and less likely to give abusers a pass. That said, Gayle admitted that she's been in touch with the music star's representatives, whom she describes as "confident" and "still very convinced" that the singer "will be proven innocent once again."
Valerie Harper's family pays for her cancer treatment with crowdfunding
On July 8, Valerie Harper's husband, Tony Cacciotti, launched a GoFundMe campaign, The Valerie Harper Cancer Support Fund, to raise money for the former "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" star's cancer treatments. "Valerie is currently taking a multitude of medications and chemotherapy drugs as well as going through extreme physical and painful challenges now with around the clock, 24/7 care immediately needed, which is not covered by insurance," reads the GoFundMe page. "This is just part of the daily cost that is without a doubt a financial burden that could never be met alone. This GoFundMe initiative from Tony is to ensure she receives the best care possible." The 79-year-old actress was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2003. A decade later, doctors discovered that she'd developed a rare brain cancer.
Whoopi Goldberg is no longer allowed to drive a car
On the July 15 episode of "The View," Whoopi Goldberg revealed that her eyesight has gotten so bad, she's no longer able to drive. "I have a driver. The reason I have a driver is because I am not allowed to drive," she said. "My sight is not good enough. People get nervous when I get behind the wheel, so I am not allowed to really drive."
New PBS Kids series aims to change the representation of Native Americans on TV
On July 15, "Molly of Denali" — the first national children's series to feature Native American leads — debuted on PBS Kids. Sovereign Bill, the 14-year-old Alaska native who voices the title character, explained the importance of the show during an interview with People magazine: "Native Americans have long been misrepresented in Western media through film and cartoons like 'Peter Pan' and 'Pocahontas' that are shown to kids at a young age. These shows can leave doubts about cultural identity for native kids and, for every other kid, provide wrong information on the legacy of Native Americans," she said. "That's why it's so important that 'Molly of Denali' is giving a good representation on Native Peoples. … It's breaking the stereotypes and sharing important Indigenous knowledge. That has been absent from the media long enough." The series was created by Indigenous writers, producers, production teams, advisers and child actors. It centers around Molly, a 10-year-old Gwich'in/Koyukon/Dena'ina Athabascan girl, and her adventures in Alaska.
Lifetime orders 28 Christmas movies for 2019
Entertainment Weekly reported on July 15 that Lifetime has ordered a record 28 original Christmas movies for 2019 — 10 more than last year — including films starring Melissa Joan Hart and Tia Mowry-Hardrict. The former "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" star will reportedly portray an event coordinator who crosses paths with a handsome widower in "Christmas Reservations," while the "Sister, Sister" actress is set to star in "A Very Vintage Christmas." According to EW, the second holiday flick will center around an antique shop and "the search for the owner of a mysterious box filled with romantic souvenirs." Both women have starred in Lifetime Christmas movies in years past.