By Jessica Wedemeyer
6:06am PDT, Oct 12, 2018
"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Joe Giudice to be deported to Italy after prison
On Oct. 10, an immigration judge decided that "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Joe Giudice will be deported to Italy after he's released from Pennsylvania's FCI Allenwood Low prison on March 14, 2019. Teresa Giudice's husband, who is currently serving a 41-month sentence for fraud, has 30 days to appeal the decision. TMZ reported after the ruling that although the mother of four previously called Italy "a beautiful place to live" and said that she "wouldn't mind" living there if forced to follow her husband overseas, Teresa actually has "zero interest" in uprooting her life and moving abroad, which would be a major culture shock for her four children.
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Cameron Monaghan is leaving "Shameless"
Cameron Monaghan, who's starred as Ian Gallagher on "Shameless" since 2011, took to Instagram to announce that he's leaving the hit Showtime series. "I have been a series regular on this show for roughly ten years. I was the tender age of fifteen when we shot the pilot, and I came of age in so many ways, both legally and personally. I was very lucky to mature and grow with this show. Experiencing so many firsts, maturing as an actor, a professional, and a human. In the process gaining friends, family, and the best coworkers a very lucky actor could ask for, and for this I can be nothing but gracious," he captioned a slideshow of photos of himself and his co-stars. "All good things come to an end. An old cliche, but one that rings true with a sincerity and clarity especially in moments like these. Everything ends," he continued, adding that the Oct. 14 episode of the series will be his last. "I have known since last year, but I didn't want to give it away too early as I wanted this season to be a surprise for the audience, allowing them to experience Ian's unsure journey with his character. This role has been a joy to inhabit, a wild and special ride, and I'd like to thank #Shameless as well as you, the viewers, for being there with him. Goodbye, Ian Clayton Gallagher. We'll meet again?" In late August, female lead Emmy Rossum also announced her plans to leave "Shameless."
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Katt Williams arrested for assault in Oregon
On Oct. 6, Oregon police arrested Katt Williams for misdemeanor assault and booked him into the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office with a bail of $2,500. The incident that led to his arrest took place the previous evening: The controversial comedian reportedly attacked a driver who was tasked with transporting him to Portland's Moda Center, where he was scheduled to participate in Nick Cannon's "Wild 'N Out" live show, following a disagreement over transporting Katt's dog.
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Billy Bush looks back on infamous "Access Hollywood" tape two years later
On Oct. 7, Billy Bush took to Instagram to reflect on the scandal that essentially ended his career two years ago in the caption of a throwback photo of himself wearing Spanx on the set of the "Today" show on Oct. 7, 2016 — the same day the Washington Post published a video of him and Donald Trump making extremely lewd statements about women during a 2005 "Access Hollywood" interview. (Though Trump went on to win the presidency, "Today" gave Billy the boot in the wake of the controversy surrounding the leaked tape.) "Two years ago today, my life went from order to chaos in a dramatic instant," the former newsman wrote in the caption. "I accounted for my small part, while the President and my employer walked away and still haven't accounted for their actions. These past couple years have been character building to say the least — anxiety attacks, fits of rage, feelings of betrayal and abandonment — and I have concluded that I am NOT extraordinary. Terrible things can happen at any moment to ANYONE. On the positive side, I feel grateful to know adversity as intimately as I do, and to have developed more empathy, humility and resilience. And to know you can laugh even in the darkest hour is a blessing. Especially at yourself. I am grateful to God and my family for true love and support, and to all of you for your kindness." Billy then took aim at the media, writing, "I have an idea. Let's stop tolerating this escalating war on flaws and the obliteration of people for things we all do. It's fueled by an activist media and (anti) social media and it's barbaric. We are humans and thus fallible. Let's take better care of each other." Concluded the disgraced former host of the throwback pic, "Photo: Oct 7, 2016 at Today Show before chaos struck. @hodakotb and producers dressed me in man spanx. I remember us all hysterically laughing. I still wear them. Shhh."
Busy Philipps claims James Franco assaulted her on the set of "Freaks and Geeks"
On Oct. 8, Radar Online published an excerpt from Busy Philipps' upcoming memoir, "This Will Only Hurt a Little," in which she details the time James Franco broke character and assaulted her on the set of their short-lived 1999 NBC dramedy "Freaks and Geeks." The actress claims that the Oscar nominee — whom she describes as a "f—— bully" on set — blew up at her after she was instructed to gently hit him in the chest while delivering a line. "He grabbed both my arms and screamed in my face, 'DON'T EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN!'" she alleges. "And he threw me to the ground. Flat on my back. Wind knocked out of me." According to Busy, James stormed off as the crew rushed to help her. She then sobbed to co-star Linda Cardellini, who told her to call her manager. Busy reportedly adds that the director and producers behind "Freaks and Geeks" ordered the "127 Hours" star to apologize to her the next day — but aside from that, he was never punished for his behavior.
TV star deaths: Scott Wilson, Peggy McCay, Celeste Yarnall and Cristy Caserta
Scott Wilson (pictured), who portrayed Hershel Greene on "The Walking Dead," died from leukemia at age 76 at his home in Los Angeles. The Screen Actors Guild confirmed the sad news in an Oct. 7 statement. Peggy McCay, who portrayed Caroline Brady on "Days of Our Lives" for more than three decades, died from natural causes at age 90 on Oct. 7. The Emmy winner's "Days" co-star Deidre Hall confirmed the news on Facebook two days later. On Oct. 7, "Star Trek" actress Celeste Yarnall — who appeared opposite Elvis Presley in "Live a Little, Love a Little" and also portrayed the title character in 1968's "Eve" — died at age 74 following a battle with ovarian cancer at her home in the Los Angeles area, her husband, British artist Nazim Nazim, told The Hollywood Reporter. And Cristy Caserta, who competed for Brad Womack's heart on Season 15 of "The Bachelor" in 2011, died at age 38 on Oct. 4. According to Us Weekly, the attorney suffered an apparent seizure while attending a training class at a school in Sunrise, Florida.
"Little Women: Atlanta" star Melissa Hancock gets 16 years behind bars for DUI and fatal crash
On Oct. 10, a judge sentenced "Little Women: Atlanta" star Melissa Hancock — who pleaded guilty to aggravated involuntary manslaughter earlier this year — to 16 years in prison for causing a crash that killed Coast Guard information systems technician Daniel Dill while she was driving under the influence of alcohol on Nov. 4, 2017. According to the New York Daily News, the Lifetime reality star's blood-alcohol content was more than twice the legal limit when she hit Dill head-on as he drove through Virginia Beach to pick up his wife from a birthday party. Hancock has fessed up to chugging between two and four mixed drinks at a nightclub in the time leading up to the crash.
"Game of Thrones" used a "drone killer" to prevent final season spoilers
HBO pulled out the big guns to stop the upcoming eighth and final season of "Game of Thrones," which debuts in the summer of 2019, from being spoiled. Sansa Stark actress Sophie Turner revealed during an Oct. 7 appearance at New York Comic Con that production employed a "drone killer" to keep aerial cameras away from set. "If a drone flies above sets, there's a thing that can kill the drones, which is really cool," she said. "It creates a field around it and the drones just drop. It's very 'X-Men.'" According to the Los Angeles Times, a "drone killer" is "an electronic device that can disable a drone in the sky and force it back to the ground." The device — which "looks like a gun," "can be aimed like a rifle or a shotgun at a drone in the air" and has "a range of almost half a mile," making its target "hard to miss" — is typically reserved for "life and death situations" and was first used by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department to protect the 2017 Rose Parade. According to Entertainment Weekly, HBO worked with local authorities to block drones, helicopters and planes from flying over locations where "GoT" was filming in Northern Ireland. It's unclear whether or not production has ever actually used their drone killer.
