Netflix renews "Stranger Things" for Season 4
On Sept. 30, Netflix released a teaser announcing that "Stranger Things" will be back for a fourth season. The creepy clip hints that the next installment in the beloved sci-fi series will expand outside of the small town of Hawkins, Indiana, where the show has been set thus far. "We're not in Hawkins anymore," it says.
RELATED: All the ways the '80s are impacting modern pop culture
Jenny McCarthy says Brooke Shields dodged a bullet by not joining "The View"
On the Sept. 26 episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Brooke Shields revealed that she auditioned for a spot on "The View" back in 2013 but that producers ultimately chose her pal Jenny McCarthy over her because "they were going for something different." A few days later, on the Oct. 1 episode of "Watch What Happens Live," Jenny said that she didn't think Brooke's comments about "The View" were "snotty." Said the blonde beauty, "I'm friends with her. I love her. And I think she knows deep inside that I took one for the team. Because let's just face it — that was hell. So you're welcome, Brooke!" Jenny has previously called her time on "The View" the "most miserable I've been on a job in my 25 years of show business."
Ray Lewis explains his decision to withdraw from "Dancing With the Stars" as Rashad Jennings steps in to dance with Cheryl Burke
Ray Lewis officially withdrew from the competition on the Sept. 30 episode of "Dancing With the Stars" after exacerbating an old injury during rehearsals, tearing three tendons in his foot. (He'll need to undergo surgery to correct the issue.) Fellow former football star Rashad Jennings — who won the Mirrorball Trophy with Emma Slater during Season 24 in 2017 — stepped in to dance the Cha Cha with Ray's partner, Cheryl Burke.
Ruby Rose recalls emergency surgery after "Batwoman" stunt left her close to paralyzed
On the Sept. 30 episode of "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Ruby Rose dished on the "Batwoman" stunt that nearly left her paralyzed. She basically "broke her neck" earlier this year while performing the same stunt for "a very extended amount of time, like, seven hours," she said. "We thought that I broke a rib or just fractured a rib and that it was, like, six to 12 weeks of healing. So then I had six to 12 weeks of chronic pain, and [I] just sort of kept assuming that was what it was," she continued. After losing sensation and mobility in her arms, she underwent an MRI that revealed she'd actually sustained two herniated discs in her neck. If she hadn't received immediate treatment, she could've become paraplegic. "It was really, really terrifying," she said, adding that at that point, she could've suffered permanent damage from "sleeping wrong" or "moving my head in a strange direction." She ultimately underwent emergency spinal surgery, and after 10 days of bedrest — during which she became "really depressed" — she went back to work. "I wasn't paying attention to my body. I wasn't listening," she reflected of the ordeal. "I was in such a hurry to get things done. … I think [the injury] was the world's way of saying, 'You're going to have to pay attention and you're gonna have to slow down — and you're not actually a superhero. And you need to get some priorities straight.'"
Dwayne Johnson returning to "WWE Smackdown" for FOX launch
Dwayne Johnson took to Twitter on Sept. 30 to announce that he'll be making his first appearance on "WWE Smackdown" in six years when the wrestling program debuts on FOX on Oct. 4 after nearly a decade on cable. "FINALLY…I come back home to my @WWE universe. This FRIDAY NIGHT, I'll return for our debut of SMACKDOWN! LIVE on @FOXTV. There's no greater title than #thepeopleschamp. And there's no place like home. Tequila on me after the show," tweeted The Rock.
ABC cancels "Grand Hotel" after one season
ABC has canceled the Eva Longoria-produced upstairs-downstairs drama "Grand Hotel" after just one season, The Wrap reported on Oct. 1. Demian Bichir and Roselyn Sanchez headlined the series, which centered around the owners, staff and guests at a luxurious family-owned Miami hotel.
Eddie Murphy shares why he's finally hosting "Saturday Night Live"
Eddie Murphy hasn't appeared on "Saturday Night Live" since he left the sketch-comedy series in 1984. During an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" that hit the Internet on Sept. 30, he explained why he finally signed on to host an upcoming episode, explaining that while he's been happy "sitting on the couch at home" with his young kids, he doesn't want his final film to be the poorly reviewed 2016 drama "Mr. Church." Said the iconic comedian, "I loved 'Mr. Church,' but people know me for being funny, so I want to do something funny." That's what inspired him to sign on for a trio of upcoming comedies: "Dolemite Is My Name," "Coming 2 America" and "Beverly Hills Cop 4." Continued the Oscar nominee, "This is a great way to bookend my thing in case I never want to get off this couch, except to do stand-up. I can do that and I can have my funny little bookend and while I was at it, let me host 'Saturday Night Live.'"