By Neia Balao
4:50am PDT, Oct 27, 2020
"Home Improvement" actor Zachery Ty Bryan arrested after allegedly strangling girlfriend
On Oct. 16, "Home Improvement" actor Zachery Ty Bryan was arrested in Oregon after allegedly choking his girlfriend. TMZ reported that neighbors made a call to police after hearing a disturbance from an apartment. When cops arrived, Zachery was reportedly sitting outside the unit while his girlfriend was hiding at a friend's place. While being questioned by police, the woman alleged that Zachery squeezed her throat with his hands. She also claimed she attempted to call 911 during the altercation but that Zachery prevented her from doing so. Zachery, who played Tim Allen's eldest son on "Home Improvement," was arrested on charges of felony strangulation, fourth-degree assault and interfering with making a report. He was released on Oct. 19 on $8,500 cash bail.
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Alicia Keys, Kerry Washington and America Ferrera to co-host CBS special "Every Vote Counts: A Celebration of Democracy"
On Oct. 29, in an effort to increase voter turnout with five days left before election day, Alicia Keys, Kerry Washington and America Ferrera will co-host "Every Vote Counts: A Celebration of Democracy," a special airing on CBS. Alicia will also perform, as will Shawn Mendes, Offset and Dan + Shay. Jennifer Lopez, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leonardo DiCaprio and Eva Longoria are among the celebrities scheduled to make appearances as well. The hour-long special airs Thursday Oct. 29 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
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"The Bachelorette" star Clare Crawley addresses diamond ring she wears on wedding finger
"The Bachelorette" star Clare Crawley sent the rumor mill buzzing when a photo emerged showing her sporting what appeared to be a wedding or engagement ring on her left-hand ring finger. On Oct. 19, she took to Instagram to set the record straight. "People have noticed I wear this ring on my wedding finger, and have asked why! The truth is because it is a commitment to myself first and foremost, to embody self-love," she captioned a video of herself showing off the jewelry. "In the past I found myself getting into relationships where there was little to no reciprocity, and in the end would feel depleted and empty." She continued, "This is my promise to myself, to make sure I always had enough self love that no matter what happened, I was committed to loving myself unconditionally, and that is something no man could take away from me." In another Instagram video, Clare said that she's been wearing the ring "for a while now" and that it's a piece of jewelry that "no man can ever take away from me." She added, "I would never want something from a man that I couldn't do myself… so I got myself some diamonds."
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Felicity Huffman ends supervised released
In late October, TMZ reported that Felicity Huffman has completed her supervised release and requested her passport be returned by the probation department. In 2019, the "Desperate Housewives" star pleaded guilty to charges for federal fraud after admitting she paid $15,000 to have her older daughter's SAT answers corrected by a proctor in order to help her get into a top-tier university. The actress was then sentenced to two weeks in prison, required to complete 250 hours of community service, pay a $30,000 fine and serve one year of probation. Felicity's sentence completion comes less than one month before "Full House" star Lori Loughlin, who took longer to plead guilty in the college admissions scandal, is set to begin a two-month prison sentence.
Rosie O'Donnell recalls paying Martha Stewart a visit in prison
While chatting with Page Six for an interview published on Oct. 19, Rosie O'Donnell revealed that she visited Martha Stewart in prison in 2004 even though they were not close friends. "I didn't really know her very much aside from the celebrity vernacular," recalled Rosie. "She had done my show but I didn't really know her, we hadn't been out for dinner, we weren't exactly friends. Before she left, I wrote her a letter [saying] that I thought it was so unfair and if she ever needed anything don't hesitate and I left my phone number." She went on, "After she was in prison I got a call from her assistant who said she'd like you to come to visit and it kind of broke my heart to think that of all the people she knew she had to invite someone she sort of didn't know to come all the way to Lynchburg, Virginia. I had to get a plane and go there." Rosie also recalled a moment during their conversation when she asked Martha what she missed most outside of prison. While Rosie was certain her answer would involve family, Martha said she missed "the flavor of lemon." Rosie then arranged for an Italian Capri lemon tree to be waiting on Martha's front porch when she got out.
Scott Speedman joins season 3 of "You"
On Oct. 21, Entertainment Weekly reported that actor Scott Speedman — who's best known for his starring roles on the '90s coming-of-age series "Felicity" and the family drama "Animal Kingdom" — is joining the cast of "You." An official Netflix account, @netflixqueue, tweeted about Scott's involvement in the third season, which is currently in production. "He'll play Matthew, a successful CEO, husband and uncommunicative father. He's reserved, mysterious and has a tendency to be withdrawn … all of which masks a deep well of emotion underneath," read the tweet. The third season of "You" is expected to debut in 2021.
Las Vegas resort reveals how it created COVID-19-safe bubble to film ABC's "Shark Tank"
Oct. 16 marked the return of the 12th season of ABC's business reality series "Shark Tank." While past seasons have been filmed in a studio just outside Los Angeles, due to the restrictions set amid the coronavirus pandemic, this season was filmed at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. While chatting with Wonderwall.com, Venetian President and COO George Markantonis disclosed how they created a 1-million-square-foot area to film "Shark Tank," which took place during the summer. The hotel managed to safely isolate 250 people involved in the production of the show. "Our main objective from the beginning was to ensure the wellness and safety of all involved," said George. "Thanks to our 'Venetian Clean' protocols that have been in place since the resort reopened in June, and which comprise more than 800 health safety initiatives we have implemented, we were able to achieve our goal." Safety measures to ensure the show's bubble remained intact included hotel elevators designated specifically for cast and crew, construction of a lengthy walkway that was walled off from the rest of the hotel that led to and from the filming location, mandatory COVID-19 testing for cast, crew and entrepreneurs before flying to Vegas and an on-site COVID safety medical advisor. "Everyone was isolated from each other at the hotel when not in production. On set, everyone wore PPE, except while on camera, and strict social distancing was maintained at all times," said George.
Former "American Idol" singer Casey Goode's newborn tests positive for COVID-19
On Oct. 4, former "American Idol" contestant Casey Goode revealed that newborn son Max had tested positive for COVID-19. "We took him into the ER after he was running a fever in the middle of the night. We had confirmation that he was exposed from direct contact with a medical professional who had cared for him earlier in the week. This has been a total shock for us," she wrote on Instagram. She went on to reveal that she was quarantining with him in the pediatric intensive care unit. "They are treating me as if I have been exposed and [am] likely positive as well, although I am showing no symptoms yet. Please send good energy to our little bub so he recovers fast. Not sure what happens next from here… but I expect to be offline for a while as we recover. ❤️" As of Oct. 7, Max had been released from the hospital. "I'm happy to report that we're getting discharged," Casey said in an Instagram video. "It is Wednesday. Max is napping and we're going to finish up our quarantine at home."
Lily Collins admits she was "wrong" about her character's age on "Emily in Paris"
The latest series from famed writer-producer Darren Star — who created "Beverly Hills, 90210," "Melrose Place," "Sex and the City" and "Younger" — has caused quite a buzz since it debuted on Netflix on Oct. 2. "Emily in Paris" stars Lily Collins as the titular woman who moves to Paris to provide an American perspective at a prestigious marketing firm. While chatting with British Vogue in October, Lily initially said that she believed her character, Emily, was around 22. "I don't believe we've ever given her a specific 'number' for her age, but I believe that she's pretty fresh out of college," said Lily. "Maybe this is her first year after graduation. I want to say she's like, 22-ish." Lily has since retracted that statement, admitting she was wrong about her character's age. On Oct. 16, the actress posted an Instagram Story, writing, "Emily looking at me when I get her age wrong," alongside a GIF of Emily looking surprised. "Sorry girl." Lily also added, "You might not be 22, but I gotta say — you do act like it sometimes!"
Bravo scraps plans to film "RHOA" wedding due to COVID-19 and hurricane warning
On Oct. 19, TMZ reported that Bravo axed plans to film Cynthia Bailey's wedding for an episode of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" due to concerns surrounding COVID-19 and a hurricane warning. Cynthia and Mike Hill were initially set to tie the knot at an outdoor venue in Georgia, but the reality star made the decision to move things inside for the Oct. 10 event as Hurricane Delta loomed. Bravo concluded that sending staff to film the nuptials would be ill-advised, considering the venue was limited in space and there would be 181 guests in attendance. TMZ reported that Cynthia was expected to record footage with her own camera crew and hand it over to Bravo.
Reba McEntire reveals she's dating "CSI" actor
Reba McEntire is off the market again! Rumors of a budding romance began to swirl after "CSI: Miami" actor Rex Linn posted a photo of himself with the country music star and TV actress back in January. On an October episode of her "Living and Learning" podcast, Reba confirmed the were dating. "It's good to have a person to talk to, laugh with, get into subjects about what's going on. Discussions about our past, our family, funny stories, him being an actor, me being an actress. And he's very into my music. I'm very into his career," said Reba. "We're having a blast and still getting to know each other. Whatever happens in the future, we're very stable and it's been a good six months and I look forward to having more things to look forward to." Reba added that she and Rex have still been actively communicating during the pandemic and said that when her mother passed away in January, Rex sent her family a care package. "It gave me such a sense that he really cared … not only me but my family," she said of the gesture.
"This Is Us" creator Dan Fogelman explains how the coronavirus pandemic and Black Lives Matter will impact season 5
While chatting with Entertainment Weekly, "This Is Us" creator Dan Fogelman revealed his plans to reflect the current state of the world in the world of the hit NBC drama. "It's a really huge challenge for us," he said. "I keep saying, 'As if juggling this show with 18,000 timelines and characters isn't hard enough.' It really is a complicated question. I can't tell you the amount of debate that has gone into everything from our show existing in a world [where] corona has not happened — like many shows are going to choose to do — to making an entire first nine episodes all happening during a quarantine period in our off-season. We've been all over the map. I think we have a plan that splits the balance." The Black Lives Matter movement, for instance, will be addressed in the season 5 opener, which premieres on Oct. 27. "It's going to be reflected very directly in our two-hour premiere," said Dan. "We have a show that explores both a white family and a Black family inside of the same family, and to not be looking at everything right now, I feel it would not be truthful. Sterling [K. Brown] has a gigantic arc this season as he deals with this fallout from his brother first and the situation with his mother. There's a lot going on. We're addressing it head-on."
Showtime to revive "Dexter" as limited series
On Oct. 14, Deadline reported that Showtime will be bringing "Dexter" back as a new limited series. Michael C. Hall, who starred as the titular blood spatter specialist and serial killer, will be reprising his role, which he played from 2006 to 2013. Showrunner Clyde Phillips will also be returning. The limited series will consist of 10 parts and is expected to go into production sometime in early 2021 with a scheduled premiere date set for fall 2021. Gary Levine, the co-president of entertainment at Showtime, spoke of the network's desire to revive the drama. "'Dexter' is such a special series, both for its millions of fans and for Showtime, as this breakthrough show helped put our network on the map many years ago," he said. "We would only revisit this unique character if we could find a creative take that was truly worthy of the brilliant, original series. Well, I'm happy to report that Clyde Phillips and Michael C. Hall have found it, and we can't wait to shoot it and show it to the world."
"Addams Family" television reboot reportedly in the works
On Oct. 22, Variety reported that a live-action television series of the "Addams Family" could be underway. The outlet confirmed that MGM Television is planning to develop a new series about the peculiar family. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the creators of "Into the Badlands," are set to write and will serve as executive producers and showrunners, and negotiations are underway to have Tim Burton direct and also executive produce the series. The show is currently not attached to any network or streaming service.
Brody Jenner demands MTV film "The Hills" reboot in Los Angeles
On Oct. 6, TMZ reported that "The Hills: New Beginnings" star Brody Jenner told MTV he'd only film the reality series if it's shot exclusively in Los Angeles, and the network complied. According to TMZ's sources, while other cast members were willing to leave L.A. and resume production in a house in Colorado or Montana that would serve as a "bubble," Brody was not on board. "Brody also told the network he'd be willing to wait and resume production of season 2 [when] there was a vaccine for COVID-19," TMZ explained. The show is expected to begin filming in L.A. this fall.
Scott Baio throws shade at Lori Loughlin ahead of "Happy Days" reunion
Scott Baio, a longtime supporter of President Trump, was "not on board" with the "Happy Days" reunion that took place on Oct. 25 in support of Wisconsin Democrats. The actor, who played Chachi on the series, shaded the event while speaking with Fox Business. "To take a show like 'Happy Days' that represented traditional American values, good morals, a slice of Americana and to use that show and those ideals to promote two people in Joe Biden and Kamala Harris that condone, encourage and foment rioting and looting is a little bizarre to me," he said. When John Stamos volunteered to fill in for Scott, the 60-year-old actor hit back. "Shouldn't you be taking care of Aunt Becky?" he tweeted on Oct. 20. "I think Stamos always wanted to be Chachi instead of playing second fiddle to a 3-year-old," Scott told the outlet of John's character in "Full House."
