By Jessica Wedemeyer
9:07am PDT, May 11, 2018
"Lethal Weapon" producers scrambling to recast Martin Riggs after firing Clayne Crawford
According to a May 8 report in The Hollywood Reporter, Clayne Crawford has been fired from "Lethal Weapon" — on which he's starred as Martin Riggs since 2016 — following a string of bad behavior. Producers are reportedly scrambling to save the show, but so far, they've had no luck finding an actor to take over his role for a potential third season of the FOX procedural. (Sources tell THR that multiple actors have passed on the offer.) The same day the rumors that he'd been canned hit the Internet, Clayne took to Twitter to make light of the situation. "Hmmmmmm?" he captioned a photo of himself posing near the water with his arms raised as if it to say, "What can you do?" He then tweeted, "Wait, wait, wait……you can't fire me on my day off!" Back in April, the trouble-prone actor posted a statement on Instagram describing the behavior that landed him in hot water with the show's producers. Clayne wrote that producers reprimanded him for reacting with anger "over working conditions that did not feel safe" while shooting with a guest director and an assistant director. He claims that after the blowup, he met with HR, apologized, completed studio-appointed therapy and shared "a sizable portion" of his paycheck with one of the parties involved, per the studio's instruction. The second reprimand came when a piece of shrapnel from a special effect hit an actor while Clayne was directing. "It was an unfortunate event that happened in spite of all safety precautions and procedures being followed," he wrote, adding that he takes responsibility for the accident because he was the one in charge on set that day. Clayne went on to apologize if his "passion for doing good work has ever made someone feel less than comfortable" on set.
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Pauley Perrette says goodbye to "NCIS" after 15 years on the show
That's a wrap on Pauley Perrette. After 15 years, her time as Abby Sciuto on "NCIS" officially came to an end on May 8. Following last week's cliffhanger ending, which suggested that either Abby or Duane Henry's Clayton Reeves got shot during a mugging gone wrong, the episode "Two Steps Back" kicked off with the MI6 officer in a body bag and the forensic scientist fighting for her life in a hospital bed. After a brief investigation, the team deduces that Abby was actually targeted by Project Tarburst mastermind Robert King, who took out a hit on her. After Abby recovers, she sends the crew on a wild goose chase to find King, giving her the opportunity to track him down herself. Ultimately, she confronts the villain at a café, where she pretends to poison him to elicit a confession. With King effectively handled, Abby announces that she's not coming back after she escorts Reeves' body to London. Instead, she plans to start a charity in honor of his late mother, as he'd intended to do himself before he died saving her life. The tearjerker ended — following a montage of Abby and Gibbs' sweetest moments together — with the duo signing "I love you" to each other through a window. Cue the waterworks!
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NBC internal investigation clears execs and HR of responsibility for Matt Lauer sexual misconduct scandal
On May 9, nearly six months after NBC fired Matt Lauer amid rampant allegations of sexual misconduct, the network finally released the results of their internal investigation into the matter. According to the report, before November 2017, NBC execs and HR had no knowledge of any allegations of wrongdoing by the former "Today" show host. But critics have called the report suspect because, according to The Wrap, NBC tasked their own general counsel — Kim Harris, who reports to NBCUniversal CEO Steve Burke — with spearheading the investigation. (In contrast, FOX News hired an outside firm to conduct their investigation into scandalized former network president Roger Ailes.) But NBC Universal defended their findings in a statement to The Wrap: "Two outside law firms, Proskauer Rose and Davis Polk, have reviewed the methodology, findings and conclusions and given their stamp of approval," a spokesperson said. Still, many prominent journalists took to Twitter to question the report. "I'm just going through the report now but I can tell you I have 2 sources who were in management that knew of Lauer's sexual predation. That's not to say they were interviewed by NBC's team or that they were forthcoming when interviewed but just want to note that some people knew," tweeted New York magazine and HuffPost freelance writer Yashar Ali.
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Filmmaker Carlos Carvalho dies following giraffe attack on "Wild at Heart" set
Carlos Carvalho died on May 2 after a giraffe attacked him while he was shooting the ITV drama "Wild at Heart" — which centers around a British family at a game lodge — at the Glen Afric Country Lodge in South Africa. According to a May 5 report from Deadline, the award-winning filmmaker was filming a close-up shot of a giraffe's body and feet when the animal became "inquisitive" and head-butted him. He reportedly suffered massive head injuries after the impact sent him flying 16 feet in the air. Carlos was airlifted to Johannesburg's Milpark Hospital but ultimately succumbed to his injuries. "It is with a very sad heart that we have to announce the passing of Carlos Carvalho' one of our favourite [directors of photography]," film crew agency CallaCrew wrote in a statement on Facebook. "Our thoughts and condolences go out to Carlo's family and friends during this very sad time. He will be sorely missed."
Upcoming season of "Flip or Flop" to show "tension" between former couple Tarek and Christina El Moussa
The upcoming seventh season of "Flip or Flop" — which stars Christina El Moussa and Tarek El Moussa and was shot after they separated in 2016 but before they finalized their divorce in January 2018 — will show the "tension" between the former couple, Us Weekly reported on May 9. "They're showcasing a more personal side, that they are an ex-husband and ex-wife having disagreements," a source close to the blonde host told the magazine, adding that the new season, which debuts on May 31, is "a little bit more edgy" and "will definitely shed more light on their relationship and be more interesting." The insider says fans of the HGTV show won't see the former couple "at each other's throats," but they will have a front-row seat for a few uncomfortable moments between the parents-of-two, including Christina walking off set and Tarek getting irritated with her. "It's all new territory," Christina said in a press release for Season 7. "Since we have to see each other every day, it's beyond awkward."
Christiane Amanpour officially replacing Charlie Rose on PBS
PBS announced on May 8 that Christiane Amanpour will officially replace Charlie Rose, who was fired in December 2017 amid sexual misconduct allegations, in the 11 p.m. timeslot. Her new hour-long public affairs program, "Amanpour & Company" — an expanded version of her half-hour CNN International program "Amanpour" — will launch in July with Michel Martin, Walter Isaacson, Alicia Menendez and Hari Sreenivasan serving as contributors. (The news should come as no surprise considering PBS has been airing simulcasts of "Amanpour" since December.) "I'm delighted to expand my role at PBS from interim to permanent along with this remarkable diversity of voices and views," the British journalist, CNN's chief international correspondent, said in a statement. "Never has the time for exploring our world and America's place in it been so urgent." Added Christiane in an apparent nod to the reason for Charlie's departure, "I am also thrilled to be a female filling this role at this time!"
NBC renews "Law & Order: SVU" for record-tying 20th season, all three "Chicago" shows returning as well
"Chicago" franchise fans rejoice! Entertainment Weekly reported on May 9 that NBC has renewed all three shows — "Chicago Fire" for Season 7, "Chicago P.D." for Season 6 and "Chicago Med" for Season 4 — as well as "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." When "SVU" returns for its 20th season in the fall of 2018, it'll tie "Gunsmoke" and parent series "Law & Order" for the record of longest-running live-action scripted series. ("The Simpsons" has aired for 29 seasons.)
Is "The Big Bang Theory" ending after its upcoming 12th season?
Will Season 12 of "The Big Bang Theory," which is set to debut in the fall of 2018, be its last? That's the question Entertainment Weekly posed on May 4, a few days before Sheldon and Amy's much anticipated wedding on the May 10 finale of Season 11 of the beloved sitcom. "We've talked about if next season is the end where we would like to leave these characters, so we have some general plans," executive producer Steve Holland told EW. "But we really haven't sat down and done the nitty-gritty of talking about the specifics of what exactly needs to happen. … There's certainly moments that we've had in this bucket of stories that we want to do, and we've checked some of them off as we've gone along. … Some of them, we have next season to get out there, and I think some of them we don't have plans to ever answer. Some of them, we like the mystery of it." Continued Holland, "I won't tell you which ones are which. … But I think there are a few things that people ask about a lot that I think are going to make great stories next season. There's a few things that I think, for us, are just part of the mystery of the show that we'll probably never touch." As EW points out, the biggest roadblock to the show returning for a 13th season is the fact that the cast's contracts will be up at the end of Season 12, giving them the opportunity to negotiate for even more astronomical paychecks from CBS. (They're currently the top-paid cast on television.)
Bravo investigating allegations that "Southern Charm" star committed sexual assault
Variety reported on May 4 that Bravo and production company Haymaker are investigating allegations that "Southern Charm" star Thomas Ravenel sexually assaulted a woman in 2015. "Haymaker, the production company for 'Southern Charm,' and Bravo take allegations like these very seriously. Haymaker is conducting an investigation, and once all the information is gathered and carefully reviewed, appropriate action will be taken," the network said in a statement. Real estate agent Ashley Perkins told People magazine as part of a May 3 report that Thomas assaulted her mother, Debbie Holloway Perkin, on Christmas 2015, their first date after meeting on Tinder two months earlier. According to Ashley, Debbie got a lawyer (Gloria Allred) and settled with the "Southern Charm" personality for $200,000 after signing a nondisclosure agreement. "I would like to see him off of Bravo," Ashley, who did not sign an NDA, told People. "I would like for my mom not to have to worry about flipping on the television and seeing his smug mug, flaunting his lifestyle around." Thomas's lawyer, however, has publicly questioned Ashley's veracity. "My client enjoys a certain degree of fame and unfortunately has become — unfairly — a target for an individual who has, in my opinion, dubious motivations," he told People.
David Letterman: I stayed on late-night TV too long
During a recent taping of Netflix's "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman" with guest Jerry Seinfeld, the TV legends chatted about their long careers in comedy. The most revealing part of the hour-long conversation came when the former "Late Show with David Letterman" host said he might have overstayed his welcome on late-night TV. "I wish now, looking back at my life… when you're in show business, it's so self-consuming and so egomaniacal that you only look at a very small focus, which is yourself," David said. "And if you have the energy and the ability to do that, you should do it — but don't do it as long as I did it. I did it too long… I should've left 10 years ago, because then I could've taken some of that energy and focus and applied it to actually doing something good for humans." Another poignant part of the conversation was when they discussed the backlash against comedian Michelle Wolf after she hosted the 2018 White House Correspondents Dinner. "The more I got to thinking about it," David said, "it's like, 'Wow — that was great.' Because whatever the reaction, there's no damage, and she had the guts to stand up there and didn't apologize, where everybody is now apologizing for everything."
After cancelation, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" could get new life
Hours after FOX canceled "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," sources told The Hollywood Reporter, producers at Universal Television started getting calls from other outlets including Hulu, Netflix, TBS and NBC to talk about reviving the beloved Andy Samberg-led sitcom. There have also been reports claiming that the studio is fighting to bring the show back after being hit with widespread criticism throughout Hollywood following the comedy's cancelation.
