Jeff Bridges on "giving into love," not giving up the fight against cancer and COVID
In a touching new article in AARP The Magazine, Jeff Bridges speaks candidly about his battle with lymphoma, which he revealed in 2020, and a subsequent fight with COVID-19.
Bridges recalls he was on a pandemic break of shooting his FX show The Old Man when he noticed something was wrong. "I was doing some exercises while on the ground and felt what seemed like a bone in my stomach. I thought to myself, Hmm. But it didn't hurt or anything," he explained, so he put off seeing a doctor.
He later found out he had lymphoma and a 9-by-12-inch cancerous tumor near his stomach.
While being treated with chemotherapy, his immune system was suppressed and he contracted COVID. "Cancer was nothing compared to the COVID," the actor recalled, explaining he spent five weeks in the hospital.
"I was in surrender mode," he admitted. "I'd say to myself, 'Everybody dies, and this is me dying.'"
He explained, "I fought by surrendering, which is not the same as giving up ... What I really felt at the time was love. ... So what I did was more like giving in to love, you know?"
Bridges said after leaving the hospital he set "really small goals."
"At first, they'd say, 'How long can you stand?' For a while, my record was 45 seconds before I'd collapse. And then they were saying: 'Oh, look, you’re standing for a minute! That's so cool, now can you walk five feet?'" he recalls.
He met a goal of walking his daughter Hayley down the aisle in August 2021; that September, he announced his cancer was in remission.
Bridges, who feared he'd never work again, returned to finish shooting The Old Man in October 2021, calling it "like a dream."
The mass in his stomach is now the size "of a marble," Bridges said, and he's about to start work on season 2 of the spy drama.
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Music notes: Hailee Steinfeld, Billie Eilish and more
In a new interview with People, Hailee Steinfeld reminisces about appearing in Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” video back in 2015. “I mean, you get a call from Ms. Swift and you run to the phone,” she says, adding that it was an “honor” to be a part of it. “I’m literally chasing the dates of her Eras Tour trying to figure out when I can make it.”
Billie Eilish is among the artists playing Global Citizen's upcoming Power Our Planet: Live in Paris concert, taking place in the French capital on June 22. According to a press release, the event aims to "drive commitments from world leaders and the private sector to confront the climate crisis head on." The lineup also includes Billie's brother FINNEAS, Lenny Kravitz, H.E.R., Jon Batiste and Ben Harper.
Nick Jonas is headlining NBCUniversal's Salute to Summer concert special honoring members of the U.S. Army, Billboard reports. The concert will air on Peacock on July 7.
The MTV Video Music Awards have an air date. The ceremony will air live from New Jersey’s Prudential Center on Tuesday, September 12, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
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Robert De Niro announces 30th anniversary edition of 'A Bronx Tale'
Robert De Niro's Tribeca Enterprises company announced that his 1993 directorial effort, A Bronx Tale, is coming back in a special 30th anniversary edition on Blu-ray, 4K UHD and video on demand platforms.
The anniversary edition will be released September 12.
Written by and co-starring Chazz Palminteri, and based on his hit one-man play, the movie starred De Niro as a hardworking bus driver and father in the New York City borough whose son (Lillo Brancato) falls under the influence of Palminteri's mob boss Sonny LoSpecchio.
In the announcement, De Niro noted, "As my directorial debut, A Bronx Tale helped me to see what it's like on the other side of the camera. I'm excited to present this newly restored 30th Anniversary Edition and hope that it will be enjoyed by new audiences everywhere."
Palminteri said, "As an actor and writer, A Bronx Tale was the spark that lit my career. ... I was blessed to have Robert De Niro direct my script and make a perfect film that will last for generations to come."
Additionally, Tribeca announced there will be a special 30th anniversary screening of the film on Saturday, June 17, to close out this year’s Tribeca Festival, which was founded by De Niro and longtime collaborator Jane Rosenthal. They will join Palminteri for a Q&A panel after the screening.
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Paramount bumps up 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'
Tuesday is National Turtle Day, and what better way for Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies to celebrate than by announcing they've bumped up the release of the upcoming animated movie Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.
The movie, co-written and co-produced by The Boys' Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, will now hit theaters August 2.
The film features the voices of Rogen, along with his pals Paul Rudd and his The Neighbors co-star Rose Byrne, as well as Hannibal Buress, John Cena, Jackie Chan, Ice Cube, The Bear's Ayo Edebiri, The Mandalorian's Giancarlo Esposito, Maya Rudolph and Post Malone, among others.
The studios tease, "After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them."
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Harry Styles reunites with "Grammy Granny"
Harry Styles reunited with the grandma who presented him with his Album of the Year Grammy earlier this year.
The self-proclaimed “Grammy Granny,” Reina Lafantaisie, attended Harry’s concert in Coventry, England, on Monday and met up with the singer backstage wearing an “I gave Harry Styles a Grammy” T-shirt.
“Now, imagine my shock and joy when I was invited backstage to meet our Harry and have him walk-in towards me singing the song ‘Reunited And It feels so Good’ by Peaches And Herb, while giving me a hug,” she wrote on Instagram.
She added, “He is the most caring humble and down to earth person and such a great sense of humor. His smile and joie de vivre lit up the room !”
Back in February, Reina, who runs an Instagram fan page dedicated to Harry, was chosen by Grammys host Trevor Noah to announce the winner for Album of the Year. To her delight, the winner was Styles’ Harry’s House, and Harry embraced her once he got onstage.
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It has begun: Netflix unveils paid "extra member" option to stop password sharing
For Netflix freeloaders, the free streaming buffet is coming to a close. On its media site, the streaming giant revealed its long-rumored plan to stop the practice of users sharing their passwords.
In an email to subscribers, Netflix wrote, "Your Netflix account is for you and the people you live with — your household. Everyone living in that household can use Netflix wherever they are — at home, on the go, on holiday — and take advantage of new features like Transfer Profile and Manage Access and Devices."
That said, for people who don't live under your roof, well, they're out of luck, unless you're feeling generous.
For an extra $7.99 a month, you can add an outside user to your account, the streaming giant says.
A similar policy was launched overseas last year for Netflix's global users.
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Joe Jonas admits he was "so jealous" when Nick joined 'The Voice'
he Jonas Brothers got real about sibling rivalry on the latest episode of Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard.
While discussing the competition they’ve faced with each other over the years, Joe admitted he was jealous when Nick was chosen to be a judge on The Voice. He says he found out while at a Fleetwood Mac concert.
"As they were playing ‘Landslide,’ I found out that he was going to be a judge on The Voice and I was so jealous I cried my eyes out to ‘Landslide,’” Joe said.
“It was bittersweet,” he added. “I'm super happy for him but I'm also bummed cause, like, 'I wanted that f****** gig!'"
For context, Joe previously served as judge on Australia’s version of The Voice, so he felt he should’ve gotten the U.S. job, as well.
Nick also revealed during the Armchair episode that he and Joe auditioned for the same role in Wicked, but neither of them got it.
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'The Last Thing He Told Me' goes from bestseller to most watched limited series for Apple TV+
Apple TV+'s Reese Witherspoon-produced, Jennifer Garner-starring drama series The Last Thing He Told Me has become the most-watched limited series since the streaming platform launched in 2019, ABC Audio has confirmed.
Based on Laura Dave's bestseller, the show sees Garner's Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey (Angourie Rice) looking for Hannah's husband, Owen (Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), who vanishes, and leaves only a cryptic note and a duffel bag full of cash.
The series drew 4.5 million unique viewers in its first 31 days of streaming, and now ranks only behind the Emmy-winning phenomenon Ted Lasso and Shrinking, the dramedy series starring Harrison Ford and co-creator Jason Segel.
Rice explains having the author of the book on board as a producer made all the difference. "What's so incredible about Laura Dave is that she knows the story inside out. She has an answer for everything," Rice tells ABC Audio.
"But she's also curious about what you think and what you want to bring to it. And I think that incredible combination of flexibility, but also complete understanding of the world and the characters and the story that she has created, that is just such a joy and such a treat as an actor to have access to that on set every day," she adds.
Aisha Tyler plays Hannah's bestie Jules and said the show appeals to fans of the book, as well as those who haven't read it. "Like I played (video game) The Last of Us, and then I loved the series because it was just more of what I love about the game," she says, adding those who have read the novel get "like a super-sized serving of the world that they loved."
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Maroon 5 releases music video for new single, "Middle Ground"
Ahead of their performance on the season finale of The Voice Tuesday night, Maroon 5 has released the music video for their reflective new single, “Middle Ground.”
In the visual, the group forgoes anything high-concept and puts the focus on simpler moments. We see the band sitting around in a songwriting session and performing together in a home studio. We also see glimpses of Adam’s wife, Behati Prinsloo, and their two oldest daughters, Dusty Rose and Gio Grace.
The video was directed by David Dobkin, who was also behind the camera for Maroon 5's videos for "Sugar," "Memories" and "Girls Like You."
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LL Cool J moving from 'NCIS: Los Angeles' to 'Hawai'i' in recurring role
Fans of NCIS: Hawaii were treated to a surprise stinger at the second season's finale Monday night, when NCIS: Los Angles vet LL Cool J's Sam Hanna showed up.
CBS has just announced that won't be the last you'll see of him, either: LL, born James Todd Smith, will be a recurring guest star on the hit spinoff, just as NCIS: Los Angeles wrapped up for good on Sunday night after 14 seasons.
"One of the most beautiful things about working on NCIS: Hawai'i is the show’s ability to bring the franchise together," enthused series lead Vanessa Lachey.
"We have had so much fun spreading the aloha to NCIS and NCIS: LA with the triple crossover. Now, we have the amazing opportunity to bring Sam Hanna to Hawai’i to help the island solve some cases and maybe have a few laughs in the process," she added.
Lachey closed by saying, "Welcome to the ohana, Todd! It's going to be a fun ride!"
For their part, executive producers Matt Bosack, Jan Nash and Christopher Silber commented, "All of us at NCIS: Hawai’i have been huge fans of LL Cool J for years and couldn't be more thrilled or honored to be adding his spectacular talent to our ohana for season three."
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