Beyoncé donates $2.5 million to fire relief and Meghan Markle delays show launch

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Weaker winds and intense firefighting efforts over the weekend boosted containment of fires burning in and around Los Angeles, but the effects of the blazes on the entertainment world continue.

The Oscar nominations have been delayed and the film academy announced Monday that it would cancel a gathering of nominees due to the fire. It’s the latest shift to Hollywood’s awards season and other projects are also being delayed. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, announced Sunday she would not launch a Netflix lifestyles program as planned this week and would wait until March.

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Celebrities and entertainment organizations are pledging millions to help those who have been displaced or lost their homes, with Beyoncé directing millions to help families in the Eaton fire area.

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While firefighters over the weekend were able to push the flames away from several populated areas, strong winds are expected to resume this week and last through Wednesday.

Thousands of homes have been destroyed, and 24 people have died as a result of the fires. More are reported missing and officials expect that number to increase.

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Here’s more on how the fires are affecting celebrities and the entertainment world.

Beyoncé donates $2.5 million to Los Angeles-area wildfire relief

Beyoncé has contributed $2.5 million to a newly launched LA Fire Relief Fund created by her charitable foundation, BeyGOOD.

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The announcement arrived via the BeyGOOD foundation Instagram account on Sunday. “The fund is earmarked to aid families in the Altadena/Pasadena area who lost their homes, and to churches and community centers to address the immediate needs of those affected by the wildfires,” the caption read.

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Founded in 2013, the BeyGOOD foundation concentrates on economic equity, by “supporting marginalized and under-resourced programs,” according to its mission statement.

Last week, Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles shared that her Malibu bungalow was destroyed in the Los Angeles-area fires. “It was my favorite place, my sanctuary, my sacred happy place. now it is gone,” she wrote on Instagram. “God Bless all the brave men and women in our fire department who risked their lives in dangerous conditions.”

The Screen Actors Guild announced over the weekend it would commit $1 million to help members affected by the fires. While a lot of attention has been paid to stars who have lost homes, numerous less-famous industry workers have also lost homes or been displaced by the fires.

AdvertisementMeghan delays launch of Netflix series

The Duchess of Sussex has pushed back the release of her new Netflix series due to the wildfires that have ravaged the LA-area.

“With Love, Meghan” was set to debut Wednesday, but the streaming service said Sunday that it supports her request to push the premiere to focus on helping those affected by the fires.

The Duchess was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in Montecito, California, with Harry, the Duke of Sussex and their two children.

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On Saturday, the royal couple visited Pasadena to hand out food and water to fire victims and thank first responders.

“With Love, Meghan” is a lifestyle program featuring the Duchess chatting with celebrity pals and demonstrating tasks like floral arrangements and baking. “I’ve always loved taking something pretty ordinary and elevating it,” Meghan says in the trailer. The show will now drop March 4.

Composer Arnold Schoenberg’s original work lost in fires

The publisher of Arnold Schoenberg’s works says original manuscripts and scores from the composer were lost in the Los Angeles wild fires.

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Belmont Music Publishers, located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, made the announcement Sunday.

“We have lost our full inventory of sales and rental materials,” the company said in a statement. “We hope that in the near future we will be able to ‘rise from the ashes’ in a completely digital form. … There are some scores and performing materials for which we have digital scans.”

Born in Austria, Schoenberg moved to the U.S. when the Nazis took power and settled in Los Angeles, where he died in 1951.

Schoenberg gained attention for a 12-tone technique of composition and along with his students, including Alban Berg and Anton Webern, became known as the Second Viennese School. Among his most-known works are “Ewartung,” “Gurre-Lieder,” “Verklärte Nacht” and “Pierrot lunaire.”

AdvertisementBroadway sending its love

The nonprofit fundraising group Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has awarded $500,000 in emergency grants to help Los Angeles-area residents and first responders with meals, shelter, medical care, clothing and emergency financial assistance.

Broadway Cares has sent $250,000 to the Entertainment Community Fund, $100,000 to the California Fire Foundation Wildfire & Disaster Relief Fund, $100,000 to the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and $50,000 to longtime Broadway Cares grantee Project Angel Food.

“These wildfires have left deep scars, but they’ve also ignited a powerful wave of support from Broadway to the West Coast,” said Robert E. Wankel, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Board of Trustees president and chairman and CEO of The Shubert Organization.

AdvertisementSundance Film Festival will continue as planned

Many Hollywood events have been postponed and canceled due to the ongoing fires in the Los Angeles area, but the Sundance Film Festival is still planning to move forward with the 11-day event next week in Park City, Utah.

In a letter Monday to registrants from Southern California, the Institute’s CEO Amanda Kelso and festival director Eugene Hernandez wrote that, “we may mourn, but we also know it is important to carry on.” Those who received the letter were also invited to share more about how they’ve been affected by the fires.

Michelle Satter, a founding director of the Sundance Institute and its artists programs, wrote on social media last week that she lost her home in the Palisades fire. Satter is among those being honored at the festival’s opening gala on Jan. 24.

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Entertainment Writers Maria Sherman, Mark Kennedy and Lindsey Bahr and Writers Alicia Rancilio and Ron Blum contributed to this report.

Leslie Charleson, who played Monica Quartermaine on ‘General Hospital’, dies

Charleson had played Dr. Monica Quartermaine on the ABC daytime soap opera ‘General Hospital’ in 1977

Leslie Charleson, whose Dr. Monica Quartermaine was the longest-tenured character on General Hospital, has died. She was 79.

Charleson died of complications from a long illness, said ABC News, which broadcasts the long-running soap opera. General Hospital executive producer Frank Valentini announced the star’s death.

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“It is with a heavy heart that I announce the passing of my dear friend and colleague, Leslie Charleson,” Valentini wrote on X and the General Hospital Instagram account. “Her enduring legacy has spanned nearly 50 years on ‘General Hospital’ alone and, just as Monica was the heart of the Quartermaines, Leslie was a beloved matriarch of the entire cast and crew. I will miss our daily chats, her quick wit and incredible presence on set. On behalf of everyone at ‘General Hospital,’ my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her loved ones during this difficult time.”

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Her exact cause of death was not made public, but Variety noted Charleson had fallen several times in recent years, hindering her mobility and forcing her to use a walker. She had been hospitalized last week after one such fall, Variety reported.

Charleson had held the role of Monica Quartermaine since joining General Hospital in 1977. She appeared in 2,079 episodes through 2023, according to IMDB. Switched to “recurring” status in 2010 over fan objections, she made fewer appearances on the soap but was still a regular until her last appearance in December 2023.

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Born Feb. 22, 1945, in Kansas City, Missouri, Charleson caught the acting bug at an early age, according to Soap Opera Digest. In 1964, at 19, she appeared in her first soap A Flame in the Wind, then appeared as Alice Whipple on As The World Turns, followed by a three-year stint on CBS’s Love Is a Many Splendored Thing from 1967-70.

Charleson was subsequently cast in 1973’s The Day of the Dolphin by Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols. Then she tried her hand at Broadway, appearing in One Night Stand with Tony Curtis and William Devane, but when it closed after a short run, she headed for Hollywood.

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For the next several years Charleson guest-starred on more than 20 household-name television shows, including The Rockford Files, The Streets of San Francisco, Marcus Welby, M.D., Mannix, Ironside, Adam-12 and Emergency! On Happy Days, Charleson’s divorced Dorothy Kimber gave actor-director Ron Howard (as Richie Cunningham) his first on-screen kiss, Variety noted.

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But the soaps came knocking again, and she was cast as Monica Quartermaine — a role she would play for the next 45+ years. Charleson shepherded her most famous character through marriages, children, breast cancer and a host of other fictional major life events, earning four Daytime Emmy best lead actress nominations as she went.

In later years she appeared on Friends in 2004 and on Dharma & Greg in 2001.

By Theresa Braine, New York Daily News

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What to stream: ‘Severance’ returns, a Mac Miller album and Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx pair up

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg playing mismatched cousins in the acclaimed “A Real Pain” and Mac Miller’s second posthumous full-length album “Balloonerism” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: the sci-fi dystopian drama “Severance” premieres its second season and Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man” lands on Max.

— While Kieran Culkin keeps picking awards for his standout performance, Jesse Eisenberg’s acclaimed “A Real Pain” arrives Thursday on Hulu. Eisenberg, who wrote and directed the film, and Culkin play mismatched cousins who travel to Poland in honor of their late grandmother. Culkin’s awards haul includes a Golden Globe and numerous other trophies. In her review, AP’s Jocelyn Noveck wrote that the “miracle” of the film “is how it pulls off the most delicate of balancing acts.”

— “Unstoppable,” on Prime Video beginning Thursday, is based on the true story of Anthony Robles, who despite having one leg, rose to become one of the top wrestlers in the country. The film, directed by William Goldenberg stars Jharrel Jerome as Robles, though it also features Robles acting as Jerome’s stunt-double on the mat. Co-stars include Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale and Don Cheadle. In her review, AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr wrote that while the film is a conventional sports drama, “You’d have to be a certain kind of grinch not to get swept up in the hurdles and triumphs.”

— Aaron Schimberg’s “A Different Man,” on Max beginning Friday, Jan. 17, is a beguilingly tangled tale of identity and representation. Sebastian Stan stars as a disfigured man whose neurofibromatosis is cured by an experimental surgery. When he begins acting in a role very much like his prior self, he’s upstaged by someone authentically with neurofibromatosis (Adam Pearson). In her review, Noveck called “A Different Man” “fascinating, genre-bending, undeniably provocative and occasionally frustrating.”

— Cameron Diaz and Jamie Foxx star as retired CIA agents whose suburban cover is exposed in the action comedy “Back in Action” (streaming Friday, Jan. 17 on Netflix). The film, which reunites the “Any Given Sunday” co-stars, is Diaz’s first film in more than a decade. Seth Gordon (“Horrible Bosses”) directs a cast including Glenn Close, Kyle Chandler and Andrew Scott.

— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

— The details around Mac Miller’s second posthumous full-length, “Balloonerism” are limited. Fans have known about the project for several years now; Miller recorded the album around the time he released his “Faces” mixtape in 2014. According to a statement provided by his family, Miller commissioned artwork for the project, though other releases took precedent, and it never saw the light of day. On Friday, Jan. 17, fans will finally get to experience “Balloonerism” in all its glory. It will no doubt be a reminder of the platinum hip-hop star’s sharp raps and bright spirit.

— If the genre terms “post-punk,””indie” “indie pop” “jangly guitar pop” are a listener’s personal favorites, the English band Television Personalities, originally formed in 1977, are considered a formative group. If not, well, allow us to introduce you to your favorite band’s favorite’s band favorite band. A new collection, “Tune In, Turn On, Drop Out: The Television Personalities Radio Sessions — 1980-1993” is a cheeky, ramshackle representation of their clever pop songs, led by frontman Dan Treacy’s undeniable schoolboy charms. Treasures abound. But our recommendation? Start with “Salvador Dali’s Garden Party,” as captured at the Andy Kershaw BBC session in Feb. 1986. Everybody was there!

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

— It’s been three years since “Severance” debuted on Apple TV+ and the sci-fi dystopian drama premieres its second season Friday, Jan. 17. Adam Scott (“Parks and Recreation”, “Big Little Lies”) stars as an office employee of a mysterious company who has elected to keep his work and home life separate — thanks to an implanted chip. “Severance” also stars Patricia Arquette, John Turturro and Christopher Walken. Ben Stiller is an executive producer and directs some of the episodes.

— The TV spinoff to the Netflix teen film trilogy “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” called “XO, Kitty” returns for a second season Thursday. It stars Anna Cathcart as Kitty, a Korean American attending a prestigious boarding school in Seoul. The show also stars Korean-born actors Choi Min-young and real-life siblings Gia Kim and Sang Heon Lee. Noah Centineo, the co-star of “To All the Boys” also makes an appearance.

— A new Peacock docuseries takes viewers behind-the-scenes of “Saturday Night Live,” now airing its 50th season. “SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night” goes inside the writers’ room as sketches are hashed out, shows cast member audition tapes and features dozens of interviews. All four episodes drop Thursday.

— “Outlander” actor Sam Heughan has a new limited series on Starz playing another sexy character, but this one doesn’t time travel. “The Couple Next Door” is about what happens when two married couples — who are neighbors — swap partners after an evening of partying. No spoilers but let’s just say complications arise. The show premieres Friday, Jan. 17. Starz originals stream on its app and website.

— Alicia Rancilio

— Koei Tecmo returns to 3rd century China in Dynasty Warriors: Origins, the latest chapter in its long-running retelling of the classic “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” The protagonist is a nameless amnesiac who doesn’t know which side he’s fighting for but remembers how to swing a deadly sword. Origins continues the franchise’s “hack-and-slash” mayhem, in which you’re thrust into battle and expected to kill hundreds of opponents, but adds some tactical tweaks that let you rally your comrades to unleash large-scale assaults. The war resumes Friday, Jan. 17, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.

— In 1998, the glamorous Roottree sisters and their parents were worth over a billion dollars. But their private jet crashed and now, well, The Roottrees Are Dead. Your job is to distribute their huge inheritance, but first you need to sort out who their true relatives are, using an old-fashioned dial-up modem for research. The Roottree saga became a favorite on the itch.io website, and now developers Jeremy Johnston and Robin Ward have beefed it up with graphics, voice acting and a friendlier user interface. Fans of interactive mysteries like Return of the Obra Dinn and The Case of the Golden Idol can dig in Wednesday on PC, Mac and Linux.

Heidi Montag’s Single Hits #1 Following Spencer Pratt’s Plea

After an impassioned plea, the Internet pulled through. Posting a series of TikTok videos, Spencer Pratt asked fans to stream his wife’s music to help bring in income following the destruction of their home from the Los Angeles wildfires. As it so happened, Heidi Montag’s 2010 album, “Superficial” jumped to number 1 on iTunes. The album celebrated its 15th anniversary on January 11th.

On Friday, The Hills star took to social media to document the destruction and ways to help. He wrote, “Please stream any of [Heidi Montag’s] music on any platform, it will make a huge difference.” And it did. He took to Instagram to reveal that his efforts worked. He was aided by the support and encouragement of an abundance of fans and friends, including Perez Hilton, Flava Flav, and Emily Ratajkowski, to help his successful online crusade.

Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag React to the Support

In his announcement on Instagram, he said, “Popstar Heidi Montag No. 1 on iTunes America,” Pratt said. “Thank you everyone! Who needs a house, who needs clothes, who needs anything but this level of clout, pop, superstardom? Our sons are gonna be like, ‘My mom was No. 1 on iTunes America.’ Thank you to everyone who made this happen.” Now, Montag and Pratt are setting their sights on Billboard. Pratt continued, “We need radio play, I guess, not just iTunes to get No. 1 on Billboard charts, which is the ultimate goal. Cause then it’s like, that a wrap, Heidi is the biggest superstar in the world.” On iTunes, Montag’s album beat out the likes of Bad Bunny, Morgan Wallen, Teddy Swims, and Bruno Mars.

Taking a more serious approach, Heidi Montag said in her post, “Thank you so much to everyone, No. 1 on iTunes charts, oh my gosh. Thank you for the overwhelming love and support of my music and really rallying behind us in this devastating time and making it such a blessing. Thank you for helping support us, helping build us back up, helping to encourage us, give us that hope and faith and excitement in such a dark, dark time.” The couple were forced to evacuate their Pacific Palisades home with their two sons when the fires first started to spread. Their entire property was unfortunately destroyed. The Hills is available to stream on Paramount+.

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The Hills TV-PG Reality Release Date May 31, 2006 Cast Lauren Conrad , Heidi Montag , Audrina Patridge , Whitney Port , Kristin Cavallari , Lo Bosworth , Stephanie Pratt Seasons 6 Writers Sean Travis Network MTV Showrunner Adam DiVello Expand

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Landman Season 1 Finale Review: The Ending Isn’t Big Enough

The following contains major spoilers for Landman Season 1, Episode 10, “The Crumbs of Hope,” now streaming on Paramount+.

The Landman season finale is an ending for the Paramount+ show — yet it never feels like a conclusion. Season 1, Episode 10, “The Crumbs of Hope” gets the story of Tommy Norris and M-TEX Oil to a place where it can stop. But there’s not enough closure, plot-wise or emotionally, for it to be completely satisfying. It seems more like Taylor Sheridan is thinking ahead to the second season that doesn’t exist yet.

“The Crumbs of Hope” primarily revolves around Tommy taking over the operations of M-TEX after the incapacitation of his boss Monty Miller. At the request of Monty’s wife Cami Miller, Tommy joins forces with his colleagues to make one last business deal. Elsewhere, Tommy’s children Cooper and Ainsley both move their lives forward, but all of that feels like an afterthought in an episode that lacks the big season-ending impact TV viewers have come to expect.

Landman Season 1, Episode 10 Somewhat Concludes Its Story

The Resolutions Never Feel as Big as They Could Be

The Landman season finale does technically serve its intended purpose. It resolves Monty Miller’s fate, deals with the drug cartel, and points most of its characters in a general direction. But none of these things feel effectively concluded. Instead, it seems like Sheridan has fallen into one of the oldest and most tiresome TV traps: leaving a certain amount of things vague in hopes of campaigning for another season. Up to and including Tommy’s final scene staring at a coyote outside the oil house, many things are left up to interpretation or imagination.

The crux of the episode is Tommy being named president of M-TEX, and being asked by Cami to wrap up the deal that her husband struck in order to bring in one last windfall. Part of the episode involves Tommy trying to do that, but then he gets abducted by the cartel, so the fate of the deal and the fate of M-TEX are left up in the air. Then after a bloody sequence of events, the cartel sets Tommy free, wanting their two sides to be “friends,” so that’s not finished either. On the business side of the story, there’s no distinct idea of where Season 2 will pick up. There are too many possibilities. It’s fine to have some loose ends, but the best season finales provide at least some sense of completion.

Tommy Norris: There’s way more oil men that went bankrupt than became billionaires.

Ironically, the part of the show that’s been a weakness all season is the one that feels the most well-developed in the finale. The personal lives of the Norris family are in brand-new places. Ariana begins to get closure on Elvio’s death, which also signifies hope for her and Cooper. And while Ainsley’s relationship with Ryder is partly played for laughs, it resonates more when looking back at how her previous boyfriend treated her in the series premiere. She finally has someone who seems to fully appreciate her and is willing to stay with her.

As for Angela and Tommy, there’s not a huge turning point for them, but Angela supports Tommy when he needs her the most. It’s good to see that part of the show finally have a major impact. Yet if the series isn’t able to come back for another season, this finale isn’t the best place to leave anyone who’s not in the Norris family.

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‘It Feels Like a Family’: Landman’s Michelle Randolph Talks Reuniting With Taylor Sheridan

Landman actor Michelle Randolph tells CBR about Ainsley Norris’ journey in the Paramount+ show and working with Taylor Sheridan for a second time.

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Landman’s Season Finale Shortchanges Some Characters

Monty Miller Gets a Delayed, but Inevitable Sendoff

Outside of the Norris clan, “The Crumbs of Hope” winds up pushing many characters to the sidelines. Demi Moore is given her meatiest scenes yet, as Cami Miller talks to Tommy about what she wants for her future and that of her own family. It’s a little bit laughable when Cami talks about wanting to have enough money to be remembered, because as Tommy points out, that’s more about ego than anything else. But the scenes between Moore and Billy Bob Thornton do feel like world-weary conversations between old friends. It’s a shame that their friendship wasn’t able to be explored further throughout the season.

Jon Hamm’s character Monty Miller is dead, but he doesn’t pass until a silent scene late into the finale. He may as well have died at the end of Episode 9, because his wishes are executed once he becomes legally incapacitated. Having the character in surgery off-screen doesn’t add or change much plot-wise. Tommy still has to rally the M-TEX team, and there’s limited screen time for both Rebecca Falcone and Nathan. If the series does get renewed, Colm Feore deserves much more to do as Nathan, because he’s quietly been fabulous all along. The big winner in this group is James Jordan, because Dale gets a hilarious extra scene in which he torments Ryder when Ryder comes to the oil house to see Ainsley. It might be the funniest scene in Landman, period.

Paulina Chavez doesn’t have an awful lot to do in terms of the story, but the scenes of Ariana packing up the last of Elvio’s belongings and reviewing their old photo album are some of the episode’s most poignant. Ultimately, however, the episode belongs to Billy Bob Thornton as Tommy Norris. He’s the thread running through almost everything going on in the episode, and in a way he’s come full circle, as the premiere and the finale both involve scenes of Tommy being held captive by the cartel. Thornton is excellent as Tommy is roughed up (in a sequence that goes on too long) but he remains defiant. He’s vulnerable and in pain that makes the viewer cringe, but he also feels like he’s going to keep going, no matter what. That seems to be the message Sheridan wants to leave Landman’s audience with.

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‘I Don’t Like To Do Impressions’: Landman Star Billy Bob Thornton on His Return to TV

Landman star Billy Bob Thornton talks to CBR about returning to TV in the Paramount+ show – and what the Taylor Sheridan drama is really about.

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What Does the Finale Leave for Landman Season 2?

Episode 10 Provides Plenty of Room for Viewers to Theorize

Landman Season 1, Episode 10 does a lot of looking ahead, but that could mean any number of things. The potential Season 2 could pick up from exactly this spot, with Tommy in charge of closing the farm-out deal and selling M-TEX, but that story is obviously finite. There could be a time jump in which he goes to work for a different oil company, but that would likely require getting rid of half the cast. So what comes next? Sheridan has left almost too many possibilities.

The cartel threat still very much exists, and while it’s not likely to go away permanently, it has to be dealt with somehow or Landman risks repeating itself. Season 2 doesn’t need more scenes of a menacing-looking cartel enforcer threatening Tommy. In fact, the most distracting part of “The Crumbs of Hope” is all those shots from Tommy’s point of view, where the camera is looking out through the hood placed over his head. And with Monty gone, which character fills his role in the show of representing the “upstairs” business issues that Tommy doesn’t deal with? Is that Rebecca, or does Tommy have to shift his way into the white-collar world? Will there be something new for Angela and Ainsley to do, now that they’ve settled into their new lives? And then there’s Cooper and Ariana — not just together, but both characters individually have beautiful stories of pain and recovery.

Cooper Norris (to Ariana): I’ll walk through every memory with you, if you want. Every one.

The one thing that’s absolutely clear is that Landman has earned a second season, based on the strength of its entire cast — and the show’s beating heart. Billy Bob Thornton ought to receive an Emmy Award nomination for his work as Tommy Norris, but he’s not the only standout. The whole main cast has had at least one special moment for each of their characters, and underneath all the violence and the bickering, there’s a touching story about families trying to make their way in the world. Landman is Taylor Sheridan’s best work since Yellowstone, which is why it’s a shame that the finale isn’t on the epic level it deserves to be.

Landman Season 1 is now streaming on Paramount+.

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6

10

Landman Season 1, Episode 10

TV-MA

Drama

Tommy and Cami discuss whether to gamble or play it safe. The cartel makes a move.

Release Date November 17, 2024

Creator(s) Taylor Sheridan , Christian Wallace

Cast Billy Bob Thornton , Ali Larter , Jacob Lofland , Kayla Wallace , Mark Collie , James Jordan , Demi Moore , Jon Hamm , Colm Feore , Robyn Lively , Drake Rodger , Brook Sill , K.C. Clyde , Rosemary Dominguez , Mustafa Speaks , J.R. Villarreal , Octavio Rodriguez , Michael Pena , Emilio Rivera , Alex Meraz , Alejandro Akara

Seasons 1

Where To Watch Paramount Plus

Pros Billy Bob Thornton continues to be wonderful in the role of Tommy Norris. Demi Moore gets more screen time as Cami Miller. The episode does get some story points to a decent place.

Cons Several characters have relatively little screen time. The episode leaves quite a few things unresolved for a potential second season.

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Beyoncé donates $2.5 million to fire relief and Meghan delays show launch due to the disaster

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Weaker winds and intense firefighting efforts over the weekend boosted containment of fires burning in and around Los Angeles, but the effects of the blazes on the entertainment world continue.

Several projects and awards shows have been delayed, with the Producers Guild opting not to announce its nominations Sunday due to ongoing effects of the fire. Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, also announced she would not launch a Netflix lifestyles program until March.

Celebrities and entertainment organizations are pledging millions to help those who have been displaced or lost their homes, with Beyoncé directly millions to help families in the Eaton fire area.

While firefighters over the weekend were able to push the flames away from several populated areas, strong winds are expected to resume this week and last through Wednesday.

Thousands of homes have been destroyed, and 24 people have died as a result of the fires. More are reported missing and officials expect that number to increase.

Here’s more on how the fires are affecting celebrities and the entertainment world.

Beyoncé has contributed $2.5 million to a newly launched LA Fire Relief Fund created by her charitable foundation, BeyGOOD.

The announcement arrived via the BeyGOOD foundation Instagram account on Sunday. “The fund is earmarked to aid families in the Altadena/Pasadena area who lost their homes, and to churches and community centers to address the immediate needs of those affected by the wildfires,” the caption read.

Founded in 2013, the BeyGOOD foundation concentrates on economic equity, by “supporting marginalized and under-resourced programs,” according to its mission statement.

Last week, Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles shared that her Malibu bungalow was destroyed in the Los Angeles-area fires. “It was my favorite place, my sanctuary, my sacred happy place. now it is gone,” she wrote on Instagram. “God Bless all the brave men and women in our fire department who risked their lives in dangerous conditions.”

The Screen Actors Guild announced over the weekend it would commit $1 million to help members affected by the fires. While a lot of attention has been paid to stars who have lost homes, numerous less-famous industry workers have also lost homes or been displaced by the fires.

The Duchess of Sussex has pushed back the release of her new Netflix series due to the wildfires that have ravaged the LA-area.

“With Love, Meghan” was set to debut Wednesday, but the streaming service said Sunday that it supports her request to push the premiere to focus on helping those affected by the fires.

The Duchess was born and raised in Los Angeles and now lives in Montecito, California, with Harry, the Duke of Sussex and their two children.

On Saturday, the royal couple visited Pasadena to hand out food and water to fire victims and thank first responders.

“With Love, Meghan” is a lifestyle program featuring the Duchess chatting with celebrity pals and demonstrating tasks like floral arrangements and baking. “I’ve always loved taking something pretty ordinary and elevating it,” Meghan says in the trailer. The show will now drop March 4.

The publisher Arnold Schoenberg’s works says original manuscripts and scores from the composer were lost in the Los Angeles wild fires.

Belmont Music Publishers, located in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, made the announcement Sunday.

“We have lost our full inventory of sales and rental materials,” the company said in a statement. “We hope that in the near future we will be able to ‘rise from the ashes’ in a completely digital form. … There are some scores and performing materials for which we have digital scans.”

Born in Austria, Schoenberg moved to the U.S. when the Nazis took power and settled in Los Angeles, where he died in 1951.

Music Writer Maria Sherman and Writers Alicia Rancilio and Ron Blum contributed to this report.

‘Landman’ Finale: Billy Bob Thornton on That Jerry Jones Cameo and Why Tommy’s New Reality After That Violent Ending Goes ‘Against His Nature’

‘Landman’ Finale: Billy Bob Thornton on That Jerry Jones Cameo and Why Tommy’s New Reality After That Violent Ending Goes ‘Against His Nature’

Hunter Ingram

January 12, 2025 at 9:00 PM

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers from “The Crumbs of Hope,” the Season 1 finale of “Landman,” now streaming on Paramount+

If the beginning and end of Season 1 of Paramount+’s “Landman” is any indication, co-creator and writer Taylor Sheridan may have it out for star Billy Bob Thornton.

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“I think Taylor is trying to kill me,” Thornton tells Variety. “He had me beat up at the beginning and beat up at the end. At least he let me throw a few punches myself there in the middle.”

He’s joking, of course. There is no “Landman” without Tommy Norris, Thornton’s no-nonsense land rights agent and operations manager for the M-Tex oil company. But that doesn’t mean Sheridan, who wrote all 10 episodes of Season 1, didn’t put his hero through the wringer.

In the finale, Norris is informed that his boss and close friend Monty (Jon Hamm) is not likely to recover from his massive heart attack in last week’s episode, and among his final wishes is for Tommy to be promoted to president of M-Tex and be the executor of his estate, the second of which he immediately vows to fulfill alongside Monty’s wife, Cami (Demi Moore). The monumental shift in Tommy’s world is sidelined, however, when he is kidnapped minutes later by Jimenez (Alex Meraz), the local drug cartel leader who has been threatening M-Tex’s drilling sites all season. Of course, this is an unsurprising turn of events, considering that Tommy brought in the military to “execute training drills on the oil fields,” a.k.a. scare off the cartel’s drug trades. Unfortunately, one of those drills inadvertently bombed one of those said trades, and killed some of Jimenez’s men.

Tortured within a few inches of his life with hammers, nails and gasoline in the backroom of a club, Tommy’s fate is looking grim when Jimenez and his men are executed by their boss, Galino, played by Andy Garcia. The tense scene, during which Galino all but demands a resistant Tommy be his partner rather than his adversary, is the first time Thornton says he has ever shared the screen with his long-time friend, Garcia.

“Andy is such a great guy and great actor, and when we did those scenes at the end of the last episode, it felt so good, because we kind of had us two old veterans going head to head,” Thornton says. “It was quite an experience, and I have to say every moment of it felt real. Tommy’s dealing with someone now who is really smart. The other guys were hired to work for him, but now Tommy’s talking to the man himself. There are advantages and disadvantages to that. Since he is so smart, who knows what Tommy is going to get tricked into?”

In the season’s final moments, Tommy is sent home with at least one new nail wound in his leg — and a much bigger problem on his hands. Series co-creator Christian Wallace, who was behind the podcast “Boomtown” on which the show is based, calls this new partnership “a blessing and a curse” for Tommy moving forward. (Paramount+ hasn’t officially ordered a second season.)

“The cartel and the oil industry are kind of these odd neighbors living side by side in West Texas,” Wallace says. “Now Andy’s character is thinking he is going to make a change and utilize that proximity in a way that could benefit him.”

Thornton sums the threat up succinctly: “What’s the saying? Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Tommy figures if he semi-befriends this guy, maybe they can actually work this out, because it is going to happen one way or another.”

While Garcia’s appearance gave the finale some surprise starpower, the series is still making headlines for last week’s unexpected cameo from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who delivered a lengthy monologue at Monty’s hospital bedside that has since gone viral. Wallace confirms the scene was unscripted, and happened because of Sheridan’s long-standing friendship with Jones.

“Taylor just kind of said, ‘We are going to let Jerry Jones do his thing and tell this incredible story from his own life,’” Wallace says. “And I think everyone on set that day was floored by how genuine and vulnerable he was when he delivered it. It was a pretty powerful moment.”

Thornton had a front-row seat to Jones’ one-and-done monologue, as Tommy enters the scene and simply sits to the side while Jones tells of his own intertwined history of family, football and oil.

“Jerry Jones is an Arkansan like me originally, and we had never met,” he says. “I only met him that morning, and we just went right into it. Essentially, he was telling his own life story, and so it was completely natural. And it was pretty heavy being in the room listening to that. It made you feel like you weren’t in a scene in a [TV show.] It made you feel like you were just sitting there listening to a guy tell his story.”

While Jones’ speech was inspiring, it came too late for Hamm’s Monty, whose intubated body Cami and their daughters are seen crying over in the final moments of the season finale. “It is safe to say that Monty has passed,” Wallace says. “But when you take one major player off the board, it opens up opportunities for other players — and I think that’s all I’m at liberty to say at this point.”

Killing off Hamm’s character isn’t just strategic for the ascension of Tommy, but also maybe for Cami. High off her Golden Globes win for “The Substance,” and a current frontrunner to be nominated for an Oscar, Wallace says they are thrilled to have Moore in the cast and plan to keep her around should the show continue. “There is a lot more story left to tell with Cami,” he says. “Taylor has big plans, that’s all I’m going to say.”

Anyone worried that Tommy’s promotion might mean less time in the oil fields and more time in boardrooms can holster such concerns though — at least if Thornton has anything to say about it. While he doesn’t know what Sheridan and Wallace might cook up for a second season, he expects Tommy will seize the reins of M-Tex on his own terms.

“Tommy would much rather be out there doing what he’s been doing, but unfortunately, under these circumstances, it’s the right thing to do,” Thornton says. “Tommy knows he can be helpful. But he also certainly never wanted to be some type of executive person — it’s against his nature. So I don’t think that Tommy is going to stop being a landman. I don’t know this for a fact, but I know the character — and I know I sure wouldn’t stop.”

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Lucy Liu opens up about Bill Murray clash on Charlie’s Angels set

Lucy Liu has reflected on her on-set clash with Charlie’s Angels co-star Bill Murray, which took place during the filming of the 2000 action movie.

The actor, 56, appeared alongside Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore in the film reboot of the hit Seventies show about a trio of female crime fighters. Murray, 74, played John Bosley, assistant to the mysterious agency boss Charlie.

During a 2021 interview with the Asian Enough podcast, Liu said that the Groundhog Day star had “hurl[ed] insults” at her during a rehearsal of a recently rewritten scene, and claimed that he used language that “was inexcusable and unacceptable”.

In response, Liu said that she “was not going to just sit there and take it. So yes, I stood up for myself, and I don’t regret it”.

In a new interview with The Guardian, the Kill Bill star revealed that her response to Murray’s alleged comments was “an innate thing to do” in response to “injustice”.

“I really didn’t think about it,” she told the newspaper. “I would have done that in any situation. I think when I sense something is not right, I am going to protect myself.

“It’s an innate thing to do if you feel there’s injustice, and I always feel that way.”

She added that her career “would have been a much easier road” if she had been prepared to stay quiet.

Murray did not return to the franchise for the 2003 sequel Full Throttle, prompting Bernie Mac to join the cast as Bosley’s adoptive brother.

The Lost in Translation star has not directly addressed Liu’s comments, but in a 2009 interview with The Sunday Times he appeared to comment upon their feud, telling the paper: “Look, I will dismiss you completely if you are unprofessional and working with me […] When our relationship is professional, and you’re not getting that done, forget it.”

Their Charlie’s Angels co-star Barrymore stood by Liu following her 2021 interview.

“Comedians can be a little dark sometimes, and he just came in in a bad mood,” she said on her eponymous talk show. “What you have to know is how much Lucy stood up for herself and that was the great thing that came out of an unfortunate circumstance.

“She literally said, ‘I do not accept that kind of behaviour from you.’ And we all supported her and backed her up and we moved forward.”

Liu, meanwhile, has previously said that she has since rebuilt her relationship with Murray. “I have nothing against Bill Murray at all,” she told the Asian Enough podcast. “I’ve seen him since then at an SNL reunion, and he came up to me and was perfectly nice. But I’m not going to sit there and be attacked.”

Spencer Pratt defends Mandy Moore amid LA fires GoFundMe backlash:…

Spencer Pratt rushed to social media in support of Mandy Moore after she was hit with backlash for sharing a GoFundMe for her family members who were affected by the Los Angeles fires.

Taking to social media, Pratt — whose entire home was burned down in the Palisades fire — sprung into action to defend the “This Is Us” star in the wake of controversy.

“Let me tell you about Mandy Moore. Mandy Moore, when I was younger, shout-out Mandy Moore. She booked my hotel for me because she was such a nice friend,” the “Hills” alum, 41, said in a TikTok video.

“Just as a friend, she booked my hotel in New York — I had never been to New York. I feel like she even booked my flight because I was so much fun to be around. Mandy Moore, I will ride for Mandy Moore.”

“If I see one more TikTok about Mandy Moore and GoFundMe’s, I’m going to start coming after you guys,” he went on, adding that he “will ride” for the actress.

Moore, who herself clapped back at critics last week, was labeled “the nicest freaking lady ever” by Pratt, who insisted that she has been nice “since 2004.”

“If you’re nice in 2004, you’re still nice in 2025. I’m talking so nice. So don’t you dare come for Mandy Moore,” he said.

“Maybe delete your content about Mandy Moore because Mandy Moore is a real one. She’s a great human. She’s not doing anything out of pocket — she’s posting GoFundMe’s, that’s great. She doesn’t have to pay for whoever.”

“She’s got her own life, probably her own kids, so don’t you come for Mandy Moore,” he added.

After Moore shared that she had to evacuate with her husband, Taylor Goldsmith, and their three children, sons August, 3, and Oscar, 2, and daughter Louise, 3 months, the singer gave an update on their house on Thursday.

“We were able to park and walk up our street to bear witness to all the loss. Miraculously, the main part of our house is still standing. For now. It’s not livable but mostly intact. We lost Taylor and griffin’s studio with every instrument and piece of equipment they’ve ever owned,” she wrote on Instagram.

“We lost our garage and back house. Everyone we know lost everything. Every house on our street is gone. My in laws.”

Moore added that her brother and sister-in-law lost their home just six weeks after welcoming their first child.

“Feeling weird survivors guilt. We love this community and will do everything we can to help rebuild and support. Thanks for everyone for checking on us and offering us help. Altadena strong,” she added.

Animator Sues Disney Over Alleged Moana 2 Copyright Infringement

Moana 2 has been a pretty big hit for Disney, with earnings of $989.8 million at the global box office so far. However, a dark cloud has been cast over the franchise as the studio has been accused of copyright infringement.

Animator Buck Woodall filed a lawsuit against Disney on Jan. 10, claiming that both Moana films were copied from his screenplay without his consent. Per Entertainment Weekly, the legal filing alleges that “former Mandeville Films development director Jenny Marchick violated his copyright by secretly passing to Disney materials he produced confidentially for her two decades ago.”

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Although the filing includes several claims about 2016’s Moana, it mostly focuses on the sequel. The lawsuit describes Disney as a “fraudulent enterprise that encompassed the theft, misappropriation, and extensive exploitation of Woodall’s copyrighted materials.” The document also claims that between 2003 and 2008, the animator gave Marchick “extremely large quantities of intellectual property and trade secrets” about a project called “Bucky” or “Bucky the Wave Warrior.”

The material included a screenplay, character illustrations, budgets, a fully animated concept trailer, storyboards, and background image references. Woodall also points out that he secured copyright protection for his work in 2004, with an update in 2014. Although “Bucky” was never developed, Woodall alleges that Marchick shared his work with Disney by taking advantage of legal loopholes within the “tapestry of confusion” that defines Disney’s complex corporate structure.

Woodall Is Claiming Damages

As a result, Woodall claims that “Bucky” was eventually turned into Moana and served as the foundation for Moana 2. The lawsuit also lists several similarities between Woodall’s script and both Moana movies. Like “Bucky,” the first film tells the story of a teenager traveling across Polynesian waters in an outrigger canoe to save their homeland. The story features Polynesian traditions, like spiritual ancestors appearing as animal guides, along with a symbolic necklace, star-based navigation, and more.

There are also several similarities between Woodall’s work and Moana 2 such as a curse that needs breaking, a whirlpool that is actually a portal, and a run-in with the Kakamora warrior tribe. Despite Woodall claiming that Disney failed to provide requested documents, the studio had furnished the court with Moana story ideas, various drafts of the screenplay, along with notes, research and more. Woodall is currently seeking damages of $10 billion and a court order confirming his copyright.

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“Moana 2 reunites Moana (Auli’i Cravalho) and Maui (Dwayne Johnson) for an expansive new voyage alongside a crew of unlikely seafarers,” the official synopsis reads. “After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.” The voice cast also includes Awhimai Fraser, Temeura Morrison, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudy, and Rachel House as Tala.

Director Dana Ledoux Miller recently talked about the film’s success and hinted at future installments. “I think that the fact that so many people have come out to see this movie means that there’s a lot of love for Moana,” the filmmaker said. “In a year and a half I have another film coming out, it’s the live-action Moana, so there’s a lot of Moana love to go around. And who knows what else is next.”

Moana 2 is currently playing in theaters worldwide.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

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Moana 2

Moana returns to the open seas on a new adventure that takes her far beyond the horizon. Facing new challenges and meeting unfamiliar allies, she seeks to restore balance to her island after discovering an ancient threat. Alongside her loyal friends and the demigod Maui, Moana must navigate treacherous waters and mystical realms.