Stephen Colbert may be on his way out at CBS, but he already snagged a new gig . . . writing a “Lord of the Rings” movie. The movie will come AFTER the one that’s in development now, which is “The Hunt for Gollum”, which isn’t even due out until December of 2027. Colbert’s movie is called “The Lord of the Rings: Shadow of the Past”, and it covers six chapters from the book “The Fellowship of the Ring” that were NOT included in that movie.
Savannah Guthrie sat for an interview with Hoda Kotb, and it aired on the “Today” show today and part 2 is tomorrow. In a preview clip that aired yesterday, she said, quote, “Someone needs to do the right thing. We are in agony. We are in agony. It is unbearable. “And to think of what she went through. I wake up every night in the middle of the night, every night . . . she needs to come home now.” After the clip aired, Hoda said, quote, “There is a desperation and also a steeliness about Savannah. She is hoping that somebody, whoever this person is, will see something and say something.” (Check out the clip here.)
Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” logs a fourth week at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. So you know what that means? She officially breaks Taylor Swift’s (very specific) record. “Choosin’ Texas” now has the most weeks ever spent at #1 on the Hot 100 for a song by a woman that also hit #1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Ella Langley thinks the songs on her upcoming second album, “Dandelion”, will relate to fans in a way that her music hasn’t before. She says the songwriting is like Fleetwood Mac, because fans can listen to it casually or look deeper into the lyrics. If you dig through Stevie Nicks’ lyrics and Lindsey Buckingham’s lyrics, you’re like, ‘Woah’…so she thinks her album will be like that. “Dandelion” comes out April 10th. (You can watch the interview clip here.)
In case you forgot, Lainey Wilson was a “Hannah Montana” impersonator for five years when she was in 8th grade to 12th grade. She reminisced on those days while at the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special” premiere this week. Quote, “I can’t believe it’s been 20 years. Let’s not do the math . . . I did get a chance to tell Miley, I was like, ‘We were both Hannah Montana. My Hannah looked a lot different than yours. No Malibu mansions, “But Hannah was a big part of my life.'” Lainey became an impersonator when her 8th grade teacher needed someone to dress up as Hannah for her daughter’s birthday. Lainey says she took it a step “too far” and got a karaoke track, the wig, and a portable sound system. Quote, “I put on my first Hannah Montana show, and it spread like wildfire. I would do three or four birthday parties a weekend.” (You can watch the interview clip here.)
TMZ says Rihanna’s house shooting suspect pleaded not guilty when she appeared in court yesterday. Florida resident Ivanna Lisette Ortiz was charged with attempted murder after firing multiple rounds into the singer’s Los Angeles home. She could face life in prison if convicted.
BroBible says Tom Brady is now allegedly in talks with the WWE to face Logan Paul at WrestleMania. The talks started after Brady’s jab at wrestling being scripted. A source says, “There is no deal yet, but talks are ongoing with WWE for a WrestleMania appearance.”
The Daily Mail says Shaquille O’Neal is denying sending Sabrina Carpenter tasteless Instagram messages. A screenshot recently went viral showing Shaq allegedly trying his luck with the star via a direct message. The message was so vile that Sabrina responded, “I know who you are; you’re way too famous to be sending me messages like that.” Shaq laughed off the controversy and said, “I got way more game than that.”
Radar Online says Britney Spears’ friends are steering her into more trouble. A source says, “The crew Britney is surrounding herself with right now is incredibly shady. A lot of these guys have criminal histories. Apparently, there are known drug dealers in the mix and other types that want to make a buck off her. These are exactly the type of characters her family always feared would take advantage of her and drag her back to rock bottom. It’s plain as day that she’s being exploited and manipulated, but it’s not as simple as just showing up and removing them because the situation has become intimidating. These are dangerous people.’’
The Star says Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin are allegedly at odds over their daughter Apple’s career. Gwyneth supports her acting career while Chris is worried about the pressure on her. A source says, “He’s extremely protective and worries what the entertainment industry does to people. He’s worried about the pressure and excess. It can take people down a very bad path. He’d prefer Apple take things slowly, but Gwyneth is very excited to help her make her dreams come true. Apple is “headstrong” like her mom. Chris is going to have to get onboard or be left in the dust!”
TMZ says Taylor Frankie Paul will receive her full ‘Bachelorette’ salary despite the series being pulled. TMZ says the amount is in the low-to-mid six figures. The season was shelved after TMZ posted a video of Taylor’s 2023 domestic violence brawl.
Naughty But Nice says Miley Cyrus allegedly invited her father Billy Ray Cyrus to the premiere of the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special, but not his girlfriend actress Elizabeth Hurley. A source says, “Miley wants a relationship with her dad. But her mom comes first. That’s not negotiable. She has nothing against Elizabeth. But this wasn’t the moment for a blended-family debut. This was her mom’s night. Her mom gave her all this. And Miley was fiercely protective of that. He said, ‘If Elizabeth’s not invited, I’m not coming’. For him, it was a package deal. He wasn’t going to separate his personal life to make anyone else comfortable. He felt standing by Elizabeth mattered more.”
Chris Janson tells CountryNow.com that he loves going fishing with his son. “I love taking him out on the boat. We don’t fish for anything in particular. We just go out, cast the lines, and talk about whatever.”
Lainey Wilson tells Extra that being a Hannah Montana impersonator taught her a lot. “It taught me a lot. It taught me that if I really wanted to do this thing that I was going to have to go get it myself and nobody was going to do it for me. My eighth-grade teacher needed somebody to dress up like Hannah Montana and come to her little girl’s birthday party. And I went, I bought the wig — and I already had the portable sound system — and I dressed up as Hannah Montana. I impersonated her for five years from eighth grade to 12th grade. I did three or four parties a weekend.”
Riley Green tells People magazine that he grew up surrounded by a bunch of different musical genres. “My sister Casey was a big Tim McGraw and Kenny Chesney fan, my sister Lindy liked Sublime and Weezer, my mom loved The Mama And The Papas and my Dad liked Lynyrd Skynyrd. I guess I was influenced mostly by whoever was driving me to school – I was all over the place.”
Jordan Davis tells Billboard magazine that he has fond memories of his father driving him and his siblings to school. “ I still remember my dad and his old Suburban. Me, my brother Jacob and my sister fighting in the backseat and that was his go-to line: ‘Don’t make me turn this truck around!’He would say that while taking us to school and we would joke that we need to keep fighting because we didn’t want to go to school.”
Ty Myers was doing an interview for a recent edition of The Los Angeles Times newspaper when he said he never thinks about people swooning for him when he’s on stage. “Obviously, when I’m onstage doing the flirtatious stuff and it gets a reaction — that’s all part of it. And I love clothes — style definitely plays into it too. But that’s never been at the forefront of my mind.”
Whiskey Riff says Darius Rucker recently became a NASCAR Cup Series team owner. He is now an investor and owner in the Legacy Motor Club. Legacy Motor Club competes in the Cup Series.
The Sports Business Journal says the Zac Brown Band will perform NBC’s Sunday Night Baseball show open. The new open debuts on April 12th before the Guardians-Braves game on NBC and Peacock
Naughty But Nice says “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson’s recent brawl with his neighbor falls in line with his history of being intense. A source says, “This isn’t out of character. If anything, it’s been a long time coming. He’s very alpha. And backing down? Not really in his vocabulary. He doesn’t believe he crossed a line… he thinks he won.”
Radar Online says “Reacher” star Alan Ritchson could face a civil lawsuit because of his fight with his Brentwood, Tennessee neighbor. The Brentwood police say the star acted in self-defense when Ronnie Taylor confronted him about his motorcycle riding. Taylor claims Ritchson drove dangerously before the clash. Taylor’s potential lawsuit could seek cash for medical bills and pain. Ritchson posted; “In an effort to avoid hitting him, I was forced to stop so hard my bike flipped over, landing on me. I pushed him to the ground to create distance between us and safety for myself and my kids. I could smell alcohol heavy on his breath. As I was attempting to leave peacefully, he put himself in front of my bike again. I revived the engine as if to ask him to step aside, and he, with both hands, shoved me so hard that both, myself, and my bike fell completely to the ground. I completely now feared for both my and my kids’ safety, having been aggressively stopped twice and assaulted by this out-of-control individual. He was the aggressor. I was forced to defend myself. This is the first time in my life I have had to protect myself with force.”
