Today in Entertainment: Beyoncé and Jay Z appear to have named their twins; Comic-Con will stay in San Diego through 2021

(Jennifer S. Altman / For The Times)

Actor James Cromwell has been sentenced to a week in a New York jail in lieu of a fine for obstructing traffic during a 2015 sit-in protesting construction of a natural gas-fired power plant in New York state.

The “Babe” and “L.A. Confidential” star, a longtime activist, was arrested in Wawayanda, N.Y., on Dec. 18, 2015, with five others who dubbed themselves the “Wawayanda Six,” according to the Times Herald-Record of Middletown, N.Y.

After being found guilty of disorderly conduct earlier this year and each being fined $250 plus a $125 surcharge, half the members of the group paid up before the Thursday deadline while the other three — including Cromwell — refused, the Times Herald-Record reported.

On Thursday, the three who didn’t pay got seven days in jail, though their attorney requested time to appeal, and the judge suspended the sentences until July 15, the paper said.

The 77-year-old “Young Pope” actor made up his mind a while ago not to pay, telling the paper on June 7, “I will not pay this fine. I will go to jail, and I will appeal.”

The six were part of a larger group protesting the CPV power plant, which they believe will be harmful to the environment; CPV disagrees with those assertions.

“I’m not a scientist, I’m merely a concerned citizen,” Cromwell told People about two weeks before his arrest, after being ejected from a celebration of local businesses in upstate New York, which he interrupted when he reportedly stood up and spoke out loudly against the plant.

“I’m concerned about this community and concerned about maintaining the quality of life for everyone here and not just for those people who make a profit out of ripping things out of the ground,” he continued.

Construction has proceeded, and the plant is scheduled to go online in February 2018.

After three seasons, “The Carmichael Show” is ending its run.

The series, co-created and starring comedian Jerrod Carmichael, will air its series finale in August.

“For three seasons (okay 2.5), I got to make a show that I love with my friends. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was 13,” Carmichael said in a statement obtained by The Times. “Now, I’m excited to go make other things that I love. Thank you to every person who worked on or watched the Carmichael show.”

The NBC sitcom, which also starred Loretta Devine, David Alan Grier, and Amber Stevens West, is currently in its third season, where it’s been averaging 3.7 million viewers.

The series has drawn praise from critics for the way in which it tackles topical issues through the unfiltered conversations among family members. This season, the show aired an unedited episode with the N-word.

The show’s relatively small viewership had placed its fate into question before. Its third season renewal came at the 11th hour, after NBC had already unveiled its 2016-17 schedule. And considering that the show is not owned by NBC (it’s produced by 20th Century Fox Television), low ratings make a harder case for continuation.

A joint statement from 20th Century Fox Television presidents Jonnie Davis and Howard Kurtzman praised the show’s socially conscious approach.

“It’s a rarity that a comedy series tackles the social and political issues of the day in such a clever and hilariously funny way. This show was special, and we will miss it.”

That unabashed approach sometimes fueled Carmichael’s tension with NBC. Recently, he spoke out about the network’s decision to pull an episode about a mass shooting that was slated to air the day of the congressional baseball practice shooting that left multiple people injured.

In a joint statement, NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt and NBC entertainment president, Jennifer Salke, thanked Carmichael for the show’s run.

“We are enormously proud of The Carmichael Show and Jerrod’s talent and vision to do a classic family sitcom that also taps into issues and relevant stories from the real world.”

(Jeff Daly / Associated Press)

Beyoncé and Jay Z appear to have named their twins — or at least the company that trademarked Blue Ivy Carter’s name has applied to trademark “Rumi Carter” and “Sir Carter,” so that’s a pretty big clue.

The applications were filed Monday on behalf of BGK Trademark Holdings and, according to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office database, are still being reviewed. They seek to identify Rumi Carter and Sir Carter in connection with a host of items including recordings of musical performances, books, flags, sports gear, clothing, hair accessories, beauty products such as cosmetics and fragrances, entertainment services and, of course, baby products.

Plus key chains and mugs. Never forget the key chains and mugs.

Maybe-Rumi and Maybe-Sir were born in mid-June, maybe on the 17th.

Beyoncé and Jay Z — the latter of whom dropped a revealing new album at midnight Friday — applied to trademark their first child’s name in early 2012, shortly after Blue Ivy was born. However, later that year they wound up splitting rights with a Boston wedding planner who had been using the name for her business since 2009.

TMZ first reported the news about the potential baby names.

Philip Brown (dressed as “Aladdin” villain Jafar) rides the escalator inside the San Diego Convention Center at Comic-Con 2016.

(Harrison Hill / Los Angeles Times)

Despite much speculation and worry about the future location of Comic-Con International — the comic book, television, movie and pop culture extravaganza — the convention will remain in San Diego for at least four more years, it was announced Friday.

As the popularity of the cosplayers’ paradise expands, so do the crowds. Last year the event, which kicked off in 1970 San Diego with 145 guests, attracted more than 135,000 attendees.

The spectacular growth rate has elicited interest from other cities looking to cash in on the lucrative possibility of hosting the five-day affair. (Both Los Angeles and Anaheim were courting the relocation at one time.)

And with the 2018 end date of Comic-Con’s agreement to stay in San Diego looming, fans were eager to find out where the nerve center of all things nerd media would be moving to.

But for now, the (near) future of geek culture has been settled. San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer announced that Comic-Con will remain in the city it originated in through 2021.

“San Diegans can be excited to know that Comic-Con will continue to pump millions of dollars into our economy to support local jobs, street repair and neighborhood services,” Faulconer said in a press release Friday. “It is more important than ever that we continue to push to expand the convention center so we can ensure Comic-Con and other large conventions continue to stay in San Diego for years to come.”

Comic-Con spokesman David Glanzer mentioned the lengthy discussions that led to the agreement.

“While it did take more than a year in negotiations, we are pleased with this outcome,” said Glanzer in the same release. “We are grateful for the leadership of Mayor Faulconer and the hard work of those at the San Diego Tourism Authority who were instrumental in securing this agreement.”

The Times will have full coverage of the 2017 convention leading up to its July 19 kickoff.

A new slate of artists has been added to KCON, the K-Pop (otherwise known as Korean pop) and South Korean culture expo in Los Angeles.

Cosmic Girls, Heize and Seventeen will join an already-packed lineup from across the K-Pop world. They join mainstays Vixx, Astro, Girls’ Day, NCT 127 and SF9.

Cosmic Girls is a Korean-Chinese mixed group that released its debut full-length album this month. Heize is a South Korean rapper with a pair of promising mini-albums to her name. Seventeen is a boy band whose EP “Carat” made major waves stateside, followed by well-received EPs and a full-length album, “Love & Letter.”

The concert takes place Aug. 18-20 at Staples Center and draws close to 120,000 fans.

It’s “Feud: Olivia and FX.”

On the eve of her 101st birthday, two-time Oscar winner Olivia de Havilland has announced she is suing FX and producer Ryan Murphy over the unauthorized use of her identity in “Feud: Bette and Joan,” according to a statement released Friday morning.

The miniseries about the longtime rivalry between actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford featured Catherine Zeta-Jones as de Havilland — the “Gone With the Wind” star who was a confidant of Davis’ and a commentator throughout the eight-episode show.

De Havilland, who resides in France and turns 101 on Saturday, filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against FX Networks, LLC and Ryan Murphy Productions “based on the unauthorized commercial use of Dame Olivia’s name and identity in the FX hit series,” according to her attorneys, Suzelle M. Smith and Don Howarth of Howarth & Smith, noting that all the other real-life players who are featured in the series are dead.

Speaking on a panel at the Television Critics Assn.’s winter press tour, Zeta-Jones was asked whether she had ever met de Havilland.

“No, I didn’t, unfortunately. I was going to try and get to see her. I was in the south of France this last summer. Then, unfortunately, there was the horrible tragedy that happened there in Nice, so I didn’t get the chance to,” Zeta-Jones said in January.

“Miss de Havilland was not asked by FX for permission to use her name and identity and was not compensated for such use,” her attorneys said in a statement to The Times. “Further, the FX series puts words in the mouth of Miss de Havilland which are inaccurate and contrary to the reputation she has built over an 80-year professional life, specifically refusing to engage in gossip mongering about other actors in order to generate media attention for herself.”

The suit accuses FX and its partners of appropriating de Havilland’s name and identity and placing her in “a false light to sensationalize the series and to promote their own businesses” while ignoring her interests entirely.

(Damon Winter / Los Angeles Times)

“A living celebrity has the right to protect her name and identity from unauthorized, false, commercial exploitation under both common law and the specific ‘right to publicity’ statute in California,” Smith said, asserting that, “FX was wrong to ignore Miss de Havilland and proceed without her permission for its own profit.”

Her team plans to file a motion seeking an expedited trial date because of de Havilland’s age.

De Havilland is no stranger to legal proceedings. In 1943, she filed a landmark lawsuit against Warner Bros. that resulted in the collapse of the binding long-term contract system and put the de Havilland Law on the books.

FX declined to comment on the lawsuit and Murphy’s team did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment Friday.

Update, 11:45 a.m.: This story has been updated to include FX’s response.

“Hawaii Five-0” is losing two of its main players.

Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park will not be returning for the eighth season of the CBS procedural.

The network did not reveal what led to their exits but said fans will get an update on the characters in the Sept. 29 season premiere.

“Daniel has been an instrumental part of the success of ‘Hawaii Five-0’ over the past 7 seasons and it has personally been a privilege to know him,” executive producer Peter Lenkov said in a statement. “Grace’s presence gave ‘Hawaii Five-0’ a beauty and serenity to each episode. She was the consummate collaborator, helping build her character from day 1. They will always be ohana to us, we will miss them and we wish them both all the best.”

Kim and Park have been with the reboot since its inception, playing cousins Chin Ho Kelly and Kono Kalakaua, respectively.

While actor departures are nothing new to television, the exits of Kim and Park has an added layer of significance given the criticism of CBS in recent years for its poor showing of diversity in starring roles across its prime-time lineup.

Pop diva Mariah Carey was supposed to make a cameo in Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler’s new comedy “The House,” but it never happened and it seems that Carey’s comportment was to blame.

According to the comedian, a star and producer on the film, Carey showed up four hours late to start shooting, and when she arrived, she had a few notes for the writers.

“Well, one script note was like, ‘I don’t want to do this scene,’ even though it was totally approved ahead of time,” Ferrell told “Watch What Happens Live!” host Andy Cohen on Thursday night.

In the film, Ferrell and Poehler play a couple who lose their daughter’s college fund and launch an illegal gambling operation in their basement. It’s unclear what Carey’s role would have been, but from the sound of it, she was supposed to play herself.

She was also supposed to sing one of her songs but changed her mind about it midstream “and it became quite a kerfuffle,” Ferrell added because they had already cleared the first song for use.

The “Vision of Love” singer also demanded that stuffed lambs be placed in her trailer, so she could give them to her fans, which she calls “Lambies.”

After several hours on set and quite the rigmarole, Carey’s guest appearance was nixed.

“I don’t remember [how long it took to determine] because at 11 p.m. there was a knock on my trailer door and they said, ‘You can go home,” Ferrell said. “I got in my car and left everyone on set and [the scene] didn’t happen.”

They have apologized, but Kylie and Kendall Jenner are still feeling the heat from the Internet firestorm they sparked after the release of their controversial line of vintage T-shirts.

The apparel in question, since pulled from the Jenners’ Kendall + Kylie online store, featured images of the young women overlaid on classic music T-shirts. The upcycled clothing included shirts showing Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Tupac Shakur and more — and were selling for $125 apiece.

Though the Jenners issued an apology Thursday afternoon stating they didn’t mean to be disrespectful, criticism continued to pour in from music fans and notably from family members of the artists in question.

Sharon and Kelly Osbourne, wife and daughter of Ozzy Osbourne, respectively, both weighed in on the debacle, with Sharon advising Kylie and Kendall to “stick to what you know ... lip gloss” and Kelly going a more obscene route.

Though her father’s image wasn’t included among the repurposed shirts, Paris Jackson, daughter of Michael Jackson, emphasized how music legends should be respected, not defaced. She arguably summed up the controversy best with the hashtag #bandsnotbrands.

But for all the criticisms, the Jenners should perhaps be most troubled by the complaints of Voletta Wallace, mother of the late Notorious B.I.G.

Wallace posted to Instagram on Thursday about how her son’s estate was never contacted and had not authorized the use of Biggie’s likeness.

Even though the shirts are no longer for sale, the Wallace estate told People, “While we appreciate that the Jenners have made an apology and pulled the unlawful and unauthorized items, this matter has yet to be resolved,” perhaps raising the specter that the estate will take legal action.

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

“The Big Bang Theory’s” Johnny Galecki had much love for the firefighters who snuffed out the blaze that destroyed his Santa Margarita home.

The TV star, who plays Dr. Leonard Hofstadter on the CBS sitcom, returned to San Luis Obispo County where his sprawling getaway once stood and shared an image of himself hugging a firefighter, thanking him for his service.

“Thank you to the brothers and sisters of @calfire It is the profound risks that you accept and the sacrifices you and your families make that keep us safe,” Galecki wrote on Instagram. “Thanks also to the many of you who have reached out in support. It is far from lost on us here. #muchlove #movingforwardstronger”

Galecki, 42, was not home when the Hill fire engulfed the hideaway on Monday.

“My heart goes out to all in the area who are also experiencing loss from this vicious fire, the threat of which we live with constantly, which may seem crazy to some but we do so because living in our beautiful, rural area makes it worthwhile,” the “Roseanne” alum said in a statement to TMZ.

“It’s never the structures that create a community — it’s the people. And if the people of Santa Margarita have taught me anything, it’s that, once the smoke has cleared, literally and figuratively, it’s a time to reach out and rebuild. We’ve done it before, and will need to do it together again, and it will make our community even closer and stronger.”

The blaze, one of many burning in Southern California, is 95% contained, and crews continued work on containment and hot spots Friday, Cal Fire SLO said. Four homes, including Galecki’s, were burned in the wildfire, which ignited around 3:30 p.m. Monday and consumed nearly 1,600 acres.

While the rest of the media were obsessing over the president’s Twitter attack on “Morning Joe” co-host Mika Brzezinski, on Thursday’s “Late Night” Seth Meyers decided to focus on policy. In his latest “A Closer Look” segment, he argued that Trump barely understands the widely disliked healthcare bill he’s attempting to push through Congress.

The host suggested that Trump, who held a re-election fundraiser this week in Washington, “loves running for president, but he hates being president,” a job that’s difficult and relatively tedious compared to the campaign trail.

As evidence, Meyers pointed to Trump’s reported lack of interest in or understanding of the embattled Republican healthcare bill, which failed to move forward for a Senate vote this week following a damaging assessment from the Congressional Budget Office.

Calling it “one of the most unpopular pieces of legislation in history,” Meyers noted that its 12% support in one recent survey was like an iPhone running low on battery in a horror movie. “It’s going to hit zero, and everyone is going to die.”

Meyers blamed some of the bill’s unpopularity on Trump, who in his estimation “has never been able to articulate a convincing case for it” and speaks about it in “the vaguest terms possible.”

The comedian likened Trump’s comments on Wednesday (he promised “a great, great form of healthcare” that will “take care of people finally for the right reasons and also at the right cost”) to a high school student who not only hadn’t read the assigned book — but didn’t even have the book or know how to read.

Citing news reports about Trump’s allegedly tenuous grasp on the details of the bill, Meyers compared the president’s attempt to negotiate complex legislation to “playing ‘Call of Duty’ with your grandmother.”

Meyers was a bit more confident, describing the GOP healthcare bill as “cruel and vicious, which shouldn’t be surprising because it’s coming from a president who’s cruel and vicious.”

And yes, Meyers did eventually get around to Trump’s latest shocking comment regarding women and blood — a bizarre and widely condemned tweet in which he claimed “low I.Q. crazy Mika” was “bleeding badly” from a face-lift during a visit to Mar-a-Lago around New Year’s Eve.

Meyers joked that perhaps the president had gone off his meds. How else to explain Twitter tirades that have “gone from confusing to ‘Mommy, why is the man on the subway yelling so loud and where are his underpants?’”

(Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Fantasia is in control, and finally happy: ‘I’m the definition of strength’

(Larry Busacca / Getty Images)

Good news, Annie Lennox! An L.A. radio station suspects you might have “potential”!

“I think I’m in with a chance ??!!!,” the four-time Grammy Award winner and 15-time nominee said Thursday on Facebook, where she posted a letter she’d received from a new music coordinator at a station claiming “over 100,000 unique listeners each month.”

“I came across your music on line and really like what I heard!,” said the coordinator, who signed her name only as Kylie.

“I find artists who I think have potential and get them in rotation on our station,” Kylie told the singer, who in the U.S. has had a gold and two double-platinum albums in the U.S. as a solo artist and three gold and three platinum albums, and one double-platinum album, as a member of Eurythmics.

“If you’d like, please send over the MP3 for your latest single. I’ll forward it to Glenn our program director here at [redacted] to see if he’s interested in putting it in rotation.”

Maybe Lennox could submit a Eurythmics single, like “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),” which went gold in the U.S., hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Or the more obscure “Would I Lie to You?,” which only charted in the top five.

For obvious reasons, however, we’re pulling for “Who’s That Girl?”

In comments on Facebook, one person speculated that the station involved was online KMIX Radio Los Angeles, whose program director is named Glenn Eisner. Also, though the station’s call sign is redacted in Lennox’s post, the last letter appears to be an X.

Eisner did not reply immediately to an email from the Los Angeles Times requesting comment.

Lennox, of course, isn’t the first established artist to be sought out by someone looking for a fresh sound: In 2014, Americana singer-songwriter Jason Isbell tweeted part of a letter inviting him to audition for NBC’s “The Voice.”

Perhaps that was an understandable error, given that Isbell had released only seven albums by the time 2014 rolled around. And he didn’t win his two Grammys until 2016.

OK, perhaps not so understandable.

Actress, comedian and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg

((Jennifer S. Altman / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

One day after announcing its largest-ever class of new members, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released the results of its latest round of elections for the organization’s board of governors.

Whoopi Goldberg, director Kimberly Peirce, screenwriter Larry Karaszewski and Participant Media CEO David Linde were among those newly elected to the 54-member board, joining existing members including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Laura Dern and Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy.

The academy’s board meets several times a year to approve new members, consider Oscars rule changes and help plan the annual Academy Awards telecast, among other responsibilities.

In addition to continuing to advance the academy’s ongoing diversity push, the board will play an important role in overseeing the building of the long-delayed Academy Museum expected to open in 2019 and later this summer will select a new president to succeed Cheryl Boone Isaacs, who is nearing the end of her final term.

A full list of current board members can be found here.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

He lives in exile far from the revolution and time that made him famous.

Out near La Brea, drizzle blows through jacaranda, a gardener hurries past a pool. Bassem Youssef sips coffee, craving a mango from Egypt, his homeland, where from a laundry room in his apartment he started a political satire show that captured the passion of the 2011 uprising and turned him into one of the most influential voices in the Middle East.

That’s over, at least for a while. Death threats and pressure from the military-backed government of President Abdel Fattah Sisi forced him to flee Cairo. Now, at 43, Youssef, a former heart surgeon, is taking acting classes, arranging meetings with agents and producers, working on his elocution, writing scripts and seeking reinvention in a new city that is at once fantastical and cruel.

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Stylish business moguls Kylie and Kendall Jenner have issued a mea culpa regarding their ill-conceived line of vintage music T-shirts.

The daughters of Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner and gold-medal Olympian Caitlyn Jenner debuted the T-shirts in their Kendall + Kylie online store Wednesday featuring graphics of the Jenner sisters stamped onto iconic music-related images.

But by late Thursday morning, as a backlash was brewing, the vintage shirts were removed from the site and tweets made by Kendall and Kylie were deleted.

Thursday afternoon, both Jenners tweeted a message apologizing for repurposing the images of artists for their own brand.

“These designs were not well thought out and we deeply apologize to anyone that has been upset and/or offended, especially to the families of the artists. We are huge fans of their music and it was not our intention to disrespect these cultural icons in any way. The tee shirts have been pulled from retail and all images have been removed. We will use this as an opportunity to learn from these mistakes and again, we are very sorry,” both Kendall and Kylie tweeted.

Further, the Kendall + Kylie brand itself issued its own apology Thursday, echoing the sentiments of its namesakes.

“The Kendall + Kylie brand apologizes for any insensitivity. When deciding to work with one-of-a-kind repurposed vintage tees, it was not the brand’s intent to offend anyone. These designs were randomly selected and not well thought out. The brand would like to apologize, especially to the artists that have been featured in the series. We did not mean to disrespect these icons and understand that we missed the mark completely. The designs have been removed. We sincerely apologize to the artists, their families and estates and anyone who may have been offended,” the company’s statement read.

As disconcerting as it was to see a Kendall Jenner selfie emblazoned over the art for Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon,” it was nothing compared with the bikini shot of Kylie Jenner plastered over a Tupac memorial T-shirt.

Not everyone was eager to open their pocketbooks for the Jenners, though.

Voletta Wallace, mother of slain rapper Christopher “Notorious B.I.G.” Wallace, stated on Instagram Thursday morning that Biggie’s estate had not authorized the use of his likeness on the pricey T-shirts.

“The disrespect of these girls to not even reach out to me or anyone connected to the estate baffles me,” Wallace said in her post. “I have no idea why they feel they can exploit the deaths of 2pac and my Son Christopher to sell a t-shirt.”

Inexplicable branding and confusing copyright issues aside, perhaps the most offensive part of the Jenners’ newest fashion foray? The costs.

These old, remade (ruined?) T-shirts were selling at a hefty $125 a pop, roughly $124 more than you’re likely to find the originals at a Goodwill.

Even worse, they appeared to be selling really well. Before disappearing from the site, vintage shirts featuring Metallica, Pink Floyd and the Doors were running low.

Update, 3:08 p.m.: This story was updated with statements from both Kylie and Kendall Jenner, as well as the Kendall + Kylie brand.

Update, 12:10 p.m.: This story was updated with comments from Voletta Wallace and news that the Jenners have removed the shirts from their website. Story was originally published at 10:29 a.m.

Netflix released a new trailer for the upcoming movie “Death Note” on Thursday.

An adaptation of the popular Japanese manga written by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata, the film stars Nat Wolff, Margaret Qualley and Lakeith Stanfield and features Willem Dafoe as the voice of its iconic villain, Ryuk. Directed by Adam Wingard, who also made “The Guest,” “Blair Witch” and the upcoming “Godzilla vs. Kong,” the movie will released on August 25.

In the story, Light Turner (Wolff) is a high school student who discovers a notebook with the power to kill those whose names are written in it. Though he attempts to use the book for what he believes to be good — “It’s not going to solve a few crimes,” he says in the trailer, “it’s going to solve all crime” — things quickly spiral out of control, putting him in a cat-and-mouse chase with the mysterious detective known as L (Stanfield).

When an earlier teaser was released in March, it garnered immediate pushback online for relocating the action from Tokyo to Seattle and showing little material with Stanfield or anyone from the cast who was not white.

That teaser came out amidst a media storm around issues of whitewashing, most specifically in the recent big-budget movie adaptation of “Ghost in the Shell,” and received much of the same criticism. Whether it was done in response to such criticisms, the new trailer features more footage of Stanfield and Paul Nakauchi, both actors of color.

“Death Note” producer Roy Lee has been involved with many projects that remade Asian movies by relocating the action stateside, most famously with the “Ring” movies.

In an interview with Buzzfeed, Lee noted that he had never before received such a response to one of his adaptations, adding, “People can criticize it, but I’d say that they should see the movie first. … Then they could accuse us of not having a diverse enough cast.”

(Jordan Strauss / Associated Press)

Looks as if Corinne Olympios is done with “Bachelor in Paradise”: Done with investigating it, done with being a victim of it, done with being on it.

Also, done talking about it.

“My team’s investigation into this matter has now been completed to my satisfaction,” she said Thursday in a statement to The Times via her rep, referring to a drunken, sexually charged incident involving her and fellow contestant DeMario Jackson on the first day of “Paradise” taping in Mexico.

“My intent over the past few weeks has been to learn and understand what happened on June 4,” Olympios explained, reiterating that she hadn’t made any complaints or accusations about the production-stopping incident or anyone associated with it.

After Warner Bros. announced June 20 that its internal investigation found no misconduct, despite complaints reportedly lodged by a couple of “Bachelor in Paradise” producers, Olympios’ attorney promised to continue an inquiry on her behalf with the help of “multiple new witnesses.”

Olympios also revisited her June 14 comments about being “a victim” experiencing her “worst nightmare.”

“I felt victimized by the fact that others were judging me through conflicting and unsubstantiated reports, while I myself had no recollection of the events that transpired,” she said in her statement.

Olympios’ assertion that she was a victim came shortly after Jackson issued a statement that threatened legal action and said his character had been “assassinated ... with false claims and malicious accusations.”

Earlier this week, Jackson sat down with E! News to give his take on what happened June 4, which he described as “probably one of the wildest nights” of his life. “The human race failed the hell out of me,” he said about the aftermath, in which he was accused of sexual activity without consent.

On Thursday, after Olympios’ statement came out, Jackson tweeted a quote from “The Godfather”:

The line in the movie before that one? “I challenge this committee to produce any witness or evidence against me.”

According to a People source, producers had paired Jackson and Olympios for a “villains” story line, in which he was the one who “turns good.” He told E! News that he “got played.”

Now that “Bachelor in Paradise” production has resumed, don’t expect to see Olympios poolside — or anywhere else at Playa Escondida.

“While I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to have been a participant on ‘The Bachelor,’ and while I was invited to return to ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ when production resumed, I respectfully made the decision not to return,” she said Thursday.

She also noted that she’s “happy” about changes made to the show ahead of its reboot. New procedures reportedly include a drinks-per-hour speed limit (complete with snacks), a tighter drug policy and — color this awkward — a rule about contestants getting producer approval in advance of any sexual behavior.

That said, Olympios is aiming to take herself out of the conversation moving forward. “I think it is best,” she said, “if I keep any further thoughts private for now.”

Agent Dana Scully has something to say about “The X-Files” and its all-male writing staff: She, too, can’t wait until things are different.

Gillian Anderson, who portrays Scully on the beloved TV show, responded to reports that the writers room for the next season is comprised solely of men by shining light on an additional statistic. She pointed out Thursday on Twitter that only two episodes of “The X-Files” have been directed by women. Ever.

Anderson herself is one of these women. She wrote and directed the seventh-season episode “all things.” The only other woman to direct an episode of the show is Michelle MacLaren (of “Breaking Bad” and more), who made her directorial debut on the Season 9 episode “John Doe.”

Anderson has not shied away from calling out the truth when it comes to the sci-fi show’s missteps with regard to women. The actress, who won an Emmy for her role as Scully, revealed that she initially was offered only half the salary of co-star David Duchovny to reprise her role in the revival.

“Especially in this climate of women talking about the reality of [unequal pay] in this business, I think it’s important that it gets heard and voiced,” Anderson told the Daily Beast last year.

This is not the first year that “The X-Files” writing staff includes only men. All episodes of the show’s 10th season are credited to male writers (although the season finale gives story credits to Anne Simon and Margaret Fearon).

The 10-episode Season 11 of “The X-Files” is slated to air in 2018.

It’s been a tumultuous few weeks for fans of Netflix’s sci-fi show “Sense8” after the streaming network canceled the series on June 1 and then reiterated the cancellation a week later.

The show’s small but passionate fan base was vocal in its unhappiness about the network’s decision, launching petitions and online movements in protest.

But fans learned Thursday there could be a happy ending after all, as Netflix posted a video on Twitter announcing a two-hour finale for the series.

Netflix also shared a letter from “Sense8” co-creator Lana Wachowski, who credited the existence of a final episode to the passion and tenaciousness of the show’s fans.

“In this world it is easy to believe that you cannot make a difference; that when a government or an institution or corporation makes a decision, there is something irrevocable about the decision; that love is always less important than the bottom line,” Wachowski said in her statement.

“But here is a gift from the fans of this show that I will carry forever in my heart: while it is often true those decisions are irreversible, it is not always true.”

The series, helmed by Wachowski and her sister Lily, followed a group of eight individuals who share a psychic connection and form a cluster of sensates who support one another with love and acceptance.

So what did Netflix have to say about granting the series, which filmed on four continents and cost a purported $9 million per episode, a two-hour finale?

“After seeing that the cancelation was a total cluster, we decided to give ‘Sense8’ fans the ending they totally deserve,” a spokesperson for Netflix told The Times.

It’s a good time for classic rap groups making urgent statements about contemporary politics. So perhaps it’s no surprise that Public Enemy has returned with a new, free record celebrating its 30th year as a group.

The group released “Nothing Is Quick in the Desert” on Thursday morning as a free download on its Bandcamp page. The record is Public Enemy’s first since 2015’s “Man Plans God Laughs.”

Public Enemy hasn’t sat out the turbulent last two years in America, though. Chuck D and DJ Lord joined with most of Rage Against the Machine and Cypress Hill as the supergroup Prophets of Rage, which toured during the election season.

You can hear (and download and stream) “Nothing Is Quick in the Desert” here:

Melanie Griffith will seduce audiences as Mrs. Robinson in “The Graduate,” Laguna Playhouse announced Thursday.

The Academy Award-nominated actress will take on the role in October as part of the company’s 2017-18 season. The play adaptation by Terry Johnson is based on the novel by Charles Webb and the screenplay by Buck Henry and Calder Willingham. The 1967 film starring Dustin Hoffman, with Anne Bancroft as Mrs. Robinson, won director Mike Nichols an Oscar.

Griffith most recently starred in the independent feature “Day Out of Days” directed by Zoe Cassavetes. Griffith made her Broadway debut in 2003 as Roxie Hart in “Chicago.”

“The Graduate” will run Oct. 4-22 at Laguna Playhouse. Single tickets are $40 to $85, available through the box office at (949) 497-2787 or online at www.lagunaplayhouse.com.

Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough were targeted in Twitter attacks by President Trump.

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

An unamused MSNBC released an official statement Thursday morning in response to Trump’s “petty personal attacks” on “Morning Joe” co-hosts (and real-life couple) Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough.

Trump tweeted early Thursday: “I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don’t watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year’s Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!”

“Morning Joe” became a trending topic on Twitter almost instantaneously, with Trump’s comments inciting outraged celebrities who feel like enough is enough.

Teigen’s husband, John Legend, also weighed in, frankly noting the kind of leader America has elected. He also lobbed a zinger at First Lady Melania Trump’s waned intentions to combat cyberbullying:

“Fake news” has become an inescapable catchphrase in 2017, evolving from falsehoods posted on fringe sites and Facebook to just about any report that doesn’t conform to the White House’s narrative. On Wednesday night, Seth Meyers unpacked another example.

Noting the doctored Time magazine cover featuring Donald Trump that the Washington Post reported hangs in several of the president’s private golf clubs, Meyers called this “the literal definition of fake news.”

“This would be the saddest thing I’ve ever heard if it wasn’t the funniest thing I’ve ever heard,” the “Late Night” host continued.

Meyers went on to describe the president’s response -- a tweet threatening Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos’ other company, Amazon, with an “Internet tax” -- a threat that Meyers noted would have a lot more teeth if such a thing existed.

“The only thing we have that’s close to an Internet tax is the fact when you use the Internet, you have to read Donald Trump’s tweets -- that’s the tax,” Meyers joked.

You can watch the segment in the clip above.

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Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Nick Jonas and Bobby Cannavale star in Sony’s “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.”

Welcome to the jungle, kids.

Four detention-bound teenagers are thrust into a mysterious game in the first “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” trailer, literally forced into the bodies of their avatars — played by Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black.

“I think we got sucked into Jumanji and we’ve become the avatars that we chose,” Johnson’s geeky Spencer observes after they land in the jungle with new identities.

Instead of a board game, however, the Sony-Columbia reboot features Jumanji as a retro video game console. Judging from the trailer, unlike its 1995 predecessor, the film appears to lean quite heavily on comedy in addition to action and adventure.

The once-scrawny Spencer finds himself as a buff world explorer, though he realizes he doesn’t have his allergy medication in the pollen-filled overgrowth. Gillan’s Martha points out that there’s no reason her character should be “wearing half a shirt and short shorts in the jungle,” and Hart’s “Fridge,” a rude jock, deals with missing “the top two feet” of his body.

And particularly humorous is Black, whose teenage counterpart is a pretty, blond popular girl forced into the body of “an overweight, middle-aged man” who “just can’t even with this place.”

The foursome discover that “you don’t just play Jumanji — Jumanji plays you,” according to the synopsis. “They’ll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives, or they’ll be stuck in the game forever.”

“Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” which also stars Nick Jonas and Bobby Cannavale, hits theaters Dec. 20.

MSNBC has called out President Trump after his Thursday morning tweets in which he attacked “Morning Joe” hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

“It’s a sad day for America when the president spends his time bullying, lying and spewing petty personal attacks instead of doing his job,” an MSNBC spokesperson said in a statement to The Times on Thursday.

The president’s early-morning tweets called Scarborough “Psycho Joe” and Brzezinski “Low I.Q. Crazy Mika” and alleged that the pair had invited themselves to Mar-a-Lago, a private club in Florida owned by Trump and dubbed the “Winter White House,” over New Year’s.

Most shocking of all, Trump went on to accuse Brzezinski of “bleeding badly from a face-lift.”

Mark Kornblau, senior vice president of communications for NBCUniversal, tweeted his own thoughts on the matter. “Never imagined a day when I would think to myself, ‘it is beneath my dignity to respond to the President of the United States,’” he wrote Thursday morning.

The president’s disparaging comments on Brzezinski’s appearance recall his GOP debate run-in with Megyn Kelly, after which he said, “You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”

Read MoreALSO

Seth Meyers on President Trump’s phony Time cover: ‘The literal definition of fake news’

Conservative activists step up attack on CNN

Three CNN journalists resign over retracted Trump-Russia story

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: Lively Latina Is Making A Name For Herself -- Her Own

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“My Little Pony” trailer

Like “The Lego Movie” before it, “My Little Pony: The Movie” represents a landmark in a brand’s evolution from children’s toy to big-screen star.

However, though Lego and My Little Pony toys both have TV credits and hard-core adult fans in addition to kids, even under pressure Princess Twilight Sparkle is a bit less surly than, say, Lego Batman.

Friendship, flowers, ponies — you know the drill.

A trailer for the animated pony movie offers up Liev Schreiber and Emily Blunt voicing baddies the Storm King and Tempest Shadow, who descend upon Equestria and demand its residents’ total surrender. Of course, the gang isn’t going to give up without a fight -- albeit a fight that has more than its fair share of incredibly bright colors.

Other big names getting their brony on for the feature include Zoe Saldana as Captain Celaeno, Kristin Chenoweth as Princess Skystar, Uzo Aduba as Queen Novo, Sia as Songbird Serenade, Michael Peña as Grubber and Taye Diggs as reformed con artist Capper.

Ashleigh Ball, Tabitha St. Germain, Andrea Libman, Tara Strong, Cathy Weseluck and Nicole Oliver from the TV series are voicing Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Spike and Princess Celestia, respectively.

“My Little Pony: The Movie” is scheduled to hit theaters Oct. 6.

(Jason Merritt / Getty Images)

Rosie Huntington-Whitely and Jason Statham are parents to a baby son, the new mom announced Wednesday on Instagram.

Jack Oscar Statham was born Saturday and clocked in at 8.8 pounds, according to Huntington-Whitely, who shared a black-and-white photo of the infant’s hand grasping what we presume are her beautifully manicured fingers.

“Our little man arrived!” Huntington-Whitely wrote.

The former Victoria’s Secret Angel, 30, and the “Expendables” actor, 49, started dating after meeting on the set of “Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon” in 2010. They got engaged over the holidays in 2015 but haven’t married yet.

Conveniently, Statham might be uniquely equipped as a helpful dad, if his work in “The Fast and the Furious” is any indication. The actor reminded us of his babysitting skills Monday when he posted an uncut version of that movie’s baby-fight scene on Facebook, with a shorter version — see it below — on Instagram.

Hey, Mama Rosie, looks as if you have the all-clear for a moms’ night out whenever you need one ...

Joe Mantegna may be best known as an actor, most recently starring as FBI special agent David Rossi on the CBS crime drama “Criminal Minds.”

But he’s no stranger to the stage, having won a Tony Award in 1984 for David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross.” Now, he’s taking on the role of director with the new play “I Am Not a Comedian … I’m Lenny Bruce,” which opened last weekend at Theatre 68 in North Hollywood and runs through July 29.

The play chronicles the life and times of the legendarily incendiary performer. Ronnie Marmo plays the title role.

Mantegna, a native Chicagoan, took a moment to answer a few questions for our regular rapid-fire survey.

Read More

Dawn Hudson arrives on the red carpet for the 89th Oscars on Feb. 26 in Hollywood.

(Valerie Macon / AFP/Getty Images)

The motion picture academy announced its largest class on Wednesday, topping its ground-breaking move in 2016 that at the time set a record when the institution invited 683 new members. That was a historic leap from the 322 invitations that went out in 2015.

Earlier this month, Josh Rottenberg interviewed academy CEO Dawn Hudson about a range of issues, from this year’s Oscars envelope snafu to construction delays on the academy’s movie museum. Here, Hudson discusses with Rottenberg how membership quotas previously hindered its diversity goals.

----------------

Last year, the academy took in its largest, most diverse class of new members ever. As the academy works toward doubling the number of women and minorities in its ranks by 2020, with the deep inequities that exist in the industry, do you feel certain you can meet that goal without changing the standards for academy membership?

There are so many artists who were not admitted in the past because we had a limit on how many new members we invited each year. So with the elimination of those [quotas] and the aggressive pursuit of excellence by all of our members, I think we will be able to expand in a more inclusive way for several years.

But the academy is not letting it go at that. We’re expanding our internship programs and our initiatives to identify young, upcoming artists and mentor them and give them opportunities to grow. And we have also focused our grants program, our Student Academy Awards, our Nicholl Fellowship [in screenwriting] — we have a lot of programs that help to support young artists, and those are more robust and popular than ever.

That commitment [to diversity] has not waned and will not wane for many years to come. Because I don’t see this industry getting a lot more diverse or having more gender parity any time real soon. So this work will be ongoing for the academy. And I know that it has inspired others to follow suit.

READ the full interview >

A prop Oscar backstage at rehearsals for the 88th Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre.

( (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times))

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Wednesday its 2017 list of invitees to membership. Tallying 774 people, it’s the largest class to date, a move that leaves April Reign, creator of #OscarsSoWhite, “encouraged.”

“The opening of the academy to those who may not have been previously nominated or winners but are clearly deserving based on their body of work in film is gratifying,” Reign told the Los Angeles Times. “There are names on the list that many may feel should’ve been on the list before.”

Some of the new invitees include Janelle Monae (“Moonlight,” “Hidden Figures”), Leslie Jones (“Ghostbusters), Riz Ahmed (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”), Jordan Peele (“Get Out”) and Johnnie To (“Election”). In total, the new class comes from 57 countries and is 30% people of color and 39% female.

Here is Reign’s full statement to The Times:

“I am encouraged by this year’s class of invites. The opening of the academy to those who may not have been previously nominated or winners but are clearly deserving based on their body of work in film is gratifying. There are names on the list that many may feel should’ve been on the list before. Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs pledged to double the number of people of color and women by 2020. With this new and largest class ever, she is one step forward. I hope that the new incoming president continues what she has started and that we see an even more diverse class next year.

“Lastly, even with the 2017 Oscar wins and new Academy invitee class, #OscarsSoWhite is still just as relevant today as it was when it began in 2015. So, I will continue to push for more inclusion in entertainment, both of actors and actresses as well as those behind the camera, on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, ability, race and age. The American public, as moviegoers, deserve to be able to see themselves on the screen, not just during awards season but throughout the year.”

Oscar statues backstage at the 88th Academy Awards in 2016.

(Christopher Polk / Getty Images)

Hollywood’s most exclusive club is rolling out the red carpet to 774 industry professionals – including such boldfaced names as Kristen Stewart, Gal Gadot, John Cho, Chris Pratt, Elle Fanning and Jordan Peele – in its latest and most dramatic step to diversify its overwhelmingly white and male membership.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced its newest class of members on Wednesday, the second such round of invitees since the nearly 90-year-old institution launched an initiative to double the number of women and minorities in its ranks in response to the #OscarsSoWhite controversy.

Last year’s class of 683 members set a record at the time as the biggest and most diverse in the organization’s history, and many industry observers were looking at this year’s announcement as a sign of whether the academy can sustain the momentum of its diversity push.

Women make up 39% of the newest class – which draws from industry professionals in 57 countries – while people of color represent 30%. With the new members, the share of women and people of color in the academy now stand at 28% and 13%, respectively. 30 people have been invited in more than one branch.

The 2017 invitees are:

Actors

Riz Ahmed – “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Nightcrawler”

Debbie Allen – “Fame,” “Ragtime”

Elena Anaya – “Wonder Woman,” “The Skin I Live In”

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan – “Jodhaa Akbar,” “Devdas”

Amitabh Bachchan – “The Great Gatsby,” “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…”

Monica Bellucci – “Spectre,” “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”

Gil Birmingham – “Hell or High Water,” “Twilight” series

Nazanin Boniadi – “Ben-Hur,” “Iron Man”

Daniel Brühl – “The Zookeeper’s Wife,” “Inglourious Basterds”

Maggie Cheung – “Hero,” “In the Mood for Love”

John Cho – “Star Trek” series, “Harold & Kumar” series

Priyanka Chopra – “Baywatch,” “Barfi!”

Matt Craven – “X-Men: First Class,” “A Few Good Men”

Terry Crews – “The Expendables” series, “Draft Day”

Warwick Davis – “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” “Harry Potter” series

Colman Domingo – “The Birth of a Nation,” “Selma”

Adam Driver – “Silence,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

Joel Edgerton – “It Comes at Night,” “Loving”

Chris Evans – “Captain America” series, “Snowpiercer”

Luke Evans – “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Girl on the Train”

Fan Bingbing – “I Am Not Madame Bovary,” “Cell Phone”

Elle Fanning – “The Beguiled,” “20th Century Women”

Golshifteh Farahani – “Paterson,” “About Elly”

Anna Faris – “Scary Movie” series, “Brokeback Mountain”

Tom Felton – “A United Kingdom,” “Harry Potter” series

Rebecca Ferguson – “The Girl on the Train,” “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”

Lou Ferrigno – “The Incredible Hulk,” “Hercules”

Read More

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

In the bicoastal competition to host the Grammy Awards, New York City scored a major victory last month with the news that the music industry’s biggest event would be held there next year.

But Los Angeles came roaring back Wednesday with the announcement that the Grammys will return to downtown’s Staples Center in 2019 and stay there for at least four years.

The Recording Academy, which puts on the Grammys, reached a deal with AEG, the developer and operator of Staples, where the ceremony has been held for 17 of the last 18 years. The Grammys were held in New York in 2003 for their 45th anniversary and will be held there in 2018 for their 60th birthday.

The deal to have the Grammys in L.A. from 2019 to 2022 — and possibly longer — was a shot in the arm for both AEG and the city.

“Typically our agreements are year to year,” AEG President and Chief Executive Dan Beckerman said. “That’s why I think this announcement about a four-year deal is significant. It gives us that certainty, and that’s important.”

Read More

In the aftermath of its exceedingly publicized, highly controversial assault scandal, it seems ABC’s “Bachelor in Paradise” is trying to cover all of its legal bases.

TMZ reports that contestants on the reality show must now adhere to a “check-in” mandate with production executives. Before engaging in sexual activity of any kind, “Bachelor in Paradise” reportedly stipulates that both parties must approach one of the producers with their joint request. The producer then has the final say on whether the couple can safely relocate to “The Boom Boom Room.”

The directive — coupled with the reality show’s reported new policies to curb excessive drug and alcohol consumption — aims to ensure that all sexual encounters are consensual.

Although “Bachelor in Paradise” has returned from its brief hiatus after an internal investigation into allegations found no evidence of misconduct, DeMario Jackson, who was accused of assaulting Corinne Olympios, will not be returning.

In an effort to “come clean” amid the media frenzy, Jackson sat down with E! News in a shockingly candid, two-hour interview in which he discussed the sexual encounter in question and attempted to clear his name.

Watch Jackson’s full interview here.

MTV has weighed in on the latest controversy to arise from its “Teen Mom” franchise, after a cast member appeared to drive under the influence during the Season 6 finale.

During the “Teen Mom OG” episode, Ryan Edwards was shown driving a vehicle while repeatedly nodding off. After several moments, his fiancée Mackenzie Standifer moved to turn the dash cameras off and asked Edwards, “Did you take Xanax again?”

On Monday, the day the finale aired, Edwards released a statement announcing that he had completed a stint in rehab. The announcement came after a season-long arc during which Edwards’ ex-fiancée, Maci Bookout, attempted to stage an intervention for him. Edwards and Bookout have an 8-year-old son together.

“A little over 30 days ago, I made the decision to check myself into a rehabilitation facility. I am back home now doing well, and life could not be better. Without the support of my wife and parents I would not have been able to do this. Thank you all for your well wishes,” Edwards said in the statement.

After the episode aired, questions arose over why Edwards wasn’t stopped from getting behind the wheel.

“MTV does not condone driving under the influence. Ryan’s erratic behavior was due to actions that he took without anyone’s prior knowledge,” an MTV spokesperson said in a statement made to The Times.

No camera person was present during Edwards’ drive; the footage was captured by the vehicle’s dash cams.

The controversy comes at a particularly fraught time for reality television shows, in the wake of the “Bachelor in Paradise” scandal that resulted in the revamping of the franchise’s drug and alcohol policies.

With “Bachelor” purportedly moving toward a system that requires a producer’s approval before engaging in sexual intercourse, the question remains: How much responsibility does a reality show bear when it comes to illegal or risky behavior?

2:45 p.m.: This article was updated with statements from both Ryan Edwards and MTV.

Are you ready for tips on how to be a hero? Cartoon Network has announced that “OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes” will premiere Aug. 1.

“OK K.O.!” centers on the young and optimistic K.O., who dreams of becoming the greatest hero ever. Hopefully, having a super-powered mom and spending his days at Lakewood Plaza, a sort of strip mall for heroes that is repeatedly under the threat of destruction by a super villain, will help K.O. make his dream a reality.

With references to leveling up and transformation sequences, the influence of video games in the world of “OK K.O.!” is undeniable. In fact, K.O. originally made his debut in the mobile game “OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo,” and a new console game, “OK K.O.! Let’s Play Heroes,” is due out in the fall.

The show’s voice cast includes Courtenay Taylor as K.O., Kate Flannery as his mom, Carol, Ashly Burch as Enid and David Herman as Mr. Gar. “OK K.O.!” creator Ian Jones-Quartey voices Rad.

“OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes” will have a special one-hour premiere Aug. 1 at 6:30 p.m. Watch a new clip from the show below.

Hugh Jackman, star of the upcoming film “The Greatest Showman,” at 20th Century Fox’s CinemaCon 2017 presentation in March.

(Chris Pizzello / Invision/Associated Press)

If you’re looking to take your mind off the circus in Washington for a moment, Hugh Jackman is here to help.

The first trailer for Jackman’s upcoming P.T. Barnum musical biopic, “The Greatest Showman,” has dropped, offering an early glimpse at the story of how the down-on-his-luck dreamer created the famed Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Though that circus recently ended its 146-year run, the trailer for the film – which hits theaters Christmas Day and co-stars Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, Zendaya and at least one bearded lady — promises a feel-good, inspirational take on the erstwhile “Greatest Show on Earth.”

Watch it here:

Donald Trump speaks on the phone with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar in the Oval Office on Tuesday.

(Alex Wong / Getty Images)

An exchange in the Oval Office on Tuesday played out like a boardroom elimination on “The Celebrity Apprentice,” as President Donald Trump dropped everything to comment on an Irish reporter’s “nice smile.”

RTÉ Washington correspondent Caitríona Perry was singled out while she and several members of the press visited the White House to cover Trump’s diplomatic phone call with Ireland’s new prime minister, Leo Varadkar.

During Trump’s light discussion with Varadkar, he interrupted the call to summon Perry to his desk.

“Well, we have a lot of your Irish press watching us right now,” Trump said in a video clip Perry posted on Twitter. “We have all of this beautiful Irish press here. Come here, come here, where are you from?”

“RTÉ News, Caitríona Perry,” she said when she approached the desk.

“Caitríona Perry. She has a nice smile on her face, so I bet she treats you well,” Trump said.

The reporter called the exchange a “bizarre moment” and is seen laughing awkwardly as she walks away.

The virtual replies came fast and furious after that, with Twitter users debating whether Perry was being objectified or complimented.

Perry didn’t expect to be allowed inside the Oval Office that day, let alone meet the president in person.

“One minute we were outside the window and the next minute I’m meeting the president of the United States,” she told RTÉ Entertainment after her encounter. “Usually we would shoot from outside the window of the White House and that’s what we were expecting today, but instead we were invited inside to witness the president’s call to the taoiseach. When we went in, he was already on the phone but I caught his eye and he called me over.”

ALSO

Three CNN journalists resign over retracted Trump-Russia story

South Korea’s president to meet President Trump this week amid grave concerns over North Korea

Booted from KROQ, Rodney Bingenheimer will return to radio via Sirius XM

The summer of troubled music festivals has claimed another victim.

The latest casualty is the Karoondinha Music & Arts Festival, a family-friendly event in Pennsylvania that had booked several high-profile acts, including Chance the Rapper, Paramore, John Legend, the Roots and Odesza for its July debut.

“We are deeply saddened to announce that Karoondinha Music & Arts Festival will not take place during the scheduled dates of July 20-23, 2017,” organizers said in a statement.

“Our entire team has been working tirelessly to have the event take place as planned, but have found it necessary to reschedule. We are fully committed to returning and are working to confirm alternate dates and arrangements.”

The widely promoted fest had hoped to draw around 25,000 to 30,000 fans for its first installment. But organizers admitted that sales were nowhere near that goal, and after needed sponsorships failed to materialize, the owners chose to cancel.

“I think what we’ve learned in all of this is that the key part of putting on a successful festival is having a sustainable business model, which we obviously didn’t have going into this,” organizer Paul Rallis told Billboard.

In an echo of the recent meltdown at Pemberton Festival, organizers were also tentative about how, exactly, they’d be refunding fans. Rallis added that “we are looking at that next and have to have some other discussions on what that process will turn out to be.”

The cancellation comes after debacles at Fyre Festival and Pemberton, which drew social media ridicule and lawsuits from around the music industry.

DJ Rodney Bingenheimer gave many upcoming musicians a spotlight and helped build KROQ into a rock brand.

(Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Rock fans who have missed Rodney Bingenheimer since his departure from KROQ won’t have to wait much longer for his return to radio.

The L.A. music stalwart will return to the digital airwaves with a new weekly show for Sirius XM, hosted on Little Steven’s Underground Garage channel (curated by E Street Band guitarist and Bruce Springsteen confidante Steven Van Zandt). The program premieres at 6 p.m. Pacific on July 16.

Bingenheimer spent 40 years behind the mike with his “Rodney on the ROQ” show, where he introduced KROQ listeners to the Clash, Elvis Costello, the Sex Pistols and other classic acts.

“I’m so honored to be on the same SiriusXM channel as Little Steven,” Bingenheimer said in a statement from Sirius XM. “He has also championed some of the greatest music of our time, both past and future. With both of us now at the same channel we’re gonna keep great music alive.”

“Rodney was one of my first calls when I started the channel,” Van Zandt said in the same statement. “We are honored to have him. This is where he belongs!”

John McEnroe, the tennis champion and sports commentator, famous for his on-court fits of temper and a mouth that charges ahead of his brain like an unsupervised child, was a guest Tuesday night on Stephen Colbert’s “Late Show.”

McEnroe has a new book to promote, “But Seriously,” so that mouth has had many opportunities of late to run out into traffic. In an interview with NPR, on Sunday’s “Weekend Edition,” McEnroe seemed to demean the abilities of Serena Williams.

“You are known for your outbursts on the court,” Colbert said, wasting no time. “People think of you as an outrageous character at times, but you have stirred the pot in a way that you rarely have in the past because this weekend you topped yourself.”

“No,” said McEnroe. Perhaps he meant that he had done worse.

“You topped yourself, sir,” Colbert continued. “You told NPR that if Serena Williams were on the men’s circuit, she’d be, like, number 700 in the world.”

Boos from the house.

“It didn’t go over big with my daughters, either.” McEnroe said.

Laughs from the house.

It is possible that McEnroe actually believes there are 699 male tennis players who are better than Williams. (In an earlier interview with “CBS This Morning,” McEnroe, 58, had hypothetically ranked himself “currently… about 1,200 in the world.”) In any event, he didn’t back away from the statement, only the saying of it.

“You cannot be serious,” said Colbert, pulling out McEnroe’s trademark line.

“Remember ‘The Honeymooners’?” asked McEnroe. “Ralph Kramden? ‘Me and my big moouuuuth.’ It’s a little bit like that.”

Recounting the NPR interview, which can be heard here, McEnroe said, “I said Serena is the greatest female tennis player that ever lived. And I think she’s absolutely tremendous.”

Cheers from the house.

“And [the interviewer] followed up with, ‘Why do you have to say female tennis player? Isn’t she the greatest tennis player that ever lived?’ And I said, ‘Wait, hang on a second here.’...

“Do they say that about girl basketball players,” McEnroe wondered rhetorically, “that they ‘re as good as Michael Jordan?”

“They might say ‘women’s basketball players,’” Colbert pointed out. “Instead of ‘girl basketball players.’”

The host helpfully reminded his guest that after Wimbledon in 2015, he had called Williams “arguably the greatest athlete of the last 100 years.”

“She’s certainly one of the greatest athletes of the last 100 years,” said McEnroe.

“‘Arguably the greatest athlete...,’” Colbert repeated. “That was the lifeboat I was throwing — why’d you have to stab it with a knife? There are sharks in the water around you right now.”

For all the teapot tempest, McEnroe did not mind playing the clown in this story. Much of the rest of the interviewer covered mostly his own failures as a talk-show host, briefly for CNBC in 2004 and the time he filled in as host for David Letterman — on the very same “Late Show.”

That night he incurred the everlasting wrath of chef Eric Ripert (“I made some type of comment that the French hadn’t backed us up after 9/11 very well,” McEnroe conceded). The punchline was that, interviewed some years later, Ripert named McEnroe as the one person in the world he would refuse to serve.

As for McEnroe’s new book, “We’re learning that I’m hopefully growing as a person, that I’ve been able to somewhat — although you wouldn’t know it by yesterday — that I’ve tried … to look at the glass more half full, despite being ridiculed mercilessly on national TV at 12 at night.”

“Gotham” star Donal Logue is looking for a real-life hero, as the actor took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon in an attempt to find his missing child.

“Missing - yesterday at 2PM Barclays Center/Fort Greene Brooklyn: my child, Jade Logue,” the actor posted, going on to share with his more than 100,000 followers that Jade is 6’ 2”, weighs 180 pounds and was wearing a lime-green hoodie and dark-green military parka.

(The New York Daily News reported Wednesday that Jade is Logue’s transgender daughter.)

Though the tweet has since been deleted and no updates provided, the NYPD confirmed to The Times that a missing persons report had been filed for Jade Logue on Tuesday.

According to E! News, Jade is 16. Logue has another child, Finn, 18, with ex-wife Kasey Walker.

Logue has starred in several critically acclaimed television shows, including “Sons of Anarchy” and “Terriers.” He now portrays Harvey Bullock on Fox’s “Gotham.”

Representatives for Logue shared the following information:

“The NYPD is asking for the public’s help in locating the 16 year old who was last seen leaving home Monday afternoon on the way to Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

“Anyone with information in regards to this missing person is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800-577-8477 or, for Spanish, 888-577-4782.

The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES), then enter TIP577.”

Update, 3:32 p.m.: This article was updated with a request for information from Logue’s representatives.

(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)

“The Big Bang Theory” star Johnny Galecki has lost a home in the Hill fire burning in San Luis Obispo.

The wildfire, which scorched nearly 1,600 acres and forced residents to evacuate about 100 homes, was about 60% contained Tuesday. It burned down the actor’s large ranch home and another property on the estate on Monday, according to Variety.

No one was harmed and Cal Fire San Luis Obispo tweeted that evacuation orders would be lifted after 7 p.m. on Tuesday.

The sitcom star was not home when the wildfire engulfed the hideaway. His representative told Variety that he had not yet seen the property but would return when the fire was completely contained. The cause of the fire, which ignited around 3:30 p.m. Monday, is still under investigation.

“My heart goes out to all in the area who are also experiencing loss from this vicious fire, the threat of which we live with constantly, which may seem crazy to some but we do so because living in our beautiful, rural area makes it worthwhile,” the 42-year-old “Roseanne” alum said in a statement to TMZ.

“It’s never the structures that create a community — it’s the people. And if the people of Santa Margarita have taught me anything, it’s that, once the smoke has cleared, literally and figuratively, it’s a time to reach out and rebuild. We’ve done it before, and will need to do it together again, and it will make our community even closer and stronger. Endless thanks to CalFire and the Sheriff’s Office. I know you guys are fighting the good fight to keep us safe. So very relieved no one has been hurt.”

Galecki and his “Big Bang” co-stars are among the highest-paid actors in television. The CBS sitcom has already been renewed for its 11th and 12th seasons.

The actor’s representatives did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

(Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

READ MORE: At age 91, Mel Brooks will play Vegas for the first time. Guess who talked him into it?

The Los Angeles City Council on Tuesday gave its unanimous approval to George Lucas’ Museum of Narrative Art, which may break ground this year at Exposition Park.

The “Star Wars” creator addressed the council before its 14-0 vote to OK an environmental impact report and other details.

“For a very brief time I actually grew up here,” said Lucas, who has a film degree from USC, which is just north of the park. “That’s where I learned movies. That’s where I learned my craft. Basically where I started my career was in school here.”

Lucas and his wife, Mellody Hobson, the business executive who is a driving force behind the project, had also considered building the museum in his hometown, San Francisco, or hers, Chicago. Finally it came down to the two California locations, with L.A. announced as the site in January. Ma Yansong of MAD Architects will design the museum, which is expected to open in 2021.

The cost of the project, estimated at $1 billion, will be footed by the Lucas family. There also will be a $400-million Lucas endowment.

“It is the largest private gift in our city, in our state or in our nation’s history,” said Councilman Curren D. Price Jr., whose district includes Exposition Park.

Per the Los Angeles Times’ art critic Christopher Knight (who’s not a fan of the idea), the museum will include illustrations for magazines, posters and children’s books by artists including Maxfield Parrish, Arthur Rackham, Beatrix Potter, Frank Adams and Norman Rockwell; a small group of paintings by Edgar Degas, Winslow Homer, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Everett Shinn and others; and lots of movie set designs, costumes and storyboards.

Lucas’ personal collection of art and cinematic memorabilia is the foundation of the new museum’s offerings, and yes, “Star Wars” and “Indiana Jones” will be represented.

“With unanimous support from our City Council, the Lucas Museum is officially coming home to L.A.!” Mayor Eric Garcetti said on social media Tuesday, posting a picture of himself with the council members, Hobson and Lucas.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

A wooden faux Oscar statue sits backstage at rehearsals in the Dolby Theatre for the 88th Academy Awards.

(Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

This week, hundreds of film professionals around the world will receive their industry’s equivalent of Willy Wonka’s Golden Ticket: an invitation to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

On Wednesday morning, the academy is expected to announce its newest class of members, the second such round of invitees since the nearly 90-year-old institution embarked on a concerted effort to diversify its overwhelmingly white and male ranks in the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy that reached a crescendo in 2016.

Here are five things to watch for ...

Read More

(Willy Sanjuan /Invision/AP)

It’s not just Leonardo DiCaprio who found himself mixed up in a Malaysian embezzlement scandal that resulted in the loss of millions of dollars in gifts.

Supermodel Miranda Kerr surrendered more than $8 million in jewelry Friday, including an 8.88 carat diamond pendant worth nearly $4 million, as part of an investigation involving her ex-boyfriend, Malaysian financier Jho Low.

Low, who dated Kerr for about a year in 2014, after her divorce from actor Orlando Bloom and before her marriage to Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel, allegedly misappropriated funds from a Malaysian sovereign-wealth fund called 1Malaysia Development Berhad, according to a civil forfeiture lawsuit filed last week.

“From the start of the inquiry, Miranda Kerr cooperated fully and pledged to turn over the gifts of jewelry to the government,” Kerr attorney Mark Fabiani said Tuesday in a statement to USA Today. “Ms. Kerr will continue to assist with the inquiry in any way she can.”

Last week, DiCaprio forfeited Marlon Brando’s best-actor statuette for 1954’s “On the Waterfront” and several valuable art pieces as part of the same investigation centering around a billion-dollar embezzlement scheme potentially reaching the highest levels of the Malaysian government.

Neither Kerr nor DiCaprio are being investigated for wrongdoing, as both received the forfeited items as gifts.

Representatives for Kerr did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

“Man, it is good to be back in the USA,” said Stephen Colbert, alluding (though not too much) to his Russian “mystery assignment” during Monday night’s episode of “The Late Show.”

“I don’t know if you knew I was in Russia last week,” Colbert joked. “You know who did know I was in Russia? Russian intelligence. Hardcore fans, evidently. Followed me everywhere.”

The surge of attention was only compounded when Colbert announced his 2020 White House bid over a markedly Russian round of roulette (a vodka-pickles combo) on one of the country’s late-night programs.

But, he reported, Russia was not the only nation looking to track his international reporting adventure.

“Also got some attention from American intelligence. Couple guys seemed to pop up wherever we went,” he said. “But it’s important to keep your eye on a comedian, while he’s in Russia, doing jokes.”

“I could be giving state secrets to the Russians,” Colbert continued, gearing up for what seemed like an unavoidable string of Trump digs. Then: “Oh, wait, someone’s already got that covered.”

“The Late Show” will air an upcoming week’s worth of footage unveiling the findings of the host’s covert Russian trip, but Colbert offered few details.

“Like President Trump, I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of any other tapes of what I did in Russia,” he said, referencing the elusive tapes, supposedly of a fateful conversation between Trump and former FBI Director James Comey, that prompted Colbert’s overseas trip in the first place. “I did not personally make any such recordings – but I’m pretty sure my crew did.”

Other Music was the general store for New York City’s rock boom in the 2000s. That era — when bands such as the Strokes, Interpol and Yeah Yeah Yeahs thrived in downtown and Brooklyn — was recently documented in the book “Meet Me in the Bathroom.”

And now it gets a fresh look in a new documentary about the compact but beloved record store that shuttered exactly a year ago.

The trailer for “Other Music: The Story of an Iconic Independent Record Store” has reams of in-store performance footage and cameos from Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, actors Benicio Del Toro and Jason Schwartzman and members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs all touting the importance of the store, which opened in the East Village in 1995 and closed last June.

Directors Puloma Basu and Rob Hatch-Miller have started a Kickstarter to help finish the film. As of Tuesday, the campaign had raised nearly $13,000 of its $70,000 goal. It ends July 27. Click here for more information about the documentary.

“Hamilton” mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda has initiated an online campaign for a cause close to this heart.

(Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Tony Awards Pro)

In February, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Immigrants, We Get the Job Done” -- a particularly resonant track off 2016’s “The Hamilton Mixtape” -- became a sort of protest anthem, with its lyrics scrawled across signs and placards in the aftermath of the announcement of President Trump’s 90-day immigration ban.

Now Miranda, the mastermind behind “Hamilton,” has propelled that energy one step further. On Monday, the musical powerhouse proposed a challenge to the Twitter-sphere. In honor of Immigration Heritage Month, Miranda (in partnership with Prizeo) asked participants to perform a snippet of their favorite “Hamilton” tune, post a video online with the hashtag #Ham4All and donate to Immigrants: We Get the Job Done Coalition.

A donation to the coalition earns participants the chance to win tickets to opening night of the Los Angeles run of “Hamilton” on Aug. 16 at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre, no small prize considering the musical’s string of sold-out performances. (Here’s everything you need to know about snagging tickets.)

#HamforAll sparked a surge of online video traffic by celebrities who took Miranda up on his challenge. So far, participants include TV creator and activist Shonda Rhimes (who rapped Jefferson’s breakneck verse in “Washington on Your Side), “Jane the Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez, powerhouse pop singer Kelly Clarkson, Broadway alum Sara Ramirez and former “Hamilton” headliner Taran Killam (who, ironically, was the only participant to stumble over his lyrics), among an impressive handful of others.

Even though the high-profile contestants could likely score tickets otherwise, it’s still fun to see their performances.

(Tim Ireland / Associated Press)

When you’re Serena Williams, you can get Annie Leibovitz to do your maternity shoot.

The pregnant tennis star, whose love story with fiancé Alexis Ohanian is Vanity Fair’s August cover story, posed nude -- while about six months pregnant -- on the front of the glossy in a manner quite reminiscent of actress Demi Moore’s iconic 1991 cover.

“Check out my Vanity Fair Cover,” the athlete wrote, posting her striking, wind-blown portrait on Twitter Tuesday morning. “Question- what do u guys think boy or girl? I’m waiting to find out but would love to hear your thoughts.”

“If you would have told me last year in October or November that I would have a baby, not be pregnant but have a baby, I would have thought you were the biggest liar in the world,” she told Buzz Bissinger in the piece. “This is kind of how I am right now. This is happening sooner than later, and it’s going by so fast.”

Williams and Ohanian, who is also featured in the accompanying intimate pictorial, met by happenstance in Rome in May 2015. He had never seen a tennis match, and she didn’t know what Reddit was. They had their first date walking around aimlessly in Paris shortly after, and then he proposed in December 2016 at the hotel pool where they first met.

“I felt like a door had been opened to a person who made me want to be my best self,” Ohanian, 34, said. “I find myself just wanting to be better by simply being around her because of the standard she holds.”

Williams and Ohanian plan to get hitched in the fall after the baby is born. And come January, she’s planning to be back on the pro tennis circuit.

“I don’t think my story is over yet,” Williams told Vanity Fair.

Leslie Jones’ successful night hosting the BET Awards on Sunday took an inhospitable turn when her stay at a Los Angeles hotel was allegedly marred by racism.

The “Saturday Night Live” star tweeted to her more than 694,000 followers on Monday about having the “worst stay” at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Los Angeles, near where the show took place, asserting that “they don’t like black people.”

The 49-year-old comic did not elaborate on her experience, and her reps did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.

In an attempt to alleviate the situation, reps for the luxury hotel responded to the “Ghostbusters” actress’ accusatory tweet with a tweet of their own, saying they pride themselves on “providing excellent service to all” and were “very sorry to hear this.” The tweet also said they would look into the incident right away.

In a statement to The Times, the Ritz-Carlton declined to comment on Jones’ complaint but reiterated its customer service mantra.

“Diversity and inclusion are part of the fabric of The Ritz-Carlton’s culture and operations,” the statement said. “We remain committed to providing an environment where all feel welcome. While we do not comment publicly about individual guests, we take every guest concern seriously and work quickly to resolve issues.”

In a phone interview with The Times, Amy Campbell, the hotel’s director of public relations, also declined to comment on the specifics but confirmed that the incident did take place at the downtown property and that it was being investigated.

Update, 9:55 a.m.: This post has been updated to include the hotel’s location and Campbell’s statement.

ALSO

Leslie Jones’ website taken down after hackers post stolen nude photos and personal info

Homeland Security is investigating nude-photo cyberattack on Leslie Jones

Leslie Jones warns her 1994 self to stay off Twitter in BET Awards sketch

(Will Heath / NBC via AP)

Good news for fans of “Saturday Night Live.” Alec Baldwin confirmed to CNN on Monday that he will reprise his famous impression of President Trump when the sketch-comedy series returns for Season 43 in the fall.

“Yeah, we’re going to fit that in. I think people have enjoyed it,” Baldwin said during an interview promoting his upcoming film, “Blind.”

Baldwin’s depiction of the president did not go unnoticed by Trump, who called the actor “a disaster” and the long-running “SNL” series “a failing show” during a January interview with Sean Hannity.

Season 42 of “Saturday Night Live” boasted the show’s highest ratings in 22 years.

Despite the yuuuuuge news, Baldwin cautioned that his return to “SNL” will be “a couple celery sticks” as opposed to “a whole meal.”

Maybe Melissa McCarthy as Sean Spicer will be able to pick up the slack come fall.

Never seen a plastinated body? Then take a peek, above, at what’s going on at the California Science Center, where the “Body Worlds: Pulse” exhibit has stripped away the human body’s exterior to reveal its inner workings.

“You can literally feel and understand what’s inside of you,” Dr. Angelina Whalley, “Pulse” creative architect, told The Times’ Calvin B. Alagot, who captured images of the exhibit as it was being set up.

Plastination, a process pioneered in 1977 that stops decomposition by replacing water and fat with plastics, allows the under-the-surface look at anatomy. (It’s also reminiscent of Heidi Klum’s creepy costume from that one Halloween.)

At the science center, the 200 preserved specimens in “Pulse” — whole bodies, individual organs and more, all donated — take visitors on a journey through the body’s nervous, cardiovascular, respiratory, locomotive, digestive and reproductive systems. That last section is restricted to visitors 17 and older, unless accompanied by an adult.

The exhibit features some healthy specimens from the likes of dancers and athletes, but other offerings might be hard to take in: a slice of an obese body and a smoker’s black lung. Visitors younger than 12 must be accompanied by an adult.

“Body Worlds: Pulse” runs through Feb. 20.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

FROM THE ARCHIVES: J.J. Abrams on going old school and how ‘Star Wars’ differs from ‘Star Trek’

DeMario Jackson, whose name was caught up in the alleged-misconduct brouhaha that brought “Bachelor in Paradise” production to a halt two weeks ago, is starting to talk about what happened on the set of the love-in-paradise reality show.

The first night of “Paradise” filming “was probably one of the wildest nights of my entire life,” he told E! News in an exclusive interview broadcast Monday night. “Like, we went for it.”

After meeting at the bar, where they wound up having a number of drinks, he and Corinne Olympios “were just complimenting each other on being villains. I was like, ‘Look, I’ve accepted this role.’”

Olympios was portrayed as a villain on Nick Viall’s season as “The Bachelor,” while Jackson was booted by Rachel Lindsay on the current “Bachelorette” season after a woman who said she was Jackson’s girlfriend showed up to confront him.

He and Olympios “were kind of just laughing, like, ‘Oh, we’re about to dominate ‘Paradise’! Like homie stuff, like really, really like friends.”

The two wound up making out in the pool, he said, but then it got wild, with “her being the aggressor, which was, like, sexy.” He got out and sat on the edge of the pool, dangling his legs in the water, and then, he said, “She gets up out of the pool and puts her lady parts in my face. Like, right on my face.”

Did we mention that they’d gotten naked in the pool? Yeah, he vouched for that.

The full interview was airing Monday and Tuesday nights on E!

Jackson also talked about how hard it was while Warner Bros.’ investigation was going on, and he was accused of sexual behavior without consent.

“My dad, he kept me extremely strong and kept me grounded and humble but having your mom cry every day for something that you know you didn’t do,” he said.

Olympios has said she doesn’t remember much from the first night of filming, and her attorney said that her team was continuing to investigate what happened, despite the studio’s determination that there was no misconduct and its announcement that it had updated its policies in some areas.

One alleged update: When “Bachelor in Paradise” restarted production over the weekend, its contestants faced a new drill when it came the show’s drug policy, according to TMZ.

In an email sent by producers and obtained by the website, cast members were advised that their bags would be “inventoried” for all drugs, legal and illegal, including prescription drugs not prescribed specifically to the contestant.

“All drugs, over the counter and prescribed, must be submitted to the Nurse to keep and dispense accordingly for your stay in Mexico,” the email reportedly said. The illegal stuff would be confiscated.

Other than those statements from her and her lawyer last week — including one in which attorney Martin Singer said he wanted to make it “crystal clear” that his client had nothing to do with the allegations of misconduct — Olympios has yet to speak up in any detail about events in “Paradise.”

But her boyfriend, Jordan Gielchinsky, told E! News last week that whether it’s as her friend or boyfriend, she’d continue to get his “unwavering loyalty and support until I decide that there is a legitimate reason not to give it. “Gielchinsky and Olympios have known each other for 10 years, he said

ALSO

DeMario Jackson of ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ says his character has been ‘assassinated’

Corinne Olympios’ team promises ‘multiple new witnesses’ in its ‘Bachelor in Paradise’ inquiry

‘Bachelor in Paradise’ investigation finds no misconduct; production to resume

The Boy Who Lived has cast his spell on the box office since “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” the first film in Warner Bros.’ blockbuster franchise, hit theaters in 2001.

The bestselling, seven-book series was adapted into eight record-breaking films -- and a two-part play -- as the boy wizard ventured through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and the wizarding world with his pals Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, taking on the enigmatic Lord Voldemort and his magical henchmen each school year.

As J.K. Rowling’s debut novel “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” -- the first of the books from which the decade-spanning films were adapted -- marks its 20th anniversary, here’s a reminder of how Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan reviewed the “Harry Potter” films. (Spoiler alert: He didn’t always like them.)

1. ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ film is imaginative and faithful but shuns any risk-taking (2001)

As his 11th birthday approaches, orphan Harry Potter learns that he’s a wizard and enrolls at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where his reputation as the Boy Who Lived precedes him during his magical training.

“The result is a remarkably faithful copy of the book that treats the text like holy writ (hence its 2-hour-and-33-minute length),” wrote The Times’ film critic Kenneth Turan. “From the gold in Gringotts, the safe-as-houses goblin-run bank, to the centaur lurking in the forbidden forest that adjoins Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, so much is presented just as written that ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’ starts to resemble one of those fiendishly exact replicas of great works of art that Sunday painters can be seen working on in galleries of museums.”

2. ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ doesn’t capture the well-balanced tone of the book (2002)

In their second year at Hogwarts, Harry and his pals Ron and Hermione contend with a celebrity author professor and a well-meaning house elf named Dobby who thwart the trio in unexpected ways.

“The darkness that invades ‘Chamber of Secrets’ underlines how well the books managed to exactly balance good and evil, dark and light, so that within their pages you seemed to be experiencing both at the same time. Not so here,” Turan wrote. “Because ‘Chamber of Secrets’ can’t seem to get the balance right, it ends up broadly overdoing things on both ends of the spectrum. The film’s scary moments are too monstrous and its happy times have too much idiotic beaming, making the film feel like the illegitimate offspring of ‘Alien’ and ‘The Absent-Minded Professor.’”

3. ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’ film comes close to capturing the essence of the books (2004)

The wizarding world gets markedly darker as convicted murderer Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), who is believed to have killed Harry’s parents, escapes from the Azkaban prison and the soul-sucking Dementors are loosed to chase him down. Director Alfonso Cuarón takes the helm from Chris Columbus, who directed the two previous films.

“[T]he final hour of the two-hour-and-21-minute ‘Azkaban’ is the closest any of the films has gotten to capturing the enormously pleasing essence of the Potter books,” wrote Turan, adding, “Those three leads (Daniel Radcliffe as Harry, Emma Watson as Hermione, Rupert Grint as Ron) play characters who are now 13, an age when anger and frustration are more publicly expressed. One of the benefits of Cuarón’s direction, his expertise with younger actors, means that the constant determination and occasional fury exhibited by the characters, especially Harry and Hermione, are completely convincing.”

4. ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire’ finally gets Harry Potter right (2005)

Harry’s surprising inclusion in the prestigious Triwizard Tournament, as a fourth-year student, raises concerns and brings danger to the Hogwarts castle.

“It’s taken them long enough, but the movies have finally gotten Harry Potter right,” wrote Turan. “It has fallen to the veteran [director] Mike Newell, eager, in his own words, ‘to break out of this goody-two-shoes feel,’ to make the first Harry Potter film to be wire-to-wire satisfying.

“Though memorable acting is neither called for nor delivered on the part of ‘Goblet’s’ collection of juveniles, Radcliffe’s Harry does get one thing exactly right. Watching him face myriad challenges, we’re convinced that Harry’s heart will lead him to do the right thing. He does good in the most natural way and, like so much of ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,’ that’s just how it should be.”

5. ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’ can’t shake an episodic feeling (2007)

With the Ministry of Magic refusing to acknowledge Lord Voldemort’s (Ralph Fiennes) return, fifth-year Harry is brooding at school as he contends with spooky visions and Ministry transplant Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton). His knowledge of the dark magic-fighting organization, the Order of the Phoenix, and a prophecy further complicate matters.

“[Director David] Yates and his team handle the film’s visuals well, including the impressive sets for the atrium of the Ministry of Magic and its Hall of Prophecy, as well as fine flying sequences involving either broomsticks or equine creatures called Thestrals,” Turan wrote. “The director also works well with the film’s juvenile leads, which is important, because these are the raging hormone years at Hogwarts School, and that is especially true where Harry is concerned. Looking so disgruntled in his gray hoodie that you fear he might start rapping, Harry comes off as more Grumpy Potter than the bright light of the wizarding world.”

6. ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ is well-crafted but sometimes hard to endure (2009)

As dark magic spills into the Muggle world, Harry’s mentor, Professor Dumbledore (Michael Gambon), tasks him with bringing down Lord Voldemort. But Harry’s discovery of an old textbook teaches him more than he expected about his past.

“Now in its sixth episode shot over an eight-year span, with two more features still to come, this one-of-a-kind film cycle has become as comfortable and reliable as an old shoe, providing a degree of dependability that’s becoming increasingly rare, Turan wrote. “As directed by David Yates, who did the previous film and is on tap for the final two, ‘Half-Blood Prince’ demonstrates the ways that the Potter pictures have become the modern exemplars of establishment moviemaking. We don’t turn to these films for thrilling or original cinema, we look for a level of craft, consistency and, most of all, fidelity to the originals -- all of which we get.”

7. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 1” (2010)

The penultimate film sees Harry, Hermione and Ron venturing out into the real world to locate and destroy Lord Voldemort’s soul-encapsulating Horcruxes as Hogwarts and the wizarding world fall to He Who Must Not Be Named.

“Much of the plot of ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ involves the attempt to find and destroy a series of Horcruxes, and if you haven’t a clue about what they are or why they’re important, you might as well stay home,” Turan wrote. “There is something different, however, about this Potter movie, and that is the words ‘Part 1’ that end the title. Understandably distraught about ‘Hallows’ being the last of the phenomenally popular J.K. Rowling novels, Warner Bros. has split the final effort into two films and is likely kicking itself for not having thought of that with the earlier books.”

(It should be noted that the studio reboots the wizarding world with the forthcoming “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them” series. The first film hit theaters in 2016.)

8. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2” (2011)

Harry goes wand-to-wand with Lord Voldemort, concluding Harry’s final year at the wizarding school with the epic Battle of Hogwarts.

“In a classic storybook finish, however, ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows -- Part 2’ turns out to be more than the last of its kind. Almost magically, it ends up being one of the best of the series as well,” Turan wrote. “The Harry Potter films, like the boy wizard himself, have had their creative ups and downs, so it’s especially satisfying that this final film, ungainly title and all, has been worth the wait. Though no expense has been spared in its production, it succeeds because it brings us back to the combination of magic, adventure and emotion that created the books’ popularity in the first place.”

For more of The Times’ “Harry Potter” anniversary coverage, go here.

The L.A. Philharmonic gives a live performance of John Williams’ music for “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” during a screening of the film at the Hollywood Bowl on July 6, 2016.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

Harry Potter and friends are coming back to the Hollywood Bowl this summer, with the L.A. Philharmonic gearing up for live performances of music from the second and third movies in the franchise.

“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” will screen July 6, followed by “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” July 7-8. Justin Freer will conduct the Los Angeles Philharmonic both nights as the orchestra performs John Williams’ scores while the movies roll.

The Harry Potter Film Concert Series kicked off in June 2016 and brought a sold-out, philharmonic-accompanied “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” screening to the Hollywood Bowl on July 6, 2016.

“It is with great pleasure that we are bringing back this opportunity to experience the award-winning music scores played live by a symphony orchestra, all while the beloved films are simultaneously projected onto the big screen. This will be another unforgettable event,” Freer said in a statement Monday.

The announcement coincides with Monday’s 20th anniversary of the debut of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series.

Tickets available on the Hollywood Bowl website Monday afternoon ranged from $14 to $147 for the July 6 “Chamber of Secrets” show and the July 7 “Azkaban” screening, and from $17 to $165 for “Azkaban” on July 8. They can be purchased online, by phone or in person at the Hollywood Bowl box office.

Here’s a look at how Harry Potter came of age on screen, and for more of The Times’ “Harry Potter” anniversary coverage, go here.

First Run Features has announced the premiere date for director Kirk Simon’s documentary examining the 100-year history of the Pulitzer Prize.

“The Pulitzer at 100” will bow at Lincoln Plaza Cinema July 21 in New York City, with more cities to follow.

The film explores the effect the Pulitzers have had on the country’s culture in the century since their inception by way of interviews with previous winners, including authors, journalists, playwrights and musicians, as well as The Times’ own Mary McNamara, who won the 2015 Pulitzer for criticism. (She’s featured at the start of the trailer above.)

The interviews appear interspersed with an examination of Joseph Pulitzer, whose funds founded Columbia University’s School of Journalism in 1912 and established the prizes that bear his name in 1917.

Also featured in the film are readings of Pulitzer-winning works as presented by some of Hollywood’s brightest stars, including Natalie Portman, Helen Mirren and Martin Scorsese.

It’s Jackie Chan like you’ve never seen him before: in full-on dangerous dad form, out for justice in London against the terrorists who killed his daughter.

The new trailer for the upcoming action thriller “The Foreigner” teases a surprise for fans of the 63-year-old “Rumble in the Bronx” and “Rush Hour” star who has played countless upbeat heros over the course of an eclectic, five-decade career.

The man brought two adorable stuffed pandas to the Oscars, for goodness sake! But seldom has he gone as dark as he does in STX Entertainment’s Oct. 13 release, which he also produced.

“Casino Royale” helmer Martin Campbell directs Chan in “The Foreigner” as a London businessman who taps into his own brutal past when his daughter is killed in a fiery terrorist blast.

Pierce Brosnan is the government official he’s convinced can lead him to those responsible. Along the way, carnage follows as Chan stalks his prey looking haggard and haunted, putting his particular set of skills to use.

“The Foreigner” doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue. (How Londoners will feel about its terrorism plot given the city’s recent tragedies remains to be seen.) But hey, it’s an improvement on the title of the 1992 Stephen Leather novel it’s based on: “The Chinaman.”

Chance the Rapper lights it up at the 2017 BET Awards.

(Matt Sayles/Invision/AP)

Sunday night’s BET Awards weren’t exactly a perfect viewing experience, but that doesn’t mean the show didn’t feature several moments of absolute perfection. Here are five moments even the most casual fans of music and pop culture can (and should) enjoy.

Featuring Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar spit flames during his featured verse in Future’s “Mask Off (Remix),” breathing much-needed life into the ceremony. Lamar is a consistent MVP at the BET Awards, even when he’s not the star of the show, as seen in his supporting role in Beyoncé’s “Freedom” performance last year.

Solange gets a seat at the table

Speaking of Beyoncé, Queen Bey was absent from the ceremony, having purportedly given birth to twins recently, but sister Solange Knowles was more than ready to step up, taking home her first BET Award.

“My armpits are sweating so much right now,” Knowles announced after being presented the Centric Award for “Cranes in the Sky.”

Armpits aside, Knowles went on to credit BET for all the strong women of color it introduced into her life when she was young.

“I just want to thank BET for my teenage years, giving me images of queens like Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim and Aaliyah and Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill and Kelis and Res, and the list goes on, and showing me those images and letting me know the sky’s the limit,” she said.

Toni who?

Sisters were doing it for themselves at Sunday night’s ceremony, with Tamar Braxton — younger sister of R&B luminary Toni — tearing the house down with her performance of “My Man.”

“She called me ‘bout her man,” Braxton crooned, “Well, I didn’t understand, she was talkin’ ‘bout my man (heifer).” It’s really the heifer aside that seals the deal in the fiery torch song about a man who done her wrong.

Former FLOTUS praises Chance

Michelle Obama scored some of the evening’s biggest applause when she appeared in a video to praise Chance the Rapper, who was honored for his humanitarian work.

“We have known Chance and his family since he was a wee little baby rapper,” the former first lady said, going on to celebrate Chance for his contributions in both word and deed to lifting up young people in their hometown of Chicago.

Among the rapper’s humanitarian efforts are a $1-million contribution to Chicago’s public school system, as well as founding the New Chance Arts and Literature Fund.

Best fashion faux pas ever

Normally it would be a fashion nightmare to show up at an awards show in the same outfit as a fellow attendee, but not for rapper Gucci Mane.

A photo featured on the Instagram page of DJ Khaled’s infant son revealed that Mane and Asahd Tuck Khaled just happened to arrive at the BET Awards wearing the same Gucci suit, though in slightly different sizes.

You’re a wizard, Harry!

Twenty years ago today, British publisher Bloomsbury released J.K. Rowling’s debut novel, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” the first in the seven-book series about a boy wizard that went on to become a global phenomenon.

The outspoken billionaire author, who was living in relative poverty when she first completed her manuscript, took to Twitter on Monday to celebrate the milestone.

Also marking the occasion was Twitter, which teamed up with Bloomsbury and the series’ digital hub Pottermore to release a custom Harry Potter emoji featuring the boy wizard’s iconic lightning scar and glasses. The emoji automatically generates with the bespoke hashtag #HarryPotter20.

Those using the hashtag could have their tweets and photos displayed at the King’s Cross train station in London, where the 11-year-old wizard memorably began his sojourn to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. (The station has boasted an honorary Platform 9 3/4 for years.)

“Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” the book’s original title, was first published on June 26, 1997, by Bloomsbury. The initial hardback print run was only 500 copies; however, the complete seven-book series went on to sell more than 450 million copies.

The title “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” was used for U.S. audiences when Scholastic published the novel stateside in 1998. The books have also have been translated into 79 languages, including Welsh, Latin and Ancient Greek, according to data released by Bloomsbury.

The best-selling tomes have been adapted into eight blockbuster films, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and a who’s who of British acting talent over the years. Rowling is continuing work on Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts” prequel films, while Harry’s own story continued in the “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” plays that debuted in 2016.

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On Sunday’s “Last Week Tonight,” John Oliver became the latest late-night personality to take aim at the anti-vaccine movement.

Oliver devoted nearly a half-hour to debunking the various fears surrounding childhood immunizations, which he described as “one of humanity’s most incredible accomplishments.”

As seemingly everything is these days, the segment was inspired by President Trump, who has stoked unfounded fears about vaccine safety on both the debate stage and social media.

But, as Oliver noted, Trump is hardly alone in buying into these baseless theories. He’s joined by prominent figures from across the political spectrum including Alex Jones, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and, um, Rob Schneider. Not to mention parents in 11 states where the unvaccinated rate continues to climb.

As Oliver explained, many of these fears stem from a study that suggested a link between autism and the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR). The study has since been retracted and its author, Andrew Wakefield, has had his license revoked and been accused of distorting his findings.

“He’s basically the Lance Armstrong of doctors,” said Oliver.

And yet Wakefield still gives talks around the world, including in Minneapolis, where the plummeting vaccination rate among the Somali community has led to a major outbreak of measles, a disease Oliver described as “infectious as ‘Happy’ by Pharrell.” (He also cited an outbreak in France where 15,000 people became ill and six died.)

Though numerous subsequent studies have failed to find a link between vaccines and autism, the fear persists, leading to lower vaccination and also taking away resources “from studying actual causes and treatments,” Oliver noted.

The host also had some harsh words for Dr. Bob Sears, the Orange County physician who’s built an empire based on vaccine skepticism, while admitting that his alternative vaccination schedule is not based on any peer-reviewed studies.

“Your job is to make sure children don’t get deadly diseases, not to make parents feel comfortable,” he said. “You’re a pediatrician, not a flask of whiskey tucked into a Baby Bjorn.”

Oliver argued that Sears likes to have it both ways, seeming to support science-based medicine while once in a while saying things like “vaccines don’t cause autism except when they do.”

The line inspired Oliver to fire back with this: “Don’t worry, opportunist quacks writing books that fan the flames of people’s unfounded fears don’t cause a legitimate public health hazard, except when they do.”

Oliver ended the segment on a personal note, acknowledging that parenting can be “terrifying” and that his natural inclination is to be afraid of everything — including, as he put it, “the dark, the light, heights, depths, confined spaces, wide-open spaces, intimacy, spiders and a sudden and mysterious lack of spiders.”

But as Oliver explained, he is also a parent whose 19-month-old son was born prematurely.

“I’ve worried about his health, and I still worry about his health a lot,” Oliver said. “We are vaccinating him fully and on schedule, and if I can overcome the temptation to listen to the irrational shouting of my terrified lizard brain, then I believe that everyone can.”

While Hollywood has a reputation as a bastion of “anti-vaxx” sentiment, Oliver seems to be among the majority in late-night TV in siding with the scientific community. Several other shows — including “The Colbert Report,” “The Daily Show,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and “Conan” — have also mocked vaccine critics.

You can watch Oliver’s segment here.

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The face of fictitious mascot and cover boy Alfred E. Neuman shines through in a compilation of MAD magazine covers.

(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

MAD magazine is shaking things up. The 65-year-old humor and satire publication is getting a new editor -- the fifth in its history -- and relocating from New York City to Burbank.

Illustrator Bill Morrison will take the helm as executive editor of the DC Entertainment magazine, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

“I don’t know anyone who loves and respects MAD as much as I do,” Morrison said in a statement to THR. “I’ll definitely have my work cut out for me, but I’m dedicated to upholding the high standards of absurd and irreverent humor that the public has come to expect from MAD. I’ve been asked if I will continue to include artist Al Jaffee in the magazine; as soon as I find out who he is, I’ll let everyone know,”

Morrison, who was a Disney illustrator for a time, co-created Bongo Comics with Matt Groening of “The Simpsons” and served as the art director for “Futurama.” He is also president of the National Cartoonists Society.

The Eisner-winning illustrator will be entrusted with furthering the magazine’s absurdist vision in an era saturated with satire and spoofs online and in television. He’ll be directing day-to-day operations, overseeing the editorial staff for MAD magazine and MAD books and managing the annual publishing schedule. He’ll report to Hank Kanalz, senior vice-president of editorial strategy and administration.

“The combination of his pedigree as an editor, writer and artist and his crazy sense of humor makes him the ideal person going forward to maintain MAD magazine’s leading-edge position when it comes to what’s funny in the world today,” Kanalz said a statement.

John Ficarra, the magazine’s current editor, is stepping down but will stay with MAD through the end of the year serving as a consultant to assist with the transition and the publication’s move to DC’s headquarters in Burbank. Ficarra co-ran the magazine with Nick Meglin from 1984 to 2004 and shepherded its transition to color in the early 2000s. He has been running it solo since Meglin retired in 2004.

(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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BET Awards host Leslie Jones at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday..

(Matt Sayles / Invision / Associated Press)

Twitter was not kind Sunday night during Leslie Jones’ first gig as an awards show host -- specifically, the BET Awards in Los Angeles. But we thought she had strong moments, including this prerecorded bit where she meets her 1994 self behind a local Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles.

That’s where she used to waitress while she was trying to make it as a comedian and when she appeared on BET’s “Comic View.”

Jones says she’d sometimes have Roscoe’s customers who would recognize her from “Comic View,” after which she’d acknowledge their praise but quickly follow up with “Breast and wing or leg and a thigh?”

“I used to give away so much chicken,” Jones confessed to the audience. “You always got two extra wings with me, but I always expected a $5 tip.”

As 2017 Jones told 1994 Jones about the future -- including the wonders of pot dispensaries and legal weed -- she said, “One day you’re going to host the BET Awards.

“The what awards?” her 1994 self asked.

“That’s like the black Oscars,” explained 2017 Jones, who went on to tell her younger self, “You’re in movies now. and you’re on ‘Saturday Night Live.’”

“Ah,” said her 1994 self, “the white people’s ‘In Living Color.’”

Then, in a not-so-veiled reference to social media trolls, the hacking of her Twitter account and the leaking of her personal nude photos, 2017 Jones had some final advice for her 1994 self: “Don’t get on Twitter, and stop taking those naked pictures!”

Watch the sketch here.

( Richard Shotwell / Invision / Associated Press)

Chicago’s Chance the Rapper gave a fiery, seemingly off-the-cuff speech at the BET Awards on Sunday night in which he chastised the legal system, Chicago Public Schools and U.S. government.

Chance was receiving the gala’s humanitarian award, an acknowledgement of the funds he has raised and donated for Chicago schools. When the artist born Chancelor Bennett took the stage at downtown’s Microsoft Theater, he said he hadn’t prepared a speech. Still, he rattled off a few talking points, all of them to rapturous applause.

He said he wanted to “tell everybody in this government that y’all need to let everybody out of jail for selling weed before y’all start making it legal,” and then added, “I was going to tell the Chicago public school system to not take out a loan from Chase Bank when they know that our schools are planning on failing in our district.”

Next, the artist singled out the criminal justice system, alluding no doubt to the lack of punishments given out in instances of alleged police brutality. “I was going to tell those judges that we just need a conviction,” he said.

Chance stated that at age 24 it “feels a little early to get something like this,” adding, “my God doesn’t make mistakes, and I like to think that he’s putting this enormous pressure on me to see how I react.” He pledged to be a better person and father and to help those beyond his community.

Chance’s speech was preceded by a clip of former first lady Michelle Obama.

Said Obama, “We are so incredibly proud of you, Chance. We have known Chance and his family since he was a wee little baby rapper. It has been a thrill watching him come into his own in so many ways. In addition to making some really amazing music, Chance has been taking that big, bright spotlight that follows him around and he’s shining it on young people in our hometown of Chicago.”

Watch the speech here.

Netflix’s latest cancelation victim: ‘Girlboss.”

The streaming service will not move forward with another season of the comedy, The Times has confirmed.

The series, which was helmed by “Pitch Perfect” screenwriter Kay Cannon and starred Britt Robertson, was an adaptation of Nasty Gal founder Sophia Amoruso’s memoir-self-help book that documented her rise from shoplifter to e-commerce fashion maven.

Amoruso reflected on the news in an Instagram post Saturday night: “So that Netflix series about my life got canceled,” she wrote. “While I’m proud of the work we did, I’m looking forward to controlling my narrative from here on out.”

“It was a good show,” she continued, “and I was privileged to work with incredible talent, but living my life as a caricature was hard even if only for two months. ... It will be nice to someday tell the story of what’s happened in the last few years. Ppl read the headline, not the correction, I’ve learned.”

“Girlboss” is the latest series to reach its end on Netflix. Baz Luhrman’s “The Get Down” and the Wachowski sisters’ “Sense8” were also canceled by the streamer in recent months.

In discussing the cancelation of those shows while at the PGA’s Produced By conference earlier this month, Netflix’s chief content officer, Ted Sarandos, offered this reasoning:

“Relative to what you spent, are people watching it?... A big expensive show for a huge audience is great. A big, expensive show for a tiny audience is hard even in our model to make that work very long.”

(Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)

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(Rich Fury / Getty Images)

Amid the many practiced rhythms and melodies that echoed across the valley during the first Arroyo Seco Weekend in Pasadena, a curiously delicate, improvised jam session occurred in a little tent set to the side.

There, inside the shaded Kidspace area, a so-called musical petting zoo served to fill the air with the glorious, if disorganized, din of a dozen kids playing -- or playing with -- instruments.

The Rose Bowl-adjacent Arroyo Seco Weekend was billed as a family friendly event, and on Saturday afternoon, the free-form recital, to say nothing of the number of moms and dads carrying worn-out kids, suggested a bunch of parents took the bait.

Was it noisy in the Kidspace area? Sure, but beautifully so.

The organization, which is based in Pasadena, emphasizes interactive learning. A girl clanged bells, another drummed on a tambourine. On a long table, kids strummed a banjo and banged on a bass. An electronic theremin whinnied and moaned. A boy on a drum kit raged.

As soloists, none of the children showed much so-called promise, but as an ensemble, they crafted a work that showed an unwavering confidence.

At another table, kids were busy making punk-style pendants. Elsewhere, others decorated wooden toy instruments.

At sundown, Kidspace closed for the day and the budding talent fanned out, hearty moms and dads in tow, to further explore the grounds.

Many of the toddlers and tykes were new to the fest scene, however, and didn’t know to pace themselves. Smiles turned to frowns. At least one kid whined to his brother, “It’s not funny -- you hurt me!” Elsewhere, tantrums erupted.

In the distance, the Alabama Shakes delivered a blistering rendition of “Don’t Wanna Fight,” one if its best known songs: “Don’t wanna fight no more,” bellowed singer Brittany Howard.

She didn’t know the half of it.

Brace yourselves, America: Stephen Colbert is contemplating another run for the White House. Or so he says.

The host of CBS’ “The Late Show” announced his plans in a way that would make his satirical alter-ego proud: on Russian television.

“I am considering a run for president in 2020 and I thought it would be better to cut out the middleman and just tell the Russians myself,” Colbert said in a vodka-soaked appearance on “Evening Urgant,” a talk show inspired by American late night TV and hosted by Ivan Urgant. “If anyone would like to work on my campaign in an unofficial capacity, just let me know.”

The announcement came near the end of a modified version of Russian roulette in which he and Urgant traded taking shots of vodka from a revolving platter.

“Listen, many things are happening between our two countries,” Urgant said, “but we ought to be friends with each other.”

Colbert was game -- if a little confused by a game in which there could only be one outcome.

“Is this all vodka?” he asked, pointing to the spinning tray. “Then why do we spin it? So every single one of them’s a bullet?”

“Yes,” Urgant replied. “Welcome to Russia.” (Also baffling to Colbert: the bowl of pickles, served as chasers to the vodka shots.)

For his first shot, Colbert toasted “the beautiful and friendly” people of Russia. “I don’t understand why no members of the Trump administration can remember meeting you,” he joked.

When it was his turn, Urgant raised a glass to the United States, “which invented the Internet, thanks to which we are able to influence the presidential election.” He also made a promise to Colbert that “we will do all we can to ensure that you become president.”

In his final toast, Colbert struck a more sincere tone: “A strong America! A strong Russia!”

The “Evening Urgant” visit at least partially solves the mystery of Colbert’s mission to Russia, which he made public on Thursday via Twitter. As for the equally pressing question of whether he’s being serious about 2020, consider that Colbert has already attempted to run for president. Twice.

Staff writer Ann Simmons provided additional reporting and translation.

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(Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

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The Nighttime Lights spectacle at Hogwarts Castle officially debuts Friday night at Universal Studios.

(Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

The most surprising thing about a recent sneak preview of Universal Studios’ new Wizarding World light show, Nighttime Lights, was not the astonishingly non-pyrotechnic glory of Hogwarts Castle awash in imagery from the four houses of Hogwarts Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Last year’s opening-night festivities had ended with something similar (albeit to the accompaniment of John Williams, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and fireworks), and, at the time, it seemed unthinkable that some version of it would not become a permanent, or at least seasonal attraction. Magic is no longer the exclusive property of that other park, after all.

What was surprising was the crowd’s reaction, particularly when the colors and icons for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff shot across the walls and ramparts.

For too long the female-founded houses have played second fiddle to the battle between the lion and the snake. But no more. Cheers and applause for the raven and the badger rose at near Gryffindor levels (obviously, no one cheered for Slytherin) from groups of visitors.

Playing several times each day after the summer sun goes down, Nighttime Lights, which officially debuts Friday night, is not an exact replica of the opening-night ceremonies. There are no fireworks, or L.A. Phil, but Williams’ score is omnipresent, immersing the crowd in strings as the Sorting Hat explains the possibilities and reminds visitors that “there is nothing I can’t see.”

Including, apparently, the long-awaited rise of Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff.

(Karim Sahib / AFP/Getty Images)

Apparently it doesn’t really matter what’s going on in the courtroom because Janet Jackson is doing just fine.

The pop diva, who welcomed son Eissa in January with estranged husband Wissam Al Mana, is embroiled in a costly divorce with the wealthy Qatar businessman. But, according to longtime producer Jimmy Jam, the first-time mom is “so happy.”

The producer behind several Jackson hits has been keeping up with the 51-year-old singer and her 5-month-old son via text message and video chats.

“I get FaceTime [calls] at like 2 in the morning, usually when I’m wrapping up in the studio,” Jam told Entertainment Tonight on Thursday. “It’s always just Eissa [on FaceTime], she’s in the background somewhere. He’s the cutest baby in the history of babies.”

Jam noted that the Grammy winner is working on new music as she gears up for her State of the World tour in September. (Jackson abruptly truncated her Unbreakable tour in April for family-planning purposes and hasn’t returned to the stage since.)

“She said she’s excited to go back to her day job, and her day job is making music and getting off and touring,” he said during the ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Awards ceremony Thursday in Beverly Hills, where he and business partner Terry Lewis were honored.

Still, Miss Jackson has to contend with the issues in her personal life. She and Al Mana — her third husband, to whom she was married for about five years — called it quits in April, reportedly over disputes about how they wanted to raise their son.

They began divorce proceedings last week in London, where Jackson resides, and she’s said to be fighting for sole custody of Eissa, planning to take him on tour. Depending on their pre-nup, the split is expected to be quite profitable for the singer because the luxury Al Mana Group heir is reportedly worth an estimated $1 billion, according to the Daily Beast.

In comparison, Jackson’s estimated worth is a meager $174 million.

Dammn, baby.