Entertainment News Archives - Chris Stokes Blog

Beloved Talk Show Host Regis Philbin Dies At The Age Of 88

chris-stokes-blog-regis-philbin — Regis Philbin

As reported on People.com –

“His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him – for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about,” the Philbin family shares with PEOPLE in an exclusive statement Regis Philbin has died. The beloved star was 88.

The longtime television host died on July 24, PEOPLE confirms. “We are deeply saddened to share that our beloved Regis Philbin passed away last night of natural causes, one month shy of his 89th birthday,” his family shares with PEOPLE in an exclusive statement on Saturday.

“His family and friends are forever grateful for the time we got to spend with him – for his warmth, his legendary sense of humor, and his singular ability to make every day into something worth talking about. We thank his fans and admirers for their incredible support over his 60-year career and ask for privacy as we mourn his loss,” the Philbin family says.

In 1988, Philbin began his run as host of Live! with Regis and Kathie Leealongside Kathie Lee Gifford. After 15 years, Gifford left the ABC show but the pair remained close after her departure.

In 2001, the franchise became Live! with Regis and Kelly, co-starring Kelly Ripa before he left in 2011 after 23 years on-air. (He was replaced by former football player Michael Strahan, who later departed for Good Morning America and was replaced by Ryan Seacrest in 2017.)

Philbin also served as the original host of the widely popular game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? from 1999 to 2002. In addition, the New York City native’s hosting credits include Million Dollar Password, the first season of America’s Got Talent, as well as a reoccurring co-host seat on Rachael Ray.

Born on August 25, 1931, Philbin was raised in the Bronx and graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School in 1949 before attending the University of Notre Dame, where he earned a sociology degree in 1953.

After serving in the Navy, Philbin began his career in show business as a writer and made his way in front of the camera in 1961 with a local talk show in San Diego called The Regis Philbin Show. Then in 1967, he became widely known as Joey Bishop’s sidekick on The Joey Bishop Show.

After a string of local talk shows, including A.M. Los Angeles and Regis Philbin’s Saturday Night in St. Louis, he moved to New York in 1983 to host The Morning Show, which was renamed three years later as Live! with Regis and Kathie Lee.

Philbin’s accolades include Daytime Emmy Awards for outstanding talk show host for Live! in 2001 and 2011 as well as outstanding game show host for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He also received a Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2003 and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmy Awards in 2008.

Throughout his career, Philbin had various health issues. He underwent an angioplasty in 1993, followed by triple bypass surgery due to plaque in his arteries in March 2007. In December 2009, the television personality had his hip replaced.

Philbin, who was married twice, is survived by daughters J.J. Philbin and Joanna Philbin, whom he shared with his wife of 50 years, Joy Philbin. He was also father to daughter Amy Philbin, whom he shared with his first wife Catherine Faylen. Philbin and Faylen had another child, son Daniel Philbin, who died in 2014.

“Glee” Actress Naya Rivera Missing at Lake Piru in California

Naya-Rivera-Chris-Stokes-Blog — Naya Rivera

As reported on CNN –

Officials are investigating the disappearance of “Glee” actress Naya Rivera at a lake in Southern California as a “tragic accident,” according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office.”

We hope for the best, we prepare for the worst,” Deputy Chris Dyer said in a news conference Thursday morning.

Rivera, 33, vanished from Lake Piru in Ventura County on Wednesday evening. The Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said search efforts would resume Thursday “at first light” and called it a possible drowning.

Rivera went to the lake Wednesday afternoon and rented a boat with her young child. Both were seen going out on the lake together, Sheriff’s Capt. Eric Buschow said at an earlier news conference.

About three hours after they left the dock, another boater discovered a boat drifting with a child asleep onboard. Authorities were notified and they began searching from air and with a dive team.

While it was hard to get information, the child said they went swimming but the mother didn’t get back on the boat, Buschow said. He said the child had on a life vest and an adult life vest was found on the boat.

The child is healthy and with family, Dyer said Thursday morning.

The boat that Rivera rented — a pontoon boat with a deck cover — was found on the north end of the lake, Dyer said. Wind is often a factor in the area, he said. The lake is up to 40 feet deep, and the bottom has a lot of debris.

Rivera has a 4-year-old son and local media outlets are reporting he was the child found on the boat. CNN has reached out to her representatives for more details.

Rivera played Santana Lopez on the Fox show for six years from 2009, and appeared in nearly every episode of the musical-comedy-drama. She was also on the CBS sitcom “The Royal Family” and in the comedy film “The Master of Disguise.”

Fellow celebs, including her “Glee” co-star Harry Shum Jr., shared their concern on social media.

Rivera was previously married to actor Ryan Dorsey.

We’ll bring you more as this story develops.

July 13, 2020 –

As reported CNN.com –

A body has been found at the Southern California lake where former “Glee” actress Naya Rivera disappeared, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office announced in a tweet Monday. The body, which has not been identified, was discovered Monday morning at Lake Piru. “Recovery is in progress,” tweeted the VCSO.A news conference is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET.

The Ventura County Sheriff’s department has notified Rivera’s family and the medical examiner’s office of the body found in Lake Piru, Capt Eric Buschow said Monday morning.

“When you have a situation like this and it ends up being a recovery, it’s hard for everybody involved. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for the family,” Buschow said in a live interview with KTLA Monday morning. “Hopefully this provides some level of closure, whatever that means, for the family.”

He did not give confirmation that it is indeed Rivera’s body.

The body was found floating in the northeast area of the lake Monday morning.

Authorities have been searching for Rivera, 33, since Wednesday. She had gone to the lake that afternoon and rented a pontoon boat with her 4-year-old son, according to authorities.

Rivera’s son was later seen on the boat, but his mother was nowhere to be found. One life jacket was found on the boat and the boy was wearing another. Investigators found Rivera’s purse and her identification, but no other clues on the boat.

Rivera has been presumed dead.

Video from the dock shows Rivera and her son as the only two people getting on the boat, Ventura County Sheriff’s Sgt. Kevin Donoghue said at a news conference last week.

Detectives have spoken to Rivera’s son and as a result of that conversation do not believe Rivera made it to shore, he said.

Rivera played Santana Lopez on the Fox show “Glee” for six years between 2009 and 2015, and appeared in nearly every episode of the musical-comedy-drama. She was also on the CBS sitcom “The Royal Family” and in the comedy film “The Master of Disguise.”

Update 3pm:

The body found at a Southern California lake has been identified as former “Glee” actress Naya Rivera, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said during a press conference Monday.

The body was discovered Monday morning at Lake Piru, where it was found floating in the northeast area of the lake where the water is between 35 and 60 feet deep, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said.

“We are confident the body we found is that of Naya Rivera,” Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said, adding “there is no indication of foul play or that this was a suicide.”

The body is being taken to Ventura County Coroner’s Office, where it will be identified through dental records.

Prayers go out to Rivera’s family that she leaves behind.

Music Industry Legend Andre Harrell Dies At Age 59

Andre-Harrell-Dies-At-59-Chris-Stokes-Blog — Andre Harrell

As reported by Variety.com –

Andre Harrell, a veteran music executive best known for signing a young Sean Combs to his first record deal and later went on to head Motown Records, has died. He was 59. The cause of death is as yet unclear.

DJ D Nice revealed the sad news while spinning on Instagram Live for his popular Club Quarantine series. Variety has yet to receive official word though sources have confirmed Harrell’s passing.

A native of New York, Harrell started his career in music as an artist, one-half of the rap duo Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde. In 1983 Harrell teamed with Russell Simmons, the founder of Def Jam Records, and had one of his early experiences in the business working as a vice president and later GM of the label. He left to start his own record company, Uptown Records, where he signed Sean “Puffy” Combs. He later brought Mary J. Blige onto the roster and saw success with both artists in the late 1980s and into the 1990s.

Harrell would later find a home at MCA productions where he developed multiple projects in film and television in the 1990s and returned to the music business full-time in 1995 to run Motown Records as CEO. Through that era, the label was home such acts as Boyz II Men, Jodeci and Al B. Sure.

Harrell and Combs remained longtime friends and business associates and Harrell served as vice chairman of Revolt, Combs’ multi-platform music network, and a producer on its panel show “State of the Culture.”

A pioneer of hip-hop and R&B and black entertainment in general, serving as executive producer of Harrell could be seen at many red carpet events on both coasts. He appears in Diddy’s 2017 documentary “Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop: A Bad Boy Story” and, according to IMDB, had been working on a TV miniseries about Uptown that was in the treatment phase at BET.

A true pioneer and trail blazer, you will be missed. Prayers and condolences go out to his family.

More to come…

Chris Stokes Having An Open Casting Call

CHRIS STOKES OPEN CASTING CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am casting for actors to fill the few remaining roles in his next feature film. If you are a professional actor that is serious about your career, submit your headshot and resume, to http://chrisstokesent.com/contact.html This is NOT A COMPETITION. This is a casting call to find actors for the remaining roles in my next movie.

I look forward to receiving your headshot and resumes!!

Breathing Tube For Bobbi Kristina Brown Removed

Almost three weeks after she was found unresponsive in a bathtub, Bobbi Kristina Brown is still fighting for her life.

Doctors have removed her breathing tube, two sources close to the family told CNN on Thursday, one day after the procedure supposedly took place.

Brown, daughter of late singing star Whitney Houston, will now be ventilated through a hole in her throat.

“This is an indication that the patient will need this for weeks and months to come, as opposed to hours and days,” said CNN’s chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

He said the move lowers the risk of infection and is standard procedure.

Brown, 21, remains in a medically induced coma at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta. Doctors are attempting to slowly lift her coma, according to sources close to the family.

The extent of her injuries is not known.

Police have said they’re treating Brown’s case as a criminal investigation. She was found in a bathtub full of water on January 31 at her Roswell, Georgia, residence.

Her mother, who died in 2012, was similarly found in a bathtub, just hours before she was to attend a pre-Grammy Awards party. A coroner ruled Houston’s death an accidental drowning, with heart disease and cocaine use listed as contributing factors.

Brown is her only child.

YouTube Threatened With A $1 Billion Lawsuit

New Performing Rights Organization, Global Music Rights has threatened to sue YouTube. The group which represents about 40 notable artists, including Pharrell Williams says that YouTube no longer has the license to perform the songs for a lot of different artists whose material is on YouTube. The artists/songwriters that make up Global Music Rights were former members of ASCAP and BMI. Now that they no longer are a part of the respective Organizations they have requested that over 20,000 songs be removed from YouTube. YouTube claims that they have the right to still perform these songs under the consent decree that they have with ASCAP & BMI. A lawyer from YouTube commented saying that if these artists want their material removed that they must go through the “notice & takedown” process that all YouTube users must go through. No formal lawsuit has been filed, as Global Music Rights is trying to negotiate with YouTube outside of court. We’ll see how long the negotiations last before the media giant is sued for over $1 Billion.

Chris Hemsworth Talks Fame, Party Days and his little brother’s bad relationships in new GQ article

The blue-eyed 31-year-old is featured on the January cover of GQ just weeks after being named the “Sexiest Man Alive” by People magazine.

The studly star opened up about starting over and when he turned into a family man.

“The fame, the parties, the women — I did that stuff back home,” the Australian actor told the mag.

“I got away with a lot more over there,” he continued. “Then I came here” — to film 2010’s ‘Ca$h’ — “and sort of started over.”

Chris Hemsworth said he ‘had no empathy’ for brother Liam Hemsworth ‘being in relationships he shouldn’t be in.’

Hemsworth is now married to Spanish actress Elsa Pataky and the two share three children together.

“Depends on how messy it is,” he said of how speedy he can be when changing their kids’ diapers. “Sometimes you gotta give ’em a hose-down.”

The “Thor” star also dished to the glossy about his famous brother, Liam.

The younger Hemsworth, now 24, was previously engaged to Disney star turned wild child Miley Cyrus before the couple split up last year.

“I’ve watched Liam do things I did at his age, like being in relationships he shouldn’t be in, or being reckless just to prove a point. And I had no empathy. My mom had to remind me I was the same way,” Hemsworth said.

“Back when I was still on the soap, I became incredibly insecure and full of anxiety because I didn’t know if I was any good. I spent years being angsty, constantly telling people I wasn’t just part of a soap opera, that I was a real artist. And I remember Luke sort of snapping, telling me to shut up, that he was sick of hearing it,” he added of his older sibling.

Hemsworth went on to tell GQ that he gives fellow actor Matt Damon a lot of credit for how he manages life in the spotlight.

“We became friends around the time I started to work, and I’ve really benefited from watching how he handles himself,” he explained.

“Matt’s just a normal guy who has the movie-star thing figured out.”

Columbus Short Comes “Clean” About Scandal

Last April, ABC confirmed that Columbus Short would not return to “Scandal” for Season 4. He had been charged with misdemeanor spousal battery against his wife, Tuere Short, who filed for divorce soon after. Now, in a new interview with Access Hollywood, Short revealed that he had been abusing drugs — specifically cocaine — during that time.

“I had a lot on my plate, and you know, I was using unhealthy ways to kind of self-medicate and deal with a lot of heavy duty stuff in my life,” he said in the interview. “I was doing cocaine and drinking a lot.”

Short confirmed that his “Scandal” co-stars and showrunner Shonda Rhimes were aware of his activities. “If we’re going to be fully transparent, they protected me and they held me down. And that was one of the real reasons — they just wanted me to get my stuff together. Sometimes the bottom has to be dropped out for you to really get it.”

Since getting fired, Short has moved to Atlanta and has been working on an album, though he’s live tweeted the show — including the episode in which the Gladiators mourn his character’s death — and even held a season premiere party for its return in September. “I would love nothing more to go back to ‘Scandal,'” he said. “It’s my family.”

Watch the full interview:

Chris Stokes Holding Auditions For New Film

Chris Stokes holds auditions for new film. Stokes will begin working on his new project in mid 2014 and he is looking for fresh new faces to be a part of it. Follow updates on this blog to see when auditions will be held. You just might be the next big moviestar!

If you’re interested in becoming a part of the film industry, Click Here for your Chance

New Adele Album On The Way?

Adele has dropped her biggest hint yet on Twitter that her forthcoming third album will be called ‘25’.

The Grammy award winner, who celebrates her 26th birthday on Monday (May 5), has previously named her albums ‘19’ and ‘21’ because of the age she was when she wrote them.

It was confirmed by her publicist back in January that Adele’s third album will be released in 2014, and she’s now suggested she’ll be continuing her trend of giving her album an age-based title and calling it ‘25’.

On Sunday night, her last night as a 25-year-old, she tweeted a photo, seemingly from her bed, writing the caption: “Bye bye 25… See you again later in the year.”

However, although she wrote her last album ‘21’ gained critical acclaim for its honest and raw songwriting about the breakdown of a relationship – as heard in singles ‘Rolling In The Deep’ and ‘Someone Like You’ – we expect ‘25’ might be a more uplifting affair, given how things have taken such a happier turn in the star’s personal life.

Since writing ‘21’, the album has topped the charts in more than 26 countries, while Adele has won an incredible eight Grammys and an Academy Award, as well as being honoured with an MBE by Prince Charles.

She’s also become a mother for the first time, giving birth to her son Angelo back in October 2012 to her partner Simon Konecki, who she’s now been with for over two years.

If you’re interested in becoming a part of the entertainment industry, Click Here for your Chance