Month: January 2023

Former “American Idol” semifinalist CJ Harris, who appeared on Season 13, has died suddenly at 31. Harris reportedly had a heart attack in his hometown of Jasper, Alabama, on Sunday, sources told TMZ.  He passed away after being rushed to the Walker Baptist Medical Center in Jasper, Alabama.

Harris had memorably auditioned for the American Idol in 2014, bringing the house down with an electrifying performance of the Allman Brothers Band’s hit “Soulshine.” At the time, judge Keith Urban told the aspiring vocalist: “You sing because you have to sing, not ’cause you want to sing. And I mean that in the deepest way. And that’s why it’s so believable and real.” Harris also performed other hit covers on the show, including “Too Close,” “American Woman” and “Free Fallin.’ ”

Harris was selected as a wild card in the semifinals after not receiving enough votes. He made it all the way to the Top 6 before getting eliminated. He played for audiences in the competition show’s season 13 tour, and saw success after his “Idol” stint, notably performing at the Grand Ole Opry with Darius Rucker, whom he credited for influencing his style. Harris released the single “In Love” in 2019 and regularly shared videos of him singing and playing guitar on TikTok and Instagram. Last October, he wrote on Facebook that he was working on new music in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

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Gina Lollobrigida, the Italian actress from the 1950s who starred in films including “Fanfan la Tulipe,” “Beat the Devil,” “Trapeze” and “Buona Sera, Mrs. Campbell,” has died at age 95. According to Italian news agency Lapresse, Lollobrigida died in a clinic in Rome. No cause of death has been cited. In September, Lollobrigida had had surgery to repair a thigh bone broken in a fall, but she recovered and unsuccessfully competed for a Senate seat in Italy’s elections held last year.

Lollobrigida’s first American movie was John Huston’s 1953 film“Beat the Devil,” in which she starred with Humphrey Bogart and Jennifer Jones. The same year she starred with Vittorio De Sica in Luigi Comencini’s “Bread, Love and Dreams,” for which she won a BAFTA for best actress in a foreign film. Lollobrigida starred in director Robert Z. Leonard’s Italian-language “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World”, for which she received the best actress award at the inaugural David di Donatello Awards in 1956.  In the same year she also starred in Carol Reed’s “Trapeze” starring Burt Lancaster and Tony Curtis, filmed in Paris, as well as in the remake of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” in which Anthony Quinn played Quasimodo and Lollobrigida received top-billing portraying Esmerelda.  After an 11-year absence from screens big or small, Lollobrigida took on a recurring role on CBS’s primetime show “Falcon Crest” as Francesca Gioberti, where she earned her third Golden Globe nomination; and in 1984, she guest-starred on “The Love Boat”.

Lollobrigida married Slovenian doctor Mirko Skofic, in 1949; he gave up his practice to serve as her manager, but they were divorced in 1971.  After her movie career, Lollobrigida pursued other interests including photojournalism and sculpting; she also ran, unsuccessfully, for a seat in the European Parliament. In 2018, Lollobrigida was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is survived by one son.

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The 28th annual Critics Choice Awards were handed out Sunday night at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles, hosted by Chelsea Handler and airing on The CW.

Everything Everywhere All at Once, which led with 14 nominations, was named best picture; best director and best original screenplay for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert; best editing for Paul Rogers; and best supporting actor for Ke Huy Quan. Brendan Fraser won Best Actor for his role in The Whale, and Cate Blanchett took home the Best Actress award for Tár.

In television, Abbott Elementary (which led the ceremony with six nominations) was named best comedy series. Jeremy Allen White won Best Actor in a Comedy Series for FX’s The Bear, and Jean Smart was named Best Actress for HBO Max’s Hacks.  Better Call Saul won best drama series, with its star Bob Odenkirk winning Best Actor in a Drama.  Jennifer Coolidge and Giancarlo Esposito took Supporting Actress and Actor in a Drama Series for HBO’s The White Lotus and AMC’s Better Call Saul, respectively. The Dropout was named best limited series, with Amanda Seyfried repeating her Emmy and Golden Globe wins for her role as Elizabeth Holmes.

Janelle Monáe was honored with the #SeeHer Award, presented by Kate Hudson, while Jeff Bridges received the Critics Choice Lifetime Achievement Award from John Goodman at this year’s show.

For the full list of winners, head here.

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The first trailer for the film version of Judy Blume’s beloved novel “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” has been released by Lionsgate. The film is written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig, best known for her 2016 feature directorial debut “Edge of Seventeen.”

The film version of “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” closely follows the plot of the original Blume novel, which focuses on 11 year-old Margaret Simon, a sixth grader who moves with her parents from New York City to the suburb of Farbrook, N.J. Margaret is a child of an interfaith marriage and struggles with her relationship to religion, praying frequently to God. The book follows Margaret as she goes on a spiritual journey, while adjusting to her new surroundings and dealing with the onset of puberty. In the film, Abby Ryder Fortson stars as Margaret, with Rachel McAdams and Benny Safdie as her parents and Kathy Bates playing Margaret’s paternal grandmother Sylvia.

The novel “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” remains highly regarded for its frank portrayal of childhood. Author Blume refused to allow an adaptation of the novel until 2018, when she granted the rights to Fremon Craig and James L. Brooks, who produces the film via his banner Gracie Films.

“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” premieres in theaters April 28. Watch the full trailer – here.

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