Celebrity World Archives

Hollywood legend Burt Reynolds, known for starring in hit films such as Smokey and the Bandit, Deliverance, The Longest Yard, Semi-Tough, and more recently, Boogie Nights, has died at the age of 82. Reynolds died Thursday at Jupiter Medical Center in Florida his manager Erik Kritzer confirmed to multiple publications. Born Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. in Waycross, Ga., Reynolds attended Florida State U. for two years on a football scholarship; however his promising career as a running back was cut short by a knee injury suffered in a car accident. It was at that time that Reynolds turned his attention to acting. After marrying television actress Loni Anderson, Reynolds decided to produce and star in the sitcom “Evening Shade” on CBS from 1990-94, which earned him an Emmy as best actor in a comedy series. Reynolds also received critical acclaim for his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Boogie Nights,” which brought him an Oscar nomination for supporting actor. Reynolds was married and divorced twice, first in the 1960s to “Laugh-In” comedienne Judy Carne and then to Loni Anderson. He is survived by his son Quinton from his marriage to Anderson.

“Blackish” star Tracee Ellis Ross will once again be taking the stage, returning as host and executive producer of the 2018 American Music Awards. Tracee took to Instagram on Wednesday to share her own celebration post, saying:  “SO NICE, I’M DOING IT TWICE // I’m hosting the @amas again! airing LIVE Tuesday, october 9^th on @abcnetwork.”  The Instagram video included a montage of all of Tracee’s best moments during last year’s show — including her wardrobe throughout the broadcast. Last year the actress’ mother, Diana Ross, was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award with her entire family by her side.  The 2018 American Music Awards will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Oct. 9.

The first official image of Brie Larson as Captain Marvel has been revealed. Revealed on Entertainment Weekly’s new issue cover, the superhero’s suit is familiar, but has been changed a bit from the comics for its movie debut.  EW’s cover story also confirmed that this is not a traditional origin story. It will begin after Carol Danvers already has her powers, and has joined a Kree military team called Starforce. The film will take place in the ’90s, and Samuel L. Jackson will play a younger Nick Fury with a desk job at S.H.I.E.L.D. The report also confirms that Jude Law (as a Kree military commander) and Ben Mendelsohn (as Talos, the head of a Skrull invasion of Earth) will appear in the film. Captain Marvel is due to be released on March 8, 2019.

The next installment of the Law & Order franchise will focus on hate crimes. NBC announced a 13-episode order for “Law & Order: Hate Crimes,” from executive producer Dick Wolf. The latest incarnation of the crime series will be introduced in the upcoming season of “Law & Order: SVU,” according to NBC’s co-president of scripted programming, Lisa Katz.  Katz called the series “extremely timely.” She added: “considering that last year there was a double-digit rise in hate crimes in our 10 largest cities — the highest total in over a decade — it seemed like this topic is begging to be explored.” “Law & Order: Hate Crimes” will be set in New York City, which is home to the second oldest bias-based task force in the US, NBC said. Co-creator Warren Leight added that the series will spotlight the men and women “on the front lines in a battle for the soul of our city and nation.” Series stars have not yet been announced.

Henry Cavill will play the lead role in the upcoming Netflix series The Witcher. “Witchers” are monster hunters who develop supernatural abilities at a young age to fight deadly beasts. The series adaptation is based on the best-selling fantasy short stories and novels by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. Cavill has been cast as the monster hunter Geralt of Rivia. The books by Sapkowski have also been adapted into video games, which have sold millions of copies worldwide.  This will be the first TV role for Cavill, since The Tudors ended in 2010. The start date for the eight-part series has yet to be confirmed.