Back on the air
Two shows starring Neil degrasse Tyson are set to air after investigation ends.
Two shows starring Neil degrasse Tyson are set to air following an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations made against the astrophysicist.
“Startalk” will return to National Geographic next month, while “Cosmos: Possible Worlds” will be broadcast by both Fox and National Geographic sometime in the future.
“The investigation is complete, and we are moving forward with both Startalk and Cosmos,” reads a joint statement from the networks. “Startalk will return to the air with the remaining 13 episodes in April on National Geographic, and both Fox and National Geographic are committed to finding an air date for Cosmos. ”
The investigation launched last November and looked into claims made against Tyson by multiple women.
“Startalk” was placed on hold several weeks after its fifth season premiered last November after the allegations emerged. “Cosmos” had been set to premiere March 3, but was delayed amid the probe. Tyson, 60, denied the accusations in early December.
“In any claim, evidence matters. Evidence always matters,” he wrote at the time. “But what happens when it’s just one person’s word against another’s, and the stories don’t agree? That’s when people tend to pass judgment on who is more credible than whom. And that’s when an impartial investigation can best serve the truth — and would have my full cooperation to do so.”
— New York Daily News
Jackson items out of Children’s Museum
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis has removed three Michael Jackson items from exhibits after a new documentary renewed allegations of child sexual abuse against the late singer and Gary native.
The Indianapolis Star reports a fedora and glove Jackson wore onstage and a Jackson poster are no longer on display.
Chris Carron, the museum’s director of collections, says it wants items on display to tell stories of “people of high character.”
The HBO documentary “Leaving Neverland” featured accounts from two men who say Jackson groomed them for sex and molested them when they were young. Jackson was acquitted on child molestation charges in 2005. He died in 2009.
— Associated Press
Massey accused of inappropriate texts
A longtime star on the Disney Channel is accused of sending sexually explicit content to an underage girl.
Kyle Massey ,27—who starred on “That’s So Raven” and the spinoff “Cory in the House” — was hit with a lawsuit Friday claiming he sent inappropriate photos, videos and text messages to a 13-year-old girl, People reported.
His mother, Angel Massey, asserting Massey has no relationship with the minor, and had sent the X-rated material to her mother. Kyle’s mother said her son claims that he slept with the girl’s mom when he himself was underage — and now may be the victim of an extortion attempt.
The lawsuit asserts the girl, who wasn’t identified, met Massey when she was 4 and stayed in touch with the actor over the years as she began her own entertainment career. She texted Massey last November about her career, court documents contend. The lawsuit also claims Massey offered to let the girl stay with him and his girlfriend in Los Angeles while she looked for an agent.
The child claims Massey later sent “numerous sexually explicit text messages, images, and videos,” according to People. She’s seeking at least $1.5 million in the lawsuit.
Massey played Cory Baxter, the younger brother of Raven-symone’s character, on “That’s So Raven” from 2003 to 2007.
— New York Daily News
Gunn the latest to be rehired for project
James Gunn isn’t the first big Hollywood name to get rehired after being let go.
The filmmaker became the latest to fit that bill Friday when he was reinstated as director of “Guardians of the Galaxy 3,” eight months after he was dismissed following the re-surfacing of old tweets that joked about subjects including rape and pedophilia.
Another is Christian Bale in “American Psycho.” The actor had been tapped to star by director Mary Harron, but Lionsgate was skeptical Bale was a big enough star at the time, and the gig later went to Leonardo Dicaprio.
Dicaprio ultimately backed out, and Ewan Mcgregor was then offered the job, but Bale managed to personally convince Mcgregor the role should be his.
Nearly two decades after its premiere, “American Psycho” remains one of Bale’s most iconic roles.
— New York Daily News