Actress Roberts dead at 65
Actress Tanya Roberts died Monday night, according to multiple reports. She was 65. Roberts was hospitalized in late December, leading to false news of her death on Sunday. Her publicist, Mike Pingel, clarified Monday that she hadn’t died over the weekend.
Widespread confusion over the status of Roberts’ health stemmed from Pingel confirming her death to members of the media on Sunday. He told The Washington Post on Monday — before her actual passing — that he had mistakenly announced it because of a “miscommunication” involving hospital staff and Roberts’ longtime partner, Lance O’brien.
“He was called to go because she was passing away, they thought, and so he went and saw her — that is how it happened,” Pingel said Monday. “The phone rang at 10 a.m. (Monday) morning, and it was the hospital saying that, yes, she was still alive and in the ICU, and she had not passed away.”
Pingel added that O’brien — Roberts’ partner of 18 years who had been “very distraught” — was the one who originally informed the publicist of her supposed death. The Associated Press wrote an obituary based on the information relayed by Pingel, who said Roberts had been admitted to Cedars- Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after collapsing in her home. Earlier Monday, The Washington Post published that same story online, supplemented with additional biographical detail.
She replaced Shelley Hack in the final season of the “Charlie’s Angels” television series and went on to appear in several fantasy adventure films.
Among Roberts’ most high-profile roles was geologist Stacey Sutton, love interest to Roger Moore’s James Bond in
the 1985 film “A View to a Kill.” Starting in the late 1990s, she appeared on “That ‘70s Show” as Midge Pinciotti, the mother of Laura Prepon’s character, Donna.
“That ‘70s Show” actor Ashton Kutcher informed several co-stars before Roberts’ confirmed death on Monday that, despite initial reports, she was actually still alive: “yo bro she’s not dead,” he tweeted to Topher Grace, who, in mourning Roberts, remembered her as “delightful.” — Washington Post
Lawmaker’s letter nominates ‘Selena’
A congressman from Texas hopes to strike a chord and get the musical biopic “Selena” into the National Film Registry.
Rep. Joaquin Castro
wrote a letter nominating the 1997 movie, which stars Jennifer Lopez as the Tejano muSelena Quintanilla, to be added to the Library of Congress’ film registry.
“For over a century, movies have been central to how Americans understand each other and our country ’s history,” Castro wrote in the letter dated Jan. 1.
“However, the film industry ’s ongoing exclusion of Latinos unfortunately not only affects the Latinos seeking opportunities in the industry, but also affects how Latinos in everyday life are perceived, stereotyped, and too often misunderstood.”
Castro, the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, went on to write that the film directed by Gregory Nava “touches on important themes of cultural identity and assimilation faced by Mexican American communities as they navigate their personal connections to two cultures and languages.”
Selena, known for hits such as “Como La Flor” and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” was 23 when she was shot and killed by the former president of her fan club in 1995.
The Library of Congress announced its 2020 inductees last month, with a record-setting number of projects from women and directors of color included in the latest lineup. — Los Angeles Times
Cardi B won’t let daughter hear ‘WAP’
“WAP” rapper Cardi B won’t let her 2year-old daughter, Kulture, listen to her own R-rated song featuring Megan Thee Stallion.
In a video posted Monday, Cardi was dancing to “WAP” when Kulture started walking in and Cardi immediately turned it off.
“So ya daughter cant listen to it but everybody else’s daughter can? @iamcardib,” a Twitter user wrote.
“Ya needs to stop with this already! I’m not Jojo Siwa! I don’t make music for kids I make music for adults,” the Grammy winner responded. — syracuse.com