Latifah drama gets showcase debut
Queen Latifah’s upcoming drama series has scored a touchdown. CBS says “The Equalizer” will get the coveted post-Super Bowl slot in February to showcase its debut.
“The Equalizer,” a reboot of the 1980s series about a retired intelligence agent turned private detective, stars Latifah as an ex-CIA agent and single mom who helps those “with nowhere else to turn,” according to a network description.
The series will immediately follow the conclusion of CBS Sports’ Sunday, Feb. 7, Super Bowl LV broadcast, with subsequent episodes of “The Equalizer” airing at 8 p.m. EST Sundays, CBS said Thursday.
A special edition of Stephen Colbert’s daily “The Late Show” will follow late local news on Super Bowl night, the network also announced.
The returning series “FBI” also is getting special treatment, with its season debut following the NFL’s AFC championship game on Sunday, Jan. 24. The show will then air regularly at 9 p.m. EST Tuesday.
Reggaeton singer feeling‘perfect’after COVID19: Bad Bunny is doing “great” after recovering from a bout with COVID19, which forced him to skip the American Music Awards last month.
Appearing remotely Wednesday on “The Late Late Show,” the Puerto Rican reggaeton phenom said he was “so happy” to announce he had tested negative for the respiratory illness and was feeling “perfect.” He and host James Corden also celebrated his recent 2021 Grammy Award nominations, which the Recording Academy unveiled last week.
The “Un Dia” hitmaker is nominated in two categories: pop duo/group performance and Latin pop album for his February studio effort, “YHLQMDLG.”
“I am so happy and grateful for the academy and the fans — people who support me,” Bad Bunny said. “Wow. Singing in my language now — in Spanish — and being nominated to the Grammys, I feel so proud. I’m happy.”
In addition to his Grammys success, music streaming giant Spotify recently crowned Bad Bunny its most-streamed artist of the year with more than 8.3 billion streams, followed by Drake, J Balvin, Juice Wrld and the Weeknd.
Stars campaign to save Tolkien house:
Ian McKellen, Annie Lennox, Martin Freeman, John Rhys-Davies and Derek Jacobi are among the stars joining author Julia Golding (the “Companions” series) to launch a $6 million crowdfunding campaign to try and save 20 Northmoor Road, the Oxford house in which J.R.R. Tolkien wrote “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” ahead of it being put on the
market for sale.
The initiative, Project Northmoor, aims to buy the house and set up a literary center in honor of Tolkien, one of the most beloved literary writers of the 20th century.
The aim of the initiative is to buy the house using crowdfunding, appealing to Tolkien fans from around the world. The funding target is $6 million, of which $5.3 million is to pay for the house and the rest will go to the necessary renovations to comply with building regulations, start-up costs of the charity, with additional funds going toward developing the literary programs. The operation will be financially self-sustaining once established.
Dec. 5 birthdays: Actor Jeroen Krabbe is 76. Opera singer Jose Carreras is
74. Singer-guitarist John Rzeznik is 55. Comedian Margaret Cho is 52. Actor Kali Rocha is 49. Actor Paula Patton is 45. Actor Amy Acker is 44. Actor Nick Stahl is 41. Actor Adan Canto is 39. Singer Keri Hilson is 38. Actor Gabriel Luna is 38. Actor Frankie Muniz is 35.