Allen to narrate Clinton-Penny book
The audiobook narrator for “State of Terror,” the political thriller co-written by Hillary Clinton and Louise Penny, is an actor with experience playing first ladies, CIA officials and others in government: Joan Allen.
“I am such a fan of Joan Allen — when I heard she would be the voice of ‘State of Terror,’ I was ecstatic,” Penny said in a statement Tuesday. “She will brilliantly bring to life all the diverse characters and elements, from drama, to thriller, to humor and, best of all, make it all deeply human.”
Scheduled to come out Oct. 12, “State of Terror” features a “novice” secretary of state, working in the administration of a rival politician, who tries to solve a wave of terrorist attacks. It’s the first work of fiction by Clinton, the former U.S. senator, secretary of state and first lady. Penny is known for mysteries featuring Inspector Armand Gamache.
Allen, who in a statement called “State of Terror” a “heart-pounding ride,” received an Academy Award nomination for her performance as first lady Pat Nixon in the Oliver Stone movie “Nixon.” Her other roles include CIA deputy director Pamela Landy in “The Bourne Conspiracy” and “The Bourne Ultimatum,” and Sen. Laine Billings Hanson in “The Contender,” for which she also received an Oscar nomination.
Tucci reveals cancer battle:
Three years ago, Stanley Tucci fought back — and won — against cancer. The actor, 60, revealed in a new interview that he had been diagnosed with a tumor at the base of his tongue that was too big to operate on, and instead required highdose radiation and chemo.
“I’d vowed I’d never do anything like that, because my first wife died of cancer, and to watch her go through those treatments for years was horrible,” Tucci told Vera magazine.
His first wife, Kate Spath-Tucci, died of breast cancer in 2009.
Most of the time, Tucci said, his family was by his side, including wife Felicity Blunt, twins Isabel and Nicolo, 20, and Camilla, 18, from his first marriage, and Matteo, 5, and Emilia, 2, whom he shares with Blunt.
For six months, he was on a feeding tube. Tucci said the cancer is unlikely to return.
Diaz-Balart returns to MSNBC:
Anchor Jose Diaz-Balart is returning to the MSNBC lineup later this month as host of the 10 a.m. news hour on weekdays, the network announced Tuesday. DiazBalart was an anchor on MSNBC from 2014 to 2016 and is also an anchor for “Noticias Telemundo.”
Hallie Jackson, who has anchored the 10 a.m. hour for five years, will shift to the 3 p.m. hour. ‘Shang-Chi’ blasts Labor Day records: On what’s traditionally one of the sleepiest weekends at the movies, the Marvel film “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” smashed the record for Labor Day openings with an estimated $71.4 million in ticket sales. The previous record was $30.6 million for 2007’s “Halloween.” The Friday-to-Sunday gross for “Shang-Chi,” Marvel’s first film led by an Asian superhero, ranks as one of the best debuts of the pandemic. Overseas, it pulled in $56.2 million for a global three-day haul of $127.6 million.
Sept. 8 birthdays: Ventriloquist Willie Tyler is 81. Bassist Will Lee is 69. Singer Neko Case is 51. Actor David Arquette is 50. Actor Martin Freeman is 50. TV personality Kennedy is 49. Singer Pink is 42. Actor Jonathan Taylor Thomas is 40. Rapper Wiz Khalifa is 34. Actor Gaten Matarazzo is 19.