Eric Bana brings ‘Dirty John’ to TV with Connie Britton

NEW YORK — Eric Bana and Connie Britton are bringing the true crime podcast “Dirty John” to TV with a weekly series on Bravo.

Bana plays John Meehan and Connie Britton is Debra Newell, two divorcees in California who meet online and fall in love. Newell thinks John is the man she’s been looking for while her kids are immediately suspicious. As they voice their concerns, John drives a wedge through their family.

Bana says he wasn’t concerned with getting the character of Meehan exact but more interested in portraying a version that helps to explain why Newell couldn’t walk away. He says manipulators like Meehan pick their prey deliberately and it’s not a fair match.

“Dirty John” premieres Sunday on Bravo.

Georgia rapper Jeezy helps family whose home burned down

MARIETTA, Ga. — A rapper from Georgia served Thanksgiving dinner to a Marietta family who lost their home to a fire and then he promised to help them with housing. WSB-TV reports Jeezy, whose real name is Jay Jenkins, offered to pay the Natt family’s hotel bill for the rest of the year. Victoria Natt says her family woke up one night last week to their home covered in flames. She says she escaped unharmed along with her husband, Tavares Natt, and their 14 children. Natt says her family is staying in a hotel until they can find another home.

Jeezy catered Thanksgiving dinner at a Natt family member’s house and said his actions were “what Atlanta’s all about.” A crowdfunding website says more than $27,000 has been raised to help the family.

‘Bodied’ battles to be more than just a rap movie

NEW YORK — On the surface, the new film “Bodied” may not seem like the right fit for an actor known for the Disney Channel’s “Austin and Ally.” But for Calum Worthy, it couldn’t be more perfect.

“That’s one of the things coming out of a Disney Channeltype show or I think any TV show, you get kind of typecast as the character that you’re playing on the show,” said Worthy. “I really wanted to make really strategic decisions because I want to act until I’m 80, and I know that the only way to have longevity is to work with great storytellers.”

The Joseph Kahn-directed “Bodied ” is about a University of California graduate student, played by Worthy, who becomes entrenched in battle rap after using the genre as his thesis. “His participation ends up causing a lot of controversy at Berkeley which is a school he goes to but he continues to do it anyway,” said Worthy. Battle rap is a mostly underground sub-genre of hip-hop, consisting of rappers going head to head and reciting lyrics-both written and freestyled-directed at their opponent, similar to a lyrical boxing match.

One of the most famous battle rap movies is Eminem’s “8 Mile,” and Slim Shady also serves as producer on this film. Khan has directed many of Eminem’s music videos throughout the years.