Month: October 2024

Former One Direction singer Liam Payne, 31, has died after a fall from his hotel balcony in Argentina on Wednesday evening. Authorities have not determined if Liam’s death was intentional or accidental; no further details have been shared as of press time, with authorities remaining on-site to investigate.

TMZ was the first to break the news of Payne’s death, reporting that several witnesses at the hotel where he was staying in Buenos Aires tell us Liam fell from his room on the 3rd floor of the CasaSur Palermo Hotel shortly after 5 PM in Buenos Aires. Witnesses also stated that Liam had been acting erratic in the hotel lobby earlier the same day, smashing his laptop, and was carried back to his room. Liam had been in Argentina recently for his fellow-One Direction bandmate Niall Horan’s concert on Oct. 2 at the Movistar Arena in Buenos Aires.

Payne made his debut in 2008 on the British series The X Factor. After his elimination he auditioned again for the show in 2010, and at just 16 years old he was recruited to be a member of the new boy band One Direction alongside Harry Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik. The group went on to become a massive success before ultimately breaking-up in 2015.   Payne went on to drop his debut EP First Time in August 2018, and his first solo studio album LP1 in 2019; just this past March he released his LP “Teardrops.”

Payne subsequently revealed in June 2021 that he struggled with alcohol and prescription drug addictions when One Direction was on tour, and he experienced suicidal thoughts during his addition.

Payne is survived by his son Bear Grey Payne, 7 (whom he shares with ex-girlfriend Cheryl Cole) as well as his parents, Karen and Geoff; and two older sisters, Ruth and Nicola.

Reba McEntire has teamed up with music legend and longtime friend Carole King to write the theme song for her new NBC comedy “Happy’s Place.”   McEntire co-wrote the three-minute uptempo track with band member Doug Sisemore and King, with her live band credited with recording the track.

“Happy’s Place” stars Reba McEntire as her character, Bobbie, inherits her father’s tavern (Happy’s Place) and is surprised to discover that she has a new business partner, Isabella, played by Belissa Escobedo, a twentysomething half-sister she never knew she had. The series also stars Melissa Peterman, Pablo Castelblanco, Tokala Black Elk and Rex Linn.

McEntire shared in a press release: “I’m so happy for the opportunity to write the theme song for ‘Happy’s Place’ with my good friend, Carole King. It just doesn’t get much better than that! I hope my fans will love this song as much as they did the theme song for the ‘Reba’ show.”

The song will be available across all music platforms and debut simultaneously as the “Happy’s Place” series premieres on Friday, October 18 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The series will also be available to stream the next day on Peacock.

Additionally, McEntire can also be seen this fall as a coach on NBC’s Emmy-winning reality TV singing competition, “The Voice.”

You can watch a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the song ‘Happy Place’ – HERE.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Ator Jeffrey Dean Morgan has signed on to host NBC’s adventure reality competition series, Destination X.

The official series description states: “Viewers will follow contestants as they embark on the road trip of a lifetime but have no idea where they are. In order to win, they must figure out their mystery locations. Once they’re on the blacked-out Destination X bus, the journey transforms into a real-life game board, with challenges designed to offer clever clues as to their location, along with a few misdirects to keep them guessing. At the end of each episode, contestants must guess where they are and the furthest from the actual location is sent packing. The first participant to reach Destination X will be crowned the winner. With high stakes and mind-blowing spectacular gameplay, the series will keep viewers engaged and take them along for the ride.”

The series is based on a similar Belgian show where contestants are transported in a bus with blacked out windows and dropped off in mystery locations, and must figure out where they are and the person who guesses furthest from the action location will be sent home each week.

Corie Henson, executive vice president of unscripted content, competition and game Shows at NBCUniversal Entertainment, said in a statement: “Jeffrey Dean Morgan embodies the mischievous international man of mystery, making him the perfect host and puppet master for this new travel adventure series.  He’s dashing, charming, playful and the ultimate travel companion!”

Morgan said in a statement: “Destination X captivated me with its blend of travel, mystery, and gaming. I can’t wait to embark on this wild guessing game across the globe as Master of Ceremony, navigating players through challenges that test their mental and physical abilities.”

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Taylor Swift is gearing up to embark on the final leg of her ‘The Eras Tour’, and the superstar announced Tuesday that she’ll be releasing her first book, The Official Eras Tour Book, featuring 256 pages and over 500 images. The book will include many never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes photos taken throughout the tour’s nearly two-year run.

Swift, 34, posted on Instagram: “We’ll be kicking off the final leg of The Eras Tour this week, which is hard to comprehend. This tour has been the most wondrous experience and I knew I wanted to commemorate the memories we made together in a special way. Well, two ways actually. Excited to announce that The Official Eras Tour Book, filled with my own personal reflections, never-before-seen behind the scenes photos, all the magical memories you guys brought every single night AND …. The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology on vinyl and CD will all be available for the first time ever only at @Target starting Nov 29th. ”. 

Swift also announced the release The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology on CD and vinyl, for sale exclusively at Target stores in the United States; details of an international release will be forthcoming. The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology vinyl and CD editions will be available at Target beginning Nov 29.

Swift’s Eras tour will be wrapping its run this year, making it highest-grossing concert tour of all time (per Forbes, the tour has pulled in nearly $2 billion to date across 149 shows). The final Eras Tour performance is scheduled for Dec. 8 in Vancouver. Both the book and ‘TTPD’ anthology will be available in Target stores only on Black Friday (Nov. 29), before being available via the Target app and Target.com on Nov. 30.

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Patricia Arquette will star as Maggie Murdaugh in the limited series about the powerful Murdaugh family of South Carolina for Hulu. Per Variety, the show was first reported to be in development at Hulu in November 2022, but has now officially been ordered to series.

The official synopsis for the as-yet-untitled show reads that it “is based on Maggie (Arquette) and Alex Murdaugh’s stranger-than-fiction family drama, a riveting account drawing from countless hours of reporting by Mandy Matney – journalist and creator of the popular ‘Murdaugh Murders Podcast’ – as well as exclusive, insider knowledge from years spent following the case.”

The Murdaugh family were powerful players in the Lowcountry region of South Caroline, but were accused of involvement in a variety of crimes, ranging from fraud to murder. In addition to the “Murdaugh Murders” podcast, they have been the subject of multiple docuseries and news specials. Alex Murdaugh was convicted of the 2021 fatal shootings of Maggie and their son Paul, and is serving two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins/ Shutterstock.com

Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer have revealed the cast of their next Netflix project, titled The Boroughs.  

Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard, Denis O’Hare, Clarke Peters and Bill Pullman will star in the eight-episode drama, with details on their roles are being kept under wraps for now.

The Boroughs comes from writers and showrunners Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews, with the show’s logline reading: “In a seemingly picturesque retirement community, a group of unlikely heroes must band together to stop an otherworldly threat from stealing the one thing they don’t have — time.”

In addition to The Duffer Brothers, “The Boroughs” is executive produced by creators and showrunners Jeffrey Addiss and Will Matthews (“The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance”), Upside Down Pictures’ Hilary Leavitt and Ben Taylor, who will direct multiple episodes including the pilot.

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com