By Jessica Wedemeyer
8:20am PDT, Aug 16, 2019
"The Walking Dead" actor and former firefighter dies after battle with cancer
Former firefighter and professional wrestler Dango Nguyen — who appeared on several episodes of Season 3 of "The Walking Dead" as a guard working for The Governor in Woodbury — died "after a hard-fought battle with cancer" on Aug. 10, according to a Facebook post from the Athens-Clarke County Fire Department in Georgia. Nguyen, who acted under the name Dango Nu Yen, served as a firefighter for nearly 20 years before he left to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.
RELATED: Stars we lost in 2019
Here's how "The Rookie" will write out Bishop after Afton Williamson's exit
TVLine reported on Aug. 9 that in late July — weeks before Afton Williamson took to Instagram to explain that she dropped out of Season 2 of ABC's "The Rookie" after experiencing "racial discrimination," "racially charged inappropriate comments," bullying from executive producers and sexual harassment from a recurring guest star — showrunner Alexi Hawley revealed how the police procedural will explain the absence of the actress's on-screen alter ego, LAPD training officer Talia Bishop: "She was never going to get a fair shake at the LAPD. So ultimately she's transferring over to a federal agency. There she can start with a clean slate and hopefully rocket to the top of the ladder," said Hawley, describing it as "an organic" exit for the character, who received a reprimand toward the end of Season 1 when it was discovered that she failed to report that her foster brother is a felon while filling out her police academy personal history questionnaire. Hawley added that Bishop's exit "gives us an opportunity to throw other obstacles in Nolan's way." (Nathan Fillion stars as titular rookie John Nolan. Bishop served as his training officer.)
RELATED: TV shows that continued after a main character left
Leah Remini's "Scientology and the Aftermath" to end with explosive special
The Hollywood Reporter reported on Aug. 15 that Leah Remini's A&E docuseries "Scientology and the Aftermath," which wrapped up its third season in early February, will conclude with an "explosive" two-hour special episode filmed in front of a live studio audience of former members of the Church of Scientology. The special, which will air on Aug. 26, will reportedly center around allegations that the church's policies have hindered members from reporting sexual assault and physical violence to authorities — the church allegedly prohibits its members from reporting crimes committed by other members to the police. It will also cover rape allegations against former "That '70s Show" star and prominent Scientologist Danny Masterson, which he's denied. (On Aug. 14, four women filed a lawsuit against the actor and the church for allegedly stalking and intimidating them after they filed police reports about Masterson — who has not been charged with a crime — and attempting to cover up the alleged incidents.)
RELATED: Stars who got fired from major projects
"Sons of Anarchy" stars reunited in hilarious pickle photos
"Sons of Anarchy" stars Ron Perlman, Theo Rossi, Tommy Flanagan and Ryan Hurst reunited at Pennsylvania's Steel City Con at the Monroeville Convention Center on Aug. 10. The former castmates teamed up for a meet and greet during which they posed with fans… and a bowl of pickles. "I still don't know where the pickles came from," one fan captioned his shot with the actors on Twitter. Wrote another lucky fan on Instagram, "I have absolutely no idea why Ron Perlman had pickles, but who was I to say no when I was asked if I wanted one!" In some shots, the foursome — who used the hashtag "LeaveYourProblemsTakeAPickle" to caption their own shots from the meet and greet — also curiously posed with a hexagonal jar of pickles.
Don Lemon denies assaulting male bartender
On Aug. 11, former bartender Dustin Hice sued Don Lemon over a "demeaning, unprovoked and offensive assault" that allegedly took place at Murf's Backstreet Tavern in Sag Harbor, New York, in July 2018. Two days later, a CNN spokesperson told USA Today that Lemon "categorically denies" the allegations against him and that his accuser "previously displayed a pattern of contempt for CNN on his social media accounts." Added the rep, "This claim follows his unsuccessful threats and demands for an exorbitant amount of money from Don Lemon." According to USA Today, the bartender alleges that he ran into the CNN journalist at a bar after his shift at a nearby pub ended. He claims he offered to buy Lemon a drink, but the newsman declined. Hice alleges that later in the evening, Lemon approached him and assaulted him while asking about his sexual preference. He's reportedly suing for unspecified damages, claiming that he suffered "severe emotional stress and loss of future earnings and opportunities" as a result of the attack. "When the cameras are turned off … Mr. Lemon's actions are in stark and disturbing contrast to the public persona he attempts to convey," Hice claims in his lawsuit.
"BH90210" surprising cast salaries revealed
The Hollywood Reporter reported on Aug. 14 that original "Beverly Hills, 90210" stars Jennie Garth, Tori Spelling, Gabrielle Carteris, Shannen Doherty, Jason Priestley, Brian Austin Green and Ian Ziering each make just $70K per episode of FOX's 2019 revival of the beloved '90s soap. That's only $420K each for the entire six-episode first season of the event series, which has been a huge hit for FOX. (To put things into perspective, according to THR, the four original stars of "Will & Grace" made $250K per episode for the first season of the NBC revival of their hit show.) Jennie and Tori, who co-created the new series, receive an additional $15K per episode, while Jason banked an additional $46K — the basic primetime network rate — for directing Episode 3.
Here's how Sophie Turner really wanted "Game of Thrones" to end
In the August 2019 issue of TheWrap's Emmy magazine, Sansa Stark actress Sophie Turner revealed how she would have liked "Game of Thrones" to end: "I thought Arya would kill Cersei. And I would like to have seen Sansa and Cersei reunited, or Arya and Cersei," she said. "But there were so many ways the story could have turned out. I felt very passionately about the ending for Sansa, and I was very happy with the ending that turned out for her." As for Bran being named king, "I think it's true what Tyrion was saying: Bran holds all of our stories, and we can't move on unless we remember our history. Daenerys had to die. Cersei was a mad queen. Arya is too much of a free spirit. Sansa probably wouldn't want to rule the Seven Kingdoms anyway — she wanted to stay in the North and defend the North. I really think Bran might be the perfect person for the job," she said.
Sherri Shepherd reacts to "The View" tell-all, including Elisabeth Hasselbeck once threatening to quit mid-show
On the Aug. 11 episode of "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen," Sherri Shepherd reflected on some of the things that came to light when Ramin Setoodeh's "Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of The View" debuted in April. After admitting that she didn't read the tell-all because she "lived it," the actress reflected on the time Elisabeth Hasselbeck (with whom she's still very close) nearly quit "The View" during a commercial break after Barbara Walters reprimanded her on-air for failing to let her co-hosts chime in on the topic of whether or not the FDA should allow the morning-after pill to be sold over the counter: "I was there and when Elisabeth was going to walk off, I was like, 'Boy, y'all white people are something else. You're gonna leave a job?'" she joked. As for Elisabeth's strong reaction to Rosie O'Donnell saying she had a crush on her, which the conservative talking head called "disturbing," said Sherri, "I mean, you know, if Rosie got a crush on you hey, hey, hey!"
