Television's Tom Verlaine dies aged 73 as tributes pour in for 'hero' guitarist

Songwriter Kyle Jacobs was found dead at his Nashville home today in what police are calling a possible suicide. The husband of singer Kellie PIckler was 49.

Ellise Shafer A man was found dead at country singer-songwriter Kellie Pickler’s home in Nashville, Tenn. on Friday, Variety has confirmed. According to the Nashville Police Department, the death is being investigated as an apparent suicide. The police would not disclose the identity of the male. Pickler lives at the home with her husband, songwriter Kyle Jacobs. Jacobs and Pickler eloped in 2011. In 2015, they starred in a CMT reality show about their relationship, titled “I Love Kellie Pickler.” Pickler finished in sixth place on “American Idol” in 2010, and went on to release four albums.During his career as a songwriter, Jacobs co-wrote Garth Brooks’ No. 1 song “More Than a Memory” as well as Tim McGraw’s “Still” and also collaborated with Pickler, Tim McGraw, Kelly Clarkson, Scotty McCreery and Darius Rucker.

Andrew Freedman, the news and entertainment publicist who ran the New York-based Andrew E. Freedman Public Relations for more than three decades, died on February 8 following a cancer diagnosis last year. He was 67.

EXCLUSIVE: Augustus Prew has been cast as a series regular opposite Ben McKenzie and Michelle Ortiz in ABC’s medical drama pilot The Hurt Unit, written by Matt Lopez and John Glenn and to be directed by Marc Webb.

EXCLUSIVE: CNBC has ordered a new true-crime docuseries from Law & Order creator Dick Wolf.

100 sexiest stars in cinema history by Empire magazine. Playboy named her the third sexiest star of the 20th century. Her film credits included Bedazzled in 1967, playing the part of Lust Incarnate in a film which also starred Peter Cook and Dudley Moore.

Zack Sharf Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise reunited at this year’s Oscar nominees luncheon, where the blockbuster filmmaker praised his “Minority Report” and “War of the Worlds” actor for saving the theatrical movie business with “Top Gun: Maverick.” Both Spielberg and Cruise are in the running for best picture this year thanks to “The Fabelmans” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” respectively. “You saved Hollywood’s ass and you might have saved theatrical distribution,” Spielberg said to Cruise in a video originally shared on Instagram by director Kartiki Gonsalves, whose film “Who Can Say No to Baby Elephants!” is nominated for best documentary short film. Cruise was left blushing.

Julia MacCary editor Tom Luddy, who co-founded and served as artistic director for the Telluride Film Festival and produced films including “The Secret Garden” and “Barfly,” died Feb. 13 in Berkeley, Calif., after battling a long illness. He was 79. Luddy co-founded Telluride in 1974 along with Bill Pence, Stella Pence and James Card. Luddy served as co-director, then as artistic director and adviser through 2022. Beginning in a small opera house, the festival evolved into one of the largest and most respected globally over the past five decades. “The world has lost a rare ingredient that we’ll all be searching for, for some time,” said Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger in a statement. “I would sometimes find myself feeling sad for those who didn’t get to know Tom Luddy properly. He had a sphinx-like quality that took a little time to get around, for some. But once you knew him, you were welcomed into a kingdom of art, history, intelligence, humor, and joie de vivre that you knew you couldn’t be without. He made life richer. Magical. He called Telluride a labor of love for a very long time. We’re so much better off because of him and that labor. We at the Festival owe it to him to carry on his legacy; his commitment to and love for cinema, above all.”  

Tantalizing! Tom Cruise had all eyes on him at the Oscars Nominees Luncheon on Monday, February 13. 

Tom Luddy, co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival and producer of numerous films for Francis Coppola’s Zoetrope Studios, died February 13 at a nursing home in Albany, CA, where he had been under care for dementia. He was 79.

Gisele Bündchen has worn her heart on her sleeve this Valentine's Day. It marked the first Valentine’s Day since Gisele split from Tom Brady after 13 years of marriage and two children.Love was in the air all over the world and Gisele was in the mood to celebrate love.

Julia MacCary editor “Bridgerton” fans, rejoice! Netflix has released a premiere date, full trailer and first-look images for the upcoming prequel series “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.” “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story” follows Charlotte’s rise to power and her monumental marriage to King George. The trailer invites viewers to “the story that started it all,” showing glimpses of Charlotte and George’s romance. At a virtual event on Valentine’s Day, showrunner Shonda Rhimes was joined by cast members Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), India Amarteifio (Young Queen Charlotte), Corey Mylchreest (Young King George) and Arsema Thomas (Young Lady Danbury) to talk about the new series, its themes, actors’ inspiration and its relationship to the “Briderton” universe. The event also featured taped messages from Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury) and Ruth Gemmell (Lady Violet Bridgerton).

The music community has been paying tribute to Burt Bacharach, who has died aged 94. A representative confirmed to media that the legendary music-maker died on Wednesday at home in LA of natural causes.Born in Kansas City, Bacharach studied music at universities and schools in Montreal, New York and California.

Days after he was indicted on wire fraud charges, Tom Girardi made a rare appearance in public.

Tom Brady told Fox Sports Colin Cowherd on the air this this morning that he will begin his job as broadcaster at Fox during the 2024 NFL season. He spoke about the importance of processing all he’s been through as a reason for taking a gap year.

EXCLUSIVE: We hear that Oscar nominee Tom Hardy and Atlanta Primetime Emmy nominee Zazie Beetz are set to star in the Apple TV+ drama series Lazarus, a project which is still nearing development and closing deals. The project is a co-production between A+E Studios and Range Studios and being sold to Apple.

A major legal setback. Erika Jayne‘s estranged husband, Tom Girardi, was indicted for allegedly embezzling more than $15 million from his clients.

The original Wednesday Addams actress Lisa Loring has died at the age of 64.

Award-winning writer, producer, comedian, and actor Quinta Brunson, creator of ABC and Warner Bros. Television’s TV series , will receive the ICG Publicists (International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600) 2023 Television Showperson Award.