Thomas Gibson Suspended From ‘Criminal Minds’ After Kicking Writer
Thomas Gibson has been suspended from the hit television series “Criminal Minds” after going ham on a writer, kicking him in the leg. Production sources tell TMZ … the actor was directing and acting in a scene a few weeks back when he got in a creative dispute with one of the writers. We’re told the argument escalated and Thomas exploded in anger, kicking the writer in the leg. We’re told the writer was not about to let it go … he called his agent, who then called CBS honchos. At that point the network had to take action and suspended Thomas … it’s unclear for how long, but he’s been gone for 2 weeks. Thomas claims he kicked the writer “in retaliation” after the writer became “aggressive.”
Hearing on Johnny Depp domestic violence allegations delayed
A hearing on Amber Heard’s allegations that Johnny Depp physically abused her is expected to last up to a week, prompting a judge Tuesday to delay its start. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Carl H. Moor ruled Tuesday that the hearing will begin Aug. 17, two days later than planned. Moor ordered the delay after concluding the hearing may take up to five days. The domestic violence allegations are one aspect of the actors’ contentious divorce. Heard filed to divorce Depp on May 23, and a few days later obtained a temporary restraining order after accusing the actor of repeatedly hitting her during a fight in their Los Angeles apartment. Depp’s lawyer has denied the allegations, and she said Tuesday he wants the hearing concluded as quickly as possible. “This is weighing heavily on my client,” attorney Laura Wasser said.
Vin Diesel Says Sayonara, ‘Fast 8’ … Beef with Rock Rolls On
Vin Diesel got the hell out of Dodge … minutes after wrapping his final scene in “Fast 8” … and we’ve learned his feud with The Rock is NOT resolved. Production sources tell TMZ … Vin finished filming his scenes, with The Rock, no less, at 1 AM Wednesday and almost as soon as the director called cut Vin gathered everyone and said he was leaving. During his speech he said, “Daddy’s gone” … Vin thinks of himself as the father figure on set. Our sources say earlier in the day, Vin confronted Rock over the disparaging comments he made about his male co-stars. Although Rock didn’t name names, we know he was referring to Vin. We’re told Vin went to Rock’s trailer and demanded to know why he was talking trash. The 2 spoke privately inside but we’re told they did not squash their beef. One source intimately familiar with the actors tells us it’s all about big egos.\
‘Harry Potter’ star loses $1.3M in tax refund case
Rupert Grint kissed a massive refund goodbye. The actor, who played Ron Weasley in the “Harry Potter” franchise, lost a legal battle over a $1.3 million tax refund, according to the Guardian. On Tuesday, a tax tribunal judge rejected the 27-year-old actor’s appeal against HM Revenue and Customs’ block on Grint changing his accounting dates to avoid being taxed at a higher percentage. Grint wanted 20 months to be taxed in the 2009-2010 year under the 40 percent rate instead of the 2010-2011 year, in which the rate rose to 50 percent. According to Metro.co.uk, Grint’s lawyer made it very clear his client wanted a refund and that he paid his taxes in full. “There is no tax avoidance involved here,” Patrick Soares said. “He has paid all his tax up front.”
The Weeknd pledges $250K to Black Lives Matter
Grammy-winning singer The Weeknd is donating $250,000 to the Black Lives Matter movement. The singer made the announcement Wednesday, days after donating $38,000 to the University of Toronto to establish an Ethiopian studies program. The parents of The Weeknd, born Abel Tesfaye, are from Ethiopia, but raised the performer in Canada. Black Lives Matter, which advocates for justice and freedom for African-Americans, was founded in 2013 by Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza and Opal Tometi. The organization has garnered attention after rebuking police treatment of minorities.
Demi Moore drops out of ABC show
Demi Moore is too good for ABC. The actress was set to star in the upcoming drama “Ten Days in the Valley,” but pulled out once the network got on board, Variety reported. A source told Page Six that Moore “dropped out when ABC picked it up because . . . it was originally supposed to be a cable show. She only wanted to do cable or streaming. It’s more ‘prominent’ to go to cable or streaming.” The show would have been Moore’s first full-time TV gig since the 1980s. Kyra Sedgwick will take over.
The soundtrack to Stranger Things is being released this Friday
Netflix’s latest pop cultural phenomena, Stranger Things, boasts an impressive soundtrack of 70s and 80s rock standards alongside original music from Austin synth band Survive. At the request of fans, Netflix is releasing Survive’s score in two installments beginning this Friday. The first installment will be released digitally on August 12th, with a CD release following on September 16th. The second installment is scheduled for digital release on August 19th and CD release on September 23rd. As for the rest of the songs featured on the first season of the show, you can find a Spotify playlist. While a second season of Stranger Things has yet to be officially green-lit, Netflix’s chief executive Reed Hastings said the company would be “dumb not to.”
Aquaman Movie Villain Revealed
The King of Atlantis is going to have his hands full in his first solo DC Films movie. Aquaman, played by Jason Momoa, will square off against his arch-nemesis Black Manta in the upcoming Warner Bros. tentpole, currently slated for a 2018 release. Black Manta was created in the pages of DC Comics’ Aquaman in 1967. The character has gone through several revamps in terms of origin and continuity. The most recent version, introduced as part of DC’s “New 52,” presents Black Manta as an assasin who holds a grudge for the death of his father against Aquaman. Aquaman did, in fact, accidentally murder Black Manta’s father while seeking retribution for a murder that Manta committed.
