Orange Is the New Black's Laverne Cox on Being Transgender, Attempting Suicide
6 Reasons You Should Be Watching Ricky Gervais' Netflix Series Derek
The world would be a better place if we were all a little more like Derek Noakes, the titular character of Netflix's British import Derek. That may be a surprising notion, given that Derek — a simple-minded man who works in an old-age home in Britain — is the creation of Ricky Gervais, whose stand-up comedy and past work on shows like The Office and Extras can be biting, to say the least. Even Gervais admits thatDerek, which he describes plainly (and accurately) as "a show about kindness," is less a departure from his previous projects and more a complete rejection of them. "In recent years — and I'm culpable; I may even be one of the major driving forces in it — there's been a comedy of embarrassment, of excruciating social faux pas, the minutiae of human behavior, and usually the bad side," Gervais, who plays the lead role of Derek in addition to writing and directing the series, told TVGuide.com last week. "What's slightly different about [Derek] is, all those comedies and all the characters I've created before were sort of laughing at the blind spot, laughing at the difference between how the characters see themselves and how we see them. And with this, I've closed that blind spot. People are more sincere and more honest. ... The big theme is that kindness trumps everything."
Who's Performing at the Tony Awards?
Neil Patrick Harris, Idina Menzel and Sting are among the performers who will take the stage at the 68th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday, June 8. Hugh Jackman is returning as host, and Rosie O'Donnell will receive an honorary award at the ceremony.
Why Was Scout Willis Walking Around Topless in New York City?
Scout Willis is practicing some civil disobedience against Instagram — topless. Willis, the daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore, wandered the streets of New York City topless on Tuesday in order to protest Instagram's policy of removing pictures that feature women's breasts. Willis, 22, posted pictures of her sojourn on Twitter, with captions such as "Legal in NYC but not on @instagram."
NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden: "The U.S. Constitution Has Been Violated on a Massive Scale"
Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who last year leaked documents about classified government surveillance programs, told NBC News' Brian Williamsthat he considers himself a patriot in an interview that aired Wednesday night. "I think patriot is a word that's thrown around so much that it can be devalued nowadays," Snowden said during the sit-down, which was his first on an American television network. "Being a patriot doesn't mean prioritizing service to government above all else. Being a patriot means knowing when to protect your country, knowing when to protect your Constitution, knowing when to protect your countrymen, from the violations of and encroachments of adversaries. And those adversaries don't have to be foreign countries."
Jeopardy! Contestant Julia Collins Sets a New Record
Jeopardy! contestant Julia Collins has already broken the record for consecutive wins by a woman on the game show, and Thursday night she may tie the record for second-most wins of all time (19).
Brad Pitt Attacked at Hollywood Premiere of Maleficent
Brad Pitt was attacked at the Hollywood premiere of Maleficent Wednesday by a man who has a history of assaulting celebrities on red carpets and during awards shows, CNN reports. Pitt, 50, was signing autographs at the premiere when Vitalii Sediuk, 25, jumped over a barrier and hit him in the face, according to CNN. Sediuk, a Ukranian television host, was arrested on suspicion of battery.
VIDEO: Get a First Look at NBC's The Night Shift
On NBC's new medical series The Night Shift, the doctors at San Antonio Memorial see plenty of crazy cases in the emergency room — but the biggest drama often occurs among the staff members themselves behind closed doors.
10 Ways The Normal Heart Broke Our Hearts
[Warning: The following article contains major spoilers about HBO's The Normal Heart. Read at your own risk!] HBO's The Normal Heart chronicles the emergence of AIDS in New York City in the early 1980s. Ryan Murphy's adaptation, based on the 1985 play by Larry Cramer, offers a shattering examination of both the physical effects of the disease itself, as well as the personal and political implications of the government's lack of response to the growing epidemic. The film tells the story through a group of characters who are struggling to make their voices heard amid the crisis. Here are 10 ways the movie broke our hearts:
Exclusive Motive Sneak Peek: What's Guest Star Jennifer Beals Hiding?
Jennifer Beals revisits her Flashdance days on this week's episode of Motive — only this time she's the teacher, not the student. Beals guest-stars as a dance instructor who finds herself the target of Angie's (Kristin Lehman) investigation into a killing that initially seems like a case of self-defense during a home invasion, but quickly morphs into something more sinister. What does she have to hide?
Floyd Mayweather, T.I. Brawl on Las Vegas Strip
Rapper T.I. and professional boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. got into a fistfight in a restaurant on the Las Vegas Strip over the weekend, TMZ reports.
Box Office: X-Men Dominates Holiday Weekend
Godzilla was no match for The X-Men this holiday weekend. Days of Future Past, the latest installment in the X-Men franchise, soared to the top spot at the box office this holiday weekend with $91.4 million ($111 million over the four-day weekend) in ticket sales, according to Box Office Mojo. Though it fell short of the debut of X-Men: The Last Stand ($102.8 million), it's on pace to become the highest-grossing X-Men movie ever by next weekend.
House Star Lisa Edelstein Ties the Knot
Lisa Edelstein is married. The House alum wed artist Robert Russell in Los Angeles on Sunday, People reports.
Patrick Swayze's Widow Lisa Niemi Re-Marries
Lisa Niemi, the widow of actor Patrick Swayze, married jeweler Albert DePrisco in Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday, People reports.
Happy Endings Star Casey Wilson Weds David Caspe
Casey Wilson and David Caspe are married. The Happy Endings star and creator tied the knot at the Ojai Valley Inn in Ojai, Calif., on Sunday, Us Weekly reports.
The Normal Heart Takes a Brutal, Unflinching Look at the Impact of AIDS
If The Normal Heart, which premieres Sunday at 9/8c on HBO, were a work of fiction, it would be tragic. But knowing that it's rooted in actual events makes it nothing short of devastating. Based on Larry Kramer's 1985 play (which was revived on Broadway in 2011) and adapted for the small screen by Ryan Murphy, The Normal Heart takes a brutal, unflinching look at the onset of the AIDS epidemic in New York City in the early 1980s. The story is told through the eyes of a group of activists who founded the organization Gay Men's Health Crisis to help patients living with the disease.
Survivor's Spencer Says He Still Hasn't Opened Jeff Probst's Letter
Spencer Bledsoe may not have walked away from Survivor: Cagayan with $1 million, but instead he got something priceless during Wednesday's live reunion show: a personal letter from Jeff Probst, who told TVGuide.com ahead of the finale that he's "never been more wrong about a player than Spencer." But Spencer hasn't been able to bring himself to open the letter yet. "I feel weird about opening it," he tells TVGuide.com. "I feel like once I open it, I've crossed some barrier and can't go back. I will. I'm waiting until I'm really depressed."
Survivor's Kass on Woo's Million-Dollar Choice: "Some People Are Just Too Good for This Game"
Despite playing Survivor with Tony Vlachos — one of the most disloyal, untrustworthy players in the show's history — Kass McQuillen found herself in the strange position of being the most disliked member of her tribe on Survivor: Cagayan. Why? McQuillen, who came in third for the season, has a theory. "It's a double standard," she tells TVGuide.com. "A man does what I did and makes it as far as I did, they're a great player. ... Look at Tony."
Survivor's Woo: "I Feel Like a Millionaire"
Woo Hwang may have essentially given away $1 million during the Survivor: Cagayan finale, but you'd never know it from speaking to him. The Season 28 runner-up says he's still proud of his game, and that his goal was to play with the same traits he values in his everyday life. "I didn't walk away with the million dollars, but with all the Team Woo fans out there, all the love and support I've been getting about being an inspiration to their life, that I'm a hero to their kids, that they look at me as a role model — wow," Woo tells TVGuide.com. "And to play a game that's so grueling and [requires] lying and cheating and stealing to win a million bucks, to be portrayed as someone who people can to look up to ... deep down inside, I've won it all. I feel like a millionaire already."
Survivor: Cagayan Winner Tony: I Was Surprised at How Angry the Jury Was
In the end, Survivor: Cagayan came down to two people with completely opposing life philosophies. On the one hand was Woo Hwang, whose goal in the game was to preserve the integrity and loyalty he lives by in the non-Survivor world — even though doing so essentially cost him $1 million. On the other hand was eventual winner Tony Vlachos, who has no regrets about saying and doing anything he could — including orchestrating a record number of blindsides and betraying nearly all of his allies — in order to be the last man standing. "When you're in a game where the stakes are so high, you have to distinguish what's a game and what's life," Tony told TVGuide.com Thursday, one day after he was crowned the winner ofSurvivor's 28th season. "What I am in the game had nothing to do with who I am in life. I did what I had to do in that type of game. If that game was about being honorable and being loyal and being truthful, that's exactly how I would play it. I played the game exactly how I needed to play it to get to the end. ... Nothing means anything on Survivor except keeping your torch lit."
Bryan Singer Files Motion to Dismiss Sex Abuse Lawsuit
Director Bryan Singer has filed a motion to dismiss a sex abuse lawsuit that was filed against him last month by Michael Egan, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The X-Men: Days of Future Past director is claiming lack of jurisdiction, citing a deposition Egan gave in 2003 that states Singer was never in Hawaii with him and never sexually abused him. In his lawsuit, Egan claims that Singer sexually abused him from age 15 to 17 and flew him to Hawaii for sex. Singer says he was in Canada working on X-Men during the period of time Egan says the trips to Hawaii took place.
On Fox's New Series Gang Related, Morality Is All Relative
At the end of the first episode of Fox's new drama Gang Related (Thursday, 9/8c), viewers may be left wondering whether they should actually be rooting for the main character, Det. Ryan Lopez, according to star Ramon Rodriguez. "In the pilot, something very dramatic happens early on," Rodriguez tells TVGuide.com. "I think people will question, is he a good person? Is this a good guy? But...
