If you watched every single second of “Game of Thrones” on Sunday then you saw CHRIS STAPLETON, even if you didn’t realize it. He played a Wildling-turned-White-Walker, and there was a brief shot of him on the ground as Jon Snow attempts to charge the Night King outside of Winterfell. Chris said “I was like, I would gladly fly to wherever in the world just to be a small part and get to watch that show going down. They were gracious enough to let me come participate that way.” Even though he barely moved, he did get coached on his Hollywood moment. “They knew we weren’t actors. So the direction was basically, ‘we’re going to place you, and when we tell you to, open your eyes. And they trained us on how White Walkers are supposed to stand up and move when they’re first waking up. We had a crash course in that.” Chris’s bass player and tour manager were also in it.
PETE DAVIDSON was in Baltimore over the weekend for a standup gig, and he and his friends went to see “Avengers: Endgame”. Well, that’s a three-hour movie, so he and his boys made a stop at McDonald’s first. But they didn’t just buy for themselves. They picked up enough food to feed the entire sold-out audience AND theater staff. The bill came to $400.
R&B singer PEABO BRYSON is in stable condition after suffering a “mild” heart attack this past weekend. His rep said he’s “awake and responsive,” and his doctors are, “optimistic for a speedy recovery.” Peabo is 68. You would know Peabo from his romantic ballads in the ’70s and ’80s, including “Tonight I Celebrate My Love”.
LARRY KING was hospitalized last Thursday with chest pains, and he ended up having an angioplasty.
“Boyz N the Hood” director JOHN SINGLETON passed away yesterday, after his family pulled him off life support. He was 51. John suffered a massive stroke two weeks ago, and was reportedly in a coma.
The anti-vaccination movement is using “The Brady Bunch” to try to prove their point. Specifically, they cite a 1969 episode called “Is There a Doctor in the House” in which everyone in the family gets the measles. It’s treated as no big deal, and the kids are actually PSYCHED to have it, because they get to stay home from school and play Monopoly and stuff. Marcia even says, “If you have to get sick, sure can’t beat the measles!” And anti-vaxxers seem to think the episode is PROOF that we don’t need the measles vaccine. Well, the REAL Marcia isn’t cool with this. MAUREEN MCCORMICK is upset that the episode, and specifically her image, are being used for this. She says, “As a mother, my daughter was vaccinated.” “Having the measles was not a fun thing. I remember it spread through my family.”
“Jeopardy!” stud JAMES HOLZHAUER won his 18th game last night, but only by $18. The second place finisher got $53,999, which is the highest non-winning total in the show’s history.
Yesterday, there was an announcement that Woodstock 50 was canceled, because it just wasn’t coming together. Later, the organizers said that the festival’s primary investors had departed . . . but that they were still “committed” to finding the money to make Woodstock 50 happen.
It’s not exactly news to hear WILLIE NELSON talk about his lifetime of smoking. But he did a “Rolling Stone” First Time interview and couldn’t even remember his first time lighting up. “I’ve been smoking something ever since I can remember. I grew up smoking cedar bark, grapevines, and then somewhere along the line Bull Durham cigarettes. That’s where I learned to roll pretty good. It’s been that way ever since.” If you try Willie’s Reserve, you ARE enjoying the same stuff as him. “I’ve been the official tester of Reserve since its beginning. So I probably tasted it before anybody else did. “
On Sunday evening, a fire tore through the UK’s Ashdown Forest, a wooded area that inspired Winnie the Pooh’s famed Hundred Acre Wood. About 50 acres altogether were affected by the blaze, which isn’t believed to have been started deliberately. It’s the third time the forest has been ravaged by fire, following two more accidental incidents in February.
MADONNA’s performance at the “Billboard Music Awards” will reportedly cost $5 million, it includes holograms. And she’s paying for it herself.
CMT.com has a collection of photos from the Stagecoach Music Festival. They include Luke Bryan, Cole Swindell, Scotty McCreery, Russell Dickerson, Sam Hunt, Luke Combs, Jason Aldean, Lauren Alaina, and Tom Jones. Yes, that Tom Jones.
JENNIFER NETTLES will be singing the National Anthem at Saturday’s Kentucky Derby. It’ll air live on NBC. She’s only the 11th artist to perform it since they started the tradition in 2009. Past performers include LeAnn Rimes, Lady Antebellum, Rascal Flatts, Martina McBride, and Harry Connick Jr.
Old Dominion wants to “Make It Sweet” for you at CMA Fest in Music City this summer. The five-man band has just kicked off a new contest with some pretty sweet prizes: round-trip airfare to Nashville, five nights at a hotel, passes to CMA Fest, and tickets to see OD performing at the HGTV Lodge downtown. You can find the full details and enter the contest, which runs through May 21, at SonyMusicNashville.com. This year’s CMA Fest takes place June 6-9.
Johnny Galecki is 44. Carolyn Dawn Johnson is 48. Cloris Leachman is 93.
