If you love your Alexa, but wish she had a deeper, you’re in for a treat later this year . . . when SAMUEL L. JACKSON will be added as an alternative voice. Amazon is using new technology to give Alexa smoother, more natural-sounding speech patterns . . . so hopefully this will sound like Sam Jackson, not a Sam Jackson robot. It’s coming out sometime this year for 99 cents . . . or $4.99 if you buy it after 2019. Amazon says more celebrities are coming in 2020, but there’s no word who yet. Amazon is also rolling out a “frustration detection” feature that’ll determine when you’re getting frustrated with Alexa screwing up your requests, and try to apologize.
Here’s some ’80s trivia you may not have known: In “Jessie’s Girl”, RICK SPRINGFIELD says he wants to know where he can “find a woman like that” . . . and apparently the answer is a STAINED-GLASS CLASS. In a new interview, Rick says, “I [had] started going to this stained-glass place in Pasadena. And the reason I kept going was because there was this girl there [who] was burning hot. She had a boyfriend, his name was Gary, and she didn’t want anything to do with me. So I wrote a song about her.” It was originally called ‘Gary’s Girl,’ but it didn’t sound right. So he changed it to ‘Randy’s Girl,’ which also didn’t click. He ultimately settled on Jessie. He said that Gary was also in the class and that they had become friends. He also said that “Jessie” was inspired by L.A. Rams wide receiver Ron Jessie, because at the time Rick had a shirt with his name on it.
Everyone loves rock movies like “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rocketman”, so maybe people will love rock TV shows, too? There’s an “anthology” TV show in development called “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”, which is based on BILLY JOEL songs. The title is a track off Billy’s 1977 album “The Stranger”. Each episode will be based on lyrics and characters from one of his hits.
Hollywood has been trying to remake “Clue” for eight years, but now it’s FINALLY getting off the ground. Deadline.com says JASON BATEMAN is in talks to direct the remake, and star in it with RYAN REYNOLDS. The original “Clue” hit theaters in 1985, and each theater was given a print with one of THREE different endings. The movie starred Tim Curry, Martin Mull, Christopher Lloyd, and Michael McKean.
KYLIE JENNER has been hospitalized with severe, flu-like symptoms. It’s causing her to miss Paris Fashion Week, where she was supposed to launch her new makeup line. She also missed presenting at the Emmys with her sisters this past Sunday.
Sources say NICOLAS CAGE and LISA MARIE PRESLEY have been rekindling their romance. They got married in 2002, and split up 107 days later. They’re reportedly talking again and even going on dates.
Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, and Laura Dern are all returning for “Jurassic World 3”. This is the first time they’re all coming back to the franchise together since the first “Jurassic Park” 26 years ago.
CHARLIE SHEEN was CLOSE to doing this season’s “Dancing with the Stars”, but he passed because he’s a bad dancer. Supposedly, ABC tried offered to develop a show for him, but he still declined.
LUKE COMBS had the honor of playing at Farm Aid this year, and it was really meaningful to him because Willie Nelson has been a hero of his for a long time. During an interview he talked about it. He said “I remember when I was teaching myself guitar. I was in school at Appalachian State. I was 21 years old. I would wake up every morning, I would get a little spliff going, and I had a record player . . . and I probably played [Willie’s] ‘Stardust’ album front to back 100 times in a row through the course of a year and a half.” One of Luke’s all-time favorites is “Moonlight in Vermont”. And he just recorded a cover of Willie’s take on “All Of Me”, and he’s “super excited” for fans to hear it.
Sources say MILEY CYRUS is and avoiding relationships to focus on herself for the time being.
NICK CANNON is getting a syndicated daytime talk show.
WOODY HARRELSON hosts “Saturday Night Live” this weekend
BLAKE SHELTON covered the Garth Brooks’ classic “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)” during an acoustic show on Tuesday at the Silverado Resort in Napa Valley, California.
JUSTIN MOORE thinks participation ribbons are “terrible.” “It’s important in life that you understand and learn how to fail and succeed, because you can be good or bad at either. You’re gonna lose a lot in life and you’re gonna win. I think it teaches you how to do both . . . because you’re going have to know how to do it.”
THOMAS RHETT had a huge career moment last week when he performed at Madison Square Garden for the first time. He posted a video on Instagram of some key moments before, during, and after the show. His dad Rhett Akins is at the end telling him it was the “[freakin’] greatest concert” he’s ever seen.
Want to kickstart your Christmas shopping? Then head over to the CrackerBarrel.com and buy some of KIMBERLY SCHLAPMAN’s Oh Gussie products.
Serena Williams is 38 Melissa Sue Anderson is 57. Carlene Carter is 64. Olivia Newton-John is 71
