Johnny Depp at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012.Reuters
WEINSTEIN: UNLOADED
Oscar-winning producer Harvey Weinstein has pledged to stop making movies that glorify gun violence. The veteran producer behind Shakespeare in Love and other big-screen hits says he will acquiesce to critics who have accused Hollywood of attacking the pro-gun lobby at the same time they keep turning out films that encourage the use of firearms. Appearing on CNN's Piers Morgan Tonight, Weinstein announced that his next film, The Senator's Wife, will star Meryl Streep as a woman who takes a personal stance on the gun violence issue. "I just have to choose movies that aren't as violent or as violent as they used to be," Weinstein said. "The change starts here. It has already."
Source: The Guardian
IT'S SHOWTIME
Following the ratings success of The Sound of Music Live!, NBC will mount a new version of Peter Pan for its next live TV musical. Tentatively slated next December, the Peter Pan project will be created for the network by producers Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, who also helmed the Sound of Music broadcast that garnered 18.5-million U.S. viewers last month. "In the hopes that lightning strikes twice, we think we've landed on another great Broadway musical," said NBC chairman Robert Greenblatt.
Source: NBC
PRIVATE PARTY
The entertainment at First Lady Michelle Obama's 50th birthday bash included a performance by Beyoncé. According to reports from attendees at the top-secret soiree, Beyoncé performed several of her hits before an A-list crowd that included Bill and Hillary Clinton, Samuel L. Jackson, Ashley Judd, James Taylor and TV chef Rachael Ray. Although no social media was permitted at the party, one unnamed attendee said that Beyoncé performed alongside daughter Blue Ivy, who wore a blue tutu for the occasion.
Source: Jezebel
GRIM REALITY
Reality-TV star Roy Garber has died. Best known for the A&E reality series Shipping Wars, the 49-year-old Garber passed away over the weekend from a sudden heart attack in Texas. Garber was the proprietor of the New Hampshire-based shopping firm Arbie's Team Transport and just finished shooting the fifth season of Shipping Wars last week. From the A&E statement: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of a member of the A&E family. Our thoughts are with Roy's loved ones during this difficult time. He will be missed."
Source: Perez Hilton
WEDDING BELLS
It appears the rumours are true: Johnny Depp and Amber Heard are engaged. Following several days of trying to keep their marriage plans quiet, Depp, 50, and Heard, 27, are no longer trying to hide the large engagement ring the actress is currently sporting on her left hand. A source told People magazine: "Of course they couldn't be happier to be engaged and excited to share the rest of their lives together." The couple met in 2011 while filming the movie The Rum Diary. Heard is openly bisexual and dated photographer Tasya van Ree for three years; Depp is coming off a 14-year-old relationship with French singer-actress Vanessa Paradis, with whom he has two children, aged 14 and 11.
Source: People