Jessica Barrymore, the half-sister of the Hollywood actress Drew Barrymore, was found dead inside her own vehicle in National City, California. Jessica and Drew are the daughters of the actor John Drew Barrymore. Jessica’s mother is actress Nina Wayne, the actor’s fourth wife, while Drew’s mother is Jaid Mako, who was married to Barrymore for 13 years. John Drew Barrymore died in 2004. Drew Barrymore, who says she only met her half-sister “briefly”, issued a statement a few hours after learning of her death: “I wish her and her loved ones as much peace as possible and I’m so incredibly sorry for their loss.” – IANS
SRK might host television show based on Got Talent
Shah Rukh Khan has reportedly been roped in to host a grand live show based on the hugely popular international series Got Talent, for a leading Hindi-language entertainment channel in December. A formal announcement of the show will be made at a press conference in Mumbai on Friday. A source said that the international TV personality Simon Cowell, creator of Got Talent and The X Factor, may also visit Mumbai for the show, likely to be a first-of-its-kind twist on Got Talent. The live event will be held at Mumbai's Andheri Sports Complex in December. Indian television already has India's Got Talent, the desi spin-off of Cowell's show. — IANS
Contract dispute delays Big Bang production
Production on a new season of The Big Bang Theory is being delayed because of a contract dispute with its top actors. The Warner Brothers Television studio, which makes television's most popular comedy, said that Wednesday's scheduled first day of work after the summer hiatus was postponed. There's no word on when The Big Bang Theory team will be back at work. The CBS series is heading into its eighth season, and the studio is trying to hammer out new deals with actors Jim Parsons, Johnny Galecki, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar. — AP
Kalki Koechlin to take on five roles in stage play
The Bollywood actress Kalki Koechlin will soon be seen in a new stage production titled Trivial Disasters, in which she essays five roles. Koechlin, a theatre enthusiast, says she loves the medium and feels it gives her a chance to be spontaneous. "I have done some theatre, studied theatre and for me, it's exciting to come back to theatre because you are spontaneous and you can constantly change your act to suit the audience. It makes you react a lot more to things around you. I enjoy it," the 30-year-old said here at a press conference in Mumbai on Wednesday. Trivial Disasters is a comedy and Koechlin plays five characters in it. "Trivial Disasters is very funny, there is a lot of comedy and it is also dark. There are nine stories in this play and we all are playing different characters. I am playing five characters," Kalki said. "One is a very shy girl, then an older lady, even a young sales boy who is hyper and energetic." Trivial Disasters is directed by Atul Kumar, and also stars Richa Chadda, Purab Kohli and Cyrus Sahukar. — IANS
Allison Williams headed skyward as NBC’s Peter Pan
NBC has picked its Peter Pan: Girls star Allison Williams. The network announced Wednesday that Williams will play the boy who refused to grow up in NBC's new staging of Peter Pan Live! The live telecast of this classic musical will air December 4. The 26-year-old actress-comedian plays Marnie Michaels on HBO's comedy Girls, for which she has recorded several songs. She is the daughter of NBC News anchor Brian Williams and has also appeared on The Mindy Project and The League. NBC recently announced that Christopher Walken will play Captain Hook. Peter Pan Live! is a follow-up to NBC's successful live version of The Sound of Music last year. Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, who produced The Sound of Music, are returning for Peter Pan Live! — AP
Flower Drum Song lead James Shigeta dies at 85
James Shigeta, who played the lead in the 1961 movie musical Flower Drum Song and had a small role in the first Die Hard, has died. He was 85. His sister-in-law, Ellie Shigeta, said he died on Monday at an assisted-living facility in Beverly Hills. Born in Hawaii, Shigeta first gained national fame as a singer when he won the grand prize in the early TV talent show, The Original Amateur Hour. Although he briefly got the spotlight after Flower Drum Song, he never again played the leading man in a major film, although he continued to appear in TV shows and movies. In 1988's Die Hard, Shigeta played an executive who is shot by terrorists for refusing to divulge the codes to a vault. — AP
Kelsey Grammer won’t endorse killer’s release
The actor Kelsey Grammer says he forgives the man who raped and killed his sister nearly 40 years ago but doesn’t want him to be paroled. Grammer testified by video on Tuesday at the parole board hearing for Freddie Glenn, who is serving a life sentence at the Buena Vista Correctional Facility. He was convicted of killing Karen Elisa Grammer after kidnapping her from a Colorado Springs Red Lobster restaurant where she worked in 1975. He also was convicted of killing two men in separate slayings. Grammer said he accepted Glenn’s apology, but endorsing his release would be a “betrayal of my sister’s life”. – AP
