What’s Up Archives

“Orange is the New Black” alum Ruby Rose has been cast to play Batwoman in both the annual DC superhero crossover event on the CW network, and in a pilot for possible series consideration. CW has confirmed its version of the character will be an out lesbian with “a passion for social justice and a flair for speaking her mind.” She is a “highly trained street fighter primed to snuff out the failing city’s criminal resurgence.” Rose is best known to American TV audiences as Stella on Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” but was a prominent model and host in her native Australian for several years before that. Rose’s casting comes on the heels of CW casting activist Nicole Maines as the first trans superhero, who is set to join the network’s series “Supergirl” next season.

It was revealed Tuesday morning that HGTV is the new owner of the iconic house used for the exterior shots of the beloved 1970s series “The Brady Bunch.” David Zaslav, chief executive officer of HGTV’s parent company Discovery, made the announcement during the company’s second-quarter earnings call. Zaslay said: “I’m excited to share that HGTV is the winning bidder and we’ll restore the home to its 1970s glory as only HGTV can.” Former *NSYNC member Lance Bass had taken to social media this week to express his disappointment at losing out on the house; Bass was initially told his offer had been the winning one but later learned it had been rejected for a more lucrative offer from a then-unidentified corporate buyer. However Bass tweeted Tuesday after the news broke saying: “I’d be pretty upset if it were anyone else, but how can you be mad at HGTV?? My television is stuck on that channel. Kudos HGTV, I know you will do the right thing with the house. That was always my biggest worry. I can smile again.” The house was listed at a starting price of almost $1.9 million; however the sale price has not been announced yet.

After a decades-long career, Robert Redford has confirmed his plan to retire from acting. His upcoming film “The Old Man & the Gun,” will likely be his final role as an actor, he said in a recent interview. “Never say never, but I pretty well concluded that this would be it for me in terms of acting, and [I’ll] move towards retirement after this ’cause I’ve been doing it since I was 21,” the 81-year-old said. But that doesn’t mean he will retire from directing and producing, the indie titan said, “We’ll see about that.” A representative for Redford confirmed the accuracy of the report.

Showtime announced that “Homeland” will end after it’s eighth season. The news has been expected for a while, but Showtime Networks CEO David Nevins confirmed the news on Monday at the TV Critics Association press tour. The news also comes as executive producer Alex Gansa was said to be “unequivocally done” after this season, as star Clare Danes said earlier this summer. Nevins said Gansa and Danes had talked for a while about ending the show after Season 8, when the show’s most recent three-year renewal was set to end. Showtime programming head Gary Levine: “That show is not limping in the sunset. Last season was one of the best ever.” Showtime said production on the final 12 episodes will begin in early 2019 in a “still-to-be-determined location.” 

Seth Rogen, a producer on the comedy film Good Boys with Evan Goldberg, has issued an apology after leaked photos from the set showed a stand-in for a child actor wearing blackface makeup. “I should start by saying this shouldn’t have happened, and I’m terribly sorry it did.” Rogen said in a statement. TMZ had published photos on Thursday that revealed the child stand-in for 11-year-old Keith L. Williams sitting on the Vancouver set wearing darkened face makeup. Sources connected to production company Good Universe told the site it’s “not uncommon for lighting purposes to match actors’ skin tones.” Williams stars alongside Jacob Tremblay, Molly Gordon, and Brady Noon in Good Boys, about four boys on a mission to fix a broken toy. The film will open in theaters in 2019.