RON CEPHAS JONES DIES AT 66: People reports that Ron Cephas Jones, the actor most known for his role as William Hill on This Is Us, has passed away at the age of 66. A representative for Jones told the outlet, “Beloved and award-winning actor Ron Cephas Jones has passed away at the age of 66 due to a long-standing pulmonary issue.” Jones won two Emmys for his work on This Is Us. His other television roles include Law & Order: Organized Crime, Truth Be Told, Mr. Robot, and Luke Cage. He also appeared in films such as He Got Game, A Raisin in the Sun, Shazam!, Paid in Full, and Dog Days. Jones’ former costars such as Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, Chrissy Metz, and Octavia Spencer all took to social media to honor the late actor. “Getting to know and work with Ron on the wild ride of ‘This Is Us’ was the greatest gift- he was pure magic as a human and an artist…I will treasure all of the moments forever,” Moore wrote.
ABBI JACOBSON SLAMS AMAZON PRIME FOR CANCELLING ‘A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN:’ A League of Their Own series creator Abbi Jacobson took to Instagram on Saturday (August 19th) to respond to the news that Prime Video will no longer be moving forward with a second season of the show. “To blame this cancellation on the strike, (which is an essential fight for fair wages, protections and working conditions, etc…) is bulls—t and cowardly,” she wrote. “But this post isn’t about all that. About all the ways this show has been put through the ringer. Not today.” The Broad City actress added, “This post here is about the special show I was lucky to make with so many incredibly talented artists and actors and writers and crew. A show I’m so proud of. Filled to the brim with stories worth telling. Full of so much heart and soul and value. Thank you for watching.”
WGA AND SAG-AFTRA PICKET LINES CANCELLED DUE TO HURRICANE HILARY: Deadline reports that, due to the looming threat of Hurricane Hilary, Monday’s (August 21st) WGA and SAG-AFTRA picket lines have been cancelled in Los Angeles. This marks the first time since the beginning of the writer’s strike 109 days ago that picketing has been cancelled in Hollywood. Picket lines were cancelled for a few days in New York City in July due to extreme heat.
MICHAEL CERA SAYS HE FELT ‘DEPRESSED’ AFTER FILMING ‘SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD:’ Michael Cera had such a good time filming the 2010 movie Scott Pilgrim vs. the World that he was “depressed” when it wrapped production. “By the end of the movie, I felt like, ‘This is my world. This is my group of friends. It feels like it’s always going to be this way,'” he told GQ in a recent interview. “Honestly, I was a little depressed when we were done because it all just goes away, and you’re like, ‘Where did everybody go?’ You get used to that as you get older and as you’re acting for a while, but I was sad to lose it. I could have kept making that forever, even though it was exhausting.”