MICHAEL LERNER DIES AT 81: According to Variety, Barton Fink actor Michael Lerner passed away on Saturday (April 8th) at the age of 81. His nephew, Sam Lerner, shared the news on Instagram Sunday (April 9th). “We lost a legend last night. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me. His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special,” Sam wrote. Michael was nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Barton Fink. He also held roles in films such as Elf, Godzilla, X-Men: Days of Future Past, A Serious Man, Blank Check, and No Escape.
‘SEX/LIFE’ CANCELLED AFTER SARAH SHAHI SPOKE ABOUT HER TIME ON SET: According to Today, Netflix confirmed that there will not be a third season of the hit show Sex/Life. This comes after the star of the show, Sarah Shahi, appeared on the Skinny But Not Fat podcast recently. “I’m not going to put it down, but I definitely did not have the support that I did the first season from the people involved in the show. It became a much different thing for me, and I’m not afraid to say that,” she said about her time on set. “I struggled with the material. I just felt the thing that it had the first season — I mean, I’m never gonna work for Netflix again now after saying all this, but I can’t lie. And it was definitely a challenge.” Shahi added that season two had “more moments that felt very gimmicky.”
VALERIE BERTINELLI HAS ‘NO IDEA WHY’ HER FOOD NETWORK SHOW WAS CANCELLED: According to The Hollywood Reporter, Valerie Bertinelli‘s Food Network show, Valerie’s Home Cooking, will be ending after its upcoming 14th season. In a video shared to Instagram Saturday (April 8th), the One Day at a Time actress said, “Food Network canceled us last summer. I have no idea why. I didn’t say anything last summer because, honestly, I was hoping they would change their mind. (Laughs.) But they have not, so this is it. This is the final season. I have loved making this show. It was such a dream come true. Every single part of it brought me so much joy.”
EMILY RATAJKOWSKI SAYS SHE QUIT ACTING BECAUSE SHE ‘FELT LIKE A PIECE OF MEAT:’ In a recent interview with The Los Angeles Times, Emily Ratajkowski shared that she basically quit acting because she thinks Hollywood is “f—ked up.” The Gone Girl actress added, “I didn’t feel like, ‘Oh, I’m an artist performing and this is my outlet.’ I felt like a piece of meat who people were judging, saying, ‘Does she have anything else other than her breasts?'”