’Jackass’ cast mates mourn at private service for Dunn
Johnny Knoxville and Bam Margera attended a private memorial service for their “Jackass” co-star Ryan Dunn in West Chester, Pa., on Wednesday, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
A larger funeral will be held later this week, CNN reports. Members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church are expected to picket.
Funeral director Joseph DellaVecchia said police will be on hand to prevent any issues.
“We can’t stop someone from coming to a public funeral, but this is private, and the police have everything under control,” he said.
Mr. Dunn and his passenger, “Jackass” production assistant Zachary Hartwell, were killed early Monday morning. According to West Goshen police, Mr. Dunn was driving at least 130 miles an hour and his blood alcohol level was above the legal limit when he lost control of his Porsche, smashed into a tree and the car burst into flames.
Mr. Margera broke down while visiting the crash site earlier this week.
“I’ve never lost anybody I care about; he’s my best friend,” Mr. Margera told Philadelphia’s Fox affiliate through tears.
Stars set to perform on Sunday’s BET Awards
Justin Bieber, Queen Latifah, Gladys Knight, Bruno Mars and Nicki Minaj are coming to the BET Awards, the Associated Press reports.
BET Networks said Wednesday that the entertainers will appear on Sunday’s ceremony, which will be broadcast live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
They’ll join a star-studded lineup set to include performances by Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Lil Wayne, Jill Scott, Drake and Mary J. Blige.
The BET Awards honor the year’s top actors, athletes and musicians. Chris Brown leads nominees with six nods, followed by Lil Wayne with five.
Kanye West, Drake and Rihanna are up for four awards each. Miss Minaj, Mr. Mars, Trey Songz, Cee Lo Green and B.o.B. also received multiple nominations.
Lindsay Lohan backs out of interview for ’Today’
Lindsay Lohan backed out of an interview with “Today’s” Matt Lauer at the last minute Tuesday evening, the Hollywood Reporter confirmed.
The cancellation came after Mr. Lauer had flown from New York to Los Angeles specifically to conduct the interview, which was intended to air on “Today” and “Dateline.”
“Matt traveled to Los Angeles after Lindsay Lohan agreed to a sit-down interview at her home,” a “Today” representative told the Hollywood Reporter. “When he arrived at her home, she had a change of heart and wasn’t prepared to talk for more than 15 minutes as she had agreed, so the interview was canceled.”
According to TMZ, which first reported the news, Mr. Lauer showed up at Miss Lohan’s Venice loft around 6 p.m. Miss Lohan apparently was in the makeup chair when she changed her mind; she claimed she was unaware the interview would go longer than 15 minutes because it was going to air on two NBC shows.
But a “Today” source told the Hollywood Reporter that Miss Lohan in fact had agreed to the lengthy interview ahead of time.
Mr. Lauer didn’t appear on Wednesday’s “Today,” as he was flying back to New York.
Miss Lohan, who most recently appeared in theaters in Robert Rodriguez’s “Machete,” is under house arrest for violating her parole stemming from a 2007 DUI charge. She recently shot an ad for Beezid.com, a penny-auction website, from her home.
She also is set to star opposite John Travolta in the film “Gotti: The Three Generations” as Kim Gotti, wife of John Gotti Jr. Production is set to start in the fall.
’Smallville’ actor sentenced to prison on drug charges
Superman himself couldn’t save him this time.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Sam Jones III, the actor best known for playing Clark Kent’s high school friend Pete Ross on “Smallville,” was sentenced to a year in federal prison on Wednesday for conspiring to sell more than 10,000 pills of the painkiller oxycodone.
The actor’s Canoga Park, Calif., home was raided in 2009 after local police learned of his possible connection to a prescription drug ring. He was found guilty in December when it was confirmed that he was the “Hollywood connection” police had been seeking.
Jones initially faced up to 20 years behind bars. He also will face three years of probation once he has completed his prison sentence.
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