Steve Martin cancels comedy shows after testing positive for COVID
NEW YORK — Steve Martin was forced to cancel two of his comedy shows with “Only Murders in the Building” co-star Martin Short this weekend as a result of testing positive for COVID.
The “It’s Complicated” star, 80, announced on Instagram Friday that he had “sadly” contracted COVID and would have to miss this weekend’s “Dukes of Funnytown!” shows in Virginia.
“I can’t possibly do the shows that you deserve. So Marty and I must cancel tonight and tomorrow,” he captioned a photo of his dog looking sad in a Mickey Mouse ears hat.
The Emmy winner — and 17-time nominee — assured fans that he and Short, longtime friends and collaborators, would “return under better circumstances.”
In a subsequent post, Martin shared a snap of a positive COVID test, captioned, “Hey! No flu!”
The comments section got some star-studded well wishes from the likes of Brad Garrett and Rita Wilson.
Martin and his “Father of the Bride” and “Three Amigos!” co-star were initially scheduled to perform Friday night at The Dome in Virginia Beach and Richmond’s Allianz Amphitheater.
The duo appeared together earlier this week at the 77th Emmy Awards, where Hulu’s “Only Murders” was nominated for seven awards, including outstanding comedy series and outstanding lead actor in a comedy series for Short.
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Riley Keough quietly welcomed second child, Priscilla Presley reveals
Priscilla Presley is a great-grandmother for the second time.
The 80-year-old businesswoman and author revealed to People that her granddaughter Riley Keough quietly welcomed her second child earlier this year.
Keough, 36, has been married to Australian stuntman Ben Smith-Petersen, since 2015. She and her 34-year-old husband welcomed their first child, daughter Tupelo, in August 2022 via surrogate.
“That’s what makes me happy: knowing everyone is doing well,” Presley said of the flourishing family, though she didn’t offer any other details on the newborn.
Presley confirmed the joyful news while speaking with People about her upcoming memoir, “ Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis.”
The book dives deep into the struggles she faced in the years since the death of Elvis Presley — to whom she was married from 1967 to 1973 — and more recently in the wake their daughter Lisa Marie Presley’s death in 2023.
The Presleys’ only child died that January at the age of 54 from cardiac arrest due to complications resulting from a bowel obstruction. Opioids, which Lisa Marie had reportedly been prescribed following plastic surgery just months earlier, may have also contributed to her death, according to the L.A. County Coroner.
“It was the second saddest day of my life, other than losing Elvis,” Priscilla told People of losing her daughter. “It took a long time to come to terms with the fact that Lisa was gone.”
Priscilla will be discussing her memoir at the 92nd Street Y on Sept. 24, the day after it hits bookshelves.
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Gary Busey gets probation for sexual offense at 2022 horror convention
CHERRY HILL, N.J. — Actor Gary Busey has been sentenced to two years probation for a sexual offense stemming from an appearance at a 2022 horror convention in New Jersey, according to court records.
The sentence was handed down Thursday during a virtual hearing in state court in Camden. Busey did not speak during the hearing.
The 81-year-old “Buddy Holly” star had pleaded guilty in July to a single count of criminal sexual contact for touching a woman’s buttocks “over clothing during an 8-10 second photo op.” The actor had been accused of inappropriately touching at least three women at the Monster-Mania Convention at the Doubletree Hotel in Cherry Hill, a South Jersey town and suburb of Philadelphia.
Organizers of the event acknowledged at the time that an unnamed celebrity guest was “removed from the convention and instructed not to return” and that affected attendees were encouraged to contact police.
Busey had been scheduled as a featured guest for all three days of the event. He was initially charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, one count of attempted criminal sexual contact and one count of harassment.
Busey is widely known as a character actor, largely in supporting roles, though he came to attention and was nominated for an Oscar for best actor for playing the title role in the 1978 film “The Buddy Holly Story.”
From combined wire services