Cicely Tyson, her memoir just out, was active to the end
Tyson's death was announced by her family, via her manager Larry Thompson, who did not immediately provide additional details. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – Cicely Tyson was active to the end, in the middle of promoting her memoir “Just As I Am” when she died at age 96. Many media outlets this week had been celebrating Tyson and her memoir. AdIn the days before her death, Tyson was also a guest on The Bakari Sellers Podcast, where she talked about her acting choices, injustices and her marriage to late jazz great Miles Davis. In an NPR interview, Tyson said she came to acting so that she “could speak through other people,” after being naturally drawn to observing other people as a shy child.
Riot? Insurrection? Words matter in describing Capitol siege
Then it became an assault, a riot, an insurrection, domestic terrorism or even a coup attempt. The language used by the American media to describe last week's Capitol siege proves one thing whatever your perspective: Words matter. Phrases like “mob,” “riot” and “insurrection” were appropriate, noted John Daniszewski, vice president and editor at large for standards. There was no riot, insurrection or storming” at the Capitol. The New York Times, Washington Post, CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN have all used riot to describe the day.
Woman hedges apology in tense interview on hotel attack
In the first part of the CBS interview, broadcast Friday, Ponsetto told host Gayle King, “I don’t feel that that is who I am as a person. I’m just as a kid at heart as he is.”When King asked her to go over the events at the hotel, Ponsetto said, “You already asked me that at the beginning of the interview. I would like to have a real interview with real questions and real heart and real sincere apologies. In the CBS interview, Ponsetto denied profiling the teenager and said her heritage is partly Puerto Rican. Miya Ponsetto has both Puerto Rican and Vietnamese ancestry and considers herself a person of color, not a white person, according to her lawyer.
New this week: 'Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom' and Paul McCartney
MOVIES— “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” was always going to be an event picture, even on Netflix, where it will be available Friday. Wilson’s 1982 play is set around a recording session in 1920s Chicago as a blues band awaits the arrival of Ma Rainey (Davis). — AP Film Writer Lindsey BahrMUSIC— Paul McCartney will release the final album in a trilogy of classics on Friday. “McCartney III” comes 40 years after 1980’s “McCartney II” and 50 years after “McCartney,” his solo debut released in 1970. — Director George C. Wolfe said that when he signed on to direct “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” he instantly knew he wanted to work with Branford Marsalis.
A 'Black Parade' Grammys: Beyoncé leads with 9 nominations
(Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – Beyoncé is bringing her Black parade to the Grammys: The pop star’s anthem about Black pride scored multiple nominations Tuesday, making her the leading contender with nine. A winner of 24 Grammys, Beyoncé becomes the second-most nominated act in the history of the awards show with 79 nominations. Beyoncé is only behind her husband Jay-Z and Quincy Jones, who have both earned 80 nominations each. Jay-Z picked up three nominations this year for his contributions to Beyoncé’s songs: He co-wrote “Black Parade” and “Savage,” thus earning nominations for song of the year, best R&B song and best rap song. Instead, multiple nominations went to Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Roddy Ricch, who each earned six nominations and followed Beyoncé as the second-most nominated acts.
CBS News rebuilds MTV's old 'TRL' studio for election night
FILE - The ViacomCBS headquarters is shown in New York's Times Square on Aug. 5, 2020. CBS News is rebuilding MTV's old "Total Request Live" studio as its headquarters for election night. The network is installing giant touchscreens and "augmented reality" displays for the big political night and says the studio provides extra roominess to put on a television show in the COVID-19 era. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)
CBS News rebuilds MTV's old 'TRL' studio for election night
CBS News is rebuilding MTV's old "Total Request Live" studio as its headquarters for election night. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)NEW YORK – Watch out for Britney Spears and the Jonas Bros.: CBS News is building a new high-tech election night set in the Times Square studio where MTV's “Total Request Live” ruled the music world two decades ago. Norah O'Donnell will anchor her first presidential election night, joined on the set by Gayle King, Margaret Brennan, John Dickerson and Ed O'Keefe. Shades will be drawn on the windows for the serious business of election night. On television, CBS will have Major Garrett reporting on voter integrity, Jeff Pegues on misinformation and Nancy Cordes on congressional races.
Some New York news shows back, but many hosts work remotely
Monday represented a key phase in New York City's reopening, with many offices bringing employees back for the first time. Despite the CBS and Fox moves, most news employees continue to work remotely, and the television programs that originate here have a patchwork of approaches that have quickly become familiar. A majority of the show hosts on MSNBC including Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski and Willie Geist of Morning Joe work remotely. Other morning shows have varied approaches. Hoda Kotb of NBC's Today show has worked out of that show's Rockefeller Center studio, but most of her colleagues are at home.
Gayle King starts call-in show to hear coronavirus stories
NEW YORK – CBS' News' Gayle King says she's starting a temporary satellite radio program because she wants to hear how Americans are coping with lockdowns and social distancing measures. King's call-in show on SiriusXM will begin on Thursday at 5 p.m. Eastern, and will continue once a week for the five weeks after that. She's been broadcasting her “CBS This Morning” show from her Manhattan home and talked about the isolation caused by the pandemic. She wants to hear the stories of others dealing with loneliness, the stress of home schooling and managing stress, she said. As unsettling as this is, I believe we’ll make it through.”The phone-in number for listeners is 1-888-947-8277.
Weinstein juror: #MeToo movement was not a factor in trial
Judge James Burke, left, instructs the jurors before they begin deliberating on Harvey Weinstein's rape trial, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2020, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)NEW YORK, N.Y. – The jury that convicted Harvey Weinstein of rape and sex assault did not consider the trial's implications for the #MeToo movement, one of the jurors said in an interview aired Friday. “No, zero, absolutely zero,” juror Drew Malbin said on “CBS This Morning." After a weekend off, jurors took just two more hours of deliberations to reach a verdict on all charges. The Associated Press does not typically identify people who say they are victims of sex crimes unless they grant permission, as Haleyi did.
Rough debate performance by moderators a blow to CBS News
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)NEW YORK, N.Y. – CBS News faced an ill-timed blow to its reputation on Wednesday following a bruising Democratic presidential debate that its moderators struggled to keep from spiraling out of control, although it could take some comfort in the numbers. The Nielsen company reported that 15.3 million people watched Tuesday night's debate in South Carolina on CBS and BET. CBS, which was televising its first debate of this campaign, also had backstage leadership that had not done a presidential debate. “The Democratic debate last night reflected the intensity of the battle for president,” Zirinksky wrote. It was confusing because CBS did not give the entire screen over to the commercial, wrapping around debate graphics and a picture of the venue.
10 Things to Know for Today
A doctor takes a swab from a woman to test for the COVID-19 virus at a fever clinic in Yinan county in eastern China's Shandong province on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020. (Chinatopix Via AP)Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about today:1. CHINA VIRUS TOTALS SPIKE China reports 254 new daily deaths and an increase in new daily virus cases of 15,152 after new methodology was applied in the hardest-hit province of Hubei as to how cases are categorized. BUFFETT'S DRUG WAR Howard Buffett, the eldest son of the billionaire investor, is spending $200 million to help Colombia kick its cocaine curse. ROENICK OUT AT NBC SPORTS The NHL analyst won't return to the network after he was suspended for making sexually suggestive comments about his co-workers during a podcast.
Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey headline arena like rock stars
Michelle Obama, left, and Oprah Winfrey participate at "Oprah's 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus" tour at the Barclays Center on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020, in New York. “Does this feel like déjà vu for you?” Winfrey asked. “He’s going to kill me.”When Winfrey asked if the energy in their home was different now that the kids are gone, Obama exclaimed: “It is so good, y’all.”“OK, you guys, get out of the gutter!” Obama added. “Just vote.”The conversation turned slightly political, again, when Winfrey asked Obama what the next chapter of her life would entail. When the topic turned to health and Winfrey asked Obama what she appreciates about her body, she said: “It’s mine.
CBS News head calls threats against Gayle King reprehensible
“We fully support Gayle King and her integrity as a journalist,” CBS News President Susan Zirinsky told The Associated Press. “We find the threats against her or any journalist doing their job reprehensible.”CBS would not discuss the nature of any private threats against King. Her friend, Oprah Winfrey, said in an NBC interview that King had received death threats and was traveling with security. “You come against Gayle King, you come against an army,” R ice wrote. “You will lose, and it won't be pretty.”On Saturday, Snoop Dogg posted a message on his Instagram that said he meant King no harm.
Winfrey says King not doing well after social media backlash
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Oprah Winfrey says her friend Gayle King is facing death threats following a social media backlash caused by an interview with retired WNBA star Lisa Leslie that concerned the late Kobe Bryant. On an appearance on “Hoda & Jenna & Friends” on Friday, Winfrey said King “is not doing well'' and has to travel with security because of threats. In the clip, King asks Leslie whether the 2003 case made Bryant's legacy complicated for her. Critics lashed out at King on social media for bringing up the old allegations. "I can see how people would obviously be very upset if you thought that Gayle was just trying to press to get an answer from Lisa Leslie,” Winfrey continued.
King angry at CBS promo of interview questions about Bryant
King responded via Twitter on Thursday to address the reaction to a video clip from her wide-ranging “CBS This Morning” interview with Leslie that aired Tuesday. The clip, distributed online and on CBS News' social media accounts, focused on a portion of the interview where Leslie addressed a sexual assault charge that had been brought against Bryant and dismissed. In the interview, King asked Leslie whether Bryant's legacy had been complicated by the assault case. When Leslie noted that she had never seen improper behavior from Bryant, King said that she most likely wouldn't have been in a position to see it. King was taken to task on social media for bringing the topic up.
Lifetime returns to R. Kelly with a new powerful series
A year later, Lifetime is readying a follow-up series, “ Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning, ” with one major difference: this time, R. Kelly will be behind bars when it airs. “Surviving R. Kelly Part II: The Reckoning” will premiere Thursday on Lifetime. That groundbreaking hip-hop group toured with R. Kelly and Maynes was initially approached by the documentary makers about what he witnessed on the road. In an interview with The Associated Press, he connected R. Kelly to other self-destructive superstars like Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston and Prince. Bryant said the indictments against R. Kelly were never the goal of the series.
Michelle Obama, Gaga, J. Lo to join Oprah on wellness tour
NEW YORK, NY – Oprah Winfrey’s going on tour, and she’s bringing a rock-star lineup with her, including former first lady Michelle Obama and Grammy- and Oscar-winner Lady Gaga. Live Nation announced Wednesday that Winfrey’s wellness arena tour with WW (Weight Watchers Reimagined) — dubbed “Oprah’s 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus” — will also include guest appearances from Jennifer Lopez, Dwayne Johnson, Amy Schumer, Tina Fey, Tracee Ellis Ross and Kate Hudson. On the tour, Winfrey will hold one-on-one conversations with the superstars, first with Gaga on January 4, 2020, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The nine-city tour will also visit St. Paul, Minnesota (Fey); Charlotte, North Carolina (Schumer); Atlanta (Johnson); Brooklyn, New York (Obama); Dallas (Ellis Ross); San Francisco (Hudson); and Los Angeles (Lopez). Winfrey will wrap the tour on March 7 in Denver with BFF Gayle King.
Tyler Perry: 'I'm ignored in Hollywood'
ATLANTA - Tyler Perry is a history-making media mogul, but he says he understands why Hollywood doesn't treat him as such. "I clearly believe that I'm ignored in Hollywood, for sure," Perry told Gayle King of "CBS This Morning" in an interview that aired Tuesday. Tyler Perry Studios, one of the largest in existence, opened last weekend in Atlanta. "I know what I do touches millions of people around the world," Perry told King. We're represented,' " Perry said.