#Middlebury
Q: Where is Leah Remini’s great series on Scientology? It hasn’t been on in the past few weeks. Will it ever return? – J.R.
A: You’re not the only one who has been asking. On Feb. 19, Remini reposted a message on Twitter from fellow producer Mike Rinder stating that there would be no episode of “Scientology: The Aftermath” that evening. He further wrote: “This has been a shortened season due to circumstances beyond our control, but there is more planned and we will let you know when as soon as we know from @AETV.”
Leah Remni (www.leahremni.com photo)
This led many to speculate that the A&E Network was caving to pressure from the Scientology organization. For those who don’t know, Leah Remini is an actress (“King of Queens”) and former Scientologist who has co-produced and hosted several documentary series calling into question the religion’s practices. The docu-series features onscreen testimonials of former Scientology leaders and followers, and has cast an unfavorable light on the group, which has several famous stars as members.
Remini replied to Rinder’s tweet: “Until then … we are still working. Don’t you worry, Scientology. Everything you do gives us content.”
If it doesn’t come back on soon, I would keep checking the network’s website, www.aetv.com. It still has full episodes that have already aired, so that’s a good sign, and hopefully it will have some information soon about when the series will resume. If you’re curious about any rebuttals by the church, there’s a section on the A&E website called “Aftermath Letters,” which has correspondence from Scientology representatives.
Q: After Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga sang together at the Oscars and everyone was wondering if they were a couple, I couldn’t help but wonder how his wife felt about it. Has she commented? – P.J.
A: Cooper isn’t married, but his significant other and mother of his daughter, model Irina Shayk, was right there in the audience cheering them. If she’s bothered by it, she hasn’t shown it. In fact, she was sitting in the audience next to Ms. Gaga, Cooper’s co-star in “A Star Is Born.”
One woman who might not have been amused by the performance is Cooper’s ex-wife, actress Jennifer Esposito (“NCIS”). She responded on Instagram to speculation about a romance between the two with, simply, “Ha.”
Q: Whatever happened to Jimmy Smits? Is he coming back to television anytime soon? – M.M.
A: Smits, probably best known for his star-making role as Victor Sifuentes on “L.A. Law,” has been acting steadily for years now. He was a regular on “NYPD Blue,” “Dexter” and “Sons of Anarchy,” and has just been cast in the pilot for a new legal drama, “Bluff City Law,” which is set in Memphis and focuses on civil-rights cases. Hopefully we’ll see Smits marching into the courtroom, briefcase in hand, this fall on NBC.
Send me your questions at NewCelebrityExtra@gmail.com!
© 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.
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