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In the lead-up to this year’s Emmy nominations, most pundits expected the HBO anthology series “The White Lotus” to pick up multiple acting bids, but almost none were bold enough to predict its eventual haul of eight. Nearly every member of the first season’s ensemble cast has a shot at the gold, with Murray Bartlett, Jake Lacy, and Steve Zahn competing in the Best TV Movie/Limited Series Supporting Actor category and Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Alexandra Daddario, Natasha Rothwell, and Sydney Sweeney taking up all but two spots in the corresponding female lineup.

Although 15 other limited programs have amassed at least three featured male notices apiece, “The White Lotus” is the first to net more than three supporting actress bids. Furthermore, it stands as one of only three live action shows of any genre to receive five same-year nominations in a single primetime acting category. This is...

Alvin Deutsch, the attorney who represented singer Peggy Lee in her landmark victory over Walt Disney Productions and more recently tangled with Broadway producer Scott Rudin and the estate of author Harper Lee over rights to a stage production of To Kill A Mockingbird, died Oct. 6 at his home in New York City. He was 89.

The Deutsch family announced his death just yesterday, shortly following his win, in arbitration, against the Lee estate. The Deutsch family says it chose to wait until the Lee verdict was rendered before making his death public.

An internationally renowned expert in copyright law, Deutsch also represented a lengthy roster of entertainment and cultural figures throughout his career, including author Tom Wolfe (a client for 50 years), the Broadway composing team of Charles Strouse and Lee Adams, librettist Michael Stewart, songwriter Irving Burgee (“Day O...

Douglas Turner Ward, the director, actor and playwright who co-founded the landmark, influential Off Broadway Black theater group the Negro Ensemble Company, died Saturday, Feb. 20, at his home in New York City. He was 90.

His death was announced by his wife Diana Ward.

Ward had already begun a solid New York stage acting career in the 1950s and ’60s – including Off Broadway roles in The Iceman Cometh and on Broadway in A Raisin in the Sun – when, according to The New York Times, he wrote a 1966 editorial for that newspaper headlined “American Theater: For Whites Only?” The article called for the establishment of a Black repertory theater company. Turner wrote, “Not in the future…but now!”

A year later the Ford Foundation awarded a $434,000 grant to create the Negro Ensemble Company with Ward as artistic director, along with Robert Hooks and Gerald S. Krone in other leadership roles.

The Company...

1979: Ryan's Hope's Delia threated Johnny.

1980: Y&R's Leslie wanted to remember a secret from her past.

1991: As the World Turns' Ellen found out her husband had died.

1996: All My Children's Julia was visited by her Fairy Godmother."All true histories contain instruction; though, in some, the treasure may be hard to find, and when found, so trivial in quantity that the dry, shrivelled kernel scarcely compensates for the trouble of cracking the nut."

― Anne Brontë in "Agnes Grey"

"Today in Soap Opera History" is a collection of the most memorable, interesting and influential events in the history of scripted, serialized programs. From birthdays and anniversaries to scandals and controversies, every day this column celebrates the soap opera in American culture.

On this date in...

1950: On radio soap opera The Guiding Light, Ted White (James Monk) told his wife, Meta (Jone Allison), he didn't think she...

This quirky family comedy conceived as an antidote to blaxploitation pictures was adapted from a play that claims no goal beyond feel-good entertainment — and a little preaching about black solidarity. Broad humor, simple characters and thin dramatic conflicts can’t blur the fact that this comedy has its heart in the right place. A game group of talented actors assures us that we’re gonna be glorified, unified and filled-with-pride!

Five on the Black Hand Side

Blu-ray

Olive Films

1973 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 96 min. / Street Date February 27, 2018 / available through the Olive Films website / 21.99

Starring: Clarice Taylor, Leonard Jackson, Virginia Capers, Glynn Turman, D’Urville Martin, Richard Williams, Sonny Jim Gaines, Ja’net DuBois, Bonnie Banfield, Frankie Crocker, Tchaka Almoravids, Carl Mikal Franklin, Cal Wilson, Philomena Nowlin, Brenda Sutton, Imamu Sukuma, Godfrey Cambridge.

Cinematography: Gene Polito

Film Editor: Michael Economou

Original Music: H.B. Barnum

Written by Charlie L. Russell, from his play

Produced by Brock Peters,...

Earle Hyman, actor of screen and stage best known as Grandpa Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” died Thursday at age 91. For 40 episodes spanning the famed sitcom’s eight-season run, Hyman appeared in a recurring role as Cliff Huxtable’s father, Russell, who would often butt heads with his son in comedic fashion while serving as a voice of wisdom to his grandchildren. Once a famous jazz trombonist named “Slide” Huxtable, Russell and his wife, Anna (Clarice Taylor), were the centerpiece of two of the show’s most famous episodes in Seasons 2 and 3, when the Huxtables put together lip-synch and...

Troubling fact: the great director Otto Preminger's worst film is not Skidoo. Three physical misfits form an alternative family as a defense against the world. It's a good idea for a movie, but the writer and director do just about everything wrong that a writer and director can do. Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon Blu-ray Olive Films 1970 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 113 min. / Street Date August 16, 2016 / available through the Olive Films website / 29.98 Starring Liza Minnelli, Ken Howard, Robert Moore, James Coco, Kay Thompson, Fred Williamson, Anne Revere, Pete Seeger, Pacific Gas & Electric, Ben Piazza, Emily Yancy, Leonard Frey, Clarice Taylor, Julie Bovasso, Barbara Logan, Nancy Marchand, Angelique Pettyjohn. Cinematography Boris Kaufman, Stanley Cortez Production Design Lyle R. Wheeler Charles Schramm Makeup effects Charles Schramm Film Editors Dean Ball, Henry Berman Original Music Philip Springer Written by Marjorie Kellogg from her novel Produced and Directed by Otto Preminger

Reviewed...

A frantic 911 call was placed after Monkees singer Davy Jones suffered a massive heart on Wednesday in Florida.

The distressed woman who dialed the emergency number pleaded for an ambulance to "hurry," before suggesting it might be faster to put Jones in a car and drive to the nearest hospital -- which was 27 miles away.

Jones had complained of breathing trouble early in the morning, and was later taken to a hospital in the town of Stuart,...

R&B great Etta James, best known for her classic song "At Last," has died from chronic leukemia. She was 73.

James had been struggling with the disease for several years. She died at a hospital in Riverside, Calif. with her husband of 41 years, Artis Mills, and her sons by her side.

Etta's longtime friend and manager, Lupe De Leon, said, "This is a tremendous loss for the family, her friends and fans around the world.

"Extra" takes a look back at Hollywood's beloved stars who passed away this year.

In Memoriam 2011Harry Morgan

"M*A*S*H" star Harry Morgan died [http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2011/12/mash_star_harry_morgan_dead_at_96.php] at the age of 96 on December 7, after suffering from pneumonia.

Patrice O'Neal

Comedian Patrice O'Neal died at the age of 41 [http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2011/11/charlie_sheen_others_pay_tribute_to_comedian_patrice_oneal.php] on November 29, from complications of a previous stroke.

Ken Russell

British director Ken Russell died [http://extratv.warnerbros.com/2011/11/director_ken_russell_dead_at_84.php] at the age of 84 on November 27, from a stroke.

Theodore Forstmann

"Top Chef" host...

It seems to happen every year at every awards ceremony: A notable star or Hollywood industry member who recently passed away is left out of the “In Memoriam” segment. This year’s Emmys was no exception, as many were stunned to see that Jeff Conaway, who was best known for his work on the small screen in shows like Taxi, Babylon 5, The Bold and the Beautiful, and, sadly, Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, was omitted from the montage that paid tribute to those who died in the past year.

Conaway, who passed away on May 27 at the age of 60 due to complications from pneumonia,...

Everyone makes mistakes, but this isn't really the time or the place, is it? And yet, this always happens, be it on the Emmys, Oscars or Grammys. This year, it was late Taxi star Jeff Conaway, who was omitted from the "In Memoriam" montage at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards. The actor died in May. We're not saying anyone did it on purpose, but it was a somewhat glaring omission. We'll have more on the tribute faux pas as soon as we get our hands on an explanation. A TV Academy rep deferred comment until the morning. Also missing from the lineup were Cosby Show grandma Clarice Taylor, who passed in May, and Seinfeld's Uncle Leo, Len Lesser. He died in February.

I was just mulling over the unfortunate fact that a lot of big-time TV folks have bitten the dust over the last few weeks and months — “Honey West” star Anne Francis (January 3 at 80), “Ozzie and Harriet” star David Nelson (January 11 at 74), “Batman” star Michael Gough (March 17 at 94), early live TV director Sidney Lumet (April 9 at 86), “M*A*S*H” director Jackie Cooper (May 4 at 88), “The Cosby Show” star Clarice Taylor (May 30 at 93), “Gunsmoke” star James Arness (June 3 at 88), and “Columbo” star Peter Falk (June 23 at 83), among others.

How can one explain this apparent surge? Well, it could just be a coincidence, but it could also be something else. TV only really came into its own in the fifties and sixties… most of the big names on the small screen at the time were then in their thirties and forties, which would place them in their eighties or nineties now… which...

Bill Cosby's television mother has been laid to rest. The funeral for Clarice Taylor, best known for her role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable's mom Anna Huxtable on The Cosby Show, was held Tuesday night in Harlem. Many celeb mourners turned out to pay respects to the star, who died at her New Jersey home on May 30 from heart failure. Taylor's actress pal Ruby Dee and dancer George Faison were among those who attended the funeral, which was held at Canaan Baptist Church. There was also a viewing for the public yesterday, followed by a private viewing for Taylor's family. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy and a senior pastor at the church officiated at the service celebrating...

The moms in our favorite television shows over the years have reminded us that there is nothing like a mother's love. Like our own mamas, they have made us laugh until it hurts, cry tears of joy, and open our hearts to love. One of our favorite moms, Clarice Taylor who played Anna Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," passed away last week. As Clif Huxtable's mom, she was stern, funny, and loving- all the qualities that a good mama embodies. In her loving memory, we are reflecting on our favorite TV moms of all time.

It seems only a year or so ago that I recall Elizabeth Taylor tweeting something to the effect that “the only person who is going to play Elizabeth Taylor while I’m alive is me.” Sadly, she’s gone. Now Martin Scorsese is said to be planning a movie about her torrid affair with Richard Burton. No word on casting.

Fox has ordered a second episode of Family Album starring Mike O’Malley, making it much more likely that it will get picked up as a midseason show. As long as he still has time to be TV’s Best Dad.

Deric Richie has issued a public apology for faking the teen suicide report about fictional Terrel Williams. His reasons, using it as a coping mechanism for his own despair at being gay, are heartbreaking, but the reaction to his apology are mixed. You should read his own words.

Own...

The Huxtable clan has lost a very valuable member. Clarice Taylor, the stage and screen vet who found her greatest fame playing Bill Cosby's mom, Anna Huxtable, on The Cosby Show, has died at the age of 93. Her publicist says Taylor succumbed to heart failure on Monday in Englewood, N.J. Born in 1917 in Virginia, Taylor got her break in 1976 with a recurring role on Sesame Street as David's grandmother, Harriet, which she followed with guest spots on such TV shows as Ironside, Sanford and Son and Spenser for Hire. She appeared in such films as Clint Eastwood's Play Misty for Me and onstage as the Good Witch in The Wiz. But Taylor will be best remembered as the beloved Grandma...

Clarice Taylor has passed away at the age of 93. The Emmy Award-nominated actress, known for her role in The Cosby Show, was suffering from heart failure. Taylor played the recurring role of Dr Cliff Huxtable's mother Anna Huxtable in the comedy series, and was nominated for an Emmy in 1986 for her performance. She was a seasoned performer on stage, radio, TV and film for over five decades. She was also a member of the New York stage group the Negro Ensemble Company in the early (more)...

Clarice Taylor, who played Bill Cosby's mother on "The Cosby Show," died Monday of heart failure, People.com reports. She was 93.

The actress earned an Emmy nomination in 1986 for her recurring role as Anna Huxtable, mother of Dr. Cliff Huxtable.

After working on stage, radio, TV and film for over five decades, Taylor's big break came when she played Harriet, David's grandmother, on the long-running children's show "Sesame Street." She also starred with Clint Eastwood...

Actress Clarice Taylor has died of heart failure at the age of 93.

The Cosby Show and Sesame Street regular passed away on Monday.

The actress, who earned an Emmy Award nomination in 1986 for her role as matriarch Anna Huxtable on The Cosby Show, also starred in Tell Me That You Love Me, The Wiz and Junie Moon, opposite Liza Minnelli.

She also portrayed grandmother Harriet on America's children TV series Sesame Street.

The co-founder of Harlem's American Negro Theatre in New York, Taylor also enjoyed success on the stage and won acclaim for her portrayal of civil rights comedienne Moms Mabley in two hit plays.

Taylor retired from acting in 2009.

Filed under: TV News

Clarice Taylor, most recognized for her role as Bill Cosby's mother on 'The Cosby Show,' succumbed to heart failure on Monday, according to People.

The 93-year-old actress was surrounded by family when she passed away.

Taylor was nominated for a 1986 Emmy for her seven-year role as Anna Huxtable in the celebrated sitcom. She also appeared in 'Smoke' alongside Harvey Keitel, 'Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon' with Liza Minelli and 'Sesame Street,' on which she played David's grandmother.

Taylor was also an active member of the New York Stage group and the Negro Ensemble Company -- her presence as a leading actress in the African-American community did not go by unnoticed.

 

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Clarice Taylor, who played Bill Cosby's mother on The Cosby Show, died on Monday at age 93, her rep tells People. She succumbed to heart failure and was surrounded by family when she passed. Taylor earned an Emmy nomination in 1986 for her recurring role as Dr. Cliff Huxtable's mother, Anna Huxtable, on the long-running sitcom. A performer on stage, radio, TV and film for over five decades, the actress was a member of the New York stage group, the Negro Ensemble Company, and helped to pave the way for African-American actors in the early 1960s. Her own big break came...

Clarice Taylor -- known for her role as Bill Cosby 's mom on " The Cosby Show " -- died of heart failure on Monday. The actress gained an Emmy nomination in 1986 for her role as Anne Huxtable on the famous sitcom. In addition to The Cosby Show ... Taylor also made frequent appearances in the 80's as the country-loving grandmother "Harriet" on " Sesame Street ". She was 93. Read more...