Top Entertainment Headlines

Thursday, January 16

“It Ends With Us” actor and director Justin Baldoni has sued his co-star Blake Lively and her husband, “Deadpool” actor Ryan Reynolds, for defamation on Thursday in the latest step in a bitter legal battle surrounding the dark romantic drama.

Baldoni’s suit seeks at least $400 million for damages, including lost future income. The lawsuit from Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios, which also names publicist Leslie Sloane as a defendant, comes about two weeks after Lively sued Baldoni and several others tied to the film.

Lively alleged harassment and a coordinated campaign to attack her reputation for coming forward about her treatment on the set.

Comedian and host Conan O’Brien was named the newest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for lifetime achievement in comedy on Thursday.

O’Brien, 61, has carved out an improbable decadeslong career arc, moving from goofy television interloper to comedic elder statesman. Along the way, he survived one of the most public failures in the history of television on “The Tonight Show” — only to launch a successful and sustained next act.

His travel series “Conan O’Brien Must Go” sparked popular and critical acclaim, with a second season coming. In March, O’Brien will host the Academy Awards three weeks before his own Mark Twain ceremony in Washington.

Kenny Chesney will be the next headliner at Sphere in Las Vegas, the country superstar announced exclusively on TODAY on Jan. 16.

The “There Goes My Life” singer, 56, will be the first country act to headline there.

Chesney, whose legion of followers are known as “No Shoes Nation,” will kick off his Sphere shows May 22 and headline a dozen shows over four weeks. He will join U2, Phish, Dead & Co., Anyma and the Eagles as the only artists to headline Sphere, known for its unique globe shape that seats 18,000 people and features 167,000 individual speakers.

David Lynch, the filmmaker celebrated for his uniquely dark vision in such movies as “Blue Velvet” and “Mulholland Drive” and the TV series “Twin Peaks,” has died just days before his 79th birthday.

His family announced the death in a Facebook post on Thursday. The cause of death and location was not immediately available, but Lynch had been public about his emphysema.

“We would appreciate some privacy at this time. There’s a big hole in the world now that he’s no longer with us. But, as he would say, ‘Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole,’” the post read. “It’s a beautiful day with golden sunshine and blue skies all the way.”

Bob Uecker, a famed broadcaster and Milwaukee Brewers icon, has died, the team announced Thursday.

Uecker, who passed away earlier Thursday, was 90 years old.

Uecker was a Brewers legend, broadcasting for the team for 54 seasons. Before that, he played as a backup catcher in MLB, making his major league debut in 1962 and later winning a World Series with the Cardinals in 1964.

He may live in a pineapple under the sea, but SpongeBob SquarePants will soon be traveling across the country.

The popular cartoon character will be featured on new stamps designed by the U.S. Postal Service this year.

The USPS announced the nautical designs, along with designs from the iconic children’s book “Goodnight Moon,” on Monday.