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‘Deadwood’ star was a real Calamity Jane when HBO shot down her show Robin Weigert was getting her life together when “Deadwood” last aired in 2006 — 13 years before it returns Friday on HBO as “Deadwood: The Movie.” She’d received an Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Calamity Jane on the HBO series (2004-06) and its profile, and popularity, were on the rise — as was Weigert’s bank account. When she put a down payment on an apartment in Manhattan, she appeared the symbol of stability. “It was one of those rare moments where you really do look good on paper,” Weigert says. Then David Milch, the show’s creator, phoned her in May of 2006 with some bad news. HBO wasn’t picking up the options of the “Deadwood” cast, making a fourth season unlikely. “The whole edifice came crashing down,” she says. “It was a huge shocker.” Besides the “artistic devastation” of having to leave behind a character she loved, the financial picture was bleak. “I kept the apartment but had to rent it out to afford it,” says Weigert, 49. “David sailed in with an offer to purchase it from me. I was stunned for a moment and then you say, ‘No, no, I would never let you do that.’ ” A movie version of the series was announced a month later and then the waiting began. It took years, particularly since the show’s cast had an unusually high post-show employment rate. Timothy Olyphant, who plays Seth Bullock, got his own series, FX’s “Justified.” Molly Parker (Alma Ellsworth) joined the cast of “House of Cards.” Anna Gunn (Martha Bullock), played Walter White’s (Bryan Cranston) wife, Skyler, on “Breaking Bad.” Paula Malcomson, who was Trixie — one of Deadwood’s women of easy virtue — was Liev Schreiber’s wife on “Ray Donovan.” Milch didn’t get the green light to write the script until 2016; the movie finally went into production at the Melody Movie Ranch in Newhall, Calif., in October 2018, with most of the original cast (including Ian McShane, Gerald McRaney and John Hawkes) returning for an emotional reunion. “You couldn’t tear us away from each other,” Weigert says. “We hung out as much as we could. What was hard was saying goodbye again.” In “Deadwood: The Movie,” premiering Friday on HBO, Calamity Jane drunkenly wanders into town on a mule, celebrating South Dakota joining the United States of America. There’s a parade, a land auction and a wedding. And plenty of guns and ghosts: “It has things that haunt her,” Weigert says of Deadwood. “The ghost of Wild Bill Hickok (Keith Carradine). For that reason, [any place that] has Joannie Stubbs (Kim Dickens) in it has become an idea of salvation for her. That is the driving force.” Weigert says Jane is at a crossroads. “Down one path is death. Down the other path there’s hope, a possibility of love and some measure of joy. History tells us what happened to the real Jane Cannery. But I hope she found a bit of peace or healing. The whole movie has an aspect that’s wish fulfillment. Some forces are powerful enough to rise up against those who are trying to keep you down.” Although Milch reportedly contemplated writing two more “Deadwood” movies, Weigert thinks one is enough. “It feels to me that [the story] has to conclude because of the Herculean effort of getting everybody back together again,” she says. “Molly Parker is my hero because she had to finesse her role on the weekend because the show she’s on [‘Lost in Space’] wouldn’t go into second position to ‘Deadwood.’ She was on these chartered flights dressed in a space suit, getting off and getting into a corset. “It was crazy.”

During Tuesday night’s season premiere of “America’s Got Talent,” the show’s new judge Gabrielle Union used her very first “Golden Buzzer” to put contestant Kodi Lee on the talent show fast track. The 22-year-old singer, who is blind and autistic, knocked the judges out. “@Kodileerocks I am honored to have you as my #GoldenBuzzer #AGTPremiere,” hyped Union from her Twitter page. During auditions, each judge gets one Golden Buzzer, which has the power to override judges’ votes and send an act straight to the live competition shows near the end of the season. Lee was helped onto the stage by his mother, Tina Lee. “We found out that he loved music early on,” Tina tells judges Union, Simon Cowell, Julianne Hough and Howie Mandel. “He listened and his eyes just went huge.” Upon hearing Kodi sing as a child, Tina says that’s when she realized he was meant to be a performer. “Through music and performing, he was able to withstand living in this world,” she adds. “It actually has saved his life.” “I’m ready,” Lee tells the judges before wowing them by playing the piano and singing “A Song for You,” written by Leon Russell and made famous by Donny Hathaway, then covered by the likes of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Amy Winehouse. How the @#*! can they leave out Karen Carpenter? Judges and the live audience looked on in tears as Lee belted out his soulful rendition. Enraptured as they were, it’s clear Lee would not have needed Union’s lifeline to advance — though it did make for a joyous moment for Lee and his mom. “Not only do we feel the authenticity, but you’re a great inspiration,” starts Mandel. “I know everybody needs a voice,” adds Hough. “Your heart, your passion, your voice blew all of us away. I just want to say I heard you and I felt you and it was beautiful.” “To watch what happened there was extraordinary, really extraordinary,” says Cowell, adding, “I will remember this moment for the rest of my life.” The voting round ended with Union. From one mom to another, she tells Tina and Kodi, “You just want to give your kids the moon, the stars and rainbows.” “And tonight, I’m going to give you something special,” she says as she hits her Golden Buzzer. Lee’s already a fan favorite, with even celebs taking to social media to praise the remarkable performer. “Loved this moment so much! Stood up and cheered in my living room. #KodiLee #AmericasGotTalent,” wrote Oprah on Twitter. “Sometimes I find American TV cheesy, this however is one of the most beautiful bits of TV I think I’ve ever seen. Kodi you are incredible and your lovely mum looked so incredibly proud. Loads of love,” tweeted One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson. “Omg! What a beautiful moment. Reminds us that we are all Perfectly Designed,” added “Queer Eye” host Karamo Brown.

Jane Fonda says she suffered a nervous breakdown during the first season of “Grace and Frankie” because she felt “triggered” by her character’s plotline of being abandoned by her husband for another man. “It took me a season to come to care for my character. I had to go back into therapy and start Prozac,” the 81-year-old actress revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. “It took me a long time to figure out [my relationship with this character]. I had a nervous breakdown during the first season and I discovered it’s because the very first episode our husbands tell us that they are going to leave us after 40 years and marry each other and that triggered abandonment … oh, this is not a good thing to talk about.” Fonda eventually grew to love her character on the Netflix hit. “It was a big trigger, and I didn’t realize that a character in a comedy could actually trigger something very profound,” Fonda explained. “And so I love her and I learned to invite her into the room.” That said, Fonda doesn’t want to emulate Grace. “… I don’t really want to have to be anything like her,” she said. “We have too much in common as it is.” Fonda was previously married to Roger Vadim, Tom Hayden and Ted Turner. She has said that all three of her ex-husbands cheated on her throughout their marriages.

A wife decided to humiliate her cheating husband by making him lie naked on a car in a public street in Colombia as locals laughed at him. Jairo Vargas begged his wife for forgiveness and agreed to participate in the embarrassing stunt in hopes of saving their marriage. Vargas’ wife, who has not been named, caught him cheating with another woman at a motel in the Caribbean coastal city of Barranquilla. Traffic was brought to a halt on a busy road as motorists stopped and recorded the humiliating event. Footage captured on mobile phones shows the remorseful husband lying across a car’s roof while hiding his head in a towel. He was also seen knocking on the driver’s window and scrubbing the front windshield. Colombian National Police were eventually called to the scene, arresting Vargas and issuing him a summons for causing a public nuisance on a street. Both the driver and Vargas were fined $151 for causing the commotion.

Maybe he just has a nice set of Tsitsipas he likes to show off.

That’s one way to guarantee he’ll stay faithful. Marc Jacobs shared a selfie Sunday, proudly showing off a gift from his mother-in-law: a pair of black briefs covered in images of his new husband Char Defrancesco’s face. [MEDIA=instagram]Bx7x6jhlVzr[/MEDIA] “No, I am not starting an #onlyfans page,” the designer, 56, wrote in the caption of the shot. “I’m just really enjoying these super comfortable, very amusing undies that were a gift from my mother-in-law @shallmark2 The fabric feels so nice and soft and the elastic is particularly comfortable as it doesn’t bind — and, as if that weren’t enough, they’ve got Char’s @chardefrancesco face dotted all over the front and my face dotted all over the behind. Great fun for the whole family!” The couple got married at the beginning of April, one year after the CFDA winnerproposed to 37-year-old Defrancesco with a flash mob at Chipotle. To celebrate the momentous occasion, the pair threw a lavish party at The Grill in Manhattan with A-list guests including Anna Wintour, Gigi and Bella Hadid, Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Debi Mazar, Hamish Bowles and fashion editor Katie Grand.

Jean ‘speedos’ are here to ruin summer Shinesty, the kooky etailer that creates “wearable aphrodisiacs,” has crafted “The Daytona Dong Sarong Jeado Swim Brief,” aka a jean-printed, speedo-like creation. (Yes, they’re chafe-less and waterproof, in case you were wondering.) The Speedo-style briefs, which cost $39.99, are also fully lined with elastic waistband and drawstring — and run quite tight. They’re available for pre-order and will ship in September, meaning they won’t arrive in time for prime beach season. Apparently, daring dudes have been snapping up these nutty bottoms left and right: the light blue “assid” version is currently sold out, while the black acid wash style only has smalls left. Horrified by the thought of exposing your man buns to the world? Well, the saucy site is calling your bluff — hard. “It is like eating a bag of chips in church. Everyone looks over at you with disgust, but deep down they want some too,” says the product description. “These should be paired with caterpillar-style mustaches for optimal results. Talk about a ballsy look.

Jean ‘speedos’ are here to ruin summer Shinesty, the kooky etailer that creates “wearable aphrodisiacs,” has crafted “The Daytona Dong Sarong Jeado Swim Brief,” aka a jean-printed, speedo-like creation. (Yes, they’re chafe-less and waterproof, in case you were wondering.) The Speedo-style briefs, which cost $39.99, are also fully lined with elastic waistband and drawstring — and run quite tight. They’re available for pre-order and will ship in September, meaning they won’t arrive in time for prime beach season. Apparently, daring dudes have been snapping up these nutty bottoms left and right: the light blue “assid” version is currently sold out, while the black acid wash style only has smalls left. Horrified by the thought of exposing your man buns to the world? Well, the saucy site is calling your bluff — hard. “It is like eating a bag of chips in church. Everyone looks over at you with disgust, but deep down they want some too,” says the product description. “These should be paired with caterpillar-style mustaches for optimal results. Talk about a ballsy look.

In general, I've read great things about the Impossible Burger. Impossible Whopper boosted Burger King’s foot traffic by double digits Burger King’s plan to roll out a meatless Whopper nationwide could help boost sales by double digits, new data shows. After just 29 days of testing the plant-based Impossible Whopper in 59 eateries in the St. Louis area, the fast food giant saw foot traffic pop by 18.5%, according to inMarket Insights. That’s compared with a 1.75% decline in traffic at the company’s other restaurants elsewhere in the US, said inMarket Insights, which analyzed location data of over 50 million Comscore-verified users. The inMarket Insights data helps explain Burger King’s decision in April to add a veggie burger from Impossible Foods — which bleeds like a real beef burger — to its menu after just one month of testing it in the Gateway to the West. Burger King now aims to offer the vegan burgers on all its menus by the end of 2019. “Given the success in St. Louis, we expect to see a positive impact on visitation as the Impossible Whopper rolls out nationally in the future,” said inMarket Insights in a statement. Burger King promoted the Impossible Whopper in St. Louis on social media and other outlets, but its marketing was “in line” with other promotions.

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Pizza Hut's Original Pan Pizza has received a makeover. The company announced Tuesday that its "Original Pan Pizza" is being completely remade, including a new cheese blend, sauce and a "newly engineered" pan for it to be baked in for a crispier crust. Changes to Pizza Hut's best-known menu item comes as competition tightens with its closest competitors, Domino's and Papa John's. For the first time last year, Domino's had more sales than Pizza Hut. And Pizza Hut last year became the NFL's advertising partner, taking that sought-after title from troubled Papa John's. Pizza customers aren't a loyal bunch, as people tend to gravitate to the company with the best promotion. But taste matters too, which is why Domino's scrapped its 49-year-old pizza recipe 10 years ago. It also rolled out new value offerings and technology for customers to track their orders. Earlier this year, Domino's opened its 16,000th store and has grown by nearly 50% over the past five years. Pizza Hut has more than 18,000 restaurants worldwide. Papa John's is experimenting with sandwiches and new technology as it aims to make up for lost ground from its year of scandals. Not to be outdone, Pizza Hut is expanding beer delivery program to 1,000 locations by the summer. It also developed insulated pouches designed to keep delivery pizzas up to fifteen degrees hotter. Its new pan pizza recipe is part of the strategy. "We know that taste is king for our customers, so we're excited to roll out this new, state-of-the-art pan technology, combined with our perfected blend of cheese and sauce ratio," said Penny Shaheen, Pizza Hut's senior director of Culinary Innovation and Strategy, in a release. Pizza Hut said it took three years to develop its improvements to the nearly 40-year old pizza. The company, owned by Yum Brands (YUM), said it "focused on combining art, science and culinary expertise" to improve the pan pizza. The relaunched pizza is available nationwide beginning Tuesday and costs $7.99 for a limited time.

A Louisiana woman allegedly flew into a rage after learning her wife had accidentally tossed their marijuana in the washing machine — prompting her to attack her spouse with a bedpost. Ashley Perkins, 30, of Youngsville, was visiting family with her wife in Navarre, Florida, last week when the wild beatdown occurred, The Smoking Gun reported, citing a police report. Perkins admitted to cops that she and her wife had “tussled” over marijuana around 7:45 p.m. May 20 — but denied using the detached bedpost to whack her, the report said. The victim, 48, told investigators with the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office that her wife beat her after learning she’d “accidentally placed” the weed “in the washer,” according to the report. The spouse, who was hospitalized, suffered cuts to her left arm and contusions to the back of her head and legs, according to the report, which noted that responding medics said the victim’s left arm may have also been fractured in the alleged assault. A bedpost was found on the bed where the couple was fighting. Perkins told cops that she believed her wife rolled over the bedpost, causing her injuries. But cops said she “changed her story” while being transported to the local jail — claiming the victim picked up the bedpost and beat herself with it. Perkins ultimately was charged with aggravated battery.

A fully albino giant panda has been filmed roaming bamboo forests in China — the first ever recorded in the wild, an expert says. The footage was taken on an infrared camera in April in Wolong National Nature Reserve, about 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) above sea level in southwestern China’s Sichuan province, reserve management authorities said Saturday. A fully albino giant panda in Wolong National Nature Reserve, in China’s Sichuan province. Li Sheng, a researcher with Beijing’s Peking University, told CNN that no fully albino giant panda had ever been recorded in the wild before. He was quoted by Chinese state media CCTV as saying it was likely to be only one or two years old. “The panda looked strong and his steps were steady, a sign that the genetic mutation may not have quite impeded its life,” Li said. The nature reserve plans to set up more infrared cameras to observe its growth and how it interacts with other giant pandas in the area. Animals with albinism — which results in a lack of melanin, or skin pigment — are often at greater risk from predators in the wild as they can be spotted more easily and have poorer eyesight, according to the National Geographic. The giant panda is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. According to the World Wife Fund for Nature, there are 1,864 left in the wild.

I realized after posting this that it would have been better if I posted it on Independence Day. If I remember, I'll bump it up then.

Her admirers stretch from Belarus to Brooklyn, where this furry immigrant arrived to charm the locals two years ago. Meet Sima the Maine Coon cat, who once prowled the woods and lakesides of the former Soviet republic and now roams leafy streets in Prospect Heights. “This cat? The coolest cat in the world,” said admiring neighbor Rodney Shaw. “The cat goes away and comes back, always finds its way back home.” He paused to make clucking noises to get Sima’s attention before resuming his laudatory oratory. “I’ve seen dogs run from her," continued Shaw, 55. "I’ve seen it. She’s fearless. She’ll walk around and let you know this is her territory.” The 16-year-old cat, whose name translates to “boundary”or “limit,”in Sanskrit seems to know little of either. Sima is renowned throughout the neighborhood for her luxurious coat, friendly nature and nighttime forays. Her owners finally posted a laminated sign on the gate of their brownstone assuring neighbors that their peripatetic pet enjoyed more freedom that the average house cat. “My name is Sima,” the sign states. “I am allowed to sit outside.” On a sunny spring afternoon, the feline took shade beneath a hedge just inside the gate. With little coaxing, Sima stepped into the lap of a reporter, curled up and began purring before eventually dozing off. Sima began life as stray kitten, appearing on Elena Rykoff’s doorstep on a winter day in Belarus. Rykoff gave the cat a home, but always allowed her to roam freely. "She would go to the forest, go to the fishermen, sit with them and then come home at night,” recalled Rykoff, 43. “Everybody would give her fish.” The cat lived in Belarus for 11 years, staying with Rykoff’s mother and grandmother after Elena moved to New York. The two were reunited in 2014, when Sima resumed her life of freedom in a new country. “The first months were hard because people would call us — ‘Your cat is lost, we found your cat here, there,'" recalled Rykoff. "We were trying to explain that’s okay, it’s a normal thing.” Once Rykoff’s husband Mark made the sign for the front gate, the worried phone calls ceased. Neighbor Shaw, on his way home with take-out, said he sees faces familiar and unfamiliar stopping to visit with Sima. “I see people sitting on the step in the evening," said Shaw. "She must bring some calm to them.” As if on cue, a woman wearing a T-shirt festooned with a cat’s face approached and cooed hello to Sima. Donna Robles, 49, is the superintendent of a building across the street and comes by to dote on the cat. “My windows are there, my cats are in the windows and she’ll come and say hello to them,” explained Robles. Robles also works with the state in her part-time home of Pennsylvania to find homes for animals. While she was initially worried after seeing Sima out, Robles came to know the cat and appreciate her free-range lifestyle. “She’s very sociable," said owner Rykoff, who said she’s met numerous neighbors thanks to Sima. "She likes to meet people, make friends. So we let her do that.” As the evening approached, a man walked past with a plump terrier. The dog tugged at the leash, eager to greet the cat. Sima arose from her spot behind the gate and then sat down in the same spot — tucking her fluffy tail around her. “Don’t start trouble, Sam," the man told the dog as the two walked away. "It’s obvious you’re not wanted.” After a minute or two, Sima yawned and allowed her eyes to close.

I thought Rex was a natural brunette. The prototypical early blonds were Jack Wrangler, Leo Ford, Kevin Williams, & Lance.

Congrats to Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence! The couple tied the knot at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, California, on Thursday, in a ceremony attended by family and friends. Included in Burke's bridal party was matron of honor Leah Remini and Dancing With the Stars alum Kym Herjavec, who threw Burke's engagement party last year. Remini, meanwhile, hosted Burke's bridal shower in March. Burke and Lawrence's star-studded wedding comes a year after their engagement on her 34th birthday last May. Lawrence, 39, popped the question with a beautiful and sentimental ring incorporating the diamond that Burke's late father gave to her mother. While speaking with ET last October, Burke revealed that she wasn't going to be teaching Lawrence a dance for their wedding. "We may never get married if I teach him how to dance!" she confessed with a laugh. "He might run away!" "I just turn into a different person when I'm teaching, so I'm a lot harder," Burke explained. "I'm not mean, I'm just like... that's how I was coached, and it was just the reality of it. Everything, it's like, 'This is how it is, and if you want to be better, you know, this is what you need to do.' So it was tough love." Burke and Lawrence first met during the 2006 DWTS season, when Lawrence's brother, Joey, competed. They started dating, but broke things off after a year. They reunited almost nine years later, in 2017.

Congrats to Cheryl Burke and Matthew Lawrence! The couple tied the knot at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar in San Diego, California, on Thursday, in a ceremony attended by family and friends. Included in Burke's bridal party was matron of honor Leah Remini and Dancing With the Stars alum Kym Herjavec, who threw Burke's engagement party last year. Remini, meanwhile, hosted Burke's bridal shower in March. Burke and Lawrence's star-studded wedding comes a year after their engagement on her 34th birthday last May. Lawrence, 39, popped the question with a beautiful and sentimental ring incorporating the diamond that Burke's late father gave to her mother. While speaking with ET last October, Burke revealed that she wasn't going to be teaching Lawrence a dance for their wedding. "We may never get married if I teach him how to dance!" she confessed with a laugh. "He might run away!" "I just turn into a different person when I'm teaching, so I'm a lot harder," Burke explained. "I'm not mean, I'm just like... that's how I was coached, and it was just the reality of it. Everything, it's like, 'This is how it is, and if you want to be better, you know, this is what you need to do.' So it was tough love." Burke and Lawrence first met during the 2006 DWTS season, when Lawrence's brother, Joey, competed. They started dating, but broke things off after a year. They reunited almost nine years later, in 2017.