Getty Actress Felicity Huffman is escorted by her husband William H. Macy on Friday following her sentencing.
Famed television actress Felicity Huffman received prison time for her role in the widespread college admissions scandal. Find out how much time the former Desperate Housewives star will have to serve.
Director James Gunn announced a star-studded cast for his upcoming DC Universe Film The Suicide Squad on Twitter. See which stars are part of the massive roster of antiheroes.
Also, MoviePass, a discount ticketing service that was once touted as a game changer for the industry, announced it would be shutting down and rock legend Eddie Money passed away.
Here’s what you need to know in the daily roundup.
TOP STORY: Felicity Huffman Gets Prison Time for College Admissions Scandal
GettyActress Felicity Huffman, escorted by her husband William H. Macy makes her way to a waiting SUV following her sentencing on Friday.
Felicity Huffman is set to spend two weeks behind bars for her part in a widespread college admissions scandal that was dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues” by the FBI.
Huffman, of Desperate Housewives fame, was sentenced to 14 days in prison and one year of supervised release. She also received one year of probation, 250 hours of community service and a $30,000 fine. She is the first parent to be sentenced in the scandal.
Felicity Huffman’s official statement after being sentenced to 14 days in prison for the college admissions scheme. @YahooEnt
Huffman reportedly paid $15,000 to boost her older daughter’s SAT scores with the help of William “Rick” Singer, an admission consultant. The actress pleaded guilty in May to a charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.
“I think this is the right sentence here,” U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani told Huffman, according to CNN. “You can move forward and rebuild your life after this. Without this sentence, I think the community around you would ask why you got away with this.”
It was an emotional scene in the court as Huffman addressed her daughter, Sophia, who was unaware of the arrangement.
“I can only say I’m so sorry, Sofia. I was frightened and stupid. I now see all the things I knew was wrong,” Huffman said. “I realize now that love and truth must go hand in hand. I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Felicity Huffman sentenced to 14 days in jail for her role in college admissions cheating scandal t.co/JIvqAnVW1d
Huffman also addressed the judge and the court before she was handed her sentencing, saying she has “eternal shame” for what transpired.
“I’m sorry to you, judge. I am deeply sorry to the students, parents and colleges impacted by my actions,” Huffman said. “I am sorry to my daughters and my husband. I have betrayed them all.”
There have been 15 parents, including Huffman, who have pleaded guilty, while 19 others are fighting the charges, according to the Associated Press.
Actress Lori Loughlin — known for her role on “Full House” — and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, a fashion designer, are among those fighting the charges against them. The couple are accused of paying $500,000 to guarantee their daughters’ admission to USC.
WHAT’S BUZZING THAT HAS EVERYONE TALKING: James Gunn Announces Full Cast for ‘The Suicide Squad’
GettyJames Gunn is set to direct The Suicide Squad, releasing in 2021.
After months of speculation, director James Gunn officially announced the cast for his upcoming DC Universe flick The Suicide Squad on Twitter.
Some of the more recognizable names include: WWE superstar John Cena, Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson and Idris Elba. There is also a crew of returning characters from the divisive original (confusing dubbed simply Suicide Squad), including Academy Award winner Viola Davis as Amanda Waller, Academy Award nominee Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Jai Courtney as Captain Boomerang and Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag.
However, it’s unclear how much Gunn’s film will tie back to the first movie, as producer Peter Safran told ComicBook.com that the movie is “not a sequel,” despite some of the overlap with characters.
Gunn’s announcement for the movie — which features a set of mostly likable DC antiheroes — came with a stern warning: don’t get too attached. It’s more than likely a good chunk of these characters won’t make it to the final credits.
Gunn directed the acclaimed Marvel Guardians of the Galaxy films and is slated to direct a third. He was previously taken off the project by Disney after a controversy surrounding his old tweets came to the surfaced. But after outcry from the cast and fans, Gunn was brought back.
The Suicide Squad is slated to hit theaters on August 6, 2021.
CHECK THIS OUT: Game-Changing Ticketing Service MoviePass Officially Shuts Down
MoviePass announced it was ending its service on Friday.
MoviePass hoped to change the theater business model, but the service is now shutting down after a wild ride. MoviePass’ parent company, Helios and Matheson, issued a statement on Friday regarding the shutdown, saying “efforts to recapitalize MoviePass have not been successful to date.”
The idea behind MoviePass was to have a basic subscription model of $10 a month, which allowed users to see one movie a day. At one point, the service reportedly had 3 million subscribers.
However, with various hurdles — including limiting the movies subscribers could see — it became an unsustainable concept. In April of 2018, the company’s financial statements showed that MoviePass was hemorrhaging money, losing $20 million each month due to the low subscription costs and large subscriber base.
There were also various technical hurdles as of late that frustrated what was left of its subscription base. A massive leak that exposed tens of thousands of customer card numbers and personal credit cards didn’t help either.
I finally canceled my @Moviepass subscription yesterday and today I got this email. Then I tried to quit AGAIN, and it wouldn’t let me. What kind of Twilight Zone shit is this
The company did not close the door entirely on making a comeback, saying it has formed a strategic review committee to explore “strategic and financial alternatives.”
DAILY NEWS ROUNDUP
Here are the 11 PM Friday, September 13 Key Messages for Tropical Storm #Humberto. Humberto forms near the northwestern Bahamas, but the Tropical Storm Watch for the east-central coast of Florida has been discontinued. t.co/LVW6mMOA5v
- Bahamas brace for another storm just weeks after Hurricane Dorian.
- Hong Kong protesters light up hills in eye-catching, festival-themed rally.
- Watch out! An asteroid will pass so close to Earth that astronomers will be able to see it on Saturday.
- J.J. Abrams reportedly turned down $500 million from Apple before multi-year agreement with WarnerMedia.
- Hello darkness: Engineers unveil a new blackest-ever material.
In Memoriam
GettySinger-songwriter Eddie Money passed away on Friday.
Rock legend Eddie Money — known for hits like “Two Tickets to Paradise” and “Take Me Home Tonight” — passed away at the age of 70 on Sept. 13. He was battling stage 4 esophageal cancer.
“The Money Family regrets to announce that Eddie passed away peacefully early this morning,” family spokesperson Cindy Ronzoni told USA TODAY. “It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to our loving husband and father. We cannot imagine our world without him. We are grateful that he will live on forever through his music.”
Since April 2018, Money had been appearing in a reality show with his family, named “Real Money.” The show aired on AXS TV.
Among those to react to the star’s death was businessman, investor and AXS TV founder Mark Cuban.
“His enduring hits have been the soundtrack for generations of fans, and his one-of-a-kind sense of humor endeared him instantly to everyone he met,” Cuban said in a statement. “He will be missed immensely by all of those who knew and loved him. But, if we know Eddie, he’s rocking right now in heaven, doing what he always loved.”
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