Morgan Freeman’s Step-Granddaughter Was Found Stabbed To Death

Well, this is some truly depressing news for a Sunday. The New York Post is reporting that Morgan Freeman’s step-granddaughter and Goddaughter (and his alleged – by the National Enquirer, of course – one-time fiance) E’Dena Hines was found stabbed to death on a sidewalk in Manhattan just before 3am on Sunday morning. Police say they found E’Dena had been stabbed multiple times when they arrived, and that her ex was standing over her body, screaming incoherently.

E’Dena was taken to Harlem Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. E’Dena was 33. The New York Post says her alleged killer was arrested and taken into custody for a psychiatric evaluation. They add that police say it’s still unclear as to why the alleged stabber snapped. Morgan Freeman has released the following statement regarding the death of his Goddaughter, which I’m sure we’ll all read in Morgan Freeman’s voice:

“The world will never know her artistry in talent, and how much she had to offer. Her friends and family were fortunate enough to have known what she meant as a person. Her star will continue to shine bright in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. May she rest in peace.”

Pic: Splash

Frank Gifford Has Passed Away

Today my fond childhood memories of watching Frank Gifford look like he’d rather be getting an unanesthetized root canal than sitting through another syrupy Christmas ballad during Kathie Lee: Home For Christmas just got a whole lot sadder. NBC News says that NFL legend and Kathie Lee Gifford’s husband of 29 years died this morning. Frank Gifford was 84. Frank’s family released the following statement about Frank’s death:

“It is with the deepest sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved husband, father and friend, Frank Gifford. Frank died suddenly this beautiful Sunday morning of natural causes at his Connecticut home. We rejoice in the extraordinary life he was privileged to live, and we feel grateful and blessed to have been loved by such an amazing human being. We ask that our privacy be respected at this difficult time and we thank you for your prayers.”

Frank Gifford leaves behind five children (three with his first wife and two with Kathie Lee), and five grandchildren.

I know very little about football, but I do know that Frank Gifford was a pretty big deal. Frank played 12 seasons with the New York Giants and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1977. Once he was done playing football, he became a football commentator, first for CBS, then for Monday Night Football until 1997. Around the same time, Kathie Lee and Frank’s marriage had a hiccup when it was revealed he cheated on her with a flight attendant, but they decided to stick it out. In addition to the family’s statement, Kathie Lee released her own on Twitter earlier today:

Deeply grateful to all 4 ur outpouring of grace. We r steadfast in our faith & finding comfort in knowing where Frank is. Phillippians 4:13.

— Kathie Lee Gifford (@KathieLGifford) August 9, 2015

Pic: Wenn.com

Studded T-Shirt King Christian Audigier Has Died

Someone should really go check on Bobby Bottleservice and Peter Paparazzo; they must be absolutely devastated.

It’s a sad day for those who love rhinestone-embedded jeans and trucker hats. Christian Audigier, the man who inspired a generation of dude bros and club rats to look their gaudiest and most gorgeous with his Von Dutch and Ed Hardy clothing lines, has died. TMZ says that the undisputed emperor of early 2000s fashion was diagnosed with a cancer called Myelodysplastic Syndrome, the same bone disease Robin Roberts was diagnosed with, in January. He was 57.

In the early 2000s, it felt like you couldn’t open your eyes without seeing one of Christian Audigier’s creations sparkling back at you. Pretty much every famous and famous-adjacent person in Hollywood wore Von Dutch and Ed Hardy. Madonna, Britney Spears, Kim Kardashian and Jon Gosselin wore his designs. Even Liza with a Z. Everyone! Selling t-shirts covered with skulls and roses was a lucrative game, because TMZ says that Christian net worth was almost $250 million at the time of his death.

Christian’s publicist (and Heather Mills’ former publicist/current arch rival) said this about his death to LATF: “I just heard the news and I am truly devastated. Christian was an incredibly brilliant man. He will be missed.”

Rest in peace, Christian.

Pic: Splash

Farewell, American Idol

The show that gave us the rebirth of the Vicodin-infused jewel that is Paula Abdul and created an all-evil, Kartrashian-making Satanic monster out of a leprechaun with Sun-In highlights will end after 13 years and 15 seasons. The 22-year-old in me who used to watch that mess religiously and even voted several times (You can judge me since I judge myself for that!) is bawling like Paula Abdul when her pharmacist at CVS would say the words: No more refills!

FOX announced this morning that American Idol has been renewed for one last time. Its 15th season will be its last. JLo, Harry Connick Jr., Keith Urban and Ryan Seacrest will all be back. American Idol started writing its own death certificate a few years ago when Simon Cowell and his furry tit pies left it to do the American version of the X-Factor. American Idol’s current ratings aren’t even close to what they were during its glory days. FOX burped this statement today:

“American Idol will begin its 15th — and final — season this January on FOX. A season-long celebratory event, American Idol XV will feature host Ryan Seacrest and judges Jennifer Lopez, Keith Urban and Harry Connick, Jr., as they search for the final Idol superstar and pay tribute to the past 14 seasons of amazingly talented contestants and the millions of fans who tweeted, texted and championed their Idols.”

Why even bother searching for one last Idol? Just like all the other winners of the past few years, the final Idol will be lucky if they’re able to book a gig at the opening of a strip mall in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. For its final season, American Idol should bring back some of its best losers (Sanjaya, Tatiana Del Toro, the thorn in my ass lip Kristy Lee Cook, William Hung, Carmen Rasmusen, Kevin Covais, Jim Verraros, etc…) and let them battle it out. Or better yet, American Idol’s final season should be devoted to finding out whatever happened to Brian Dunkleman:

(SPOILER ALERT: Brian Dunkleman exists and he’s spreading the truth on Twitter.)

And the final episode better feature a performance from American Idol’s greatest discovery: RHONETTA!

American Idol’s death would be in vain if Rhonetta and Paula Abdul don’t sing “Straight Up” together during the last show.

In This Case, Revenge Is A Dish Served Canceled

In news that is not shocking to anyone who has watched this show since the beginning, Revenge has been sent to the TV graveyard after 4 seasons. There were rumors that ABC may pick Revenge up for a shortened final season, but Entertainment Weekly says that’s not happening. The finale will air on May 10th. Revenge’s executive producer released this statement:

“We can officially tell our fans that this will be the end of the story. We’ve been talking to the network and we all just wanted to make sure that we felt very confident. Now that everybody has seen the finale—which is fabulous—everybody understands that as much as we all adore the show, it has hit exactly the mark it needed to to end. This is the series finale of Revenge that will be airing in a couple weeks.”

There’s another rumor that the ABC pilot The Kingmakers is a Revenge spin-off. Revenge’s writer/producer Sallie Patrick is the creator of The Kingmakers. Apparently, Revenge ends with a little cliffhanger, so some think that cliffhanger will pick up in The Kingmakers’ pilot episode.

This makes me a little sad, because I’ll miss screaming “When is this trick going to get revenge already?!” at the screen. I swear, that Amanda Clarke was trained in the ancient art of revenge or whatever and it still took her a million years to get revenge.

This season, they’ve been killing characters off and wrapping up storylines, so its death notice was practically on the wall. I figured it was over when (SPOILER ALERT) Victoria Grayson’s flesh and bones were scattered all over the Hamptons after she blew up in Grayson Manor. How can Revenge go on without Victoria Grayson judging everyone while wearing yet another tight, sleeveless cocktail dress?

One Of The Twins From Everybody Loves Raymond Has Committed Suicide

Well, this is a whole lot of sad for Friday morning. The Hollywood Reporter says that Sawyer Sweeten, one of the twin brothers from Everybody Loves Raymond, shot himself on the front porch of his family’s house in Texas on Thursday evening. He was 19 years old, and leaves behind his twin brother Sullivan. If you’ll excuse me, I need to find the nearest pile of pillows that resembles Marie Barone, because I need a hug. Sawyer’s older sister Madylin, who played his older sister Ally on Raymond, released a message about her brother’s death on Facebook saying:

“At this time I would like to encourage everyone to reach out to the ones you love. Let them have no doubt of what they mean to you.”

Sawyer’s Raymond co-stars have also released statements about his death, including Patricia Heaton, who tweeted “The entire cast of #EverybodyLovesRaymond is in shock. Prayers for the Sweeten family” and Ray Romano, who said:

“I’m shocked, and terribly saddened, by the news about Sawyer. He was a wonderful and sweet kid to be around. Just a great energy whenever he was there. My heart breaks for him, his family, and his friends during this very difficult time.”

I’ve probably seen every episode of Everybody Loves Raymond at least 6 times, so this is making me feel things. Although I did picture Sawyer being greeted by the ghost of Peter Boyle in the afterlife, and that made it a bit better.

I can’t find much about Sawyer’s life post-Raymond on the internet, but it looks like he was a Metallica fan. Sawyer, you had great taste in music; when I play “Nothing Else Matters” today, I’ll think of you. RIP Geoffrey Barone.