BIG APPLE BUZZ
Family matters
Jackson kids at ‘MJ’ musical debut;
‘Sex & The City’ missing Samantha
BY FLO ANTHONY
The children of Michael Jackson
showed their support for MJ:
The Musical when all three of
them, Paris, Prince and Blanket, now
known as Bigi, stepped out for the opening
of the play on Feb. 1 at Broadway’s
Neil Simon Theatre.
According to multiple reports, Paris opted
for a paisley printed midi dress and ankle
boots for the big night. The 23-year-old
singer/actress posed alongside her 24-yearold
brother Prince, who rocked a suit and
tie. As for Bigi, whose real name is Michael
Joseph Jackson III, the 19-year-old dressed
nattily in a suit jacket, but declined walking
the red carpet with his siblings.
Other celebs on-hand for the play’s debut
included Spike Lee, Joel Grey, Mikhail
Baryshnikov and Tamron Hall.
ig Apple Buzz wants to go on the record
that this may be the best play ever to grace
the Great White Way. The performances,
musical numbers, costumes and staging
are magnifi cent. And a special thumbs up
to two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright
Lynn Nottage, who penned a fabulous
book that captured the true essence of
Michael Jackson………
Samantha staying home
And just like that, Sarah Jessica
Parker erased any speculation that Kim
Cattrall might join the reboot.
When the actress was asked if she would
be all right with Cattrall joining a second
season of “And Just Like That…,” the “Sex
and the City” star told Variety, “I don’t
think I would because I think there’s just
too much public history of feelings on her
part that she shared. I haven’t participated
in or read articles, although people are inclined
to let me know.”
Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones
in the original HBO series and was missing
from the revival other than sending
Parker’s character Carrie text messages
and fl owers, has long maintained she
would never return to the franchise because
of feuds with her former co-stars.
Meanwhile, Parker has vehemently denied
any feuding……..
Lemon live in front of a
studio audience
Don Lemon will host a candid talk
show with a studio audience in the
style of legendary talk show hosts like
Oprah Winfrey, Phil Donahue and
Top left: Prince Jackson and Paris Jackson stand for a portrait at the red
carpet during the premiere of MJ The Musical, Feb. 1, 2022. Above: Ben
Affl eck and Jennifer Lopez. Left: Kim Cattrall
Johnny Carson.
The show will appear on the new CNN
Plus streaming system that the cable network
is billing as one where there will be
available on the new online subscription
service that is set to launch in the spring,
will air weekly.
It will have the host talking about “the
most talk-able news stories each week,”
said Lemon. He told Page Six that this
format was inspired by similar talk
shows from years past. ……..
CNN turmoil
CNN President Jeff Zucker stepped
down recently after being outed for his
years long secret relationship with colleague
Allison Gollust, a relationship
that only came to light publicly when
Chris Cuomo pointed it out during negotiations
for his severance package.
Zucker and Gollust have worked
together for more than 20 years. The
pair were both married previously,
but are now no longer with their
former partners.
They lived in the same apartment
building on Manhattan’s Upper East
side with their respective families until
Zucker sold his apartment during his
divorce from his ex-wife Caryn in 2018,
and according to media sources, their
relationship was well-known.
REUTERS
Now, according to multiple reports, it
has cost Zucker his job and sources say
Chris Cuomo is to blame. He is reportedly
still fi ghting for $18 million — the
remainder of his contract — but Zucker
had refused to pay it out, citing the
confl ict of interest between Chris’s relationship
with his brother, former Governor
Andrew Cuomo, and his on-air
reporting for CNN……..
Sightings
The Music Man’s Hugh Jackman
wearing a black sweater and wool coat in
Manhattan on January 30……..
In Manhattan, Mariska Hargitay and
Jason Biggs sharing laughs on the set of
“Law & Order: SVU”……
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affl eck leaving
NBC Studios in Rockefeller Center.
Earlier in the day, the singer/actress had
a slight teté-a-teté with Hoda Kotb during
her appearance on the Today Show.
When co-host Kotb kept asking Lopez
about the status of her relationship with
Affl eck, J-Lo asked her, “You don’t want
to talk about your personal stuff, Hoda?”
Kotb recently announced that she and fi -
ancé Joel Schiffman called it quits over
the Christmas holidays………
Keanu Reeves trekking through the
snow on a fi lm set in Manhattan on Feb.
4………
16 February 10, 2022 Schneps Media