AUTOPSY CONFIRMS NAYA RIVERA’S DEATH WAS ACCIDENTAL DROWNING
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Officials say an autopsy has confirmed that “Glee” star Naya Rivera died from accidental drowning. The Ventura County Medical Examiner says Tuesday that Rivera showed no signs of traumatic injury or disease that might have contributed to the drowning and there was no initial indication that drugs or alcohol played a role. Rivera’s body was found Monday in Southern California’s Lake Piru, five days after she went missing while boating with her 4-year-old son. The creators of “Glee” announced Tuesday that they’d be creating a college fund for the boy and remembered Rivera as joyful and immensely talented.
‘GLEE’ CREATORS PLAN COLLEGE FUND FOR NAYA RIVERA’S SON
LOS ANGELES (AP) - A college fund is being created for Naya Rivera’s son by the creators of “Glee,” who remembered the actor-singer as joyful and immensely talented. The creators say in a statement that Rivera was a friend as well as a cast member. Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan say their hearts go out to her family. They referred to Rivera’s 4-year-old, Josey, as the “beautiful son” that she loved most of all. Rivera’s body was found Monday in a Southern California lake, five days after she and the boy had gone out on a rented boat. Rivera was 33.
‘MYTHBUSTERS’ STAR GRANT IMAHARA DIES FROM BRAIN ANEURYSM
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Discovery Channel says longtime “Mythbusters” host Grant Imahara has died from a brain aneurysm. The network confirmed his cause of death Tuesday. Imahara died Monday at the age of 49. The network says on its website that Imahara dedicated his life to using his skills to make people smile. The network says he was one of the few trained operators for the famed R2-D2 droid from Star Wars and engineered the Energizer Bunny’s popular rhythmic beat. Along with his “Mythbusters” fame, Imahara was known for starring on Netflix’s “White Rabbit Project.” He recently showcased on social media his recent creation of a fully animatronic Baby Yoda.
VIACOMCBS DROPS NICK CANNON, CITES ‘ANTI-SEMITIC’ COMMENTS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — ViacomCBS says it’s cutting ties with Nick Cannon because of what the media giant called his ‘hateful speech” and anti-Semitic theories. The company’s move came in response to remarks made by Cannon on a podcast in which he discussed racial bias with a former Public Enemy member, Richard Griffin. Cannon produced “Wild ’n Out,” a comedy improv series for VH1, the ViacomCBS-owned cable channel. He’s been a regular part of TV on shows unconnected to the company, including as the former host of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” and host of Fox’s “The Masked Singer.” In a online post before ViacomCBS’ decision, Cannon said he doesn’t condone hate speech.
LOUGHLIN, GIANNULLI WANT $1M BAIL CUT IN COLLEGE SCAM CASE
BOSTON (AP) — “Full House” actor Lori Loughlin (LAWK’-lin) and her fashion designer husband Mossimo Giannulli want their bail cut from $1 million to $100,000, telling a judge they will not flee ahead of their sentencing in the college admissions bribery case. In a court filing on Monday, lawyers for the famous couple who admitted to paying half a million dollars to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as fake crew recruits also asked the judge to remove the requirement that their bonds be secured by a lien on their house. On Tuesday, another California couple also pleaded guilty to participating in the bribery scheme. Diane Blake and Todd Blake admitted to paying $250,000 to get their daughter into USC with fake volleyball credentials.
EVENING NEWS PROGRAMS OUTPACE PRIME TIME TELEVISION
NEW YORK (AP) - Broadcast networks might want to consider promoting newscasters David Muir, Lester Holt and Norah O’Donnell to prime time, at least for the summer. The Nielsen company says that the ABC and NBC evening newscasts led by Muir and Holt both averaged more viewers last week than anything in prime time. O’Donnell at CBS wasn’t that far behind. The first two weeks of July are traditionally the least-watched weeks in television each year. Schedules are clogged with reruns and the outdoors beckons for many viewers. Among younger adults, one of the few programs keeping people indoors are the Spanish-language telenovelas on Univision.
NIELSEN RATINGS
NEW YORK (AP) - For the week of July 6-12, here are the top 20 prime time programs, according to the Nielsen company:
1. “60 Minutes,” CBS, 7.05 million.
2. “NCIS,” CBS, 5.53 million.
3. “Celebrity Family Feud,” ABC, 5.13 million.
4. “FBI,” CBS, 4.63 million.
5. “Hannity” (Thursday), Fox News, 4.47 million.
6. “America’s Got Talent,” NBC, 4.39 million.
7. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Monday), Fox News, 4.3 million.
8. “Tucker Carlson Tonight” (Wednesday), Fox News, 4.29 million.
9. “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” ABC, 4.21 million.
10. “Hannity” (Monday), Fox News, 4.14 million.
IOWA AUDITOR QUESTIONS LEGALITY OF TEST IOWA REPORTING CHAIN
UNDATED (AP) — Iowa Auditor Rob Sand says the Test Iowa program brought to the state under a $28 million no-bid contract by Gov. Kim Reynolds on recommendation from actor Ashton Kutcher is violating state law in the way it handles test results data. Sand says Test Iowa results first go to two Utah companies contracted to provide testing then to the state’s chief information officer and then to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Sand says this indirect route violates a law requiring laboratories to immediately report infectious diseases to the public health department. Public health spokeswoman Amy McCoy says the reporting process follows Iowa law.
TELLURIDE FILM FESTIVAL CANCELED DUE TO PANDEMIC
NEW YORK (AP) — An annual film retreat held in the Colorado mountains has been canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Telluride Film Festival is one of the fall movie season’s top launching pads. Organizers announced Tuesday that the festival’s 47th edition, scheduled for Labor Day weekend, has been scuttled due to COVID-19. Through much of the summer, Telluride had clung to hopes that cancellation wouldn’t be necessary. But with infections spiking throughout much of the South and West, they made what they called a “heartbreaking and unanimous” decision. Telluride is part of a late summer-early fall foursome of major festivals, along with the Venice Film Festival, the Toronto International Film Festival and the New York Film Festival.