Category: Entertainment

I’m a reporter—and I play one on TV.

This season of Law & Order: SVU, the TV history-making season 21, I’ve been drafted into service twice as “Reporter No. 2” (not sure what a guy needs to do to get a name over there), a reporter following the story of Ian McShane‘s character Sir Toby Moore. McShane plays an entertainment executive who shares similar characteristics to a certain convicted rapist and former movie mogul.

So, what’s it like to be on Law & Order: SVU? You know the stories of an elite squad of detectives known as the special victims unit, now here’s mine.

I’ve done the show three times before the season 21 finale. Once as an extra, twice as a reporter in two very different climates. My first speaking line was in season 16 and we filmed during a polar vortex. It was negative degrees out. The coldest days New York had seen in years. I couldn’t feel my face as I yelled, “How much did you pay for the rectal probe?!” at Susie Essman and Marcia Cross on a street near New York City’s Union Square.

The second time I was called to duty as a reporter was during a wet and muggy July 2019 night for the historic season 21 premiere. I had to yell, “Toby, they get you on film this time?” as Ian McShane did his perp walk by me with Mariska Hargitay and Ice-T escorting him to justice. SVU revisited that story in “The Things We Have to Lose” and brought back the original reporters from the history-making season 21 premiere. Hey, we’re dedicated.

Originally, we were set to film on March 10, but twist! My shooting date moved up by five days to March 5. This was before the coronavirus panic truly took hold and the last episode SVU completed before production was shut down due the spread of the virus.

March 3, 3:00 p.m.
I arrive at SVU‘s stages for a costume fitting. When I got to the wardrobe department, my options were waiting for me on a rack. I noticed the same pair of shoes I wore in July and the same maroon T-shirt. However, since it’s March, I’d be wearing a sweater and jacket this time. I tried on a pair of green pants that made me look like I was wearing a diaper—they were too big. Next were a skinny pair of black Levi jeans that actually fit! Those were outfitted with brown boots. We tried a gray sweater and a blue peacoat/nylon combo that I would actually wear. Out went the gray sweater in came a blue sweater. Wardrobe assembled!

March 4, 9:19 a.m.
Suddenly I have more lines! A brief moment of panic subsided, and I said, “Counselor Barth—have you ever been the victim of a sexual assault?” probably 200 times.

March 4, 9:52 p.m.
I got my call time and have to report to set near the courthouse at 9:15 a.m. on March 5.

March 5, 8:50 a.m.
The subway is very crowded and why do I suddenly have to pee so badly?

March 5, 9:07 a.m.
I’m in my trailer!

March 5, 9:34 a.m.
My wardrobe arrived. In addition to the sweater and everything else that was picked out for me, I was provided thermals to layer, body warmers and a big warming set jacket. I notice my trailer has a tiny entrance rug.

March 5, 9:44 a.m.
I really have to go to the bathroom.

March 5, 10:30 a.m.
I’m in hair and makeup. What can I do later to show off how good my makeup is?

March 5, 10:47 a.m.
We’re on set! Mariska Hargitay and I hug hello and talk about SVU’s three-year renewal that will bring the show to season 24 (It’s unheard of!), and her People magazine cover story about the work she’s done with The Joyful Heart Foundation.

March 5, 11-something
We’re rehearsing. It’s me, Annika Pergament (Reporter No. 1), Peter Scanavino (ADA Carisi), Jenna Stern (Elana Barth), the one and only Mariska Hargitay (Captain Olivia Benson, duh) and the director Juan Campanella. There’s some confusion over how we’re shooting the scene with the additional dialogue (and said confusion continues for quite a bit), but we rehearse the original scene. Scanavino declares I’ve hit my line like Marlon Brando. Reader, it’s true (no it isn’t).

March 5, 12:26 p.m.
We’ve been on set for a bit and somehow we’re two takes in already.

March 5, 12:43 p.m.
I discover I have a stand in! He is very nice and is there to set up the shot so I can go inside to warm up a bit. I am just delighted by the fact I have a stand in. Is this fame?

March 5, 1:20 p.m.
We are done! I got a ride to my trailer, which has since moved to another part of New York, put on my real clothes and signed some papers.

Law & Order: SVU will return for a season 22 on NBC.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)

Nick Cordero‘s loved ones are patiently waiting for him to wake up from the medically induced coma he was placed in while fighting COVID-19. 

The Broadway star’s wife, fitness personality Amanda Kloots, offered another health update via Instagram Stories on Thursday, describing the “waiting game” she now faces just days after Cordero’s leg was amputated. 

Following the successful amputation, Cordero underwent an MRI on his brain and spine to assess other possible hurdles in his recovery. “The doctors said that there was nothing on the MRI that would show that he won’t wake up, which is amazing news. We are so happy about that because that was a big worry for all of us,” Kloots shared.

“However,” she explained, “he hasn’t woken up and it’s been 12 days out of sedation. The doctors do think he should have woken up by now.”

But because Cordero was “heavily sedated” for 13 days prior, Kloots said she is “hoping and praying every day that Nick wakes up.”

“In putting that energy and positivity out there, because I do believe he will. He is on Nick time and when he wakes up, we’ll all be there to celebrate it,” she said.

For now, Kloots said his team of doctors are planning to continue reducing his medication in hopes of taking him off the ventilator so they can then insert a breathing tube to “help him be more comfortable.”

“As we are waiting for him to wake up, while he is still sleeping, they are slowly weaning off his body off assistance, which is just great news. Small little wins,” Kloots added. 

Since Kloots, who gave birth to the couple’s first child less than a year ago, is unable to be by Cordero’s side through his treatment, she spends time outside the Los Angeles hospital where he’s currently recovering.

“At some point every day I go to @cedarssinai and stand outside the hospital,” she recently shared on Instagram. “I talk to Nick, I pray, I play his song and I sing to him! It’s the closest I can get to him on a daily basis.”

Cordero, whose stage credits include Waitress and Rock of Ages, was first hospitalized in late March after being diagnosed with pneumonia. He tested negative for coronavirus twice before doctors administered a third test, which came back positive.

Before Peter Weber, there was Peter Kraus. And knowing what we know now, boy would we have loved a season of The Bachelor with Peter Kraus as its lead. 

After coming in second to Bryan Abasolo on Rachel Lindsay‘s season of The Bachelorette in 2017, Peter was a total shoo-in for the job. But in a controversial twist, Arie Luyendyk Jr. took the spot and Peter’s quest for love on reality TV came to an abrupt end. 

Now three years later, Peter has revealed what went down behind-the-scenes while negotiating his Bachelor contract. During a wide-ranging interview on The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous podcast, Peter said he rejected producers three times before flying out to Los Angeles for a “formal” discussion about becoming the Bachelor.

“I told [the producers] I had started to talk to someone and they said, ‘Are you guys in a relationship?’ I said, ‘No,’ and they said, ‘Would you be willing to leave that or exit that?'” Peter recalled. “I wasn’t sure… It was really hard for me  and I couldn’t say I would for sure get in an engagement at the end of the show. It wasn’t that I knew for a fact that I didn’t want to. It was more that I couldn’t promise them that I would and I didn’t want to be forced to do it if I said yes to the show.”

When the topic of compensation came up, Peter remembered telling producers, “Well, I make considerably more than that already per year. Why would I give up the rest of my life of being ‘Peter The Bachelor’ and no longer just Peter for the amount of money that isn’t life changing?'” 

“We all agreed it wouldn’t make sense to pay a lot of money because you’re no longer doing it for the right reasons,” he went on.

Peter denied that the paycheck played a “major factor” in his decision, instead outlining a number of more personal changes he wanted to see come to fruition on the show. 

“I wanted to be able to spend more time with people individually,” he explained. “I wanted to be able to just go into the house and see people in their natural habitat so that way it didn’t feel like they were putting on a show for me. It was more like this is who you actually are when you’re unsuspecting of where I’m at.”

The personal trainer also requested “relationship counseling for myself and the top four or five girls during the process so we could work things out on a deep level. Then I wanted continued support for myself and the person that I chose after the fact, because I saw the pressure that Bryan and Rachel were put under and I thought it was extremely unfair.”

Peter and producers couldn’t compromise in the end, but the 35-year-old said he has no regrets about the experience. He is, however, still looking for answers as to why just days before filming began for The Bachelor Winter Games, producers texted him and said he was no longer part of the cast. 

“My personal opinion was that Arie was the Bachelor at the time and because I was the guy that could’ve been the Bachelor, maybe they just didn’t want the conversation to be had. They just wanted to nip it in the bud,” he surmised. 

As for his own love life, Peter confirmed to co-hosts Ben Higginsand Ashley Iaconetti that he is still very much on the market.

“I want to wait until I find someone that is my best friend first and we develop a relationship that is undeniable in its connection and then from there take the next steps in life. I’ve grown a lot since being on the show and changed a lot in my life. I think I really know what I want and I’m not wasting my time with things that aren’t there for me,” he said. 

But as for a return to The Bachelor franchise? 

As Peter described, “I won’t do Bachelor in Paradise personally, especially knowing that the group of girls that were just on the show were really young. I’d like to date 30 and above if possible… I just don’t see myself being successful on there.”

The royals are, well, royally thankful.

On Thursday, Prince William, Kate Middleton and their kids Prince George, Princess Charlotte and birthday boy Prince Louis made a surprise appearance on BBC’s Big Night In to show their support for frontline workers amid the Coronavirus pandemic.

Dressed in coordinating blue outfits, the family, as part of the Clap for Carers campaign, stepped out on the front steps of the Anmer Hall home to applaud all the “incredible key workers,” Kensington Palace shared on Instagram. “#TheBigNightIn celebrated the acts of kindness, humor and the spirit of hope and resilience that is keeping the UK going during the COVID-19 Pandemic.”

Indeed, William, Kate and their kids have often showed their appreciation. Just last month, the proud parents shared a sweet video of their trio clapping for their healthcare heroes. “To all the doctors, nurses, carers, GPs, pharmacists, volunteers and other NHS staff working tirelessly to help those affected by #COVID19: thank you,” the moment was captioned. “#ClapForOurCarers #ClapForCarers #ThankYouNHS #ClapForNHS.”

More recently, the couple made a visit to the London Ambulance Service 111 control room to personally meet with staff members who have been handling the calls from the public.

“It’s at times like this when we realize just how much the NHS represents the very best of our country and society–people from all backgrounds and walks of life with different experiences and skills, pulling together for the common good,” the Duke of Cambridge said in a statement at the time. “Not only are NHS staff and emergency workers responding to the needs of the public, they–like the rest of us–are concerned about their families, friends and loved ones. They need our support as much as we need theirs.”

And, in early April, Will and Kate took the time to thank teachers for their hard word and dedication at the Casterton Primary Academy, which has remained open.

“Well done…honestly, to you and everyone who’s in during this time,” Kate shared with the staff. “It must be such a relief for all the parents who are key workers to know that the normality is there for their children—they’ve got the structure and they’ve got a safe place for them to be, so really, really well done to all of you.”

Will & Grace is saying goodbye—again. After three seasons in the revival, the NBC comedy is coming to an end on Thursday, April 23. Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes shot the finale right before Christmas. According to McCormack, it’s a more satisfying ending than the one viewers got with the initial eight-season series.

“I’m really delighted, not just with the last episode, but the last five-six, it builds really nicely to this ending that I think all four characters deserve,” McCormack told E! News.

Will & Grace is one of the few successful straight TV revivals. It debuted to big ratings and reviews. So, could there be a third iteration of the series?

“We’ll have to be fed our lines through an earpiece probably and be held up by people off camera. It’s hard to imagine that we could better what we did, particularly this season. I love season three of this reboot. But never say never! Last time we did the show, the word reboot wasn’t even a word,” McCormack said.

The first series finale included the split of Will and Grace, kids and a time jump. It had to be negated in order for the show to come back, explained away as a dream Karen had while boozing.

“I think fans will be more satisfied this time…[series creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan] came up with an ending last time that I loved, but some people were thrown by because we separated Will and Grace…we jumped time, which is kind of why we had to pretend that never happened for the revival to work. This time around, I think all four characters get a very happy ending,” McCormack teased.

Even though he, Messing, Mullally and Hayes didn’t see each other much between the first series finale and the revival, McCormack said it was like no time had passed at all. And yes, he already is longing for the show.

“I miss it. I need to work. I get antsy,” he said.

Click play on the video above to hear more from McCormack.

The Will & Grace series finale airs Thursday, April 23 at 9 p.m. on NBC.

(E! and NBC are both part of the NBCUniversal family.)