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The actor, 54, said in aMarch 6 post on Xthat he was "not invited" to Sunday's Oscars ceremony to honor Reiner, who directed him in the 1986 film "Stand By Me."The Daily Mailpreviously reported that Feldman was not asked to participate in a planned tribute to Reiner at the ceremony scheduled for March 15.

Feldman, though, tried to tamp down fan outrage over his alleged lack of an invitation.

"I understand many believe [it's] due 2 being outspoken about the abuse I suffered as a child & the campaign 2 silence me," Feldman wrote in an all-caps X post. "However, this [isn't] about me! [It's] not my moment @ all! [It's] about the tragic loss of [our] friend Rob Reiner & his memory."

Feldman also asked his fans to "please take down any petitions" pushing for him to be invited to the Oscars, adding, "They [don't] need me there." He also said that he will "honor Rob my own way."

USA TODAY has reached out to the Academy for comment.

Feldman starred as Teddy in Reiner's classic coming-of-age movie "Stand By Me" oppositeWil Wheaton,Jerry O'ConnellandRiver Phoenix.

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Conan O'Brienbreaks silence on Rob Reiner's killing after his holiday party

Rob Reiner speaks onstage at Collider's Directors On Directing Panel during 2025 Comic-Con International: San Diego at San Diego Convention Center on July 24, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner attends SiriusXM Presents Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend Live With The Cast Of "Spinal Tap 2" at SiriusXM Studios on Sept. 4, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner attends the premiere of "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on Sept. 9, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left: C. J. Vanston, Harry Shearer, Valerie Franco, Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Fran Drescher and Rob Reiner attend the premiere of "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on Sept. 9, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner attends the premiere of "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" at The Egyptian Theatre Hollywood on Sept. 9, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner and wife Michele Singer Reiner attend the Human Rights Campaign's 2025 LA Dinner at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on March 22, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner attends the Human Rights Campaign's 2025 dinner in Los Angeles on March 22, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner and wife Michele Singer Reiner attend the Human Rights Campaign's 2025 LA Dinner at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles on March 22, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner speaks onstage at the screening of "The American President" during the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 25, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner attends the screening of "Misery" during the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 25, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner and Kathy Bates attend the screening of "Misery" during the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 25, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Aaron Sorkin, Rob Reiner and TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz attend the screening of "The American President" during the 2025 TCM Classic Film Festival at TCL Chinese Theatre on April 25, 2025.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Jake Reiner, Romy Reiner, Rob Reiner, and Michele Reiner attend the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on January 15, 2024, in Los Angeles, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers speak onstage during the 75th Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theatre at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Jan. 15, 2024.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner and his wife Michele Reiner attend the 46th Kennedy Center Honors gala at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on Dec. 3, 2023.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Director Rob Reiner attends the photocall of "This Is Spinal Tap" during the 75th annual Cannes film festival at Majestic Beach on May 18, 2022, in Cannes, France.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Director Rob Reiner attends the photocall of "This Is Spinal Tap" during the 75th annual Cannes film festival at Majestic Beach on May 18, 2022, in Cannes, France.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Director Rob Reiner attends the photocall of "This Is Spinal Tap" during the 75th annual Cannes film festival at Majestic Beach on May 18, 2022, in Cannes, France.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner attends The Paley Honors: A Special Tribute To Television's Comedy Legends at the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel on Nov. 21, 2019, in Beverly Hills, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner and Larry David attend the Los Angeles premiere of Neon's "The Biggest Little Farm" at the Landmark Theater on May 7, 2019, in Los Angeles, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner and Larry David attend the Los Angeles premiere of Neon's "The Biggest Little Farm" at the Landmark Theater on May 7, 2019, in Los Angeles, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Rob Reiner attends the "This Is Spinal Tap" 35th anniversary during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at the Beacon Theatre.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> From left: Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, and Rob Reiner attend the "This Is Spinal Tap" 35th anniversary during the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival at the Beacon Theatre on April 27, 2019, in New York City.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Special Guests Billy Crystal and Rob Reiner attend the Hand and Footprint Ceremony: Billy Crystal at the 2019 10th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival on April 12, 2019, in Hollywood, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Special guests Billy Crystal and Rob Reiner attend the Hand and Footprint Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on April 12, 2019, in Hollywood, California.

" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Special guests Billy Crystal and Rob Reiner attend the Hand and Footprint Ceremony at TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX on April 12, 2019, in Hollywood, California.

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Rob Reiner found dead at 78. See photos from his Hollywood career.

Rob Reiner speaks onstage at Collider's Directors On Directing Panel during 2025 Comic-Con International: San Diego at San Diego Convention Center on July 24, 2025.

Over the years, Feldman has spoken out about alleged sexual abuse in Hollywood, including claiming in a 2025 documentary that his late "Lost Boys" co-star Corey Haim molested him on the set of the 1987 film. He has also alleged he was abused by other men in the business.

Reiner wasfound dead alongside his wife, Michele Singer, in December. Theirson, Nick Reiner, has been chargedwith their murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

Jerry O'Connellbreaks down in emotional tribute to Rob Reiner

The Academy has not confirmed any details about a possible tribute to Reiner, the director of acclaimed films including "When Harry Met Sally…" and "The Princess Bride," at Sunday's Oscars.

Reiner has been honored at several other awards shows over the past several months, including January's Golden Globes.Host Nikki Glaser ended the eveningby donning a "This Is Spinal Tap" hat and referencing a line from Reiner's 1984 comedy.

Chelsea Handler also honored Reinerwhile hosting January's Critics' Choice Awards, praising the late filmmaker as the "nicest guy in Hollywood."

Contributing: Anna Kaufman

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Corey Feldman alleges Oscars snubbed him from Rob Reiner tribute

Key Points

• The comments come in the wake of controversy Chalamet ignited after a February town hall, when he claimed that "no one cares" about either form of art anymore.

• Chalamet has been criticized by a wide variety of entertainers and institutions for the comments, from the Metropolitan Opera to Doja Cat.

Whatever hopesTimothée Chalametmay have harbored to leave the controversy over his recent ballet and opera comments behind have just been dashed.

TheMarty Supremestar and Oscar hopeful sparked tension with a broad coalition of arts institutions and the performers that support them when he remarked during a FebruaryCNN town hallwith Matthew McConaughey that he wouldn't want to be "working in ballet or opera" because "no one cares about this anymore." If anyone was offended by those remarks, he joked, it would probably only amount to a loss of "14 cents in viewership."

The backlash around Chalamet's comments hasn't died down, and a 2019 video of the actor that recently resurfaced on TikTok is poised to turn it up even further.

The videotaken by TikTok user @thealienstookover in 2019 and reshared on Saturday shows Chalamet speaking at an event intended to promote his historical dramaThe King.

"No 'woe is me' thing, but you start working on movies, you start acting, pursuing your thing," Chalamet tells the crowd. "I started getting the sense it was maybe opera or ballet or something, it's kind of like a dying art form or something."

Then Chalamet citedCall Me By Your NameandLadybird, the two films responsible for his transformation from working actor to sought-after star, which elicited a chorus of whoops from the audience.

Entertainment Weeklyhas reached out to a representative for Chalamet for comment.

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Those who work in ballet or opera have continued to react to Chalamet's initial comments.

New York City's Metropolitan Operashared a videoon March 6 highlighting the grueling work that goes into each elaborate production with the caption, "This one's for you," followed by Chalamet's official account tag.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

Several cohosts ofThe Viewand the musician Doja Cat also criticized Chalamet's comments on March 9.

Whoopi Goldberg, Sunny Hostin, and Sheryl Underwood took aim, with Hostincalling the 30-year-old actor"vapid [and] shallow," and Goldberg pointing out that both Chalamet's sister, Pauline, and mother, Nicole Flender, have dance backgrounds. "Be careful, my boy," she advised.

Doja, meanwhile,reminded her 27 million followersin a now-deleted video that "opera is 400 years old. Ballet is 500 years old." Despite her contention that "the industry is having a tough time," that "doesn't mean people don't care about it. People care."

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

While daytime TV will soon bemourning the loss ofThe Kelly Clarkson ShowandSherri Shepherd'sSherri, CBS is providing a positive update for all the Barrymore diehards. The actress' eponymous talk show has been renewed for two seasons, which will takeThe Drew Barrymore Showthrough its eighth season in 2027-2028.

Amid a challenging time for both daytime and late-night talk shows, Barrymore's series has just enjoyed its most-watched season to date, averaging 1.6 million daily viewers.

Barrymore celebrated the renewal news in a statement provided toEntertainment Weekly. "What matters most to us is our viewers and the people that come here," she said. "This show began as a space for intimate conversation, and we're continuing to plant our flag as a truly multi-platform experience. We live in a world where people discover content in so many different ways, and from the very start in 2020, our mission was to break the mold rather than conform to the traditional daytime landscape."

Barrymore continued, "I hold myself accountable to staying savvy about how and where this show is seen — feeding every corner that counts, while daring to just be myself and figure out life with others. My curiosity about people is what fuels me. I'm so excited to continue as I see this endeavor as an opportunity and a gift."

Last month,Kelly Clarksonrevealed that she'd decided toendThe Kelly Clarkson Showafter seven seasons. She will continue to host through the fall. The announcement came months after the death of her ex-husband, Brandon Blackstock, the father of her children Remy and River Rose. Blackstock's death led Clarkson to postpone several of her Las Vegas residency datesin order to "be fully present" for their children.

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The "Since U Been Gone" singer thanked her colleagues and fans of the series, explaining that her departure "was not an easy decision" and adding that it would give her time "to prioritize my kids, which feels necessary and right for this next chapter of our lives."

Hours later came the announcement thatShepherd's talk show had been canceledafter four seasons. Shepherd spoke to audiences about the cancellation Feb. 9, after having briefly stepped away during a bout with COVID-19.

"I want to thank you for laughing and crying with us," Shepherd said. "Thank you for supporting my unhealthy obsession with Lenny Kravitz. But I've got to tell you, when I first started, this show was built on one thing, and what I wanted it built on was joy. The intention of this show, always, was my prayer for you to leave happier than when you came. And you know this, I talked about this. It has been my dream to have a talk show, and I'm so grateful I had the chance to do it for four seasons."

Like Clarkson, Shepherd will continue to host through the fall. As for other daytime programming,Jennifer Hudson's talk show has beenrenewed for a fifth seasonand no decision has been announced aboutThe Tamron Hall Show, which debuted in 2019.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

Asif Merchant, a Pakistani national also known as Asif Raza Merchant, was found guilty of murder for hire and attempting to commit an act of terrorism transcending national boundaries.

Merchant, 47, was trained by Iran's global terrorist force, theIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which he admitted at trial dispatched him to the United States to steal documents and arrange for political assassinations. According to a Justice Department complaintfiled in 2024, Merchant told a source the targets would be people hurting Pakistan and the Muslim world, "not normal people."

However, the plot was foiled by law enforcement before any attack could be carried out.

A satellite image shows black smoke rising and heavy damage at Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compound, following strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, in Tehran, Iran February 28, 2026. Khamenei was killed in the joint strikes with Israel on Iran, an Israeli source confirmed to USA TODAY.

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See inside White House and Mar-a-Lago as US leaders monitor attack on Iran

A satellite image shows black smoke rising and heavy damage at Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's compound,following strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran, in Tehran, Iran February 28, 2026. Khameneiwas killed in the joint strikes with Israel on Iran, an Israeli source confirmed to USA TODAY.

"Iran's terrorist regime sent Asif Merchant here to sow mayhem and murder," saidJoseph Nocella Jr., U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a U.S. Justice Departmentnews release.  "Thanks to the vigilance of our law enforcement partners, his scheme ended in failure. Today, with Merchant's conviction, that failure is complete."

In a statement released at the time, then-FBI Director Christopher Wraycalled the plot"straight out of the Iranian playbook."

Merchant, who faces up to life in prison, came to the U.S. in April 2024 and met two months later in New York with undercover law enforcement officers posing as hitmen. He was arrested before leaving the country in July 2024.

"This man landed on American soil hoping to killPresident Trump," said U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "Instead, he was met with the might of American law enforcement."

As set forth in trial exhibits and testimony, including the defendant's own testimony, Merchant began working for the Revolutionary Guard Corp in Pakistan in late 2022 or early 2023, receiving training in tradecraft, including countersurveillance. Later in 2023, he was sent to the U.S. to seek out potential corps recruits.

Merchant said he knew the corps was a designated terrorist organization and repeatedly traveled to Iran to meet with his corps handler. In 2024, court documents said, he was sent back to the U.S. with a new mission – to recruit people to steal documents and arrange for the murder of one of three specified U.S. government officials and politicians.

Merchant then contacted Nadeem Ali, a New York acquaintance he thought could help with the scheme, according to the documents. Instead, Ali reported Merchant to law enforcement and became a confidential source. Nadeem Ali is a pseudonym and not the man's real name.

Merchant laid out the plot to Ali in person in June 2024, the documents continued, saying he had an opportunity for Ali while making a "finger gun" gesture with his hand, signifying a murder. The victims would be "targeted here" in the U.S., he said while asking Ali to arrange meetings with people he could hire to carry out the plot.

At that meeting, the documents said, Merchant used a napkin and other objects to depict various assassination scenarios, quizzing Ali on how a target might be killed in each. He said the murder would take place after he left the U.S. and that he would communicate with Ali from overseas using code words.

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Merchant told Ali his contact back home had ordered him to "finalize" the plan and then leave the U.S., the documents said. He later testified that that contact was his Revolutionary Guard Corps handler.

In June, the documents said, Merchant met with the purported hitmen in New York, saying he sought several services, including document theft, arranging protests at political rallies and assassination of a "political person." He said they would receive instructions as to the target after he had left the country.

Around the same time, according to the documents, Merchant conducted internet searches for political rally locations and reported back to his handler about security protocols at the events.

On June 21, 2024, Merchant met with the undercover officers in New York and paid them $5,000 obtained with help from a person overseas as an advance payment for the assassination.

As detailed in the documents, once Merchant handed over the money, one of the officers said: "Now we're bonded."

When Merchant responded yes, the officer added: "Now we know we're going forward. We're doing this."

"Yes, absolutely," Merchant responded.

Merchant made flight arrangements and planned to depart the U.S. on July 12, 2024. He was arrested before he could leave the country.

"This was not the first attempt by Iran to harm out citizens on U.S. soil," said FBI DirectorKash Patel. "The other efforts also failed. Let this verdict serve as a reminder that the FBI is committed to detecting such threats and preventing acts of violence."

The verdict comes as federal counterterrorism agencies remainon high alertfor potential retaliatory attacks on American soil following strikes on Iran by U.S. and Israeli forces and the assassination of the nation's supreme leader,Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran has already launchedretaliatory strikeson U.S. military bases across the Middle East, with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowing "bloodshed and revenge."

The regime has a decades-long history of terrorist plots on U.S. soil and against Americans overseas, including schemes targeting Iranian dissidents and former Trump National Security AdviserJohn Bolton.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Iranian operative convicted in 2024 plot to kill President Trump