Hello, and welcome to a new edition of The Monitor, WIRED’s entertainment news roundup. This time around we have quite a bit more coronavirus news—plus a cool bit of casting news for The Mandalorian.
Harvey Weinstein Might Have Coronavirus
Former movie executive and convicted rapist Harvey Weinstein has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus. Per a report in the Niagara Gazette, the one-time mogul is currently isolated at Wende Correctional Facility in western New York state, where he’s currently serving a 23-year sentence after being convicted of one count of rape and one count of a criminal sex act. He is reportedly one of two inmates at the facility who has tested positive.
The officials who spoke to the Gazette said that they believed he was positive when he was transferred to the prison from Rikers Island, which has seen a large number of cases in recent weeks. A spokesperson for Weinstein, though, told The Daily Beast the former producer’s team “has not heard anything like that yet.” Variety was also unable to confirm the reports with people on Weinstein’s team. A law enforcement official did confirm the news to Deadline, however.
Rihanna Is Donating $5 Million to Covid-19 Relief
In other coronavirus-related news, pop mogul Rihanna’s charitable organization is donating $5 million to Covid-19 relief. The Clara Lionel Foundation is going to “on-the-ground partners working on the frontlines of disaster response especially those focused on protecting and serving marginalized communities—helping the most vulnerable in the United States, the Caribbean and in Africa prepare for what is to come,” the organization said in a statement. The funds will go to, amongst other organizations, Feeding America, Direct Relief, the World Health Organization’s Covid-19 Solidarity Response Fund, and Partners in Health.
Rosario Dawson Is Joining The Mandalorian
Rosario Dawson is headed to The Mandalorian. According to Slashfilm, the actress is set to play Ahsoka Tano, who previously appeared on the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The character will appear in the second season of the Disney+ series.
Christian Siriano Working on Making Masks for Coronavirus Care Providers
One final piece of coronavirus news: Project Runway star Christian Siriano is offering his fashion company’s resources to make face masks for folks who need them. The designer made the offer on Twitter after New York Governor Andrew Cuomo mentioned the state’s medical workers desperately need more masks. Per a report in BuzzFeed news, Siriano and the state are in talks to figure out “how this will work,” according to his rep.
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