Latest news with #FelicityHuffman
Mint
12 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
The Simpsons, Doc and more shows lined up for September premieres
Los Angeles [US], July 29 (ANI): Popular animated show 'The Simpsons', medical drama 'Doc' and many other releases have been lined up for Fox's fall 2025 slate. The network is gearing up to bring all of its entertainment premieres in the second slate of September, with no post-NFL premieres or two-hour openers, reported Variety. The second season of Molly Parker and Felicity Huffman starrer 'Doc' has been slated for release on September 23 at 9 PM, following the premiere of the crime drama 'Murder in a Small Town Season 2.' For September 24, Rob Lowe's 'The Floor' will be returning with its fourth season, as well as the new game show '99 to Beat'. Gordon Ramsey's 'Hell's Kitchen' and the military training reality show, 'Special Forces: World's Toughest Test' will premiere on September 25. Fall game shows are set to release on September 15, with 'Celebrity Name That Tune' hosted by Jane Krakowski and 'Celebrity Weakest Link' hosted by Jane Lynch. Fox has also lined up a heavy list of animated series on September 28, including Season 37 of 'The Simpsons' at 8 PM, 'Universal Basic Guys', 'Krapopolis', and Season 16 of 'Bob's Burgers'. Besides these titles, Fox also has a series of other shows to premiere in the fall, but the release dates are yet to be confirmed. The slate includes 'Memory of a Killer', 'The Faithful', 'Best Medicine', 'Animal Control', Going Dutch', Grimsburg', 'Extracted', 'Beat Shazam', 'Don't Forget The Lyrics', 'LEGO Masters', 'Fear Factor: The Next Chapter', 'Next Level Chef', 'Next Level Baker', and 'The Masked Singer.' On the other hand, shows like the 'Family Guy' and 'American Dad!' have been tapped for 2026 premieres, states The Hollywood Reporter. 'American Dad!', which will soon hits its 400th episode, was originally launched in 2005, but was cancelled later. TBS picked it up in 2014, only for Fox to finally take over. Meanwhile, 'Family Guy' fans will be treated to exclusive specials for Hulu, as per Variety. (ANI)
CNN
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Mastermind behind college admissions scam is back in business — but with a court-ordered disclaimer
FacebookTweetLink Fresh out of federal prison, the mastermind behind the college admissions scam known as 'Operation Varsity Blues' is back with a new job: college admissions advising. William 'Rick' Singer was released early from the Bureau of Prisons' custody on March 25 and, according to a recent legal filing, is living in California and working for ID Future Stars, an 'admissions consulting company owned by his sister.' The company's website lists Singer as the 'master coach and lead advisor' and includes a note from him saying he 'made a mistake (and) took full responsibility.' Federal prosecutors had 'concerns' about Singer's return to work in college admissions advising, given his criminal history in a case that also netted actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, they said in a filing of their own. But Singer's defense attorney argued his work in college admissions advising is 'both lawful and entirely consistent with the conditions of his supervised release,' and asked the court to allow him to continue with his work. 'The purely theoretical risk of recidivism does not warrant a prophylactic field-of-employment restriction here,' attorney Aaron Katz said. After the parties met in federal court last month, District Judge Denise J. Casper ruled Singer may work in college admissions advising – but he must post 'prominently' on the ID Future Stars' website a 270-word disclaimer explaining the charges against him and his guilty plea. 'Mr. Singer served his prison sentence and is currently on supervised release,' part of the disclaimer says. 'The terms of Mr. Singer's supervised release require him to provide this disclosure.' The disclaimer appears on the website's Terms and Conditions page. Singer's plan to return to college admissions advising has raised eyebrows among some of those working in the field. 'That is insane,' Brian Taylor, the managing partner of Ivy Coach, an elite college counseling firm, told CNN. 'This is the equivalent of Bernie Madoff asking to manage your money from prison.' Still, the debate over Singer's post-conviction job reflects broader questions about the 'collateral consequences' of a criminal conviction. In general, people convicted of crimes can face restrictions on government benefits, voting rights, gun rights or professional licensing. About 45,000 'collateral consequences' exist in legal systems across the country, a 2018 report from the American Bar Association found. Tough-on-crime advocates support more collateral consequences to protect the public and punish offenders, while reform advocates push for fewer restrictions to help formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society. ID Future Stars and Singer's attorney did not respond to requests for comment. For about a decade before his 2019 arrest, Singer owned a college counseling and prep business known as 'The Key' and served as CEO of its affiliated foundation, the Key Worldwide Foundation. Through those organizations, he carried out a scheme to get children of wealthy parents into top universities by facilitating cheating on standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT, falsifying their college applications, and bribing coaches and administrators to accept the children as recruited athletes, even if they didn't play that sport, according to prosecutors. Singer took in more than $25 million from his clients as part of the scheme, paid bribes totaling more than $7 million and used more than $15 million for his own benefit, according to prosecutors. In March 2019, authorities arrested and charged more than 50 people, including coaches, test administrators, prominent CEOs, and the Hollywood stars. With a few exceptions, nearly all of them pleaded guilty and served prison terms generally measured in weeks or months. Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced in January 2023 to 3 1/2 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, more than $10 million in restitution and forfeiture of more than $8.7 million. 'I lost my ethical values and have so much regret,' Singer said at his sentencing hearing. 'To be frank, I'm ashamed of myself.' He was released to a halfway house in 2024 and from prison in March, according to court filings. The website of ID Future Stars, a college admissions consulting company, boasts '20+ Years of Experience' and '98% Success Rate (Up to).' The site links to several ID Future Stars social media pages with few followers, and the earliest posts on those accounts date to 2024. On its About page, the website names Singer as the 'master coach and lead advisor' and includes a message from him. 'I am not afraid to tell people who I am and that I made a mistake, took full responsibility and want to share my expertise, passion, and desire to help shape our next generation's leaders by helping each find a college and career that is the right choice for each individual,' he writes on the site. He writes that he learned 'to stay away from the gray areas in college admissions and institutional advancement' and says he 'will fiercely seek the proper guidance and support from expert counsel.' 'I want to do college and career life coaching again because–I LOVE IT! And this is my passion,' he writes. 'The energy that I exude when I work with our future leaders and their families is like rocket fuel. Additionally, why not go back to doing something that I am the best at worldwide based on our successes in the past?' In court filings last month, federal prosecutors took issue with Singer's statements, calling them 'misleading and problematic' regarding his role in the 'Varsity Blues' scheme. They asked the court to require Singer to post a fuller explanation of the facts of his case and the charges against him on the website. 'The government cannot stand idly by and allow the fox in the hen house without voicing its concerns to the Court and Probation,' prosecutors said. In response, Singer's attorneys opposed a restriction on his field of employment but said he is 'willing to agree to a reasonable disclosure requirement' about his criminal case to his clients. Casper ultimately ordered Singer to post the 270-word statement on his website and provide it to prospective clients, including a link to the Department of Justice news release announcing his sentence. The extent of Singer's current work is unclear, as the ID Future Stars website does not list the total number of clients. However, a legal filing outlined the basics of his work and said it has expanded into two new fields tangentially related to college admissions. 'Mr. Singer's current employment involves advising students, parents, affinity groups, organizations, and institutions regarding college admissions and campus-related issues, including assessing which campuses provide the best environments for Jewish students and helping smaller schools attract and support 'NIL Collectives,'' the filing states.
CNN
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Mastermind behind college admissions scam is back in business — but with a court-ordered disclaimer
Fresh out of federal prison, the mastermind behind the college admissions scam known as 'Operation Varsity Blues' is back with a new job: college admissions advising. William 'Rick' Singer was released early from the Bureau of Prisons' custody on March 25 and, according to a recent legal filing, is living in California and working for ID Future Stars, an 'admissions consulting company owned by his sister.' The company's website lists Singer as the 'master coach and lead advisor' and includes a note from him saying he 'made a mistake (and) took full responsibility.' Federal prosecutors had 'concerns' about Singer's return to work in college admissions advising, given his criminal history in a case that also netted actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, they said in a filing of their own. But Singer's defense attorney argued his work in college admissions advising is 'both lawful and entirely consistent with the conditions of his supervised release,' and asked the court to allow him to continue with his work. 'The purely theoretical risk of recidivism does not warrant a prophylactic field-of-employment restriction here,' attorney Aaron Katz said. After the parties met in federal court last month, District Judge Denise J. Casper ruled Singer may work in college admissions advising – but he must post 'prominently' on the ID Future Stars' website a 270-word disclaimer explaining the charges against him and his guilty plea. 'Mr. Singer served his prison sentence and is currently on supervised release,' part of the disclaimer says. 'The terms of Mr. Singer's supervised release require him to provide this disclosure.' The disclaimer appears on the website's Terms and Conditions page. Singer's plan to return to college admissions advising has raised eyebrows among some of those working in the field. 'That is insane,' Brian Taylor, the managing partner of Ivy Coach, an elite college counseling firm, told CNN. 'This is the equivalent of Bernie Madoff asking to manage your money from prison.' Still, the debate over Singer's post-conviction job reflects broader questions about the 'collateral consequences' of a criminal conviction. In general, people convicted of crimes can face restrictions on government benefits, voting rights, gun rights or professional licensing. About 45,000 'collateral consequences' exist in legal systems across the country, a 2018 report from the American Bar Association found. Tough-on-crime advocates support more collateral consequences to protect the public and punish offenders, while reform advocates push for fewer restrictions to help formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into society. ID Future Stars and Singer's attorney did not respond to requests for comment. For about a decade before his 2019 arrest, Singer owned a college counseling and prep business known as 'The Key' and served as CEO of its affiliated foundation, the Key Worldwide Foundation. Through those organizations, he carried out a scheme to get children of wealthy parents into top universities by facilitating cheating on standardized tests such as the SAT and ACT, falsifying their college applications, and bribing coaches and administrators to accept the children as recruited athletes, even if they didn't play that sport, according to prosecutors. Singer took in more than $25 million from his clients as part of the scheme, paid bribes totaling more than $7 million and used more than $15 million for his own benefit, according to prosecutors. In March 2019, authorities arrested and charged more than 50 people, including coaches, test administrators, prominent CEOs, and the Hollywood stars. With a few exceptions, nearly all of them pleaded guilty and served prison terms generally measured in weeks or months. Singer pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice. He was sentenced in January 2023 to 3 1/2 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, more than $10 million in restitution and forfeiture of more than $8.7 million. 'I lost my ethical values and have so much regret,' Singer said at his sentencing hearing. 'To be frank, I'm ashamed of myself.' He was released to a halfway house in 2024 and from prison in March, according to court filings. The website of ID Future Stars, a college admissions consulting company, boasts '20+ Years of Experience' and '98% Success Rate (Up to).' The site links to several ID Future Stars social media pages with few followers, and the earliest posts on those accounts date to 2024. On its About page, the website names Singer as the 'master coach and lead advisor' and includes a message from him. 'I am not afraid to tell people who I am and that I made a mistake, took full responsibility and want to share my expertise, passion, and desire to help shape our next generation's leaders by helping each find a college and career that is the right choice for each individual,' he writes on the site. He writes that he learned 'to stay away from the gray areas in college admissions and institutional advancement' and says he 'will fiercely seek the proper guidance and support from expert counsel.' 'I want to do college and career life coaching again because–I LOVE IT! And this is my passion,' he writes. 'The energy that I exude when I work with our future leaders and their families is like rocket fuel. Additionally, why not go back to doing something that I am the best at worldwide based on our successes in the past?' In court filings last month, federal prosecutors took issue with Singer's statements, calling them 'misleading and problematic' regarding his role in the 'Varsity Blues' scheme. They asked the court to require Singer to post a fuller explanation of the facts of his case and the charges against him on the website. 'The government cannot stand idly by and allow the fox in the hen house without voicing its concerns to the Court and Probation,' prosecutors said. In response, Singer's attorneys opposed a restriction on his field of employment but said he is 'willing to agree to a reasonable disclosure requirement' about his criminal case to his clients. Casper ultimately ordered Singer to post the 270-word statement on his website and provide it to prospective clients, including a link to the Department of Justice news release announcing his sentence. The extent of Singer's current work is unclear, as the ID Future Stars website does not list the total number of clients. However, a legal filing outlined the basics of his work and said it has expanded into two new fields tangentially related to college admissions. 'Mr. Singer's current employment involves advising students, parents, affinity groups, organizations, and institutions regarding college admissions and campus-related issues, including assessing which campuses provide the best environments for Jewish students and helping smaller schools attract and support 'NIL Collectives,'' the filing states.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Save the Dates: Doc's Return, Dope Girls, Futurama Season 13 Binge and More
Doc will be making more rounds this September. Season 2 of the Fox medical drama premieres Tuesday, Sept. 23 at 9/8c, the network has officially announced. More from TVLine Loot Season 3 Gets Fall Release Date - Plus, Watch New Teaser 'The Hottest Group of Virgins Ever' Get Their Own Hulu Dating Show, Hosted by Two Bachelor Alums What to Watch This Week: 50+ Premieres, Finales and More Fox also released a promo, above, for the new season, with Emmy winner Felicity Huffman joining the cast as Dr. Amy Larsen's (Molly Parker) mentor Dr. Joan Ridley, who is now the new chief of internal medicine at Westside. Other previously announced Season 2 casting moves include Patrick Walker (as Dr. Theodore 'T.J.' Coleman) and Charlotte Fountain-Jardim (as Amy's daughter Katie Hamda) bring promoted to series regulars. A few other dates you might want to save: * Futurama Season 13 premieres Monday, Sept. 15 at 8/7c on Hulu; all 10 episodes will drop at once. * Dope Girls, BBC One's post-WWII drama starring Julianne Nicholson, Eliza Scanlen, Umi Myers, Eilidh Fisher, Geraldine James, Michael Duke and Ian Bonar, will stream Stateside on Hulu Tuesday, July 29. * Robot Chicken: The Complete Series will arrive on DVD Tuesday, Oct. 7, featuring all 228 episodes plus 20th-anniversary bonus content. * The Kingdom, a six-episode docuseries that explores the Kansas City Chiefs franchise's 'indelible and distinctive place in the NFL's landscape for more than six decades,' will be released Thursday, Aug. 14, on ESPN+ and Disney+. The first two episodes will air that night at 9/8c on ESPN, followed by weekly, double-episode releases. Watch a trailer: Want SCOOP on any of the TV shows above? Email InsideLine@ and your question may be answered via Matt's Inside Line! An A-to-Z List of 300+ Scripted Series View List Best of TVLine 'Missing' Shows, Found! Get the Latest on Ahsoka, Monarch, P-Valley, Sugar, Anansi Boys and 25+ Others Yellowjackets Mysteries: An Up-to-Date List of the Series' Biggest Questions (and Answers?) The Emmys' Most Memorable Moments: Laughter, Tears, Historical Wins, 'The Big One' and More Solve the daily Crossword
Daily Mail
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Felicity Huffman's comeback: How Desperate Housewives' glamorous relaunch may save fan-favourite's floundering career after college admissions scandal saw her jailed
The actress that brought Desperate Housewives' legendary Lynette Scavo to life is now back on our screens - after six years out of the spotlight following a scandal that saw her jailed for 11 days. All came crashing down for Felicity Huffman in 2019 when the New York-born star, renowned for being a series fan-favourite, was exposed being involved in the Varsity Blues college admissions controversy when she fudged her daughter, Sophia's SAT score to snag her a spot at a prestigious school. Pleading guilty to the crimes, the actress, 62, went on to serve just under a fortnight in prison and do 250 hours of community service, with the ordeal blowing a hole in an otherwise starry career. With a reputation marred by controversy, the star was forced to take an involuntary break from acting - and while she's since braved comebacks, it hasn't been easy. Now however, amid the beloved series' relaunch, Felicity looks to have been offered a second chance, having landed her first water-tight acting job since the debacle - which also embroiled A-listers like Lori Laughlin - threatened to extinguish her reputation for good. In May, she appeared in a leading role in The 13th Wife: Escaping Polygamy playing the 'extraordinary true story' of Rena Chynoweth, the former of 'a manipulative polygamist group leader'. It marked her second major production in a comeback that has taken her six years to land, with the actress having previously described how her 'old life died' after the scandal came to light. Last year, she opened up in a rare interview since the incident, confessing that she felt as if her 'old life has died'. Felicity, who was at the time preparing to star in Hir in London's West End as the radical and liberated mother of a transgender son, told The Guardian that she was 'still processing' what happened, but was 'grateful' for the second chance. The play marked her return to work after bribing college officials $15,000. Reflecting how how she felt performing in front of an audience who knew about her past, she said: 'I walk into the room with it. I did it. It's black and white.' When asked how she was following the scandal, she answered that she founded it 'a loaded question'. Felicity said she is 'still processing' how she is doing after the ordeal, but added that she feels 'grateful to be here' and is happy as long as her family are doing well. The publication reported that Felicity has 'barely worked' since she was jailed and reflecting on the change to her career, she said: 'I did a pilot for ABC recently that didn't get picked up. It's been hard.' 'Sort of like your old life died and you died with it. I'm lucky enough to have a family and love and means, so I had a place to land,' she said. In May, she appeared in a leading role in The 13th Wife: Escaping Polygamy playing the 'extraordinary true story' of Rena Chynoweth, the former of 'a manipulative polygamist group leader' In the years following the reputation shattering ordeal, she has worked to repair her wrongdoings, but initially struggled to make ends meet beyond a handful of roles in flopped productions. Last year, she took on a role in the spin-off series, Criminal Minds: Evolution playing Dr. Jill Gideon, the ex-wife of Jason Gideon, who was played by Mandy Patinkin on the original show. After scoring the role in its second series, her husband, fellow actor, William H. Macy, praised his wife for doing a 'great job' and said he was 'really glad she's working'. Felicity has also made an appearance in a small handful of productions since, including being cast in a pilot for a spinoff of ABC's 'The Good Doctor' opposite Kennedy McMann - though it didn't make it beyond the first episode. In 2020, she starred in an untitled pilot for ABC, performing as the owner of a minor league baseball team, but again, the show failed to progress. She starred as Tammy MacDonald in the 2019 dark comedy, Tammy's Always Dying, about an alcoholic who is diagnosed with terminal cancer . The film, which premiered at the 2019 Toronto Film Festival slumped in the reviews, scoring just a 5.7 out of 10 on IMDb. It's a far cry from some of her former wins in the industry, with the Desperate Housewives actress having once been nominated for an Oscar while playing a trans woman in the drama, Transmerica. She played the villainous prosecutor Linda Fairstein in When They See Us, a miniseries about the Central Park Five, a group of young black New York boys who were wrongfully imprisoned for the rape of a jogger in New York (pictured) Prior to college scandal and after Desperate Housewives came to a close in 2012, she had taken on a number of roles, including Cake in 2014 with Jennifer Aniston, Rudderless in 2014, and the series, American Crime, in 2015. And amid news of the scandal in May 2019, Felicity was simultaneously receiving acclaim for her TV and film roles. She played the villainous prosecutor Linda Fairstein in When They See Us, a miniseries about the Central Park Five, a group of young black New York boys who were wrongfully imprisoned for the rape of a jogger in New York. Then in July 2019, she was seen in Otherhood, a comedy film directed by Cindy Chupack, alongside Angela Bassett. But it would prove her last before a long break. Seven years after she wrapped on Desperate Housewives, Felicity was sentenced to 14 days in jail who her involvement in the college admissions scandal. The actress paid Rick Singer $15,000 to fudge her daughter Sophia's SAT scores in order to land her a place at college and was among a group of wealthy, famous parents swept up in the ordeal. Felicity paid $30,000 in fines and spent 11 days in jail after being charged with fraud in 2019. In her first public remarks outside of the courtroom, she said she thought it was 'a joke' when FBI agents turned up at her mansion to arrest her. 'They came into my home, they woke my daughters up at gunpoint - again, nothing new to the black and brown community - then they put my hands behind my back and handcuffed me. 'I asked if I could get dressed. I thought it was a hoax. I literally turned to one of the FBI people in a flak jacket and a gun and I go 'is this a joke?' Felicity said she regretted the scheme but felt she had no choice at the time because Sophia, who she previously said has a learning disability, would not have been accepted otherwise. 'It felt like I had to give my daughter a chance at a future. And so it was sort of like my daughter's future, which meant I had to break the law,' she said. 'I think I feel the people I owe a debt and an apology to is the academic community and to the students and the families that sacrifice and work really hard to get to where they are going legitimately.' 'I want to use my experience and what I've gone through and the pain to bring something good,' she said. Felicity and Macy hired Singer to help Sophia improve her scores in order to get into college. She claims the scheme was not obvious at first, but became plain when Singer told them Sophia would not be accepted into any schools without greasing the wheels. 'After a year, he started to say your daughter is not going to get into any of the colleges that she wants to,' the actress expressed in an interview with Eyewitness. 'And I believed him. And so when he slowly started to present the criminal scheme, it seems like - and I know this seems crazy at the time - but that was my only option to give my daughter a future. 'And I know hindsight is 20/20 but it felt like I would be a bad mother if I didn't do it. So - I did it.' Sophia was unaware that her parents had paid for someone to alter her test answers after she completed the SATs. The scheme involved Singer paying off a handful of discreet test supervisors who would inflate students' scores once they had completed the exam. On the day of the SAT test, she said Sophia was nervous and asking if they could go for ice cream afterwards. 'She was going, "Can we get ice cream afterwards?"' Felicity recalled. 'I'm scared about the test. What can we do that's fun? And I kept thinking, turn around, just turn around.
