See what we’re chatting about this morning:
• Jada Pinkett Smith will produce and star in the upcoming romantic film, Salsa. The movie follows a woman who reaches a turning point in her life and meets a salsa teacher, played by Latino soap star William Levy. Salsa is set to begin shooting in early 2014 and will be written and directed by Amy Heckerling. [Deadline]
• The Simmons family will be returning to TV in 2014! Rev. Run and his lovable family have signed up for a new series, entitled The Rev. Run Project, on the DIY Network. Cameras will follow the family as they renovate their 9,000 square-foot home from top to bottom. “Fans rarely get the chance to see celebrities deal with these kinds of issues and it is fun to see them tackling the same things all homeowners do,” said Kathleen Finch, general manager of the DIY Network. [TV Week]
• Kerry Washington is on top of the world these days. The leading actress covers the June issue of Elle and says she couldn’t be happier. “I’m the luckiest broad in Hollywood now,” said Washington. “To be the lead actor on Scandal and to be in the highest earning Tarantino movie—I don’t get to ask for more.” [LA Times]
• Nearly eight years after Michael Jackson’s child molestation trial, former defense witness Wade Robson filed a claim against Jackson’s estate tied to the star’s alleged child sex abuse scandal. Details of the claim are not known. However, Robson once denied he was sexually abused by the singer in court. Tom Mesereau, the lawyer who defended Jackson, says Robson’s claim is “absurd.” “He was one of the strongest witnesses for the defense at Michael Jackson’s criminal trial in 2005,” said Mesereau. “He was adamant under oath that he had never been molested at any time.” [CNN]