The Cricket's Daily 3: Who will and won't appear with Bill Maher

This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Here's what's being talked about in pop culture:

• Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., has canceled an upcoming appearance on HBO's "Real Time With Bill Maher," after Maher's use of the N-word on last Friday's show. Rapper/actor Ice Cube has confirmed he's still going to appear, so that should be … interesting. [Variety, The Huffington Post]

• Coldplay's Chris Martin tweeted thanks to Noel Gallagher for letting Coldplay perform Oasis songs at Sunday's "One Love Manchester" benefit concert, and being there "in spirit." The tweets followed angry comments from Noel's brother Liam, who sang onstage with Martin, and criticized Noel for not appearing at the show. [Entertainment Weekly]

• Roger Smith, who played the debonair detective Jeff Spencer on the '50s/'60s TV series "77 Sunset Strip," has died at 84. Smith was married for 50 years to Ann-Margret, and left acting to manage her career when he was diagnosed with the nerve disease myasthenia gravis. [Los Angeles Times]