| | | | What's news: Bill Murray breaks silence on Being Mortal production suspension and complaint against him. Biden zings Trump at WHCD. Pete Davidson addresses Kanye harassment during standup show. Fantastic Beasts 3's woes at the box office continue. The country music world has been mourning the passing of Naomi Judd. Plus: A musical based on Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous is coming to Broadway this year — Abid Rahman |
Bill Murray Addresses 'Being Mortal' Set Complaint ►"It’s been quite an education for me." Bill Murray is addressing the Being Mortal set complaint that led to the production suspension on the Aziz Ansari-directed film. Speaking to CNBC on Saturday, the actor said there was a “difference of opinion” with a woman that he was working with that led to the complaint and production pause. “I did something I thought was funny, and it wasn’t taken that way,” he told the outlet. The story.
—It’s official. Five of the six original young stars of That ’70s Show have closed deals to return for the Netflix sequel, That ’90s Show. Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher, Laura Prepon and Wilmer Valderrama will each make guest appearances in the sequel series following prolonged negotiations. Danny Masterson, who was ordered to stand trial on three counts of rape, will not be involved. The story.
—Turning a frown upside down. Pete Davidson made his first public comments about being harassed by Kanye “Ye” West at this weekend’s Netflix Is A Joke Festival, where he headlined two stand-up shows that were also being recorded for the streamer. The comedian opened by remarking what a weird year he had had so far, quipping it started with an AIDS scare after Ye was trying to spread a rumor that Davidson had the condition. The story.
—ICYMI, part 1. Staying with Pete Davidson, the comedian walked the White House Correspondents’ Dinner red carpet with girlfriend Kim Kardashian on Saturday night. The couple added some glamor to the "nerd prom" that also saw the likes of Brooke Shields, Sophia Bush and Caitlyn Jenner rubbing shoulders with the D.C. press pack and bureaucrats. The story.
—ICYMI, part 2. As to how the White House Correspondents’ Dinner went, well host Trevor Noah, by all accounts nailed it and President Joe Biden roasted himself and journalists, but saved his best zingers for Donald Trump. The recap.
—It's back! Gold House, the Asian Pacific Islander leadership coalition, will fete its fifth annual A100 in person for the first time since 2019. The A100 lists the most influential Asians and Pacific Islanders in American society and culture. Also, Michelle Yeoh, Dwayne Johnson, Simu Liu and Mindy Kaling will be among the honorees at Gold House’s inaugural Gold Gala. The story. |
Box Office: 'Bad Guys' Stays No. 1 as 'Memory' Fails Liam Neeson ►It's a family affair. Family-friendly fare led a quiet weekend at the box office as most moviegoers await the release of Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on May 6. Universal/DreamWorks' The Bad Guys fell 33 percent to stay at No. 1 in its sophomore outing with $16.1 million for a domestic total of $44.4 million and $118.7 million worldwide.
THR's Pamela McClintock writes that fellow PG pic Sonic the Hedgehog 2 stayed at No. 2 in its fourth weekend with $11.4 million for an eye-popping domestic cume of $160.9 million for Paramount and $323.5 million worldwide.
Alas, the news was less positive for Warner Bros.' troubled Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, which grossed $8.3 million in its third outing for a domestic total of $79.6 million. Overseas, the event pic has fared better, earning $250 million to date for a worldwide tally of $329.6 million.
The weekend’s only new wide release was Liam Neeson’s latest action pic, Memory, with the indie film misfiring and only managed to come in No. 8 with $3.1 million. The box office report.
—"He didn’t really think this through." On Sunday's Last Week Tonight, John Oliver eviscerated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' attempts to punish Disney over the "Don't Say Gay" bill controversy. Oliver isn’t necessarily upset that Disney will have to pay more taxes, but he’s got a big problem with the reason behind why DeSantis eliminated the company’s special privileges of self-government. The story.
—Big IP play. Sweden-based Embracer Group has acquired the video games development studios Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montreal and Square Enix Montreal for $300 million in cash and debt. The gamesmaker is acquiring a raft of iconic gaming IP including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief and Legacy of Kain. The story.
—"It’s all happening… Broadway 2022." A musical stage version of Almost Famous is almost ready for Broadway. An adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s Oscar-winning 2000 film is coming sometime in 2022. Alas, no other details are currently known about the production timeline. The story.
—Complimenti! South Korean romantic drama Miracle: Letters to the President was the big winner Sunday night at the closing ceremony of the 24th Far East Film Festival, the popular Asian specialty event held in the northern Italian city of Udine. The film, directed and co-written by Lee Jang-hoon, took home Udine’s top-prize Golden Mulberry award. The winners. |
RHCP Pay Tribute to Taylor Hawkins at New Orleans Jazz Fest ►"We love our brother Taylor Hawkins." The Red Hot Chili Peppers paid tribute to Taylor Hawkins, the Foo Fighters drummer who died just over a month ago, at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Sunday. The Foo Fighters were originally scheduled to headline the event, but RHCP stepped in to replace the band, which canceled their upcoming tour dates after Hawkins died. The story.
—What could have been. One of Sam Raimi’s biggest regrets over his canceled Spider-Man 4 movie was a planned cameo for long time collaborator Bruce Campbell. In a new interview, the director spoke openly about his career highs and lows and the joys and challenges of stepping back into the Marvel universe with the upcoming Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. The story.
—"An iconic New York voice." THR's Jackie Strause spoke to Russian Doll star/creator/writer/director/showrunner Natasha Lyonne on landing Rosie O’Donnell for that secret cameo, revealing that the pair met while co-starring in the 2008 Nora Ephron play Love, Loss and What I Wore and have been friends ever since. The interview.
—"There's no way these two are going to end up together." The team behind Netflix’s Love Is Blind has another success on their hands for the streamer with The Ultimatum, even if the producers themselves were stunned by the first season’s twists. THR wildcard Ryan Gajewski spoke to series creator Chris Coelen on the “shocking” dénouement and how season two will be different. The interview.
—Boys don't cry. Ahead of the third season of Fox's animated comedy Duncanville, THR's Rick Porter to co-creator and lead voice actor Amy Poehler about voicing a 15-year-old boy who does very 15-year-old boy things, as well as making the season during the pandemic and how animation lets the show erase the line between "grounded and crazy." The interview.
—"He stands for a lot that I am against." The Offer star Colin Hanks is fully aware that audiences will loathe his character Barry Lapidus, one of the few fictional parts in the Paramount+ series about the making of The Godfather. THR's Ryan Parker spoke to Hanks about what the project meant to him, how it altered his perception of The Godfather, and which of his fellow actors was the most impressive in their Hollywood icon transformation. The interview. |
Naomi Judd 1946-2022 ►"We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness." Naomi Judd, the Kentucky-born singer of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds and mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd, died Saturday. She was 76. Judd died near Nashville, said a statement on behalf of her husband and fellow singer, Larry Strickland. It said no further details about her death would be released and asked for privacy as the family grieves. The obituary. — "I'm sorry that she couldn't hang on until today." The Judds joined the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday in a ceremony filled with tears, music and laughter, just a day after Naomi Judd died unexpectedly. The loss of Naomi Judd altered the normally celebratory ceremony, but the music played on, as the genre’s singers and musicians mourned Naomi Judd while also celebrating the four inductees: The Judds, Ray Charles, Eddie Bayers and Pete Drake. The story. — "Country music lost a true legend." The news of Naomi Judd's death left the country music community in mourning, with the likes of Carrie Underwood, Billy Ray Cyrus and Maren Morris taking to social media to the star. The reaction. — "They’ve given me more than they could possibly understand." Brandi Carlile paid tribute to Naomi Judd with a touching cover of The Judds' "Love Can Build a Bridge." On Sunday, Carlile wrote on Instagram that she had been scheduled to sing to The Judds on Sunday night, for the duo’s induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Instead, Carlile ended up singing for the Judd family virtually, from her yard, as she is currently recovering from COVID-19 at home. The story. In other news... —Danish star Trine Dyrholm joins Birthday Girl from Papillon director —The Hollywood film directors who are art directing the Met Gala’s new costume design exhibit —Aviator Nation launches fitness studio and music space in L.A. —Movie backdrops move front and center in new museum exhibit —Three emerging red carpet designers dressing Gemma Chan, Jennifer Hudson, Rita Ora and more — Jossara Jinaro, ER, Passions and East Los High actress, dies at 48 — Regine, French actress, singer and discotheque entrepreneur, dies at 92 What else we're reading... —Lucas Shaw runs through the carnage in media stocks over the last the six months, and it's not just Netflix suffering [ Bloomberg] —David Mack goes inside the chaos at Netflix's fan-service website Tudum, where the streamer hired staff only a few months ago, only to fire them last week [ BuzzFeed] —Erich Schwartzel's interesting story on how the streaming economy has led to viewers clinging to nostalgia and bingeing Sabrina, Friends for comfort [ WSJ] —Nicholas Confessore damning and not entirely surprising expose on Fox News host Tucker Carlson peddling fear and white nationalism on his show [ NYT] —Tripp Mickle (great name) with an interesting piece on Apple's future design direction now that visionaries like Jony Ive have left the company [ NYT] Today... ...in 1968, Paramount’s big-screen adaptation of stage hit The Odd Couple opened in New York at Radio City Music Hall. The film went on to be nominated for two Oscars at the 41st Academy Awards, for editing and for Neil Simon’s adapted screenplay. The original review. Today's birthdays: Dwayne Johnson (50), Ellie Kemper (42), Stephen Daldry (62), Christine Baranski (70), Matt Berry (48), Elizabeth Berridge (60), Lily Allen (37), David Suchet (76), Bruce Robinson (76), Mitzi Kapture (60), Jenna von Oÿ (45), Alicia Ziegler (41), Gaius Charles (39), Brian Tochi (63), David Beckham (47), Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (49), Christopher Doyle (70), Lone Scherfig (63), Bianca Jagger (77) |
| Joanna Barnes, the actress, author and newspaper columnist who portrayed less than likable young ladies in The Parent Trap and Auntie Mame, has died. She was 87. The obituary. |
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