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Playbill reports: Billy Porter has released a new music video, covering the 1966 protest song “For What It’s Worth (Stop, Hey What’s That Sound).” The Tony-winning star of Kinky Boots and Pose Emmy winner combines his performance of the Buffalo Springfield song with viral footage surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement. Written by Stephen Stills, “For What It’s Worth” was …

Playbill reports: Red undies, spicy lube, and a sex pentagram are just a few of the plot points in Season 2 of Ryan Murphy’s political satire The Politician, according to the newest trailer. Watch Tony winners Ben Platt, Judith Light, and Bette Midler, along with the rest of the cast below. The series, following the political and personal aspirations of …

Playbill reports: Virtual doors chimed, and onto our screens came Company stars Katrina Lenk, Patti LuPone, and the rest of the 2020 Broadway revival cast in a recent performance of the show’s title song. Check it out below. The video premiered as part of the New York Times’ inaugural edition of its new Offstage series in the wake of the …

Variety reports: Taylor Swift, who recently took the president to task for his response to the George Floyd killing and resulting social upheaval, is not wanting to go lightly on legislators in her home state, either, as she has joined a chorus of activists in urging the removal of monuments to racist leaders in Tennessee and elsewhere. In a string …

Vanity Fair reports: On Friday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced that it will try to take a more active role in changing the kind of films that end up competing. “The Academy will encourage equitable hiring practices and representation on and off screen in order to better reflect the diversity of the film community,” the group …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Apple Thursday committed $100 miilion to what CEO Tim Cook called “the unfinished work of racial justice and equality.” YouTube announced a $100 investment today as well to amplify black voices, and Sony Pictures unveiled the Sony Pictures Action initiative They are the latest media, entertainment and tech companies shocked into action by the police killing of …

Deadline Hollywood reports: While HBO Max pulled Gone With the Wind –temporarily — from its streaming offering on Tuesday, Amazon has reaped the rewards of the controversy that ensued. The 1939 classic shot to the top of Amazon’s movies and TV bestseller list overnight and on Wednesday occupied the number 1 slot, the number 8 slot and the number 9 …

Variety reports: Patti LuPone blames one figure for the rising death rates from COVID-19 and the chaotic governmental response to the disease: Donald Trump. The president has been a frequent target of criticism for the Broadway star, who, appearing in “War Paint” in 2017, said she’d refuse to perform if he came to see her. The remarks went viral. Her …

Playbill reports: Former Glee star Alex Newell, seen on Broadway in the Tony-winning revival of Once On This Island, has delivers a roof-raising version of the Hairspray anthem “I Know Where I’ve Been” in the video below. Newell was scheduled to be part of the June 7 AIDS Walk New York, Live at Home, which was postponed in response to …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Elmer J. Fudd will have to find another way to bag that wascally wabbit, Bugs Bunny, during hunting season. Because in the updated Looney Tunes cartoons streaming on HBO Max, he won’t be allowed to have a rifle, according to a report. In the new versions of the classic cartoons, Fudd will still be hunting, but will …

Entertainment Weekly reports: Abby Lee Miller’s reality show on Lifetime isn’t moving forward. The cable network has canceled its plans to air Abby’s Virtual Dance Off in wake of the reality TV star being accused of racism by a former Dance Moms contestant Adriana Smith, EW has confirmed. Billed as a 12-episode pandemic-friendly Dance Moms spin-off where the professional choreographer …

Playbill reports: Tony and Emmy winner Billy Porter has a message for America: It is time for permanent change. In a nearly 17-minute long video posted to Instagram June 4, the star called out various communities for their past transgressions and listed the actions needed to fix America’s ills, including listening to Black voices and voting in November. “We as …

Deadline Hollywood reports: As he began to speak about reforming the LAPD during his Wednesday evening press conference, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti called this an “urgent moment” for the city, “an inflection point.” He said he is “committed to making this moment not just a moment.” The mayor proceeded to announce $250 million in cuts to the proposed budget …

Deadline Hollywood reports: The Walt Disney Co. has pledged $5 million in support of nonprofit organizations that advance social justice, beginning with a $2 million donation to the NAACP, amid ongoing protests of the death of George Floyd. The company said its goal is to “further their longstanding work promoting social justice by eliminating disparities and racial discrimination through their …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Zoom Video Communication continued its narrative as one of a few companies fortunate enough to thrive during COVID-19, reporting total revenue of $328.2 million Tuesday, a gain of 169% over the prior-year period. The company’s shares have been rising steadily as the earnings release has approached. They closed Tuesday at $208.08 after setting an all-time high during …

Playbill reports: Grammy nominee Deborah Cox, seen on Broadway in Jekyll & Hyde and Aida and in the national tour of The Bodyguard, will play Eve/Mama in the summer 2021 production of Children of Eden. The musical, originally scheduled for this August, has been pushed back until next year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Cox will join the previously …

Variety reports: The internet was abuzz late Saturday night with speculation that Anonymous — the decentralized hacker collective — had successfully disabled the Minneapolis Police Department website, in retaliation for the murder of George Floyd. The Minneapolis PD site, as well as the parent City of Minneapolis site, became inaccessible late Saturday, according to multiple user reports. By mid-afternoon Sunday, …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue was somber and serious tonight, as the late-night host shared his thoughts on the George Floyd death in Minneapolis and its aftermath. Kimmel ran down the facts of the case as he saw them, and lamented “the senseless acts of violence that were brought on by a senseless act of violence,” and “the loop …

Billboard Magazine reports: Lady Gaga, whose highly-anticipated Chromatica album arrived on Friday (May 29), was scheduled to host a listening session for her Little Monsters. However, as the tragic death of George Floyd has led to protests for justice across the nation, the pop star has postponed the event. The police-related death of George Floyd sparked outrage after a video …

Billboard Magazine reports: Elton John has remembered his friend Larry Kramer, the late gay rights and AIDS activist, screenwriter, and author, as “a warrior” for his cause and a “giant of a man.” Kramer, who penned the Tony Award-winning play The Normal Heart and earned an Oscar nomination for his screenplay to Women in Love, died Wednesday (May 27) after …