Open Thread

Billboard Magazine reports: CBS has officially released a statement on Monday (April 15) after Billy Joel’s long-awaited concert special, The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time, was cut off during the end of Joel’s iconic ballad, “Piano Man.” “A network programming timing error ended last night’s Billy Joel special approximately two …

Variety reports: Ryan Gosling returned to “SNL” this week in a cold open with “Barbie” co-star Kate McKinnon, reviving one of their most famous sketches, “Close Encounter,” in which they recount being abducted by aliens and their vastly different experiences aboard the spaceship. The original sketch debuted eight years ago and featured Gosling and McKinnon, alongside Cecily Strong (it currently …

Broadway.com reports: Three-time Tony Award winner Patti Lupone will return to Broadway in the fall—despite having left Actors’ Equity—starring opposite Mia Farrow, according to the New York Post. The duo will reportedly star in The Roommate, a new play by Jen Silverman, directed by Jack O’Brien, at the Booth Theatre. Actors’ Equity membership is typically required to work on Broadway; …

Variety reports: Shares of Trump Media & Technology Group, the company majority-owned by Donald Trump that operates the Truth Social social media network, have fallen about 50% off their high since they started trading a little over two weeks ago. TMTG stock closed at $32.59 per share Friday, rallying late in the day to close up 0.6% — but it’s …

Variety reports: The 40-year-old, kid-friendly franchise Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is returning to movie theaters in live action, in a project that Paramount Pictures is targeting instead for adults. The studio is developing the bloody and intense graphic novel series “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin” with screenwriter Tyler Burton Smith (“Boy Kills World”) and Walter Hamada‘s 18hz production …

Broadway.com reports: Diego Luna will star in the previously announced film adaptation of Kander and Ebb’s Kiss of the Spider Woman with Jennifer Lopez. The movie is to be written and directed by Dreamgirls director Bill Condon, with Barry Josephson, Tom Kirdahy and Greg Yolen producing in conjunction with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon for Artists Equity. The Tony-winning 1993 …

Billboard Magazine reports: Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter gallops in at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated April 13), debuting with 407,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending April 4, according to Luminate. It’s the superstar’s eighth No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200. With 407,000 units earned, Cowboy Carter claims the biggest week …

Variety reports: Jonathan Majors has been sentenced to one year of domestic violence counseling after being convicted last year of assaulting and harassing his ex-girlfriend, Grace Jabbari. The actor must complete a 52-week, in-person domestic violence programming in Los Angeles, where he currently resides. There will be an opportunity in the future for the sessions to be partly virtual. Shortly …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Oliver Stark has called out the online trolls objecting to his 9-1-1 story line regarding his character’s bisexuality. “If you are one of the smaller group of people commenting on my posts about how this has ruined the show, I would like you to know that I truly don’t care,” the actor wrote on his Instagram stories …

Variety reports: Dwayne Johnson will not endorse any presidential candidate this year, he confirmed during an interview with Fox News. It’s a change of pace for the celebrity, who publicly endorsed Joe Biden for president during the 2020 election. Fox News’ Will Cain asked Johnson if he was happy with the state of America, to which Johnson answered: “No.” “Today’s …

Variety reports: Apart from a sticky synergy stunt at the Bachelor mansion, the 100th episode of “9-1-1” didn’t feature any emergencies that rival the most off-the-wall disasters the show has experienced during its seven-season run. But it did conclude with potentially the most shocking moment the Ryan Murphy-produced first-responder show has ever seen: a kiss between the ostensibly straight Evan …

Variety reports: A TV series set in the world of “Legally Blonde” is in development at Amazon Prime Video, Variety has confirmed. No plot details are available, but the project is being executive produced by Reese Witherspoon along with Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, with Schwartz and Savage also writing. Witherspoon starred in two of the “Legally Blonde” films and …

Variety reports: When Donald Trump left his seat in the boardroom as the star of his long-running NBC reality series “The Apprentice” in 2015, in order to run for president of the United States, he had a clear successor in mind. “I said, ‘The best person to hire would be Ivanka Trump,’” Donald Trump says. “I didn’t press it. But …

Deadline reports: Ghost of John McCain, the musical comedy set inside the brain of Donald Trump that got under the skin of Meghan McCain, will make its world premiere Off Broadway this fall, producers announced today. The musical, written by Scott Elmegreen and Drew Fornarola and produced by a team that includes political strategist Jason Rose and John McCain’s longtime …

Variety reports: Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman will star in “The Roses,” a reimagining of the 1989 classic “The War of the Roses.” The dark comedy, which is currently in development, will be directed by Jay Roach (“Bombshell,” “Meet the Parents”) and is written by Tony McNamara (“Poor Things,” “The Great”). The film follows picture-perfect couple Theo (Cumberbatch) and Ivy …

Variety reports: After three days of release, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” stands as the third-highest-grossing movie of the year. It has collected a mighty $194 million globally in its opening weekend, ranking behind only “Dune: Part Two” ($626 million after five weeks of release) and “Kung Fu Panda 4” ($347 million after four weeks of release) in terms …

Billboard Magazine reports: Nancy Sinatra has shared her thoughts on Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter track “Ya Ya” kicking off with a sample of her own work, the 1966 hit “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’.” “Ya Ya,” the 20th song on Beyoncé’s new album, reimagines Sinatra’s Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 in its call-and-response intro. On Friday (March 29), Sinatra posted …

Deadline reports: Dolly Parton is weighing in on Beyoncé’s new version of “Jolene,” and like just about everyone else who’s heard the drastically revised lyrics, the creator seems blown away. “Wow, I just heard Jolene,” Parton posted on Instagram this afternoon. “Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it!” She signs the message, “Love, Dolly P.” Beyoncé …

Variety reports: Netflix has released the trailer for Jerry Seinfeld‘s upcoming Pop-Tart movie, “Unfrosted,” set for release on May 3. Per Netflix’s Tudum, the logline for “Unfrosted” reads, “Michigan, 1963. Kellogg’s and Post, sworn cereal rivals, race to create a pastry that will change the face of breakfast forever. A tale of ambition, betrayal, sugar, and menacing milkmen, ‘Unfrosted’ stars …

Variety reports: With her new album “Act 2: Cowboy Carter” arriving tomorrow at midnight, Beyoncé has revealed the tracklist for the album ahead of the March 29 release date. In recent Beyoncé fashion, the singer took to Instagram to announce the tracklist. Notable inclusions are “Jolene,” which Dolly Parton previously mentioned may appear on the second installment of the “Renaissance” …