Open Thread

The Hollywood Reporter reviews the coming Trump biopic: Liberals will see it as a stomach-churning making-of-a-monster account while the MAGA faithful might conceivably misconstrue it as an endorsement of their guy, who has made the killer instinct his brand. That’s not to say the movie’s political sympathies are unclear. But if the Trump years have taught us anything, it’s that …

Variety reports: Even in Cannes, it’s hard to avoid Donald Trump. “The Apprentice,” the story of the 45th and possibly 47th president’s early years as a real estate developer, earned a eight-minute standing ovation on Monday. It’s probably safe to assume that the film festival crowd isn’t a MAGA-heavy one, so it helps that “The Apprentice” paints a blistering portrait, …

Variety reports: Sean “Diddy” Combs has apologized for his behavior in a recently surfaced 2016 video, which shows the rapper violently attacking his then-girlfriend, R&B singer Cassie, in a hotel hallway. “It’s so difficult to reflect on the darkest times in your life, but sometimes you gotta do that. I was fucked up. I mean, I hit rock bottom. But …

Deadline reports: Sean “Puffy” Combs won’t be prosecuted for beating up Casandra Ventura despite hotel surveillance footage showing the 2016 assault, says the Los Angeles District Attorney. “We are aware of the video that has been circulating online allegedly depicting Sean Combs assaulting a young woman in Los Angeles” George Gascón said late Friday, a few hours after CNN’s May …

The horror film site Bloody Disgusting reports: NECA is celebrating Pride Month early with a brand new Elvira action figure, this one a variant dubbed “Over the Rainbow Elvira.” And it’s been released this week for a great cause. NECA previews, “The devilishly delightful Cassandra Peterson has played the part of Elvira for more than 40 years with grace, humor …

Variety reports: Sharon Stone, Liam Neeson and more actors are coming to the defense of Kevin Spacey and calling for his return to the industry at large. Spacey has not worked in Hollywood since being accused by several men of sexual misconduct starting in 2017. In statements given to The Telegraph, Stone and Neeson were joined by the likes of …

Variety reports: Paramount+ has unveiled a teaser for its seventh “South Park” streaming special, “South Park: The End of Obesity,” which premieres May 24 in the U.S. and Canada, and May 25 in Australia, Latin America, Brazil, France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In “The End of Obesity,” weight loss drugs take the quiet mountain town of South Park by …

Variety reports: A “Legally Blonde” prequel about the high school years of Elle Woods has been ordered to series at Amazon Prime Video. The series was reported to be in development at Prime Video in April. The announcement was made as part of Amazon’s upfront presentation to advertisers on Tuesday. Reese Witherspoon, who played Woods in the two “Legally Blonde” …

Variety reports: Ellen DeGeneres is returning to Netflix for her final stand-up special, six years after her last comedy hour, “Relatable.” The special, which marks her second for Netflix, will arrive later in 2024. It will be produced by Ben Winston and Fulwell73. In addition to the special, DeGeneres will also kick off a multi-city stand-up tour on June 19 …

Deadline reports: 20th Century Studios/Disney’s Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has dawned to a $129M global debut, swinging in with $72.5M from 52 international box office markets and $56.5M domestically. The worldwide start makes it the 3rd biggest global bow of the year. Looking at overseas comps and at today’s exchange rates, 2011’s Rise of the Planet of …

Deadline reports: Willy Wonka, the eccentric founder of the Wonka Chocolate Factory from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, has been played by Gene Wilder, Johnny Depp and Timothée Chalamet on the big screen. He’s now set to come to the small-screen in a much different way. Deadline understands that Netflix is preparing a reality competition series based on the Roald …

Variety reports: Warner Bros. will release the first of its new batch of “The Lord of the Rings” films in 2026, which will focus on Andy Serkis’s Gollum. Original “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy filmmaker Peter Jackson and his partners Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens are producing the movie and “will be involved every step of the way,” Warner …

USA Today reports: Noelia Voigt’s decision to relinquish her Miss USA crown has sparked a flurry of online speculation after fans noticed a strange detail about her statement. Voigt, who was awarded Miss USA in September 2023, announced in a statement Monday on Instagram that she has decided to resign from the title, writing, “In life, I strongly value the …

Variety reports: Susan Buckner, an American actor best known for her role as Patty Simcox in the 1978 musical “Grease,” died May 2. She was 72. Her death was confirmed by her publicist. At the age of 25, Buckner was cast in the role of the Rydell High cheerleader, joining a cast that included John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. As …

Deadline reports: Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Chris Hemsworth, Bad Bunny and Anna Wintour serve as the Met Gala co-chairs this year, so they’ll be in attendance. It’s a pretty good bet they’ll be joined on the red carpet by regulars like Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Jared Leto, Kristen Stewart, Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, Cara Delevingne, Serena Williams and …

Deadline reports: Women’s basketball interest is growing so fast, even the WNBA can’t keep up. On Friday night, the Chicago Sky faced the Minnesota Lynx in their preseason opener. The game was of major interest to followers of women’s basketball, as it featured the league debuts of prominent rookies Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The WNBA’s streaming app did not …

Variety reports: Madonna is closing out her “Celebration Tour” with a historic free concert tonight in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil streaming live on Globoplay. The aptly-named “Madonna in Rio” concert takes place live from Copacabana Beach tonight, Saturday, May 4 at 9:45 p.m. local time (8:45 p.m. ET). This is the final stop on Madonna’s world tour and The Queen …

Deadline reports: After his years-long litany of protestations against Donald Trump, Oscar-winner Robert De Niro tried to be more measured, but even more urgent, in his criticism of the former president this week. In an interview with Stephanie Ruhle on MSNBC’s The 11th Hour, the actor said, “I’m tired of calling him names. He is really, genuinely a sick person.” …

Variety reports: Kevin Spacey has gone on the attack against an upcoming docuseries about him that is due to air next week. The two-part “Spacey Unmasked,” which Variety revealed would broadcast in the U.K. on Channel 4 May 6 and 7 and had been acquired by Max for the U.S., is described as featuring “never-seen-before interviews and archive” to examine …

Billboard Magazine reports: Cher has an unlikely favorite artist these days as she showed love to one of rap’s late West Coast legends. Cher joined The Jennifer Hudson Show on Wednesday (May 1), where she crowned 2Pac as her go-to these days. “2Pac,” she said when asked about her favorite artist. “[My boyfriend] Alexander started playing me 2Pac.” The depth …