Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: It was a white Christmas on Wednesday as Beyoncé made a Houston homecoming in classic Texas style. Clad in all white, the 32x Grammy winner rode into NRG Stadium on a white horse, performing ’16 Carriages’ and her Beatles ‘Blackbiird’ cover to kick off her A Cowboy Carter Christmas NFL halftime show at the Houston Texans-Baltimore Ravens …

Variety reports: There’s officially a new companion in the Whoniverse. The first teaser for the second season of Disney+ and the BBC’s “Doctor Who” introduces Varada Sethu as Belinda Chandra, who assertively tells Ncuti Gatwa‘s Doctor: “You need to get me home!” The clip seems to tease an apocalyptic invasion of some sort, with spaceships and robots roaming about as …

Deadline Hollywood reports:  More than three years after Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed by a bullet from Alec Baldwin‘s gun on the New Mexico set of the indie Western, the involuntary manslaughter criminal case against the actor has been put to rest. A month after Special Prosecutor Karri Morrissey tried to revive the matter, which had been dismissed just …

Variety reports: Burt, the reptilian star of 1980s classic “Crocodile Dundee,” has died at the age of at least 90 years old. The croc’s death was announced by Australian reptile park Crocosaurus Cove, where Burt lived out his final years. “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Burt, the iconic Saltwater crocodile and star of the …

Variety reports: Piers Morgan is speaking out against the controversial audience response to a “Weekend Update” joke about Luigi Mangione. During last night’s “Weekend Update” segment, when host Colin Jost mentioned Mangione, the prime suspect charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the crowd immediately erupted into cheers, prompting figures like Morgan to criticize the show. While Jost …

Deadline reports: Wham!’s festive song Last Christmas never got to number one in the year of its release 1984, but it has scored a historical first, becoming the first track to occupy the festive chart’s top slot for a second consecutive year. 40 years after its debut, the song penned by George Michael beat off competition by Mariah Carey, Gracie …

Billboard Magazine reports: Robbie Williams’ song “Forbidden Road” was removed from the 2025 Oscar shortlist for best original song on the grounds that song incorporates material from an existing song that was not written for the film in which it appears, Better Man. Williams co-wrote the song with Freddy Wexler and Sacha Skarbek. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & …

Variety reports: “Home. Take me home.” There is a remarkable amount of symbolism packed into these words, the only ones spoken by the titular Man of Steel in the first teaser trailer for “Superman.” The footage premiered Thursday following a press preview on Dec. 17, introduced by writer and director James Gunn. The filmmaker has said for two years now …

Broadway World reports: Sing along with Elphaba in a new promo for Wicked! Beginning on December 25, audiences are invited to sing along with the movie musical in interactive screenings which feature on-screen lyrics and a special introduction from Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Check out the new clip of The Wizard and I from the movie now. The sing-along …

Variety reports: “Win or Lose,” the first-ever long-form series from Pixar, was originally set to feature a transgender storyline that ended up being cut by Disney, Variety has learned. Debuting in 2025, “Win or Lose” will follow the members of a co-ed middle school softball team as they gear up for their championship game. Each episode follows a different character, …

Deadline Hollywood reports: TikTok is asking the Supreme Court to put a pause on a law that requires that its Chinese-parent company sell its U.S. operations or face a ban on tech platforms. Courts have so far rejected TikTok’s claim that the law, which passed Congress overwhelmingly last year, is in violation of the First Amendment. Its parent, ByteDance, has …

Variety reports: Chris Rock hosted the Dec. 14 episode of “Saturday Night Live” and filled his opening monologue with jokes about multiple topics in the news. He also didn’t mince words about the assassination of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, saying, “I really feel sorry for the family. Everybody’s fixated on how good-looking this guy looks. If he looked like Jonah …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Will Smith has requested people stop posting memes on social media that align him with Sean “Diddy” Combs, saying he hasn’t been anywhere near the controversial music mogul. The Oscar-winning actor was speaking onstage Thursday in San Diego, California, when he referred to his name being associated with that of Combs, who is currently awaiting trial on …

Variety reports: British pop star Robbie Williams got candid as he addressed the persistent speculation about his sexuality in an interview with The Guardian discussing his biopic “Better Man.” “I’ve done everything but suck a cock. Honestly, you’ve never met somebody that wants to be gay as much as me,” said Williams about his 2005 libel case against a tabloid …

Variety reports: The first trailer for Sony’s horror tentpole “28 Years Later” went viral not only because it marked the return of the zombie horror franchise after 17 years but also because of a one-second shot of an emaciated zombie that looked awfully like Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, who starred in 2002’s “28 Days Later” and is rumored to be …

Variety reports: After years of protracted legal turmoil in the Ramones estate, the future of Netflix‘s film adaptation of Mickey Leigh’s memoir “I Slept With Joey Ramone” with Pete Davidson attached to star could be in doubt, due to a new arbitration that also saw a director of the groundbreaking punk-rock group’s parent company removed. The decision was a legal …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Michael Cole, who starred as Pete Cochran on the hit counterculture drama Mod Squad and later played Harlan Barrett on General Hospital during a 50-year acting career, has died. He was 84. Cole was one of the three young hippies-turned-cops alongside Julie (Peggy Lipton) and Link (Clarence Williams III) in Mod Squad, which debuted in September 1968 …

Variety reports: “Emilia Pérez” has a lot more to sing and dance about, raking in 10 nominations at Monday’s 2025 Golden Globe Awards nominations. Jacques Audiard’s charming drug cartel musical, acquired by Netflix out of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, scored the most nods out of any feature film contender. It’s up for best motion picture – musical or comedy, …

Variety reports: Alisyn Camerota, whose steadying presence on air helped make her a prominent face of CNN during the first Trump administration, is leaving the Warner Bros. Discovery-backed outlet, she disclosed via social media on Sunday. “Big News, Everyone! — today is my last day on CNN. Tune in at 4:50p (et) for my sign off. Keep it here for …

Variety reports: Golden Globe voters have received their ballots and are starting to consider their choices for the best work in film and television. With 15 film categories — six of them split between drama and comedy/musical — the Globes are a bellwether for the Oscars. Under the HFPA, the awards were criticized for favoring star power over quality. But …