Open Thread

ABC News reports: The entertainment giant Paramount will merge with Skydance, closing out a decades-long run by the Redstone family in Hollywood and injecting desperately needed cash into a legacy studio that has struggled to adapt to a shifting entertainment landscape. It also signals the rise of a new power player, David Ellison, the founder of Skydance and son of …

Broadway.com reports: Tony Award winner Barlett Sher has signed on to direct the upcoming Dolly Parton bio-musical, Hello, I’m Dolly, recently announced to be eyeing a 2026 Broadway run. Produced by Parton, Adam Speers for ATG Productions and Danny Nozell for CTK Enterprises, the new musical borrows its title from the name of Parton’s first studio album released in 1967. …

Variety reports: Judy Belushi Pisano, the widow of legendary comedian John Belushi who spent decades preserving and protecting his legacy, died Friday after a long battle with cancer. She was 73. News of Pisano’s passing was reported Saturday by the MV Times news outlet covering Martha’s Vineyard, where Pisano spent most of her later years. Pisano was married to Belushi, …

Broadway.com reports: Wicked: Part One, starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, will arrive in theaters five days earlier than planned. The highly anticipated first part of a two-part movie adaptation of the Broadway musical Wicked, will now be released on November 22. With its new release date, the movie avoids opening against Disney’s Moana 2. Instead, Wicked: Part One will …

Variety reports: Gru and his gang of minions are setting off box office fireworks this Independence Day. “Despicable Me 4,” the latest entry in Universal and Illumination’s wildly successful animated franchise, opened to $27 million on Wednesday. The sequel brings back Steve Carell as Gru, a recovering supervillain turned secret agent, and pits him against Will Ferrell as a French …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Prime Video has opted not to renew sci-fi/neo-western drama Outer Range, starring Josh Brolin, for a third season. The news comes almost two months after the seven-episode second season of the series from showrunner Charles Murray was released May 16. It follows solid early US ratings data, with the release of the new season propelling Outer Range …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Heart’s Ann Wilson — who, together with her sister, Nancy, announced in May that they were canceling their 2024 European summer tour — revealed that she recently underwent surgery for cancer. In an Instagram post, Wilson said the “operation was successful & I’m feeling great but my doctors are now advising me to undergo a course of …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: O.J. Simpson was among those featured in the “In Memoriam” segment at the 2024 BET Awards on Sunday night — a move that came as a surprise to some in attendance. The audience had been applauding as photos were shown during the montage. But when Simpson’s image came onscreen, with the identifying description of “Former NFL …

Variety reports: Talk about a mood booster. Disney and Pixar‘s emotion-laden “Inside Out 2” is the first film of the year to hit $1 billion at the global box office. After 19 days of release, the animated sequel has grossed $469.3 million in North America and $545.5 million internationally for a worldwide tally of $1.015 billion. It’s one of 11 …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Alec Baldwin will still face a New Mexico jury next month for his involuntary manslaughter trial in the 2021 death of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. Keeping her promise of earlier this week to issue a ruling by today, Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer rejected the latest attempt by the Emmy winning actor’s Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP …

“Bad debate nights happen. Trust me, I know. But this election is still a choice between someone who has fought for ordinary folks his entire life and someone who only cares about himself. Between someone who tells the truth; who knows right from wrong and will give it to the American people straight — and someone who lies through his …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Queer advocacy group Out In Hollywood has released its fourth annual list of unproduced queer-focused television pilot scripts of the past year. “Anti-trans, anti-drag, and anti-queer legislation are sadly on the rise, and we believe that by normalizing audiences’ understanding of people different from them, we can help foster greater acceptance and empathy,” founder Logan Kriete said. …

Variety reports: Sean Penn recently said in an interview with The New York Times that 2008’s “Milk” was “the last time I had a good time” on a film set, adding: “I went 15 years miserable on sets.” While Penn earned critical acclaim and his second Oscar for best actor thanks to his portrayal of the openly gay politician Harvey …

Variety reports: “The Sopranos” star Drea de Matteo was interviewed on Jesse Watters’ show and said she’s got a target on her back in Hollywood because she’s an actor who does not endorse Joe Biden for president. The Emmy-winning actor went on to say there are “a lot” of “quiet” Trump supporters in Hollywood, suggesting they won’t go public with …

Variety reports: The 2025 Hollywood Walk of Fame class has been revealed, and it includes major celebrities like the late Prince, Jane Fonda, Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell and more. More than 30 new stars will be added to the Walk of Fame. The motion picture honorees include John Carpenter, Chastain, Bill Duke, Robert Englund, Emilio Estevez, Farrell, Fonda, Nia Long, …

Variety reports: Pixar‘s “Inside Out 2” has electrified the box office again, scoring a sensational $100 million in its second weekend of release. Ticket sales declined just 35% from its mighty $154 million debut, resulting in the seventh-biggest sophomore outing in history and best ever for an animated film. At this rate, “Inside Out 2” is barreling toward the coveted …

Variety reports: Five men were convicted by a federal jury in Las Vegas this week for their part in operating Jetflicks, which officials say was one of the largest illegal streaming services in the U.S. Jetflicks, which charged $9.99 per month for the streaming service, generated millions of dollars in subscription revenue and caused “substantial harm to television program copyright …

“The first gay guys I ever met, I was 9 years old. I walked into my house and there were these two guys there and they started talking to my mom and mom’s best friend. I was thinking, ‘Where have they been hiding these guys?’ I’m 9, but I thought, ‘Wait a minute… why aren’t the other guys as funny …

Variety reports: Netflix will now sell you a ready-to-eat bag of popcorn to go with your ready-to-binge TV show. The streamer is teaming with popcorn company Popcorn Indiana for the new line of Netflix’s Now Popping snacks. The two flavors are “Cult Classic Cheddar Kettle” and “Swoonworthy Cinnamon Kettle.” The Netflix-branded popcorn will be available at Walmart stores nationwide and …

Variety reports: A “Spaceballs” sequel is in development at Amazon MGM Studios. Josh Gad is set to star, and will produce alongside Mel Brooks. Josh Greenbaum will direct the film from a screenplay by Benji Samit, Dan Hernandez, and Gad, while Kevin Salter will executive produce. The project is in early stages, and plot details are being kept under wraps. …