Open Thread

Variety reports: The Joker and Harley Quinn are set to serenade audiences in “Joker: Folie à Deux,” but if, and how many original songs will be included in the film, is a mystery. Insiders privy to filming and early versions of Todd Phillips’ eagerly awaited sequel to “Joker” tell Variety the movie leans heavily towards being “mostly a jukebox musical,” …

The A.V. Club reports: Given that the Beetlejuice movies are about, well, ghosts, the sequel trailer’s focus on the funeral of Charles Deetz raised a few questions, most notably about whether Jeffrey Jones would be appearing in the movie — an assertion that a representative for the actor has now shot down, telling The Hollywood Reporter that Jones is absolutely …

Variety reports: Kevin Bacon announced on “Today” that he will return to the high school where he shot “Footloose” more than four decades ago. The school is Payson High School in Payson, Utah, and its students have spent the last several months launching a social media campaign (#BaconToPayson) to get Bacon to visit on prom day. The students re-created scenes …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Warner Bros on Thursday released the teaser trailer for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the sequel to the classic 1988 movie that brings back Tim Burton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Michael Keaton’s smack-talking ghost with the most. The pic is gearing up for its release September 6 with the teaser drop, after showing the first images from the film …

Variety reports: Falkor flies again! “The Neverending Story” — the beloved fantasy novel from late German author Michael Ende that was famously adapted into the cult 1984 film — is being revived for the big screen once more, with a new joint-venture partnership between Michael Ende Productions and prestige tastemakers See-Saw Films bringing the world of Fantastica back to cinemas …

Variety reports: Travis Kelce is considering how to gain yards on a new field of play. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is in discussions to host a celebrity-focused reboot of the long-running game show “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?” that would stream via Amazon Prime Video. The deal, if signed, would represent the football great’s latest move …

Variety reports: Wordle is celebrating a major milestone, as the popular online word-guessing game from the New York Times recently released its 1000th puzzle. As part of the #Wordle1000 celebrations, the newspaper released a list of the five hardest Wordles to solve, sharing both the puzzle number and players’ success rate. Now, Wordle is available to play off-line as well, …

Variety reports: London’s biggest screening party for the Eurovision Song Contest finals has been canceled, the venue Rio Cinema and organizer Eurovision Party London have said. “Following discussion with the organizers of Eurovision Party London, we have collectively decided not to screen the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest this year while Israel remains in the competition,” the Rio …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Iconic filmmakers Joe Dante and Roger Corman are teaming with Emmy-nominated veteran producer Brad Krevoy, CEO of MPCA, on Little Shop of Halloween Horrors, a reboot of Corman’s famed 1960 horror comedy, Little Shop of Horrors. A reimagining intended to jumpstart a new franchise, Little Shop of Halloween Horrors will be directed by Dante (Gremlins, The Howling), …

Variety reports: Abortion organizations hosted at Olivia Rodrigo‘s “Guts” tour will no longer be distributing emergency contraceptives at the singer’s concerts. Organizers tell Variety that after widespread media attention, local abortion funds were told Thursday afternoon that they were no longer allowed to hand out free emergency birth control pills and other reproductive health resources at the concerts. The initiative …

Billboard Magazine reports: During her show at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif., on Thursday (March 9), the Queen of Pop accidentally called out a fan in a wheelchair for sitting during her performance. “What are you doing sitting down over there? What are you getting sitting down?” Madonna asked the concert-goer, before walking to the edge of the stage …

Deadline reports: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and SXSW on Tuesday traded jabs on social media in response to a group of as many as 60 bands who have pulled out of Austin-based festival to protest its sponsor ties to the U.S. Army, as well as its inclusion of defense contractors taking part in some of the fest’s conference programs. “Bye. …

Deadline reports: A slate of Broadway newcomers drew strong audience figures last week, with several – An Enemy of the People, The Notebook and The Who’s Tommy filling every seat and then some. Of the recent late-winter/early-spring arrivals, An Enemy of the People, the Ibsen revival starring Jeremy Strong, Michael Imperioli and Victoria Pedretti, was the top earner, grossing $1,109,137 …

Variety reports: As a tribute to the 1974 Oscars streaker, John Cena walked onstage nude — sort of. His private parts were strategically covered so as not to run afoul of FCC standards. But the producers got away with a lot more than the network’s legal team wanted. “There was a lot of reticence of not just a fine from …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Joe Biden’s presidential campaign will be airing its recently introduced spot “For You” on ABC affiliates in battleground markets during tonight’s Oscarcast. The one-minute ad, unveiled on Saturday, features Biden looking directly into the camera and saying, “I’m not a young guy. That’s no secret. But here’s the deal: I understand how to get things done for …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Veteran television actress Jean Allison, best known for roles in shows like Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and Perry Mason, has died at 94. Her family’s obituary said she died Feb. 28 in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, but no cause was given. Allison, a character actress, built a long resume in popular TV. She appeared in episodes of Charlie’s Angels, …

Variety reports: When the Providence Place Mall was constructed in the late ’90s, it was touted by Rhode Island leaders as a sign of urban renewal for its struggling capital city. For eight artists, it became something else — home. These friends constructed a makeshift apartment — complete with a sofa, a TV and video game system, a microwave and …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Steve Lawrence, the singer who teamed with his wife Eydie Gormé to form one of the most popular nightclub and concert duos of their generation, died of complications from Alzheimer’s disease today. He was 88. Popularly know as Steve and Eydie, the couple achieved nationwide recognition in the mid-1950s after appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Steve …

Variety reports: Hannah Gutierrez Reed, the armorer on the ill-fated Western film “Rust,” was convicted on Wednesday of involuntary manslaughter in the death of the film’s cinematographer. Jurors returned a verdict after less than three hours of deliberations on Wednesday afternoon, following two weeks of testimony about safety lapses on set. Gutierrez Reed was acquitted of a separate charge of …

Broadway.com reports: For the first time, the Tony-honored Broadway spoof revue Forbidden Broadway is coming to Broadway. Forbidden Broadway on Broadway: Merrily We Stole a Song, directed by creator Gerard Alessandrini, will begin performances at the Hayes Theater on July 29 ahead of an official opening on August 15. The limited engagement will end November 1. Created in 1982, Forbidden …