Open Thread

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 …

NPR reports: It was a crowded Tony Award season this year, with 36 eligible musicals and plays opening on Broadway stages. But by the time Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Renée Elise Goldsberry finished reading the nominations on YouTube, there were some clear front-runners: Hell’s Kitchen, a musical based on Alicia Keys’ life, and Stereophonic, a play with a lot of …

Deadline reports: Close races and sharp elbows are likely when the 2024 Tony Award nominations are announced Tuesday morning. With so many shows opening during the onslaught of the past two weeks, nominators might still be clearing their minds — and maybe taking a moment to eat and breathe — as they ponder and re-ponder the 36 productions that opened …

Billboard Magazine reports: As expected, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department makes a gigantic debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart (dated May 4), securing the superstar her 14th chart-topping album. She ties Jay-Z for the most No. 1s among soloists in the nearly-70-year history of the chart. Only The Beatles, with 19 No. 1s, have more. …

Variety reports: Pauly Shore wrote on Instagram that he was “up all night crying” after Richard Simmons continued to publicly distance himself from the biopic on his life that Shore is attached to star in. Furthermore, Simmons revealed on his social media platforms that he’s talking to film studios about making his own biopic. “I just read that a man …

Variety reports: A documentary about Kevin Spacey that was first announced prior to him being acquitted of multiple sexual offenses in the U.K. last year is now complete, with Variety able to reveal details, a first-look trailer, release dates and a multi-territory deal — including for the U.S. — with Warner Bros. Discovery. The two-part series “Spacey Unmasked,” first commissioned …

Variety reports: Spotify announced Wednesday that Taylor Swift‘s “The Tortured Poets Department” has become the first album in the app’s history to pick up a billion streams in a single week. And it did that with still a couple of days left to go in the seven-day period in question. The previous high-water mark for most album streams in a …

Variety reports: Category is: All Star Charity Extravaganza! Paramount+ and World of Wonder have officially announced the Season 9 cast of “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars,” which will consist of eight alumni of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” stretching from its first season to Season 14. They will be competing for a $200,000 grand prize, but for the first time in “Drag …

Variety reports: It feels potentially unlucky to talk about “breaking records” when the subject is actual LPs, but there’s no way around combining these terms when we’re talking Taylor Swift, the modern queen of vinyl. She has broken her own record for the most sales of a vinyl album in a week, and did it in just three days, with …

Variety reports: Patrick Warburton has voiced Joe Swanson on “Family Guy” since the show’s first season 25 years ago, but the role has never exactly gotten his family’s seal of approval. During a recent PaleyFest LA event celebrating “Family Guy’s” 25th anniversary (via People magazine), Warburton revealed that his parents hate the Seth MacFarlane-created animated comedy and their disdain for …