Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: Emmy and Tony winner Nathan Lane has joined Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story, the second installment of Ryan Murphy‘s true-crime anthology series for Netflix. Lane will play writer and investigative journalist Dominick Dunne who covered the Menendez brothers trial for Vanity Fair. Dunne is also known for his coverage of the O.J. Simpsons trial, which …

Variety reports: Joyce Randolph, who played Trixie Norton on the classic sitcom “The Honeymooners,” and was the last surviving member of the cast, died Saturday in New York City. She was 99. Randolph was in hospice care at the time of her death and died of natural causes, her son, Randy, told TMZ. Randolph’s character was married to Art Carney’s …

Deadline Hollywood reports: There was a winter storm impacting the Midwest yesterday, Winter Storm Gerri, which forced dozens of cinema closures. But that didn’t stop Paramount’s Mean Girls from hitting $11.65M (including previews), continuing to put its 4-day north of $30M at $31.5M. Outside of Barbie post-pandemic, this is a remarkable start for a movie aimed at women, Mean Girls …

Variety reports: “Oppenheimer” is coming soon to NBCUniversal’s Peacock, allowing viewers to experience the three-hour historical epic from the comfort of their own homes. Christopher Nolan’s award-winning blockbuster, starring Cillian Murphy in the title role, will stream on Peacock beginning on Feb. 16, nearly seven months after its July 21, 2023, theatrical release. In addition to “Oppenheimer,” Peacock will also …

Variety reports: More than 15 years after his death, stand-up comedian George Carlin has been brought back to life in an artificial intelligence-generated special called “George Carlin: I’m Glad I’m Dead.” The hour-long special, which dropped on Tuesday, comes from Dudesy, a comedy AI that hosts a podcast and YouTube show with “Mad TV” alum Will Sasso and podcaster Chad …

Variety reports: Selena Gomez will play Linda Ronstadt in an upcoming biopic, Variety has confirmed. The pop singer and “Only Murders in the Building” star teased the role Tuesday night by posting a picture of Ronstadt’s 2013 memoir “Simple Dreams” on her Instagram story. The music biopic is currently in pre-production, with producers including Ronstadt’s manager, John Boylan, and James …

Deadline reports: Meghan McCain says her family has not authorized a new, planned musical inspired by – and named after – her late father. But considering that the in-development musical features fictionalized characters based on public figures, John McCain included, it’s unlikely producers need any such authorization. Deadline has reached out to a show spokesperson for comment. This morning, producers …

Deadline reports: Former First Lady Michelle Obama is drawing a lot of media attention for a comment she made on Jay Shetty‘s podcast, in which she says that she is “terrified” over what could happen in the next election. “What keeps me up are the things that I know, the war in …too many regions, what AI is going to …

Variety reports: “The Last of Us,” “The White Lotus,” “The Bear” and “Beef” gained momentum Saturday night as each show picked up big wins at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards. HBO’s “The Last of Us” was by far the dominant favorite with eight wins. FX’s “The Bear,” Netflix’s “Wednesday” and HBO’s “The White Lotus” won four apiece. Netflix’s “Beef” took …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Charlize Theron says that the efforts to curb the rights of drag performers is driven by fear and ignorance. In the opening episode of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16, Theron gave a speech to contenders. “Given the climate in our country right now, there’s a lot of energy being put toward your community not existing. I truly …

Variety reports: Nigel Lythgoe is stepping down as a judge on “So You Think You Can Dance,” after two lawsuits accused him of sexual assault. Lythgoe, an executive producer of the show, is accused of groping and forcibly kissing Paula Abdul in an elevator about 20 years ago. In a second lawsuit, two contestants on “All American Girl” also accused …

Variety reports: English actor Glynis Johns, who played the daffy suffragette mother Mrs. Banks in the classic film “Mary Poppins,” died Thursday at an assisted living home in Los Angeles, her manager Mitch Clem confirmed to Variety. She was 100. Johns won a Tony for her role as Desiree Armfeldt in the original Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim’s “A Little …

Variety reports: ESPN sports analyst Pat McAfee apologized Wednesday for quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ prior comments on his show suggesting that comedian Jimmy Kimmel had ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Host McAfee addressed the Rodgers-Kimmel feud Tuesday with an apology, saying that Rodgers was “just trying to talk shit.” “I can see exactly why Jimmy Kimmel felt the way he felt, especially …

Variety reports: Thanks to Mario, J. Robert Oppenheimer and M3GAN, Universal Pictures ranked as the highest-grossing studio at the 2023 box office. The company’s slate — a range of 24 films that included “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” “Oppenheimer” and “M3GAN” — collected $4.907 billion in worldwide ticket sales. Universal’s victory is notable because it marks the first time since …

NPR reports: An early Walt Disney movie featuring the first appearance of Mickey Mouse is among the copyrighted works from 1928 moving into the public domain on Jan. 1, 2024. That means people can creatively reuse only the Mickey Mouse from Steamboat Willie. But the cartoon creature who stars in the animated short Steamboat Willie isn’t a lot like the …

Variety reports: Maybe it’s time for Dave Chappelle to try some new material. The comedian’s newest special, “The Dreamer,” debuted on Netflix on Dec. 31, and largely focuses on his early years in entertainment and how he manifested his success. But he floods the first 12 minutes of the set revisiting his favorite target in recent years: Transgender people. Chappelle …

Variety reports: Tom Wilkinson, the British actor who appeared in films including “The Full Monty,” “Shakespeare in Love” and “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” died Saturday in the U.K., the BBC reported. He was 75. Wilkinson was Oscar-nominated for his roles in “Michael Clayton,” in which he played an attorney who has a manic episode; and Todd Field’s “In the …

The New Jersey Advance reports: The vacant Seaside Heights nightclub Karma, made famous on MTV’s hit show “Jersey Shore,” was demolished Wednesday in preparation for the property’s new life as a much tamer mixed-use condo development. Demolition crews made quick work of tearing down the sprawling entertainment complex, video of the destruction showed. Located at 401 Boulevard, the former Karma …

Deadline reports: The BBC has criticized research accusing the UK broadcaster of peddling viewers a “steady diet of woke bias,” including news about slavery and gender diversity storylines in drama. The BBC accused the Campaign for Common Sense, a group that advocates for freedom of expression, of “cherry-picking” examples of so-called “woke” issues from thousands of hours of output. The …

Variety reports: Lee Sun-kyun, a South Korean actor who starred in the 2020 Oscar best picture winner “Parasite,” died Wednesday morning, according to the South Korean news agency Yonhap. He was 48. He was found dead in a car in a central Seoul park. Police had been looking for Lee after his family claimed he wrote a suicide note and …