Open Thread

NBC News reports: Pedro Almodóvar, the filmmaker who has defined Spanish cinema for nearly the last four decades, tackles the quintessential American genre in his new Western short, “Strange Way of Life.” The 31-minute film stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as estranged lovers living on the American frontier who revisit the romance of their youth before finding themselves in …

Variety reports: British synth-pop group the Pet Shop Boys are the latest to call out Drake for allegedly not getting permission to use their lyrics in his newly-dropped “For All the Dogs” record. “West End Girls” was the first single the duo — comprised of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe — released. It became an instant hit in both the …

Variety reports: Sufjan Stevens‘ new record “Javelin” (out today via Asthmatic Kitty) has been widely described as a breakup record for its themes of heartbreak and suffering. On Friday morning, the subject matter became much clearer when Stevens penned and uploaded a dedication of the album to his late “beloved” partner Evan Richardson, who passed away in April. “This album …

Variety reports: Taylor Swift‘s “Eras Tour” concert film is breaking records before it even hits theaters. With a week until the movie graces the big screen, it has surpassed $100 million worldwide in advance ticket sales, according to its official distributor AMC Theatres. These revenues encompass all showtimes, locations and circuits playing “Eras Tour” across the globe, not just AMC …

Variety reports: The 77th Tony Awards are moving to the Upper West Side and will take place at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. It’s the fourth location change in four years for Broadway’s biggest night, held in prior years at Washington Height’s United Palace Theater, Radio City Music Hall and the Winter Garden Theatre. CBS will broadcast …

The New York Daily News reports: Netflix is reportedly planning to raise prices once the months-long actors’ strike is resolved. The price hike is expected to come “a few months” after the SAG-AFTRA strike is settled and most productions resume, according to the Wall Street Journal. The increase would occur in “several markets globally” — starting with the U.S. and …

Variety reports: If you’re piggybacking on someone else’s Disney+ account, you may soon have to pay up to access the streamer. The Mouse House has notified Disney+ subscribers in Canada that as of Nov. 1, “Unless otherwise permitted by your service tier, you may not share your subscription outside of your household.” The notification to Canadian subscribers is part of …

Billboard Magazine reports: Britney Spears is lashing out at police for conducting a welfare check after she shared a video of herself dancing at home with knives. “Is it a joke in the news again with welfare checks??? Come on America … we cooler than that, right ??? The officers came to my home and said they would not leave …

Variety reports: A film based on Beyonce‘s smash hit Renaissance World Tour is in advanced talks to distribute directly to AMC Theatres, sources with knowledge of the project told Variety. The project is eyeing a Dec. 1 wide release, added insiders. The Beyonce deal follows on the heels of one Taylor Swift brokered for: a straightforward concert film based on …

CNN reports: A grand jury has indicted Duane Keith “Keffe D” Davis on charges of murder with use of a deadly weapon in connection with the 1996 killing of rapper Tupac Shakur, Las Vegas authorities announced. Davis, 60, was arrested Friday morning in Las Vegas. His wife’s Henderson home was searched in July as part of the ongoing investigation. Shakur …

Deadline reports: Viewership for the second Republican debate fell to 9.5 million viewers, off by 26% from the 12.8 million who tuned in for the first GOP 2024 gathering last month. Even with the viewership drop, the debate was still the most watched show on TV on Wednesday. Fox Business and Univision telecast the event, and it was simulcast on …

Variety reports: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will bestow a replacement Oscar for supporting actress winner Hattie McDaniel to Howard University’s Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts during a ceremony titled “Hattie’s Come Home” in Washington D.C. on Oct. 1. Taking place at the Ira Aldridge Theater, the ceremony will …

The New York Times reports: The Biden administration plans to bring back open internet rules that were enacted during the Obama administration and then repealed by the Trump administration. In a speech on Tuesday, Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, declared that the repeal in 2017 put the F.C.C. “on the wrong side of history, the wrong side …

Variety reports: David McCallum, who starred as Illya Kuryakin alongside Robert Vaughn’s Napoleon Solo in the 1960s hit spy drama “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” and had a supporting role as pathologist Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on the top-rated series “NCIS” decades later, died Monday of natural causes in New York City. He was 90. The James Bond-influenced “The Man From …

Billboard Magazine reports: Usher will headline the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime Show presented by Apple Music, during the game set to take place Feb. 11, 2024. The iconic singer from Atlanta will take the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the first time the big game will take place in that city. Usher has 18 amassed top 10 hits …

Variety reports: The WGA and Hollywood’s major studios are in the final phase of hammering out a three-year contract that will bring an end to one of the longest strikes in Hollywood history. Legal representatives for labor and management were said to be huddling on the fine print of language in complicated contract issues such as the use of generative …

Deadline Hollywood reports: There was a giddy feeling on the picket lines in LA today after huge numbers of writers turned out in what could be one of the last days of WGA picketing. As Bob Iger, Donna Langley, Ted Sarandos and David Zaslav and co. enter their third consecutive day of negotiations with the WGA leadership in Sherman Oaks, …

Variety reports: The “Dancing With the Stars” premiere will more than likely be delayed next week, as talent has begun dropping out of the show amid rising pressures during the WGA strike. “Veep” actor Matt Walsh, who is part of the Season 32 cast, is “taking a pause” from the ABC dance competition show until an agreement is made with …

Deadline reports: Kevin de León, who defiantly held onto his Los Angeles City Council seat despite persistent calls for his resignation – including one from President Joe Biden – following his participation in a racially charged recorded conversation that led to former Council President Nury Martinez’s resignation, said today he plans to seek reelection in 2024. In the recording, the …

Deadline reports: Eric Clapton performed for Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. at a fundraising event in Brentwood. Kennedy’s campaign said that the Monday evening event — at a private home in Brentwood — raised $1 million for his campaign and $1.2 million for a PAC supporting it. Clapton made headlines during the Covid pandemic, as he came out forcefully …