Open Thread

Deadline reports: Jason Aldean stood by the footage used in his controversial video for “Try That in a Small Town.” However, the video has since been edited to remove clips from Black Lives Matter protests in Atlanta. The country singer in the middle of backlash over the lyrics of his song and imagery in his video is accused of being …

Billboard Magazine reports: Following a satire site posting a story that Luke Bryan, in solidarity with his friend Jason Aldean, has asked CMT to pull his music videos from the channel, posters on social media have run wild with the untrue story. On Friday (July 21), satirical website Uplifting Today posted a story with the headline, “Luke Bryan pulls his …

Variety reports: “Barbie” ended up with $162 million in its first weekend of release, above Sunday’s already record-breaking estimate of $155 million. The Warner Bros. film, starring Margot Robbie as the plastic, fantastic doll, declined just 9% from Saturday to bring in $43.7 million on Sunday. “Barbie” added $182 million at the international box office, bringing its global tally to …

Billboard Magazine reports: Sales and streams of Jason Aldean‘s single “Try That in a Small Town” have surged, following controversy that erupted this week surrounding the song and its corresponding music video. After selling around 1,000 copies of the song each day from July 14 through July 17, according to preliminary reports from Luminate, sales rose after Billboard’s July 18 …

Variety reports: After scoring $22.2 million on Thursday, the highest preview ticket sales of the year, the big screen bonanza about Mattel’s marquee doll kept the superlatives going on Friday, adding another $48.2 million from 4,243 theaters. That’s a $70.5 million total — the biggest opening day of the year, blasting past the $51.8 million earned by “Spider-Man: Across the …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Barbenheimer has begun. With Warner Bros’ Barbie and Universal’s Oppenheimer rolling out globally this weekend, we’ve got the first numbers for both from their various international box office markets through the first two days of release. Barbie is eyeing $68M-70M today, including last night’s previews, for what’s shaping up to be the best opening of the year …

Variety reports: AMC Theatres is scrapping its plan to charge moviegoers more money for a better view of the screen. The company announced it is no longer moving forward with “Sightline at AMC,” a ticket pricing initiative based on seat location within the auditorium. The proposed system, which was announced in February, involved customers paying a few extra dollars for …

The Verge reports: Netflix says its password-sharing crackdown is working. In its second quarter earnings report posted on Wednesday, the streamer says it saw the addition of 5.9 million subscribers globally, with the US and Canada making up 1.17 million new members from April to June. Now, Netflix will start to address password sharing in all its remaining countries. The …

Variety reports: “Barbenheimer” is officially here, and the battle between the bomb and the bombshell is about to ignite the box office. Greta Gerwig’s cotton candy-colored “Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie as the plastic, fantastic doll, is expected to generate a huge $95 million to $110 million from 4,200 North American theaters over the weekend. “Barbie” will claim the top spot …

Variety reports: Taylor Swift commands the Hot 100 with all 22 songs from her latest “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” occupying spots on the singles chart. Impressively, this means three singles from three different Swift albums are in the top 10 this week: “I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault),” a new release from “Speak Now,” leads the pack …

Variety reports: Jane Birkin, the beloved British-French actor and singer who spent most of her life in France and is known for a tumultuous relationship with French singer-songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, died on Sunday at her home in Paris, according to Le Parisien newspaper. She was 76. No cause of death has yet been confirmed. Birkin was best known internationally for …

Variety reports: James Cameron has visited the wreckage of the Titanic more than 30 times and directed an Oscar-winning romance about the doomed vessel — but he’s not planning on exploring the latest disaster connected to the ship that couldn’t sink. The director has denied rumors that he is in talks to helm a feature about the OceanGate submarine that …

Deadline Hollywood reports: The 41st edition of Outfest is underway in Los Angeles after an opening night event dominated by talk of the actors strike. “Let’s also acknowledge the elephant in the room,” Outfest Executive Director Damien Navarro said as he welcomed the festival crowd at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A. “We are living in uncertain times where the …

Variety reports: SAG-AFTRA, the union representing Hollywood actors, has officially joined the writers on strike against the film and TV companies, igniting the entertainment industry’s first dual shutdown in 63 years. Film and television productions will shut down, but the work stoppage has reverberations that extend beyond actors going to set. According to the guidelines, SAG-AFTRA members will not be …

Variety reports: It’s good to be HBO — er, “HBO Max” — er, “HBO / Max.” How big was the pay cabler-slash-streamer when it comes to this year’s Emmy nominations? In the supporting actor in a drama category, the outlet held all eight slots (on the backs of just two programs: “Succession” and “The White Lotus”), and in supporting actress, …

TMZ reports: A jury determined a handwritten document found in Aretha Franklin’s couch is a valid will, a major development after years of her kids battling over her estate. The ruling on the hard-to-read pages came in Tuesday in a Michigan court. The will was found in 2019 — the year after she passed — in a notebook tucked under …

Variety reports: Madonna announced Monday that in the wake of her medical emergency last month, the North American dates of her “Celebration” tour will be rescheduled to an unspecified future time and the tour will now begin in Europe in October. The previously scheduled European dates are slated to begin Oct. 14 in London and carry on through the European …

Deadline reports: Harry Styles was hit in the eye by a thrown object while performing Saturday night in Vienna, Austria. Styles became the latest victim of a trend in which concertgoers throw objects at performers, hoping to create a moment that can be captured on social media and increase clout. The singer was hit as he was walking across the …

ESPN reports: United States forward Megan Rapinoe announced Saturday that she will retire from professional soccer at the conclusion of the 2023 National Women’s Soccer League season. The 11-year league veteran and U.S. women’s national team standout will play her final regular-season match at Seattle’s Lumen Field on Oct. 6 against the Washington Spirit. Rapinoe, 38, is preparing to compete …

Deadline Hollywood reports: One day after Britney Spears accused NBA star Victor Wembanyama’s security guard of hitting her as she attempted to say hello the Spurs No. 1 overall pick, Las Vegas police say it was Spears own hand that struck her face as the security guard attempted to slap her hand off of Wembanyama’s shoulder. No charges will be …