Open Thread

Via press release from the White House: A poet of paradise, Jimmy Buffett was an American music icon who inspired generations to step back and find the joy in life and in one another. His witty, wistful songs celebrate a uniquely American cast of characters and seaside folkways, weaving together an unforgettable musical mix of country, folk, rock, pop, and …

Variety reports: Are you ready for it? Taylor Swift is here to save movie theaters. Her “Eras Tour” concert film, which opens theatrically on Oct. 13, has already earned a massive $26 million in presale tickets at AMC Theatres. It set a single-day ticket sale record for AMC, besting the benchmark previously held by “Spider-Man: No Way Home” ($16.9 million) …

Variety reports: Anyone who couldn’t procure tickets for Taylor Swift’s record-breaking stadium tour in the U.S. may be about to have their wounded feelings assuaged, a little — and everyone who did can get primed for some instant nostalgia. A filmed rendering, “Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour,” will hit movie theaters nationwide this fall. It’s far from the kind …

Deadline reports: While Americans are getting increasingly used to emergency alerts from local police and fire officials, on October 4 at 2:20 p.m. ET they’ll receive something a little different. “THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed,” the alert should read. It will be sent to all consumer cell phones in either …

Billboard Magazine reports: Dolly Parton may be one of the biggest country stars in history, but outside of performing, the “Jolene” singer is also a devoted pet owner. Her love for animals (especially her French bulldog Billy the Kid) prompted the artist to launch her very own Doggy Parton pet brand, which is now available at Petco. In case you …

Billboard Magazine reports: Alice Cooper‘s new makeup products, released in collaboration with Vampyre Cosmetics, have been dropped from the cosmetics brand’s website in light of the rock singer’s recent anti-trans comments. Vampyre Cosmetics is described as a “women and LGBT+ owned” company on the “About Us” page. “I mean, if you identify as a tree … I’m going, ‘Come on! …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Summer may be drawing to a close, but the blockbusters of the season are still basking in box office glory. To wit: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is poised to become the highest-grossing Warner Bros movie of all time globally on Monday. Through today, the worldwide estimate is $1.34B, meaning just $1M separates it from Harry Potter and the …

Deadline reports: Kissing player Jenni Hermoso on the lips after Spain’s victory in the Women’s World Cup may cost .Spanish soccer federation president Luis Rubiales his job. On Saturday, FIFA suspended Rubiales while its disciplinary committee investigates his conduct at the Women’s World Cup final. The move comes after Rubiales refused to resign, despite intense pressure from the Spanish government, …

Variety reports: Oliver Anthony, the country-folk singer behind this year’s most surprising No. 1 hit “Rich Men North of Richmond,” delivered a message to fans in a teary-eyed, 10-minute video posted to YouTube. In the video, Anthony addressed his viral song’s mention at Wednesday’s GOP debate. Moderator Martha MacCallum opened the debate by asking Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis why he …

Variety reports: This “Barbie” is officially the highest-grossing movie of the year in North America. Greta Gerwig’s fantasy-comedy, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, has generated $575.4 million at the domestic box office, overtaking the previous champion, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which has collected $574 million domestically. “Barbie” has grossed $1.3 billion globally and will soon surpass “Mario” (with …

Billboard Magazine reports: Oliver Anthony Music is the king of country right now, and it would appear that he’s using his fresh platform to bring people together. But some of his early supporters are hitting back at his calls for unity and diversity. “We are the melting pot of the world,” he says in the interview, which took place at …

Variety reports: Netflix has released the official trailer for Part 1 of Zack Snyder’s sci-fi epic “Rebel Moon,” titled “A Child of Fire,” coming to the streamer on Dec. 22, 2023. Part 2, titled “The Scargiver,” will arrive on April 19, 2024. The film follows an enigmatic young woman (played by Sofia Boutella) who must search for fighters who can …

Variety reports: Oliver Anthony’s viral breakout hit “Rich Men North of Richmond” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making the singer-songwriter the first artist ever to notch the achievement with no prior chart history in any form. He is the sixth artist in Billboard chart history to debut a first solo Hot 100 entry at No. …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Paul Feig took to social media to remember his friend Laura Ann Carleton, who was shot and killed after engaging in an argument with a man about the Pride flag she had on display outside of her store. “Our wonderful friend Lauri Carlton (seen in this picture) was murdered yesterday in her store @magpi_shop in Lake …

Variety reports: As Hurricane Hilary nears landfall in Los Angeles, weekend events from concerts to sports games are being postponed until further notice. The L.A. Galaxy vs. Real Salt Lake MLS match has been moved from Sunday, Aug. 20, to Oct. 14. MLS will honor all tickets purchased for Sunday as access to the October game. Los Angeles Football Club …

Deadline reports: Don Lemon made his first extended comments since he was fired from CNN, telling podcast host Kara Swisher that he feels “vindicated” following the exit of CNN leadership after his departure. Lemon was let go from the network’s morning show in April. But in June, CNN boss Chris Licht himself was shown the door, following the publication of …

Deadline reports: In a rare occurrence, the remnants of hurricane might hit Los Angeles this weekend with tropical storm-force winds (39-73 mph) and heavy rain. What began as Tropical Storm Hilary off the coast of Mainland Mexico strengthened into a Category 2 hurricane early today with winds of 110 mph as of 3 p.m., PT. That’s just 1 mph shy …

Deadline reports: Jerry Moss, the Grammy winner and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer who co-founded A&M Records with Herb Alpert more than 60 years ago and helped build it into one of the most successful independent record labels in history, died today in Los Angeles. He was 88. Named for its co-founder, the artist-focused A&M Records was launched in …

Billboard Magazine reports: Universal Music, Sony Music and Concord are suing the Internet Archive over a project to digitize old vinyl records from Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and other iconic artists, calling it “blatant” copyright infringement under a “smokescreen” of preservation. In a complaint filed Friday in Manhattan federal court, the labels took aim at the Internet Archive’s …

ESPN reports: Retired NFL star Michael Oher, whose supposed adoption out of grinding poverty by a wealthy, white family was immortalized in the 2009 movie “The Blind Side,” petitioned a Tennessee court Monday with allegations that a central element of the story was a lie concocted by the family to enrich itself at his expense. The 14-page petition, filed in …