Open Thread

Deadline reports: NPR said that it has stopped tweeting from its main Twitter account after the platform labeled the news organization “state-affiliated media.” A spokesperson said that the outlet stopped posting from @NPR “after they attached that false label to it because each tweet we publish would carry it. We have paused tweeting from that account until we hear back …

Variety reports: “Wicked,” the untold story of everything that happened before Dorothy dropped down in Oz, is poised to make Broadway history. When the hit musical plays its 7,486th performance on Tuesday, April 11, it’ll surpass Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” to become the fourth-longest running production on the Great White Way. “Phantom of the Opera,” which is closing in April, …

Variety reports: A new clip from Jeremy Renner’s upcoming interview with ABC News reveals the “Hawkeye” actor wrote a goodbye note to his family while in critical condition at the hospital. Renner was hospitalized for blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries at the start of January after his Sno-Cat, a large snow plow that weighs at least 14,330 pounds, ran …

Variety reports: Margot Robbie comes to life as the famous figurine in the official trailer for Warner Bros.’ “Barbie.” Oscar nominee Robbie leads a star-studded cast that includes a muscular Ryan Gosling as Barbie’s boy toy, Ken. The two actors are not the only Barbie and Ken dolls in the film. Dua Lipa stars as mermaid Barbie, for instance, alongside …

Variety reports: “60 Minutes” has drawn criticism from journalists and other public figures for its sit-down interview with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, which aired on Sunday evening. In the interview, Greene asserted that Democrats are the “party of pedophiles,” saying, “They support grooming children… Even Joe Biden himself supports children being sexualized and having transgender surgeries.” Former Republican congressman Adam …

Billboard Magazine reports: Websites in Russia could be blocked from broadcasting the Eurovision Song Contest in May because of a recent tightening of anti-LGBT legislation that prohibits “propaganda about non-traditional sexual relations,” says Roskomnadzor, the Russian national media watchdog. Finding “LGBT propaganda” in Eurovision, which takes place May 9-13 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, may not be a difficult task, as …

Variety reports: The vibe surrounding Joni Mitchell being bestowed with the Gershwin Prize in Washington, D.C. earlier this month — as seen in a new PBS special — couldn’t have been more harmonious, from all accounts. And that’s a good thing, because under less loving circumstances, there could have been a turf war over who would get to sing “Both …

Variety reports: Twitter says it will charge businesses and organizations $1,000 per month (in the U.S.), including nonprofits and governments, to retain their verified status. In addition, the company will levy a $50 monthly charge for each affiliate subaccount (i.e., employees, brands or divisions). But apparently not all organizations will have to pay Musk for the privilege. Twitter will waive …

Broadway World reports: Smash is setting its sights on Broadway with an award-winning creative team, it was announced today by Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron, and Steven Spielberg who will serve as lead producers. The stage musical adaptation, inspired by the fan-favorite NBC series on which they all worked together, is slated for Broadway in the 2024-25 season. The production will …

Variety reports: Focus Features has dropped the trailer for Wes Anderson’s upcoming comedy “Asteroid City.” “Asteroid City” is set in the 1950s in a fictional American desert town. At a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention, which is designed to unite students and parents in scholarly competition, chaos ensues as world-changing events take place. The film’s main cast includes Margot Robbie, Tom …

Variety reports: Adnan Syed’s murder conviction — which gained worldwide attention from the hit podcast “Serial” in 2014 — has taken another turn. A Maryland court has reinstated Syed’s conviction after it was previously overturned in September 2022 and Syed was released from prison. The Appellate Court of Maryland ruled on Tuesday that a lower court had violated the right …

Broadway.com reports: The musical adaptation of Back to the Future has announced its full Broadway cast. The previously announced production is scheduled to begin performances on June 30 ahead of an official opening night on August 3 at the Winter Garden Theatre. Newly announced cast members include Liana Hunt as Lorraine Baines, Nathaniel Hackmann as Biff Tannen and Jelani Remy …

Variety reports: “John Wick: Chapter 4” knocked down the box office competition, collecting a remarkable $73.5 million in its opening weekend. Boosted by positive reviews and enthusiastic word-of-mouth, the fourth installment in Lionsgate’s action series, led by Keanu Reeves as a legendary assassin, landed the best start of the franchise. It’s one of the rare original properties to keep growing …

Deadline Hollywood reports: It’s no joke – Lady Gaga was spotted on Saturday in New York City for a first look at her as Harley Quinn in the upcoming film sequel, Joker: Folie Deux. Gaga was being filmed at the New York County Supreme Court in downtown Manhattan, surrounded by police. The crowd scene saw extras carrying picket signs imploring, …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Jon Hamm is joining the Mean Girls Musical in the role of Coach Carr, the resident gym coach and incompetent sex-ed teacher. The feature adapts the Broadway musical, which is itself an adaptation of the 2004 teen comedy Mean Girls. Mean Girls Musical hails from Paramount, which is planning a Paramount+ debut. Hamm joins a previously …

Variety reports: If you’re going to remake a movie, why not remake one of the most acclaimed movies ever made? Paramount Pictures has preemptively acquired a remake of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1958 classic psychological thriller “Vertigo,” as a possible starring vehicle for Robert Downey Jr. The actor is producing the project with his wife Susan Downey through their Team Downey production …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, musicians Lil Yachty, Ne-Yo, Soulja Boy, Akon and Austin Mahone and adult film star Kendra Lust were charged Wednesday for illegally promoting the securities of crypto companies being investigated by the SEC. The commission today charged crypto asset entrepreneur Justin Sun and three of his wholly owned companies for the unregistered offer and …

Deadline reports: As the latest in a flood of atmospheric river events hit Souther California today, several local theme parks closed their gates. Magic Mountain shut down for the second time in as many months as winds associated with the current storm blasted a nearby peak with force equivalent to a Cat. 2 hurricane. Magic Mountain Truck Trail, a site …

Variety reports: Rupert Murdoch just can’t stay single. Less than a year after divorcing Jerry Hall, the 92-year-old Fox mogul is hearing wedding bells again. He’s engaged to Ann Lesley Smith, a 66-year-old San Francisco police chaplain. Murdoch’s future wife was previously married to Chester Smith, a country-western singer, as well as a radio and TV executive who died in …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Watching Jesus Revolution surge past $45 million in ticket sales for Lionsgate—matching or besting The Fabelmans, The Banshees Of Inisherin, Tár, Women Talking and Triangle Of Sadness, combined—it finally seems safe to say it. The faith-based audience is back. Between Covid and the culture wars, it’s been a rough few years for those who make, promote and/or …