Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: Warner Bros. Japan dropped two new looks at its upcoming The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, and each offers surprises. Most important for fans is a hint of the Joker in director Matt Reeves’ take on the iconic comic book property. The first, longer trailer is centered more on Bruce Wayne than his becowled alter ego. “I’m here …

Variety reports: Audiences didn’t open their wallets to see the infamous rivalry between the Sharks and the Jets play out on the big screen. “West Side Story,” Steven Spielberg’s remake of the classic musical, fell flat in its box office debut, collecting a paltry $10.5 million from 2,820 theaters. That’s cause for concern because Disney and 20th Century Studios spent …

Deadline Hollywood reports: It’s a happy 90th birthday to iconic actress Rita Moreno, celebrating today the renewal of interest in one of her most famous roles, that of Anita in the 1961 version of West Side Story (she’s also the widow Valentina in the 2021 update). But lest we forget, Moreno is one of the few performers to have won …

Variety reports: Shares of Peloton, the fitness equipment company, fell 11.3% Thursday — tumbling to a 19-month low — after a key character in HBO Max’s “Sex and the City” revival, “And Just Like That,” was shown dying of a heart attack after a 45-minute workout on one of the company’s exercise bikes. The stock continued its slide Friday, down …

Variety reports: Lina Wertmüller, the first woman to score a best director nomination at the Academy Awards, died on Thursday in Italy. She was 93. Wertmüller’s death was reported in the Italian press. According to a friend, the writer and director died “peacefully at home, next to her daughter and loved ones.” In 1972, she made her Cannes debut with …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Netflix has set presenters and released a teaser for Queer Eye Germany, the first international spin-off from its reality series following a group of makeover experts – the ‘Fab 5’ – who team to turn the life around of a nominated individual. The German Fab 5 are as follows: Work/life coach Leni Bolt, fashion virtuoso Jan-Henrik Scheper-Stuke, …

Variety reports: Disney and 20th Century’s “West Side Story,” director Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the classic musical, has been banned in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait. In some cases, like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the film wasn’t granted a release certificate. In other countries, such as Qatar and Oman, Disney refused to comply with …

Deadline reports: Chris Cuomo, the former CNN host fired from the network last week amid various allegations of misconduct, is leaving his SiriusXM Radio show as well. SiriusXM confirmed that the show has been canceled. Cuomo announced his departure from the radio show in an Instagram message today, saying, “While I have a thick skin, I also have a family, …

Broadway.com reports: Stage and screen star Antony Sher has died at the age of 72. In September, his husband, collaborator and Royal Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Gregory Doran announced he would take a period of compassionate leave to care for Sher, who was diagnosed with cancer. Sher received an Olivier Award in 1985 for his performance in Torch Song Trilogy …

Variety reports: The Astroworld tragedy resulted in 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries, and has spawned some 275 lawsuits alleging negligence and misconduct on the part of the concert promoters, the venue and headliner Travis Scott. Attorneys on both sides of the sprawling litigation have filed a motion to consolidate those cases before a single judge for pretrial purposes. According …

USA Today reports: Be prepared for more than just holiday cheer this December. Get ready for holiday queer too. Netflix’s first gay holiday romantic comedy “Single All the Way” (now streaming) has arrived to lift holiday spirits and change up a traditionally heterosexual genre. Yes, there has been a glut of LGBTQ holiday romance movies as of late – Hulu’s …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Broadway theaters will dim their lights for Stephen Sondheim on Wednesday, December 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET. “It is impossible to measure Stephen Sondheim’s impact on the world of musical theatre,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League in announcing the one-minute marquee light dimming, a Broadway tradition. “It is hard to imagine Broadway without …

New from our pal Matt Baume: Over his 55-year career, Jim Nabors cultivated a wholesome, folksy persona, from playing Gomer Pyle on multiple sitcoms to appearing as himself on variety shows to singing every year at the start of the Indianapolis 500. But behind the scenes, Jim Nabors harbored a secret that would have scandalized the country and ruined his …

The New York Daily News reports: A “Jeopardy!” fan is making history as the first transgender contestant to qualify for the show’s Tournament of Champions. Amy Schneider, the reigning nine-time “Jeopardy!” champion with $343,200 in the bank, began her winning streak earlier this month, after dethroning five-day champion Andrew He. The fifth victory also qualified her for the show’s “Tournament …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Arlene Dahl, who starred in the 1959 sci-fi classic Journey to the Center of the Earth and many other films along with TV roles and also was an influential beauty and astrology writer, has died. She was 96. Dahl appeared on multiple TV soap operas including All My Children and One Life to Live and guested on …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Rocker Bryan Adams on Saturday posted a new update from Milan, Italy where he was taken to the hospital after testing positive for Covid upon arrival at the Milan Malpensa airport on Thursday. This was his second positive test in less than a month after another one on Oct. 30 led to him pulling out from his …

Gothamist reports: RiseNY is the museum-slash-theme-park-style-ride of your dreams, if your dream is to explore the sights of NYC while in a random room in Midtown. The centerpiece of this attraction is the city’s first-ever flight simulation ride, a 46 seat “flying theater” which lifts visitors 30 feet into the air so their feet can dangle while “they glide over …

Variety reports: Alec Baldwin has engaged the services of former L.A. assistant district attorney Aaron S. Dyer of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman for civil suits related to the “Rust” shooting, Variety has confirmed. Dyer will represent Baldwin, Rust Movie Productions and other production companies involved in the film. Dyer previously defended “Girls Gone Wild” creator Joe Francis, who had been …

Variety reports: Disney’s “Encanto” topped the Wednesday box office, netting $7.5 million in its first full day of release. The family film has heavy competition over the Thanksgiving holiday. Also vying for a major slice of the pie are MGM’s star-studded crime drama “House of Gucci,” which brought in a solid $4.2 million on Wednesday. Sony’s “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” topped the …

Billboard Magazine reports: The Weeknd‘s “Blinding Lights” shines brightest among the nearly 30,000 titles ever to hit the Billboard Hot 100 over the chart’s 63-year history, as the single, released in November 2019, is the newly crowned No. 1 on Billboard‘s Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs recap. “Blinding Lights” rules Billboard‘s Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Songs …