Open Thread

Deadline reports: “I didn’t realize that there was a 3:30 also in the morning — until today,” said KWWL-TV sports reporter Mark Woodley doing a live remote in the middle of a blizzard for the channel’s morning show. Woodley was drafted onto the weather team when the storm hit, and he was unusually candid with his feelings about the assignment. …

Variety reports: Nearly a quarter of a century after the 1998 series premiere of “That ’70s Show,” the long-awaited trailer to its spinoff, “That ’90s Show,” is finally here. Stars of the original series reunited on-screen for the 10-episode Netflix spinoff series, which takes place in the summer of 1995 and follows Eric and Donna’s daughter, Leia Forman (played by …

Deadline reports: “At the heart of our republic,” Rep. Liz Cheney noted earlier this week, “is the guarantee of the peaceful transfer of power.” The illusion that such a principle would always be observed was violently shattered on January 6, 2021. Today, discovery+ unveiled a trailer for its upcoming documentary January 6th, which will take viewers inside that momentous day …

Variety reports: It’s about to be a very Pandora Christmas at the movies. “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which opened solidly last weekend to $134 million, is poised to dominate box office charts again in its second outing. James Cameron’s sci-fi sequel on Monday added a healthy $16 million, bringing its four-day domestic tally to $150 million. Internationally, the film …

Variety reports: Amber Heard will pay Johnny Depp $1 million to settle their long-running legal battle, in which each accused the other of domestic violence. The sum is a significant reduction from the $8.35 million she was ordered to pay after a six-week trial in Virginia earlier this year. The payment is expected to come from her insurance carrier. In …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Kate Andersen Brower’s Elizabeth Taylor: The Grit and Glamour of An Icon is billed as the first-ever authorized biography of the legendary actress, as her family and estate gave her access to Taylor’s private letters, photos and diaries. What Brower found was new insight into Taylor’s later-in-life emergence as an influential activist, using her star power to …

Billboard Magazine reports: What better way to celebrate being No. 1 by setting an enormous table for one? Mariah Carey had a lot to be excited about this week thanks to her perennial holiday classic, “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” climbing back to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart. The song logged its ninth total …

Variety reports: Come on Robbie, let’s go party! Warner Bros. has released the official trailer for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” film, starring Margot Robbie as the eponymous fashion doll. While plot details have been kept tightly under wraps, the film does find Barbie and Ken stuck in the real world, where the former discovers the challenges of being a live woman. …

Broadway World reports: More casting has been announced for the upcoming Broadway revival of Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. Thomas Kail will direct the production, which will begin performances at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on February 26, 2023 with opening night set for March 26. Joining Josh Groban as Sweeney Todd and Annaleigh Ashford as …

Patch Manhattan reports: For the first time in its storied history, the Tony Awards will take place next year in Washington Heights. The surprise announcement happened Tuesday morning, where organizers announced the 2023 award show for the best of Broadway would take place in the United Palace Theatre. The Tony Awards are generally hosted in Times Square or the Theatre …

Variety reports: A decade after “Avatar” cemented its place in box office record books, director James Cameron is returning to the lush world of Pandora with “The Way of Water.” Will moviegoers be eager to reconnect with the Na’vi? Based on opening weekend projections, it appears that Jake Sully and company have — against all odds – remained in the …

As you’ve seen, Disqus has “upgraded” the comments system: Today, after weeks of listening to and incorporating tons of awesome feedback from our awesome community of commenters and publishers, we’re taking a huge step forward in fully deploying the new comment section across our entire network. It’s a very exciting day! We’ve taken a very intentional approach to our redesign. …

Variety reports: A class-action lawsuit contends that stakeholders in Yuga Labs, the parent company of NFT series Bored Ape Yacht Club and its affiliated digital products, engaged in a conspiracy with celebrities to defraud potential investors. In the complaint, filed Dec. 8 in federal district court in L.A., Yuga partners — including veteran music manager Guy Oseary — are named …

Billboard Magazine reports: Will Smith wants to ensure that anyone with Internet access can stream his passion project, Emancipation, for free on Apple TV+. The Antoine Fuqua-directed film, chronicling the harrowing freedom journey of a Black man who escaped slavery in Louisiana, premiered on the streaming platform on Friday (Dec. 9). The 54-year-old actor reached out to Apple and secured …

Deadline reports: In the midst of his massive farewell tour, Sir Elton John took the time to say another goodbye this morning. “I’ve decided to no longer use Twitter, given their recent change in policy which will allow misinformation to flourish unchecked,” John wrote on Twitter. “All my life I’ve tried to use music to bring people together. Yet it …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Discovery+ and ID are exploring the real story behind Fox’s hit series Glee. The streamer has ordered a three-part docuseries from Ample Entertainment, the company behind HBO docuseries The Invisible Pilot and Facebook’s 9 Months with Courteney Cox. The currently untitled series will address the controversies surrounding the series, including the case of Mark Salling, who played …

Variety reports: Broadway veteran Ethan Slater, who scored a Tony nomination for “SpongeBob SquarePants: The Musical,” has been cast as Boq in Universal’s big-screen adaptation of “Wicked.” In the film, directed by Jon M. Chu, Slater is joining the previously announced cast of Ariana Grande as Glinda, Cynthia Erivo as Elphaba and Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero. Variety also reported that …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Detailing eerily familiar alleged modus operandi on the part of the man once known as “America’s Dad,” two former The Cosby Show actresses and three other women today sued Bill Cosby and NBCUniversal for sexual assault and battery in New York state court. “Plaintiffs were all sexually battered, assaulted, and abused by Bill Cosby as a part …

Deadline reports: Pop superstar and songwriter Neil Diamond, who retired from touring in 2018 after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, surprised the opening night audience of A Beautiful Noise Sunday with a post-show performance of his signature hit “Sweet Caroline.” Diamond was greeted with a standing ovation upon entering the the Broadhurst Theatre just before the start of the musical, …

Billboard Magazine reports: Glass Animals‘ “Heat Waves” reigns as the No. 1 hit on Billboard‘s 2022 year-end Hot 100 Songs chart, following its sizzling, record-breaking run on the weekly ranking, which blends streaming, radio airplay and sales data. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny tops Billboard‘s 2022 year-end Hot 100 Artists recap. He charted all 22 newly released tracks on his album Un …