Open Thread

Variety reports: Somewhere over the rainbow, indeed! Kenya Barris tells me that LGBTQ representation will be featured in his “Wizard of Oz” remake. “The original was an allegory and a reflection of the way the world was at the time with things like the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl,” says Barris, who will write and direct the reimagining for …

E News reports: Jon Hamm is clearing up the decade-long rumor that he doesn’t wear underwear once and for all. “I have worn underwear every single day of my life,” a laughing Hamm said during a Sept. 19 appearance on SiriusXM’s The Howard Stern Show. “Yes that’s a rumor. First of all who doesn’t wear underwear? I love a comfy …

Deadline Hollywood reports: The Bodyguard is coming back to the big screen to celebrate its 30th anniversary since its release. On Sunday, Nov. 6 and Wednesday, Nov. 9, Whitney Houston and Kevin Costner will return to movie theaters in the romantic film. The companion album to 1992’s The Bodyguard is the best-selling soundtrack of all time and tied for the …

Deadline reports: Beetlejuice will end its Broadway run at the Marquis Theatre on Jan. 8, 2023, producers announced today, making the musical the second high-profile production in recent days to announce a post-holiday departure. Last Friday, The Phantom of the Opera announced that it would end its 35-year run in February, a casualty of a market still soft from the …

Deadline reports: DirecTV has formally apologized for a second straight week of glitches that wiped out its popular, decades-old Sunday Ticket offering. NFL fans and customers lit up Twitter on Sunday with their outrage when it became clear that the TV operator was experiencing a second straight week of technical difficulties. From end to end, the outage lasted about two …

Variety reports: Woody Allen has announced his retirement from filmmaking. While in Europe to work on his 50th film, Woody Allen told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that he intended to retire from making movies and to dedicate more time to writing during his twilight years. What is now set to be his final film is set in Paris and will …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Elton John will perform at the White House next week for an event, “A Night When Hope and History Rhyme.” According to an invite that went out in recent days, the singer will perform on the South Lawn of the White House on Friday.He’ll be the latest entertainer to perform at the White House as it returns …

Variety reports: David Beckham, Sharon Osbourne and “Good Morning Britain” anchor Susanna Reid are among the hundreds of thousands of mourners who have spent hours queuing for a chance to pay their respects to Queen Elizabeth II while she lies in state ahead of her funeral on Sept. 19. Beckham told Sky News — who caught up with him while …

Variety reports: Sony is bringing the spirit of Whitney Houston to theaters. The studio has released the first trailer for “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” a biographical drama about the life and times of the iconic singer. “The End of the F***ing World” star Naomi Ackie has the daunting task of portraying the legendary vocal powerhouse in the film, along …

Deadline Hollywood reports: HBO will premiere documentary Mama’s Boy, a feature adaptation of the 2019 memoir by Oscar-winning Milk scribe Dustin Lance Black, on Tuesday, October 18 at 9 PM ET/PT. Laurent Bouzereau directs the film, which hails from LD Entertainment, Ambin Television and Playtone, in association with Nedland Media. The film, which centers around Black’s upbringing, features interviews with …

Variety reports: Andrew Callaghan, the 25-year-old gonzo journalist who has grown to fame with his Channel 5 YouTube documentaries, is taking his next project to HBO. The company has acquired his documentary about the Jan. 6 insurrection, Variety can exclusively reveal. The documentary will follow Callaghan’s “wild RV journey through America in the months leading up to the January 6 …

Variety reports: Disney made quite a splash at its D23 Expo last weekend with a first look at Halle Bailey’s live-action “The Little Mermaid,” which earned over 104 million global views, Variety has learned exclusively. The clip takes viewers on a journey through the ocean before showing the shimmering underwater life of Ariel (Bailey), who teases her version of the …

Deadline reports: Lea Michele confirmed today that she has tested positive for COVID-19 and will be out for a longer period than initially stated. The former Glee star posted the news via her Instagram Story, citing “production protocols” that will see her sidelined from Broadway’s Funny Girl. “Unfortunately, I have officially tested positive for COVID. In following production protocols, I …

Deadline Hollywood reports: The ensemble cast and crew of Nicholas Stoller’s gay rom-com Bros were on cloud nine at the film’s Toronto press conference on Saturday, following its buzzy world premiere on Friday night as a special presentation followed by rave reviews. Billy Eichner, who also takes co-writer credits, stars as an emotionally unavailable New York podcast host who finds …

Variety reports: “The world belongs to the weird.” So says the tagline for “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story,” but the wee hours of Friday morning belonged to Daniel Radcliffe as the comedy made its world premiere as the clock struck midnight at the Toronto International Film Festival. Radcliffe stars as the beloved parody musician in the upcoming Roku original film, …

Variety reports: “The Crown,” the hit drama about Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and the events that shaped it, will likely stop production on Season 6 following the death of the Queen, sources close to creator Peter Morgan confirmed to Variety. Netflix has not yet released a statement. Her death comes ahead of Season 5 of the Netflix show, which is …

Deadline Hollywood reports: The original stars of The Lord of the Rings film series by Peter Jackson are coming together to plead for inclusivity amid a racist backlash against the series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Some viewers have expressed their discontent over the casting of people of color for the series as they believe it …

Variety reports: Elon Musk has reignited his longstanding rivalry with Amazon founder and executive chairman Jeff Bezos, this time over Amazon’s buzzy new series “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” The first two episodes of “The Rings of Power” debuted Sept. 2 on Prime Video to strong reviews from critics and 25 million global viewers during their …

Deadline reports: Today in Wisconsin, President Joe Biden responded to the latest in a string of hecklers interrupting his public appearances. “As I said last week,” Biden told the crowd in an appearance broadcast on MSNBC, “we remain in the battle for the soul of America.” “All right. God love ya,” replied Biden directly to the man, who was then …

Deadline Hollywood reports: The man whose infant image graced the cover of Nirvana’s multimillion-selling Nevermind album has seen his lawsuit about that photo tossed by a Los Angeles judge. Spencer Elden, age 31, claimed in his legal papers that the shot of him swimming towards a dollar bill on a fish hook amounted to child porn. US District Judge Fernando …