Open Thread

Billboard Magazine reports: The Weeknd’s “Blinding Lights” adds another honor to its already historic Billboard Hot 100 run, spending a record-tying 87th week on the chart (dated Aug. 14). It equals the run of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive,” which logged its time on the tally in 2012-14. “Blinding Lights,” released on XO/Republic Records, bowed on the Hot 100 dated Dec. 14, …

New from our pal Matt Baume: In 1977, the popular cop show Starsky and Hutch tackled a murder mystery centered around a Los Angeles gay bar, complete with a depiction of queer life that’s surprisingly nuanced for the late 70s. Then, less than a decade later, an episode of Murder She Wrote featured a similar storyline, but this time the …

Variety reports: Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas, a co-founder of soul-funk outfit Kool & the Gang, died on Saturday, his reps confirmed to Variety. He was 70. According to a press release, Thomas died “peacefully in his sleep” in New Jersey. Thomas had just performed with Kool & the Gang at their Los Angeles show at the Hollywood Bowl, which kicked …

Deadline Hollywood reports: As recent polls show Gavin Newsom at significant risk of being ousted in the Sept. 14 recall election, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Casey Wasserman and Andrew Hauptman are among the names chairing a fundraiser next week for the California governor. The Aug. 12 virtual event also is chaired by Van Fletcher and Skip Paul and Stephanie and Mark Robinson. …

The Week reports: A report from Variety this week revealed that Richards, the executive producer of Jeopardy!, is in “advanced negotiations” to succeed Alex Trebek as host. The idea of ending the lengthy job search for Trebek’s replacement by giving the role to the show’s own producer already drew some pushback on social media, especially from fans who wanted the …

Deadline reports: Deadline has confirmed that employees at Amazon Studios are now expected to return to office on Jan. 3, 2022. That’s in line with the rest of the Amazon’s corporate employees in the U.S. and some foreign countries. Originally, Amazon employees were looking to return the week of Sept. 7 after working remotely from home. Amazon won’t require workers …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Jane Fonda explored running for California’s governor in this year’s recall election, according to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, but ultimately decided to support Gavin Newsom, who is trying to retain his seat in the September 14 election. According to the report in the Chronicle, there were some discussions about putting up a progressive candidate …

Deadline reports: A new statewide poll of 1,000 registered voters shows a virtual dead heat between Californians who want to see Governor Gavin Newsom recalled and those who don’t. The Inside California Politics/Emerson College poll, conducted July 30-August 1, 2021, found 46% of respondents in favor of recalling Newsom and 48% of voters against his recall. Those numbers are within …

Variety reports: Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine has been sold for north of $900 million to a media company backed by the private-equity firm Blackstone Group Inc. Witherspoon and Sarah Harden, Hello Sunshine’s CEO, will join the board of the new company and will continue to oversee day-to-day operations. They will also remain significant equity holders. “Today marks a tremendous moment …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Influencer and actor Hayes Grier was arrested in Charlotte, North Carolina on Friday, on charges of assault causing serious bodily injury, common law robbery and felony conspiracy, according to police records. The Dancing with the Stars alum was booked into Mecklenburg County Jail yesterday at 4:17 PM EST. The 21-year-old was released at midnight after posting bond …

Billboard Magazine reports: Aretha Franklin’s legacy is getting the proper Respect it deserves in a new clip from the forthcoming biopic about the late superstar’s life. The minute-long clip features Jennifer Hudson portraying the Queen of Soul as she belts out her world-famous signature song “Respect.” Following a couple of teasers and trailers, the new video is the first full-length …

Variety reports: Adam Driver and Lady Gaga shine as Mr. and Mrs. Gucci in the trailer for “House of Gucci,” hitting theaters on Nov. 24. The film, directed by Ridley Scott, details the assassination of Maurizio Gucci (Driver) and the downfall of the Gucci family fashion dynasty. Gaga plays socialite Patrizia Reggiani, Maurizio’s ex-wife who was tried and convicted of …

Deadline Hollywood reports: The Walt Disney Co. has fired back at Scarlet Johansson’s lawsuit over the release of Black Widow, in a biting statement in which it said that the litigation showed a “callous disregard” to the Covid-19 pandemic and even revealed that she has so far received $20 million from the project. In her lawsuit, filed on Thursday in …

Deadline reports: ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill is being remembered by friends, musical colleagues, and even the governor of Texas paying tribute. Hill’s death was announced today by bandmates Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard. The bassist was 72. “Rock and roll has been stopped in its tracks,” tweeted Martha Quinn, one of MTV’s original veejays whose tenure at the channel …

Variety reports: Jack Whitehall says he didn’t know that his character McGregor in “Jungle Cruise” was gay when he originally auditioned for the film. “When I first read the script, there was only a like a couple of sides,” the British actor told me at the movie’s premiere at Disneyland. “So yeah, there wasn’t any indication of that. It was …

New from our pal Matt Baume: For over sixty years The Muppets have been entertaining kids and adults alike. You probably know their creator, Jim Henson, who brought everyone together, and you might be familiar with Frank Oz, Jim’s close collaborator. But there’s another Muppet performer you might NOT know — part of the core group who was there from …

Variety reports: “The Walking Dead” dropped a full-length trailer for its final season, Season 11, during a panel for San Diego Comic-Con at Home on Saturday. The trailer saw plenty of zombified action, while also highlighting fan favorite characters like Daryl, Carol, Maggie, Gabriel, Ezekiel, and Negan among many others. Fans also got more in-depth looks at the villainous Reapers …

Deadline reports: Federal prosecutors filed a detailed court document Friday, asking a New York judge to admit new allegations against R&B singer R. Kely in his upcoming sex trafficking trial. The new accusations include alleged acts which R. Kelly has not been charged with, but are “directly relevant to and inextricably intertwined with the evidence of the charged crimes,” prosecutors …

Billboard Magazine reports: With the release of “Industry Baby,” Lil Nas X isn’t just doing time in “Montero State Prison” — he’s doing his part to help get others out. Alongside the release of his new single and video, which depicts the rapper springing himself from a fictional jail, Lil Nas X announced his new collaboration with The Bail Project. …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Last September, the first trailer to Dune was released to much fanfare. Ten months later, Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi adaptation is back after a long delay as COVID-19 upended the theatrical marketplace. Timothée Chalamet stars in Dune as Paul, heir to House Atreides. The new trailer opens with Chani (Zendaya) narrating a look at her desert planet, …