Open Thread

Pitchfork reports: Roberta Flack has been living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The progressive neurodegenerative disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, has “made it impossible [for Flack] to sing and not easy to speak,” according to a press release. The news of Flack’s diagnosis was shared in a press release that also noted that a documentary about the singer …

Variety reports: Marvel’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” dominated the domestic box office in its debut, earning $180 million over the weekend and providing a much-needed lift to beleaguered cinemas. The sequel demolished the record for a November opening in North America, soaring past the previous high-water mark of $158 million set by 2013’s “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” Globally, the …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Merhan Karimi Nasseri, an Iranian man who lived for 18 years in Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport and inspired the Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks film The Terminal, died Saturday at the airport, officials said. He was believed to be 80 years old. Nasseri died from a heart attack in the airport’s Terminal 2F around midday, officials …

The Verge reports: Kevin Conroy, the voice actor who was the Batman for a generation, passed away at the age of 66. DC public relations wrote, “It is with profound sadness that I send this to you today. Kevin Conroy, the quintessential voice of Batman, a dear friend to so many of us, has passed away.” Conroy enjoyed a prolific …

Variety reports: Paul Haggis lost his civil rape trial after a New York jury found the Oscar-winning director liable on charges that he sexually assaulted a former film publicist after a movie premiere nearly a decade ago. Haggis was found liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse. The jury deliberated for nearly six hours and the unanimous …

Variety reports: Brendan Fraser’s highly-acclaimed comeback is front and center in the first trailer for “The Whale,” the latest film from director Darren Aronofsky (“Requiem for a Dream,” “Black Swan”) and A24. “The Whale” follows Charlie (Fraser), an English teacher living with obesity who has decided to eat himself to death. His pain and misery stems from the abandonment and …

CTV News reports: Justin Trudeau is swinging by the “werkroom” on an upcoming spinoff of “Canada’s Drag Race.” Producers of the drag queen competition series say the Prime Minister will make a special appearance on “Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World.” He’s the first world leader to visit the RuPaul-founded competition series, which has more than a dozen global …

Variety reports: In a collaboration that feels very stuck in 2020, AMC Theaters and Zoom will join forces to allow audience members to video chat from the comfort of their local multiplex. Beginning sometime in 2023, at least 17 AMC venues across the United States will work with Zoom to facilitate conference calls between “small, medium and large-sized groups in …

Variety reports: Although for official purposes all Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees are created equal, some are bound to loom larger than others when the rubber hits the road. And so, as much as hardcore fans of Duran Duran or Iron Maiden might have flooded into L.A.’s Microsoft Theatre in ordinate numbers for Saturday night’s ceremony honoring the …

Deadline reports: A few hours after a story emerged that indicated there’s little love for him among Twitter workers past and present, the service’s former Twitter CEO and cofounder Jack Dorsey has responded. The animosity toward Dorsey has reached a fever pitch in the wake of the service firing a reported 3,700 people from its 7,500 worldwide workforce. Many blamed …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: HBO has switched off Westworld. The network has decided to cancel the sci-fi drama after its recent fourth season. It’s an unexpected fate for a series that was once considered one of HBO’s biggest tentpoles — an acclaimed mystery-box drama that racked up 54 Emmy award nominations (including a supporting actress win for Thandiwe Newton). Last …

USA Today reports: After keeping a two-year relationship out of the public eye, a former Miss Argentina and a former Miss Puerto Rico secretly tied the knot, announcing their surprise via Instagram with a montage of clips of them together. Mariana Varela of Argentina and Fabiola Valentín of Puerto Rico confirmed their nuptials on Oct. 28 with photos and videos …

Variety reports: At the height of backlash against J.K. Rowling over her views on the transgender community, “Harry Potter” star Daniel Radcliffe published an open letter in which he proclaimed, “Transgender women are women.” In a new interview with IndieWire, Radcliffe opened up about why he decided to speak out publicly against the author who essentially gave him his acting …

Billboard Magazine reports: Taylor Swift scores one of the most historic weeks in the 64-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, as she becomes the first artist to claim the survey’s entire top 10 in a single frame. Swift surpasses Drake, who logged nine of the Hot 100’s top 10 for a week in September 2021. Leading the …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Ever since Elon Musk announced he would buy Twitter in April, a number of prominent showbiz types have had a sinking feeling. Some of them, like Mia Farrow, announced at the time that they were considering quitting. A range of other prominent figures have either threatened to quit (Stephen King), signed off for a break which may …

Variety reports: “Saturday Night Live”‘s cold open focused on the national drama surrounding hard-fought elections in Georgia, Pennsylvania and Arizona in the opening sketch of Season 48’s fourth episode. Portraying Dr. Mehmet Oz, cast member Mikey Day, donned a Phillies hat and awkwardly spoke of having a delicious “Philadelphia Cheese and Steak.” Day, as Oz, referred to his Democratic rival …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas will air Thursday, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC. Musical guests Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jimmie Allen, Zach Williams and Miley Cyrus join Dolly on the special. Tom Everett Scott, Angel Parker and Ana Gasteyer also star. The film is described as a modern-day movie musical about …

Deadline reports: Shelley Duvall (The Shining) is gearing up to return to screens via The Forest Hills — an indie horror-thriller from writer-director Scott Goldberg, which marks her first project in 20 years. Also starring Edward Furlong, Chiko Mendez and Dee Wallace, The Forest Hills follows a disturbed man who is tormented by nightmarish visions, after enduring head trauma while …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Hocus Pocus 2 set a record for streaming minutes by a movie on Nielsen’s weekly chart, drawing more than 2.7 billion minutes of viewing from September 26 to October 2. The Disney sequel premiered on September 30, meaning only its first weekend counted toward the total. Netflix’s Dahmer took the top spot easily with almost 4.4 billion …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Jules Bass, the animator, producer, director and composer who partnered with Arthur Rankin Jr. on the stop-motion holiday TV specials Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman and Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town, has died. He was 87. Bass died Tuesday at an assisted living facility in Rye, New York, publicist Jennifer Fisherman Ruff told …