Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: When Alex Wagner debuts her new MSNBC show on Tuesday, she will be taking on an unusual arrangement that came about following Rachel Maddow’s contract renewal with  NBCUniversal. While Alex Wagner Tonight will share the same executive producer with The Rachel Maddow Show, Wagner said, “This is going to be a different show.” “We are trying to …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Contradicting Alec Baldwin’s prior claims, the FBI forensic report in the case claims that the gun from the fatal shooting on the set of the film Rust could not have been fired without pulling the trigger. Baldwin, the film’s producer and lead actor, shot cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set. He said he believed he was handling …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Taylor Swift’s filmmaking debut All Too Well: The Short Film — which the pop star has described as “a film about an effervescent, curious young woman who ends up completely out of her depth” — received an Oscar-qualifying run, making it eligible for the best live action short Oscar, and …

TMZ reports: Anne Heche was not under the influence of alcohol when she crashed her car into a home last Friday, but she was under the influence of cocaine … this according to law enforcement sources, and possibly fentanyl as well. LAPD sources tell TMZ … the department has tested the blood they drew after Anne was admitted to the …

Variety reports: Armie Hammer, the embattled actor who was accused of sexual abuse in early 2021, is the focus of a forthcoming Discovery+ docuseries, which also delves into his family history. The three-part series, “House of Hammer,” investigates accusations against Hammer — which he has emphatically and repeatedly denied through lawyers — including messages that he allegedly sent to women …

Variety reports: Lamont Dozier, one-third of the legenday “Holland-Dozier-Holland” songwriting and production trio who wrote many of Motown Records’ biggest hits for the Supremes, the Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Martha and the Vandellas and others, has died at the age of 81. The trio are a definitive example of people whose songs are much better known than they are; classics …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Anne Heche’s condition is far graver than it appeared over the weekend, a rep for the Emmy-nominated actor told Deadline. “At this time Anne is in extreme critical condition. She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention,” the rep said in a statement. “She is in a coma and has …

Variety reports: With Neil Gaiman’s highly-anticipated “The Sandman” arriving on Netflix this week, some viewers have been swift to comment on the show’s aspect ratio looking slightly off.  “Sandman” viewers first noticed the skewed images in trailers for the series, sparking some trepidation among fans of the original comic book series. The distorted images were not isolated to the trailer, …

The BBC reports: Australian musician Judith Durham, best known as the lead singer of folk music group The Seekers, has died aged 79. Anthony Albanese, Australia’s prime minister, paid tribute to Durham, calling her “a national treasure”. Her band sold more than 50 million records and had hits including I’ll Never Find Another You, I Am Australian, and Georgy Girl. …

The Associated Press reports: Picture it: A vacant Beverly Hills bistro has been transformed into the set of a 1980s sitcom about four women living in Miami — but it’s also a working restaurant. Reservations have been going fast at the newly opened The Golden Girls Kitchen. Some patrons have come from out of state to see the pop-up eatery. …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: In a surprising development, Warner Bros. will no longer be releasing Batgirl, the DC film that already completed shooting and was expected to arrive on HBO Max this year. The unusual move comes after a change in leadership at Warners, with newly installed CEO David Zaslav prioritizing cost-cutting measures. Batgirl was budgeted at around $80 million, …

Variety reports: “Days of Our Lives” is moving to Peacock. The long-running NBC soap opera is officially moving to the NBCUniversal-owned streaming platform starting on Sept. 12. It has aired on NBC since it first launched in 1965. Beginning Sept. 12, in the timeslots previously occupied by “Days of Our Lives,” “NBC News Daily” will debut across NBC stations. The …

Variety reports: Showtime has elected against moving forward with a second season of its anthology series “The First Lady.” The decision comes a little over six weeks after the series aired its Season 1 finale on the network. “Showtime can confirm that the anthology series ‘The First Lady’ will not be moving forward with another season,” a Showtime spokesperson told …

Variety reports: Beyoncé’s seventh studio album “Renaissance” debuted July 29 to universal acclaim, but one lyric in the song “Heated” left many listeners outraged on social media. The song includes the word “spaz” during a verse in which Beyonce sings: “Spazzin’ on that ass, spazz on that ass.” In the medical field, “spastic” refers to a disability that makes it …

Deadline Hollywood reports: They were drug dealers. Murderers. Disloyal criminals breaking almost every law imaginable. And now there are statues of them in a proud hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico. The “Breaking Bad” team of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman (Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul, respectively) were honored Friday by the town where they were slinging the blue meth in …

People reports: Kelis is one of many musicians whose work is sampled on Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance — and the “Bossy” hitmaker feels disrespected. Queen B’s new song “Energy” includes an interpolation of Kelis’ 2003 signature hit “Milkshake,” on which Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes are the sole credited writers and producers. (Williams, 49, and Hugo, 48, …

Deadline reports: Only a week after the head of the BBC pledged never to broadcast again its discredited Panorama interview with Diana, Princess of Wales, it emerges that extracts from the 1995 program will be included in a documentary to be shown on Sky and Now TV next month. The Princess, a documentary directed by Ed Perkins re-telling the late …

Variety reports: Malaysian theater operator Golden Screen Cinemas has announced that “Thor: Love and Thunder” will not get a theatrical release in the country. In June, the release of Pixar animation “Lightyear” was canceled in Malaysia after the country’s censorship authority (LPF) asked for cuts to the film, understood to include a same-sex kiss, in order for the film to …

Variety reports: After a long and much-publicized interruption, Chris Cuomo wants to get after it again. Cuomo, who made that phrase the mission statement for his 9 p.m. program on CNN, is taking his bulldog demeanor and lean-in anchoring style to NewsNation, the still-nascent news outlet backed by large station owner Nexstar Media, which has in recent months made a …

Yahoo News reports: Tony Dow is on his deathbed, his family told media outlets on Tuesday after it was incorrectly reported by the 77-year-old Leave It to Beaver star’s management team that he had died. Dow’s son Christopher confirmed to PEOPLE: “This is a difficult time. Yes he is still alive but in his last hours. Under hospice care.” “My …