Open Thread

The Hollywood Reporter reports: The Independent Spirit Awards were the latest Hollywood voting body to go genderless with its awards, announcing on Aug. 23 that the best lead actress and best supporting actress awards were being retired forever. Instead, there will be only “best lead performance” and “best supporting performance” awards handed out to a gender-diverse pool of 10 nominees …

The Verge reports: Movie tickets across the US will cost just $3 on Saturday, September 3rd in celebration of National Cinema Day. If you’ve never heard of such a holiday before (at least in the US), that’s because it never existed until now, apparently. The $3 ticket price (not including tax) applies across all tickets, formats, and showtimes — and …

The Insider reports: Amazon has put big money into its new series based on J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings” book trilogy. The 8-episode season of “The Rings of Power” has cost the company $715 million, or more than 5.1 million annual subscriptions to Amazon Prime, according to the Wall Street Journal. Last year, Amazon said that it had …

Variety reports: Hulu has set the premiere date for its next big doc: the Adam McKay and Billy Corben-produced Jerry Falwell Jr. project, “God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty,” Variety has learned exclusively. “God Forbid” tells the sensational story of evangelical leader and former Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr., his wife Becki Falwell and Giancarlo …

People Magazine reports: On Friday, Britney Spears and Elton John unveiled their highly anticipated new duet “Hold Me Closer,” which combines the chorus of John’s 1972 smash “Tiny Dancer” and verses of his 1992 hit single “The One” with fresh, dance-pop production — and marks Spears’ first release since the termination of her 13-year conservatorship. Ahead of its official debut, …

Deadline reports: “Time to make Ron DeSantis a one-term governor,” California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote today of the Florida leader. Newsom proposed to do so by donating $100,000 to DeSantis’ opponent in the November midterm, Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla). Newsom posted the statement on Twitter along with a link to an ActBlue fundraising page and the prompt, “Who will join …

Billboard Magazine reports: Lourdes “Lola” Leon is following in her famous mother’s footsteps. The 25-year-old daughter of Madonna shared her debut single “Lock&Key” on Wednesday (Aug. 24) under the moniker Lolahol, carving her own path in the music industry with the seductive club anthem. “Lock&Key,” which was co-produced by Eartheater, arrives via her label Chemical X. The song is also …

Deadline reports: A revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical Sweeney Todd starring Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford could land on Broadway this Spring, with the team behind Hamilton – producer Jeffrey Seller and director Thomas Kail – attached, according to a published report. The production – reported exclusively today by Philip Boroff’s Broadway Journal site – would be the latest …

Deadline Hollywood reports: History was made at HBO with the debut of House of the Dragon. The Game of Thrones prequel drew 9.986 million viewers across linear and HBO Max platforms in the U.S. Sunday, the largest audience for any new original series in the history of pay cable. The premiere also marked the largest series launch on HBO Max …

The Detroit Free Press reports: The grand reopening of the Belle Isle slide was a zany sight, as riders soared into the air. The culprit: the slide was freshly waxed, according to staff members. The giant ride was reopened on Friday after closing due to COVID-19. Children excitedly flooded the gates, until seeing others ride down. Slide goers flew into …

Billboard Magazine reports: After a career in the public eye with huge chart hits, lauded Broadway performances and a much-beloved song in a ’90s Disney classic, R&B star Tevin Campbell is ready to let fans in on a part of his personal life. In a new interview on the PEOPLE Every Day podcast, Campbell confirmed that he identifies as a …

Deadline reports: CNN’s chairman and CEO Chris Licht told anxious staffers Friday that more changes are coming to CNN, as he addressed the news of Brian Stelter’s exit following the cancellation of his Sunday show Reliable Sources. According to sources who were present, Licht told CNN employees at Friday’s well-attended editorial meeting, “There will be moves you may not agree …

Variety reports: Data provided exclusively to Variety Intelligence Platform from Q Scores, the longtime industry standard for quantifying celebrities’ star power and appeal, indicates Will Smith’s numbers tanked months after the actor smacked presenter Chris Rock on live TV. Before the incident, Smith consistently ranked among the country’s top 5 or 10 most positively rated actors in Q Scores’ semiannual …

The Daily Beast reports: Wendy Williams often appeared incoherent in the months leading up to the cancellation of her talk show, and then had to be repeatedly reminded that the program had been axed, according to a new report that sheds light on her battle to stay on the air. Sources said Williams spent the summer of 2021 in and …

CBS News reports: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has formally apologized to Sacheen Littlefeather for her mistreatment at the 1973 Academy Awards, where the Native American actress and civil rights activist was booed and ridiculed as she declined the Best Actor award on Marlon Brando’s behalf. “The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and …

Variety reports: Kenya Barris is taking the yellow brick road to Oz for Warner Bros.’ upcoming “Wizard of Oz” remake. The creator of “Black-ish” is set to write and direct the reimagining, which is completely separate from New Line’s previously announced retelling of “The Wizard of Oz.” New Line’s version will be directed by Nicole Kassell (“Watchmen”) and is described …

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 …