Open Thread

The New York Times reports: Sting has sold his songwriting catalog, including hits with the Police like “Every Breath You Take” and “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” and solo work like “If You Love Somebody Set Them Free,” to the Universal Music Group, in music’s latest blockbuster catalog deal. The transaction, announced on Thursday by Universal’s music publishing …

Variety reports: Good news, everyone! “Futurama” is being revived at Hulu. Variety has learned that the streaming service has ordered 20 new episodes of the adult animated sci-fi comedy series. The revival hails from David X. Cohen and Matt Groening. Cohen developed the original series with Groening, the series creator. Original series cast members Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Sherri Shepherd is finalizing a deal to become a permanent host on The Wendy Williams Show, sources tell Deadline. Along with fellow actor Michael Rapaport, Shepherd emerged as the lead guest hosts on the show, filling in on a regular basis for Williams since the beginning of the 13th season as the veteran talk show host took …

Billboard Magazine reports: When Shaylee Curnow — better known to her fans as Peach PRC — set out to record her latest single, the Australian TikTok star had a specific vision in mind: a sarcastic, flippant track making fun of God. Weeks later, that song, aptly titled “God Is A Freak,” has officially been released via Republic Records. Throughout the …

Variety reports: After living through nearly two years of a pandemic that won’t end, Americans, as it turns out, were in desperate need of a laugh. That may explain why Paramount’s go-for-broke action comedy “Jackass Forever” triumphed at the domestic box office while Roland Emmerich’s disaster epic “Moonfall” turned into an epic disaster. The science-fiction catastrophe film crash-landed on the …

Variety reports: Among Spotify users, 19% said they have already canceled their service — or plan to — over the Rogan uproar, according to a Feb. 1 consumer poll conducted by Forrester Research. The study also found that 54% of those who use Spotify have no intention of canceling their subscription, while 18.5% said they would considering canceling only if …

The New York Times reports: James Bidgood, who elevated erotic gay photography to an art in the 1960s and ’70s with his carefully staged phantasmagoric pictures, and who was the anonymous director behind “Pink Narcissus,” a gay film released in 1971 that became something of a cult classic, died on Jan. 31 in Manhattan. He was 88. Brian Paul Clamp, …

Variety reports: The 2022 Oscar nominations are nearly here, and on Thursday morning the Academy announced that actors Tracee Ellis Ross and Leslie Jordan will be on hand to announce the nominees next week. Ross (“Black-ish,” “The High Note”) and Jordan (“Will & Grace,” “The Help”) will host a live presentation of the 2022 Oscar nominations on Tuesday, Feb. 8, …

Variety reports: David Crosby and Stephen Stills have joined Neil Young and Graham Nash in asking their labels to remove their collective recordings from Spotify. According to the announcement, in support of stopping harmful misinformation about Covid-19 on Joe Rogan’s Spotify-hosted podcast, the musicians have decided to remove their records from the streaming platform including the recordings of Crosby, Stills, …

ESPN reports: Brian Flores has sued the NFL and three teams — the Dolphins, the Broncos and the Giants — alleging discrimination regarding his interview processes with Denver and New York and his firing last month by Miami. Flores claims Dolphins owner Stephen Ross attempted to incentivize him to “tank” or purposely lose games shortly after he was hired in …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: More than two years after it was first announced, filming has begun the Grease prequel TV series. Originally titled Rydell High and ordered at HBO Max before moving to Paramount+ and gaining a new title, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies has unveiled its cast and begun production in Vancouver. Set four years before the beloved …

Variety reports: Howard Hesseman, a prolific character actor who became a beloved TV mainstay through his roles on sitcoms “WKRP in Cincinnati” and “Head of the Class,” died Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Los Angeles of complications from colon surgery he had undergone last summer. He was 81 years old. Hesseman found his most iconic role playing radio DJ Dr. …

Variety reports: Spotify’s market capitalization fell about $2.1 billion over a three-day span this week, coming after folk rocker Neil Young yanked his songs from the audio-streaming giant to protest Joe Rogan’s misinformation-spreading podcast. Shares of Spotify fell 6% from Jan. 26-28. Over the same time period, the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index rose 1.7% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average …

“I think that men have, in my view, become quite feminized. I have these very strong women in my life who do not take masculinity as a sign of oppression toward them. “There are a lot of, I think, cowardly genes that lead to people surrendering their jeans and putting on a skirt.” – Oscar winner Sean Penn, speaking today …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: To celebrate the upcoming 25th season of South Park, creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone assembled a group of Broadway stars, along with a 30-piece orchestra, to perform the series’ classic tune “Kyle’s Mom’s a Bitch.” Arranged by Broadway veteran Stephen Oremus, the (classy) “Kyle’s Mom” rendition premiered Wednesday, featuring singers Nikki Renee Daniels, Tamar Greene, …

Variety reports: Jeremiah Caplinger pleaded guilty on Nov. 5, 2021 to one count of stepping on, climbing, removing or injuring property on U.S. Capitol grounds during the Jan. 6 insurrection. Ahead of Caplinger’s sentencing next month, newly-filed court documents obtained by Variety reveal that prosecutors in the case used a famous quote from the HBO fantasy series “Game of Thrones” …

The New York Post reports: The long arm of the law doesn’t like bargain basement cocktail specials – even if they’re whipped up to help struggling restaurants drum up business during a slow January. Anton’s, the West Village eatery that drew crowds – and a column in last week’s Side Dish – with its 25 cent martinis and Manhattans – …

Deadline reports: As reporters were being whisked away from a White House meeting on Monday, Fox News’ Peter Doocy shouted one last question to President Joe Biden. “Do you think inflation is a political liability …in the midterms?” Doocy could be heard asking. Biden then could be heard muttering, in a bit of sarcasm, “That’s a great asset. More inflation. …

Deadline Hollywood reports: With an amazing $1.69B worldwide cume through Sunday, Sony/Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home has become the No. 6 film ever globally, passing Jurassic World ($1.67B) and The Lion King ($1.662B) to get there. This includes a running $970.1M from the international box office, which should portend an eventual $1B overseas gross — and without a China bump. …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Oscar winner Whoopi Goldberg returns to the Star Trek universe in the official season two trailer for Star Trek: Picard. Below is a first look at Goldberg’s Guinan as she counsels Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) after he’s plunged into an alternative timeline by the powerful Q (John de Lancie). In the new season, Picard and his …