Open Thread

Variety reports: Lin-Manuel Miranda will not be present at the Academy Awards on Sunday evening. The creative composer has elected against attending the Oscars ceremony at the Dolby Theater “out of caution” after learning that his wife, Vanessa Nadal, has recently tested positive for COVID-19. The situation comes on the precipice of a potentially historic night for Miranda. The composer …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Diana the Musical, the much-mocked telling of the life story of Diana, Princess of Wales, has swept the board at this year’s Razzie Awards. The stage show, of which a filmed version was shown on Netflix, won five awards at this year’s Golden Raspberries, including worst picture, worst actress for Jeanna de Waal in the title role, …

Deadline Hollywood reports: JK Rowling responded to Vladimir Putin’s TV broadcast today in which the Russian president defended her as a victim of cancel culture and claimed the West was attempting to cancel his country. On Twitter, the Harry Potter author posted the below message in which she tried to distance herself from Putin, adding the hashtag #IStandWithUkraine. During a …

Variety reports: “The Batman” director Matt Reeves released a deleted scene from his superhero epic on Thursday featuring Robert Pattinson’s Caped Crusader facing off against his classic nemesis, the Joker, played by Barry Keoghan. The scene is available after visiting a website that mimics the word puzzles posed by the Riddler (Paul Dano) in the movie. As Reeves explained to …

People Magazine reports: Raven-Symoné and her Raven’s Home costars are protesting Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill. On Tuesday, the cast walked off the set of the popular Disney Channel series in response to the recently passed bill (HB 1557), which prohibits discussion about sexual orientation and gender identity in primary school classrooms. In a video shared on Instagram, Symoné, standing …

Deadline Hollywood reports: CBS will try again to launch a successful dating show by ordering to series The Real Love Boat, a reality competition series that’s inspired by the classic ’70s series that took place on Princess Cruises ships. The U.S. network and Australian Broadcaster Network 10 will jointly commission localized versions of the show that will bring “singles together …

Deadline Hollywood reports: As many of its LGBTQ+ employees get set for a full-day walkout tomorrow, Disney has decided to postpone a management retreat set for next week as it continues efforts to calm the internal waters. News of the postponement came as Disney CEO Bob Chapek conducted a town hall meeting today for all employees. The exec is continuing …

Deadline Hollywood reports: “We are in the throes of yet another award season. Some in our tribe have been known to use the spotlight to advocate for issues addressed in their nominated works –climate change, universal health care, voting rights, LGBTQ advocacy and others. “And I know for some in the audience, in some audiences, have been known to create, …

Deadline reports: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have been forced to cancel the first big engagement of their Caribbean tour, following a village protest in Belize and claims of “colonialism”. The royal couple will arrive in the eastern Central American country today to begin an eight-day royal tour, but the first stop on their trip, a visit to Akte’il …

Variety reports: According to a source close to the production, Pixar’s next feature film, “Lightyear” — starring Chris Evans as the putative real-life inspiration for the “Toy Story” character Buzz Lightyear — does feature a significant female character, Hawthorne (voiced by Uzo Aduba), who is in a meaningful relationship with another woman. While the fact of that relationship was never …

The Huffington Post reports: Dolly Parton could wind up in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year against her own wishes. Officials for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame released a statement on social media Thursday defending their decision to nominate the country superstar for induction this year. Though Parton announced she had withdrawn her nomination this …

Variety reports: Netflix will soon launch a test letting primary account holders pay an additional fee for users outside their households — a new attempt by the company to address illicit password-sharing. A member may be prompted to verify their account only if a device outside of their household logs in to the account; Netflix may then ask the user …

Variety reports: A group of Disney employees have planned a week of in-person and virtual walkouts in response to the company and CEO Bob Chapek’s handling of Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” Bill. On Monday afternoon, the Twitter account called Disney Walkout posted a message explaining that, “The LGBTQIA+ workers and allies at The Walt Disney Company are standing in solidarity …

Billboard Magazine reports: Dolly Parton is bowing out of her nomination for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. “Even though I’m extremely flattered and grateful to be nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I don’t feel that I have earned that right,” Parton said on social media on Monday (March 14). “I really do …

Variety reports: Sony’s hit action adventure “Uncharted” has been banned in Vietnam over the film’s inclusion of a map that depicts China’s contested territorial claims in Southeast Asia. The film, which stars Tom Holland, Mark Walhberg and Antonio Banderas was to have arrived in Vietnamese cinemas from March 18. Prior to this weekend, the film had grossed $278 million, according …

Deadline reports: KTLA reporter Gene Kang was doing a live standup on a prior hit-and-run collision at 84th and Hoover Street in Los Angeles when another incident was captured for the home audience as it happened. Kang was on camera Thursday talking about how dangerous the intersection was when two cars collided directly behind him. The crew filming Kang immediately …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Reacher collected 1.589 billion minutes of streaming to give Amazon Prime Video its first No. 1 finish in Nielsen’s weekly streaming rankings for February 7 to 13. While it declined from 1.843 billion minutes the previous week, the action thriller series edged Netflix romantic drama Sweet Magnolias, which drew 1.556 billion minutes. Nielsen measures total viewing via …

Billboard Magazine reports: Grimes and Elon Musk are parents again. The singer revealed in a cover interview with Vanity Fair that she and the Tesla founder recently expanded their brood via surrogacy during the pandemic to welcome a baby girl in December. In keeping with the couple’s space-age love story, their second born’s name is an intergalactic marvel: “Exa Dark …

Deadline reports: Amazon stock rose 7% in after-hours trading after the tech company announced a 20-for-1 stock split and a $10 billion share buyback authorization. The stock finished the regular trading day at $2,785.58, up almost 3% in a stellar session across the board for Wall Street. Shares in the company have been comfortably above $3,000 throughout 2021 before slumping …

Pitchfork reports: Universal Music Group has suspended all of its operations in Russia and closed its offices in the country. UMG’s staff will continue to receive their salaries for an undetermined period, but artists will see most of their recording activity put on hold. “Effective immediately, we are suspending all operations in Russia and closing our offices there,” Universal Music …