Open Thread

Variety reports: Carlos Marin, the ever smiling and sharply dressed baritone powerhouse of multi-national quartet Il Divo, died Sunday of COVID complications. He was 53. After feeling ill, Marin had been hospitalized on Dec. 8 in the Intensive Care Unit of the Manchester Royal Hospital while on tour in the U.K. His death was announced on Sunday by Il Divo …

Deadline Hollywood reports: HBO Max on Monday released the official trailer for Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts, the special set to debut on the streamer January 1. The special, coming on the heels of HBO Max’s recent reunion specials for Friends and The West Wing, will likewise dive into a beloved franchise. Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and …

Variety reports: After months of pandemic-wary patrons and tepid numbers, this year of recovery for the domestic box office is at least going out with a bang. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” webbed up a truly mind-boggling $121.5 million on Friday from 4,336 locations, putting itself on the path toward a projected $242 million opening weekend. That’s a performance the likes …

Variety reports: Brian May, the lead guitarist for Queen, tested positive for COVID-19. May shared the news via his Instagram page writing, “Yep. The shocking day finally came for me. The dreaded double red line. And yes – definitely NO sympathy please – it has been a truly horrible few days, but I’m OK. And I will tell the tale. …

Deadline reports: More Broadway cancellation updates: Tina – The Tina Turner Musical has paused performances through Monday, with the show now set to resume on Tuesday Dec. 21, and Hamilton, which had already canceled tonight’s performance, has now suspended performances through Sunday. The cancellations are the latest in a series of production pauses this week due to breakthrough Covid cases …

Variety reports: Reddit, the popular internet discussion platform valued at more than $10 billion, said it has confidentially submitted a draft registration statement with the SEC for a proposed initial public offering. Reddit announced the IPO filing Wednesday and had previously said it was contemplating going public. Word that Reddit is officially planning to launch an IPO comes after it …

Deadline Hollywood reports: For all the mishegaas exhibition has endured during the pandemic including streaming threats, day-and-date window crunching, older demos not showing up, local ordinances and countless release-date changes and eliminations, Sony’s Spider-Man: No Way Home arrives this weekend to save the day. As far as its U.S.-Canada prospects go, Sony is seeing at least $130 million at 4,325 …

Variety reports: Pixar’s “Wall-E,” “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi” and “Selena” have been selected for preservation by the National Film Registry. Each year, the Librarian of Congress names 25 motion pictures that are “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant. Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, the movies have to be at least 10 years old. Other titles …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Warner Bros. Japan dropped two new looks at its upcoming The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, and each offers surprises. Most important for fans is a hint of the Joker in director Matt Reeves’ take on the iconic comic book property. The first, longer trailer is centered more on Bruce Wayne than his becowled alter ego. “I’m here …

Variety reports: Audiences didn’t open their wallets to see the infamous rivalry between the Sharks and the Jets play out on the big screen. “West Side Story,” Steven Spielberg’s remake of the classic musical, fell flat in its box office debut, collecting a paltry $10.5 million from 2,820 theaters. That’s cause for concern because Disney and 20th Century Studios spent …

Deadline Hollywood reports: It’s a happy 90th birthday to iconic actress Rita Moreno, celebrating today the renewal of interest in one of her most famous roles, that of Anita in the 1961 version of West Side Story (she’s also the widow Valentina in the 2021 update). But lest we forget, Moreno is one of the few performers to have won …

Variety reports: Shares of Peloton, the fitness equipment company, fell 11.3% Thursday — tumbling to a 19-month low — after a key character in HBO Max’s “Sex and the City” revival, “And Just Like That,” was shown dying of a heart attack after a 45-minute workout on one of the company’s exercise bikes. The stock continued its slide Friday, down …

Variety reports: Lina Wertmüller, the first woman to score a best director nomination at the Academy Awards, died on Thursday in Italy. She was 93. Wertmüller’s death was reported in the Italian press. According to a friend, the writer and director died “peacefully at home, next to her daughter and loved ones.” In 1972, she made her Cannes debut with …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Netflix has set presenters and released a teaser for Queer Eye Germany, the first international spin-off from its reality series following a group of makeover experts – the ‘Fab 5’ – who team to turn the life around of a nominated individual. The German Fab 5 are as follows: Work/life coach Leni Bolt, fashion virtuoso Jan-Henrik Scheper-Stuke, …

Variety reports: Disney and 20th Century’s “West Side Story,” director Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of the classic musical, has been banned in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait. In some cases, like Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the film wasn’t granted a release certificate. In other countries, such as Qatar and Oman, Disney refused to comply with …

Deadline reports: Chris Cuomo, the former CNN host fired from the network last week amid various allegations of misconduct, is leaving his SiriusXM Radio show as well. SiriusXM confirmed that the show has been canceled. Cuomo announced his departure from the radio show in an Instagram message today, saying, “While I have a thick skin, I also have a family, …

Broadway.com reports: Stage and screen star Antony Sher has died at the age of 72. In September, his husband, collaborator and Royal Shakespeare Company Artistic Director Gregory Doran announced he would take a period of compassionate leave to care for Sher, who was diagnosed with cancer. Sher received an Olivier Award in 1985 for his performance in Torch Song Trilogy …

Variety reports: The Astroworld tragedy resulted in 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries, and has spawned some 275 lawsuits alleging negligence and misconduct on the part of the concert promoters, the venue and headliner Travis Scott. Attorneys on both sides of the sprawling litigation have filed a motion to consolidate those cases before a single judge for pretrial purposes. According …

USA Today reports: Be prepared for more than just holiday cheer this December. Get ready for holiday queer too. Netflix’s first gay holiday romantic comedy “Single All the Way” (now streaming) has arrived to lift holiday spirits and change up a traditionally heterosexual genre. Yes, there has been a glut of LGBTQ holiday romance movies as of late – Hulu’s …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Broadway theaters will dim their lights for Stephen Sondheim on Wednesday, December 8 at 6:30 p.m. ET. “It is impossible to measure Stephen Sondheim’s impact on the world of musical theatre,” said Charlotte St. Martin, President of The Broadway League in announcing the one-minute marquee light dimming, a Broadway tradition. “It is hard to imagine Broadway without …