Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: New Jersey may be the first state to pitch itself as an alternative to Georgia production but won’t be the last amid national furor at the Peach State’s restrictive new voting law. Atlanta’s booming entertainment infrastructure has so many advantages from rebates to infrastructure, yet the state is making itself a liability again. The website of the …

Variety reports: On Saturday, just over a year since COVID-19 shuttered Broadway, three-time Tony winner Nathan Lane and Tony-winning choreographer Savion Glover performed before an audience at the St. James Theatre, marking the first time since Broadway’s closure that the door to one of its houses opened. Lane and Glover performed for a gathering of less than 150 staffers from …

Variety reports: After a delayed start due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the hotly anticipated “Friends” reunion is finally set to film next week — the week of April 5 — a source tells Variety. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry will reunite on a Warner Bros. soundstage for the HBO Max special. HBO …

Eurovision Extra reports: We are sad to report that Patrick Juvet, who represented Switzerland at the Eurovision Song Contest 1973, has passed away. Juvet was 70 years old. His agent confirmed the news to AFP today. Juvet sang Je vais me marier, Marie. He eventually placed twelfth in the competition. Proper success followed later in the 1970s. He focused on …

Variety reports: To honor Transgender Day of Visibility on Wednesday, Lucasfilm debuted an exclusive cover of the “Star Wars: The High Republic” comic book series that features two trans non-binary characters. Making their first appearance in the second issue of “Star Wars: The High Republic,” Terec and Ceret are Jedi bond-twins from the planet Kotab. Analytical and inquisitive, they have …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Game of Thrones is headed to Broadway. A dramatic stage show spectacular based on George R.R. Martin’s fantasy world is now in development, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively. The play is from producers Simon Painter and Tim Lawson (The Illusionists), in partnership with Kilburn Live, and will have a story by Martin, who is working …

Variety reports: The hip-hop superstar who broke records with his country-infused hit “Old Town Road” is stirring controversy after promoting his new sneakers, a collaboration with MSCHF, which feature Satanic imagery, a Bible verse and a drop of real human blood. The shoes were made using Nike Air Max 97s, but the sportswear giant has said they do not endorse …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Warner Bros/Legendary’s Godzilla Vs Kong has set a new benchmark for the biggest international box office debut by a Hollywood film during the pandemic era with an estimated $121.8M from 38 overseas markets. Those were led by China’s $70.34M (RMB 457M). Legendary markets and distributes its modern monster series in the Middle Kingdom where GVK topped the …

Deadline Hollywood reports: The Food Network is about to launch a true “high concept” television series. Chopped 420 is a spin-off of the popular Chopped series, in which four chefs battle it out through appetizer, main course and dessert stages using picnic baskets filled with challenging foods. As the name of the new series suggests, it will explore cannabis cookery …

USA Today reports: Lil Nas X fans, rejoice! His new single and music video, titled “Montero (Call Me By Your Name),” are here – and Twitter users already have a lot to say. The video, out Friday, shows the singer in a colorful fantasy world, where he plays multiple characters and slays in elaborate makeup, hair and costuming. In a …

Variety reports: Late-night host and comedian Jay Leno has issued an apology for a series of jokes told over his career targeting Asian communities. The apology comes after a nearly 15-year campaign from the activist group Media Action Network for Asian Americans (MANAA) for remarks as recent as Variety‘s 2020 report that Leno cracked about Koreans eating dog meat — …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Sony Pictures has set a movie based on Bewitched, the classic TV series that starred Elizabeth Montgomery. Terry Matalas and Travis Fickett, who ran the MacGyver and 12 Monkeys series, will write the script. John Davis and John Fox are producing through Davis Entertainment. Sony tried a romantic comedy movie version in 2005, which Nora Ephron directed …

Deadline Hollywood reports: HBO has set an April 7th release date for anticipated hybrid series, Exterminate All the Brutes. The four-parter from acclaimed director Raoul Peck (I Am Not Your Negro) will dissect the processes by which history is created and concealed. Per HBO, it will specifically examine the “exploitative and genocidal aspects of European colonialism,” asking viewers to think …

The Decider reports: Jeopardy fans have been treated to an ever-changing lineup of guest hosts since the show lost its beloved Alex Trebek last year, but the latest famous figure to take over the game show podium is causing a stir for all the wrong reasons. When the show promoted Dr. Oz‘s Jeopardy gig on Twitter, fans were outraged that …

Variety reports: With movie theaters beginning to reopen in Los Angeles at 25% capacity, L.A. moviegoers are celebrating the return of their favorite pastime. Variety‘s senior writer Matt Donnelly visited the AMC Theatres in Century City to check in with patrons about going back to the movies. Customers said they find it difficult to watch movies at home now after …

Deadline reports: An hour-long special designed to raise awareness on Covid-19 vaccinations will air next month on NBC. Roll Up Your Sleeves: Presented By Walgreens is set to air at 7 PM ET/PT on Sunday, April 18. The special will encourage Americans to get vaccinated with the somewhat controversial treatments available to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. NBC said the special …

Variety reports: Nobody – literally nobody – knows when or how Broadway will reopen. But now, a year into a shutdown that began March 12, 2020, the road map to recovery has begun to take shape. The pace and scope of vaccinations continue to accelerate and expand. With the science evolving and the specifics of government support still pending, major …

Variety reports: The anonymous woman who first made allegations about Armie Hammer on social media has come forward publicly. “I thought that he was going to kill me,” the woman, named Effie, said through tears on Thursday during a press conference with her attorney, Gloria Allred. Effie is accusing Hammer of violent rape and physical abuse, during their on-and-off four-year …

NBC News reports: Conductor James Levine, who ruled over the Metropolitan Opera for more than four decades before being eased aside when his health declined and then was fired for sexual improprieties, has died. He was 77. Levine died March 9 in Palm Springs, California, of natural causes, his physician of 17 years, Dr. Len Horovitz, said Wednesday. Levine made …

Deadline reports: Michelle Obama’s bringing her healthy eating initiatives to Jimmy Kimmel Live. In a clip promoting Obama’s upcoming late-night appearance, the former First Lady meets Jimmy Kimmel’s his daughter, Jane, who is reluctant to try vegetables. When Obama asks why she’s hesitant to try the veggies, Jane responds. “I don’t really like to try new things,” she tells the …