Open Thread

New from our pal Matt Baume: Did homosexuality kill the dinosaurs? You might think you know the answer, but consider the perspective of the weird early 90s sitcom Dinosaurs, featuring giant Jim Henson puppets that tackled timely topics like war and drugs and racial prejudice — and yes they even had an episode with a thinly veiled metaphor for homosexuality, …

Deadline Hollywood reports: It’s only appropriate that the revival — or should I say spiritual sequel — to the 1996 occult classic The Craft will debut just in time for Halloween. Blumhouse Productions and Columbia Pictures not only dropped a trailer today that gives us the first look at The Craft: Legacy directed and written by Zoe Lister-Jones but also …

The Smoking Gun reports: The Ohio woman who recently called 911 to claim that “my pussy’s on fire” and, as a result, needed someone from the fire department to “put it out with their hose,” pleaded guilty today for her misuse of the emergency dispatch system. In a plea deal with prosecutors, Katrina Morgan, 50, copped to disorderly conduct with …

Fox News reports: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Kamala Harris, marking the first time he’s ever publicly thrown his weight behind a political candidate. With the exception of a brief flirtation with a 2020 presidential run himself, Johnson, 48, often takes great pains to remain apolitical at a time when Hollywood is seemingly …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: As Vin Diesel navigates 2020 away from the Fast and Furious set, he video chatted Kelly Clarkson on her show Thursday from a recording studio to premiere his debut single “Feel Like I Do” in collaboration with Kygo. “Feel Like I Do” is the first solo single by the action movie star and according to Diesel, …

Variety reports: A survey of concert pros conducted by the trade magazine Pollstar finds some interesting splits between optimism and continued wariness as the industry tries to forecast what lies immediately ahead for their battered and still largely shut down business. “It is encouraging that over half of all respondents, 54.7%, believe the industry will return to full capacity in …

Playbill reports: The release of the upcoming film adaptation of West Side Story, directed by Steven Spielberg, has been delayed nearly a year due to the ongoing pandemic. Originally scheduled to arrive December 18, 2020, the motion picture from 20th Century and Amblin will now hit screens December 10, 2021. Ansel Elgort and newcomer Rachel Zegler star as star-crossed Tony …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Fox has locked in two of the tentpoles of its Sunday animation block for two more years. The network has renewed flagship Family Guy for Seasons 19 and 20 and the Emmy-winning Bob’s Burgers for a 12th and 13th season. The two long-running series, along with animated stalwart The Simpsons, come from 20th Television. The Simpsons was …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: The “Amazon Room.” According to Mauricio Umansky, CEO and founder of The Agency, that’s the latest amenity some high-end Hollywood homebuyers are seeking when shopping for a new estate. In a COVID-19 world, buyers are looking for a room to store the many packages that arrive, and also a spot for them to decontaminate before opening. …

The New York Times reports: In its sixth and final season, “Schitt’s Creek” swept the comedy category on Sunday night, taking home seven wins at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards. The show won a total of nine Emmys this year, the most ever for a comedy in a single year. Catherine O’Hara kicked things off with the first acting Emmy …

Deadline Hollywood reports: The 72nd annual Primetime Emmy Awards caps a weeklong procession of honoring the best of 2020 in television Sunday with a hybrid virtual ceremony beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on ABC hosted by Jimmy Kimmel. The ceremony will also stream on ABC.com, and the full week of Emmy shows will be available on-demand on ABC.com …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: DC Universe will soon be rebranding as DC Universe Infinite, as it abandons its streaming shows to become a comics-only platform. As part of the news, HBO Max revealed it has renewed Kaley Cuoco’s Harley Quinn for a third season and that it will be the home to DC Universe’s streaming library of legacy content. The …

Metro Weekly reports: Rod Thomas, better known as Bright Light Bright Light, has released his long-awaited album Fun City, a tribute to queerness, queer spaces, and most of all, queer people everywhere. All but one of the tracks is a collaboration, and the roster reads as a who’s who of prominent (and should-be-prominent) LGBTQ artists, including, among others, Andy Bell …

Deadline Hollywood reports: After tapping Kat Coiro as director, Marvel Studios looks to have found its star to take over the title role in its She-Hulk series. Sources tell Deadline that Orphan Black star Tatiana Maslany is the choice to play the title character in Marvel’s She-Hulk series for Disney Plus. The last major character to be co-created by Stan …

Deadline reports: Jim Carrey is set to play Joe Biden in the upcoming season of Saturday Night Live as the NBC show adds three new featured players and will have a limited studio audience when it returns. Lorne Michaels, speaking in an interview with Vulture, said, “Maya Rudolph is coming back, and Alec [Baldwin] will be back. And Jim Carrey …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: South Park has set a one-night, hour-long “Pandemic Special” that will tackle the numerous issues of 2020 as only the long-running cartoon can, Comedy Central announced Tuesday. The usual 30-minute show has done several multiple-part series in the past, but never an episode running longer than a half-hour in the show’s 23-year history (not counting the …

Playbill reports: Dr. Anthony Fauci recently joined actor Jennifer Garner for a conversation on facing the coronavirus pandemic, current and future best safety practices, long-term ramifications, and more. During the Instagram Live interview (below), the Emmy nominee asked when we might be able to attend live performances as we did prior to the mass shutdowns. Dr. Fauci’s answer, while optimistic …

Billboard Magazine reports: Godmother of Soul Patti LaBelle will step up to the mic against Empress of Soul Gladys Knight for the next Verzuz battle Sunday, (Sept. 13). “The Master Class we’ve ALL been waiting for! @MsGladysKnight vs. @MsPattiLaBelle,” VerzuzTV announced on social media Tuesday (Sept. 8). “Leave ya church clothes on all Sunday and pull up to the affair …

Billboard Magazine reports: Madame X is adding auto-biopic screenplay writer to her long list of titles, as the pop icon shared details about the movie telling her life story during an Instagram Live Thursday night (Sept. 10). Oscar-winning Juno writer Diablo Cody has been accompanying Madonna in her quarantine hobby for the past few months. Although the pair have yet …

Deadline Hollywood reports: John Fogerty says that Donald Trump’s use of his song Fortunate Son at campaign rallies is “confounding, to say the least,” given that the lyrics to the song were inspired by rich people who were able to avoid the draft during the Vietnam war. When the song was played at Trump’s rally in Michigan on Thursday, a …