Open Thread

Deadline Hollywood reports: Armie Hammer‘s gradual return to Hollywood continues, we can reveal, with a cameo appearance in a new music video from actress and singer Georgina Leahy. Hammer appears fleetingly in the pop track as a character called “Kannibal Ken” according to the song’s official YouTube credits. The song, titled Typical Squeeze, is about a rebellious woman who is …

Theatre Mania reports: Under the leadership of new artistic director Gavin Thrasher, the chorus of nearly 300 voices will perform holiday classics and unique seasonal offerings with a special twist, some of which have been part of the NYC Gay Men’s Chorus’s annual holiday concert tradition since the chorus’s founding 40 years ago. Selections include: “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),” …

Deadline reports: The actor’s name is Slawomir Sobala and he plays “the most despised person in the world.” He knows he likely won’t receive any awards for his performance despite its power and timeliness and the personal risks in its physical production. His movie, titled Putin, opens January 10 on screens in 64 countries, including about 200 in the U.S. …

Deadline reports: The Thanksgiving stretch is delivering an unprecedented estimated $422M at the domestic box office. AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron says that this weekend is “a national phenomenon” when it comes to moviegoing. The Wednesday through Sunday tally for all movies breaks the previous Thanksgiving record for all titles from 2018. Distribution sources always felt we were in for …

Deadline reports: Romy and Michele are getting ever closer to another reunion: In a new interview, Mira Sorvino says a follow-up to the 1997 hit comedy Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion starring herself and Lisa Kudrow is “so close to being greenlit.” In the exclusive interview with People, Sorvino reports that a deal has been done with a director, …

Deadline reports: A small group of protesters who held Palestinian flags and anti-genocide posters briefly halted this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. The group — which has not been identified — jumped the protective barriers at W. 55th Street and Sixth Avenue where they sat on the ground and chanted “Free Palestine.” The group blocked the large …

Billboard Magazine reports: It’s official: Shaboozey‘s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” spends a 19th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, tying the all-time record set by Lil Nas X’s Billy Ray Cyrus-featuring “Old Town Road” in 2019. The song holds at No. 1 the week the same week that his new single, “Good News,” debuts on …

Variety reports: Earl Holliman, the handsome actor who won a Golden Globe for his supporting role in “The Rainmaker” and appeared in numerous Westerns and dozens of films including “Giant” and “Forbidden Planet,” died Monday in Studio City. He was 96. His partner Craig Curtis announced his death. Holliman also starred in the first episode of “The Twilight Zone” in …

Variety reports: Everything’s still coming up Milhouse for Pamela Hayden. The actress, who has voiced Bart’s best friend on “The Simpsons” for 35 years, is retiring after Sunday night’s episode, “Treehouse of Horror Presents: Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes.” But Hayden said she has no regrets in parting ways with the long-running show. “How many actors can say they’ve worked …

Deadline reports: Robbie Williams has called for the music industry to create a support group for “young stars struggling with fame” following the death of former One Direction singer Liam Payne last month. Williams, who came to fame himself as a 16-year-old with the UK pop group Take That, spoke of his own struggles and hoped a “think tank of …

Variety reports: “Wicked” is pocketing lots of green, with the Universal release coming in on the upper side of projections to head toward the third-biggest domestic opening of the year. Now forecasting a $117 million sum for the weekend, that’d only be behind “Deadpool & Wolverine” ($211 million) and “Inside Out 2” ($151 million) among 2024 releases. And Paramount’s “Gladiator …

ABC News reports: “Wicked” hits theaters today. While fans of the musical may be looking forward to singing along, AMC Theaters thinks the “popular” choice is to remain quiet. The movie chain plans to play a 30-second advisory before the film, reminding moviegoers that “silence is golden.” That means no singing and no wailing. Fans will possibly be able to …

The Wrap reports: Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi have moved to rural England, put their Montecito estate on the market and plan to never return to the United States, telling friends the election of Donald Trump was their primary motivation, a person close to the former TV host told TheWrap. Though the incoming Republican administration was the cited …

Variety reports: When J.K. Rowling first went public in June 2020 about her belief that transgender women are men, many of the stars of the “Harry Potter” and “Fantastic Beasts” movies — including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and Eddie Redmayne — immediately spoke out in support of trans and nonbinary rights and identity. Under new leadership, Warner Bros. …

Variety reports: Is “Glicked” the new “Barbenheimer”? Whether “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” inspires an unorthodox double feature à la last summer’s simultaneous blockbusters “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” remains a question. Either way, there’s a box office battle brewing between Universal’s pink-and-green musical and Paramount’s bloody sword-and-sandal epic, both of which open on Friday. “Wicked” is expected to lead with a huge …

Variety reports: After four weeks on the big screen, “Conclave” has managed to do something that few other adult-skewing films have achieved in the post-pandemic era: Sell some tickets. Director Edward Berger’s mystery thriller about the politicking and backstabbing behind the selection of a new pope has generated $26.5 million at the domestic box office since late October. Ticket sales …

Variety reports: “Red One,” a Christmas-set action comedy starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Santa’s head of security, unwrapped a soft $34.1 million from 4,032 North American theaters in its box office debut. Those ticket sales were enough to top the domestic box office, ending the three-week reign of “Venom: The Last Dance.” However, the Amazon MGM film cost $250 …

Variety reports: While X was filled with fans eager to watch the start of Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson on Netflix, many were complaining about buffering and image issues during earlier fights, causing disappointment and an inability to keep up with the action. Several Variety staffers watching the broadcast also ran into buffering and lagging issues. Meanwhile, “Unwatchable” and “#NetflixCrash” …

Variety reports: Emmy-winning comedian, writer, producer and former late-night host Conan O’Brien has been tapped to host the 97th Oscars, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Friday. This marks O’Brien’s first stint as as host, coming after two consecutive years with Jimmy Kimmel as emcee. The ceremony is also coming off winning an Emmy for outstanding variety …

Variety reports: Denzel Washington revealed in a video interview with Gayety that he kissed a man on the lips while filming “Gladiator II,” but the scene was cut out from the theatrical cut of the long-awaited sequel. The Oscar winner stars in Ridley Scott’s film as Macrinus, a wealthy powerbroker in Rome who keeps a stable of gladiators for sport. …