Tag Archives: movies

CNN reports: Years after Kathy Griffin shaved her head in solidarity with her sister who was undergoing chemotherapy, the comedian and actress has announced she has lung cancer. “I’ve got to tell you guys something. I have cancer,” Griffin began a note posted Monday on her verified Instagram account. “I’m about to go into surgery to have half of my …

The New York Times reports: Nielsen, the 98-year-old research firm that for decades has had an effective monopoly on measuring TV ratings in the United States, has a new metric that it says allows it to make an apples-to-apples comparison, on a percentage basis, of how many people are streaming shows and films on their TVs versus how many are …

From the Federal Trade Commission: The operators of the MoviePass subscription service have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission allegations they took steps to block subscribers from using the service as advertised, while also failing to secure subscribers’ personal data. Under the proposed settlement, MoviePass, Inc., its parent company Helios and Matheson Analytics, Inc. (Helios), and their principals, Mitchell Lowe …

Reuters reports: Masks are no longer required at the three main movie theater chains in the United States for people who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, according to updated guidelines on Friday. AMC Entertainment, Cinemark and Regal Cinemas said on their websites that movie goers who are not fully vaccinated will be asked to continue wearing masks, and that …

Reuters reports: Russia’s communications regulator Roskomnadzor on Friday warned Walt Disney Co against distributing content it said was harmful to children in Russia with its release of a short film, “Out”, which features a gay main character. Roskomnadzor said it had sent a letter to Disney noting that it was against Russian law to distribute information which “denies family values …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: In a landmark mega deal, Amazon is acquiring MGM Holdings — whose storied studio boasts one of the largest film and TV libraries — in a bid to turbocharge its Prime membership offering to customers and potentially mine intellectual property of franchises such as James Bond and Rocky. The deal, pending regulatory approval, values the studio …

Wrestling.com reports: WWE legend John Cena has issued an apology to China for calling Taiwan a country in a recent interview. During a promotional tour for Fast & Furious 9, Cena referred to Taiwan as a country while speaking to TVBS – sparking outrage among Chinese fans. Cena posted a video message on the Sina Weibo platform clarifying his comments, …

The Wall Street Journal reports: Amazon.com Inc. is nearing a deal to buy the Hollywood studio MGM Holdings for almost $9 billion including debt, said people familiar with the matter, a pact that would turn a film operation founded in the silent era into a streaming asset for the e-commerce giant. An agreement could be announced as early as this …

Entertainment Tonight reports: Charles Grodin, who famously starred in The Heartbreak Kid, Midnight Run, and Beethoven, died on Tuesday from bone marrow cancer, EW has confirmed. He was 86. Although Grodin was mostly known for his work on the big screen, throughout his long career he also appeared on television, dazzled on Broadway, authored multiple books, and was a political …

Deadline Hollywood reports: Billie Hayes, whose portrayal of the flamboyantly and comically wicked witch Witchiepoo on the 1969-70 Saturday morning live-action children’s classic H.R. Pufnstuf, died of natural causes April 29 at Cedar’s Hospital in Los Angeles. She was 96. A Broadway veteran by the time she reached national fame as the flute-stealing nemesis to a psychedelic dragon, Hayes had …

The Los Angeles Times reports: Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis, the theater veteran who rose to prominence late in her career with memorable turns in 1980s films such as “Moonstruck” and “Steel Magnolias,” has died at the age of 89. Dukakis, who also starred in “Look Who’s Talking” and “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” died at her home in New York City. “The …

The New York Times reports: “Nomadland,” Chloé Zhao’s meditation on grief and the damaged American dream, won Academy Awards for best picture, director and actress at Sunday night’s surreal ceremony, a stage show broadcast on television about films mostly distributed on the internet. It was a sleepy event until the final minutes, when academy voters served up a dramatic twist …

The Associated Press reports: Hollywood’s theatrical business may be slowly rebounding but for some exhibitors the last year has been catastrophic. Pacific Theaters, which operates some 300 screens in California, including the beloved ArcLight theaters and the historic Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, said Monday that it will not be reopening. “This was not the outcome anyone wanted, but despite a …

The New York Times reports: Will Smith and the director Antoine Fuqua said on Monday that they were pulling their upcoming film production “Emancipation” out of Georgia because of the state’s new voting law, which has been denounced by activists as an effort to make voting harder for the state’s Black population. The slavery-era drama, which is being produced and …

Law & Crime reports: Federal prosecutors on Tuesday announced that agents with the FBI arrested a 34-year-old Los Angeles actor on charges that he oversaw a Ponzi scheme that swindled investors out of approximately $227 million. Zachary Joseph Horwitz, who also uses the stage name “Zach Avery,” allegedly bilked investors out of their funds by promising the money would be …

Variety reports: Jessica Walter, an Emmy-winning actress known for her work as the stalker in Clint Eastwood’s “Play Misty for Me,” and for the TV series “Arrested Development” and “Archer,” died Wednesday in New York. She was 80. Walter received an Emmy nomination in 2005 for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy for playing the manipulative alcoholic Lucille Bluth in …

Variety reports: George Segal, whose long career included playing Albert “Pops” Solomon on “The Goldbergs,” and garnering an Oscar nom for supporting actor for “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” died Tuesday. He was 87. His wife Sonia announced his death, saying, “The family is devastated to announce that this morning George Segal passed away due to complications from bypass surgery.” …

NBC News reports: Netflix has never made a big deal about password-sharing, but a new test suggests the company may be reconsidering. Netflix is trying out a new policy with some customers, prompting certain people to sign up for a separate account if they aren’t watching with the subscriber. The message reads: “If you don’t live with the owner of …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Gina Carano will not be returning to The Mandalorian or the Star Wars galaxy after sharing a post on social media implying that being a Republican today is like being Jewish during the Holocaust. “Gina Carano is not currently employed by Lucasfilm and there are no plans for her to be in the future,” a Lucasfilm …

Via press release: The SAG-AFTRA National Board, meeting via Zoom video conference, passed a resolution preemptively denying any potential re-admission applications by former member Donald J. Trump. The resolution cites the same concerns that prompted the initial disciplinary charges — which were resolved by Trump’s resignation on Thursday — notably his antagonism of the union’s journalist members and disregard for …