| | | | What's news: Adidas joins the growing boycott of Kanye "Ye" West. Harvey Weinstein's L.A. rape trial has begun. James Corden addressed his recent restaurant ban drama on The Late Late Show. House of the Dragon's season one finale was a huge ratings hit for HBO. Henry Cavill is officially back as Superman. — Abid Rahman |
Ye Boycott Snowballs ►"Ye’s recent comments and actions have been unacceptable, hateful and dangerous." Adidas has ended its business relationship with Kanye “Ye” West after the rapper turned fashion mogul made repeated antisemitic comments and shared conspiracy theories. The German sportswear giant has been under increasing pressure to end its highly profitable collaboration with Ye's Yeezy label for a number of weeks as the commercial boycott of the rapper grows. The story.
—Reps no more. On Monday, it was revealed that CAA had stopped representing Ye within the last month. The Century City-based talent agency had worked with the artist, but his antisemitic rhetoric in multiple recent interviews has proved indefensible to some business partners. The story.
—"We cannot support any content that amplifies his platform." Film and television studio MRC is shelving a completed documentary focused on Ye. CEOs Modi Wiczyk and Asif Satchu, as well as COO Scott Tenley, wrote an open letter on Monday, explaining their decision. The story.
—"She felt she could no longer support the organization." The educational consultant for Ye's unaccredited K-8 private Christian school, who holds a prominent position at two Los Angeles-based Jewish educational institutions, has resigned. Tamar Andrews, who worked with Donda Academy since July, officially resigned earlier this month following Ye's antisemitic tweets. The story.
—"Hate speech is never ok." Kim Kardashian is condemning hate speech against the Jewish community amid growing condemnation of her ex-husband Ye's various antisemitic statements. Earlier on Monday several members of Kim’s family — including mom Kris Jenner and sisters Khloé Kardashian, Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner, shared their own, matching statements in support of Jewish people. The story. |
Inside Damon Lindelof's 'Star Wars' Movie ►Post-Skywalker Saga plans. THR's Borys Kit has the exclusive lowdown on Damon Lindelof's now not so secret Star Wars movie project. Borys reveals that the project has been in the works for months and that Lindelof is writing the script with Justin Britt-Gibson, an up-and-coming writer who worked on Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain and Starz’s The Counterpart. Sources say the movie project is intended as a stand-alone and could potentially bring back some characters from the 2010s films. The story.
—"She couldn’t get any words out because of her fear." Harvey Weinstein's Los Angeles rape trial began on Monday, with the prosecution telling the jury of eight accusers who will testify about violent encounters with the disgraced mogul from 1991 to 2013. Prosecutor Paul Thompson recounted graphic details about multiple assaults. Testimony was cut short after the first accuser broke down in tears on the stand. The story.
—"I totally understand everybody getting upset." James Corden addressed the seemingly ongoing drama surrounding his recent temporary ban from a New York restaurant for alleged “abusive” behavior on Monday’s episode of The Late Late Show. Following a week of intense scrutiny, speculation and a fair deal of social media backlash, a chastened and sheepish Corden took the time to explain what had happened and why he had said so little about his very public dust-up with the owner of the famed eatery Balthazar. The story.
—A stunning success. The season finale of House of the Dragon brought in a big audience for HBO on Sunday. HOTD ended its first season with 9.3m viewers across all platforms, down a bit from its early episodes but still the largest first-night showing for an HBO season or series finale since Game of Thrones' series finale in May 2019. Since its Aug. 21 premiere, according to HBO, HOTD has averaged a massive 29m viewers per episode — higher than all but the final two seasons of GOT. The story.
—"I wanted to make it official." After years of speculation, Henry Cavill delighted DC fans by revealing he is back as Superman. The actor shared a video confirming his commitment to play the DC hero in future films after returning for the mid-credits scene in Black Adam, which was released over the weekend and marked his first time in the role since 2017’s Justice League. The story. |
Leslie Jordan 1955 - 2022 ►"You were loved, sweet man." Leslie Jordan, the goofy comic actor perhaps best known for his Emmy-winning turn as Beverley Leslie, the cynical foil to Megan Mullally’s Karen Walker, on Will & Grace, has died. He was 67. Jordan was at the wheel of a BMW when he crashed into the side of a building at Cahuenga Boulevard and Romaine Street in Hollywood on Monday morning. He was declared dead at the scene and could have suffered a medical emergency beforehand. The obituary.
—"The funniest and flirtiest Southern gent I’ve ever known." Following his sudden passing, tributes are flooding in for Leslie Jordan, the beloved character actor who also entertained millions with his social media videos at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sean Hayes, Eric McCormack, Megan Mullally, Ellen DeGeneres, Billy Eichner, Dustin Lance Black were among many in Hollywood who took to social media to pay their respects to Jordan. The reaction. |
Will Smith Hosts "Epic" Screening of 'Emancipation' ►"An amazing and brilliant group of friends got together and witnessed TRUE ART!" Three weeks after Apple debuted Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation in Washington D.C., the Will Smith-starrer screened for an intimate crowd in Los Angeles that included Rihanna and boyfriend ASAP Rocky, Tyler Perry, Kenya Barris, music producer Corey Smyth, celebrity stylist Fawn Boardley and writer-producer Esa Lewis, among others. Perhaps the most notable guest in the room — aside from Smith himself — was Dave Chappelle. The comedian recently finished a sold-out European arena tour with Chris Rock, who was slapped by Smith on stage at the Oscars. The story.
—Inevitable. Apple is raising the price of its Apple TV+ subscription streaming service for the first time. The cost will jump from $4.99 per month to $6.99 per month under the new pricing structure, while the annual plan will jump from $49 per yer to $69 per year. Apple Music will also raise the price of its single plan by $1 per month to $10.99, its family plan by $2 per month to $16.99 per month, and the annual plan to $109 per year, a $10 increase. The story.
—Downsizing. Warner Bros. Discovery’s restructuring costs are beginning to take shape. On Monday the company said in a securities filing that it expects to take $3.2b to $4.3b in pre-tax restructuring charges tied to its WarnerMedia acquisition, including write-downs related to content of between $2b to $2.5b. The story.
—"They’re accusing us of not covering climate change." ABC’s The View was derailed on Monday as climate protesters interrupted the program multiple times during an interview with Sen. Ted Cruz. Cruz, who was there to promote his new book, was answering a question when shouts could be heard from the show’s live audience. The protestors were "escorted out by security," per a spokesperson for the show. The story. |
Tokyo Fest Kicks Off With Return of Overseas Guests, Ultraman ►Return to normalcy. The Tokyo International Film Festival rolled out the full red carpet, all 541 feet of it, for the first time since 2019, once again welcoming guests from around the globe to a new venue for its opening ceremony on Monday night in the Japanese capital. Over a hundred people, and Ultraman, walked the carpet as the festival looked to regain its pre-pandemic prominence. The story.
—"She pretty much murders Max in front of a live audience." THR's Seth Abramovitch spoke to Zethphan Smith-Gneist, the up-and-coming actor who features in the most-talked about scene from Todd Field’s provocative masterpiece Tár. The 21-year-old Berlin-based actor plays the "BIPOC pangender" Juilliard student who faces off with the conductor in an intensely debated sequence from the movie. The interview.
—He's back. Tobin Bell is set to return as Jigsaw killer John Kramer in Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures next installment of the Saw franchise. Bell has appeared in eight Saw films, but did not star in 2021's Spiral. The next Saw film is set for a release on Oct. 27, 2023. The story.
—🎭 Casting news 🎭 Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara have grabbed lead roles in The Island, the next feature from Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski (Cold War). The period film about jealousy, betrayal and murder in paradise, is inspired by true events. The film is set to shoot in 2023 and will be shopped by FilmNation Entertainment to international buyers at AFM. The story. |
TV Review: 'The White Lotus' S2 ►"Just as sharp, almost as tasty." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews season two of HBO's The White Lotus. Jennifer Coolidge returns for the second installment of the Mike White series, which follows a new group of resort guests played by Aubrey Plaza, Michael Imperioli, Theo James, F. Murray Abraham and more. The story.
—"Uneven, but with two or three gross, spooky standouts." THR's chief TV critic Dan Fienberg reviews Netflix's Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. The Pan's Labyrinth director curates a collection of eight spooky tales from top-tier current horror directors for the streamer's new anthology series. The review.
—"A bleak if beautifully made portrait of rural strife." THR film critic Jordan Mintzer reviews Takeshi Fukunaga's Tokyo International Film Festival competition entry Mountain Woman. A Japanese girl tries to avoid starving to death in this somber period drama from the writer-director behind 2015's Out of My Hand. The review.
In other news...
—Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania trailer shows off new villain Kang
—Life of Pi play to open on Broadway in March
—Wayne Brady to host 2022 American Music Awards
—Adam Sandler to receive performer tribute at Gotham Awards
What else we're reading...
—Laura Wagner is not convinced that startup Semafor will solve the media's polarization problem [Defector]
—As Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's divorce reenters the press cycle, Angelica Jade Bastién looks back and reflects on the fantasy that was Brangelina [Vulture]
—Becca Warner argues we need a subtler, more varied portrayal of climate change in film than just climate disaster blockbusters [BBC]
—Adam Manno spoke to celebrity nannies who have sided with Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis over the recent scandalous tabloid leak [Daily Beast]
—Wonderful Jonathan Jones profile of David Shrigley, the artist we should all really love [Guardian]
Today...
...in 1978, writer-director John Carpenter unleashed Halloween in theaters, spawning decades of imitations and sequels of the iconic horror title. The original review.
Today's birthdays: Mia Goth (29), Antony Starr (47), Craig Robinson (51), Katy Perry (38), Ciara (37), Gale Anne Hurd (67), Samantha Bee (53), Leslie Grossman (51), Mia Wasikowska (33), Adam Goldberg (52), Melinda McGraw (54), Krista Marie Yu (34), Mehcad Brooks (42), Christopher McQuarrie (54), Valter Skarsgård (27), Nancy Cartwright (65), Tracy Nelson (59), Phil Daniels (64), Mathieu Amalric (57), Adam Pascal (52), Tyler Alvarez (25), Zachary Knighton (44), Sarah Thompson (43), Hong Sang-soo (62), Ross Bagdasarian Jr. (73), David S. Ward (77), Chad Smith (61) |
| Janet Thurlow, the jazz singer and widow of famed trombonist Jimmy Cleveland who performed with Lionel Hampton’s orchestra and helped give Quincy Jones an early career boost, has died. She was 96. The obituary. |
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