Entertainment news: July through mid-August

It’s been a month and a half since I did and entertainment blog. Lots to report on. Most notably I actually got out to a theater to see Marvel’s “Black Window” in IMAX. As the IMAX screen lit up in the six channel Dolby Atmos surroundsound kicked in I turned to my friend and said “My God I missed this!” The film did not disappoint. It starts with the rather poignant and tragic childhood of Natasha Romanoff whose parents were Russian spies embedded in the US. When their cover was blown they had to flee. Natalia and her sister were turned into assassins and a cruel method that involved mind control. Later in the movie she and her sister reunite with her father and mother and the dinner table conversations were absolutely hilarious among this dysfunctional and alienated family. Lots of other inside jokes are scattered throughout the story and as you might expect there is plenty of superhero action and state-of-the-art special-effects. Overall a great film to return to the theater after 18 months away.

Marvel hasn’t been idle during that time of course. We wrapped up “The Falcon and The Winter Soldier” which was excellent as well as “Loki” which is going to be instrumental in setting up the next series of MCU films. Both series streaming on Disney+ and are highly recommended.

DC’s “Suicide Squad” is available in theaters and sadly not doing very well in the box office. I will be catching it on HBO Max later this week and will have comments in my next installment.

Pandemic News

  • Drew Barrymore’s daytime talk show will return for season 2 with fully vaccinated live audience.

Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News

  • Doctor Who star Jodie Whittaker and showrunner Chris Chibnall will be leaving Michelle they will be around for season 13 this fall and 3 feature-length specials in 2022.
  • TNT announced “Snowpiercer” has been renewed for season 4 after just wrapping production on season 3. We are well pleased.
  • Netflix has canceled the Jamie Foxx sitcom “Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!”. I guess he got his wish.
  • Mark Harmon will only appear in a limited number of episodes of NCIS for season 19.
  • Wanda Sykes will join “The Good Fight” in a recurring role in season 5.
  • Showtime has renewed “couples therapy That includes for season 3.
  • AMC has ordered an eight episodes series based on Anne Rice’s “Interview with the Vampire”.
  • NBC has canceled “Good Girls” after 4 seasons. And it will not be moving to Netflix.
  • Apple TV+ announced their adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s “Foundation” will premier September 24.
  • Amazon announced there will be a second season of “Good Omens”. The original series pretty much covered the entire story from the original novel by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pritchett so this will have to explore new territory with the characters. The first season was absolutely various and I highly recommend it.
  • Dougray Scott will not be returning for season 3 of Batwoman as Jacob Kane.
  • Harry Connick, Jr. will play Daddy Warbucks in the upcoming NBC musical “Annie Live!”
  • HBO has canceled “Lovecraft Country” after just 1 season
  • Sports broadcasting legend Marv Albert has retired after 55 years.
  • Netflix has canceled “Cursed” about the legendary Lady of the Lake after just one season. The first season was okay but it took way too many remedies with the Arthurian legend.
  • Showtime announced the return of “Dexter” will be November 9.
  • PBS animated series “Arthur” is ending after 25 seasons.
  • Showtime has announced “The Chi” has been renewed for season 5.
  • Katy Perry, Luke Bryan, Lionel Richie, and Ryan Seacrest will all return for American Idol season 5.
  • Apple TV+ has canceled “Little Voice” after 1 season.
  • South Park has been renewed for 4 more seasons at Comedy Central additionally 14 movies have been ordered at Paramount+. The series will extend through 2027 and is worth a reported $900 million.
  • Disney+ has renewed animated series “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” for season 2.
  • Amazon has canceled “Panic” after 1 season.
  • Catherine Zeta Jones will play Morticia Addams in upcoming Netflix series “Wednesday”to be produced by Tim Burton.

Miscellaneous News

  • A change in the rules for Emmy awards around and actor or actress the option to be recognized as “Performer” rather than “Actor” or “Actress”.
  • Harrison Ford has injured his shoulder rehearsing a fight scene for “Indiana Jones 5”. Production has been rescheduled to shoot around him until he recovers.
  • Bob Odenkirk collapsed on the set of his show “Better Call Saul” in what was later reported as a mild heart attack.
  • America’s Got Talent contestant Jane Marczewski who competed under the name “Nightbirde” has dropped out of the competition to focus on her ongoing fight with cancer. A struggle she talked about during her original singing audition.
  • Comedian Kathy Griffin is out of the hospital after surgery for lung cancer.
  • Actress Christina Applegate has announced she is been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

In Memoriam

  • Richard Donner director of Superman, Lethal Weapon, and The Goonies. Age 91
  • Classic standup comic Jackie Mason age 93
  • Joanne Linville who played a Romulan commander in a early episode of Star Trek. Age 93
  • Ron Popeil TV pitch man who starting countless infomercials. Age 86.
  • Ray MacDonnell soap opera star from “All My Children”. Age 93
  • Stuart Damon who played Alan Quarterman on “General Hospital” age 84
  • John Lawton former vocalist for Uriah Heep. Age 74.
  • Robert Downey Sr. filmmaker and father of Robert Downey Jr. age 85
  • Paul Orndorrff a.k.a. “Mr. Wonderful” WWF star from the 80s. Age 71.
  • Charles Robinson who played Mac on sitcom “Night Court”. Age 75.
  • Rick Aiello son of Danny Aiello who appeared in “Do the Right Thing” age 65
  • Dusty Hill bass player for ZZ Top age 72.
  • Markie Post actress known for “Night Court”and “Fall Guy” age 70. Cancer.
  • Dennis “Dee Tee” Thomas cofounder of “Kool & The Gang” age 70
  • Trevor Moore comedian and cofounder of sketch comedy group “The Whitest Kids U Know“ age 41.
  • Rob Ringwald jazz musician and father of Molly Ringwald age 80

Links of Interest

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.