The delayed premieres of a number of series will be coming up soon. Check my daily Facebook messages to see what’s new tonight. If a new series appears that’s worth reviewing we will review it.
Meanwhile new seasons of Star Trek: Discovery and The Mandalorian are looking really good. Highly recommend both. Now on with the news.
Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News
Former Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams will star in a new dark comedy for HBO Max called “Two Weeks to Live” starting November 5.
A reboot of “Tiny Toons” has been ordered for 2 seasons at HBO Max and Cartoon Network.
“Ted Lassio” the Jason Sudeikis comedy has been renewed for season 3 at Apple TV+
Remember the juvenile novels you read that as a kid about inventor Tom Swift? CW network is planning a spinoff from Nancy Drew based on Tom Swift. There’s a twist. He’s now African-American, gay, and a billionaire.
CBS has renewed “Big Brother” for season 23.
Peacock streaming service has canceled “Brave New World” after just one season.
Fox is spinning off a show from “The Masked Singer” called “The Masked Dancer” that will premier in December.
CW announced delayed premiere dates in January/February for most of it series. See the link at the bottom for details.
HBO Max has secured rights to a number of older Comedy Central shows including Dave Chapelle, Key & Peele , Inside Amy Schumer and others.
Fox has canceled “Filthy Rich” and “Next” after just one season. Current episodes will complete.
Dave Chapelle will host next week’s Saturday Night Live
NBC has moved its social distancing TV show “Connecting” off the air and will be on streaming service Peacock.
NBC has extended its contract with Jimmy Fallon for three more years.
Hilarie Burton real-life life of Jeffrey Morgan will play Negan’s wife in a flashback scene in the” The Walking Dead”.
Hulu has announced “Castle Rock” has been canceled after 2 seasons.
Christopher Nolan film “Tenet” will be available on home video December 15.
Politics and Showbiz
Kanye West has received approximately 60,000 votes in 12 states in his bid to be president.
Miscellaneous News
Netflix standard plan is going to cost $14 per month up from $13 per month. The premium plan will increase from $16 up to $18.
“Baby Shark” is now officially the most viewed video on YouTube
Jeannie Mai has dropped out of the season “Dancing with the Stars” because of an abscess in her throat that led to infected tonsils and other areas. She had emergency surgery and is doing okay.
Today show weatherman Al Roker remove he has prostate cancer. He will undergo surgery and the prognosis is good.
Johnny Depp has lost a libel lawsuit against the newspaper that claimed he was a wife beater. The judge ruled that the statement was essentially true. As a result Warner Bros. has filed him from any upcoming “Fantastic Beasts” films. The part of Gellert Grindelwald will be recast. “Fantastic Beasts 3” has been filming step September but it is unknown if he had shot any scenes yet.
In Memoriam
Iconic Scottish actor Sean Connery the most famous 007. Age 90.
British comedian Bobby Ball age 76 Covid 19
Nikki McKibbin who reached the final three of season 1 of American Idol. Age 42. Aneurysm.
Charles Gordon Oscar-nominated producer of “Field of Dreams”, and “Waterworld”. Age 73. Cancer.
Eddie Hassell actor who appeared in “The Kids Are All Right” and “Surface” age 30. Shot outside his girlfriend’s apartment. No suspects or motive.
Jeremy Stevens Emmy-winning writer for “Everybody Loves Raymond”. Age 83 renal failure
Actress Carol Arthur who appeared in “Blazing Saddles” and “Hot Stuff” and was the wife of Dom DeLuise . Age 85
John Sessions Scottish actor and comedian who appeared on “Whose Line Is It Anyway?. Age 67. A heart condition.
Character actress Elsa Raven who was the “save the clock tower” lady in back to the future. Age 91
Ken Hensley Keyboardist for classic rock band “Uriah Heep” age 75.
In our section below titled “Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News” we occasionally announce a TV show that has been canceled but rarely have we ever had to announce an entire streaming platform. “Quibi” has been shut down after just six months of operation. See the link from USA Today at the bottom of the blog which explains rather succinctly why it was a service that nobody wanted. The services scheduled to shut down on a about December 1.
Pandemic News
In light of the pandemic, CBS has cut its usual full season of 22 episodes for a variety of series including the NCIS franchise, Blue Bloods, Bull, The Neighborhood, SEAL Team, Magnum PI down to 16-18 episodes. The Unicorn originally scheduled for 13 will remain at 13. Still uncertain are sitcoms such as Mom, Young Sheldon, and other series which are expected to be in the 16-18 episodes range.
“The Ellen DeGeneres Show” will be one of the first shows to walk back and live in studio audience starting October 28.
Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News
Star Trek: Discovery has been renewed for season 4 just one day after season 3 premiered.
Offbeat comedy “Miracle Workers” has been renewed for season 3 at TBS.
Netflix has canceled sci-fi series “Away” starring Hilary Swank. It was one of the least scientifically accurate pieces of sci-fi I have seen in ages. Interesting characters. Great acting. Horrible story. Goodbye.
HBO has renewed “The Vow” for season 2
ABC has given six more episodes to “black-ish” increasing the season total to 21 episodes.
Adele will be hosting Saturday Night Live next weekend. She has been on as a musical guest but never as host.
Classic fantasy movie “Willow” will be made into a TV series for Disney+. Warwick Davis will return to the title role.
John Mulaney will host Saturday Night Live next weekend.
CW has renewed another season of Canadian TV shows “Coroner” and “Burden of Truth”
Netflix has renewed “Narcos: Mexico” for season 3
Politics and Showbiz
Disney+ has updated a disclaimer that appears before Peter Pan, Dumbo, Fantasia, and Lady and the Tramp (original versions). The statement now reads “This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together. Disney is committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe.”
Miscellaneous News
Actor Jeff Bridges has announced he was diagnosed with lymphoma.
Singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie known for his song “Alice’s Restaurant” and who performed at Woodstock announced his retiring after 50 years of performing. A series of strokes and other health issues that to his decision.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is doing well after heart surgery.
In Memoriam
Spencer Davis bandleader of The Spencer Davis Group who produced hits such as “Keep on Running” and “Gimme Some Lovin”. Age 81.
William Blinn Emmy-winning screenwriter who created Starsky and Hutch and wrote “Brian Song” age 83.
Jerry Jeff Walker songwriter who penned “Mr. Bojangles” age 78
I mentioned previously I was watching the new Amazon show “Utopia” and my initial impressions after 2 episodes were positive. However as the series progressed it turned extremely dark and disturbing. Check out my full review here.
Also I had previously reviewed very positively the new HBO Max series “Raised by Wolves”. While the first four or five episodes were really good it seemed to go downhill from there and a final episode really “jumped the shark” as they say in the TV industry. A bizarre finish which unfortunately left plenty of room for a second season. Go ahead and check it out if you want but be prepared for a strange ending.
Finally check out the links at the bottom. TV Line has updated its broadcast TV renewal scorecards which also contains links to renewal scorecards for cable and streaming services. Also a list of this year’s Tony award nominees and other items.
Pandemic News
Production on daytime soap “Days of Our Lives” has been suspended 2 weeks for Covid
Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News
HBO Max has ordered to series “Green Lantern” and it will revolve around multiple Green Lantern versions of the DC comics superhero.
Showtime has announced its bringing back “Dexter” about the serial killer CSI. It will be a limited 10 episode series reboot starring Michael C.but Hall returning to the role. Will start production in 2021 for fall premier 2021.
ABC has confirmed that Bobby Bones will return as in-house mentor for the next season of American Idol
HBO says “His Dark Materials” season 2 will premier November 16 and scripts are already being prepared for a potential season 3 not yet officially approved.
Spectrum Original as canceled “LA’s Finest” cop show starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba after 2 seasons.
The Tracy Morgan comedy “The Last OG” has been renewed for season 4 at TBS however Tiffany Haddish will not be returning.
Showtime has announced “Black Monday” a Wall Street satire has been renewed for season 3
Politics and Showbiz
The Commission on Presidential Debates has officially canceled the October 15 event after they changed it to a virtual event and Trump refused to participate. Competing town halls were held with Joe Biden on ABC and Trump on NBC. That programming move by NBC created serious backlash. In the end Biden won the ratings war over the two events.
Gal Gadot is moving from Wonder Woman to Cleopatra however she is being criticized for taking on the role of an addiction Queen because she is Israeli.
Miscellaneous News
Yahoo has announced that it shutting down its social media platform Yahoo! Groups which has been around for 20 years. It will shut down December 15.
Google is shutting down Google Hangouts in favor of Google Chat
In Memoriam
Game show host Tom Kennedy from “Name That Tune” age 93
Margaret Nolan actress who was painted entirely in gold in the James Bond film Goldfinger. Age 76.
Hall of Fame Yankees pitcher Whitey Ford, age 91
Hall of Fame Cincinnati Reds second baseman Joe Morgan was also ESPN commentator. Age 77.
Conchata Ferrell actress who played the housekeeper on “Two And A Half Men” one of my favorite character actresses. Age 77.
Herbert Kretzmer who wrote the English lyrics for the hit musical Les Miserables. Age 95.
Be sure to check out recent installments of this blog for reviews of a couple of new primetime game shows that are watchable as well as a new sci-fi show from Fox called “Next”. Also coming soon is my review of Amazon Prime’s “Utopia” which shows great promise. I’m really enjoying it after 2 episodes but I will wait till I finished for my final review. Now on with our regular features.
Pandemic News
The film version of “Dune” has been moved from December 2020 until October 2021. “The Batman” which was scheduled for that month has been pushed to March 2022. Matrix 4 moved to Christmas 2021. Shazam 2 has been pushed to 2023. “Jurassic World: Dominion” has been moved from June 2021 to June 2022.
Broadway will remain closed through May 2021.
Disney plans to lay off 28,000 people from its theme parks because of the pandemic.
The XFL football league will be skipping the entire 2021 season and will return in 2022.
The latest James Bond film “No Time to Die” has been delayed yet again from November 20 to April 2, 2021. In response Fast and Furious 9 has moved from that weekend to Memorial Day weekend.
Cineworld announced that Regal Cinemas in the US and Picturehouse cinemas in the UK will be shut down temporarily because of the pandemic. AMC theaters as well as Cinemark plan to remain open.
Saturday Night Live has canceled musical guest Morgan Wallen after video surfaced of him partying without a mask. He will we be replaced by Jack White as musical guest.
Filming of the new Jurassic World movie has been suspended for two weeks because crewmembers tested positive.
New York Covid rules audience members have to be paid staff or crew. So Saturday Night Live paid its audience members $150 to get around the restrictions.
California Gov. Newsom says Disneyland will not be reopening anytime soon.
Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News
Agent Johnson is back! Actor stuntman Daniel Barnhart has signed on for the upcoming Matrix 4 sequel.
Director Barry Levinson is making a scripted film about the making of “The Godfather”. Oscar Isaac will play Francis Ford Coppola and Jake Gyllenhaal will play Robert Evans.
NBC has renewed run-time game show “The Wall” for season 4
“Billions” has been renewed at Showtime for season 6.
Netflix announced its spinoff of “The Karate Kid” Cobra Kai has been renewed for season 4. Season 3 will premier in January 2021.
Steve Carell will return to Apple TV+ series “The Morning Show” for season 2.
Sterling K Brown will play Leo McGarry on the HBO Max “West Wing” reunion show October 15. The late John Spencer had the role in the original TV series.
Netflix has canceled “GLOW” about female wrestlers and will not proceed with its planned fourth and final season. Pandemic is to blame.
Netflix has canceled “Teenage Bounty Hunters” after 1 season.
Disney television has renewed syndicated daytime talk show Tamron Hall for a third season.
Kate Mulgrew will reprise her role as Capt. Janeway for Nickelodeon’s animated “Star Trek: Prodigy” series.
Benedict Cumberbatch will reprise Doctor Strange in the next Spider-Man movie.
Disney/Pixar movie “Soul” is skipping theaters and moving to Disney+ on December 25. Unlike its release of “Mulan” it will not cost extra.
TNT announced that “Snowpiercer” season 2 will premier January 25.
Politics and Showbiz
The Commission on Presidential Debates announced less than 24 hours after the September 29 debate that they would be proposing format changes for a more orderly discussion.
Netflix has been indicted on felony charges by a grand jury in Texas over the French movie “Cuties” for promoting “lewd visual material against peace and dignity of the state.”
Miscellaneous News
Gabrielle Union and NBC have reached a resolution in their dispute over her firing from America’s Got Talent amid allegations of racism and a toxic work environment.
In Memoriam
Legendary rocker Eddie Van Halen age 65.
Helen Reddy known for her hip song “I Am Woman” age 78
Singer-songwriter Mac Davis who also appeared in the film “North Dallas Forty” age 78
Bonni Lou Kern one of the original Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeers from the 1950s. Age 79.
Larry Rosen producer of “The Partridge Family” and “The Mike Douglas Show” age 84 pancreatic cancer.
Thomas Jefferson Byrd actor from roles in Spike Lee films “He Got Game” and “Clockers” age 70. Gunshot wounds.
Murray Schisgal Broadway playwright and Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Tootsie” age 93.
Actor Clark Middleton who played Glenn Carter in “The Blacklist” for 13 episodes. Age 63 West Nile virus.
Edward S. Feldman Oscar-nominated movie and TV producer who produced “Witness” age 91.
Singer-songwriter Johnny Nash who wrote “I Can See Clearly Now” age 80
Tommy Rall dancer who appeared in “Funny Girl” and “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” age 90.
William Bernstein cofounder of Orion Pictures age 87
As most of my readers know, I spent five days in the hospital this week so there wasn’t much opportunity for watching movies. I had difficulty with the hospital Wi-Fi and had to use my iPhone data which is not unlimited under my plan so Netflix and other streaming series were off-limits. However I’m home now and my recommendation for this week is a documentary on Science Channel called “NFL Super Stadiums”. It’s a 90 minute documentary about the building of the new Los Angeles SoFi Stadium which is the home of both the LA Chargers and LA Rams. It will also eventually host a Super Bowl and opening and closing ceremonies of Olympic Games. Really fascinating stuff. I don’t know when it will re-air but it is available on demand.
Pandemic News
Not that many of my readers are opera fans but The Metropolitan Opera has canceled its entire 2020-2021 season because of the pandemic.
New York’s Times Square New Year’s Eve ball drop will be a virtual event.
Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News
CW has announced that the upcoming season six of Supergirl will be its last.
Alan Arkin is not returning for the third and final season of “The Kominski Method”
Netflix has canceled “The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance” after 1 season. I tried watching a couple of episodes and it just didn’t seem to have the magic of the original film.
Starz as renewed “Power Book II: Ghost” for season 2.
Holly Taylor who played the daughter on “The Americans” has been added to the season 3 cast of “Manifest”.
Liv Tyler will not be returning to “911: Lone Star” due to uncertainties about transatlantic commuting during the pandemic. I thought she was miscast in the part anyway.
If you find yourself in need of more cowbell or Schwetti Balls or cheeseburger cheeseburger you have an option now. Every episode of all 45 season of Saturday night live will be available on Peacock starting October 1.
A new spinoff of “The Suicide Squad” to be titled “Peacemaker” to star John Cena has been ordered to series by HBO Max. James Gunn will write and direct.
Seth Meyers will have a prime time special edition of his “A Closer Look” feature on NBC October 8.
David Letterman’s “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction” will return to Netflix for season 3 on October 21.
Chris rock will post the SNL season premiere October 3. The show will have a small live audience but according to New York rules it will have to be employees and other cast members only.
Lisa Edelstein is joining the cast of “911: Lone Star” as a recurring character and will return to “The Kominski Method” for its final season.
Alex Désert has replaced Hank Azaria as voice actor for Carl Carlson. It is part of an ongoing movement to have African-American characters voiced by African-American voice actors rather than white actors.
“Real Time With Bill Maher” has been renewed at HBO through 2022.
Politics and Showbiz
Five Republican senators have written to Netflix complaining about where plans for a upcoming series “The Three Body Problem”. The series is based on a Hugo award-winning sci-fi novel of the same name by Chinese author Liu Cixin. Liu had defended the Chinese Communist Party’s imprisonment, torture, and other human rights violations against Muslims in the East Turkestan problems. Netflix responded by denouncing the atrocities but says that Liu’s comments have nothing to do with the TV series. Liu however is a consultant on the project.
Miscellaneous News
After months of negotiations NBC Universal has finally come to terms with Roku to allow Peacock streaming service on the platform. Roku charges streamers a premium to be available on Roku.
Paramount Network a cable channel that is gone through too many changes of name to keep track of, is changing to Paramount Movie Network. It will be focusing mostly on movies. See the link at the bottom for details.
James Cameron says filming of “Avatar 2” is 100% complete. “Avatar 3” 95%. Will believe it when we see it 🙂
Disney+ has added a Group Watch feature that allows up to seven subscribers to simultaneously view and react to a show.
In Memoriam
Gale Sayers, Hall of Fame running back for the Chicago Bears and inspiration for the film “Brian Song” age 77.
Lee Kerslake drummer for Ozzy Osbourne and Uriah Heep age 73
Hollywood stuntman Ernie Orsatti whose most memorable feet was falling through a glass window in the 1972 film “The Poseidon Adventure”. Age 80
Michael Lonsdale a British French actor who appeared in the James Bond film “Moonraker” and “The Day of the Jackal” age 89
Michael Chapman Oscar-nominated cinematographer of “Raging Bull” and “The Fugitive”. Age 84
Jackie Stallone mother of Sylvester Stallone who is also known as a celebrity astrologer. Age 98
Ron Cobb production designer and cartoonist known for his work on “Back to the Future” and Star Wars. Age 83 .
Tommy DeVito member of the 60s local group “The Four Seasons” age 92. Complications of Covid 19
Coliesa McMillan subject of “My 600 Pound Life” age 41 complications of weight loss surgery.
Kevin Barnes Pres. and creator of Prometheus Entertainment and the producer of the “Lost in Space” reboot on Netflix. Age 65.
Usually in my opening remarks I talk about a TV show or movie that I’ve watched recently. Occasionally I point you to a review I have posted recently. Also I never post links to new trailers that come out from time to time for movies and TV shows. However this time we are making an exception. I want to call your attention to the new trailer for the film adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 epic sci-fi novel “Dune”. Rather than just pointing you to the official trailer, I’m giving you a link to an interview that Stephen Colbert had with the cast and director of this new adaptation. Colbert is a big fan boy of the novel and gushes like a little kid talking to the cast.
The original book is frequently cited as the best-selling science fiction novel in history winning the 1966 Hugo Award and the inaugural Nebula Award for Best Novel in 1965. Herbert wrote five sequels. After his death his son Brian Herbert along with Kevin J Anderson published a number of prequel novels as well as two novels completing the original Dune series partially based on his father’s notes discovered after his death. Dune is a masterpiece of what science fiction calls “world building” in which the author creates a deeply detailed alien set of characters, creatures, environments, politics, history and traditions. Rather than go into a lot of exposition in the original novel, Herbert plunges the reader headfirst into this alien world and lets you figure it out on your own as he goes. It’s a challenging bit of reading but it pays off in the end. I never was as impressed with the sequels as I was the first novel. And I’ve not read any of the Brian Herbert additions to the franchise.
This is not the first adaptation of this sci-fi classic. In the mid-1970s avant-garde director Alejandro Jodorowsky planned an ambitious project to bring the story to film. Ultimately that project never got off the ground and its failure is brilliantly chronicled in the 2013 documentary “Jodorowsky’s Dune“. In 1984 director David Lynch created a version of “Dune” starring Kyle MacLachlan as the main character Paul Atreides. Many fans were disappointed in that film and while it had its problems I enjoyed it. Then in 2000 Syfy Channel had a three part miniseries “Dune” followed in 2003 by “Children of Dune”. While it was nice that this miniseries delved into the second book in the series and covered the story a little more detail, I didn’t find it as compelling as the David Lynch version.
The new trailer can only be described as 100% fan service and as a fan I feel very well served. Several of the most memorable scenes of the story appear in the trailer and are beautifully depicted. Shot on location in Jordan and the UAE they use as many practical effects as possible. The cinematography is absolutely spectacular. The special-effects are spot on. The giant sandworms that are central to the story looked a bit larger than previous depictions but that’s okay with me.
Timothée Chalamet is cast as Paul Atreides he is known for films such as “Lady Bird” and “Call Me by Your Name” but I’m not really familiar with him. I like the fact that he works younger than previous versions of the character. Teen star Zendayl seems perfectly cast as Paul’s freeman love interest Chani . Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho and Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck look wonderful in their parts. The instant I saw Oscar Isaac with a full beard I knew immediately he was Duke Leto Atreides Paul’s father. While some people are having difficulty separating these actors from previous iconic roles Aquaman, Thanos, and Poe Dameron I have no trouble with the casting. I can’t wait. No sign of character Shadot Mapes which was famously played by NCIS: LA star Linda Hunt. The character is not listed in the credits on IMDb.
I’ve told my friends that I’m going to see this one in the IMAX theater even if I have to put on a hazmat suit. It is currently scheduled for release December 18. I have linked the Stephen Colbert interview which features the trailer at the end available at the end of this blog. Check it out.
Pandemic News
The Christopher Nolan sci-fi film “Tenet” has long been considered sort of the “canary in the coal mine” about the health of the movie business. It’s been delayed multiple times because of the pandemic but is finally being released into theaters. However in an unprecedented move, Warner Bros. is refusing to share detailed box office numbers. One can only speculate that the numbers are low and they don’t want the negative publicity.
“Wonder Woman 1984” which was scheduled to be released October 2 has now been pushed to December, one week after the much anticipated “Dune” sci-fi classic.
For now Survivor season 41 will not film until spring of 2021 to be aired in the fall of 2021 because of the pandemic. However late reports say they are still looking at other options than their usual location of Fiji which is closed to the US.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will be a TV event only with no actual parade route. See the linked article below for details.
James Corden hosted his “The Late Late Show” remotely after being in contact with someone who tested positive for Covid 19.
Production has resumed on the film “The Batman” after Robert Pattison tested positive for Covid 19.
Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News
ABC has released its revised list of premier dates. See the link below for details. Also despite previous reports that “Stumptown” would be returning for season 2, ABC has canceled it. The show may be shopped to other networks or streaming. It is a private eye series starring Cobie Smulders . Cancellation was related to Covid 19 scheduling issues.
Jim Carrey is set to play Joe Biden for the upcoming season of Saturday Night Live. Maya Rudolph will be democratic VP nominee Kamala Harris and Alec Baldwin of course will continue to portray Donald Trump. Three new supporting cast members you’ve never heard of will be added to the show. The entire main cast will return this season after a last-minute deal to re-sign Kate McKinnon. There will be a live audience but the numbers will be limited.
Former “Orphan Black” star Tatiana Maslany is going from black to green. She has been cast as She-Hulk in an upcoming series for Disney+.
CBS is bringing back “Sunday Night Movies” because most of its scripted dramas are delayed. “Big Brother” will move from Sunday to Monday.
HBO Max has renewed “Doom Patrol” and “Harley Quinn” each been renewed for season 3. These series were originally on the DC Universe Streaming service however DCU is getting out of the streaming business and will be strictly a comic book subscription site. All future DC television shows will appear on HBO Max. The new DC Universe will be renamed “DC Universe Infinite”.
Syndicated medical talkshow “The Dr. Oz Show” has been renewed for 2 years.
HBO has renewed “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” for another 3 seasons.
ABC has canceled sitcom “United We Fall” after 1 season. I never heard of it.
“Desus & Mero” comedy show has been renewed at Showtime for season 3
HBO Max’s sci-fi hit “Raised by Wolves” has been renewed for season 2. I’m really loving it.
CW network has renewed “Two Sentence Horror Stories” for season 3.
Miscellaneous News
YouTube has introduced “YouTube Shorts” a new 15 second video format to compete with TikToc.
In other TikToc news… Oracle has beaten out Microsoft in a bid to buy out the China-based social media video app after the Trump administration has threatened to ban the app based on security concerns. The Justice Department is reviewing the plan. Meanwhile the app will be banned from sale in the US starting Sunday.
Viacom CBS announced that it will rebrand “CBS All Access” as “Paramount+” in 2021.
Madonna says she will direct and co-write her own biopic “The True Untold Story of Madonna”
The Sony PS5 will launch November 12 and start at $499 with a cheaper all-digital version for just $399. An additional controller will cost $70.
The new Xbox Series X will cost $499 but the digital only Xbox Series S is $299 . Will be released November 10.
Nintendo has discontinued its 3DS handheld gaming platform.
In Memoriam
Author Winston Groom who wrote the novel “Forest Gump” age 77.
Stephen Lee a.k.a. “Puppet the Psycho Dwarf” pro wrestler who appeared in 2 “Jackass” movies. Age 54
Former “Top Chef” contestant Aaron Grissom age 34 in a traffic accident.
Al Kasha Oscar-winning composer of “The Morning After” age 83
Christopher Scott Ellis a mechanic on Discovery Channel’s “Street Outlaws” age 39 apparent heroin overdose.
Tony Tanner director of Broadway version of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” age 88.
To start off this week’s entertainment news I can recommend Netflix film “Power Project”. The action sci-fi crime drama stars Jamie Foxx as an ex-Marine in search of his teenage daughter who inherited special superpowers from him after the government had experimented on him. Someone has released a new drug in the New Orleans area that when taken, it gives you unpredictable superpowers for five minutes. You might explode, might become invulnerable, you might turn into a human torch Fantastic Four style. Also features Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a New Orleans Detective searching for the source of the drug and a good performance by teenager Dominique Fishback was a young girl trying to support her sick mother by selling the drug. Really good action-adventure excellent special-effects. Giving it a rating of “I really like it“.
Now onto the news…
Pandemic News
The Tony awards committee has announced that 18 productions will be eligible for the 2020 awards. Significantly down from the 34 productions eligible last year pre-pandemic.
We will not bother reporting a huge collection of news items about various TV dramas that are going back into production post pandemic. We will just note that some of them will not even begin production until late September or early October which is usually the time when they would be premiering.
Marvel’s “New Mutants” earned $7 million at the box office last weekend which would normally be a disaster however considering the pandemic and only 62% of all cinemas are open that is considered pretty good. Stock prices on movie chains were up last Friday to celebrate the reopening of many theaters.
Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News
TVLine has released a calendar showing premier dates for new fall TV series. See the first link at the bottom of the page. It gives a calendar of September premieres as well as links to articles about the fall premieres of all five major networks. Note however that many shows have been delayed because the pandemic and will not premier until October or November rather than the usual September.
As we previously reported if you want to see the new live-action word of Disney’s “Mulan” you will not only need a subscription to Disney+ but it will also cost an extra $30. It will be available September 5. However today they announced that starting December 4 you can watch it with nothing more than a regular Disney+ subscription for free. So if you can wait till December, don’t waste your money now.
Disney+ has announced that season 2 of “The Mandalorian” will premier October 30.
The cast of “The West Wing” will re-create episode of season three in a stage production to promote Michelle Obama’s “When We All Vote” campaign. It will appear on HBO Max sometime before the election.
The CBS All Access remake of Stephen King novel “The Stand will premier December 17. I’ve never read the book but I really liked the 1994 miniseries version. Do we really need a story about a global pandemic right now?
NBC has greenlit a TV series about “Tiger King” Joe Exotic. Kate McKinnon will play Carol Baskin.
CBS will air over broadcast the first season of “Star Trek Discovery” which was available only on streaming CBS All Access. Also the first season of the reboot of “One Day at a Time” previously only available on Netflix. Also “Manhunt: Deadly Games” which was previously only available on demand for Spectrum customers. These will fill up their fall schedule until scripted series can premier sometime in November.
Netflix has canceled sci-fi series “Altered Carbon” after 2 seasons.
“The Masked Singer” season 4 will premier September 23.
John Harlan Kim who plays Chimney’s younger brother on “911” has been promoted to series regular.
It’s bad enough that we had to get an animated comedy version of Star Trek with the new “Star Trek: Lower Decks”. Now w down e have word that Fox is developing an animated comedy spinoff of “The X-Files”.
The cast of “Fresh Prince of Bel Air” will be reuniting for a special celebrating the 30th anniversary of the show. The reunion will be on HBO Max.
AMC has canceled horror series “NOS4A2” after two seasons. I never got into it.
Chinese science-fiction epic “The Three Body Problem” is going to be adapted to a series for Netflix and be produced by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss who previously produced “Game of Thrones”. I haven’t read the novel but I heard great things about it. I may have to check it out.
HBO Max withdrawing a common special by British comedian James Veitch following allegations of rape and sexual assault. He’s been dropped by his agent and is been edited out of a show on Qubie .
Black-ish will have an election themed , parsley animated episode currently scheduled for October 4 but it may get pushed if the NBA finals run that long.
Kevin Hart will host a star-studded “get out the vote” comedy special for ABC September 14. It is billed as a nonpartisan event to encourage people to vote.
This week’s winner of the “Chris Young’s Sure Sign of the Coming Apocalypse Award” goes to “Dancing With The Stars” who announced that next seasons cast of celebrity contestants will include Tiger King’s Carole Baskin. See the link below for more details. DWTS is based on a British series “Strictly Come Dancing” which this season will feature its first-ever same sex couple. I’ve been wondering when DWTS would do that.
Politics and Showbiz
Facebook announced it will stop taking political ads one week before the November 3 election.
A judge has rejected Roman Polanski’s bid to be reinstated in the Motion Picture Academy so that he can vote on the Oscars. He was banned from the Academy after being found guilty of relationship with a teenage girl.
Miscellaneous News
Season 3 of Star Trek: Discovery will have transgender and non-binary characters for the first time in Star Trek history.
Disney has filed for a patent to use drones to control show elements. So look for dancing drones to make an appearance at Disney parks sometime soon.
Chadwick Boseman final tweet announcing his passing has set a record for the most liked tweet ever.
Magician/stuntman David Blaine set a YouTube record when he flew over the Arizona desert using helium balloons. At one point 770,000 people were watching live stream.
In Memoriam
Actor Chadwick Boseman who appeared in iconic roles such as Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, and James Brown. Oh yeah I think he was in a couple of Marvel movies too. Age 43 colon cancer.
Joe Ruby animator and cocreator of Scooby Doo. Age 87.
YouTube star Landon Clifford age 19 after spending six days in a coma however no cause of death has been revealed the preferred released.
Riley Gail lead singer of the Texas thrash metal band “Power Trip” age 34 no cause released
David S. The show Cass Sr. a veteran stuntman and TV director. Age 87
Ceasar Cordova character actor known for “Scarface” and “Carlito’s Way” age 84. Natural causes.
Former NBA All-Star and “Survivor” contestant Cliff Robinson. Age 53.
Leslie H. Freas twin sister of Linda Hamilton who appeared with her in “Terminator 2” age 63. No cause revealed.
Erick Morillo DJ who was known for his music hit “I like to Move It” which was famously featured in the film “Madagascar” age 49. No cause released. He was scheduled to appear in court on a sexual battery charge on Friday.
Timothy Graphenreed composer who penned 2 songs for “The Wiz”. Age 68 no cause released.
Ian Mitchell bass player for the Bay City Rollers age 62.
Also get a series of recent blogs I’ve been asking the question “Is Broadcast TV Dead?” One of our links articles at the bottom of this page describes how the typical half-hour sitcom may be going away from broadcast TV. Sitcoms usually lose money the first four years of production and they don’t really start making it back until they go into syndication and streaming services. But it turns out that sitcoms are not as binge worthy online as serial dramas are. So the producers are trying to renegotiate terms with the networks to make sitcoms profitable earlier on. If a sitcom only lasts two or three years never recovers money. I have to wonder if this is another nail in the coffin of broadcast TV as we know it. As I mentioned, see the link below for details.
Here is an overview of entertainment news August 25, 2020.
Pandemic News
“Jurassic World: Dominion” has been filming on the island of Malta but will cutback its presence there due to increased COVID 19 infections.
Ken Jeong has withdrawn as a judge for the UK version of “The Masked Singer” because of Covid 19 travel restrictions.
Directors UK, a British organization representing 7500 screen directors, as updated guidelines for nude scenes suggesting perhaps actual partners be used as body doubles when filming sex scenes and asking them to reevaluate scripts to determine if intimate scenes are absolutely necessary to the story. All of this in light of the pandemic.
The next season of “The Masked Singer” has resumed production after pandemic delays. This year they will have fan voting as part of the format.
In the fall the Tony Awards will be a virtual event. I don’t know how you give awards when Broadway shut down all but a couple of months early in the year but I guess they will figure it out. No specific date has been set yet.
Syndicated talk show “The Kelly Clarkson Show” will return to the studio with a virtual audience. Let’s hope they finally provide with the makeup artist. She looks really strange not wearing makeup in the shows that she has recorded from home.
The Kentucky Derby has decided it will not have fans at the track after all. They had originally planned to allow a limited number of reserve seats. The race will be September 5 postponed from its usual date in May.
The Australian version of “The Masked Singer” has been shut down after several crewmembers tested positive for coronavirus.
The Jimmy Kimmel version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” was one of the last non-scripted shows to be shot before the pandemic. It was taped without an audience. Now season 2 is in production again without audience.
Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News
Showtime has canceled “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels” after 1 season and we are VERY disappointed. It was one of the best new TV shows of the year. HIGHLY recommend you go back and catch it on demand.
“Warrior Nun” has been renewed for season 2 by Netflix
All of the American Idol judges and host Ryan Seacrest are signed on for next season however notably absent from the announcement is mentor Bobby Brown. No word on his return.
New Jason Sudeikis comedy “Ted Lasso” has already been renewed for season 2 on Apple+
Comedy Central’s “Drunk History” has canceled its seventh season that had already begun preproduction. Season 6wrapped up in August. The struggles of producing the show during the pandemic were just too big.
Nat Geo drama series “The Right Stuff” about the original Mercury 7 astronauts will premiere October 9 on Disney+. Based on the book by Tom Wolfe which was previously made into a film 1983.
Showtime has greenlit a new comedy called “Moonbase 8” starring Fred Arminsen and John C Riley.
Both Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton will portray Batman in the upcoming “Flash” movie.
Tosh.O will end with season 12 on Comedy Central. Producers are looking to shop the series elsewhere.
Disney will also make its upcoming live-action version of “Mulan” available for $30 by Apple, Roku, and Google in addition to Disney+. It was also announced that the price for other countries such as Canada, UK, and Spain will only be about $26 rather than the $30 US customers will have to pay.
The new “The Batman” series on HBO Max is set to take place in “Year One” prior to the Matt Reeves movie.
CW has announced that they will recast Elongated Man for a brief appearance after actor Hartley Sawyer was fired over past racist and misogynist tweets.
Politics and Showbiz
An upcoming season 6 episode of “Lucifer” on Netflix will feature a “Black Lives Matter” theme.
Cincinnati Reds announcer Thom Brennaman made an anti-gay slur on a live microphone after returning from a commercial break. He made a very sincere apology on air and then left broadcast. He has been suspended by Fox Sports Ohio but no word if it’s permanent or not. During his apology even speculated it might be the last time he was on air realizing the severity of his offense.
NFL Kansas City Chiefs have banned Native American face paint and headdresses at future games. My question is… What if you really are Native American?
Cleveland radio station WTAM has fired news anchor Kyle Cornell after referring to Kamala Harris as “colored”. While I understand that particular word has gone out of appropriate use, I fail to understand why “people of color” is okay but “colored people” isn’t. I guess it goes back to the old George Carlin routine “It’s okay to prick your finger but you can’t finger your prick”.
Former NHL player and coach Mike Milbury has been suspended during the of the Stanley Cup Playoffs for saying that the bubble environment in which the playoffs are being held because of the pandemic is really great “Not even any women here to disrupt your concentration”.
Miscellaneous News
The zoo featured in the Netflix series “Tiger King” has been closed to the public after its federal animal exhibition license was revoked.
At age 98 Norman Lear is the oldest person in history to receive an Emmy nomination.
There is a big shakeup at the CBS courtroom drama “All Rise”. Five of the seven original writers for the show have walked out saying that they had to do much behind-the-scenes to keep the scripts from being racist and offensive. For example one episode slated for season 2 had a Latin American gang preying on citizens with machetes. A Latin American writer as well as costar Lindsay Mendez refused to participate and the script was rewritten.
George RR Martin is suing a production company over the rights to his werewolf novella “The Skin Trade”. The company had purchased the rights to the story but had to start production within five years. Just before the deadline they put together a bare-bones cast and crew and filmed very few scenes then shut down. Martin says the token production was insufficient.
Korean K-Pop group BTS were the first band ever to rack up 100 million YouTube views in 24 hours
Len Goodman Chief Judge of “Dancing With The Stars” has had a skin cancer removed from his for.
The season 3 finale of “Yellowstone” is the most watched cable TV show of 2020 so far. It had 5.2 million viewers.
In Memoriam
Actor Ben Cross most known for playing British Olympic athlete Harold Abrams in a 1981 “Chariots of Fire” but also known for playing Spock’s father Sarek in the 2009 Star Trek. Age 72.
Jesse Goins featured on Discovery’s “Gold Rush” age 60. He collapsed on set. No official cause yet.
Todd Nance drummer and founding member of the Georgia jam band “Widespread Panic” died suddenly after complications of a chronic illness. No age given. He had been with the band for over 30 years.
Drag queen Chi Chi DeVayne whose real name was Zavion Davenport who appeared on multiple seasons of RuPaul’s Drag Race is died of kidney failure at age 34.
Frankie Banali drummer for metal band “Quiet Riot” age 68 pancreatic cancer.
Frank Cullotta Las Vegas mobster who was a key advisor on the film “Casino” age 81 COVID 19.
Jack Sherman guitarist for the “Red Hot Chili Peppers” age 64
Singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle age 38. No cause given. He is the son of country rocker Steve Earle.
Character actor Alan Rich who was one of the few actors to maintain a career after being blacklisted in the 1950s McCarthy hearings. Age 94. Dementia.
Here is our entertainment news for the third week of August 2020. Again we are going to experiment with a video version of this report. Please like and subscribe to the video version and share with your friends on social media. First of all HBO’s new horror series “Lovecraft Country” is absolutely awesome. Look for a complete review coming here soon.
Pandemic News
The Billboard Music Awards originally scheduled for April, now will be October 14 on NBC.
ABC sitcom “The Conners” like its predecessor “Roseanne” as always begun with a voiceover “filmed before a live studio audience” however now it is sent to resume production on next season without an audience.
“For All Mankind” the Apple TV+ alternate history of the Apollo program had just 2 episodes left to film for season 2 when it had to shut down for the pandemic. Production has resumed this week on those final 2 episodes. It is produced by Sony pictures TV which has been at the forefront of efforts to safely return scripted series to production. They also produce “S.W.A.T.” which became the first broadcast drama to start filming new episodes, Its daytime drama “The Young and the Restless” has been back in production for weeks, “The Goldbergs” is eying a production restart in a week and “The Good Doctor” is expected to resume filming in Vancouver by the end of the month.
Late-Night with Seth Meyers will return to 30 Rock Studios on September 8. Slightly earlier than expected. All of the other major late-night shows have already returned to their studios all without audiences.
Renewals, Coming Soon, and Casting News
Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki has been cast to play Princess Diana in the final two seasons of Netflix’s “The Crown”
Former Supernatural star Jensen Ackles has been added to the season 3 cast of Amazon’s “The Boys”
Speaking of “Supernatural” its final 7 episodes which were delayed by the pandemic are now scheduled to air starting October 8 with a two hour series finale scheduled for November 19.
Although Kelly Clarkson said she felt very comfortable in the chair of Simon Cowell as his temporary replacement for AGT, this week Kenan Thompson will be the fill in for Cowell
Although not quite worthy of my “Sure Sign of the Coming Apocalypse” award… We do have to wonder the decision-making of having Will Smith and Kevin Hart remake of the 1987 holiday classic “Planes, Trains, & Automobiles”. Do they really think they cannot do the original? I don’t think so.
“Patriot Act With Hasan Minhaj” has been canceled after 6 seasons on Netflix.
Amazon’s new apocalyptic series “Utopia” the premier September 25.
Politics and Showbiz
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders are among the guests scheduled for “A Late Show with Stephen Colbert” as he goes live after the Democratic National Convention
Marge Simpson matriarch of the Simpsons animated family responded via Twitter at a Trump operative who said that Kamala Harris sounds like Marge. Said it was disrespectful.
Eva Longoria, Tracy Ellis Ross, Kerry Washington, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus are among the celebrities who will speak at the DNC this week.
Miscellaneous News
The original creators of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” have withdrawn from the upcoming live-action version in production for Netflix. The fans of the original anime series are pretty upset by the news.
Several DC Universe original TV series will be moving to HBO Max. I have to wonder if that means that the DCU streaming service is in trouble and perhaps going away.
Disney announced that its upcoming series “The Owl House” will have its first ever bisexual lead character
R. Kelly’s manager Donnell Russell has been charged in New York with threatening to shoot up a Manhattan screening of the Lifetime documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly” in 2018
A federal grand jury has indicted 2 men for the 2002 murder out Run-DMC’s Jam Master Jay.
A federal appeals court has ruled that Star Trek Discovery’s use of outer space born creatures “tardigrades” does not infringe on a videogame also based on the creatures. Part of the reasoning once that these creatures do actually exist (although not in the size as used in Star Trek) and they have been shown to be able to survive the vacuum of space. So you can’t copyright the properties of the real world animal. See the link below for more details.
In Memoriam
Composer Duane L. Tatro who composed music for “Dynasty” and “The Love Boat” age 93.
Linda Manz actress in “Days of Heaven”, and “The Wanderers” age 58 lung cancer
Robert Trump businessman and younger brother of Donald Trump age 71.
Howell Brinkley Tony winning lighting designer for “Hamilton” and “Jersey Boys” age 64
After going for many months without an entertainment news update I’m now going to try to do one every 2 or 3 weeks. As experiment I also decided to do a YouTube version of this blog to see what kind of traffic it gets. So here goes.
Starting off with a mini review… CBS All Access has released its first episode of a new animated Star Trek series called “Star Trek: Lower Decks”. It takes place aboard a starship called the Cerritos and focuses on ensigns and other minor officers who occupy the lower decks of a starship. It is a very offbeat comedic version of Star Trek. I don’t really like the animation style with big bulging eyes similar to “The Simpsons” or “Rick & Morty”. The pace is a little bit frantic and sometimes it seems like they try too hard for laughs that don’t really pay off. I’ve got nothing against comedic Star Trek but my initial reaction is if you want a funny Star Trek you should watch “The Orville”. It may grow on me after couple episodes but for now I’m not very optimistic. For now I’m giving it a “could be watchable”. Brief update. After writing this initial comment I’ve seen the second episode and it’s kind of growing on me. It will definitely be an acquired taste that I’m not sure I will acquire but we will see.
Sadly also cannot recommend the new “Muppets Now” on Disney+. I don’t think I laughed once in the entire half-hour episode. Some of the guest stars were given nothing to do except one or two lines. I’m really disappointed.
If you’re looking for something better to watch I would check out the new “Perry Mason” prequel on HBO which just had its first season finale but is available on demand. Also the second season of “The Alienist” on TNT also is worth checking out. It just wrapped up as well but is available on demand. By the way “Alienist” is a term used to describe psychiatrists who diagnose people who are alienated from their own nature. It has nothing to do with outer space aliens. Still it’s really good stuff.
Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD had its series finale this week after seven seasons. I have to say this was probably their best ever. The series finale did not disappoint wrapping up lots of plot lines and including a little “one year later” epilogue they gave us a peak into what the agents were doing after the demise of SHIELD. Check the links at the bottom of this article for interviews with cast and producers.
Pandemic News
Actor Brian Cranston reveals he has Covid 19. Encourages fans to wear a mask.
Andrew Lloyd Webber agrees with the critics that the film adaptation of his musical “Cats” was ridiculous. In other news ALW announced he is a test subject for a possible COVID 19 vaccine.
CBS soap operas returned starting August 10. There has not been an original episode since July 20.
Radio City Music Hall has canceled its annual Christmas show featuring the Rockettes.
New York Comic Con scheduled for October has been canceled and will move online
Seth Meyers will not return to the studio at 30 Rock for his late-night show until this fall. He has been producing the show from either a room in his attic or a room at his in-laws house. Jimmy Fallon returned to his studio with the band “The Roots” but no audience a few weeks ago. This week he will have his first in studio guest in the form of a musical performance by one of the members of “Phish”. James Corden has also returned to his studio in LA. Stephen Colbert this week shifted from producing his show at home to producing it at his office at the Ed Sullivan Theater.
The Broadway musical “Diana: A New Musical” about Princess Diana was shut down days before it’s official open because of Covid 19. Now it will premier on Netflix prior to reopening on Broadway currently scheduled for May 2021.
AMC theaters is offering tickets for $0.15 when it theaters reopen on August 20. Note however this only applies to some features. New first-run films such as Marvel’s New Mutants will cost you the regular price.
Coming Soon, Renewals, and Casting News
“Hunters” has been renewed at Amazon Prime for season 2. It is the story of Nazi hunters and stars Al Pacino.
Disney+ will stream the live-action version of “Mulan” starting September 4 however it will cost you an extra $30 above and beyond the regular subscription. They say this is one time thing and not new model for releasing films to Disney+. It will be released to theaters in China. European theater owners are pretty upset about the plan and although it hasn’t been reported my guess is US theaters are not to happy either.
This month’s winner of the “Sure Sign of the Coming Apocalypse Award”… Tony Danza and Alyssa Milano are creating a reboot of “Who’s the Boss?”
Comedy Central is making plans to reboot “The Ren & Stimpy” animated series.
Judd Apatow will make a two-part documentary on late comedian George Carlin for HBO.
“MacGruber” Will Forte’s bumbling hero spoof of “MacGyver” has been ordered to series for Peacock. The character began as a sketch on SNL and had a feature film in 2010.
Reality competition show “Tough As Nails” has been renewed for season 2.
Jonathan Pryce has been cast to play Prince Philip in season 5 and 6 of “The Crown”
In 1978 Lucasfilm released the “Star Wars Holiday Special” which was such a disaster it was never shown again and never released on VHS or DVD. We are now revisiting the Wookie home world again to celebrate “Life Day” but this time with Legos. This November, Disney+ will play host to The Lego Star Wars Holiday Special, an animated 45-minute adventure that will see Rey, Finn, Poe, and Rose help Chewbacca race back to his homeworld of Kashyyyk in time to celebrate Life Day with his family—just as Han did in the original Holiday Special’s framing device premise.
Simon Cowell has been hospitalized with a broken back after electric bike accident. Kelly Clarkson is substituting for him as a guest judge on “America’s Got Talent” as it moved to live shows this week.
Al Roker will take time off from the today show for shoulder replacement surgery.
Politics and Showbiz
A controversial episode of “black-ish” season 4 that has been sitting on the shelf for 2 years at ABC is now available on Hulu. The politically themed episode was highly critical of Trump. Hulu is listing it as Season 4 Episode 99 which is common practice for special episodes or un-aired episodes. I watched it and like many reviewers I think it reveals how wimpy ABC is that they would not broadcast it. The plot revolves around Dre calming down his infant son during a thunderstorm by telling him a bedtime story about the “Shady King”. While it is highly critical of Trump, the real theme of the show is fear. It explores not only Dre’s fears about Trump as president but it delves into other fears such as police brutality, climate change and other issues. Keep in mind this was filmed over two years ago pre-pandemic, pre-George Floyd. I actually thought it was a thoughtful and balanced approach. It even cites Obama’s success is being a root cause of the Pro Trump people because Obama brought in so many changes that scared conservatives. What liberals saw as giant progressive leaps were fearful to those who fear change. Having an African-American president, LGBT rights, gay marriage, everything that liberals celebrate scared the crap out of conservatives. So I thought it was a quite balanced explanation of our current situation (or rather the situation we were in a little over two years ago.) I had to scoff at the ABC logo at the beginning of the show and in the corner of the screen throughout the show. If they were not afraid to put their logo on it, why didn’t they let it broadcast?
Broadcast networks have announced they will air one hour per night of convention coverage for the Democrat and Republican conventions both of which will be largely virtual. CNN however plans six hours per night of coverage. Although I haven’t seen any articles about MSNBC or Fox we can be certain they will both provide extensive coverage.
Among the people celebrating the choice of Kamala Harris as the new VP nominee is SNL alumn Maya Rudolph who has received 2 Emmy nominations for her portrayal/impersonation of the California senator. Although she lives in LA she figures they will find a way to get her safely to New York when SNL returns in the fall.
The Democratic National Convention will have All-Star lineup of performers including John Legend, The Chicks (Formerly Dixie Chicks), Common, Billie Eilish, and Jennifer Hudson.
Neil Young has filed copyright infringement lawsuit against the Donald Trump campaign for using his music without authorization.
Miscellaneous Show Business News
Elton John is celebrating 30 years of sobriety. Says if he never asked for help he’d be dead
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has purchased the XFL football league. No word on what he paid but I bet he can afford it easily. He has been named by Forbes as the highest-paid actor for the second year in a row at $87.5 million for Hobbs & Shaw as well as Skyscraper while Ryan Reynolds Deadpool 2 is in second place with 71.5 million.
Disney+ streaming service has surpassed 60 million subscribers which surpasses its five-year goal.
Late Show With Stephen Colbert has fired music producer Giovanni Ciainci after allegations of sexual misconduct.
Epic Games is suing both Apple and Google because they pulled the popular game Fortnite from the App Store and Play Store. Most services require that they get a cut of not only the cost of the game but any in app purchases. Epic rewrote their app so that they get there in app money directly. Pundits are saying that by deliberately violating the terms of service of both stores and then forcing them to remove the games they were setting things up for antitrust lawsuit. More details in the article linked from Gizmodo below.
Obituaries
Alan Parker director of “Bugsy Malone”, “Midnight Express”, and “Evita” age 76 after battling a long illness
Discovery Channel’s “Deadliest Catch” star Mahlon Reyes age 38. Heart attack.
Wilford Brindley known for his role in “Cocoon” age 85
Character actor Reni Santoni who played “Poppie” on Seinfeld. Age 81.
Brent Carver Tony award-winning actor who appeared in “Kiss of the Spider Woman” age 68
President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Lorenzo Soria age 68
Wayne Fontana 60s pop star who sang the hit “Game of Love” age 74
Raymond Allen who appeared in “Sanford and Son” and “Good Times” age 91
Trini Lopez after and singer who appeared in “Dirty Dozen” and sang “If I Had a Hammer” age 83. Covid 19.