Former ‘Halo’ creative head Joseph Staten joins Netflix Games for “AAA” project

Focus Features has the right idea in releasing the new sequel, Book Club: The Next Chapter just in time for Mother’s Day. Reuniting four genuine movie icons – Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen, Mary Steenburgen – whose first film in this senior franchise, 2017’s Book Club, was a surprise hit making over $100 million worldwide, there was proof positive that older female audience was eager for a night or matinee out at the multiplex if the idea and cast were right. Since then the pandemic hit and changed moviegoing habits for the older crowd, a group that is hard to get back into theatres (although not impossible – witness The Lost City and Ticket To Paradise). My guess is that with this quartet back in fine form, and now all over 70 (!), this could again play with the usual Hollywood conceit that women of a certain age are not boxoffice. Throw in Italy as their destination and you have an early summer confection that could prove to be irresistible for a too-often ignored demographic.

Phoebe Bridgers opened up Taylor Swift’s second of three shows at Texas’ Nissan Stadium last night (May 6) with The 1975’s Matty Healy joining her on guitar.Bridgers made her ‘Eras’ tour debut on Friday and once again opened for Swift last night. Towards the end of her set, Bridgers was joined by her Boygenius bandmates Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker to perform their track ‘Cool About It’ as well as Bridgers’ own ‘Graceland Too’ and ‘I Know The End’. She then introduced her band, including “Mr.

A large collection of Hollywood stars including Charlize Theron, Melissa McCarthy, and Sarah Silverman have been slated to appear in an upcoming telethon to support LGBTQ groups facing what they see as society’s "demonization of drag culture." The live telethon, titled "Drag Isn’t Dangerous," is a joint Hollywood and LGBTQ event featuring celebrity appearances and performances from drag queens, with the goal of raising money for several major LGBTQ groups. Among the groups looking to benefit are Black Queer Town Hall, GLAAD, Trixie Cosmetics, OUTtv and SERV Vodka.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Coulda, woulda, shoulda? Ten years ago, Yahoo was looking for a “transformative” acquisition, former CEO Marissa Mayer said in a recent interview with Tech Brew. Among the targets the internet company was looking at: Netflix and Hulu. Yahoo ended up buying blogging site Tumblr for $1.1 billion in 2013 — which, to put it mildly, did not pan out as expected. “We looked at a transformative acquisition, and we bought Tumblr,” Mayer said. “At the same time, we were also considering whether it was possible to buy Hulu or, ironically, Netflix. And I think Netflix was $4 billion and Hulu was at $1.3 billion at the time. And either of those, with hindsight being 20/20, would have been a better acquisition.” (Netflix’s market capitalization in May 2013 was $12.7 billion; as of Friday, it was about $143.5 billion.)

Angelique Jackson The American Black Film Festival (ABFF) has announced the lineup for this year’s Talks Series, headlined by 2023 festival ambassador Lena Waithe. The 27th edition of the festival will be held June 14-18 in Miami Beach, followed by a virtual program June 19-25 on ABFF Play. On Thursday, June 15, the Emmy-winning writer, producer and actor will sit for an intimate one-on-one conversation, billed as “The Lena Waithe Effect,” where she’ll recount her journey in the entertainment industry. In addition to Waithe, the series of conversations and panels also features: “That’s Our Business,” a candid conversation with Tabitha Brown and her husband Chance Brown; a panel discussion with TV One Networks’ Kirk and Tammy Franklin (“The One”) and LisaRaye McCoy (“Asking for a Friend”); a look behind-the-scenes of Bounce TV’s “Act Your Age” starring Kym Whitley and Yvette Nicole Brown; a celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary with the Xfinity Original Series “Hip House”; and the WBD Access Music Supervisor Panel featuring Morgan Rhodes (“The Color Purple”) and Carolyn Owens (“Cherish the Day”).

Warner Bros. Discovery is lighting the lamp with its first round coverage of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs across TNT and TBS.

Shawn Mendes is on the hunt for the perfect candle.

Melissa McCarthy is game for a Bridesmaids sequel, the 2011 comedy that also starred Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudulph and directed by Paul Feig.

Jack Nicholson is back and better than ever.  The legendary Hollywood actor was all smiles during the Los Angeles Lakers versus Memphis Grizzlies in Game 6 of their first-round NBA playoff series.  The 86-year-old Laker’s superfan returned courtside with his lookalike son Ray to cheer on their favorite team.The father-son duo made the rare appearance after two years since the last season’s opening game in October 2021. "The Shining" star donned a dark plaid blazer with a black dress shirt underneath.

If there was any question how important tonight’s playoff Game 6 against the Memphis Grizzlies was for the Lakers, one need look no further than a certain iconic court-side seat.

Bob Odenkirk has booked a new role!

A retired vicar vowed to carry on protesting despite being jailed for taking part in a climate change demonstration which brought the City of London to a standstill. Former Vicar of Rochdale the Rev Mark Coleman was sentenced to five weeks in prison for his part in October's Insulate Britain roadblock.

There were so many celebs in attendance at the TAG Heuer Carrera 60th Anniversary Party!

Jennifer Aniston joined other celebrities who have demanded justice for Ralph Yarl, the innocent black teenager who was shot twice when he accidentally rang the wrong doorbell - as his GoFundMe page soared past $2. 5million raised for Yarl. Ralph Yarl, 16, was shot outside of a house in Kansas City, Missouri, just a block away from the property his siblings were waiting to be picked up from, on April 13.

personal Instagram page.” He tagged the author with the book.The picture shows up paired with audio saying “stone-cold killer” and text captions stating “You can never trust anyone,” followed by pictures of McGillvary.The complaint says Hazelwood has suffered from “reputational harm, stress, anxiety and anguish” due to the use of the photo in the documentary. It also causes him “a constant fear of losing future employment or relationships because of people believing he is dangerous or untrustworthy.”“Mr.

EXCLUSIVE: In the Heights and Transformers star Anthony Ramos looks to have found another big franchise as sources tell Deadline he is in talks to join Twisters, a new chapter to the 1996 box office hit, for Amblin Entertainment and Universal Pictures. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Glen Powell are also on board.

Craig Mazin, co-creator, executive producer, writer and director of HBO smash The Last of Us, says there remains “quite a bit of story to tell” in the video game adaptation. “Our plan is to do it not just for one more season,” he said. “We should be around for a while.”

Metro Boomin was joined by a star-studded support cast at his Coachella set on Friday night (April 14) – watch him perform with The Weeknd, Diddy, Future, John Legend and more below.During the set, the producer and rapper also welcomed the likes of 21 Savage, Mike Dean and Don Toliver to the stage.Opening with ‘On Time’ (featuring John Legend), he then went straight into introducing ‘Future’ for ‘Superhero (Heroes & Villains)‘ and three Future covers with the rapper.Elsewhere in the 23-song set, he covered three Weeknd songs alongside Abel Tesfaye, closing with an all-star performance of ‘Creepin’‘ featuring The Weeknd, 21 Savage and Diddy.See footage from the performance, which also featured a preview of a new track from The Weeknd, below.XOCHELLA

BravoCon is changing locations for its third fan event and is headed to Las Vegas. The three-day event will take over Sin City from November 3-5 this fall.

Ben Croll The ongoing and ever-growing need to connect accomplished artistic works with sophisticated viewers has given rise to a new and altogether idiosyncratic new post within the XR ecosystem – the impact producer. Rather than chase after indiscriminate revenue, the impact producer focuses on audience returns; rather than aiming for the largest possible public, the impact producer targets the right one. “An impact producer is more focused on a mobilization strategy, which works in tandem with a distribution,” says creative strategist (and impact producer) Michaela Ternasky-Holland. ”We’re driven by our specific, targeted audience,” she continues. “Are we trying to reach the university students, politicians, or grassroots activists? Are we trying to [encourage] a policy decision, are we trying to mobilize around an event and raise awareness about an issue? And because we hold this mobilization strategy, we also [oversee] the digital experience of the project.”