GAME stores to stop all trade-ins from next week

Playwright Christopher Durang has been named the recipient of The Dramatists Guild of America’s 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award, joining a prestigious roster of such past awardees as John Guare, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Miller.

EXCLUSIVE: Adam Beach (The Power of the Dog) has signed on to star in an untitled new film, based on the true story of decorated Native American fire captain Paul Fullerton, which will be directed and produced by Garry A. Brown (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor All five of this year’s Academy Award-nominated original songs will be performed on the Dolby Theatre stage at the 96th Oscars. Jon Batiste, Becky G, Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, Scott George and the Osage Singers, and as Variety previously reported, Ryan Gosling and Mark Ronson will perform the memorable numbers.

Mean Girls has been removed from a new digital streaming version of the movie.As reported by Variety, an updated version of the new film on Amazon Prime Video has edited out a line referring to the phrase “fire crotch”, after Lindsay Lohan publicly said that she had been “hurt” by its inclusion.Directed by Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne, and written by Tina Fey, the revamped musical version of Mean Girls was released in cinemas last month.It is an adaptation of the 2018 Broadway musical, which itself is based on the original 2004 movie, also written by Fey.

Nicolle Wallace finally returned to MSNBC‘s Deadline: White House following her maternity leave.

Thania Garcia Berner, the American rapper and CEO behind the cannabis brand Cookies, in association with 4 Ways Entertainment, has set the cast for their first joint film, “Splash City.” Alex Ferrufino, David Mansanalez, John Mercado, and Arie Rose of 4 Ways are set to produce the coming-of-age thriller set against the backdrop of “the real and raw subculture of the San Francisco Bay Area,” according to a press release. The script for “Splash City” was written by David Mansanalez and Berner, with Ferrufino directing the film.

J. Kim Murphy There goes the neighborhood! A24‘s new trailer for “Civil War” has been unleashed, giving viewers a new look at the domestic carnage in store for the original action film. The footage kicks off with an address from the President, played by Nick Offerman, who calls citizens to arms against “the Florida alliance and the Western forces of Texas and California” for their secession from the United States.

Given the number of high-wattage films garnering multiple nominations at the BAFTAs this year, the rationing of awards was always likely unpredictable on the night. And so it proved, meaning that The Zone of Interest and Poor Things had already nibbled away at Oppenheimer’s chances of a decent sweep before the Best Director award came round. With Poor Things director Yorgo Lanthimos inexplicably left out of the race, a category snub this year for Christopher Nolan would absolutely have sent a signal to the British-American director.

American Idol Season 22 premieres this weekend!

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Dallas Goldtooth has joined the cast of the upcoming Apple TV+ drama series “The Last Frontier,” Variety has learned exclusively. Goldtooth joins previously announced series lead Jason Clarke in the show as well as cast members Haley Bennett, Dominic Cooper, and Simone Kessell. Apple has given the show a 10-episode order.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter “American Rust” Season 2 has a premiere date, but at Amazon Prime Video rather than Freevee. The series was canceled at Showtime after one season in January 2022, only for Freevee — then Amazon’s only ad-supported TV offering — to pick it up for Season 2 in June.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor AGC Studios and Meridian Pictures has sold U.S. and Canada as well as Asia pay TV rights for the Brad Anderson-directed thriller “The Silent Hour,” starring “Suicide Squad’s” Joel Kinnaman, “1917’s” Mark Strong, “New Amsterdam’s” Sandra Mae Frank and “8 Mile’s” Mekhi Phifer, to the newly revitalized Paramount label Republic Pictures. In the film, Kinnaman plays a Boston police detective who suffers an on-the-job accident that leaves him hearing impaired.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has made her US TV debut – performing ‘Murder On The Dancefloor’ on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.The singer took to the stage on the chat show last night (February 12) for what was her first-ever performance on US television. For the live appearance, she performed her 2001 hit, which has recently made a huge comeback thanks to that memorable final scene in Saltburn.Since the film was released at the end of 2023, the British club classic became a viral hit on TikTok and even entered the Billboard Hot 100 – her first-ever song to chart in the US.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor The 96th annual Oscar nominees luncheon gathered a vibrant crowd of celebrities, filmmakers and cinephiles at the iconic Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. DeVon Franklin, a Board of Governors member, kicked off the event by announcing the roll call of attendees, starting with the esteemed composer Laura Karpman of “American Fiction” and concluding with the talented Robert Downey Jr., nominated for his supporting role in “Oppenheimer.” Here are some of the key takeaways from the event.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Sylvester Stallone appeared on a recent episode of “The Tonight Show” and gave Ryan Gosling his blessing to star as the next Rambo in a potential revival of Stallone’s iconic action franchise. Stallone played the eponymous United States Army Special Forces veteran in five movies. The first “Rambo” opened in 1982.

Katcy Stephan Controversial director Woody Allen’s 50th film “Coup de Chance” is coming to U.S. theaters. MPI Media Group will release the movie on April 5 for North American markets, with a digital/VOD release on April 12.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Anyone imagining that a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction could be the thing that finally bring the Gallagher brothers together for an Oasis reunion has been disabused of that notion by Liam Gallagher. The singer posted a series of social media messages expressing his contempt for the institution, along with some ongoing disdain for his brother, Noel.

A world in which the Kardashians AREN’T considered icons? Who would’ve thought we’d see the day??

James Norton and Imogen Poots have seemingly called time on their romance, after seven years together.The Happy Valley actor, 38, recently made a solo appearance at the Jamaica, LA and London premieres of the film Bob Marley: One Love, in which he plays Island Records founder Chris Blackwell. It's since emerged that the pair have unfollowed one another on social media, with the Daily Mail reporting that they parted ways just before Christmas after "growing apart." They were last seen in public together in March 2023 when Imogen, 34, supported James on the opening night of A Little Life, the stage adaptation of the Hanya Yanagihara novel of the same name. OK! have contacted representatives for James Norton and Imogen Poots.

EXCLUSIVE: Comedian, actor and former SNL writer Rob Schneider is set to release his first book. In a competitive situation, Center Street, a division of Hatchette Book Group, will publish Schneider’s You Can Do I! Speak Your Mind, America, on September 24.