John Oliver Switches Things Up On ‘Last Week Tonight’ With Cold Open Addressing Israel-Hamas War

UPDATED with rescheduled date: The Academy Museum Gala, which had been postponed last month in the wake of Hamas‘ attack on Israel, has been rescheduled for December 3.

J. Kim Murphy The Academy Museum has set a new date for its annual fundraising gala, after initially postponing the event out of respect for the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. The event is now scheduled for the evening of Dec.

Editors note: Michael Seitzman is a veteran film and TV writer and showrunner. He created the series Code Black and Intelligence and penned the Charlize Theron-starring movie North Country. In a guest column titled “Because Jews,” he shares is impassioned take on the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and its reverberations around Hollywood.

The B-52s‘ scheduled concert at the White House last night (October 25) was cancelled due to the “sorrow and pain” of the Israel-Hamas war.The US new wave band – best known for their 1989 hit single ‘Love Shack’ – were set to play at an official state dinner for the Australian PM Anthony Albanese, hosted by the US President Joe Biden.In a statement, First Lady Jill Biden said (via The Guardian): “While we had initially planned for the legendary B-52s to perform their iconic dance and party music, we are now in a time when so many are facing sorrow and pain, and we have decided to make adjustments to the entertainment portion of the evening.”It is reported that The B-52s – who are named after a US bomber aircraft – instead attended the state dinner as guests. Presidential military bands provided “instrumental music” in the group’s place.Albanese arrived at the White House on Tuesday (October 24) ahead of a formal state visit yesterday, when he reportedly discussed topics such as Ukraine, China and the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.“Nurturing our partnerships and relationships with our allies is critically important, especially in these tumultuous times,” Jill Biden continued.

EXCLUSIVE: One of the few Israeli delegates who attended last week’s Mipcom Cannes has said he made the trip because “we will not let them win.”

Steve Coogan has defended his decision to sign an open letter calling for a ceasefire in Gaza amid the current Israel-Hamas conflict, while also condemning the “horrific” Hamas attacks.Coogan was among over 2,000 names from the arts world who signed the letter. Tilda Swinton, Massive Attack‘s Robert Del Naja and Miriam Margoyles are also among the signees.The letter condemns various governments for “not only tolerating war crimes but aiding and abetting them” amid the current conflict between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, as well as “every act of violence against civilians and every infringement of international law whoever perpetrates them”.Citing Israeli Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant’s depiction of Palestinians as “human animals”, the letter goes on to argue that Palestinians “have become people to whom almost anything can be done”.However, some have criticised the letter for not openly condemning the actions of Hamas, who reignited tensions between Israel and Palestine when it launched its biggest ever attack on Israel on October 7, killing over 1,000 people.In response, Israel imposed a “total siege” on Gaza, threatening to cut off electricity, fuel and supplies of food and water.

“Yo-hoo, is this the loser’s room?” asked James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live’s cold open tonight. “Don’t we love our country, what an awful place it is,” he said later in the skit, nailing the ex-real estate mogul and one of the better political cold opens SNL has had in a long time.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor On X — the social network formerly called Twitter — about 74% of the most-viral posts promoting misinformation about the Israel-Hamas war in the first week of the conflict were shared by verified blue check-mark accounts, according to a new study. For the first seven days following Hamas’ deadly terrorist attack on Israeli civilians (Oct.

Caroline Brew editor In a prime-time speech, President Joe Biden addressed the country for the first time since massive violence broke out between Israel and Hamas, explaining why it’s necessary to continue to support America’s partners in Israel and Ukraine. “That’s why tomorrow, I’m going to send to Congress an urgent budget request to fund America’s national security needs to support our critical partners including Israel and Ukraine. It’s a smart investment that’s going to pay dividends for American security for generations.

Ellise Shafer The MTV Europe Music Awards, which were set to be held in Paris on Nov. 5, are no longer going forward this year “out of an abundance of caution.” A statement from a Paramount spokesperson reads, “Given the volatility of world events, we have decided not to move forward with the 2023 MTV EMAs out of an abundance of caution for the thousands of employees, crew members, artists, fans and partners who travel from all corners of the world to bring the show to life.” The statement continues, “The MTV EMAs are an annual celebration of global music.

Ellise Shafer Egypt’s El Gouna Film Festival has now been postponed indefinitely due to the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. The festival was previously rescheduled to Oct. 27- Nov.

Hundreds of protesters were arrested on Capitol Hill today as they demonstrated inside the Cannon Office Building, chanting for a ceasefire in the Israel–Hamas war.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent The Cairo International Film Festival’s upcoming 45th edition has been canceled due to the Israel-Hamas conflict. The Cairo fest and market, which is the oldest running film event in the Middle East and Africa, announced its decision Wednesday on Instagram with the following statement: “Minister of Culture Dr. Neven El-Kelany has decided to postpone the 45th edition of the Cairo International Film Festival, which was scheduled to take place from Nov.

Ellise Shafer Madonna addressed the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas at her third Celebration Tour date in London on Tuesday night, asking the audience, “What the fuck is going on in the world?” According to The Guardian, the Queen of Pop took a moment during the concert to make a lengthy statement about the war, calling it “heartbreaking.” “Nobody wants to see what’s happening. I turn on social media and I want to vomit,” Madonna said, as The Guardian reports. “I see children being kidnapped, pulled off motorcycles; babies being decapitated, children at peace raves being shot and killed.

Alicia Keys found herself dealing with a whole lot of backlash this week…

fight with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) against Hamas, The Post has learned that he’s not the only celeb bodyguard to do so.Oded Krashinsky, who has protected celebrities like Nicole Kidman, flew from Los Angeles to Israel to help train IDF soldiers and kibbutz members in Northern Israel.“I came here to help my unit. The morale is tense.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Gigi Hadid was called out by the State of Israel Instagram page for a post she shared related to the Israel-Hamas war. The supermodel shared a graphic to her Instagram story that read: “There is nothing Jewish about the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians.

Ellise Shafer Riz Ahmed has posted an impassioned plea on social media calling for “an end to the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza’s civilians” amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. “We are told there are two sides to what is happening in Israel and Palestine. But in my heart, I know there is only one — the side of our humanity,” the Oscar-nominated actor wrote.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large “Saturday Night Live” opened this week’s Season 49 premiere without a skit, but instead with host Pete Davidson discussing “the horrible images and stories from Israel and Gaza.” Said Davidson: “And I know what you’re thinking, Who better to comment on it than Pete Davidson? Well, in a lot of ways, I am a good person to talk about it because when I was seven years old, my dad was killed in a terrorist attack. So I know something about what that’s like. “I saw so many terrible pictures this week.

Saturday Night Live departed from its usual cold open with a heartfelt message from Pete Davidson about Israel’s war with Hamas.