Kim Murphy Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

J. Kim Murphy “No Hard Feelings” came out on top of the domestic box office on its opening day, bedding $6.25 million in Friday and Thursday preview screenings from 3,208 venues. Meanwhile, the top spot for the weekend is a battle between animated adventures; both “Elemental” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” are staying above “The Flash,” which looks to be collapsing in its second outing. Heading into the weekend, “No Hard Feelings” was projected to launch with a mild $12 million. The raunchy R-rated Jennifer Lawrence vehicle is already outrunning those estimates, now forecasting a debut of $15 million or so. “No Hard Feelings” may lose pace to holdovers as the weekend unfolds, but box-office-king-for-a-day is certainly a higher honor than most studio comedies have achieved of late. The once-prolific genre has fallen far from theatrical relevance in recent years, with the past few months containing an expansive slate of box office disappointments and failures, from “The Machine” to “Easter Sunday” to “Bros.”

J. Kim Murphy “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” will not be released in the United Arab Emirates after failing to pass the country’s censorship requirements, Variety has confirmed. A scene featuring a poster in the background of the frame that depicts the transgender flag and reads “Protect Trans Lives” is said to be one of the concerns that prevented a release from being approved, sources said. The United Arab Emirates ban comes only a week ahead of the Sony Pictures film’s intended release date in the region of June 22. However, it isn’t uncommon for the country’s censorship board to axe the imminent release of films featuring LGBTQ+ content. Another animated film faced a similar predicament last summer, when Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear” was not released in the country due to a scene depicting a same-sex kiss between two lesbian space rangers. The “Toy Story” spinoff was also banned from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Malaysia.

J. Kim Murphy Robert Gottlieb, an editor extraordinaire who worked with writers as varied as Toni Morrison, John le Carré, Michael Crichton, Robert Caro and Bill Clinton, died Wednesday at a hospital in Manhattan. He was 92. Gottlieb’s death was confirmed to the New York Times by his wife, actor Maria Tucci. Working at publishers Simon & Schuster and Alfred A. Knopf, Gottlieb’s impressive record of shepherding manuscripts into well-regarded, sometimes bestselling and award-winning works earned him a towering reputation among literary elite. John Cheever, Joseph Heller, Doris Lessing, Chaim Potok and Ray Bradbury were among his clients, along with Katharine Graham, the once publisher of the Washington Post.

J. Kim Murphy John Romita Sr., one of the key artists in Marvel Comics’ history who co-created characters such as Wolverine, the Punisher and Mary Jane Watson, has died. He was 93 years old.

J. Kim Murphy Treat Williams, a veteran screen actor who received acclaim for his lead performance in the musical “Hair” and starred in The WB series “Everwood,” died Monday afternoon after being involved in a motorcycle accident near Dorset, Vt. He was 71. Williams’ death was confirmed by his agent, Barry McPherson, in a statement to People. Vermont State Police reported a road closure near Dorset due to a motor vehicle accident at 5:24 p.m. No further details about Williams’ death are available at this time. At the age of 28, Williams received acclaim for his performance in “Hair,” Miloš Forman’s big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. Williams earned a Golden Globe nomination in the now-defunct category new star of the year (actor). Two years later he was competing again, this time in best actor in a motion picture drama for his performance in Daniel Ciello’s “Prince of the City.”

J. Kim Murphy “I Love That for You” will not move forward with a second season at Showtime. The network has canceled the comedy series executive produced by Vanessa Bayer, Jeremy Beiler and Jessi Klein after one season. “’I Love That for You’ has completed its run on Showtime,” a spokesperson for the network disclosed on Wednesday evening. “We want to thank Vanessa, Jeremy and Jessi, along with the incredible cast and crew for their hard work and wish them the best going forward.” The news comes nearly a year after “I Love That for You” completed its pilot season, airing a finale on June 19, 2022. The first season was composed of eight episodes, which broadcast weekly on Sunday evenings.

J. Kim Murphy Bob Chapek, the former Disney CEO who was abruptly ousted from the company last November, is among a group of executives facing a lawsuit claiming violations of securities law for allegedly providing misleading statements and omissions about Disney+ and its subscriber growth. The case, filed by Local 272 Labor Management Pension Fund on May 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, also names former Disney executive Kareem Daniel and current CFO Christine McCarthy, as well as the Walt Disney Co. itself, as defendants. The document states that the case seeks a lead plaintiff and judicial determination for a class action suit representing Disney shareholders from Dec. 10, 2020 to Nov. 8, 2022.

J. Kim Murphy Jacklyn Zeman, the screen actor who portrayed Barbara “Bobbie” Spencer across more than 800 episodes of “General Hospital,” has died. She was 70 years old. Zeman’s death was announced by “General Hospital” executive producer Frank Valentini on Twitter on Wednesday evening. No further details about her death are available at this time. “On behalf of our ‘General Hospital’ family, I am heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Jackie Zeman,” Valentini wrote. “Just like her character, the legendary Bobbie Spencer, she was a bright light and true professional that brought so much positive energy with her to work.”

J. Kim Murphy Donald Trump opened his town hall on CNN Wednesday night by reiterating his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged.” The former president sat down Wednesday evening for a conversation moderated by Kaitlan Collins broadcast live from New Hampshire, fielding questions from Republicans and undeclared voters in the state. At the start of the evening, Collins and Trump sparred over false conspiracy theories about the results of the 2020 election and the degree of the former president’s involvement with the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “When you look at that result and when you look at what happened during that election — and unless you’re a very stupid person you see what happened,” Trump told the crowd. “That was a rigged election.”

J. Kim Murphy President Joe Biden commented on the ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America on Monday evening, offering remarks ahead of a screening of the new Disney+ series “American Born Chinese” at the White House. President Biden’s comments drew a round of applause from the crowd, as he called for a “fair deal” to be reached “as soon as possible.” The White House had previously declined to issue a comment on the situation last week, after the Writers Guild of America called for a strike on the evening of May 1, when contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers fell apart. “Nights like these are a reminder of the power of stories and the importance of treating storytellers with the dignity, respect and value they deserve,” the President stated. “I sincerely hope that the writers strike in Hollywood gets resolved — and the writers are given the fair deal they deserve, as soon as possible. This is an iconic, meaningful American industry. We need the writers — and all the workers — and everyone involved to tell the stories of our nation. And the stories of all of us.”

J. Kim Murphy “Evil” is wrapping up filming on Season 4 earlier than anticipated. After the set faced disruptions by picketing Writers Guild members on Friday, the Paramount+ series is now seeing a cast member take a leave of absence due to a personal family matter. As a result, production has wrapped early on the next season. A source close to the series would only confirm that the early end to filming was a result of the unnamed actor’s temporary exit from the show. However, no filming occurred on Friday, as Writers Guild members on strike demonstrated near the production. The fourth season of “Evil” was commissioned to include 10 episodes. It remains unclear whether the early end to production will impact those plans.

J. Kim Murphy “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” formally kicked off the summer blockbuster season Friday. While Disney’s domestic numbers have yet to come in, analysts indicate the film drew about $48 million on its opening day, a figure that includes $17.5 million in Thursday previews. “Vol. 3” is on track to land within its expectations heading into the weekend, which had pegged the Disney release to take root with a $110 million to $120 million debut through Sunday. That would be enough to notch the second-highest opening of the year, behind only the $146 million that “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” coined over a three-day frame. However, it’s still roughly a quarter down from the $146.5 million debut earned by “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” back in 2017.

J. Kim Murphy Actor Matthew Lawrence opened the April 28 episode of his Brotherly Love podcast on a serious note, reflecting on the #MeToo movement and his own experience with sexual harassment in Hollywood. On the show, co-hosted by his brothers, fellow actors Joey and Andrew Lawrence, the 43-year-old actor recounts his experience refusing to engage with a director involved with a Marvel project, who asked Lawrence to take his clothes off during a meeting. “There’s been many times in my life where I’ve been propositioned to get a huge role,” Lawrence says on the podcast. “I lost my agency because I went to the hotel room” where, the actor alleges, a prominent director “showed up in his robe, asked me to take my clothes off, said he needed to take Polaroids of me and said if I did X, Y and Z, I would be the next Marvel character.”

J. Kim Murphy “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has pounded out some serious coinage. The animated adventure from Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo is becoming the first release of 2023 to cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office. While “Mario Bros.” isn’t projected to cross the coveted threshold until Sunday, Universal is confident enough in the projections to declare the weekend a victory. If estimates hold, the video game adaptation will reach the $1 billion mark in 24 days. First debuting on April 5, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has been a dominant force in theaters for the entire month. It still ranks as the top release on domestic charts, now in its fourth weekend of release.

J. Kim Murphy “Evil Dead Rise” might not be able to vanquish the soon-to-three-peat box office champion “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” but the horror entry is still chainsawing off its own solid opening on domestic charts. The Warner Bros. release earned $10.3 million from 3,402 locations on Friday, a figure that includes $2.5 million in previews. It’s an auspicious start for the horror entry, which now has a strong chance of outperforming its projections, which had pegged the film with a $15 million to $20 million debut heading into the weekend. That’s not too shabby of a haul for a production originally slated to release directly on HBO Max. “Evil Dead Rise” is the fifth installment in Warner Bros. and New Line’s outlandish horror franchise, as well as the first in 10 years. “Rise” is tracking slightly behind its predecessor, which scored an $11.8 million opening day in April 2013, on its way to a $25.7 million debut.

J. Kim Murphy Todd Haimes, a major force of New York theater who rescued the Roundabout Theater Company and developed it into one of the country’s premier nonprofit theaters, died Wednesday in New York City due to complications of osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

J. Kim Murphy Jonathan Majors and his talent manager Entertainment 360 have parted ways, an insider has confirmed to Variety.

J. Kim Murphy Michael Lerner, an actor who featured in films such as “Elf,” “Godzilla” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and who received an Oscar nomination in best supporting actor for his performance in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1991 psychological comedy “Barton Fink,” died Saturday evening. He was 81 years old. Lerner’s death was confirmed by his nephew, “The Goldbergs” actor Sam Lerner, who paid tribute to his uncle through a post on Instagram Sunday afternoon. No further details regarding Lerner’s death are available at this time. “We lost a legend last night. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Lerner wrote. “His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special. Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was— in the best way.”

J. Kim Murphy “Five Nights at Freddy’s” has set an October release date to terrify audiences in multiplexes… and on Peacock. Universal Pictures has announced a simultaneous release for the Blumhouse-produced adaptation of the popular horror video game series, setting an Oct. 27, 2023 date for both a theatrical bow and a debut on the studio’s streaming service. Producer Jason Blum, a prolific presence on Twitter, took to the platform Wednesday evening to make an announcement of the release date, though a note on the simultaneous Peacock debut is absent. As promised:#FNAF FANS: You asked and we delivered. #FNAFMovie is coming this Halloween on October 27.  2023!!!!!205 days until the party.And that is the BIG NEWS A day-and-date horror release has become an annual affair for Universal. This will mark the third time that the studio has set a hybrid debut for a Blumhouse production in October. Previously, both “Halloween Kills” (2021) and “Halloween Ends” (2022) landed on Peacock the same day that they opened in theaters.

J. Kim Murphy Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to close a deal to produce a “Harry Potter” television series. According to Bloomberg, which was first to report news of recent talks surrounding the project, the project would be directly based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling book series, rather than an in-universe spinoff such as the “Fantastic Beasts” film series. Each season would reportedly draw from one of the books, suggesting an ongoing franchise that would stretch for years for the studio. Sources close to the situation suggest that talks between Warner Bros. Discovery and Rowling’s camp remain in a preliminary state. The studio is looking to house the series under its streaming banner HBO Max, soon to be combined with Discovery+ and rebranded under a new name.

J. Kim Murphy “60 Minutes” has drawn criticism from journalists and other public figures for its sit-down interview with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, which aired on Sunday evening. In the interview, Greene asserted that Democrats are the “party of pedophiles,” saying, “They support grooming children… Even Joe Biden himself supports children being sexualized and having transgender surgeries.” The Republican representative doubled down on her comments in a Tweet, writing, “I will always fight to protect kids!” Greene, who was elected to a House seat representing Georgia in 2020, has been a primary subject of fervent criticism from Democratic figures for several years. During her campaign, she voiced support for a range of conspiracy theories promoted by the QAnon movement, which the FBI has deemed a domestic terror group. She has also promoted misinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines.

J. Kim Murphy Sharon Acker, a Canadian film, television and theater actor best known for her roles in “Point Blank,” “The New Perry Mason” and “Happy Birthday to Me,” has died. She was 87. Acker’s death was confirmed by her cousin, David Glover, in a tribute to his family member on Facebook: “My wife Judy and I were very close with Sharon and we spoke regularly even after she moved back to Toronto to be close to with daughters and family. I can never forget Sharon’s million dollar smile. She made everyone she came in contact with feel so much better.” According to reports, Acker died March 16 at her retirement home in Toronto.

Awkwafina is back as Nora from Queens.

McKinley Franklin author Comedy Central has released the first official teaser for Season 3 of “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens” ahead of the series’ April 26 premiere date, Variety can exclusively reveal. The television comedy “Awkafina Is Nora From Queens” draws inspiration from creator and writer Awkwafina’s life experiences growing up in Queens, N.Y. — and she’ll also make her directorial debut with Season 3. On the show, Awkwafina (aka Nora Lin) maneuvers through the hardships of young adulthood with the support of her closest family members, her father (BD Wong), grandmother (Lori Tan Chinn) and cousin (Bowen Yang). From the looks of the teaser, it looks like their lively, eccentric family dynamic from previous seasons will still be present in Season 3.

J. Kim Murphy Animals rights activists have condemned the death of a horse on the set of Prime Video’s “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.” On March 21, a horse suffered cardiac arrest ahead of rehearsals on the production of the fantasy streaming series. Amazon Studios released a statement confirming the situation on Sunday morning. “We are deeply saddened to confirm that a production horse died on 21st March,” an Amazon spokesperson said. “The incident took place in the morning whilst the horse was being exercised prior to rehearsals. The trainer was not in costume and filming had yet to commence. Both a veterinarian and a representative of the American Humane Association were present at the time. The independent necropsy has confirmed that the horse died of cardiac failure.”

J. Kim Murphy Tommy Wiseau is back behind the camera again. The director and star of “The Room” has debuted the trailer for “Big Shark,” his first follow-up feature to his trademark 2003 cult melodrama. “Big Shark” follows three firefighters, Georgie, Patrick and Tim, as they work to save New Orleans from an attack by — you guessed it — a very big shark. While this first look at “Big Shark” is only now being debuted online, the trailer has already been playing for audiences at theatrical screenings of “The Room” over recent months. “Big Shark” will kick off its rollout on April 2 with a debut screening at Cinema 21 in Portland, Ore. Screenings will follow over the coming months, with a tentative schedule of engagements hosted by Prytania Theatres at Canal Place in New Orleans (April 28 and 29), the Balboa Theatre in San Francisco, Calif. (May 5 and 6), the Landmark Westwood in Los Angeles (June 2 and 3) and the Village East by Angelika in New York City (August 10, 11 and 12).

J. Kim Murphy Barney’s back. Neil Patrick Harris is set to reprise his star-making role of Barney Stinson on the upcoming mid-season finale of the Hulu original spinoff series “How I Met Your Father.” Harris was a main cast member and a fan favorite on the original CBS comedy series “How I Met Your Mother,” which ran for nine seasons after debuting in 2005. Harris earned four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for outstanding supporting actor in a comedy series over the course of his tenure with the show, in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010. Harris will appear in next week’s two-episode mid-season finale of “How I Met Your Father,” which debuts on Hulu on March 28. After the duo of installments, the series will take a hiatus for a few weeks before continuing its 20-episode second season on May 23.

J. Kim Murphy “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is thundering to a No. 1 opening at the box office, though the DC Comics adaptation is expected to fly in lower than its predecessor. “Fury of the Gods” grossed $11.7 million in opening day ticket sales, a figure that includes $3.4 million in Thursday previews. That’s almost half of the $20.3 million that the 2019 original earned in its first day of release, on its way to a $53 million bow. “Fury of the Gods” carries a production budget of $125 million, which is $25 million higher than its predecessor’s. Opening in 4,071 theaters, the superhero sequel will likely struggle to reach a $30 million debut. With DC Studios under the newly minted leadership of Peter Safran and James Gunn, “Shazam! 2” represents somewhat of a relic of a bygone regime for the comic book banner. While a film like “The Flash” was also conceived before Safran and Gunn’s tenure, the pair of CEOs have often declared their conviction in the quality of the upcoming Ezra Miller film. Chatter around the “Shazam!” sequel has been much quieter.

J. Kim Murphy Bert I. Gordon, an American filmmaker whose low-budget creature features brought super-sized monsters to drive-in cinemas in the mid-20th century, died Wednesday in Los Angeles after collapsing at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 100. Gordon’s death was confirmed to the New York Times by his daughter, Patricia. In Atomic Age America, Gordon’s science-fiction B movies manifested the country’s nuclear anxieties as eye-popping apocalypse spectacles. Mostly working under shooting schedules that could total to two weeks and change at most, Gordon produced, directed and wrote more than 25 features over a career spanning six decades, including striking titles like “Village of the Giants” (1965), “How to Succeed With Sex” (1970) and “Empire of the Ants” (1977). His films “Necromancy” (1972)” and “The Food of the Gods” (1976) featured Orson Welles and Ida Lupino, respectively.

J. Kim Murphy “The Way of Water” has no beginning and no end — even in your living room! James Cameron’s long awaited “Avatar” sequel has finally set a digital platform release date. The sci-fi epic will be available to purchase on March 28, setting course for Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu and Movies Anywhere.

J. Kim Murphy “John Wick: Chapter 4” officially bowed at its London premiere Monday evening, with the social media reactions embargo lifting during the event. The fourth entry picks up following the end of “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum,” which saw Keanu Reeves’ infamous assassin take a tumble from atop the Continental Hotel after being betrayed by his confidante Winston (Ian McShane). Of course, Wick lives. “Chapter 4” finds the deadly pariah traveling the globe to free himself from the rule of the elusive, cutthroat High Table. The critical darling action series has drawn strong praise in its first round of reactions, especially for its deep bench of sparring partners that includes Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Marko Zazor, Scott Adkins and Rina Sawayama. Another central topic of opinion is the film’s runtime, which clocks in at a lengthy two hours and 49 minutes — 38 minutes longer than the previous entry’s.

J. Kim Murphy Emma Heming Willis, wife to actor Bruce Willis, has made a statement asking paparazzi to “keep your space” when following the 67-year-old actor, who was recently diagnosed with dementia. Heming Willis posted a video on Instagram, recounting a recent incident in which photographers attempted to speak to her husband while he made a rare public appearance to meet with a group of friends for coffee in Santa Monica. “If you are someone who is looking after someone with dementia, you know how difficult and stressful it can be to get someone out into the world and to navigate them safely, even just to get a cup of coffee,” she said. “It’s clear that there’s still a lot of education that needs to be put worth. So this one is going out to the photographers and video people that are trying to get those exclusives of my husband out and about. Just keep your space.”

J. Kim Murphy “Creed III” is set to knock out “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” for the top spot on domestic charts. The MGM released took in an impressive $22 million opening day, a figure that includes $5.45 million from preview screenings earlier in the week. Playing in 4,007 locations, the “Rocky” spinoff is now projecting an opening north of $50 million, exceeding initial expectations that had the drama pegged at an opening in the $30 millions. It would also mark a franchise high across all the “Creed” films and the entire “Rocky” series, rocketing beyond the three-day debuts of the first “Creed” ($29 million) and its 2018 sequel ($35 million).

J. Kim Murphy Gordon Pinsent, a prolific Canadian actor who gained international recognition in 2006 for his performance alongside Julie Christie in Sarah Polley’s drama “Away From Her,” died Saturday. He was 92 years old. Pinsent’s death was confirmed to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation through a statement released by his family. No further details about his death are available at this time. “Gordon Pinsent’s daughters, Leah and Beverly, and his son, Barry, would like to announce the passing of their father peacefully in sleep today with his family at his side,” reads a note written on behalf of Pinsent’s family by his son-in-law, Peter Keleghan. “Gordon passionately loved this country and its people, purpose and culture to his last breath.”

J. Kim Murphy Bethlyn Hand, who served as senior vice president of advertising and administration for the Motion Picture Association of America, died Feb. 14 of Alzheimer’s disease. She was 85 years old. Hand joined the Hollywood trade organization shortly after Jack Valenti began his 37-year tenure as MPA president in 1966. “She was by my side at the very beginning of my tenure at the MPAA,” Valenti said in 2003, four years before his death in 2007. “I got a lot of credit for what she did.” Working with the MPAA, Hand’s responsibilities included the approval of marketing campaigns aligning with the guidelines of its ratings program — a duty that often spurred studio executives and producers to meet with her to plead their cases. In the ’90s, Hand was named one of Hollywood’s most powerful women by the Hollywood Reporter.

J. Kim Murphy Actor Tom Sizemore has been hospitalized after suffering a bran aneurysm. He is currently in critical condition. Sizemore’s representation confirmed the actor’s health status. His family has been made aware of the circumstances. Things are currently a “wait and see situation,” per Sizemore’s representation. According to reports, Sizemore was discovered at his Los Angeles home around 2 a.m. and was promptly transferred to a local hospital. The 61-year-old Sizemore came into his own as a Hollywood actor in the 1990s, building a career out through a variety of tough guy roles in action and drama films. He is likely best known for his performance as Technical Sergeant Mike Horvath in Steven Spielberg’s 1998 war film “Saving Private Ryan,” which was nominated for best picture at the Academy Awards.