When did Columbia become Kanye State? Bill Maher asked that question at the top of Friday’s Real Time on HBO, setting the tone for a show that focused on the national campus unrest and what’s behind it. Maher attempted to answer that himself in his “New Rules” editorial, saying in a message to protesters blocking
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Luke Grimes isn’t mad at his Yellowstone costar Kevin Costner for exiting the hit show. Grimes plays the youngest son of Costner’s character, John Dutton III, and addressed Costner’s departure in a recent interview with The Independent. “Whatever happened there is unfortunate if it’s changed anything about how the show was going to unfold,” Grimes
When you have William Shatner, aka Captain James T. Kirk, on your show, you get to ask the Star Trek questions you’ve always wanted answered. That’s what Bill Maher managed to do on Friday’s Real Time, as he probed one of pop culture’s most interesting moments — the interracial kiss between Captain Kirk and Lt.
O.J. Simpson was on everyone’s mind today after his death, and Conan O’Brien took the opportunity to salute his late friend, comic Norm Macdonald, who continued doing Simpson jokes even after being warned by NBC higher-ups to knock it off. Sitting Thursday with CNN’s Jake Tapper to promote his new show, Conan O’Brien Must Go,
All due respect to Godzilla, but the first quarter of this year was a bust for Hollywood. There’s no getting around it. The news read like an April Fool’s joke without a punchline. Disney gave up its fight with Florida, better to face its battle with investor Nelson Peltz (which reminds the ancient among us
Kenan Thompson has talked about his time working with Dan Schneider at Nickelodeon for the first time since the release of the documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. The veteran Saturday Night Live cast member worked on Schneider-produced shows All That and its spinoff series, Kenan & Kel, in the 1990s.
Devon Werkheiser, Lindsey Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee, the former stars of Ned’s Declassified School Survivor Guide, have apologized for making a sexual joke when asked about the Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV docuseries during a TikTok live. The former stars were called out by Drake Bell and slammed online for
There’s no enthusiasm by Larry David for March Madness, as he revealed today on Roku‘s The Rich Eisen Show. “Can I make an admission here This tournament – how much can I follow in sports? I’m supposed to know who’s on Drake? I mean, it’s crazy. Crazy! Is that Valparaiso? I know names on Valparaiso?
On the one side, you have an atheist and avowed bachelor. On the other, a psychologist who thinks family and faith are the keys to progress from our current problems. Those polar opposites made for some intense sparring on Friday’s Real Time, as Bill Maher faced off aganst a fiesty Dr. Phil McGraw, author of
Saturday Night Live host Ayo Edebiri probably wished that she could take back some mean comments made during a podcast about this week’s musical guest, Jennifer Lopez. Fortunately (and perhaps awkwardly) for her, SNL gave her a chance for amends with its spoof game show, Why’d Ya Say It? It all started when clips resurfaced
A defiant Larry David told Seth Meyers Thursday night that he just couldn’t take anymore of Elmo‘s treacly sentiments, so he decided to take matters into his own hands. Literally. David was asked by Meyers about his infamous moment earlier that day on the Today show. That’s when David did an unexpected move after Elmo’s
“Someone had to do it.” That was the explanation given by Larry David after throttling Elmo on live television, an apparent response to the treacly sentiments of the Sesame Street character. Elmo has been much in the news for asking via X how everyone was doing. This time, he got his answer directly. The Curb
I’m trying to stay optimistic. It takes some effort, as just about everyone seems to think the film business is a mess–strike-thinned schedule, cultural chaos, streaming models in flux. But, hey, the Golden Globes audience was up by half, never mind critical reaction to the show. There are still signs of life out there. So
As my colleague Anthony D’Alessandro has noted, the domestic movie box office, starved of product by overlapping strikes, will likely be trimmed by a billion dollars in 2024. So here’s question worth pondering: Would the film industry be healthier if most of that pruning occurred at the very top? There’s a case to be made.
Disney CEO Bob Iger blames the pandemic effect as part of the reason for the dismal box office results on The Marvels. Speaking at a New York Times business summit earlier this week, Iger said the studio needs some revitalization. ″The Marvels was shot during Covid,” he explained. “There wasn’t as much supervision on the
Sean Penn, who starred on two episodes of Friends in 2001, said the late actor Matthew Perry was a “talented guy,” and said he praised him when they last met. “I can’t claim to have known him well, but I liked him very much,” Penn said on Wednesday’s episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored. “I saw
Six months in, the strikes are over. Ten days out, the holidays begin. As for the movies—unfortunately, the most exciting part of the year is already behind us. It’s disconcerting to realize that there is no unavoidably dazzling, must-see, pop cultural event film on the schedule for the rest of 2023. Certainly, some fine pictures,
Oil and water. Oscar and Felix. Entering tonight’s Real Time, you’d expect Sen. Ted Cruz and Bill Maher to fit into that “don’t mix” category. You’d be wrong, for the most part. Although they sparred at times, the two political opposites found that they were often on the same page. Cruz is out supporting his
“Western civilization is what gave the word every goddamn liberal precept to adore,” Bill Maher thundered during his “New Rules” editorial on Friday’s Real Time. He went on to list religious freedom and other benefits. So, Maher contended, citing a recent statement from President Joe Biden, “The world would be a better place if we
How do you deal with a world where finger-pointing, bureaucracy, mob actions and a lack of initiative stall progress? That was the running theme of Friday’s Real Time on HBO, as a downbeat Bill Maher took on a world that was clearly vexing him greatly. The show started out with an appearance by former Democratic
Former SAG-AFTRA president Melissa Gilbert has blasted a SAG-AFTRA message that urged its members not to dress up as characters from struck companies this Halloween. SAG-AFTRA published a post on its website encouraging members to “celebrate Halloween this year while also staying in solidarity.” The guild recommended striking actors “choose costumes inspired by generalized characters
Thanks, George. But your proposal to take the cap off union dues in order to end SAG-AFTRA‘s strike isn’t legally compatible with the union’s contract. So said SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher in a video posted to Instagram in response to George Clooney and other A-List actors‘offer to pay more into the union coffers. The Clooney
With guild agreements being signed and production ramping up, Hollywood hopefully awaits a moment of youthful innovation. Oops: The most newsworthy films set for imminent release are directed by filmmakers in their 80s – grizzled veterans who understand their muscle but, like the neophytes, are perplexed by the chaotic landscape. Will this become a Back
The Los Angeles Armenian American community is ramping up its public concerns over a international regional conflict between ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijan. Last week, a Los Angeles protest blocked the southbound 101 in downtown Los Angeles after Azerbaijan resumed military attacks on an enclave where roughly 120,000 ethnic Armenians live. Thousands have fled their homes,
The film festivals can always be counted on to deliver surprise hits at this time of year, but meanwhile Hollywood must deal with another issue: Its Barbitude hangover. Barbie’s billions will importantly impact upon how decision-makers frame future strategies on budget, content and promotion. The megahit could also cast a pink cloud over awards season:
Editor’s note: Dade Hayes and Jonathan Bing are co-authors of Open Wide: How Hollywood Box-Office Became a National Obsession. Hayes is Deadline’s Business Editor and Bing is Chief Communications Officer at Vice Media Group. The more things change, the more the Hollywood studios stay the same. At least that’s one of the surprising lessons of
It was a magnificent movie weekend. Barbie, Oppenheimer, Sound of Freedom. All hits, a blow-out! So what else have you got? The question sounds obnoxious, like its near-cousin, the always infuriating: “What have you done for me lately?” But it’s an honest query, and an important one for a strike-bound, streaming-bent, pandemic-emergent industry that is
The mysterious sanctuary hidden away in the Jemez mountains was known only as Box 1663 in the mid 1950s. The mission of its 13,000 residents was to create “the gadget.” Living there was a challenge. “It’s a prison camp for eggheads,” whispered one scientist. As a young newsman, I decided I had to find a
What was it W. B. Yeats wrote, that line Joan Didion lifted and twisted in her essay “Slouching Towards Bethlehem,” about West Coast chaos in 1967? Things fall apart; the center cannot hold. That’s how it felt on Thursday, a few minutes before lunch with some seasoned film executive-friends at the Academy Museum (Salad Niçoise
Mike Reiss, a writer and former showrunner on The Simpsons, admits he’s “not optimistic” about a rescue of the missing submarine that was exploring the Titanic wreckage. He has an informed opinion – it’s a vehicle he has taken several trips on prior to this incident. The submersible “Titan” vehicle has been missing since June