Kim Foxx, the state’s attorney in Chicago, has survived the controversy over her handling of the Jussie Smollett case, defeating three challengers in her bid for re-election. Foxx was first elected four years ago on a platform of criminal justice reform. But last year she became entangled in the Smollett case, in which her office
Although probably no one will begrudge Amazon prioritizing essential goods and services during a pandemic, the company’s decision to put a temporary halt to incoming shipments of physical media is subjecting record labels — particularly independent imprints that do a good deal of business in vinyl and CDs — to yet another blow. Amazon has
March 17, 2020 7:44PM PT Even though he starts off by singing verses from the 1987 hit “It’s the End of the World As We Know It (and I Feel Fine),” ex-R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe strikes a balanced, cautious-but-optimistic tone with a “4 Coronavirus Rules” public service announcement posted on his website and excerpted on
Almost immediately after Reese Witherspoon optioned author Celeste Ng’s bestseller “Little Fires Everywhere” to produce an on-screen adaptation, the question became, who would play Mia Warren to her Elena Richardson, the two mothers at the center of the story. But for the Oscar winner, the answer came easily, and she turned to friend Kerry Washington
Lionsgate has joined the parade of releases pulled from theatrical release due to the coronavirus pandemic, pulling the Chris Rock-Samuel L. Jackson “Saw” reboot, Janelle Monae’s “Antebellum” and Sarah Paulson’s “Run.” Lionsgate made the moves on Tuesday, in the wake of Disney-Marvel pulling its Scarlett Johansson superhero adventure “Black Widow,” from its May 1 slot,
Epix is kicking off the post-DVD era of Emmy campaigning. On Wednesday, the MGM-owned pay cable network will be the first network or studio to officially launch its FYC screening site this year. The network will direct the TV Academy’s 25,000 voters to its Epix FYC2020 customized website via an email to members. The campaign
Joe Biden swept the primaries in Florida, Illinois and Arizona on Tuesday, setting himself up to become the de facto Democratic nominee. With more than 90% of the vote counted in Florida, Biden was beating Sen. Bernie Sanders by nearly 40 points. He won Illinois by more than 20 points, and was leading in Arizona
A day after Idris Elba announced that he had tested positive for coronavirus, the actor returned to Twitter on Tuesday to update his followers and fans on his condition, explain how he was able to get tested, and shed some more light on how he likely contracted COVID-19. Most notably, Elba and offer a sharp
In today’s film news roundup, Jamie Foxx signs on to direct “When We Pray,” the Garden State Film Festival is going to stream all 240 of its films rather than holding physical events and Courtney B. Vance pitches for the new COVID-19 fund for SAG-AFTRA members. FINANCING Jamie Foxx has come on board to direct
March 17, 2020 5:39PM PT Savannah Guthrie is the latest member of the “Today” anchor team to stay at home as one of the nation’s best-known morning programs grapples with the spread of coronavirus across the U.S. “We’ve decided to ask Savannah to do the show from home tomorrow. She has a ‘super mild’ sore
A federal judge has handed a big win to Katy Perry, overturning a copyright infringement verdict regarding her hit song “Dark Horse.” Judge Christina A. Snyder issued a ruling on Tuesday vacating the jury’s verdict, finding that the short musical phrase at issue is not original enough to warrant copyright protection. The jury had found
March 17, 2020 4:28PM PT This year’s AIDS/LifeCycle has been canceled. The annual bike ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles is considered the largest single HIV/AIDS fundraising event in the world and benefits the Los Angeles LGBT Center and the San Francisco AIDS Foundation (SFAF). Last year’s ride raised more than $16 million. Past
What started a week ago as a phone call between the Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent and the leader of the city’s flagship PBS stations has quickly turned into a massive at-home learning initiative being implemented by public TV stations across the country. As concerns continued to grow over the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19),
Before taking on the role of transgender superhero Nia Nal a.k.a. Dreamer on the CW’s “Supergirl,” Nicole Maines had already been on the frontlines of fighting for transgender rights. In 2013, Maines was part of the court case Doe v. Clenchy, when her family sued their school district over Maines’ right to use the women’s
One benefit of being unwillingly thrust into the stay-at-home era: the burgeoning phenomenon of mostly free live-streamed concerts from artists determined to help is through being housebound. Who knows: we may end up experiencing more live music as shut-ins than we ever did going out, even if it’s through a screen. John Legend, Yungblood and
March 17, 2020 3:53PM PT In today’s TV news roundup, Showtime released a trailer for Vice,” and DreamWorks Animation announced the premiere date for the final season of “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power.” DATES DreamWorks Animation has announced that the fifth and final season of “She-Ra and the Princesses of Power” will debut on
Netflix’s inaugural week-long comedy festival, entitled Netflix Is A Joke Fest, has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Based on the latest CDC guidelines we’ve decided to postpone our Netflix Is A Joke Fest, which was scheduled to begin April 27. We’ve been blown away by the excitement from fans and we will work
The leaders of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees are donating $2.5 million to charities to help workers displaced by the coronavirus crisis. In a move announced Tuesday, the IATSE General Executive Board approved the donations to three entertainment charities: the Actors Fund, the Motion Picture and Television Fund and the Actors Fund of
March 17, 2020 3:05PM PT Looks like a solid chunk of the people staying in due to the coronavirus tuned in to “The Voice” last night. The NBC competition series leapt to season high rating and total viewership tally, easily beating “American Idol” in the process. “The Voice” hit a 1.8 ratings high note among
Fox Corp. said it will acquire Tubi, the ad-supported free streaming service, for $440 million in cash — a deal funded largely from Fox’s sale of its 5% stake in Roku. With Tubi, Rupert Murdoch’s TV broadcasting and cable company adds a dedicated streaming component to capture the rising internet-video tied: Tubi offers over 20,000
Lil Uzi Vert dominates both the album and singles charts this week, with a blockbuster No. 1 debut for his “Eternal Atake” collection — and individual cuts from that album accounting for 14 of the top 20 song slots. Topping the Rolling Stone album chart was little challenge for the hip-hop artist, who was releasing
Cinemark, the nation’s third largest movie theater chain, has joined AMC and Regal in closing down operations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Based in Plano, Texas, Cinemark has 345 North American locations. In addition to Cinemark, the circuit operates Century Theatres, Tinseltown, CinéArts and Rave circuits. It’s unclear when they will reopen. “Through these absolutely
Disney’s decision on Tuesday to pull the theatrical release of Marvel Studios’ “Black Widow” is the latest — and biggest — sign that the most lucrative and successful film franchise in Hollywood history is also uniquely vulnerable to the coronavirus epidemic’s widespread effect on the entertainment economy. Along with “Black Widow,” Marvel Studios already suspended
March 17, 2020 2:44PM PT NBA superstar Kevin Durant is among four Brooklyn Nets players to have tested positive for the coronavirus. The identities of the other three players are unknown. Durant revealed the news to reporter Shams Charania of The Athletic. “Everyone be careful, take care of yourself and quarantine,” Durant said Monday. “We’re
In the wake of dozens of film and television productions abruptly shutting down amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, several organizations and high-profile showrunners — Greg Berlanti, Shonda Rhimes, David Benioff, Julie Plec, Damon Lindelof, Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan — have come together to fund a relief effort for Hollywood’s support staffers, a low-paid group
Amid widespread closures of movie theaters in the U.S., the National Association of Theatre Owners, the exhibition industry’s trade organization, is predicting that customers will return after the coronavirus pandemic has abated. “No one can precisely predict when public life will return to normal, but it will return,” NATO said Tuesday in a statement.. “The
March 17, 2020 12:34PM PT Apple’s retail outlets worldwide, with the exception of the Greater China region, will be closed “until further notice,” the tech giant said. The company previously said it was closing down almost 500 stores worldwide until March 27 as a precaution against the spread of the coronavirus. Now, Apple indicated, it
China said Tuesday it will expel all American journalists working in the country for the New York Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal whose credentials will expire in 2020. The journalists will have to turn in their press credentials within 10 days, China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “They will not
Actor Stuart Whitman, an Oscar nominee for his role as a convicted child molester in the 1961 movie “The Mark,” died on Monday of natural causes surrounded by his family at his ranch house in Montecito, Calif., his son Justin told Variety. He was 92. Whitman had more than 200 film and television credits. His
In the wake coronavirus’ crushing impact on the music industry, the Recording Academy and its affiliated charitable foundation MusiCares have established the COVID-19 Relief Fund to help people in the music industry affected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak and subsequent cancellation of thousands of music events. According to the announcement, the fund, administered through