All the Showbiz News, Celebrity Gossip, Music News , Movie & TV notes of the day…from RogueValleyMagazine.com
FRIDAY NIGHT TV:
JIM GAFFIGAN: QUALITY TIME (Amazon Prime) — New stand up special. ( AUDIO )
THE AMAZING JOHNATHAN DOCUMENTARY (Hulu) — This documentary started out as a film about the bizarre magician who built a career out of shock and deception in the 1980s, but becomes an even stranger story about the director of the film. • TRAILER
INVADER ZIM: ENTER THE FLORPUS (Netflix) — This classic Nickelodeon animated series is back for an encore with this special.
SEASON PREMIERE: MINDHUNTER (Netflix) — Season 2 of this critically acclaimed fact-based drama finds FBI agents Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and Bill Trench (Holt McCallany) taking on the Atlanta child murders, which occurred between 1979 and 1981. Anna Torv also stars.
SATURDAY
THE MULE (8p ET, HBO) — Clint Eastwood directs and stars in this 2018 crime drama as a senior citizen who smuggles drugs for a Mexican cartel. Bradley Cooper also stars.
ESCAPE ROOM (8p ET, Starz) — Taylor Russell, Tyler Labine and Deborah Ann Woll star in this 2019 terror film.
A SUMMER ROMANCE (9p ET, Hallmark Channel) — Erin Krakow and Ryan Paevey star in this new, Montana set TV movie.
ZOMBIE TIDAL WAVE (9p ET, Syfy) — Ian Ziering (Sharknado) stars in this new TV movie.
SUNDAY
BIG BROTHER (8p ET, CBS) — New.
CELEBRITY FAMILY FEUD (8p ET, ABC) — New. Celebrity contestants include Milo and Camryn Manheim, Marissa-Jaret Winokur, Nikki and Brie Bella, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, Tyron Woodley, Ilima-Lei Macfarlane, and Ryan Bader.
DOWNTON ABBEY LIVE (9p ET, PBS) — In this new special, the cast and creators of Downton Abbey reveal stories from the series and answer questions from fans.
I AM PATRICK SWAYZE (9p ET, Paramount TV and TV Land) — This new special remembers the life and legacy of Patrick Swayze 10 years after his death from pancreatic cancer in September 2009 at age 57. The special includes family photos, home movies and interviews with the people who were closest to him.
SERIES PREMIERE: THE RIGHTEOUS GEMSTONES (10p ET, HBO) — This new comedy, created by and starring Danny McBride, revolves around a family that built an evangelical empire. John Goodman, Adam Devine and Edi Patterson also star.
What’s Happening…
DALE EARNHARDT JR., WIFE HOSPITALIZED AFTER PLANE CRASHES
Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife Amy and their daughter Isla were taken to the hospital after a plane they were on crashed in Elizabethton, Tennessee. Earnhardt’s sister Kelley tweeted that the family was safe but was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Video from the scene of the crash showed thick, black smoke rising from the site.
… An airport manager said the private plane ran off the end of one of the airport’s runways and caught fire.
IN THEATERS THIS WEEKEND:
Angry Birds 2 is likely to land at the top of the box office this weekend, pulling in around $20 million.
… In theaters:
47 Meters Down: Uncaged (PG-13)
Blinded by the Light (PG-13)
Good Boys (R)
Where’d You Go, Bernadette (PG-13)
… Opening next weekend: Ready or Not (R); Angel Has Fallen (R); Overcomer (PG)
AMAZON SOLD GAS FOR 30 CENTS TO PROMOTE MARVELOUS MRS. MAISEL _ Amazon’s latest marketing campaign for the Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel didn’t go as planned, with the Santa Monica Police briefly shutting down a 30-cents-per-gallon promotion Thursday for gas due to traffic delays. The promotion resumed, with Amazon working with the city to limit the number of cars in line to keep traffic running.
… The absurdly cheap gas promotion was part of “Maisel Day,” a marketing campaign from Amazon as part of its attempt to highlight the show (and its 20 Emmy nominations) ahead of the awards ceremony next month. Amazon partnered with local Santa Monica businesses to roll back prices on things like gasoline, hotel rooms, movie tickets, milkshakes, and more to what they would have cost in 1959, when the show is set — hence, the ultra-cheap gas.
McQUEEN’S ‘BULLITT’ IS GOING UP FOR AUCTION _ It’s a car that changed movie history — and now, a new owner could be hopping into the driver’s seat. The 1968 Ford Mustang GT featured in the Steve McQueen thriller Bullitt will be sold off. It’ll hit the auction block in Kissimmee, Florida, in January. McQueen (and his stunt double) tore through the streets of San Francisco in the green Mustang to create the 1968 film’s most iconic segment. That 10-minute scene became the gold standard for onscreen car chases and turned the car into a cultural icon.
… For decades after the movie’s release the Bullitt Mustang disappeared. It wasn’t until January 2018 that the car was rediscovered when Tennessee salesman Sean Kiernan revealed that it had been in the family garage over the decades since his father picked it up for $6,000. Another version of the car, the “stunt double” used for some of the action shots, was also lost for years but resurfaced in Mexico in 2017.
JIMMY KIMMEL, WALKING DEAD PART OF $600,000 PENALTIES FOR FALSE EMERGENCY ALERTS _ On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission reached a handful of settlements with media outlets following investigations into whether they misused the emergency alert system tone. The agency found that ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, AMC’s The Walking Dead, Animal Planet’s Lone Star Law, and Meruelo Radio Holdings all misused the emergency alert system (EAS) tone, a sound that is blasted out to television and smartphones to warn people of emergencies like tornadoes, floods, and missing children. The companies have agreed to pay a total of more than $600,000 in civil penalties for the violations.
… Each program played the alert at least once. For example, Jimmy Kimmel’s show used it three different times in a comedy sketch. An Animal Planet crew recorded a real alert when filming during Hurricane Harvey in Texas, which was then rebroadcast in an episode of Lone Star Law.
DREW BARRYMORE SHOOTS TALK SHOW PILOT _ Drew Barrymore is eyeing a move into the daytime talk show arena. The actress, who recently wrapped three seasons of the Netflix comedy Santa Clarita Diet, has been shooting a pilot this week in New York for CBS.
THIRD TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE IS ALREADY IN PRODUCTION _ The threequel to the Netflix teenage rom-com To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is already in production. The movie series is based off Jenny Han’s bestselling trilogy following high schooler Lara Jean’s romantic entanglements. The 2018 first film of the series To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before was a huge success for the streaming service, and its sequel comes out February 12. The third movie’s release date has yet to be announced.
EWAN MCGREGOR JOINS OBI-WAN KENOBI SERIES _ Ewan McGregor will revisit his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in a yet-to-be-titled Disney+ series.
KIEFER SUTHERLAND SUFFERS RIB INJURY _ Kiefer Sutherland is recuperating from an accident that seriously injured one of his ribs and left him unable to sing. Now, he’s postponing the last three scheduled shows on his tour as he recovers, but is planning to return to Denmark and Gothenburg to reschedule the dates in the fall of this year. Sutherland wrote on Instagram: “Sadly I slipped on the steps of the bus whilst traveling to Denmark and seriously injured a rib, making it difficult to breathe and impossible to sing.”
COMPANY LOOKING FOR SUPERFAN TO WATCH 25 HOURS OF FRIENDS _ A company is looking for a Friends obsessed superfan to watch 25 hours of the TV show in honor of its 25th anniversary. In return, internet provider Frontier Communications said the superfan will receive $1,000 and a Friends Fandom Fun Pack consisting of a Friends T-shirt, Central Perk mug, popcorn, treats, and a 12-month Netflix subscription. • LINK
THIS IS HOW MUCH TV WE WILL WATCH IN A LIFETIME _ The average TV fan will sit through an eye-popping 78,705 hours of programming during their lifetime. An average of three-and-a-half hours a day is spent watching television — a total of 1,248 hours a year.
… Over the average adult lifetime, this will mean TV fans will immerse themselves in 3,639 films in the comfort of their own home, as well as watching a staggering 31,507 episodes of TV shows.
… The average household will have two arguments a week over what to watch and more than half of those polled would struggle if they only had one TV between them.
YOU LOVE TARGET. SO DOES BRITNEY SPEARS. SHE MADE 80 TRIPS TO TARGET LAST YEAR _ If you’re looking for Britney Spears, you can probably find her at her local Target. According to financial documents filed in her conservatorship case (obtained by The Blast), the 37-year-old pop star total assets at the end of 2018 were valued at $59,079,755.76. And while she spent much of 2018 on tour, which ran from July to October, she did find time to make over 80 different trips to Target. She also made a number of trips to Ralphs and Home Depot, spending just over $66,000 on household supplies.
BIG BANG THEORY MIGHT LAND ON HBO MAX _ The streaming wars are just getting started, and the biggest battlefield yet is sitcoms. Rumors have emerged of a big deal for HBO Max, as the streaming service is looking to purchase The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men for a combined $1.5 billion. HBO really wants to launch with a big, powerful streaming library.
… This marks the second huge deal for HBO Max in recent months, as the service already paid $425 million for Friends, which has long been a Netflix centerpiece.
… Soon consumers will have three powerhouse streaming services to choose from: Disney+, HBO Max and Netflix. In addition, The Office recently landed at NBCU, and rumor has it streaming services could wage a bidding war over Seinfeld in the near future. With its new acquisition of Fox, Disney is strategically deploying The Simpsons and Family Guy as it figures out what content will live on Hulu and what will live on Disney+.
LIAM HEMSWORTH RELEASES STATEMENT ABOUT MILEY CYRUS SPLIT _ Liam Hemsworth has released an official statement for the first time since the announcement of his separation from Miley Cyrus. Hemsworth posted a photo of a sunset to Instagram along with his statement: “Just a quick note to say that Miley and I have recently separated and I wish her nothing but health and happiness going forward. This is a private matter and I have not made, nor will I be making, any comments to any journalists or media outlets. Any reported quotes attributed to me are false. Peace and Love.”
HARRY STYLES TURNS DOWN ROLE OF PRINCE ERIC IN LITTLE MERMAID _ Actor-singer Harry Styles has turned down an offer to play the role of Prince Eric in Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. One of the individuals said that Styles is a fan of the project but respectfully declined. On Tuesday, both AMC Theatres and Regal Cinemas inaccurately tweeted that Styles had been cast in the role. Both theater chains later deleted the tweets.
… Styles would have starred opposite actress and singer Halle Bailey, who is playing Ariel.
NEW TOOL DESIGNED TO DETECT SPOILERS ISN’T PERFECT _ No one likes an errant spoiler showing up while reading a movie review, but what if there were a tool designed to detect those spoilers? That’s what a group of researchers at the University of California, San Diego set out to make with their AI tool SpoilerNet, capable of accurately identifying sentences that are likely to give away major plot points. But in testing out their new spoiler tool the researchers found that SpoilerNet had its job stacked against it.
… Researchers found that spoiler sentences tend to clump together in the latter part of reviews. But they also found that different users had different standards to tag spoilers, and neural networks needed to be carefully calibrated to take this into account. In addition, the same word may have different semantic meanings in different contexts. For example, take the word “snap”: a word that in any Avengers: Endgame review, might be flagged as a spoiler. But it’s a word that could be used in plenty of other contexts — snap judgment, snap decision. It’s not a foolproof tool by any means.
HUGH GRANT CORRECTLY SAYS PADDINGTON 2 WAS HIS GREATEST FILM _ Actor Hugh Grant has contemplated his cinematic masterpiece, and officially ruled it to be… Paddington 2. No joke. In a recent interview Grant said, “I was presenting I think at the Golden Globes, and they do that thing when you walk out and they say, ‘From the forthcoming Paddington 2, Hugh Grant.’ And someone showed me Twitter afterwards, and it was … people were full of derision … ‘Poor old Hugh. Paddington 2. Sequel to a kids film.’ It’s particularly annoying in the case of Paddington 2, because I genuinely believe it may be the best film I’ve ever been in.” Critics and audiences agreed.
MARILU HENNER INTERESTED IN TAXI REBOOT _ The classic sitcom Taxi ended its run in 1983 after a five-season run across two networks, ABC and then NBC. Actress Marilu Henner — Elaine Nardo on the series — said if there were a reboot, she’d gladly sign on, and that fans already have a reboot name picked out: Uber.
BRUCE LEE’S DAUGHTER TELLS QUENTIN TARANTINO TO SHUT UP _ Bruce Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, is responding to director Quentin Tarantino’s latest comments regarding her father’s portrayal in the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. She told Variety, “He could shut up about it. That would be really nice. Or he could apologize or he could say, ‘I don’t really know what Bruce Lee was like. I just wrote it for my movie. But that shouldn’t be taken as how he really was.’”
… Tarantino recently defended his depiction of the Asian American martial arts legend as an arrogant blowhard: “The way he was talking, I didn’t just make a lot of that up. I heard him say things like that, to that effect. If people are saying, ‘Well he never said he could beat up Muhammad Ali,’ well yeah, he did. Not only did he say that, but his wife, Linda Lee, said that in her first biography I ever read. She absolutely said that.”
… Shannon Lee says, “One of the things that’s troubling in his response is that, on the one hand, he wants to put this forward as fact and, on the other hand, he wants to stay in fiction.”
… The passage in his wife Linda Lee’s book, Bruce Lee: The Man I Only Knew, that Tarantino appears to refer to is a quote from a critic, who wrote that “Those who watched [Bruce] Lee would bet on Lee to render Cassius Clay senseless,” and not from the author herself.
50 YEARS AFTER THEY MET AT WOODSTOCK, COUPLE FINALLY FINDS A PHOTO _ For 50 years, Judy and Jerry Griffin have been telling friends and family the fairy tale story of how they met on the way to Woodstock in 1969 and have been together ever since. The only downside to their meet-up is that they never had any physical proof that they were at Woodstock together — until two months ago. Judy met Jerry on August 15, 1969 — day one of the iconic Woodstock music festival — when her car broke down on New York’s Tappan Zee Bridge, roughly 90 miles from the concert grounds, and she and the two acquaintances she was traveling with decided to hitchhike. Jerry and his friends pulled up in a VW and gave them a ride.
… Incredibly, they’d never seen a photo of themselves from the event that started it all until this summer, thanks to the new PBS documentary Woodstock: Three Days that Defined a Generation, which features a brief bit of footage of a rain-soaked Judy and Jerry huddled together under a blanket. They first saw the image after a friend texted him and Judy a snapshot from the film’s trailer earlier this summer.
… That first ride together in the back seat of Jerry’s pal’s 1967 VW Beetle eventually grew into 50 years of love and marriage, including two sons and five grandchildren.