Showbiz News – Disney’s “Onward” Hits Theaters, Tonite’s TV, Music, Movies, Hot Gossip

Friday, March 6, 2020

In Theaters This Weekend
Pixar’s Onward will take the box office crown this weekend, bringing in at least $52 million.

… In theaters: 
Onward (PG)
The Way Back (R)
Emma (PG, goes wide)

FRIDAY NIGHT TV:

MACGYVER (8p ET, CBS) — New. Desi goes undercover to infiltrate a soccer team and find the corrupt player working with the shadow organization.

SHARK TANK (8p ET, ABC) — New. Products include sustainable teeth-cleaning products, a solution for traveling easier with baby gear, and a customizable eyewear product line for kids. Katrina Lake guest judges.

LINCOLN RHYME: HUNT FOR THE BONE COLLECTOR (8p ET, NBC) — New. A politician’s teenage daughter is kidnapped for ransom.

WWE SMACKDOWN (8p ET, FOX) — New.

THE MOST DANGEROUS ANIMAL OF ALL (8p ET, FXX) — In this new 4-part docu-series, a man comes to suspect the father he never really knew was also a notorious serial killer.

HAWAII FIVE O (9p ET, CBS) — New. Five-0 investigates when a rancher is murdered after he uncovers human skeletons on his property. Jimmy Buffett Returns as Frank Bama.

DATELINE (9p ET, NBC) — A new, 2-hour edition.

20/20 (9p ET, ABC) — This new 2-hour edition looks at the COVID-19 global health crisis, including video diaries from inside China’s quarantined cities and from passengers trapped on the Diamond Princess cruise ship.

THE TRADE (9p ET, Showtime) — This 4-part docu-series follows the smugglers and traffickers who prey on Central American migrants trying to cross the border into the U.S.

BLUE BLOODS (10p ET, CBS) — New. Frank debates whether to aid and protect an old friend, (guest star Ed Asner), whose home was invaded.

AMAZING STORIES (Apple TV+) — This reboot of Steven Spielberg’s 1980s-era sci-fi/fantasy anthology series will explore the the world’s wonders through the viewpoint of contemporary filmmakers, writers, and directors. Spielberg is the executive producer.

HILARY (Hulu) — This 4-part docuseries offers a thorough examination of the life and 2016 presidential campaign of Hillary Rodham Clinton. The director drew from 35 hours of one-on-one interviews with Clinton, 1,700 hours of campaign footage and a wealth of archival materials to produce this intimate portrait, that also features interviews with Bill Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, friends, journalists and politicians from both sides of the aisle.

SPENSER CONFIDENTIAL (Netflix) — Mark Wahlberg stars in this new mystery drama film featuring novelist Robert Parker’s Boston-based ex-con/ex-cop turned private detective (who was played on TV by Robert Urich). Alan Arkin, Post Malone, Marc Maron and Iliza Shlesinger costar.

SERIES PREMIERE: ZEROZEROZERO (Amazon Prime) — This new international crime drama, based on the book, tracks a massive cocaine shipment as it makes its way from production to market.

SATURDAY TV

YESTERDAY (8p ET, HBO) — In this 2019 fantasy drama film, an aspiring singer-songwriter (Himesh Patel) wakes up after a freak bus accident during a mysterious global blackout to discover that The Beatles have never existed. He becomes an overnight sensation performing the band’s hits. Lily James and Ed Sheerhan also star

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (11:30p ET, NBC) — New. Daniel Craig hosts, with musical guest The Weeknd.

SUNDAY TV

AMERICAN IDOL (8p ET, ABC) — New. The auditions continue.

GOD FRIENDED ME (8p ET, CBS) — New. Miles is crushed when a renowned author and atheist criticizes Miles’ podcast.

LITTLE BIG SHOTS (8p ET, NBC) — New.

ZOEY’S EXTRAORDINARY PLAYLIST (9p ET, NBC) — New. After hearing her first duet, Zoey gets a little too involved in her brother’s marriage.

NCIS: LOS ANGELES (9p ET, CBS) — New. Boxing champion Evander Holyfield and professional wrestling legend Bill Goldberg guest star.

THE WALKING DEAD (9p ET, AMC) — New. After Daryl and Lydia’s encounter with Alpha, the communities must decide whether to run or fight.

EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (9p ET, HGTV) — New.

NCIS: NEW ORLEANS (10p ET, CBS) — New. Charles Michael Davis (The Originals) joins the cast.

THE ROOKIE (10p ET, ABC) — New. Nolan is given some life-changing news and invites Grace over. Pete Davidson (SNL) guest stars as Nolan’s brother.

GOOD GIRLS (10p ET, NBC) — New. Beth takes a gamble in order to strike a new business deal, but it has consequences that put the women in an unwelcome position.

SEASON PREMIERE: RIDE WITH NORMAN REEDUS (Midnight ET, AMC) — The Walking Dead star begins Season 4 in the historic city of Birmingham, Ala., with his onscreen brother, Michael Rooker.

Hot Showbiz News and Gossip

WILLIAM SHATNER AWARDED HORSE SEMEN IN HIS DIVORCE SETTLEMENT 
William Shatner and his ex-wife Elizabeth Martin have divvied up their assets. The 88-year-old Star Trek actor filed for divorce from Martin in December after 18 years of marriage. Court records show the exes reached a divorce settlement this week and their takeaways from the belongings they shared are unique.

According to reports, Shatner and Martin split up their four horses, with the actor scoring Renaissance Man’s Medici and Powder River Shirley, while Martin will get Belle Reve’s So Photogenic and Pebbles.

… Along with his two horses, Shatner was awarded horse breeding equipment and “all horse semen.” The former pair also split up their homes.

TAIKA WAITITI TO DIRECT TWO NETFLIX CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY SHOWS 
Ever wondered about the personal lives of the Oompa-Loompas, the workers in Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory? Jojo Rabbit filmmaker Taika Waititi has the golden ticket to bring their world to life. On Thursday, Netflix announced that Waititi will write, direct and executive produce two original series based on author Roald Dahl’s work.

… Netflix said the first original series “is based on the world and characters of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. The second is a wholly original take on the Oompa-Loompas, that builds out their world.”

… Last month, Waititi won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay for the black comedy Jojo Rabbit, in which he played Adolf Hitler. He also directed 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok.

ANDREW GARFIELD IN TALKS TO RETURN AS SPIDER-MAN 
After some whispers here and there claimed that Sony wanted Andrew Garfield back as Spider-Man, a source says the actor is in early talks to return for a live-action Spider-Verse movie.

OZZY OSBOURNE PULLS OUT OF SXSW 
Ozzy Osbourne is the latest to cancel appearances at the SXSW conference and festival, following companies like Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Neflix and Apple, due to concerns over the coronavirus. He was scheduled to attend the Austin conference, which runs March 13 to 22, to support the world premiere screening of A&E’s forthcoming Biography: The Nine Lives of Ozzy Osbourne, a two-hour special set to air this summer.

… In a statement released Thursday, a representative for the 71-year-old rocker said: “Following recent cancellations by major corporations, artists, record companies and studios because of the ongoing threat of the coronavirus, Ozzy Osbourne has likewise decided to cancel his upcoming appearance at SXSW.”

TOM HANKS LEADS A WWII NAVAL FLEET IN TRAILER FOR GREYHOUND 
Sony Pictures has revealed the first official trailer for a WWII naval action movie titled Greyhound, which is also the name of the ship that leads the way in this story. • VIDEO

… Inspired by actual events, the screenplay is written by Tom Hanks, who also stars as Captain Ernest Krause. He leads an Allied convoy of 37 ships being stalked by Nazi U-boat wolf packs across the North Atlantic ocean towards the UK.

… Greyhound is in theaters this June.

007 FAN SITE WANTS ‘NO TIME TO DIE’ RELEASE DELAY DUE TO CORONAVIRUS
Prominent James Bond fan site MI6-HQ.com wrote an open letter requesting the delay of No Time to Die, the upcoming installment in the Daniel Craig-led British spy series. The movie is set to release in theaters in early April. But given widespread concern about coronavirus, the fan group is urging distributors to push its debut until summer.

… The site says, “Delay the release … until the summer when experts expect the epidemics to have peaked and to be under control. It’s just a movie. The health and well-being of fans around the world, and their families, is more important. We have all waited over 4 years for this film. Another few months will not damage the quality of the film and only help the box-office for Daniel Craig’s final hurrah.”

ALEX TREBEK OFFERS HONEST AND UPLIFTING UPDATE _ Friday will mark the the one-year anniversary of Alex Trebek announcing his Stage 4 pancreatic diagnosis. Thursday morning, Trebek shared an emotional update to mark the anniversary. • VIDEO

BABY YODA TOY PRODUCTION COULD BE SLOWED BY CORONAVIRUS _ Hasbro confirms its supply chain for The Mandalorian Baby Yoda toys is being disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak. But coronavirus hasn’t hurt production yet, according to Jim Silver, CEO of Toys, Tots, Pets & More, a toy industry review site. Silver says, “If things aren’t normal by the time June and July roll around, there will be shortages on … toys.”

JOSH BROLIN REPORTEDLY IN TALKS TO RETURN AS CABLE IN DEADPOOL 3
Deadpool 3 is in development. We don’t know when it’ll see the light of day, but it is happening. Naturally, that leads to casting speculation, and though Marvel hasn’t officially announced anything just yet, sources say that Josh Brolin, who starred as Cable in Deadpool 2, is in talks to return in the third movie.

CHANCE THE RAPPER IN TALKS TO JOIN CAST OF SESAME STREET MOVIE
Chance the Rapper is in negotiations to join the cast of the live-action Sesame Street movie starring Anne Hathaway. The Wrap reports that Chance would play an aide to the mayor in the children’s film, which comes to theaters in January, 2022.

MAVERICK TO RELEASE TWO DAYS EARLY 
Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick will fly forward two days to release on June 24, giving the blockbuster a Wednesday start. Paramount Pictures made the announcement on Monday.

ORLANDO BLOOM REPORTEDLY RETURNING FOR PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN REBOOT 
While the sixth movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise is currently being written, a source says Orlando Bloom’s Will Turner will return. While it’s not expected that many of the other lead actors will return, Disney is looking at Bloom in an effort to ensure that there’s at least one Pirates legacy character around.

THE BATMAN DIRECTOR SHARES FIRST LOOK AT NEW TRICKED-OUT BATMOBILE _ Batman’s Batmobile has always been cool, but director Matt Reeves’ version in The Batman is one of the coolest. • IMAGES

… Reeves shared the photo on Twitter Wednesday showing the vehicle from three different angles. There’s a Mad-Max vibe to the car, plus elements of the classic Batmobile Adam West drove in the original Batman series.

… The Batman stars Robert Pattinson at the Caped Crusader; Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman; Colin Farrell as The Penguin, Paul Dano as The Riddler; and Andy Serkis as Alfred Pennyworth. It flies into theaters on June 25, 2021.

HOCUS POCUS 2 IS HAPPENING _ Hocus Pocus is back. The classic Halloween movie will get a sequel for Disney+.

… The sequel is the follow up to the 1993 film starring Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy as three witches who are resurrected and bent on becoming immortal by feeding off the souls of children.

… A sequel was announced in October 2019, but a director change some time later gave fans a reason to doubt it would happen.

THE CROWN PRODUCER HINTS THE SHOW COULD GO ON AFTER ENDING ON NETFLIX _ The fourth season of The Crown is nearing end of production and should be released later this year. Although it seems producers originally planned to have the series run for six seasons, Netflix announced in January that Season 5 would be its last.

… Or will it. Left Bank Pictures owns the rights to The Crown, and one of its producers says while the plan with Netflix is “ongoing,” it could be revived on another network.

WILLIAM SHATNER HAS NO PLANS FOR A ‘STAR TREK: PICARD’ TYPE SERIES
William Shatner is impressed with the work Patrick Stewart is doing in his CBS All-Access series, Star Trek: Picard. That doesn’t mean the man who played a major role in the original Star Trek series wants to get back into his old Star Fleet uniform. Shatner thinks a series that would focus on Kirk post-Starfleet is “played out” at this point.

… Shatner also expressed some awe at the fact that Patrick Stewart is willing to go through the grind of a television series again: “Doing a series is debilitating for a young guy, for a 25-year-old, which I was doing when I was 25 years old. It’s a physical wrecker, it’s a mental wrecker, and it’s a homewrecker ’cause you’re working 14, 18 hours a day. And in the last series I did, Boston Legal, I had, in rush hour, a two-hour commute. So add that. So no, I would not be interested in doing a series, per se.”

JUDGE JUDY STEPPING AWAY FROM SHOW BECAUSE OF FEUD WITH CBS
Judge Judy is stepping away from her longtime television show and calling it quits with CBS because of a feud that’s been cooking for some time. TMZ reports that Judy was being shut down left and right on possible new shows she developed.

… Judy struck a huge deal with CBS last year year — selling her Judge Judy library for a reported $95 million, with an end date of 2020-2021. She was already producing the show Hot Bench, and was said to be developing other projects as well under CBS, like the court drama Her Honor which would’ve been based on her life — but there have been no developments on that one since 2016.

… Judge Judy’s new show, Judy Justice, is expected to have a similar format as her current show and will likely run on a streaming service or major cable outlet.

CHRIS MATTHEWS DEPARTS HARDBALL 
Outspoken Chris Matthews is stepping down from MSNBC’s Hardball amid scrutiny of recent on-air remarks as well as speculation about behind-the-scenes behavior. The veteran anchor said on his program Monday night that he was leaving the cable-news outlet, putting an end to a long-running show that was featured on three different networks and part of the news landscape since 1994. Monday’s broadcast was Matthews’ last.

… Matthews had been under close watch by critics, apologizing last week after making an awkward comparison on air between Senator Bernie Sanders’ victory in the Nevada caucuses and the Nazis’ World War II takeover of France.

… Adding to the recent spotlight: a female journalist last week wrote an account in GQ alleging Matthews made inappropriate remarks to her while she was getting ready to appear on his show. That resurfaced reports that Matthews had been reprimanded in 1999 after a similar incident that resulted in a settlement to an employee, as well as claims that Matthews treated female politicians less respectfully.

TIMOTHY HUTTON DENIES 1983 RAPE ACCUSATION 
Oscar-winning actor Timothy Hutton has been accused of raping a Canadian woman in 1983, when she was a teen, according to a report out Monday. Hutton is strongly denying the accusation. Lauren Johnston was 14 and going by the first name Sera when she and two friends met Hutton, who was then in his 20s and filming Iceman in Vancouver, Canada. Johnston told Buzzfeed News the group went back to Hutton’s hotel room where he proceeded to get close to the former model, who was a working actor at the time. She claims that she found herself in his bedroom and that a friend of his allegedly entered soon after.

… Johnston, now 50, told Buzzfeed that Hutton, now 59, got undressed and started to have sex with her. She said she begged him to stop. Johnston said she first told the guys she was 17, but later that night admitted her real age. At the time, the age of consent in Canada was 14.

… Hutton said Monday, “For the past two-and-a-half years, I have been the target of multiple extortion attempts by a woman named Sera Dale Johnston to extract millions of dollars from me. She threatened that if I did not meet her demands, she would go to the press with a false allegation that I sexually assaulted her 37 years ago in Canada. I never assaulted Ms. Johnston. Today, BuzzFeed chose to publish Ms. Johnston’s false story. BuzzFeed knew the truth because they were provided with documented evidence. What’s really going on here is that Ms. Johnston’s extortion attempts failed. … When I became aware of this, I went to the FBI, signed a sworn statement, and filed a criminal complaint against Ms. Johnston for extortion. I will not stop fighting to expose this story for what it is — a failed extortion attempt based on something that never happened.”

VANESSA BRYANT WANTS DEPUTIES PUNISHED FOR SHARING CRASH PICS 
Kobe Bryant‘s widow is “absolutely devastated’ that sheriff’s deputies allegedly shared graphic photos of the chopper crash that killed her husband and daughter. Vanessa Bryant’s lawyer demanded Sunday that the deputies should receive the “harshest possible discipline” for the “unspeakable violation of human decency.”

… In a post to 37-year-old Vanessa Bryant’s social media on Sunday, her attorney, Gary Robb, stressed that she pleaded in person with Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva to make the January 26 crash scene a no-fly zone to keep away prying snappers. Robb called it “inexcusable and deplorable” that first responders were reportedly instead sharing graphic images of the scene where nine died.

FACEBOOK PULLS OUT OF SXSW DUE TO CORONAVIRUS WORRIES 
Social networking giant Facebook has opted out of SXSW over concerns about the spread of coronavirus. Facebook had been scheduled to be represented by about a dozen speakers at the annual film, music and technology festival in Austin, Texas. The festival runs from March 13 to 22.

… Twitter bailed out of SXSW on Sunday evening, announcing that the employees would not be allowed to attend due to its mandatory global business travel restrictions.

GARTH-SANDERS VIDEO SURPASSES 28,000 LIKES 
You’ve probably seen the story that some country music fans were mad at Garth Brooks for wearing a Bernie Sanders jersey during a concert in Detroit. Garth was wearing a jersey paying tribute to former NFL great Barry Sanders, but a few country music fans were, uh, confused. • IMAGE

… Twitter user Brent Terhune recorded a video that’s gone viral, with almost 30,000 likes. We’re not sure, but it appears his rant against country music’s top selling artist of all time is a parody. • VIDEO

THE NEXT BACHELORETTE HAS BEEN LEAKED
 (CAREFUL…POSSIBLE SPOILER)
We’re nearing the end of Pete’s season of The Bachelor, which means everyone’s giving their picks for the next Bachelorette. Reality Steve says that the next Bachelorette will be Clare Crawley.

… Reality Steve says this (Monday) morning on Good Morning America Clare will be named the Bachelorette. As a refresher, she finished second on Juan Pablo’s season, was on Bachelor in Paradise 1 and 2, and was recently on Winter Games.

… Filming begins on Friday, March 13.

CALL OF THE WILD TO LOSE $50 MILLION AT BOX OFFICE 
Sorry, nobody really cared about Harrison Ford’s canine adventure The Call of the Wild, which is shaping up to be the latest box office dud for 20th Century.

The film, based on Jack London’s best-selling novel, has made $79 million globally after two weeks in theaters. That wouldn’t be a bad result, had The Call of the Wild cost a moderate amount to make and market. However, it carries a price tag above $135 million, meaning the film needs to make between $250 million and $275 million to break even. Given the unlikeliness that it’ll reach those ticket sales.

JENNIFER LOPEZ CALLS HER OSCAR SNUB ‘A LITTLE BIT OF A LETDOWN’ 
Jennifer Lopez opened up on her snub at this year’s Oscars during a discussion with Oprah Winfrey, admitting she felt disappointed about not getting nominated. Many expected the Hustlers star to have her name called out during this year’s nominations for supporting actress, but Lopez was missing from the list. Kathy Bates (Richard Jewell), Laura Dern (Marriage Story), Scarlett Johansson (Jojo Rabbit), Florence Pugh (Little Women) and Margot Robbie (Bombshell) made the cut instead, with Dern taking home the award.

… J-Lo told OW: “I was a little sad because there was a lot of buildup to it. There were so many articles. I got so many good notices — more than ever in my career — and there was a lot of ‘She’s going to get nominated for an Oscar. It’s going to happen; if she doesn’t, you’re crazy.’ I’m reading all the articles going, “Oh my god, could this happen?’ And then it didn’t and I was like, ‘Ouch.” It was a little bit of a letdown.”

OPRAH TAKES A TUMBLE ONSTAGE DURING ‘2020 VISION’ TOUR 
Oprah Winfrey is currently on her 2020 Vision speaking tour. Stopping by the Forum arena in Los Angeles Saturday to discuss wellness and living a balanced life, she quite literally lost her own balance while onstage, slipping and taking a pretty hard fall in front of hundreds of attendees. • VIDEO

… After gathering herself on the floor, she called out “wrong shoes!” into the microphone, letting fans know exactly what caused the unexpected crash.

REALLY? MEGHAN MARKLE SAID TO BE EYEING SUPERHERO ROLE 
On March 31 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will officially leave the British Royal Family and a report from a British tabloid claims Meghan already has an eye on her next gig: a role in a future superhero movie. Mail Online claims the Duchess hopes to become “part of an ensemble cast” in an upcoming superhero movie, and has informed her agent that she’s “open to the best offers.”

NETFLIX IS LAUNCHING ITS OWN COMEDY FESTIVAL IN LOS ANGELES THIS SPRING 
Netflix has become home to countless stand-up comedy specials from some of the finest comedians working today. Now the streaming giant will gather up some of those stand-up greats for the first Netflix Is A Joke Fest in Los Angeles this spring.

… Netflix Is A Joke Fest will run from April 27 through May 3, featuring over 100 live shows from some of the biggest names in comedy.

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