Madonna‘s biopic, which the Queen of Pop was planning to co-write, direct and produce herself, has been put on hold, Variety reports.
While insiders say that Madonna is “committed to making a film about her life one day,” she’s currently focused on her upcoming Celebration Tour, Variety notes. As of now, the project, which was going to star Ozark‘s Julia Garner, is “no longer in development” at Universal.
The film was announced in 2020, and Madonna has since worked on the script with Oscar winner Diablo Cody and The Girl on the Train screenwriter Erin Cressida Wilson. Garner won the lead role after a casting call that required weeks of singing and dancing bootcamp, attended by actors who reportedly included Florence Pugh and Bebe Rexha.
In an exclusive interview published by the French, Spanish and Italian issues of Vanity Fair last week, Madonna said, “I’m very excited about the challenges that come my way. I’m about to create another [live] show, and I’ve been working for several years on the screenplay about my life.”
In 2021, she told Jimmy Fallon, “The reason I’m doing it is a bunch of people have tried to write movies about me, but they’re always men … there’s nobody on this planet that can write or direct or make a movie about me better than me and that is just the truth.”
Madonna’s Celebration Tour, which is 98% sold out, starts July 15 in Vancouver and will feature the star performing songs from her entire 40-year career.
The Pet Shop Boys are getting ready to release their first new music in two years. The band announced they’re releasing a new EP, Lost, to accompany the latest edition of their book Annually, with both dropping April 15.
Songs on the EP include “The lost room,” “I will fall, “Skeletons in the closet” and “Kaputnik,” which were written and recorded in 2015 for what became the album Super.
Neil Tennant explains in a social media post that the tunes were left off Super “not because we didn’t like them, but because they didn’t fit the album.” As for why they’re coming out now, he says “they all sit together quite well, production-wise, they’re all super-electronic.” He also noted that “some of them are sort of relevant to the world at the moment.”
Meanwhile, Annually will include a diary and behind-the-scenes photos from leg one of last year’s Dreamworld tour and more. Both the book and EP are available for preorder now.
Another Bachelor baby is on the way! Alums Raven Gates and Adam Gottschalk are expecting their second child together.
Taking to Instagram Monday, the couple shared a carousel of family photos with the sonogram in hand and announced, “Baby #2 due in July!”
“Any tips on two under 2? Pray for us!… especially Adam,” they caption continued.
Raven and Adam wed in 2021 and are already parents to 12-month-old son Gates, whom they welcomed via emergency C-section in January 2022.
The same photos were shared to the toddler’s Instagram along with the caption, “Did you hear?? I’m going to be a big brother!! (The best big brother, too!).”
Other members of Bachelor Nation flooded the comments section, congratulating the couple on their growing family.
Dean Unglert joked, “If you guys are open to a third, I’ll put myself up for adoption.”
Ashley Iaconetti also commented, writing, “Congratulations!! Cutest family!! So happy for you all!”
Stevie Nicks was so touched by a youth choir that appeared on America’s Got Talent this week that she felt the need to let them know. The two-time Rock & Roll Hall of Famer posted a note to the Ndlovu Youth Choir on Instagram; the group appeared on the All-Stars edition of the NBC talent show and performed the original song “We Will Rise.”
“I just wanted to congratulate you on your brilliant and moving performance last night on America’s Got Talent,” Stevie wrote. “It made me feel like maybe – someday with your help – the whole world will rise again. You Are The World!”
Brendan Fraser, Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis were among those reacting to their 2023 Oscar nominations on Tuesday, sharing their thoughts about the honor:
Fraser, a Best Actor favorite for The Whale, said he’s “absolutely overjoyed and deeply grateful to The Academy for this recognition and for recognizing [co-star] Hong Chau‘s beautiful performance and Adrien Morot‘s incredible makeup.” He called his character, Charlie, “A gift I certainly didn’t see coming, but it’s one that has profoundly changed my life.”
Yeoh, whose Best Actress nomination for Everything Everywhere All at Once was one of 11 earned by the film, said she’s “overwhelmed and overjoyed with happiness!” She added, “Playing Evelyn Wang has been one of the great privileges of my 40 year career … truly the role of a lifetime.”
Curtis received her first Oscar nomination Tuesday for EEAAO. She wrote that the nom was “never even in my wildest dream box.” She explained, “Being a part of this beautiful movie, which just received so many acknowledgments for our talented, motley crew of artists, is the highlight of my professional life.”
Fellow first-timer Colin Farrell said of his nomination for Best Supporting Actor for The Banshees of Inisherin, “Just so grateful to the Academy for all the love it’s shared with the Banshees cast and crew. Also, beyond honored to be lumped together with my fellow nominees. A heartfelt congratulations to all the lads!”
His nominated co-star Brendan Gleeson called Tuesday’s announcement“an amazing wake-up call,” saying he was thrilled for the cast and crew. “What a day for the Irish film industry on a world stage!” he added.
First-time Oscar nominee Jerry Bruckheimer reacted to the Best Picture nomination, saying, “On behalf of Tom [Cruise], all the filmmakers, cast, Paramount and everyone who worked on Top Gun: Maverick, we are so honored by this recognition from the Academy. This being my first ever Oscar nomination makes it that much more special.”
Bono appears on the latest episode of the Smartless podcast with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, and dropped a little info about U2‘s rumored Las Vegas residency at the new high-tech arena MSG Sphere.
Hayes shared that Edge told him the band was going on tour and showed him renderings of the Vegas theater, noting, “It’s going to be unbelievable.” Bono was hesitant to talk about it because it’s not official yet, but he eventually gave in … sort of.
“You are a news network now because that’s breaking news,” Bono joked, before getting serious and sharing, “We haven’t signed off on it but if we do, if we do sign off on this, I will say that if we can pull off what we’re talking about, it’s not like anything we’ve ever done before. It’s nothing like Las Vegas has ever seen before.”
He concluded, “If this happens it will be really extraordinary.”
Mason Poole/Parkwood Media/Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal
Beyoncé is gearing up for the release of a new Ivy Park collection that’s inspired by “the resilience of the outdoors, the spirit of the streets and the possibilities of the future.”
Called Park Trail, the line features 56 apparel styles in orange, Army green, deep purple and cream. The likes of Offset, his son Kodi, Ice Spice and NFL star Jordan Fuller model the styles in this particular campaign, which excludes Bey this time around.
According to TheHollywood Reporter, Bey also tapped some models to show off the collection in Dubai. They reportedly wore pieces from the collection at Nobu by the Beach, one of the restaurants at the Atlantis Royal, where she performed for the grand opening.
The show caused controversy due to the country’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws, but her father, Matthew Knowles, tells TMZ his daughter’s performance united a diverse crowd. He noted that she’s always been inclusive and would never intentionally cause harm to anyone.
As for comments about her excluding songs from her latest album, Renaissance, Matthew says Bey’s planning a tour that she’ll announce when she’s ready.
Park Trail will debut in Adidas stores and online on February 9.
As Blake Shelton‘s time on NBC’s The Voice comes to a close, he’s thinking about taking home some souvenirs, particularly the iconic red chair he’s occupied since the show started in 2011.
But the “No Body” hitmaker is not quite convinced the powers that be are gonna let him leave with some of the furniture.
“I don’t know if they’re gonna offer that or not. I feel like they owe me a damn chair though,” he told People at the recent groundbreaking for Ole Red Las Vegas.
“I mean, who else can sit in my chair?” he adds. “It’s like the three bears — I don’t want anybody else sitting in my chair. I’m gonna try to get that away from them. Maybe I’ll have to buy it or something.”
He joked NBC probably feels like “‘you took … a lot of our money, so you should be happy with that.'” As for whether the red chair matches any of the houses he shares with Gwen Stefani, “Well that doesn’t matter because it built the home.”
Last October, Blake announced his intention to “step away from The Voice after season 23,” which premieres March 6.
(FULTON COUNTY, Ga.) — The judge hearing arguments over whether or not to publicly release the report by the Georgia grand jury investigating efforts by former President Donald Trump and his allies to overturn the results of the 2020 election said Tuesday that he will take all arguments under consideration and “circle back” with a decision at a later date.
Fulton County Judge Robert McBurney heard arguments Tuesday regarding the public release the long-anticipated confidential report, which the grand jury submitted earlier this month, according to court records, after probing the matter for months.
“My proposal is that I think about this a little bit and then contact both groups,” McBurney said. “There will be no rash decisions.”
Earlier in the hearing, the district attorney leading the probe told the judge that she opposes the public release of the grand jury’s report.
“In this case, the state understands the media’s inquiry and the world’s interest,” Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis told McBurney. “But we have to be mindful of protecting future defendants’ rights. We want to make sure that everyone is being fairly, and we think for future defendants to be treated fairly, it is not appropriate for this report to be released.”
“Decisions are imminent,” Willis said.
Donald Wakeford, a prosecutor in the DA’s office, also argued that release would be “dangerous” to the people “who may or may not be named in the report for various reasons.”
“It’s also a disservice to the witnesses who came to the grand jury and spoke the truth to the grand jury,” Wakeford said.
Prosecutors said that 75 witnesses were interviewed as part of the probe.
Thomas Clyde, a lawyer representing a coalition of media outlets that includes ABC News, urged Judge McBurney to order the release of the report based on existing case law and “a genuine public interest in what these jurors found.”
“We believe the report should be released now and in its entirety,” Clyde said. “It is not unusual for the [district attorney] … to release information during the progress of its case.”
Clyde cited several examples in which “special purpose” grand jury reports were made public, and argued that none of the material likely included in the report would justify keeping it sealed.
Though the grand jury does not have the ability to return an indictment, it can make recommendations concerning criminal prosecution. Another grand jury would bring any possible charges, should they be recommended.
The central question regarding the report: Did the grand jury recommend criminal charges for Donald Trump and his allies?
Attorneys for Trump said in a statement on Monday that they would not be participating in Tuesday’s hearing — and did not expect charge recommendations.
“On behalf of President Trump, we will not be present nor participating in Tuesday’s hearing regarding the possible release of the special purpose grand jury’s report,” said the statement. “To date, we have never been a part of this process. The grand jury compelled the testimony of dozens of other, often high-ranking, officials during the investigation, but never found it important to speak with the President. He was never subpoenaed nor asked to come in voluntarily by this grand jury or anyone in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.”
Attorneys in the statement said they therefore “assume that the grand jury did their job and looked at the facts and the law, as we have, and concluded there were no violations of the law by President Trump” — although there’s no indication if that’s true or not.
Willis officially launched the probe in February 2021, sparked in part by the now-infamous Jan. 2, 2021, phone call Trump made to Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger in which Trump pleaded with Raffensperger to “find 11,780 votes,” the exact number Trump needed to win Georgia.
Trump has repeatedly defended his call to Raffensperger, calling it “perfect.”
Coheed and Cambria is turning back the clock to 2007 on a newly announced U.S. headlining tour.
Claudio Sanchez and company will be performing their album Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV, Volume Two: No World for Tomorrow during the long-winding outing, which runs from April 28 in Norfolk, Virginia, all the way to October 7 in Los Angeles.
The shows will also feature songs from Coheed’s latest effort, Vaxis II: A Window of the Waking Mind, which was released last June.
Tickets go on sale this Friday, January 27, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit CoheedandCambria.com.
No World for Tomorrow, Coheed’s fourth studio album, spawned the single “The Running Free” and featured the late Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters on drums. Coheed had previously planned a No World for Tomorrow tour for 2020, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Coheed and Cambria’s 2023 tour plans also include dates with Incubus and a set at the Welcome to Rockville festival. They’ll also launch their SS Neverender concert cruise in October.
In other news, Coheed has released the video for the Vaxis II song “Beautiful Losers,” which features live footage from the band’s recent tour of Germany. You can watch it streaming now on YouTube.
