On Wednesday, theater owners will reportedly get an eyeful of the long-anticipated sequel to the highest-grossing film of all time: Avatar.
The Hollywood Reporter says Oscar-winning director James Cameron will show peeks of Avatar 2 at the annual CinemaCon expo, currently underway in Las Vegas. Disney, which purchased the Avatar property with its purchase of 20th Century Fox in 2019, does have an exhibition Wednesday morning, but the studio is officially being tight-lipped on what projects will be teased.
Also in the works, according to THR, is some technical collaboration between Cameron’s Lightstorm production house and nationwide exhibitors: Cameron’s original Avatar in 2009 represented the bleeding-edge in 3D filmmaking, and the movie’s record-breaking success helped get theaters in line with what’s possible when it comes to presenting movies to audiences.
Like George Lucas was with his Star Wars movies, Cameron is very involved in making sure theater tech can keep up with his own: He’s promisedAvatar 2 and its three follow-ups are making similar “crazy” advancements.
Avatar 2 is set to launch on December 16 of this year. The third film, which recently finished shooting, will arrive in 2024; the fourth and fifth are respectively scheduled for 2026 and 2028.
Bob Dylan has recorded updated versions of some of his well-known songs with acclaimed producer T Bone Burnett in conjunction with Burnett’s plans to introduce a new ultra-high-fidelity audio format, Variety reports.
According to Variety, a press release issued Tuesday announced that the Dylan recordings will be part of a series of releases dubbed “Ionic Originals” that will be put out by Burnett’s newly formed company NeoFidelity Inc. on a new medium that resembles a vinyl LP but is made of aluminum.
According to the statement, the “newly developed discs…advance the art of recorded sound and mark the first breakthrough in analog sound reproduction in more than 70 years.”
No details yet about what songs Dylan re-recorded for the new releases, but the statement notes that he “revisited a personally chosen set of his iconic songs for the first time in decades.”
The new discs bring to apparent fruition a plan Burnett has long been working on that he said would improve on the sound of LPs, CDs and digital formats.
“An Ionic Original is the pinnacle of recorded sound. It is archival quality. It is future-proof. It is one of one. Not only is an Ionic Original the equivalent of a painting, it is a painting,” Burnett said in a statement. “It is lacquer painted onto an aluminum disc, with a spiral etched into it by music. This painting, however, has the additional quality of containing that music, which can be heard by putting a stylus into the spiral and spinning it.”
The release also notes that Burnett formed NeoFidelity with the intention to record artists across a wide range of musical genres and provide a platform of distribution for Ionic Originals, [as well as to] reset the valuation for recorded music.”
(GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.) — Nearly three weeks after Patrick Lyoya was killed, the Grand Rapids police chief on Monday identified the officer who fatally shot Lyoya as Christopher Schurr.
Lyoya, a native of Congo, was shot in the head on April 4 after Schurr pulled him over for an unregistered license plate. Video footage of the incident shows Schurr struggling with Lyoya, eventually forcing him to the ground and shouting, “stop resisting,” “let go” and “drop the Taser,” before shooting Lyoya.
While Grand Rapids attorney Ven Johnson and civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who are representing the Lyoya family, have been calling for the name of the officer to be released since the day Lyoya was killed, now that it’s happened, Johnson said knowing the name does little to console the family.
“Our clients literally buried their son Friday. … This doesn’t do a whole lot, and it’s something that should have been done at the time when they released the videos,” Johnson told ABC News, adding that Lyoya’s parents “feel like they’re getting red tape after red tape after red tape.”
Chief Eric Winstrom had refrained from releasing the name of the officer as the investigation was ongoing, arguing the city has a long-standing policy not to release the names of employees under investigation.
“How dare you hold the name of a man who killed this man?” civil rights activist Al Sharpton said at Lyoya’s funeral in Grand Rapids on Friday. “Every time a young Black man or woman is arrested in this town, you put their name all over the news. Every time we’re suspected of something, you put our name out there.”
Winstrom released a statement Monday saying he decided to identify Schurr “in the interest of transparency, to reduce ongoing speculation and to avoid any further confusion.”
While the name has been released, Johnson said it’s “too little, too late.”
“They hid the name of this officer who killed my client for three weeks, and yet as part of their press release, they say this is in the spirit of transparency,” Johnson told ABC News. “Well, if I said to you, I’m gonna be transparent with you, but I’m gonna hide material facts … for three weeks, they will look at me and say, just, that’s not fair.”
After Schurr’s name was released, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer released a statement saying the investigation should be wrapping up “quickly” and said her “heart is with the Grand Rapids community.”
While no charges have been filed against Schurr, Johnson said his team is prepared but hopes the state will do better in the future for preventing these events.
“In Michigan, we have a lot of hard work we need to do,” Johnson said.
Schurr is currently on administrative leave and has been stripped of all his police power as the investigation continues. ABC News was not able to reach an attorney for Schurr.
Pharrell Williams announced Tuesday the return of his “Something in the Water” festival this year, set to take place in Washington, D.C., on Juneteenth weekend.
Tyler, the Creator, Chloe & Halle, Jon Batiste, Usher, Lil Baby, Ashanti, Moneybagg Yo, Lucky Daye and many more will join Pharrell for a three-day celebration of art, culture and music scheduled for June 17-19.
Originally held in Pharrell’s hometown of Virginia Beach, Virginia, SITW was launched with a mission to unite communities, celebrate diversity and spread empowerment. Last year, after the police shooting of Donovon Lynch, Pharrell’s cousin, Williams sent a letter to the city announcing the removal of the festival and calling on leaders to “talk about your issues, talk about your struggles so we can get past them.”
In a new press release, Pharrell says, “SOMETHING IN THE WATER is a Black solution (LOVE) for a systemic issue, and this year we are taking our celebration to a higher platform — the nation’s Capital during Juneteenth Weekend. We want to show the world that there is SOMETHING IN THE WATER across the whole DMV and I want to continue to bring awareness to the greatness within these communities and invite large corporations to show up for the people.”
Fans who have previously purchased SITW passes will be able to buy pre-sale tickets starting on Wednesday April 27, while Virginia residents who plan to attend can purchase passes beginning on Friday, April 29. Three-day passes for Something in the Water 2022 will go on sale to the general public this Saturday, April 30, and will be available at the festival’s official website.
Ahead of its 12th season finale of Blue Bloods on May 6, CBS has announced it has re-upped its hit cop drama for a 13th season.
“America’s favorite first family of law enforcement is back for season 13,” says CBS Entertainment president Kelly Kahlin a statement.
The Friday night series, which Tom Selleck stars as New York City’s Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, the head of a family of cops, remains one of the network’s most popular shows.
Adds Kahl, “The Reagans possess an incredible bond with audiences literally everywhere and on every platform. And in its 12th season, with over 250 episodes, Blue Bloods not only continues to dominate in the ratings but excels at an exceptionally high creative level.”
The series also stars Donnie Wahlberg, Bridget Moynahan, Will Estes, Marisa Ramirez, Vanessa Ray, and Tony winner Len Cariou.
Backstage at a recent show, the band gathered the crew to present an end-of-tour gift, revealing that after a brief delay, they had received the official documentation that they are official lords and ladies in Scotland. With the certification comes a piece of land for each person — albeit only a square foot. The news incited laughter and cheers from the crew.
Frontman Matthew Ramsey then lead a toast thanking the crew for their hard work, remarking that it felt like they came through the ranks together.
“We love our road family so much, they inspire and drive us every day to be the best entertainers we can, they really run the show. So we thought let’s make it official. So we present… Lords (and a Lady) of Scotland,” the band writes alongside the video.
Old Dominion is currently on the road opening for Kenny Chesney on the Here and Now Tour.
What was it like filming the “2step” music video in 20-degree weather? Ed Sheeran answered that question while treating fans to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of his newest clip that was posted Tuesday on his official YouTube channel.
As previously reported, “2step” was filmed in Kyiv, Ukraine, prior to Russia’s invasion of the country, which has reduced portions of the capital city featured in the music video into rubble. The Grammy winner has since pledged to donate royalties from YouTube streams to ongoing humanitarian efforts for the Ukrainian people.
“Come behind the scenes with me on a video shoot I’ll remember for the rest of my life,” Sheeran captioned the new making-of video, which starts with Ed dressing appropriately for the chilly, winter weather. “I have all my thermal gear on,” the singer explains as the video cuts to the bundled-up production crew directing the shoot.
The video also shares more images of the city around the singer-songwriter, from lit-up shops to apartment buildings to intact bus stops and billboards. Other clips show him bonding with the extras, reviewing footage and, finally, toasting with a warm drink once he’s satisfied all his shots.
The “Shivers” singer previously announced that he’ll donate royalties from YouTube streams of the “2step” remix, which features rapper Lil Baby, to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, which works to provide food, water, shelter and medical assistance to those in need.
“Ukraine is a proud and resilient country and I’m grateful to have had the chance to film my video there,” Ed previously expressed. “I stand will Ukraine.”
Dave Matthews Band is set to play this year’s edition of Pharrell Williams‘ Something in the Water festival.
The three-day event will take place Juneteenth weekend, June 17-19, in Washington, D.C.
The lineup also includes Ashanti and Ja Rule, Chloe x Halle, Jon Batiste, Lil Baby, Run the Jewels, Tyler, the Creator and Usher. Pharrell himself will headline, billed as Pharrell & Phriends.
Tickets go on sale this Saturday, April 30, at 10 a.m. ET. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit SomethingintheWater.com.
If you attend any shows on the Metal Tour of the Year, keep an eye out for Dave Mustaine in the crowd.
During the recent stop on the run, the Megadeth frontman played the role of heavy metal Santa Claus when he sneaked into the arena’s stands and handed out guitar picks to some awed kids sitting in front of him.
Mustaine posted a video of the interaction on his Instagram, writing in the caption, “Metal is alive and well.”
The Metal Tour of the Year, which features Megadeth, Lamb of God, Trivium and In Flames, continues Tuesday in Omaha, Nebraska. LoG frontman Randy Blythe is back on the tour after missing a few dates due to testing positive for COVID-19.
If you were unable to watch Jagged Little Pill on Broadway, the musical based on AlanisMorissette‘s breakthrough album, you can now enjoy the compelling story in book form. The two-time Tony Award-winning musical is now a young adult novel.
Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody, who co-wrote the musical with Alanis, told ABC Audio it “was just a pleasure” turning it into a YA novel. “It’s definitely new territory for me,” she added. Cody, along with Alanis, teamed with author Eric Smith to “expand these characters’ worlds” and flesh them out even more.
Smith says it was “wildly exciting” to work with Alanis and Cody, adding the latter told him to “take more risks” with the story. “I printed that [email],” he laughed.
The author said Jagged Little Pill, the musical, resonated with him. One reason is that one of the protagonists is “a transracial adoptee,” just like him, and the other being Alanis’ 1995 album had a strong impact on him.
Alanis’ album featured “this huge emotional swell of wanting to be heard and wanting people to listen to you and pay attention to you,” Smith explained, adding, “The musical brings that to the stage.”
Now that Jagged Little Pill has gone from musical to YA novel, what’s next?
“The book is sort of inspiring me to think about possibilities for the screen… Now I’m thinking, well, what else can we do?” Cody teased.
As for Smith, he hopes Jagged Little Pill‘s success story inspires more artists to make their own musicals. “I’d love to see a Ben Folds jukebox musical,” he offered. “I think Melissa Etheridge could do the same thing because her songs are so full of longing.”
