While the mercurial funnyman is legendarily hard to reach in Hollywood, it’s pretty clear director Wes Anderson has Bill Murray‘s number, creatively speaking.
Murray has reportedly agreed to star in Anderson’s next project, an as-yet-untitled film set in Spain, Variety reports. Another frequent Anderson collaborator, Tilda Swinton, has also signed on.
The trio recently collaborated on The French Dispatch, which they promoted at the Cannes Film Festival.
The new project is the ninth between Anderson and Murray, who has appeared in the director’s films starting with 1998’s Rushmore, and including The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Darjeeling Limited, Moonrise Kingdom, Isle of Dogs, and The Grand Budapest Hotel.
Murray is notoriously choosy in his career, employing a 1-800 number for people to call and record job offers to him, rather than using an agent or manager.
As artists fire up their concert tours after being put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Wiz Khalifareports he’s contracted the virus, reminding us we’re not completely out of the woods yet.
Wiz delivered the bad news to his fans, tweeting on Wednesday, “Okay loved ones….sooo…..Ya boy got covid.”
He assured he is experiencing “no symptoms” and asked fans to “just stay away from me for a lil while.”
The rapper, in a follow-up tweet, insisted that, despite being stuck in the house, he still plans to deliver new content and is readying his next project.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Newlyweds Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are back to work. The two delighted fans on Thursday by throwing a free concert at an Oklahoma bar, which Shelton owns.
The couple, who wed July 3, took over the Ole Red in Tishomingo, Oklahoma to whip themselves back into singing shape.
“I’ve got some shows coming up soon so I’m gonna be rehearsing today around 4 CT at @OleRed’s The Doghouse,” Shelton tweeted out to his fans, keeping mum on the fact that he’d be bringing a plus one. “Come on out and get yourself a drink if you’re bored.”
The “Minimum Wage” crooner further enticed prospective patrons to show up by joking, “I repeat it’s only a rehearsal… It may not be good but at least it’s free!”
In the hours leading up to the free performance, the bar shared a video of a line full of smiling fans forming outside of their establishment.
Of course, the smiles on their faces grew even wider when Blake told them his bride would be joining him for the free show — marking their first public appearance since the two tied the knot.
The surprise joint-concert was well documented by attendees, with fan Danny Hiltonsharing a video of Gwen belting out her No Doubt hit “Don’t Speak” as Blake backed her up on guitar.
The two also performed their country duets “Happy Anywhere” and “Nobody But You.”
Shelton is set to kick off his Friends and Heroes Tour alongside Martina McBride, Tracy Byrd and Trace Adkins on August 18. Their first stop is at Nebraska’s CHI Health Center Omaha convention center.
As for Stefani, she’s set to resume her Vegas residency at Zappos Theater in October.
Sarah Jessica Parker, reprising her iconic role as Carrie Bradshaw from the original HBO series, revealed Thursday that Nicole Ari Parker, Sarita Choudhury and Karen Pittman have joined the cast of HBO Max’s upcoming 10-episode Sex and the City revival, titled And Just Like That…
“And finally!!!!” Parker wrote in an Instagram post. “THRILLED to welcome @therealsararamirez, @NicoleAriParker, Karen Pittman? and Sarita Choudhury to #AndJustLikeThat.”
“Can’t wait to work with these brilliant actors who bring so much talent, humor and excitement to our ensemble,” she added.
According to HBO Max, Parker will play Lisa Todd Wexley, a “Park Avenue mother of three and documentarian.” Choudhury is playing Seema Patel, a “single, self-made powerhouse Manhattan real estate broker,” and Pittman will appear as Dr. Nya Wallace, a “brilliant, challenging Columbia Law professor.”
“Everyone at And Just Like That … is thrilled to have these amazing and vibrant actors join the Sex and the City family,” executive producer Michael Patrick King said in a statement.
It was announced in May that Grey’s Anatomy star Sara Ramírez would be joining the cast of the revival to play Che Diaz, a non-binary, queer comedian and podcast host.
As previously reported, Carrie’s besties Miranda Hobbes and Charlotte York Goldblatt are back, played respectively by co-executive producers Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis.
Other returning SaTC cast members include Chris Noth as Mr. Big, Mario Cantone as Anthony Marentino, David Eigenberg as Steve Brady, Willie Garson as Stanford Blatch, and Evan Handler as Harry Goldenblatt.
Kim Cattrall, who played Samantha Jones in the original HBO series, is not returning, and her character will not be replaced, though no one has publicly specified how that’ll be handled on the show.
(NEW YORK) — Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Love is withdrawing from the Olympics and will not play for Team USA, his agent told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski Friday.
Love spent ten days with the U.S. Men’s National Basketball Team in Las Vegas, preparing for the upcoming Olympics. But Love continues to recover from a right calf injury that forced him to miss much of the NBA season.
“I am incredibly disappointed to not be heading to Tokyo with Team USA,” Love said in a statement. “But you need to be at absolute peak performance to compete at the Olympic level and I am just not there yet.”
Love is the second player Team USA will have to replace on short notice, after Washington Wizards star Bradley Beal was forced to withdraw due to COVID-19 protocols. Beal entered the health and safety protocol for the virus earlier this week.
USA Basketball also announced late Thursday that its exhibition matchup against Australia, scheduled for Friday night, was being canceled. That after a second USA player, Detroit Pistons star Jerami Grant, was also placed in the health and safety protocol.
Team USA’s final exhibition game is scheduled for Sunday against Spain. They are expected to fly to Japan on Monday, before their Olympic Opener on July 25.
The singer has announced North American dates for his Sob Rock Tour 2022, kicking off February 17 in Albany, NY and running through April 28 in Chicago, IL. The trek will feature stops at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, as well as two shows at The Forum in Inglewood, CA.
Tickets go on sale starting Friday, July 23, at 11 a.m. at JohnMayer.com.
John’s Sob Rock album, including its first single, “Last Train Home,” is out today. The ‘80s-inspired music video for another album track, “Shot in the Dark,” was also unveiled today.
The movie, based on the novel by JoJo Moyes, is about a journalist, played by Felicity Jones, who discovers a bunch of secret love letters from 1965 and begins researching what prompted them: An affair between the wife of a wealthy industrialist, played by Shailene Woodley, and the financial journalist who’s been assigned to write about her husband.
HAIM got involved because the movie’s director, Augustine Frizzell, told the producers the band was her first choice to create a track for the film, because their music is “both modern and retro.” The group wrote the song with Ariel Rechtshaid, with whom they collaborated on their most recent album, Women in Music Pt. III.
HAIM’s song plays in a scene in which Jones’ character takes a cab across London after a one-night stand. In a statement, the group says, “The scene we were making the song for was all about movement, so we felt like we needed a traveling beat, which spurred the initial idea. Augustine said she wanted something playful, so it was really a collaborative effort.”
HAIM will return to live performances September 17 with a headlining show at the Santa Barbara Bowl.
(PRETORIA, South Africa) — At least 117 people have been killed in ongoing riots across South Africa despite the efforts of heavily outnumbered authorities to quell violent unrest sparked by the imprisonment of former President Jacob Zuma.
South Africa’s acting minister in the presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, said in a statement Thursday that the death toll now stands at 91 in Zuma’s home province of KwaZulu-Natal and 26 in the economic hub of Gauteng province. An additional six people were found dead on the roof of a mall in Thembisa township in Gauteng province, and the South African Police Service has opened an investigation to determine whether their deaths were related to the riots, according to Ntshavheni.
The South African Police Service said in a statement Tuesday that many fatalities occurred during “stampedes” as scores of people looted food, liquor, clothes and electrical appliances from shops in poor areas. Other deaths were caused by explosions when people tried to break into ATMs as well as shootings, according to police.
At least one police officer was killed in an attack on law enforcement, while seven others were injured responding to the riots, police said.
So far, 2,203 people have been arrested, according to Ntshavheni. But the chaos has continued in some areas and officials are “concerned about the economic impact of the violence, looting and destruction of infrastructure,” she said.
“Over the past few days, the main routes have been blocked by protesters with stones and other dangerous items,” Ntshavheni said in the statement Thursday, noting that such activities impact supply chains and the movement of key goods throughout the country.
“We wish to address those who are still undertaking the road blockage to desist from doing so because it is the poor, vulnerable and marginalized who will suffer as a result of their actions,” she added. “The impact of the looter’s actions will be felt more by the poor and middle class as many people stand a chance of losing their livelihoods.”
The South African Police Service is providing armed escorts for the transportation of critical supplies, such as food, fuel, medicine and oxygen, according to Ntshavheni.
There were also reports of clashes between looters and residents, with some members of the community brandishing firearms or other weapons “in an apparent retaliation against perpetrators of the public violence,” Ntshavheni said.
“We don’t want a situation where members of the public are at logger-heads with the law after such a noble effort,” she added.
Ntshavheni noted that the situation in Gauteng province is now “largely calm,” while KwaZulu-Natal province “remains volatile but much improved towards stability.” She attributed the improved situation to the additional boots on the ground in areas identified as potential “hotspots.”
The South African Police Service said it has recalled officers from leave and rest days, while the South African National Defence Force has deployed thousands soldiers to assist overstretched local law enforcement agencies.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has vowed to “restore calm and order,” describing the unrest as the worst the country has witnessed since the 1990s, before the end of the apartheid regime,
“Over the past few days and nights, there have been acts of public violence of a kind rarely seen in the history of our democracy,” Ramaphosa said in a televised address to the nation on Monday evening. “Let me be clear: We will take action to protect every person in this country against the threat of violence, intimidation, theft and looting. We will not hesitate to arrest and prosecute those who perpetrate these actions and will ensure that they face the full might of our law.”
The lawlessness has disrupted South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination program, with some clinics forced to close, which Ramaphosa warned will have “lasting effects on our ability to consolidate some of the progress we were already witnessing in our economic recovery.” Vaccine shots are urgently needed in the country, which — along with other nations in Africa — is fighting a new wave of COVID-19 infections. The South African government recently reimposed and extended tight restrictions, including a nightly nationwide curfew, school closures, a ban on gatherings and limits on alcohol sales.
Violence and unrest has gripped parts of South Africa since Zuma turned himself in to police on July 7 to begin his 15-month jail term for contempt of court. South Africa’s highest court handed down the sentence after Zuma failed to appear before an inquiry examining corruption allegations during the nine years that he served as president. Zuma has maintained his innocence, saying he’s the victim of a politically motivated witch hunt, and his supporters took to the streets last week. But the protests appear to have reawakened deep-seated grievances over persistent poverty, unemployment and inequality, some 27 years after apartheid ended.
Following layoffs and an economic downturn from the coronavirus pandemic, South Africa’s unemployment rate stands at a record high of 32.6% and is even higher among the youth, at 46.3%, according to official numbers released in June by the national statistical service. Meanwhile, more than half of the country’s 60 million people were living in poverty last year, according to data collected by the World Bank Group.
“There is no grievance, nor any political cause, that can justify the violence and destruction that we have seen in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng,” Ramaphosa said. “The path of violence, of looting and anarchy, leads only to more violence and devastation. It leads to more poverty, more unemployment, and more loss of innocent life. This is not who we are as a people.”
(SEATTLE) — A judge ordered NFL star Richard Sherman be released from jail without bail on Thursday, one day after he was arrested on suspicion of trying to break into his in-laws’ home in Washington state.
Sherman did not appear in court Thursday, where King County District Court Judge Fa’amomoi Masaniai found probable cause that Sherman committed four offenses, including misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor charges of criminal trespass in the second degree.
The other charges against Sherman are malicious mischief in the third degree, and misdemeanor charges of resisting arrest and driving under the influence.
While prosecutors requested $10,000 bail, the judge called Sherman a “pillar of the community,” and said that it was presumed Sherman would be released because the allegations represent his first arrest. The 33-year-old Sherman was also ordered not to have contact with his father-in-law, not possess a weapon, and not use alcohol or non-prescription drugs.
“I love and support my husband,” Sherman’s wife Ashley Sherman said in a statement Thursday. “I am committed to helping Richard get the support and care that he needs. Richard has always been a loving father and husband. And we are looking forward to seeing him at home with his family.”
Police reports indicated that Sherman was belligerent, had been drinking heavily, and spoke of killing himself when he left his home late Tuesday night. His wife called 9-1-1 to try to have police stop him.
He was later arrested after having crashed his car in a construction zone along a busy highway and then attempting to break into his in-laws’ home.
Sherman’s father-in-law, Raymond Moss, told officers that he armed himself with a handgun and used pepper spray to protect his family from Sherman, who had tried to break down the door of their home with his shoulder.
He told officers that he was upset over his children being taken from him. When the officers directed him to kneel down to be handcuffed and placed under arrest, they say Sherman ignored those commands and became increasingly hostile. A K-9 unit was eventually used to help apprehend Sherman.
King County prosecutors and the sheriff obtained an “extreme risk protection order” for Sherman in February, which barred him from having guns. That came after a judge had determined that he posed a danger to himself or others.
Ashley Sherman told police that her husband has been on antidepressants and was receiving mental health counseling.
Lil Durk was the victim of an attempted home invasion on Thursday, with TMZ reporting the “Backdoor” rapper exchanged gunfire with the suspects.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation told the outlet that Durk, 28, and his girlfriend, India Cox, were awakened around 5 a.m. by the armed intruders who were trying to break into their Braselton, Georgia, home. The two were able to defend themselves.
Investigators say both Durk and Cox both had access to firearms at the time and fired at the intruders, with the confrontation escalating into a shootout. Neither the two-time Grammy nominee nor his girlfriend were injured.
Police were unable to determine how many people attempted to break into Durk’s home and are investigating the incident as an alleged home invasion and aggravated assault.
TMZ says they attempted to speak with the rapper’s attorney, Nicole Moorman, who declined to comment on the matter.
Anyone with information pertaining to the incident is encouraged to contact the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
