THURSDAY, APRIL 23, 2020
…Bon Jovi, pictured above, cancelling their 2020 summer tour.
Thursday Night TV:
SEASON FINALE: SUPERSTORE (8p ET, NBC) — In the season finale, Dina attempts to help Amy keep a big secret from Jonah. Superstore has been renewed for a 6th season.
LAST MAN STANDING (8p ET, FOX) — New. Kyle and Mandy individually reveal a secret to Mike and Vanessa.
KATY KEENE (8p ET, CW) — New.
2020 NFL DRAFT (8p ET, ABC, ESPN) — For the first time ever, this year’s draft will be held exclusively online. The remote, virtual selection process will see all 32 NFL teams operating from their homes. Commissioner Goodell is set to announce picks from his home in New York. The draft continues Friday and Saturday as well.
MAN WITH A PLAN (8:30p ET, CBS) — New. Adam encourages Don to give himself food poisoning to get out of babysitting his destructive grandson.
SEASON FINALE: BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (8:30p ET, NBC) — New. The entire squad is on high alert when a massive blackout hits Brooklyn. The show has been renewed for another season.
SERIES FINALE: WILL & GRACE (9p ET, NBC) — New. Minnie Driver guest stars on the series finale. Eric McCormack hosts a series retrospective at 9:30p ET.
IN THE DARK (9p ET, CW) — New.
BROKE (9:30p ET, CBS) — New. Jackie and Elizabeth find their mom’s secret love letters that suggest she had an affair.
SEASON FINALE: LAW & ORDER: SVU (10p ET, NBC) — New. The sexual assault trial of media mogul Sir Toby Moore (guest star Ian McShane) gets underway. The show has been renewed for another season.
TOMMY (10p ET, CBS) — New. Tommy is accused of professional impropriety when her relationship with sports agent Kiley Mills (Katrina Lenk) intersects with the LAPD’s arrest of a local sports phenom.
TOP CHEF (10p ET, Bravo) — New. For the Elimination Challenge, the chefs serve Gustavo Dudamel and members of the LA Philharmonic.
Showbiz News and Gossip from WillametteValleyMagazine.com
NETFLIX SUBSCRIBERS SURGE LIKE CRAZY AS CORONAVIRUS TRAPS US AT HOME
Netflix’s added more than double the expected subscribers in the first three months of the year, massive growth that can only be attributed to one thing: COVID-19. Netflix, the world’s dominant streaming-video subscription service operating basically everywhere except China, said subscribers grew by 15.77 million to 182.86 million total.
NETFLIX HAS RELEASED SOME VIEWING NUMBERS
While Tiger King was a big hit for Netflix, it wasn’t the most-viewed program or movie in the first quarter of this year. That title goes to Spenser Confidential, a Netflix original film starring Mark Wahlberg. Netflix says Spenser was viewed 85 million times.
… Tiger King had 64 million views. Love is Blind came in third with 30 million.
… Netflix counts a household as having viewed a title if it was watched for at least two minutes. Regular TV has a different formula measured by Nielsen.
CHIP AND JOANNA GAINES’ MAGNOLIA NETWORK DELAYED BY CORONAVIRUS
Former Fixer Upper stars Chip and Joanna Gaines originally planned to launch the new Magnolia Network in place of the DIY Network on October 4. That’s been delayed by the pandemic. However, this Sunday ten new series which will air on Magnolia will be previewed in a four-hour special on the DIY Network.
HBO MAX ANNOUNCES MAY 27 LAUNCH DATE AND LINEUP
The new streaming service HBO Max will launch two days after Memorial Day with a lineup that includes Love Life starring Anna Kendrick, kids crafting competition Craftopia, voguing reality competition Legendary, Looney Tunes Cartoons, and Sesame Street talk show The Not Too Late Show With Elmo.
… HBO Max also announced that this summer will see the premieres of Kaley Cuoco’s The Flight Attendant, the long-anticipated Friends reunion special, Season 2 of Doom Patrol, Season 3 of Search Party, Amy Schumer’s Expecting Amy, Ridley Scott’s Raised by Wolves, and the first of four new Adventure Time: Distant Lands specials. HBO Max will cost $15 per month for non-HBO subscribers.
BON JOVI CANCELS 2020 TOUR
Bon Jovi is pulling the plug on the band’s upcoming 2020 tour. It was announced in January that The Bon Jovi 2020 Tour would kick off on June 10 in Tacoma, Washington and conclude on July 28 after a two-night stint at Madison Square Garden in New York. Fellow rocker Bryan Adams was also set to appear throughout most performances. On Monday, Bon Jovi issued a statement explaining to fans that the scheduled tour will not take place due to the coronavirus health crisis — the band also urged fans to spend their ticket refunds on more critical purchases.
… The statement read: “Due to the ongoing global pandemic, it is no longer feasible for Bon Jovi to tour this summer. Given these difficult times, we have made the decision to cancel the tour entirely. … This will enable ticket holders to get refunds to help pay their bills or buy groceries … You’ve always been there for us and we’ll always be there for you.”
NEW STAR WARS SERIES IN THE WORKS FOR DISNEY+
Disney is working on a new Star Wars show for Disney+. The series, which is said to be “female-centric,” takes place in a different part of the Star Wars timeline than other projects.
BACK TO THE FUTURE MOVIES COMING TO NETFLIX NEXT MONTH
The first two Back to the Future movies are finally making their debut on Netflix in May.
… As for the third flick, Marty and Doc’s adventures in the Wild West are already on Netflix, so starting in May you’ll be able to having a Back to the Future trilogy watch party with your pals on Zoom.
SOPRANOS PREQUEL MOVIE AND THE BATMAN MAKES MOVES
The Sopranos prequel film The Many Saints of Newark has shifted to a 2021 release date as part of a shuffle of Warner Bros. release calendar that also resulted in The Batman, Shazam 2 and The Flash all making moves.
… The Many Saints of Newark will now open March 12, 2021, a move from its original September 2020 release. The Batman will now open on October 1, 2021, moving back four months.
… The untitled Elvis biopic from director Baz Luhrmann and starring Tom Hanks is moving back a month to November 5, 2021. The Flash will now open June 3, 2022, a month earlier than planned, and Shazam 2! is shifting to November 4, 2022 from an April 2022 release date.
AMERICAN IDOL WILL BE AS LIVE AS IT CAN BE
American Idol returns live on Sunday (April 26) — kind of. The ABC reality singing competition will reveal its new live look with all contestants, judges, hosts and supporting stars broadcasting from their homes. There will even be celebrity guest appearances and performances as the group of 20 gets whittled down to 10, then five, and eventually one. American Idol producers say they worked with local internet companies and the contestants to ensure strong internet signals and premium audio and video.
The contestants will all perform in front of custom sets and with a band. Everything will be filmed live-to-video, meaning all three judges and non-contestant, on-camera celebs will watch together at the same time. But Sunday’s show — and most of the rest of the season — will not be truly live.
HENRY CAVILL WILLING TO TAKE LESS MONEY TO RETURN AS SUPERMAN
As of now, Man of Steel 2 is a mystery: It’s the one DC movie that just refuses to take any steps forward. But when the pandemic subsides and production begins, Henry Cavill wants to be there. And, according to sources, he’s willing to take a sizeable pay cut to take part.
… For now there’s no script, no film schedule, no director, no nothing. The sources mentioned say that if — IF — life returns to normal this summer, filming on another Superman movie could begin in late 2021 with a release date in 2024.
TICKETMASTER PREPARING REFUND PLAN FOR POSTPONED CONCERTS AND EVENTS
Ticketmaster is finalizing a plan to begin offering refunds for concerts and events that have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, following criticism of a policy that would only refund canceled events. According to a report from Billboard, Ticketmaster’s parent company Live Nation announced that it is preparing to roll out a ticket-refund program. The program will gives fans the option of receiving either a full refund or up to 150% of their ticket value as Concert Cash through the Rock When You Are Ready program that they can then use on future events.
TOM HANKS ON HIS EXPERIENCE WITH CORONAVIRUS
Married acting couple Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson were diagnosed with the COVID-19 coronavirus back in early March, marking one of the first high-profile cases of the virus to be publicly announced. The couple, both 63, recovered while being quarantined in an Australian hospital for three days before returning home to the United States. Wilson recently revealed a bit of information about how the two might’ve contracted the virus during its early days and discussed the severity of her symptoms, but Hanks has been relatively quiet about the details of his experience since returning to the United States.
… In a recent interview, Hanks made it very clear that the virus had quite a different effect on his wife than it did on him. His symptoms were considerably less severe, though he insists that didn’t stop them from being exhausting to experience. About the differences, he explained: “Rita went through a tougher time than I did. She had a much higher fever. She had lost her sense of taste and sense of smell. I had some bad body aches and was very fatigued, and that’s how the COVID-19 went through us.”
WARNER BROS. TO RELEASE SCOOB ON-DEMAND ON MAY 15
Scoob, an animated film based on Scooby-Doo characters, will skip its planned theatrical release and instead launch in May on digital rental services. Starting May 15, Scoob will be available to rent for $20 in the U.S. and Canada. It will also be available to buy for $25. The movie, geared toward younger audiences, was originally scheduled to debut in theaters on May 15, but was indefinitely delayed as the coronavirus pandemic forced cinemas to close.
FRIENDS’ CAST INVITES YOU TO ITS HBO MAX REUNION SPECIAL
Looking forward to the forthcoming Friends reunion special? Here’s a chance to be there in person. On Tuesday, the stars of the ’90s sitcom — Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer — invited fans on their respective Instagram pages to help raise money for America’s Food Fund for a chance to hang out with them. The actors are offering six tickets to the taping of their upcoming HBO Max reunion special. Winners will also get to sip coffee with the cast at Central Perk as part of the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. • IMAGE
… The tickets and studio tour are part of the All In Challenge, which brings together celebrities from the worlds of sports, entertainment and more to provide food to people in need. All funds will go to Feeding America, Meals on Wheels, World Central Kitchen and No Kid Hungry. • LINK
THE MANDALORIAN SEASON 3 ALREADY IN THE WORKS AT DISNEY+
The October premiere date for Season 2 of The Mandalorian may feel like it’s far, far away, but pre-production has already begun on a third installment of the popular Disney+ series. Sources close to the production have confirmed that creator Jon Favreau has been “writing season 3 for a while,” and that the art department has been creating concepts for Season 3 “for the past few weeks.”
… (SPOILERS) ….Season 1 ended with Mando and Baby Yoda flying off in search of the Child’s home planet.
HUNGER GAMES PREQUEL MOVING FORWARD
The Hunger Games movies were record-breaking smash hits. But since The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 closed out the story back in 2015, we’ve heard only whispers about future installments. Until now. A source say Suzanne Collins’ soon-to-be-released novel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes — a Hunger Games prequell — is being made into a movie.
The book, coming May 19, is set 64 years before the events of the previous movies, around the time of the Dark Days. At the core of the story will be the aftereffects of the war, in which the citizens of Panem try to reassemble a new society that will eventually give birth to the Hunger Games.
… The focus of the story will reportedly be a younger version of the villainous President Coriolanus Snow, as played by Donald Sutherland in the movies. At this point in Snow’s life, he’ll be a hero, so our knowledge of his eventual fate should create an atmosphere not too dissimilar from Anakin in the Star Wars prequels (though hopefully a bit better executed).
GREEN ACRES STAR DIES _ Tom Lester — best known for playing Eb Dawson on the ’60s sitcom Green Acres — has died of complications from Parkinson’s Disease. The longtime actor died Monday morning in Nashville at the home of his fiancee and longtime caregiver, Jackie. He also had a guest spot on Knight Rider in the ’80s. Tom was 81. • VIDEO
JENNIFER LOPEZ SUED AFTER ALLEGEDLY RIPPING OFF PHOTOGRAPHER’S PICTURE
A New York City photographer is suing Jennifer Lopez and her company for allegedly ripping off one of his photos and posting it to her Instagram. Steve Stands claims that Lopez and her company, Nuyorican Productions, put his photo of her on the social media site, where it got 656,631 likes. The suit alleges J-Lo didn’t pay him to use the headshot. Sands is suing for damages of up to $150,000 plus lawyer’s fees.
REYNOLDS-JACKMAN FEUD WILL BE ON HOLD FOR ONE DAY FOR CHARITY
Ryan Reynold and Hugh Jackman have decided to hold a one-day truce for a worthy cause: The All In Challenge. In and nutshell, they’re willing to fly to your house to help your kids sell lemonade and raise money for worthy charitable organizations such as No Kid Hungry, Feeding America, Heals Wheels, and more. • LINK
… 100% of the money raised through the auction will go directly to the food charities. Proceeds from the lemonade stand will go to first responders.
… Ryan and Hugh will be flying to wherever the winner lives and staying for two hours.
JOSH BROLIN APOLOGIZES AFTER IRRESPONSIBLE VISIT TO DAD JAMES AND BARBRA STREISAND’S HOME
Josh Brolin is apologizing after a close visit with his famous parents. Recently the actor went to James Brolin and Barbra Streisand’s house with his son and wife Kathryn Brolin for a brief visit. Barbara shared a pic of the visit on her Instagram. Some social media followers suggested that the famous family wasn’t following social distancing guidelines and being extra safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Josh saw the comments and decided to apologize:
… “My father lives next door to us and we had a plan to go see them and not be near them and that plan was broken and that is our responsibility. We were going to pick something up and show Bean the pool because we don’t have a pool and I think it was irresponsible.”
MARVEL’S REPORTEDLY GOT THE RIGHTS BACK TO THE HULK
Marvel Studios continues to reclaim the rights to various superhero properties. After the Fox merger, they acquired the X-Men and Fantastic Four and now they may have snagged another big piece. According to a source, Marvel has reportedly gotten the rights back to the Hulk, which Universal owned for many years, which means the door is now open to make another solo Hulk movie.
HULK VS. WOLVERINE MOVIE REPORTEDLY IN EARLY DEVELOPMENT
A source says the much rumored Hulk vs. Wolverine movie is back on the planning board. Mark Ruffalo has said he’s up for more Hulk movies, while Hugh Jackman has indicated that he is doing playing Wolverine.
PARTY OF FIVE REBOOT GETS AXED AFTER ONE SEASON
The Party of Five reboot has been cancelled after just one season. Bosses at Freeform have opted not to renew the drama for a second season a month after the series wrapped its freshman season run with a March 4, 2020 finale. The original Party of Five series, starring Matthew Fox, Scott Wolf, and Neve Campbell, ran from 1995 to 2000.
MEGHAN MARKLE TO GIVE FIRST INTERVIEW SINCE LEAVING ROYAL FAMILY
Meghan Markle (is/was) on Good Morning American today to give her first interview since leaving the Royal family. Markle is promoting Elephant, a documentary which tells the story of Shani and her son Jomo as they embark on an eight-month journey across 1,000 miles of the Kalahari desert.
The program, which began streaming on Disney Plus on April 3, has received mixed reviews, with some describing the almost 90 minute documentary as saccharine and lightweight, and others praising its sweeping visuals and sweet storyline.
MILA KUNIS AND ASHTON KUTCHER ANNOUNCE A QUARANTINE THEMED WINE
Recognizing that a lot of people are drinking more than they normally would, Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher saw a way to raise money for a good cause. The celeb couple have just announced the launch of a new quarantined themed wine they are selling to raise money for COVID-19 relief efforts. They will be donating 100 percent of whatever they make from the wine to charities and organizations that are helping to fight against the coroanvirus pandemic.
KHLOÉ KARDASHIAN HAS BEEN BUYING GROCERIES FOR SENIORS AT TRADER JOE’S STORES
Reality TV celebrinot Khloé Kardashian has been quietly popping up at Trader Joe’s and Ralph’s stores across greater Los Angeles and paying for groceries for senior citizen. Kardashian has also provided more than 200 gift cards for employees at the locations she visited.
CBS SPECIAL WILL SHOWCASE VIDEOS FILMED IN CORONAVIRUS QUARANTINE
Cedric the Entertainer will hose a TV special in May called #Homevideos: A Global Phenomenon. The CBS special will showcase a range of videos of people in quarantine, ranging “from the humorous to the heartwarming to the most inspirational.”
YOU CAN GET PAID $1,000 TO BINGE EVERY ‘HARRY POTTER’ MOVIE
Semi-pointless gigs where you get paid to binge TV shows and movies are having a moment. For the companies offering the temporary position, it’s a not-so-stealthy marketing tactic. They get talked about and whoever gets the gig is posting about it on social media. Still, you are getting paid to watch what, a lot of times, you’d probably be watching anyhow.
… The latest binge-watch offers come from EdSmart. The company is offering $1,000 and some bonus perks to five people willing to binge all the movies in the Wizard World. That means binging all of the Harry Potter films as well as the two available Fantastic Beasts movies. The company says they’re looking for someone who loves the Wizarding World, but is also an “active, outgoing social media personality.”
… The binge includes 10 movies, which total just over 25 hours of screen time. That’s more than $40 per hour of watch-time. Plus you also get the original eight films on Blu Ray, Harry Potter Butterbeer Caramel Corn with containers, a bunch of Harry Potter-themed candy, a Gryffindor snuggie, a Hogwarts alumni tumbler, and a $100 Grubhub gift card.
2020 UPDATED MOVIE THEATER CALENDAR
All releases are subject to change, but here’s what movie companies hope to release to theaters this summer and beyond.
June 19
- The King of Staten Island
July 10
- The Purge 5
July 17
- Tenet
July 24
- Mulan
July 31
- Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar (Kristen Wiig)
August 7
- The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run
August 14
- The One and Only Ivan (Disney)
- The Secret Garden
- Wonder Woman 1984
August 21
- Bill & Ted Face the Music
August 28
- The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard (Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Morgan Freeman)
September 4
- A Quiet Place Part II
September 11
- The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
September 18
- The King’s Man
September 25
- Candyman
November 6
- Black Widow
November 13
- Clifford the Big Red Dog
- Deep Water
November 20
- Godzilla vs. Kong
- Pixar’s Soul
November 25
- No Time To Die
December 11
- Free Guy
December 18
- Coming 2 America
- Dune
- West Side Story
December 23
- The Croods 2
- Tom and Jerry
- Top Gun: Maverick