Tuesday, September 29, 2020
Tuesday Night TV
SEASON PREMIERE: THE WEAKEST LINK (8p ET, NBC) — Jane Lynch hosts a revival of this game show. Eight strangers work as a team to play a high-stakes game of trivia and then vote each other off one by one for a chance to win up to $1 million.
LOVE ISLAND (8p ET, CBS) — New.
20/20 (8p ET, ABC) — This special looks at the candidates before the first debate.
COSMOS: POSSIBLE WORLDS (8p ET, FOX) — New.
THE FIRST PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE (9p ET, CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX) — Chris Wallace moderates the first debate between President Donald Trump and presidential candidate Joe Biden. The 90-minute debate will be divided into six 15-minute discussion areas: Trump’s and Biden’s records, the Supreme Court, the coronavirus pandemic, race and violence in cities, election integrity, and the economy.
SEASON FINALE: TELL ME A STORY (9p ET, CW) — The first season wraps up.
SERIES PREMIERE: TRUE COLORS (Peacock) — This new docuseries profiles prominent Hispanic Americans, including John Leguizamo, Alex Rodriguez and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
MICHELLE BUTEAU: WELCOME TO BUTEAUPIA (Netflix) — New stand up special.
WELCOME TO SUDDEN DEATH (Netflix) — Michael Jai White stars in this remake of a 1995 Jean-Claude Van Damme action thriller.
Showbiz News and Gossip
CHADWICK BOSEMAN DONATED PART OF HIS SALARY TO CO-STAR SIENNA MILLER
One month after his passing, stories of Chadwick Boseman’s generous spirit continue to come to light. Sienna Miller, who co-starred opposite the late actor in the 2019 action-thriller 21 Bridges, reveals in a new interview with Empire that Boseman donated part of his salary to her.
Miller shares: “This was a pretty big-budget film, and I know that everybody understands about the pay disparity in Hollywood, but I asked for a number that the studio wouldn’t get to. And because I was hesitant to go back to work and my daughter was starting school and it was an inconvenient time, I said, ‘I’ll do it if I’m compensated in the right way.’ And Chadwick ended up donating some of his salary to get me to the number that I had asked for. He said that that was what I deserved to be paid.” Miller who calls the gesture “the most astounding thing” she’d ever experienced during her Hollywood career.
… Boseman passed away on August 28 at age 43 after a private battle with colon cancer.
EVAN RACHEL WOOD DETAILS WHY SHE QUIT TWITTER
Westworld star Evan Rachel Wood is revealing why she quit Twitter earlier this year. The TV star says she couldn’t tweet anything without tabloids running with it and turning her words into dramatic headlines. She shares: “It would be like, ‘Evan Rachel Wood goes on a rant!’ or ‘Evan Rachel Wood attacks this person!’ Honestly, I think [quitting Twitter is] one of the best decisions I ever made. Really.” Wood says she deactivated her account so that the headlines wouldn’t distract her from her work.
AMANDA SEYFRIED GIVES BIRTH TO HER SECOND CHILD
Amanda Seyfried and her husband, Thomas Sadoski, recently welcomed a baby boy to their growing family. An Instagram post shared on Monday by War Child USA — the organization that Amanda and Thomas are ambassadors for — revealed the couple’s good news. Their statement read: “Since the birth of our daughter 3 years ago our commitment to the innocent children that are so brutally affected by conflict and war has been a driving force in our lives. With the birth of our son the work of INARA and War Child has become our North Star.”
NETFLIX MIGHT BE RAISING ITS SUBSCRIPTION PRICES SOON
Netflix has enjoyed a pretty successful year, from its leadership on the streaming charts to the sheer amount of money that the service continues to rake in. An analyst is now predicting that the platform could be preparing to raise its prices in North America and Europe. According to Alex Giaimo the evidence for Netflix’s future plans came in the company’s July second quarter earnings call, and a shift in language from management compared to the previous message in April. Giaimo had this to say on the subject: “In (the first quarter) Netflix said that they were ‘not even thinking about price increases,’ while the (second quarter) language was more open-ended.”
MEGHAN MARKLE AND PRINCE HARRY DENY THEY’RE STARRING IN A REALITY SHOW
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are shooting down a report in The Sun claiming that Markle hopes a Netflix reality show reveals the “real her.” Their spokesperson said in a statement: “The Duke and Duchess are not taking part in any reality shows.”
THE POPULAR MOTEL FROM SCHITT’S CREEK WILL SOON BE UP FOR SALE
The Ontario property that plays the role of the Rosebud Motel on the popular Canadian series Schitt’s Creek is being put up for sale. Jesse Tipping, owner of the real-life Rosebud Motel in Hockley Valley, Ontario, says the infamous property will hit the market in October.
… Tipping says Schitt’s Creek fans have flocked to the property over the years to take pictures in front of the motel, and even more in recent days after the show swept the Emmy Awards. The quirky sitcom nabbed all seven categories in which it was nominated, including best comedy series.
… While the next owner won’t find Johnny Rose or Stevie Budd manning the check-in desk, the motel — located northwest of downtown Toronto — features eight apartment-style rooms and a three-bedroom dwelling.
AT THE BOX OFFICE TENET… is the No. 1 movie in North America for a fourth week, earning an additional $3.4 million. Coming in at No. 2 is The New Mutants with $1.1 million, followed by Unhinged at No. 3 with $1 million, Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back at No. 4 with $910,000 and Infidel at No. 5 with $745,000.
THE MOUNTAIN HAS A SON
The Mountain from Game of Thrones is father to a “strong, healthy” newborn son. Hafthor Julius Björnsson, the 6-foot-9, 420-pound Icelandic strongman who played Sir Gregor Clegane, aka The Mountain, on HBO’s Game of Thrones, announced Sunday that his wife Kelsey Henson had given birth to a boy.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE TRYING TO FILL SEATS
Saturday Night Live is the hottest ticket in New York. Everyone wants to see the show in person. There are two performances: dress rehearsal and live. It’s almost impossible to get into either one of them all season. Not anymore. SNL is now soliciting audience members. What’s really crazy is that you can request up to 9 tickets if they’re in your COVID bubble — meaning people you’re quarantined with.
… If selected for tickets you’ll take a COVID-19 test upon arrival with results delivered before the show; you’ll have a temp check; you’ll be required to wear a mask at all times… and more.
GWYNETH PALTROW POSES NUDE FOR BIRTHDAY PHOTO _ Gwyneth Paltrow shared a nude photo of herself on Instagram in honor of her 48th birthday. The outdoor snapshot shows the smiling Oscar winner from the side, standing with her arms crossed over her breasts. On Instagram she wrote: “In nothing but my birthday suit today… thank you all so much for the birthday wishes and thank you to @goop’s insanely amazing brand new body butter for making me think I can still get my kit off.”
GANGSTA’S PARADISE GETS A REMIX
Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio was a No. 1 hit in 1995. For Oktoberfest, it’s a Bavarian polka. • VIDEO
DWAYNE JOHNSON BACKS BIDEN AND HARRIS
Not so long ago, Dwayne Johnson flirted with the idea of running for president in 2020. That didn’t last long but now the actor and professional wrestler has decided to dip his toes in presidential politics for the first time in his career by openly throwing his support behind the Democratic ticket. Johnson released a video Sunday in which he endorsed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, marking the first time the Fast and Furious star has publicly backed a presidential candidate as he characterized the November vote as “critical.” In the video Johnson emphasized he is a “registered independent … with centrist ideologies” and feels that Biden and Harris “are the best choice to lead our country.”
JOAQUIN PHOENIX AND ROONEY MARA NAME THEIR SON RIVER
It’s been four months since news spread that Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara were expecting their first child together — and, while neither has confirmed that, they have apparently welcomed a baby boy. Director Victor Kossakovsky, whose film Gunda was executive produced by Joaquin, shared the news at a recent screening during the 2020 Zurich Film Festival. According to the director, Joaquin wasn’t in attendance to promote the film because he “just got a baby,” a “beautiful son.” The director also shared the name Rooney and Joaquin chose for their child: “River.”
… The name is a loving tribute to Joaquin’s late brother, who tragically died in 1993, and who the actor gave a moving speech about while accepting the Oscar for Best Actor earlier this year.
M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN’S NEXT FILM IS OLD
M. Night Shyamalan’s box office track record is up and down, but the premise of his films is always intriguing. His next film, scheduled for release next year, is called Old — based on a French graphic novel called Sandcastle. The synopsis for Sandcastle reads: “Early morning on a perfect summer’s day, people begin to descend on an idyllic, secluded beach. Among their number, a family, a young couple, a refugee and some American tourists. Its fine white sand is fringed with rock pools filled with crystal clear water. The beach is sheltered from prying eyes by green-fringed cliffs that soar around the cove. But this utopia keeps a dark secret. A woman’s body is found floating in the waters, which brings these thirteen strangers together to try and unravel the riddle of the sands and escape the beach alive in this tense, fantastical mystery.”
FAMILY GUY FINDS A NEW VOICE FOR CLEVELAND BROWN
Around the same time the producers of The Simpsons decided that they wouldn’t cast white voice actors to play any characters of color on the animated series, Family Guy followed suit when Mike Henry announced that he would step down from voicing Cleveland Brown. Now, after The Simpsons found a new actor to voice Homer’s friend Carl, Family Guy has done the same by announcing a new voice for Cleveland. Voice actor Arif Zahir has landed the role.
JAMES CAMERON IS 95% DONE SHOOTING TWO AVATAR SEQUELS
Thanks to New Zealand’s containment of COVID-19, James Cameron has been able to continue full speed ahead on his Avatar sequels. In fact, he’s almost done filming not just one, but two of them. Cameron says his team is “100% complete” on all live shoots for Avatar 2 and “sort of 95% complete on Avatar 3.”
… Avatar 2 will be in theaters in December 2022 with Avatar 3 set for release the following year.
NICK FURY’S NEW SERIES WILL REPORTEDLY FEATURE A FAMILIAR AVENGER
To the delight of many fans, it was reported on Friday that Samuel L. Jackson would be reprising his role as Nick Fury in his very own Disney+ series. And according to sources, Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel is set to to accompany Jackson’s Fury in some capacity.