Open Thread

Yahoo Sports reports: The UFC announced Tuesday a new sponsorship deal with Anheuser-Busch that makes Bud Light the “official beer partner of the UFC,” replacing Modelo. A source familiar with the terms told Yahoo Sports that the deal, which takes effect on Jan. 1, is worth in excess of $100 million. The UFC had a previous sponsorship deal with Anheuser-Busch …

Billboard Magazine reports: Taylor Swift joins the elite club of artists with 10 or more No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart, as “Cruel Summer” ascends to the summit, from No. 9, becoming her 10th leader. The song, which previously peaked at No. 3, was originally released on Swift’s 2019 Republic Records album Lover before being promoted as …

USA Today reports: In a movie match-up almost as unlikely as “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” Martin Scorsese took on Taylor Swift in cinemas this weekend. And while the box office belonged for a second time to “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon” got off to a strong start in Apple Studios’ first major theatrical gambit. After …

The Associated Press reports: There isn’t much Cher hasn’t done in her career. She’s achieved EGOT status, she’s the only artist to have a No. 1 song in each of the past six decades — heck, she’s got her own gelato business, Cherlato. But a Christmas album? That’s new territory. So, why now? “I just didn’t want to do one,” …

Billboard Magazine reports: It’s safe to say that RuPaul Charles is one of the busiest celebrities currently working in the business. Alongside hosting and executive producing his Emmy-winning reality series RuPaul’s Drag Race, the drag icon has spent 2023 overseeing the show’s growing number of international spinoffs, hosting his own game show and writing a book. Now, RuPaul is revealing …

Deadline reports: With more than 1,500 performances during its initial 2016-2020 Broadway run, and a subsequent three-month post-Covid-shutdown remount, Waitress: The Musical baked its way into the hearts of theatergoers, and in December folks who didn’t make it to New York City will get a chance to see what the fuss was about: Bleecker Street and Fathom Events have set …

Reuters reports: Netflix increased subscription prices for some of its streaming plans in the United States, Britain and France on Wednesday as it shattered new customer expectations, and its shares jumped 13%. The company picked up almost 9 million subscribers around the globe, surpassing the 6 million expected by Wall Street analysts, according to LSEG. Netflix said it expected a …

Deadline reports: Just over six months after criminal charges were dropped against Alec Baldwin for the 2021 killing of Rust cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, new involuntary manslaughter claims could be put before a grand jury in a matter of weeks. “After extensive investigation over the past several months, additional facts have come to light that we believe show Mr. Baldwin has …

Deadline reports: Conservative media company Daily Wire is making its own live action adaptation of the Brothers Grimm fairytale, Snow White, called Snow White And The Evil Queen. The film, which is set to release in 2024, will be the first feature-length production for the company’s kids entertainment platform called Bentkey, and will star conservative YouTuber Brett Cooper, host of …

Variety reports: Long live the new box office queen. After selling out stadiums across the country, Taylor Swift is filling movie theaters with “The Eras Tour” concert film, which ignited to estimates of $95 million to $97 million over the weekend. At the international box office, “Eras Tour” collected $31 million to $33 million, putting its initial global tally between …

Rolling Stone reports: The B-52’s singer Kate Pierson gets into the Friday the 13th spirit with her new solo single “Every Day Is Halloween,” co-written by Sia. “‘Every Day Is Halloween’ is a haunting yet uplifting song about a woman who is dying to be seen! She finally gets to return as an apparition, and all her secrets are finally …

Variety reports: Mark Goddard, known for playing Major Don West on the CBS series “Lost in Space,” died in Hingham, Mass. on Oct. 10 of pulmonary fibrosis. He was 87. In statement posted to Facebook, Goddard’s wife, Evelyn Pezzulich, confirmed that the actor was hospitalized with pneumonia and then transferred to a rehabilitation center, where the doctors discovered he was …

Variety reports: Since the dawn of cell phones, it’s been taboo to use them at the movies. But for the first time that he can remember, Marcus Theatres president Gregory Marcus is encouraging moviegoers to keep their iPhones in hand and — gasp — even use them for Taylor Swift‘s “Eras Tour” concert film, which premieres in theaters on Friday. …

Variety reports: Cher has denied the allegations that surfaced last month accusing her of employing four men to abduct her adult son. In a new interview with People, the singer adamantly states: “That rumor is not true.” The shocking allegation first appeared in divorce documents involving Cher’s son Elijah Blue Allman and his wife, Marie Angela King. They were recently …

Variety reports: These waters are getting choppy. On the same day that Warner Bros. dropped the trailer for its $215 million “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” embarrassing documents from the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard defamation trial surfaced on Reddit, creating a new headache for the studio behind the film. Following “Aquaman’s” release in 2018, the studio and Wan decided to drop …

Deadline reports: As the camera swept across the crowd to RFK Jr. at the podium, he seemed to be searching through his coat pockets before making an aggravated noise and turning toward stage left, saying, “I need my speech.” Kennedy, who was wearing a mic, pointed to the teleprompter then walked off camera and, amid shuffling sounds, was heard saying, …

NBC News reports: Pedro Almodóvar, the filmmaker who has defined Spanish cinema for nearly the last four decades, tackles the quintessential American genre in his new Western short, “Strange Way of Life.” The 31-minute film stars Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as estranged lovers living on the American frontier who revisit the romance of their youth before finding themselves in …

Variety reports: British synth-pop group the Pet Shop Boys are the latest to call out Drake for allegedly not getting permission to use their lyrics in his newly-dropped “For All the Dogs” record. “West End Girls” was the first single the duo — comprised of Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe — released. It became an instant hit in both the …

Variety reports: Sufjan Stevens‘ new record “Javelin” (out today via Asthmatic Kitty) has been widely described as a breakup record for its themes of heartbreak and suffering. On Friday morning, the subject matter became much clearer when Stevens penned and uploaded a dedication of the album to his late “beloved” partner Evan Richardson, who passed away in April. “This album …

Variety reports: Taylor Swift‘s “Eras Tour” concert film is breaking records before it even hits theaters. With a week until the movie graces the big screen, it has surpassed $100 million worldwide in advance ticket sales, according to its official distributor AMC Theatres. These revenues encompass all showtimes, locations and circuits playing “Eras Tour” across the globe, not just AMC …