Category: Entertainment Daypop

The New York State Court of Appeals has overturned Harvey Weinstein‘s rape conviction from 2020, making the 4-3 decision on Thursday, April 25 on the basis that the judge on the trial prejudiced Weinstein with “egregious” improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.

According to the Associated Press, the decision also stated: “We conclude that the trial court erroneously admitted testimony of uncharged, alleged prior sexual acts against persons other than the complainants of the underlying crimes. The remedy for these egregious errors is a new trial,” and also noted that testimony “served no material non-propensity purpose” and “portrayed defendant in a highly prejudicial light.”  The court claimed that there was “an abuse of judicial discretion to permit untested allegations of nothing more than bad behavior that destroys a defendant’s character but sheds no light on their credibility as related to the criminal charges lodged against them.”

Weinstein was charged after being accused of forcibly performing oral sex on a woman in 2006 and raping another women in 2013; he was found guilty in February 2020 of criminal sexual act in the first degree and rape in the third degree in a New York City courtroom, and was subsequently sentenced to 23 years in prison.

PEOPLE reports that it is unclear at this time if Weinstein, 72, will face another trial in connection with these charges. The former Hollywood mogul will be transferred to the custody of prison authorities in California and will remain imprisoned, stemming from his Los Angeles conviction in 2022 on other rape charges, where he was sentenced to 16 years in prison. (Weinstein was acquitted in Los Angeles on charges involving one of the women who testified in New York.).

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Amazon Prime Video announced that NFL star Travis Kelce, tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, will host the new game show ‘Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?,’ a spinoff of the series ‘Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?’ Amazon Prime Video posted on their socials:  “the man with the answers. Travis Kelce will host ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A CELEBRITY? Coming soon to Prime Video.”  Twenty episodes of the new game show have been ordered, though no launch date has been set.

Each game will feature an adult contestant who will call on a classroom full of celebrities to help them answer 11 questions on a range of subjects, pulled from elementary school curriculum, in pursuit of a $100,000 prize. An official synopsis reads: “they are not competing against the stars… they’re enlisting their help and, in some cases, can even ‘cheat’ off of them. And on the final question, worth $100,000, the contestant selects one celebrity to discuss the answer with before locking in. The final question is always at the 6th grade level.”

Lauren Anderson, head of AVOD originals unscripted and targeted programming at Amazon MGM Studios, said in a press release: “For years, fans around the world have tested their smarts with this fun, nostalgic game show, and we look forward to bring this reimagined format to Prime Video. Travis has proven to be an incredible talent on and off the field, and we appreciate the trust he has placed in us with his first foray into television. His natural, comedic dynamic with our panelists and guests, coupled with some exciting new twists, will keep our global customers coming back week after week.”

Kelce says in a statement via Entertainment Weekly: “I grew up loving game shows, and I’m excited to be following in the footsteps of so many TV icons by hosting my very first one with ‘Are you Smarter than a Celebrity?’ The original show is a great success, so to be bringing a new format with everyone’s favorite celebrities to the screen, will definitely be entertaining. I’m just happy to be on the hosting side of the equation here and excited to see how these famous faces keep up.”

Kelce is an eight-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro; his new hosting gig comes months after winning Super Bowl LVIII with the Chiefs in February (his third Super Bowl win) He is also famously dating superstar Taylor Swift, and hosts a podcast called ‘New Heights’ with his brother, former NFL offensive lineman Jason Kelce.

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Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is featured in the music video for good buddy Chris Janson’s latest single “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get”.  Janson shares: We had a great time making this video. Tons of genuine real fun. From Tennessee to Texas, we made it happen. Can’t thank DJ enough for starring in it and for being a great friend to me.” 

Per Billboard, the video isn a ‘fun escapade as the two ride around a field and lounge in the back of a 1970 brown Ford Explorer in the clip, laughing and enjoying each other’s company.’

Johnson and Janson met in 2022 in California, when Janson was with his son. They spotted Johnson in a parking lot while they were both waiting for their cars, and Janson says: “If it weren’t for my kid going, ‘Oh my gosh, The Rock is right in front of us! Daddy, please ask for a picture,’ this would have never maybe happened. I’m a pretty shy guy. I’ve never once, I’m proud to say, asked for a photo, because I understand the extent of what it constitutes when you are in the public eye. But God works in mysterious ways.”

Johnson adds: “’we bonded so quickly in a parking lot waiting for our cars to pull around – talking about ‘The Blues Man,’ talking about the Opry…what really moved me was Chris’ humility, his love for not only country music, which I love as well but his desire to work hard and take care of his family. He does it with such a grace and style – again, his humility, gratitude and always bringing some fun to the mix made us fast friends and I’m happy to be a part of his video.”

Check out the video for ‘Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get’ – here.

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Apple TV+ has renewed the mystery-thriller series The Last Thing He Told Me for a second season. Jennifer Garner stars in the series as Hannah Hall, a woman who must forge a relationship with her 16-year-old stepdaughter Bailey (Angourie Rice) in order to find the truth about why her husband has mysteriously disappeared.

Season 1 of The Last Thing He Told Me was based on Laura Dave’s best-selling novel; while season two will be based on the author’s newly announced sequel to her book of the same name. The latter is set to be published in 2025, ahead of the show’s Season 2 premiere.  Garner, Rice, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and David Morse will return in the new season.

Garner said in a statement: “Like so many people, I fell for Hannah on page one of Laura Dave’s gripping novel. The move to actor and producer from reader and super fan was delicious — and made even sweeter by collaborating with Laura, Josh, Reese and everyone at Hello Sunshine, as well as the amazing teams at Apple and 20th. Being part of this group, not to mention part of such a stellar cast, was a career highlight for me. I’m thrilled to get to tell more of Hannah’s story — I couldn’t have said yes more quickly to season two! These characters and their story mean so much to me, as I know they do to the many who have championed our show; we’re excited to give audiences even more with this next chapter.”

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Joaquin Phoenix, Pedro Pascal, Emma Stone and Austin Butler are among the actors set to star in Ari Aster’s next feature film, Eddington, produced A24.

Luke Grimes, Deirdre O’Connell, Micheal Ward and Clifton Collins Jr. are also set to appear in the film, which centers on a ‘small-town New Mexico sheriff with lofty aspirations.’  The film does not yet have a release date.

A24 has released all three of Aster’s previous feature films: 2018’s Hereditary, 2019’s Midsommar and 2023’s Beau Is Afraid.

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Laura Dern, Billy Crudup and Riley Keough have been cast in Noah Baumbach’s next, as-yet-untitled Netflix film. Dern, who won as Oscar for her role in Baumbach’s Marriage Story, joins previously announced stars Adam Sandler and George Clooney.

Baumbach and actress Emily Mortimer wrote the screenplay for the film, though plot details are being kept under wraps.  Baumbach will also produce the film, alongside Amy Pascal and David Heyman, who worked with Baumbach on Marriage Story and also produced Barbie, which the filmmaker co-wrote with Greta Gerwig. A film synopsis described the project as “a funny and emotional coming-of-age film about adults.”

This will be Baumbach’s fourth feature for Netflix, following White Noise, Marriage Story and The Meyerowitz Stories, which starred Sandler.

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Disney+ announced they will release a restored version of the Beatles film Let It Be, announcing in a press release that the film will premiere May 8

Per Billboard, the film chronicling the final days of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr will be available for the first time in more than 50 years when it airs exclusively on Disney+ on May 8. Let It Be, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, was originally released in May 1970. The film follows Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr as they rehearse and record songs in January 1969 for their 1970 album, Let It Be; the album was the group’s final before their split.

Director Peter Jackson and his Park Road Post Production, with the support of original director Lindsay-Hogg, restored the Let It Be film from the original 16mm negative. Jackson previously worked on 2021’s The Beatles: Get Back docuseries that explored the making of the Let It Be album, which featured unused footage and audio from the original Let It Be film.

Jackson said in a statement: “I’m absolutely thrilled that Michael’s movie, ‘Let It Be’, has been restored and is finally being re-released after being unavailable for decades. I was so lucky to have access to Michael’s outtakes for ‘Get Back’, and I’ve always thought that ‘Let It Be’ is needed to complete the ‘Get Back’ story. Over three parts, we showed Michael and The Beatles filming a groundbreaking new documentary, and ‘Let It Be’ is that documentary — the movie they released in 1970. I now think of it all as one epic story, finally completed after five decades. The two projects support and enhance each other: ‘Let It Be’ is the climax of ‘Get Back’, while ‘Get Back’ provides a vital missing context for ‘Let It Be’.”

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The musical Sunset Boulevard is headed to Broadway in the fall, marking the Broadway debut of singer/actress Nicole Scherzinger in the title role of Norma Desmond. Scherzinger starred in the West End revival of the production in London, which ran from September 2023 through January 2024. Jamie Lloyd, who directed the West End version, will return to direct the Broadway version.

Producers announced that the production will begin previews Sept. 28 at St. James Theatre in New York City and officially open Oct. 20: “Nicole Scherzinger makes her Broadway debut as Norma Desmond in SUNSET BLVD. at the St. James Theatre. Get tickets by signing up at sunsetblvdbroadway.com.”

Sunset Boulevard musical features music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and a book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton; Webber’s musical is based on the 1950 film of the same name, starring Gloria Swanson and William Holden. Scherzinger came to fame with the Pussycat Dolls; her other theater credits include a West End revival of ‘Cats.’

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On Sunday during the live broadcast of ‘American Idol,’ Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Lionel Richie and ‘AI’ host Ryan Seacrest announced the 2024 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The incoming 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame class includes Cher, Ozzy Osbourne, Mary J. Blige, A Tribe Called Quest, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton and Kool & the Gang (per The Hollywood Reporter). Five out of the eight voted in this year were first-time nominees: Osbourne, Cher, Frampton, Foreigner and Kool & the Gang (Osbourne is being inducted to the Rock Hall for a second time; he was inducted as a member of Black Sabbath in 2006.) The complete list of inductees for 2024 follows, broken down by category.

Inductees into the ‘Performer Category’ include: Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, A Tribe Called Quest; while ‘Musical Influence Award’ inductees include: Alexis Korner, John Mayall, Big Mama Thornton. Those to be inducted into the ‘Musical Excellence Award’ category include: Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield. Finally, the ‘Ahmet Ertegun Award’ will be presented to Suzanne de Passe.

Seven of this year’s nominees will have to wait for another chance to be inducted into the Rock Hall, including: Mariah Carey, Jane’s Addiction, Sade, Sinead O’Connor, Oasis, Lenny Kravitz and the duo Eric B. and Rakim.

The 2024 ‘Rock Hall’ class will officially be inducted in the Hall of Fame on Oct. 19. The 39th annual induction ceremony will take place at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio, streaming live on Disney+. The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will also air as a special on ABC at a later date, and will be available on Hulu the day after the live ceremony.

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Spotify has announced multiple records being set by Taylor Swift after the superstar artist released her album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ on Friday, and also surprised fans with the release of The Anthology, featuring 15 additional tracks.

The latest social post by Spotify revealed that “on April 19th, 2024, Taylor Swift’s ‘Fortnight (feat. Post Malone)’ became Spotify’s most-streamed song in a single day.”

‘The Tortured Poets Department’ had already becoming the most-streamed album in a single day according to Spotify, reportedly exceeding 300 million streams: “TTPD was the first album in Spotify history to have over 300M streams in a single day.”  That feat means Swift has the top three most-streamed albums in a single day in history – with previous records held by Midnights and 1989 (Taylor’s Version).

Spotify also posted that “On April 19th, 2024, The Tortured Poets Department became Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day, and Taylor Swift became the most-streamed artist in a single day in Spotify history.”

Stream Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology’ – here.

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