SHOWBIZ TIDBITS

‘Naked Gun’ reboot set for 2025, with Liam Neeson to star

NEW YORK (AP)—Lt. Frank Drebin is back on the case. Paramount Pictures is moving ahead with a long-gestating remake of “Naked Gun,” the studio announced Wednesday. Liam Neeson will star as the bumbling police detective Debin in the role made famous by Leslie Nielsen. Akiva Schaffer (“Hot Rod,” “Pop Star: Never Stop Stopping”) will direct the film, set for release in July 2025. The script is by Dan Gregor, Doug Man and Schaffer, who collaborated on 2022’s “Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers.” The “Naked Gun” films, derived from the TV series “Police Squad!”, were high-water marks for slapstick comedy. They ran over six years: “The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad” (1988), “The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear” (1991) and “Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult” (1994).

‘Euphoria’ star Hunter Schafer among protesters arrested during Biden’s appearance on ‘Late Night’

NEW YORK (AP)—Actor Hunter Schafer was among dozens of war protesters arrested at NBC’s headquarters in Manhattan during President Joe Biden’s appearance on “Late Night with Seth Myers” earlier this week, organizers confirmed Wednesday. The 25-year-old “Euphoria” star was part of a group of more than 100 demonstrators who packed the lobby at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on Monday afternoon to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, said the group Jewish Voice for Peace. Schafer and other protesters wore black shirts reading, “Ceasefire Now” and “Not in Our Name” while chanting “Let Gaza Live” and other slogans as Biden’s motorcade pulled into the area, according to videos and photos of the event.

Ryan Gosling, Billie Eilish, Jon Batiste set to perform at the Oscars

The Oscars just got an infusion of Kenergy. Ryan Gosling will sing the pop power ballad “ I’m Just Ken “ at the show on March 10, the show’s producers announced Wednesday. Others set to perform their nominated original songs include Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell, Jon Batiste, Scott George and the Osage Singers and Becky G. Gosling is also nominated for best supporting actor that evening. While in character as Ken in a promo for the show with Jimmy Kimmel, he shrugged that he’s not going to win. In fairness, even if it was a joke, he might not be wrong: His fellow nominee Robert Downey Jr. has been sweeping the season. “I’m Just Ken,” written by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, still has a chance, however, even if the other “Barbie” song, Eilish and Finneas’s soulful “What Was I Made For” seems to be the clear awards favorite to date, having already won a Grammy. But the Ken ballad is also the one everyone has wanted to see on the Oscars telecast, which will mark Gosling’s first time performing at the show. (AP)

Kevin Costner and Christine Baumgartner’s divorce is finalized, officially ending their marriage

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (AP)—A judge has declared that Kevin Costner and his wife of nearly two decades, Christine Baumgartner, are now legally divorced, according to court records filed Tuesday. The couple’s marriage ended, and both became single, on Friday, nine months after she filed for divorce, a judgment entered in Santa Barbara County court showed. In the first months after their split, Costner And Baumgartner fought in court over child custody and support payments and appeared to be headed for a contentious trial. But they reached a settlement agreement in September that allowed them to avoid it. The two will have joint custody of their sons, ages 16 and 15, and daughter, age 13. A judge in September ordered Costner to pay about $63,000 per month in child support, after she had sought about $175,000 per month. Costner, 69, and Baumgartner, 48, a model and handbag designer, began dating in 1998 and married at his Colorado ranch in 2004. It was the second marriage for Costner, the Oscar and Emmy winning star of TV’s “ Yellowstone “ and films including “Dances With Wolves,” “The Bodyguard” and “Bull Durham.” He also has four adult children from previous relationships.

Beyoncé becomes first Black woman to claim top spot on Billboard’s country music chart

LOS ANGELES (AP)—Beyoncé made history once again: The superstar singer has become the first Black woman to top Billboard’s country music chart. The Grammy winner achieved the feat after her new single “Texas Hold ‘Em” reached No. 1 on the country airplay chart this week. She dropped the song on Feb. 11—during the Super Bowl—along with her other single “16 Carriages,” which debuted at No. 9 on the same chart. Both songs are expected to be featured on Beyoncé’s upcoming, country-themed album, which is referred to as “act ii,” on March 29. It’s a follow-up offering to her 2022 album “Renaissance,” which is frequently referred to as “Act I: Renaissance.” Beyoncé announced the full-length new album after a Verizon commercial she starred in aired during the Super Bowl this month. Beyoncé is also the first woman to claim the top spot on the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts since both began in 1958, according to Billboard. The only other acts who have topped both include Justin Bieber, Billy Ray Cyrus and Ray Charles.

Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ is heading to Disney+ with 5 new songs added

NEW YORK (AP)—Taylor Swift’s blockbuster concert film “The Eras Tour” will make its streaming debut on Disney+, the Walt Disney Co. announced Wednesday. The film, now titled “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version)” will land on the streaming platform March 15. Five new songs will be included with the film, including “Cardigan.” “’The Eras Tour’ has been a true phenomenon that has and continues to thrill fans around the world, and we are very excited to bring this electrifying concert to audiences wherever they are, exclusively on Disney+,” said Bob Iger, Disney chief executive, in a statement. “The Eras Tour” amassed more than $262 million worldwide in theaters after opening in October, setting a record for concert films. Swift partnered with AMC Theaters for the release in a first-of-its-kind deal that cut out Hollywood studios and instead sent the film directly into theaters. That left a second round of bidding for streaming rights. “The Eras Tour” film will hit Disney+ about a month before Swift’s recently announced new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” drops on April 19. On Sunday, she won best album at the Grammys for “Midnights.”

‘Moana 2’ is coming to theaters for a Thanksgiving release

Moana and Maui are sailing back to the big screen, very quickly. “Moana 2” is coming to theaters in November, Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger said Wednesday. Originally planned as a television series, the movie finds Moana journeying on a dangerous mission to the far seas of Oceania after getting a call from her ancestors. It is, the company said, “an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.” “Moana remains an incredibly popular franchise and we can’t wait to give you more of Moana and Maui,” Iger said in a statement. The film will open in theaters on Nov. 27. “Moana 2” was directed by Dave Derrick Jr. and will feature music by Grammy winners Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Mark Mancina, and Grammy nominee Opetaia Foa’i. No details were given about the voice actors. (AP)

Netflix to create shows on 2004 and 2024 Boston Red Sox

NEW YORK (AP)—The Boston Red Sox will be the focus of a pair of new Netflix shows. The streaming service will follow the team through the 2024 season and present a documentary series in 2025 that will be produced and directed by Greg Whiteley of One Potato Productions. Netflix said Wednesday it will have “unprecedented access to players, coaches and executives throughout the 2024 season.” Netflix intends to air a documentary this year focusing on the 2004 Red Sox, who broke the so-called Curse of the Bambino and won the team’s first World Series title since 1918. That will be directed by Colin Barnicle, a son of former Boston Globe and Herald columnist Mike Barnicle, and produced by Meadowlark Media, founded by former ESPN president John Skipper.

Christian Bale breaks ground on foster homes he’s fought for 16 years to see built

PALMDALE, Calif. (AP)—Christian Bale broke ground Wednesday on a project he’s been pursuing for 16 years — the building of a dozen homes and a community center in Los Angeles County intended to keep siblings in foster care together. The Oscar winner stood with a grin and a shovel full of dirt alongside local politicians and donors in the decidedly non-Hollywood city of Palmdale, 60 miles (80 kilometers) north and across the San Gabriel Mountains from Los Angeles. But Bale, who was Batman in director Christopher Nolan ‘s “Dark Knight” trilogy, wasn’t just playing Bruce Wayne and lending his name and money to a charitable cause. The project was his brainchild and one he’s long lent his labor to, getting his hands dirty and on Wednesday standing in actual mud after a historic storm on a hard-won site he’d visited many times before.

Russia says former Fox News host Tucker Carlson has interviewed Vladimir Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been interviewed by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson, the Kremlin confirmed Wednesday. It is Putin’s first interview to a Western media figure since his full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago. Carlson had released a video from Moscow on Tuesday in which he said he would be interviewing Putin. Carlson claimed that Western journalists had interviewed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy multiple times but could not be “bothered” to interview the Russian president. The interview will be posted Thursday, according to Justin Wells, head of programming at Carlson’s streaming network. It’s not known what was said in the interview. Putin has heavily limited his contact with international media since he launched the war in Ukraine in February 2022. Russian authorities have cracked down on media, forcing some independent Russian outlets to close, blocking others and ordering a number of foreign reporters to leave the country. (AP)

Steely Dan, R.E.M., Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey and Dean Pitchford get into Songwriters Hall of Fame

NEW YORK (AP)—Steely Dan, R.E.M., Timbaland, Hillary Lindsey and Dean Pitchford will be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, an incoming class of musicians who have scaled the heights of country, classic rock, pop, hip-hop and alt-rock. Steely Dan — co-founded by Donald Fagan and the late Walter Becker — finally get into the hall despite being a staple of classic rock with songs like “Reelin’ in the Years,” “Do It Again” and “Hey Nineteen.” They went into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. R.E.M.—the inducted members are Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills and Michael Stipe—are behind such alt-rock hits as “Losing My Religion,” “Everybody Hurts” and “It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine).” And Nashville hitmaker Lindsey helped write “Girl Crush” for Little Big Town and “Jesus, Take the Wheel” for Carrie Underwood.

Ariana Grande’s new album will arrive March 8

Thank you, next: Ariana Grande announced on Wednesday that her new album, titled “eternal sunshine,” will be released on March 8. Last Friday, Grande released her first single from “eternal sunshine,” a house-informed pop kiss-off to the haters, “yes, and?” News of the album first broke Dec. 27, when the two-time Grammy award winner teased the future full-length album on her Instagram page. It will be her seventh studio album and first since 2020’s “Positions.” (AP)

SHOWBIZ TIDBITS

SHOWBIZ TIDBITS

SHOWBIZ TIDBITS

Kean, teammates break 2 school relay record

Kennedy reappointed as federal magistrate judge

Park, Pagaduan, Cao top Pacifica’s 11th Annual Art Contest

Bill to address facility repairs, equipment procurement for DOC moves to legislative session

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Kean, teammates break 2 school relay record

Kennedy reappointed as federal magistrate judge

Park, Pagaduan, Cao top Pacifica’s 11th Annual Art Contest

Bill to address facility repairs, equipment procurement for DOC moves to legislative session