Kim Murphy Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

J. Kim Murphy When SAG-AFTRA members voted on authorizing a strike, an overwhelming 98% majority of returns gave guild leadership the green light to walk out of negotiations if needed, with roughly half of eligible members submitting ballots. Speaking over the weekend, actor Stephen Amell doesn’t count himself among the members in favor of one.

J. Kim Murphy “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” ain’t afraid of no ghost. Disney’s new “Haunted Mansion” is settling for third place behind the formidable pair of blockbusters.

J. Kim Murphy Christopher Nolan expressed caution about artificial intelligence after a special screening of “Oppenheimer,” drawing a comparison between the rapidly developing technology and his new dramatic feature about the creation of the atomic bomb. Nolan’s remarks came during a conversation following a preview screening of “Oppenheimer” in New York. Moderated by “Meet the Press” anchor Chuck Todd, the panel included Nolan, as well as Los Alamos National Laboratory director Dr. Thom Mason, physicists Dr. Carlo Rovelli and Dr. Kip Thorne, plus author Kai Bird, who co-wrote “American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer,” which Nolan’s film is based on.

J. Kim Murphy Judy Solomon, a journalist who served as president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association for six terms and helped shape the Golden Globes as it’s known today, died Friday morning. She was 91 years old. Solomon’s death was announced by current Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Helen Hoehne on Saturday morning. “We are incredibly saddened by the loss of our dear friend and colleague, Judy Solomon. The loss is profound, but we take this opportunity to celebrate her incredible achievements in helping evolve the Golden Globes into the world-spanning award it is today,” Hoehne wrote. “We are grateful for her support and leadership during her 67 years of membership with the HFPA.”

J. Kim Murphy “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” is staying in line with some tempered box office expectations, still tracking to fall in line with estimates that had pegged the film with an opening between $80 million and $85 million through the Fourth of July holiday. The Harrison Ford finale earned $11.8 million on Monday, pushing its domestic total to $71 million. Unlike some other holidays, Independence Day isn’t exactly the largest box office booster — with families hitting the beach, barbecuing red meat and waiting for fireworks, filmgoing isn’t exactly at the top of the agenda for most Americans. Rather, it’s the time off around the Fourth that can offer some extra lift to studio tentpoles.

J. Kim Murphy “High Desert” is headed beyond the horizon at Apple TV+. In a video posted on Instagram Saturday morning, series star Patricia Arquette shared that the production had not received an order for a second season at the streamer. “A lot of you have asked about ‘High Desert’ and if there was going to be a second season, so I just wanted to let you know that we just found out that we won’t be coming back,” Arquette opened. “That’s a sad bummer for all of us.” Arquette extended her gratitude to the crew, writers and actors on the series. The post was accompanied with a text caption: “It stinks.”

J. Kim Murphy “No Hard Feelings” came out on top of the domestic box office on its opening day, bedding $6.25 million in Friday and Thursday preview screenings from 3,208 venues. Meanwhile, the top spot for the weekend is a battle between animated adventures; both “Elemental” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” are staying above “The Flash,” which looks to be collapsing in its second outing. Heading into the weekend, “No Hard Feelings” was projected to launch with a mild $12 million. The raunchy R-rated Jennifer Lawrence vehicle is already outrunning those estimates, now forecasting a debut of $15 million or so. “No Hard Feelings” may lose pace to holdovers as the weekend unfolds, but box-office-king-for-a-day is certainly a higher honor than most studio comedies have achieved of late. The once-prolific genre has fallen far from theatrical relevance in recent years, with the past few months containing an expansive slate of box office disappointments and failures, from “The Machine” to “Easter Sunday” to “Bros.”

J. Kim Murphy “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” will not be released in the United Arab Emirates after failing to pass the country’s censorship requirements, Variety has confirmed. A scene featuring a poster in the background of the frame that depicts the transgender flag and reads “Protect Trans Lives” is said to be one of the concerns that prevented a release from being approved, sources said. The United Arab Emirates ban comes only a week ahead of the Sony Pictures film’s intended release date in the region of June 22. However, it isn’t uncommon for the country’s censorship board to axe the imminent release of films featuring LGBTQ+ content. Another animated film faced a similar predicament last summer, when Disney and Pixar’s “Lightyear” was not released in the country due to a scene depicting a same-sex kiss between two lesbian space rangers. The “Toy Story” spinoff was also banned from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Malaysia.

J. Kim Murphy Robert Gottlieb, an editor extraordinaire who worked with writers as varied as Toni Morrison, John le Carré, Michael Crichton, Robert Caro and Bill Clinton, died Wednesday at a hospital in Manhattan. He was 92. Gottlieb’s death was confirmed to the New York Times by his wife, actor Maria Tucci. Working at publishers Simon & Schuster and Alfred A. Knopf, Gottlieb’s impressive record of shepherding manuscripts into well-regarded, sometimes bestselling and award-winning works earned him a towering reputation among literary elite. John Cheever, Joseph Heller, Doris Lessing, Chaim Potok and Ray Bradbury were among his clients, along with Katharine Graham, the once publisher of the Washington Post.

J. Kim Murphy John Romita Sr., one of the key artists in Marvel Comics’ history who co-created characters such as Wolverine, the Punisher and Mary Jane Watson, has died. He was 93 years old.

J. Kim Murphy Treat Williams, a veteran screen actor who received acclaim for his lead performance in the musical “Hair” and starred in The WB series “Everwood,” died Monday afternoon after being involved in a motorcycle accident near Dorset, Vt. He was 71. Williams’ death was confirmed by his agent, Barry McPherson, in a statement to People. Vermont State Police reported a road closure near Dorset due to a motor vehicle accident at 5:24 p.m. No further details about Williams’ death are available at this time. At the age of 28, Williams received acclaim for his performance in “Hair,” Miloš Forman’s big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. Williams earned a Golden Globe nomination in the now-defunct category new star of the year (actor). Two years later he was competing again, this time in best actor in a motion picture drama for his performance in Daniel Ciello’s “Prince of the City.”

J. Kim Murphy “I Love That for You” will not move forward with a second season at Showtime. The network has canceled the comedy series executive produced by Vanessa Bayer, Jeremy Beiler and Jessi Klein after one season. “’I Love That for You’ has completed its run on Showtime,” a spokesperson for the network disclosed on Wednesday evening. “We want to thank Vanessa, Jeremy and Jessi, along with the incredible cast and crew for their hard work and wish them the best going forward.” The news comes nearly a year after “I Love That for You” completed its pilot season, airing a finale on June 19, 2022. The first season was composed of eight episodes, which broadcast weekly on Sunday evenings.

J. Kim Murphy Bob Chapek, the former Disney CEO who was abruptly ousted from the company last November, is among a group of executives facing a lawsuit claiming violations of securities law for allegedly providing misleading statements and omissions about Disney+ and its subscriber growth. The case, filed by Local 272 Labor Management Pension Fund on May 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, also names former Disney executive Kareem Daniel and current CFO Christine McCarthy, as well as the Walt Disney Co. itself, as defendants. The document states that the case seeks a lead plaintiff and judicial determination for a class action suit representing Disney shareholders from Dec. 10, 2020 to Nov. 8, 2022.

J. Kim Murphy Jacklyn Zeman, the screen actor who portrayed Barbara “Bobbie” Spencer across more than 800 episodes of “General Hospital,” has died. She was 70 years old. Zeman’s death was announced by “General Hospital” executive producer Frank Valentini on Twitter on Wednesday evening. No further details about her death are available at this time. “On behalf of our ‘General Hospital’ family, I am heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Jackie Zeman,” Valentini wrote. “Just like her character, the legendary Bobbie Spencer, she was a bright light and true professional that brought so much positive energy with her to work.”

J. Kim Murphy Donald Trump opened his town hall on CNN Wednesday night by reiterating his false claim that the 2020 presidential election was “rigged.” The former president sat down Wednesday evening for a conversation moderated by Kaitlan Collins broadcast live from New Hampshire, fielding questions from Republicans and undeclared voters in the state. At the start of the evening, Collins and Trump sparred over false conspiracy theories about the results of the 2020 election and the degree of the former president’s involvement with the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “When you look at that result and when you look at what happened during that election — and unless you’re a very stupid person you see what happened,” Trump told the crowd. “That was a rigged election.”

J. Kim Murphy President Joe Biden commented on the ongoing strike by the Writers Guild of America on Monday evening, offering remarks ahead of a screening of the new Disney+ series “American Born Chinese” at the White House. President Biden’s comments drew a round of applause from the crowd, as he called for a “fair deal” to be reached “as soon as possible.” The White House had previously declined to issue a comment on the situation last week, after the Writers Guild of America called for a strike on the evening of May 1, when contract negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers fell apart. “Nights like these are a reminder of the power of stories and the importance of treating storytellers with the dignity, respect and value they deserve,” the President stated. “I sincerely hope that the writers strike in Hollywood gets resolved — and the writers are given the fair deal they deserve, as soon as possible. This is an iconic, meaningful American industry. We need the writers — and all the workers — and everyone involved to tell the stories of our nation. And the stories of all of us.”

J. Kim Murphy “Evil” is wrapping up filming on Season 4 earlier than anticipated. After the set faced disruptions by picketing Writers Guild members on Friday, the Paramount+ series is now seeing a cast member take a leave of absence due to a personal family matter. As a result, production has wrapped early on the next season. A source close to the series would only confirm that the early end to filming was a result of the unnamed actor’s temporary exit from the show. However, no filming occurred on Friday, as Writers Guild members on strike demonstrated near the production. The fourth season of “Evil” was commissioned to include 10 episodes. It remains unclear whether the early end to production will impact those plans.

J. Kim Murphy “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” formally kicked off the summer blockbuster season Friday. While Disney’s domestic numbers have yet to come in, analysts indicate the film drew about $48 million on its opening day, a figure that includes $17.5 million in Thursday previews. “Vol. 3” is on track to land within its expectations heading into the weekend, which had pegged the Disney release to take root with a $110 million to $120 million debut through Sunday. That would be enough to notch the second-highest opening of the year, behind only the $146 million that “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” coined over a three-day frame. However, it’s still roughly a quarter down from the $146.5 million debut earned by “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” back in 2017.

J. Kim Murphy Actor Matthew Lawrence opened the April 28 episode of his Brotherly Love podcast on a serious note, reflecting on the #MeToo movement and his own experience with sexual harassment in Hollywood. On the show, co-hosted by his brothers, fellow actors Joey and Andrew Lawrence, the 43-year-old actor recounts his experience refusing to engage with a director involved with a Marvel project, who asked Lawrence to take his clothes off during a meeting. “There’s been many times in my life where I’ve been propositioned to get a huge role,” Lawrence says on the podcast. “I lost my agency because I went to the hotel room” where, the actor alleges, a prominent director “showed up in his robe, asked me to take my clothes off, said he needed to take Polaroids of me and said if I did X, Y and Z, I would be the next Marvel character.”

J. Kim Murphy “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has pounded out some serious coinage. The animated adventure from Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment and Nintendo is becoming the first release of 2023 to cross the $1 billion mark at the global box office. While “Mario Bros.” isn’t projected to cross the coveted threshold until Sunday, Universal is confident enough in the projections to declare the weekend a victory. If estimates hold, the video game adaptation will reach the $1 billion mark in 24 days. First debuting on April 5, “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” has been a dominant force in theaters for the entire month. It still ranks as the top release on domestic charts, now in its fourth weekend of release.

J. Kim Murphy “Evil Dead Rise” might not be able to vanquish the soon-to-three-peat box office champion “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” but the horror entry is still chainsawing off its own solid opening on domestic charts. The Warner Bros. release earned $10.3 million from 3,402 locations on Friday, a figure that includes $2.5 million in previews. It’s an auspicious start for the horror entry, which now has a strong chance of outperforming its projections, which had pegged the film with a $15 million to $20 million debut heading into the weekend. That’s not too shabby of a haul for a production originally slated to release directly on HBO Max. “Evil Dead Rise” is the fifth installment in Warner Bros. and New Line’s outlandish horror franchise, as well as the first in 10 years. “Rise” is tracking slightly behind its predecessor, which scored an $11.8 million opening day in April 2013, on its way to a $25.7 million debut.

J. Kim Murphy Todd Haimes, a major force of New York theater who rescued the Roundabout Theater Company and developed it into one of the country’s premier nonprofit theaters, died Wednesday in New York City due to complications of osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

J. Kim Murphy Jonathan Majors and his talent manager Entertainment 360 have parted ways, an insider has confirmed to Variety.

J. Kim Murphy Michael Lerner, an actor who featured in films such as “Elf,” “Godzilla” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and who received an Oscar nomination in best supporting actor for his performance in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1991 psychological comedy “Barton Fink,” died Saturday evening. He was 81 years old. Lerner’s death was confirmed by his nephew, “The Goldbergs” actor Sam Lerner, who paid tribute to his uncle through a post on Instagram Sunday afternoon. No further details regarding Lerner’s death are available at this time. “We lost a legend last night. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Lerner wrote. “His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special. Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was— in the best way.”

J. Kim Murphy “Five Nights at Freddy’s” has set an October release date to terrify audiences in multiplexes… and on Peacock. Universal Pictures has announced a simultaneous release for the Blumhouse-produced adaptation of the popular horror video game series, setting an Oct. 27, 2023 date for both a theatrical bow and a debut on the studio’s streaming service. Producer Jason Blum, a prolific presence on Twitter, took to the platform Wednesday evening to make an announcement of the release date, though a note on the simultaneous Peacock debut is absent. As promised:#FNAF FANS: You asked and we delivered. #FNAFMovie is coming this Halloween on October 27.  2023!!!!!205 days until the party.And that is the BIG NEWS A day-and-date horror release has become an annual affair for Universal. This will mark the third time that the studio has set a hybrid debut for a Blumhouse production in October. Previously, both “Halloween Kills” (2021) and “Halloween Ends” (2022) landed on Peacock the same day that they opened in theaters.

J. Kim Murphy Warner Bros. Discovery is looking to close a deal to produce a “Harry Potter” television series. According to Bloomberg, which was first to report news of recent talks surrounding the project, the project would be directly based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling book series, rather than an in-universe spinoff such as the “Fantastic Beasts” film series. Each season would reportedly draw from one of the books, suggesting an ongoing franchise that would stretch for years for the studio. Sources close to the situation suggest that talks between Warner Bros. Discovery and Rowling’s camp remain in a preliminary state. The studio is looking to house the series under its streaming banner HBO Max, soon to be combined with Discovery+ and rebranded under a new name.

J. Kim Murphy “60 Minutes” has drawn criticism from journalists and other public figures for its sit-down interview with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, which aired on Sunday evening. In the interview, Greene asserted that Democrats are the “party of pedophiles,” saying, “They support grooming children… Even Joe Biden himself supports children being sexualized and having transgender surgeries.” The Republican representative doubled down on her comments in a Tweet, writing, “I will always fight to protect kids!” Greene, who was elected to a House seat representing Georgia in 2020, has been a primary subject of fervent criticism from Democratic figures for several years. During her campaign, she voiced support for a range of conspiracy theories promoted by the QAnon movement, which the FBI has deemed a domestic terror group. She has also promoted misinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines.

J. Kim Murphy Sharon Acker, a Canadian film, television and theater actor best known for her roles in “Point Blank,” “The New Perry Mason” and “Happy Birthday to Me,” has died. She was 87. Acker’s death was confirmed by her cousin, David Glover, in a tribute to his family member on Facebook: “My wife Judy and I were very close with Sharon and we spoke regularly even after she moved back to Toronto to be close to with daughters and family. I can never forget Sharon’s million dollar smile. She made everyone she came in contact with feel so much better.” According to reports, Acker died March 16 at her retirement home in Toronto.

Awkwafina is back as Nora from Queens.

McKinley Franklin author Comedy Central has released the first official teaser for Season 3 of “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens” ahead of the series’ April 26 premiere date, Variety can exclusively reveal. The television comedy “Awkafina Is Nora From Queens” draws inspiration from creator and writer Awkwafina’s life experiences growing up in Queens, N.Y. — and she’ll also make her directorial debut with Season 3. On the show, Awkwafina (aka Nora Lin) maneuvers through the hardships of young adulthood with the support of her closest family members, her father (BD Wong), grandmother (Lori Tan Chinn) and cousin (Bowen Yang). From the looks of the teaser, it looks like their lively, eccentric family dynamic from previous seasons will still be present in Season 3.