Month: January 2024

NBC, Peacock and E! announced that Simu Liu will host the 2024 People’s Choice Awards in February, posting on its socials: “ Mark your calendars @simuliu is hosting the People’s Choice Awards on 2/18! Oh yeah, and he’s also nominated for Movie Performance of the year! Save the date to tune in for a legendary night, only on @nbc, @peacock & @eentertainment! #PCAs”

Liu, who played a ‘Ken’ in Barbie, is best known for starring in Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. He is also nominated in the Movie Performance category for his role in Barbie. The People’s Choice Awards is a fan-voted awards show recognizing entertainers in film, television, music and more. New categories this year include Male Country Artist, Female Country Artist, Male Latin Artist, Female Latin artist and Concert Tour, with voting currently open.

Liu said in a press release: “I’m so grateful to have been asked to step up to the hosting plate for the 2024 ‘People’s Choice Awards’. It’s exciting to celebrate this incredible year in pop culture, and to do so with the incredible fans that make what we do possible.” NBCUniversal Entertainment EVP of live events and specials Jen Neal added: “We’re thrilled to have Simu Liu host the 2024 ‘People’s Choice Awards.’ As a fan-favorite tour de force in Hollywood, Simu’s limitless charm and connection to fans perfectly embody the spirit of this awards show.”

The 49th annual People’s Choice Awards will take place Feb. 18 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., and air at 8 p.m. EST on NBC, Peacock and E!

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Taylor Swift has earned another milestone with the release of her film “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” to North American theaters on October 13, 2023. “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” movie is officially the highest-grossing film in box office history among concert and documentary films with more than $261.6 million earned globally.

“The Eras Tour” now becomes the highest-grossing concert film, unseating previous record holder “Michael Jackson’s This Is It,” which opened in 2009 and grossed $261.2 million at the global box office. Upon its release in October, “The Eras Tour” made $92.8 million in North America and $30.7 million internationally for a cumulative total of $123.5 million, making it the biggest start of all time for a concert film. It unseated 2011’s “Justin Bieber: Never Say Never,” which earned $73 million in that same timeframe.

Instead of opting for distribution from a major studio, Swift partnered with AMC Theatres, the world’s largest cinema chain, which allowed Swift (a producer on the movie) to earn about 57% of ticket sales, while theaters kept the remaining revenue and AMC took a small distribution fee. AMC didn’t exclusively screen the film, though, as it played in 3,855 theaters throughout the U.S. and Canada and 4,527 venues internationally.

AMC Chairman and CEO Adam Aron said of Swift’s latest accomplishment: “On behalf of all of us at AMC Theatres, I send my congratulations and eternal gratitude to Taylor Swift for her remarkable and record-setting box office performance with ‘Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour‘ concert film. Her spectacular performance delighted fans around the world and serves as another strong reminder about the power of extraordinary filmmaking and magic of movie theaters.”

Swift plans to resume her Eras Tour on Feb. 7 with a four-night stint at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. She’ll tour the world throughout the year, concluding the trek in Vancouver, BC in December.

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The long-awaited 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards were held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Monday, January 15, hosted by Anthony Anderson airing live on FOX. Nominations were announced in July 2023, and the Emmys were initially set to be held two months later. However, the ceremony was delayed due to the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

HBO’s Succession dominated the Emmys, taking home a total of six trophies including co-stars Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin and Matthew MacFadyen earning the Best Actress, Actor and Supporting Actor in a Drama, respectively. The show also won the Emmys for Best Drama, Best Writing and Directing in a Drama. Additional acting awards in drama went to Jennifer Coolidge, who won the Emmy for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama for White Lotus.

The Bear also earned six statuettes, topping the comedy category with additional awards for Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. White, Edebiri and Moss-Bachrach scored the Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress and Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy prizes, and the show also won for Best Comedy, as well as Best Writing and Best Directing for a Comedy.

Dead to Me alum hristina Applegate earned a standing ovation as she took the stage with assistance to present Edebiri with her statuette. Applegate, a breast cancer survivor, has been battling multiple sclerosis since 2021.

Quinta Brunson won Best Actress in a Comedy for Abbott Elementary, and Beef was named the year’s best limited or anthology series, and actors Ali Wong and Steven Yeun both earned Emmys for their work.

Finally, the legendary Elton John won his first-ever Emmy Award, making him an official EGOT honoree.

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Usher has shared the trailer for this year’s Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show, teasing a performance that has been “30 years in the making.” The clip shares footage of Usher’s hit tune “Yeah!” and features a few famous faces showing their love for the track, including LeBron James, J Balvin and Jung Kook.

In September, Usher was revealed to be this year’s Super Bowl Halftime Show performer; he said in a statement at the time: “It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before. Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I’ll see you real soon.”

Usher will bring his greatest hits to the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas during football’s biggest night on Feb. 11. The Grammy-winning R&B artist is also set to release his ninth studio album, “Coming Home,” on Feb. 9.

Super Bowl LVIII is set to air live, February 11th on CBS. Watch the trailer for Usher’s Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show – here.

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Variety confirmed that Jack Black has joined the cast of the Minecraft movie, with Deadline reporting that Black will play Steve in the upcoming film starring Jason Momoa. The cast also includes Emma Myers (Wednesday) and Danielle Brooks (‘Orange is the New Black’, ‘The Color Purple’).

Black himself teased his role with a photo on Instagram that shows him reading the book Minecraft Basics for Dummies, with the caption: “an actor prepares.”

Minecraft is based on the popular Mojang and Microsoft video game of the same name. ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ co-writer and director Jared Hess will direct the adaptation, while a writer has yet to be announced. Production will begin soon in New Zealand, with a tentative opening in theaters on April 4, 2025.

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HBO’s The White Lotus announced its new cast members for Season 3, with Archie alum Jason Isaacs and The Family Plan actress Michelle Monaghan set to star, along with Leslie Bibb, Parker Posey, Dom Hetrakul and Tayme Thapthimthong joining the ensemble for the anthology resort dramedy. Natasha Rothwell, who had a breakout turn in season 1 as Belinda Lindsey, will also be returning.

Each season of series has seen guests check into an entirely different White Lotus resort, with the debut season set in Hawaii and the sophomore season taking place in Sicily. Production is slated to begin in and around Koh Samui, Phuket, and Bangkok next month, with show creator, writer and director Mike White back at the helm.  Janet Graham Borba, executive vice president of HBO and Max, said in a statement: “We are pleased to partner with the Tourism Authority of Thailand to execute Mike’s creative vision and showcase all that the beautiful country of Thailand has to offer, as the next group of guests check in to the White Lotus.”

Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Thapanee Kiatphaibool also shared in a statement: “We are honored to have Amazing Thailand featured as the filming location for the highly anticipated upcoming season of ‘The White Lotus’ The kingdom’s exotic natural beauty, rich historical sites and diverse landscapes are the perfect settings to share our fascinating culture, fantastic cuisine, top-notch wellness and luxury offerings, and most importantly our people and Thai hospitality. Thailand has long been considered one of the world’s favorite filming locations. ‘The White Lotus’ project will certainly strengthen the kingdom’s status as a preferred filming destination and a beacon of experience-based tourism, inspiring even more visitors to Amazing Thailand.”

The first two seasons of The White Lotus can be streamed on Max.

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