Month: February 2024

Max announced that the film The Color Purple will start streaming Feb. 16. The streaming service posted on Instagram: “Take a deep breath. Hold your head up. #TheColorPurple will be available to stream February 16, exclusively on Max.”

The Color Purple was written by Marcus Gardley and directed by Blitz Bazawule, with Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Scott Sanders and Quincy Jones as producers; it is based on the Alice Walker novel and Broadway musical of the same name. The Color Purple opened in theaters in December; the film is nominated at the Academy Awards and the SAG Awards.

The film version follows Celie (Fantasia Barrino), a young woman living in rural Georgia in the early 20th century, as she faces many hardships in her life, including being torn apart from her sister Nettie (Halle Bailey) and living with an abusive husband, Mister (Colman Domingo). An official film synopsis reads: “With the support of sultry singer Shug Avery (Taraji P. Henson) and her stand-her-ground stepdaughter Sofia (Danielle Brooks), Celie ultimately finds extraordinary strength in the unbreakable bonds of a new kind of sisterhood.”

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CBS announced they will air Billy Joel’s 100th consecutive Madison Square Garden concert with a special on Sunday, April 14th, posting the news on social media with the caption: “You’re invited to celebrate the 100th milestone. Sunday, April 14th on CBS!”

The concert special will be shot at Joel’s record-breaking 100th consecutive performance at Madison Square Garden as part of his franchise run on March 28th, and also marks his first broadcast network concert. The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Graden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time celebrates Joel’s historic run at MSG, which concludes in July with his 150th lifetime performance at the historic New York City venue. Since making his debut in December 1978, Joel has sold out every performance at Madison Square Garden, making him the artist with the most sell-outs at the arena.

The 74-year-old Joel will headline a series of stadiums throughout 2024 — among them will be solo dates, as well as co-headlining concerts with Stevie Nicks and Sting, scheduled through the fall.

The 100th: Billy Joel at Madison Square Graden – The Greatest Arena Run of All Time will also stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

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Netflix is giving a first look at Season 2 of Squid Game, with new photos and a bit of footage.  The streaming service posted on X: “Introducing the very first look at SQUID GAME SEASON 2. Coming this year.” Season 1 of Squid Game still ranks as the most watched series in Netflix history.

The colorful photos from the new season are mainly centered on protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) and the Recruiter (Gong Yoo), as well as a new character played by Park Gyu-young. There’s also a short amount of footage, picking-up right after the closing shot of the first Squid Game season.

Squid Game creator Hwang Dong-hyuk previously said of Season 2: “I’ve seen many reactions from people about the show, but I don’t want to make season two as a response to those reactions. The philosophies I put in season one all naturally extend to season two. Instead of trying to meet the expectations of viewers, I just thought about the last moment when Gi-hun turned away from boarding the plane, and I thought about what he will do next. There will naturally be a flow of events that will lead all the way to the end of the season. I can’t share any details yet, but you know that Seong Gi-hun has become a totally new person by the end of season one, so season two is going to be about what that new Gi-hun is going to do and how things will unfold with this new kind of character.”

Season 2 of Squid Game does not yet have a premiere date. It’s game show spinoff, The Challenge, has also been renewed for another season.

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Katy Perry shared that she is exiting the reality-singing competition series American Idol as a judge at the conclusion of Season 2, which officially begin this Sunday, February 18th. Perry has been a judge on American Idol since 2018, alongside Lionel Richie a Luke Bryan.

During her appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Perry revealed her upcoming plans and why she is bowing out after the end of this season: “Well, you know, this fall, this September, I’m going to be doing this huge music festival in Brazil called Rock in Rio. It’s really exciting … it’s a big deal for people all over the world, especially my Brazilian fans .. So I think this will probably be my last season for Idol … I love ‘Idol’ so much. It’s connected me with the heart of America. But I need to feel that pulse of my own beat.”

Perry later shared that Bryan, 47, and Richie, 74, weren’t aware of her decision. When asked how they felt about her leaving the show, Perry teased: “Well, they’ll find out tonight. They know that I have some things planned for this year.”

Perry also posted the news on Instagram, sharing a post captioned: “Let’s play two truths and a lie: 1. I beat @usher at Monopoly Deal. 2. I’m headlining Rock in Rio this September. 3. This is my last season on @americanidol.”

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Max announced that Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla” will stream on the service beginning Feb. 23. Sofia Coppola directed the film, adapted from Priscilla Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me, starring Cailee Spaeny as Priscilla and Jacob Elordi as Elvis.

The film chronicles Priscilla Presley’s marriage to Elvis Presley, beginning with 14-year-old Priscilla attending Elvis’s parties while he is stationed at a German military base, and continuing with Elvis inviting Priscilla to live with him in Memphis, Tenn., where they eventually marry and have a child.. “Priscilla” details the rise and fall of the couple’s marriage while offering a different perspective on the king of rock ‘n’ roll as told through the eyes of his wife.

Spaeny received a Golden Globe nomination for her performance, with the film was also nominated for the Golden Lion at the 80th annual Venice Film Festival, with Spaeny winning the Coppa Volpi for best actress.

“Pricsilla” will begin streaming on Max starting Feb. 23.

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