John Wick 5 is in development, says Lionsgate boss

John Wick 5 on the way

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'John Wick 5' is in the early stages of development.

The fourth instalment of the thriller franchise that stars Keanu Reeves as a former hitman who is forced back into the criminal underworld was released in March, but now Lionsgate chairman Joe Drake has revealed that a fifth movie is already in the works, along with a host of other projects at the production studio.

During a recent financial call, he said: "We're now moving across that franchise, not just in the AAA video game space, but looking at what the regular cadence of spin-offs, television really growing that universe so that there is a steady cadence of a franchise that there's clear appetite by the audience. at is official is that, as you know, 'Ballerina' [starring Ana de Armas] is the first spinoff that comes out next year. We're in development on three others, including 'John Wick 5' and including television series, 'The Continental', will be airing soon.

"And so, we're building out the world and when that five movie comes, will be organic – will be organically grown out of how we're starting to tell those stories. But you can rely on a regular cadence of John Wick."

The news comes just weeks after director Chad Stahelski admitted he "wouldn't mind" making another film in the franchise.

Chad told The Direct: "The real question you ask yourself is not, 'Do I want it?' Yes, I wouldn't mind doing it.

"We just tried to knock it out of the park. We tried to put everything on the table, take nothing, and leave it all. Like, 'F*** it, every idea. We're not saving anything. We're not trying to build. Just everything you got, leave it there.'

"We feel we put everything we had into 'John Wick 4', and we feel we completed the cycle. We feel like we ended it. So, we feel like, 'You know, that was a great way to wrap up the previous three films and the fourth and deliver something satisfying and fun.'"

The 'John Wick' series has been successful both critically and commercially and Chad is honoured that "people want more" stories from something he has helped to create.

He said: "That's incredibly flattering. You have to be incredibly humble and go, 'Thank you.' And that's our response, 'Thank you so much. Thank you so much for offering. Thank you so much for wanting it. Thank you so much for everything.'"

Would Donny and Marie ever reunite? Maybe

Donny and Marie reunion?

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Donny Osmond would "never say never" to a reunion with his sister Marie.

The 65-year-old star shot to fame as a child with his brothers in the 1970s as part of the Osmonds before breaking out as a solo artist and later went on to start up a variety act and host a talk show with his younger sister Marie but while he is tempted to return to Las Vegas for a one-off special of their long-running slot, he admitted that there is "nothing" on the cards just yet.

He told 'Entertainment Tonight': "There was something about the combination about Donny and Marie, and it wouldn't have worked had we not been siblings in my opinion. But because we grew up together, we spent so much time together as siblings.

"I joined the band, The Osmond Brothers, [which] kind of separated us and then Marie joined when she was like 12 or 13 and the whole Donny and Marie thing came together again. There was something organic about that and when she hit me with pies and hit me in the stomach or slapped me, it was all natural. It was all organic. I think a lot of people really related to that in families and it was all in fun.

"I have been in this business for a long time. I learned to never say never, but there's nothing in the back of my mind and I don't think there is in the back of Marie's mind of reuniting. Maybe a one-off, but to do a Las Vegas performance like we did for 11 years, with the Donny and Marie talk show for several years, there's nothing that has really sparked both of our minds yet."

The 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' star went on to add that it may come as a "shock" to some that he has been in the business for 60 years but feels as if his career is even "better" these days than when he was in his heyday.

He added: "To be able to say that I've been in show business for six decades, it's a shock for some people to hear that. And to still be relevant. I'm not as popular as I was, you know, as a teenybopper in the '70s. But then again, the career now is even better, in my opinion, than the '70s. Because there's so much breadth to it. There's so much to draw from my repertoire [and it] is so much fun to pull things from. "

Jane Fonda chucked award at director Justine Triet’s back during Cannes Film Festival

Threw award at director

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Jane Fonda cheekily chucked an award at director Justine Triet’s back during the Cannes Film Festival.

The 85-year-old actress was on stage for the presentation of the Palme d’Or to the director, 44, on Saturday for her ‘Anatomy of the Fall’ film, and when she accidentally left the scroll at the podium, Jane attempted to flag her down before hurling it at her back after the filmmaker failed to acknowledge her.

Even though the scroll hit Justine on the back of the head, she didn’t appear to notice as it thudded to the floor behind her.

Jane’s fans saw the funny side, with her supporters calling her everything from a “queen” to an “excellent shot” for the joke.

The ‘Barbarella’ actress has been celebrating her time at Cannes by sharing updates on her Instagram, including a shot of her in the black sequinned gown she wore when she chucked the award at Justine.

She captioned the image: “Very happy to be back in Cannes wearing a custom look by @amiparis @alexandremattiussi9.”

Jane also posted images of her posing with ‘Desperate Housewives’ actress Eva Longoria, 48, and meeting ‘Titanic’ star Kate Winslet, 47, for the first time.

She’s been enjoying the event eight months after telling fans she had cancer.

Jane said on Instagram in September: “I’ve been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. “This is a very treatable cancer. 80% of people survive, so I feel very lucky.”

By December 2022, Jane announced her cancer was in remission after she had undergone chemotherapy – news she called the “best birthday present ever” ahead of turning 85 that month.

It was the third time she has battled cancer.

In 2010, Oscar-winner and fitness guru Jane was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a lumpectomy in November to have it removed.

Then in January 2018 she had a cancerous growth removed from her lower lip and pre-melanoma growths taken from her skin.

Quentin Tarantino splashed $10,000 to lick stripper's feet, claims club manager

Paid $10,000 to lick feet

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Quentin Tarantino is facing a claim from a strip club manager called NorCal Lowlife he once splashed out $10,000 to lick a woman’s feet until they wrinkled like “prunes.”

Lowlife – also known as Page Rad – was apparently a senior worker at Hollywood nightspot Crazy Girls, and told the tale about the ‘Pulp Fiction’ director ­– who is said to have a foot fetish as he often lingers on his leading ladies’ toes in his flicks – on a podcast called ‘Get in the Car’.

He said when Quentin apparently visited the club – without specifying when – the filmmaker requested a VIP room and the company of the dancer with the “biggest t***” and “biggest ass” there.

Lowlife said he went to a security room and watched the action on CCTV, adding: “He’s sitting down, she’s about to do her little… take her top off.

“And he gets up, throws her on the f****** seat, takes her boots off one by one, both shoes, just starts licking the bottoms of her feet, sucking toes.”

Lowlife claims the licking lasted about half-an-hour, and added by the end of it the stripper’s “feet looked like… you know when you take a bubble bath? Like prunes”’

He added about the price Quentin, who has two children with wife Daniella Pick, 39, allegedly paid: “I think he gave her 10 Gs.”

In 2010 Uma Thurman, 53, whose feet were lingered over by Quentin in his ‘Kill Bill’ epic, toasted the director at a Friar’s Club roast by serving him champagne in her black velvet Louboutins.

At the same event, Eli Roth, 51, who starred in Quentin’s “Inglourious B*******’ made the bad-taste Holocaust joke that the director had a “bigger shoe collection than Dachau.”

Mark Hamill doesn't expect Star Wars return

Hamill won't be back

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Mark Hamill doesn't expect to return to 'Star Wars'.

Although the 71-year-old actor's alter-ego Luke Skywalker died in Rian Johnson’s 2017 movie 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi', he appeared as a Force ghost in J.J. Abrams’ 2019 movie 'Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker' but Mark doesn't expect to appear in any upcoming sequels.

He told The Hollywood Reporter: "I don’t have any expectations of that happening."

And, he admitted he was emotional during the scene in 'The Last Jedi' where Luke and R2 watched his Jedi temple burn.

He said: "Well, the whole thing was emotional, because when I read [Episode] VIII, I knew it was over. So I was relishing every moment, but also saying goodbye to all those people that I had associated with over the years. So I still miss them."

Mark's comments come after Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy recently revealed that three new movies are in the works.

Meanwhile, Mark previously admitted that he often went months without speaking to Carrie Fisher after "big arguments".

The actor opened up about his "tumultuous relationship" with his 'Star Wars' co-star - who died in 2016 at the age of 60 - revealing they were often loving and supporting but they also had explosive rows which led to long periods of silence between the pair.

In an interview with Esquire magazine, Mark explained: "I have to tell you, we had a tumultuous relationship. We could be as loving and supportive as possible, then we could have big arguments and say: 'Well, I never want to speak to you again,' and not speak for six months."

However, the sulky silences didn't last long and they always picked up their friendship where they left off. Mark added: "Every time you came back, you picked up right where you left off. We had a connection that is special."

Tina Turner's hometown planning statue of late star

Statue planned for Tina

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Tina Turner's hometown is planning to erect a statue of the late superstar.

The 83-year-old singer passed away earlier this week from natural causes at her home in Switzerland and Bill Rawls Jr., the mayor of Brownsville, Tennessee, where Tina was born, hopes to unveil a permanent memorial for Tina.

He told TMZ: "When Tina stepped on stage, she owned it. We want this statue to represent that passion. Tina was an inspiration to the entire world ... She showed the people of Brownsville no matter where you start, you own your story about where you end up."

He wants to erect the statue in Brownsville's Heritage Park, near Carver High School, which Tina attended.

Brownsville is also home to the Tina Turner Museum.

Meanwhile, Tina will be laid to rest at a private funeral.

Despite having legions of fans worldwide and being hero-worshipped in her adopted country of Switzerland, the ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero’ hitmaker’s final farewell is set to be a small affair for only family and friends.

A spokesperson for the icon – dubbed the ‘Queen of Rock ’n’ Roll – confirmed to The Sun: “There will be a private funeral ceremony attended by close friends and family.”

Her decades of health woes included a stroke, PTSD from her abusive marriage to her former music partner Ike Turner, as well as long-standing kidney issues that led to her husband Erwin Bach, 67, donating one of his kidneys to her to save her life in 2017.

Tina – real name Anna Mae Bullock – gave up her US citizenship 10 years ago to become Swiss, moving there in 2013 three months after marrying Erwin.

Bella Thorne engaged to boyfriend Mark Emms after year of dating

Bella Thorne gets engaged

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Bella Thorne is engaged to her boyfriend Mark Emms.

The 25-year-old ‘Infamous’ actress, who has been dating the film producer and bar owner for a year, announced the news on her Instagram by posting images of her showing off her huge engagement ring.

She also told Vogue Weddings in a new interview about how they met on the beach in Ibiza in 2022 at supermodel Cara Delevingne's birthday party: “It was love at first sight as the sun rose.”

Showing off what is thought to be a 10-plus-carat and emerald-cut diamond ring while she was hugged from behind by Mark, the actress said on her Instagram: “My love.”

Mark popped the question on 13 May and after Bella accepted the proposal, she and her new fiancé celebrated with family.

She told Vogue Weddings about already planning for the big day: “Every bride does not need one gown, but four!”

Bella added she would like to have the wedding at a country manor in Britain, but did not announce a wedding day date.

The actress and her former boyfriend of five years Benjamin Mascolo, 29, ended their engagement in 2021.

Among Bella’s upcoming projects are the upcoming horror-comedy ‘Saint Clare’, which tells of a a quiet college student with a “divine vocation for killing”, according to IMDB.

Bella broke her silence on her split from singer and actor Benjamin on her Instagram Stories on 2 June, 2022, saying: “I broke up with Ben for my own reasons.”

The actress then asked fans to stop questioning the break-up as it was a “personal matter.”

Billie Eilish brands trolls ‘women hating weirdos’ for attacking her new ‘feminine’ style

Eilish lashes back at trolls

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Billie Eilish has branded trolls “women hating weirdos” for calling her a “sell-out” for dressing “feminine”.

In now-deleted posts on her Instagram Stories over the weekend, the newly-single ‘Bad Guy’ singer – who has split from 31-year-old singer Jesse Rutherford – hit out at “true idiots” who commented on her changing style choices and begged them to “let women exist!”

The 21-year-old added: “I spent the first 5 years of my career getting absolutely OBLITERATED by you fools for being boy ish and dressing how I did and constantly being told I’d be hotter if I acted like a woman.

“And now when I feel comfortable enough to wear anything remotely feminine or fitting, I CHANGED and am a sellout.. and ‘what happened to her’ oMg iT’s nOt thE sAmE biLlie she’s just like the rest bla blah.

“FUN FACT! Did you know that women are multifaceted!!!!!??? Shocking right?? Believe it or not women can be interested in multiple things.”

Billie also ranted at her trolls calling them, "women hating a** weirdos.”

The singer last week showed off a huge dragon tattoo after once saying fans would “never” see her body art.

She posted a video on Instagram showing her gyrating as she held onto the arms of a desk chair while revealing the tip of a dragon design and wearing a T-shirt featuring an angel from Raphael’s Sistine Chapel painting.

Billie has several other tatts including “some fairies that are from a book that I had growing up – a little fairy book called ‘Fairyopolis’” on her hand and wrist.

She has said she has three tattoos including a design on her chest “that says ‘Eilish.'”

Despite her new tattoo reveal, she has previously said she valued her privacy.

She said in a 2019 campaign video for Calvin Klein: “I never want the world to know everything about me. I mean, that’s why I wear big baggy clothes.

“Nobody can have an opinion because they haven’t seen what’s underneath, you know?

“Nobody can be like, ‘Oh she’s slim-thick, she’s not slim-thick, she got a flat ass, she got a fat ass.’ Nobody can say any of that because they don’t know.”

'The Little Mermaid' makes box office splash with $95.5 million opening

Little Mermaid's splash

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This image released by Disney shows Melissa McCarthy as Ursula in "The Little Mermaid." (Disney via AP)

“The Little Mermaid ” made moviegoers want to be under the sea on Memorial Day weekend.

Disney's live-action remake of its 1989 animated classic easily outswam the competition, bringing in $95.5 million on 4,320 screens in North America, according to studio estimates Sunday.

And Disney estimates the film starring Halle Bailey as the titular mermaid Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as her sea witch nemesis Ursula will reach $117.5 million by the time the holiday is over. It ranks as the fifth biggest Memorial Day weekend opening ever.

It displaces “Fast X” in the top spot. The 10th instalment in the “Fast and Furious” franchise starring Vin Diesel has lagged behind more recent releases in the series, bringing in $23 million domestically for a two-week total of $108 million for Universal Pictures.

In its fourth weekend, Disney and Marvel's “ Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 ” made an estimated $20 million in North America to take third place. It's now made $299 million domestically.

The performance of “The Little Mermaid” represents something of a bounce-back for Disney's animated-to-live-action remakes, and makes it likely they will keep coming indefinitely. Poor reception and the pandemic had some recent reboots either performing poorly or skipping theatrical releases for Disney +, including “Dumbo,” “Mulan” and “Pinocchio."

“It works as long as the movies deliver,” said Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst for Comscore. “It's great for Disney to be able to go to their archive by reviving these titles that started off as huge hits in the animated realm.”

Audiences thought it did deliver. The film had an A CinemaScore, and according to exit polling had more ticket buyers between ages 25 and 34 than children, suggesting nostalgic adults were essential.

“The multi generational component of this cannot be overstated," Dergarabedian said.

Critics were more lukewarm. The movie is currently at 67% on Rotten Tomatoes. In her review, Lindsey Bahr of The Associated Press called it “a somewhat drab undertaking with sparks of bioluminescence” that like too many of the Disney remakes “prioritized nostalgia and familiarity over compelling visual storytelling.”

She said Bailey, half of the sister R&B duo Chloe x Halle, still shone with a “lovely presence” and “superb voice."

Directed by Rob Marshall with a reported budget of $250 before marketing, “The Little Mermaid” tells the story of a yearning, wayward daughter who cuts a devil's deal to swap her fins for a pair of legs. It features the songs from Alan Menken and Howard Ashman, including “Part of Your World" and “Under the Sea,” that helped the original film spark a Disney animation renaissance in the 1990s.

Fourth place went to Universal's “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which keeps reaching new levels in its eighth weekend. Now available to rent on VOD, it still earned $6.3 million in theatres. Its cumulative total of $559 million makes Mario and Luigi the year's biggest earners so far.

Comics couldn't stand up to Ariel as the week's other new releases sank.

“The Machine," an action comedy starring stand—up comedian Bert Kreischer, finished fifth with $4.9 million domestically. And " About My Father," the broad comedy starring stand-up Sebastian Maniscalco and Robert De Niro, was sixth with $4.3 million.

It's not clear whether “The Little Mermaid” will have legs — or fins — going forward. Next week brings the release of animated “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” with “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” arriving the following week.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Comscore. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

1. “The Little Mermaid,” $95.5 million.

2. “Fast X,” $23 million.

3. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3,” $20 million.

4. “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” $6.3 million.

5. “The Machine,” $4.9 million.

6. “About My Father," $4.3 million.

7. “Kandahar,” $2.4 million.

8. “You Hurt My Feelings,” 1.4 million.

9. “Evil Dead Rise,” $1 million.

10. “Book Club, The Next Chapter,” $920,000.

CBS is television's most popular network for 15th straight year

CBS most popular network

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This image released by CBS shows Iain Armitage as Sheldon Cooper in a scene from "Young Sheldon." (Bill Inoshita/CBS Entertainment via AP)

CBS claimed the distinction of most-watched television network for the 15th straight year, even as those bragging rights don't mean what they used to.

The network averaged just under 6 million viewers on a typical moment in prime time for the season that just concluded, the Nielsen company said on Friday. NBC was the second most popular, followed by Fox and ABC — the same pecking order as last year.

All of the networks lost viewers from the year before, with NBC's 13% decline the steepest and Fox's 1% drop the smallest, Nielsen said.

CBS' winning streak began in a different era, back when the mention of streaming or cord-cutting would earn a quizzical look. Its viewership average during that 2008-09 season was 11.75 million, nearly double what it was this year.

In comparison, ABC and Fox both lost more than half of their live viewers from the 2008-09 season, while NBC was down 33% from that time, when it was at an ebb, Nielsen said.

Quite simply, viewers have far more choices today and are accustomed to creating their own entertainment schedules. The broadcast networks also benefit from that; CBS said that within 35 days, a typical episode of “CSI: Vegas” more than doubles its viewership from the night it first airs.

But, increasingly, live events like sports are what brings viewers to network television. NBC's “Sunday Night Football” was the most popular program this past season, averaging 18.5 million live viewers, Nielsen said.

“Sunday Night Football” first aired on NBC in 2006. Longevity was a key component in other popular shows. The most-watched drama on the night it first airs, CBS' “NCIS,” has been on the network's schedule since 2003. The most popular comedy, CBS' “Young Sheldon,” first aired in 2017, but it was a spinoff from “The Big Bang Theory,” which began a decade earlier.

The most-watched news program in prime time, CBS' “60 Minutes,” has been on the air since 1968. The most-watched reality show, NBC's “The Voice,” began in 2011.

All but two of the 10 most-watched scripted shows were dramas. “Young Sheldon” and CBS' “Ghosts” were the two exceptions.

CBS had seven of the 10 most popular scripted shows. The others were producer Dick Wolf's “Chicago Fire,” “Chicago Med” and “Chicago P.D.” trilogy on NBC.

Tina Turner wished she’d treated her kidney problems with conventional medicine: ‘I believed I was indestructible’

Tina's kidneys failed her

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Tina Turner wished she had treated her kidney problems with “conventional medicine.”

The ‘We Don’t Need Another Hero’ singer, whose death aged 83 was announced on Wednesday after her decades of health woes that included a life-saving kidney transplant operation, told fans of her regret weeks before her passing.

Tina – born Anna Mae Bullock – said on Instagram to mark International World Kidney Day on March 9: “Today is International World Kidney Day. Why is it important? Because kidneys fail without pain. And that’s why I’m telling you today: Show your kidneys love! They deserve it.

“My kidneys are victims of my not realising that my high blood pressure should have been treated with conventional medicine. I have put myself in great danger by refusing to face the reality that I need daily, lifelong therapy with medication.

“For far too long I believed that my body was an untouchable and indestructible bastion.

“I am therefore delighted to be able to support a new international campaign for kidney health. You can read the whole story of my disease on the website www.showyourkidneyslove.com.

“Here you can find out how your kidneys work, what the risk factors are and how you can keep these important organs healthy. Let’s show our kidneys some love!”

Tina, who was diagnosed with hypertension in 1978, signed off using the hashtags WorldKidneyDay, ShowYourKidneysLove and KidneyCare.

Her kidney transplant using an organ donated by her husband Erwin Bach, 67, took place in 2017 a year after she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer.

Tina admitted she was considering assisted suicide seven years before she died due to her kidney issues.

She said in her memoir ‘Tina Turner: My Love Story’: “By December 2016, my kidneys were at a new low of 20 per cent and plunging rapidly… I began to think about death. If my kidneys were going, and it was time for me to die, I could accept that. It was OK. When it’s time, it’s really time… one of the benefits of living in Switzerland is that assisted suicide is legal, though the patient has to inject the lethal drug herself.

“There are several organisations that facilitate the process, including Exit and Dignitas. I signed up to be a member of Exit, just in case.

“I think that’s when the idea of my death became a reality for Erwin. He was very emotional about not wanting to lose me, not wanting me to leave.”

Takeoff shooting suspect indicted on murder charge

Indicted in rapper's murder

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A man accused of fatally shooting rapper Takeoff has been indicted on a murder charge by a grand jury in Texas.

The 28-year-old hip-hop star - real name Kirsnick Khari Ball - was gunned down outside a bowling alley in Houston in November last year and Patrick Xavier Clark, 33, was arrested in December on suspicion of firing the fatal shows and he is now facing a trial.

Clark's attorney, Carl Moore, has insisted his client will be found innocent by a jury, saying: "Today’s action by the grand jury is not unexpected. We would ask people to remember that getting an indictment requires meeting a very, very minimal standard of proof.

"When we get inside a courtroom and in front of a jury, where we will be able to put on our evidence and cross-examine the state’s witnesses - where the standard of proof is guilt beyond a reasonable doubt - we expect the jury will come back with a verdict of not guilty."

The Migos rapper was partying with his uncle and bandmate Quavo before he was fatally shot in the head and back outside the Houston bowling alley on November 1 at around 2.30am,

Police later stated the star was unarmed and was an innocent bystander when he was hit by gunfire. Two other people were injured in the shooting, but they survived.

Clark was released from the Harris County Jail in January after posting a $1 million bail bond. He has since been under house arrest after being fitted with a GPS ankle monitor.