Month: September 2022

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Entertainment Daypop

Shia LaBeouf joins the cast of Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming feature film ‘Megalopolis’

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Francis Ford Coppola’s upcoming $100 million feature film “Megalopolis” has added actor Shia LaBeouf to the star-studded cast.  Coppola’s passion project, slated to begin production this fall, stars Adam Driver, Forest Whitaker, Nathalie Emmanuel, Jon Voight and Laurence Fishburne. Talia Shire (Coppola’s sister who starred in his “Godfather” films), Jason Schwartzman, Grace Vanderwaal, Kathryn Hunter and James Remar have also joined the cast.

Coppola wrote the screenplay for the film in the 1980s, and is financing the dream project himself. The plot has remained largely under wraps, but the film’s official logline teases new details: “The fate of Rome haunts a modern world unable to solve its own social problems in this epic story of political ambition, genius and conflicted love.”

LaBeouf’s casting comes after the actor had been blacklisted from Hollywood after musician FKA Twigs, his former romantic partner, filed a lawsuit against him for sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress in 2020. The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleged multiple incidents of physical abuse during the couple’s one-year relationship in 2018 and 2019. The lawsuit currently has yet to go to trial.

LaBeouf sought inpatient treatment after the allegations surfaced, and is set to appear in Abel Ferrara’s “Padre Pio,” which will open at the Venice Film Festival’s Venice Days section later this summer.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

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Entertainment Daypop

Lindsay Lohan to star in rom-com ‘Irish Wish’ for Netflix

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Netflix said in a press release Thursday that Lindsay Lohan will star in a new romantic comedy for the streaming service.  The 36-year-old Lohan will have a leading role in the film ‘Irish Wish’ portraying Maddie, a woman in love with her best friend’s fiancé.

An official synopsis read: “When the love of her life gets engaged to her best friend, Maddie puts her feelings aside to be a bridesmaid at their wedding in Ireland. Days before the pair are set to marry, Maddie makes a spontaneous wish for true love, only to wake up as the bride-to-be. With her dream seeming to come true, Maddie soon realizes that her real soulmate is someone else entirely.”

Irish Wish is part of Lohan’s two-picture creative partnership with Netflix.  The film is written by Kirsten Hansen, Ron Oliver, Janeen Damian and Michael Damian, and directed by Janeen Damian. Lohan is also working with Damian on the upcoming holiday film Falling for Christmas, which premieres Nov. 10 on Netflix.

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News Daypop

Drummer Micky Dolenz, the last surviving member of The Monkees, sues FBI for secret files kept on the band

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Drummer Micky Dolenz, the last surviving member of The Monkees, has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Justice to retrieve records the FBI kept on the band during the 1960s.  According to the complaint filed, The Monkees were investigated for alleged anti-Vietnam war activities in 1967 after they flashed images and messages protesting the war during one of their concerts.

The 77-year-old Dolenz is suing for the complete case file after a heavily redacted portion was released to the public in 2011 that included testimony from an informant who attended the 1967 concert. The informant described images flashed on the screen behind the band as a “left-wing intervention of a political nature” that included “anti-U.S. messages” on the Vietnam War.

The suit was filed by attorney Mark S. Zaid, a lifelong Monkees fan and Freedom of Information Act litigation expert.  Zaid shared with Rolling Stone: “Theoretically, anything could be in those files though. We have no idea what records even exist. It could be almost nothing. But we’ll see soon enough.”  Zaid added that under then director J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI in the 1960s was “infamous for monitoring counterculture, whether they committed unlawful actions or not.”

The Monkees had four No. 1 albums and a hit sitcom in the 1960s. Dolenz and his late bandmates, Mike Nesmith, Davy Jones and Peter Tork, also were investigated for another matter that was redacted, according to the complaint. Many of the Monkees’ songs included subtle anti-war sentiments, including their hit single, “Last Train to Clarksville.”

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

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News Daypop

California jury awards $1M to teen bullied in middle school

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A California jury has awarded $1 million in damages to a teen who was bullied in middle school after her Los Angeles school district failed to protect her.  On Wednesday, a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury ruled that El Segundo Unified School District’s negligence harmed Eleri Irons, who was 13 when the bullying began in November 2017. Irons, who is now 18, was awarded $700,000 in damages for past pain and suffering, and $300,000 for any future emotional trauma she may suffer.

The original lawsuit, filed in 2019, accused the district of failing to protect Irons while she attended El Segundo Middle School where she was “bullied, tormented and verbally assaulted” by three students, including one who started a petition called “Let’s Kill Eleri Irons.”  The suit said that the bullying “included verbal harassment, spreading nasty rumors and text messaging mean comments” directly to her.  The complaint also accused teachers of failing to notify Irons’ parents after they discovered the petition.

The El Segundo Unified School District issued a statement saying it respects the court ruling and vowed to make the well-being of its students a top priority.  The district said: “As we move forward, we are committed to self-improvement and doing everything we can to prevent bullying in our schools.”

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Country Daypop

Kane Brown announces U.S. leg of ‘Drunk or Dreaming Tour’ featuring Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett & LOCASH

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Kane Brown has announced dates for his U.S. leg of the Drunk or Dreaming Tour.  The trek, which features special guests Dustin Lynch, Gabby Barrett and Locash on select dates, will kick off in Grand Rapids, MI on March 16, 2023, and will visit 23 cities throughout the United States before wrapping up in Greenwood Village, CO at Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre on Saturday, June 10, 2023.

Brown is preparing to embark on the international leg of his Drunk or Dreaming Tour, which will kick off on September 17 in Melbourne, VIC at Margaret Court Arena and will continue through Australia, New Zealand, Canada, UK, and Europe, before wrapping up in Stockholm on January 31. The international trek marks Brown’s first time touring in Australia and New Zealand, and features special guests Restless Road, Jessie James Decker, Blanco Brown and Chris Lane on select dates.

Tickets for the U.S. leg of Brown’s Drunk or Dreaming Tour go on-sale to the general public Friday, September 9, at 10am local time. Register now at kanebrownmusic.com for pre-sale that begins Tuesday, September 6 at 10am local time. Citi cardmembers will have access to pre-sale tickets beginning Tuesday, September 6 at 12pm local time until Thursday, September 8 at 10pm local time through the Citi Entertainment program. For complete pre-sale details visit www.citientertainment.com.

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Country Daypop

Kenny Chesney and Old Dominion team up for the song ‘Beer With My Friends’

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Kenny Chesney and Old Dominion have released their new collaboration, “Beer With My Friends.” The release of the song comes shortly after the final two nights of Chesney’s Here And Now Tour, which featured Old Dominion as a special guest.  Chesney had invited members of OD to join him on stage throughout his tour, saying of the group: “There are people you meet and just click. Matt (Ramsey) and Brad (Tursi) have been singing ‘Save It for a Rainy Day’ with me on all these tours, and that’s always – every single night – one of the highlights of the show for me. You can feel the energy, so I started thinking we better catch that while we can.”

‘Beer With My Friends,” co-written by David Lee Murphy, Shy Carter, and Bryan Simpson, shares the feel-good vibes and energy that Chesney and Old Dominion are known for.  Chesney said of the track:  “We’ve all been there. It doesn’t matter if it’s four years or yesterday, there’s nothing like hitting that local bar with your friends. That’s what this whole tour has felt like – every city, every face, every song – as we’ve taken it back out to No Shoes Nation. It’s so much more than a show or a concert, it’s really letting go – and I wanted to capture that in a song. ‘Beer With My Friends’ is all of it.”

Take a listen to “Beer With My Friends” – here.

Editorial credit: Brian Friedman / Shuttestock.com

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Entertainment Daypop

‘The Goldbergs’ kills off Jeff Garlin’s character ahead of Season 10

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The ABC sitcom “The Goldbergs” launches its 10th season this fall, but without Jeff Garlin’s patriarch Murray, who has been killed off. Premiering Sept. 21, Season 10 also introduce a new member to the family, as newlyweds Erica (Hayley Orrantia) and Geoff (Sam Lerner) have their first child.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunners Alex Barnow and Chris Bishop shared how “The Goldbergs” will deal with Garlin’s controversial departure from the series midway through its ninth season. Garlin’s exit was a “mutual agreement” between himself and Sony Pictures Television following an HR investigation into his on-set behavior. Barnow said: “This is going to be a family that has not reconciled the fact that their father’s gone but has sort of moved on and has dealt with a lot of that. So we’re starting with optimism about a baby coming and looking forward to the future. It’s an opportunity for this interesting emotional basis for the way people are behaving.” Bishop added: “It honestly feels like a huge reboot for us. So we have tons of momentum rolling into this new season.”

The series was filming the 15th and 16th episodes of Season 9 when Garlin was suddenly off the show due to the allegations of inappropriate behavior. However, the star still appeared via off-camera dialogue pulled from earlier episodes and unused takes, as well as previously shot images.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

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Entertainment Daypop

Jeffrey Dean Morgan joins Season 4 of Amazon series ‘The Boys’

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Jeffrey Dean Morgan has joined the cast of the Amazon series The Boys. Prime Video confirmed on The Boys official Twitter account that the 56-year-old Morgan will appear in Season 4 of the superhero series.  “Chuffed to welcome @JDMorgan to The Boys S4. Can’t confirm if he’s gettin’ any tights, though,” the tweet reads. Morgan will appear as a recurring guest star in Season 4. Details about his character are being kept under wraps.

The Boys follows a team of vigilantes as they take on a group of corrupt superheroes. Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Jessie T. Usher, Laz Alonso, Chace Crawford, Tomer Capone and Karen Fukuhara star. Morgan previously collaborated with The Boys showrunner Eric Kripke on the WB/CW series Supernatural, where he had a recurring role as John Winchester.

Currently, Morgan plays Negan on the AMC series The Walking Dead, which is in its 11th and final season. He will reprise that role in the spinoff series Dead City.

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