INSIDER
Broadway theater will be renamed after James Earl Jones
Read full article: Broadway theater will be renamed after James Earl JonesThe Shubert Organization's Cort Theatre on Broadway will be renamed after James Earl Jones, fulfilling a promise by the theater giant to honor a Black artist in such a way.
Yaphet Kotto of 'Live and Let Die,' 'Alien,' dies at 81
Read full article: Yaphet Kotto of 'Live and Let Die,' 'Alien,' dies at 81FILE - Actor Yaphet Kotto appears on his wedding day in Baltimore, Md. Kotto, the commanding actor of the James Bond film Live and Let Die and as Lt. Al Giardello on the 90's NBC police drama "Homicide: Life on the Street, died Monday, March 15, 2021 at age 81. Kottos wife, Tessie Sinahon, announced his death Monday in a Facebook post. (AP Photo/John Gillis, File)NEW YORK โ Yaphet Kotto, the commanding actor who brought tough magnetism and stately gravitas to films including the James Bond movie โLive and Let Dieโ and โAlien," has died. Kottoโs wife, Tessie Sinahon, announced his death Monday in a Facebook post.
33 years later, Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall return to Zamunda
Read full article: 33 years later, Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall return to ZamundaNEW YORK โ When Eddie Murphy made the original โComing to America,โ he was, almost indisputably, the funniest man in America. โNow I take nothing for granted and appreciate everything.โThirty-three years after โComing to America,โ Murphy and Hall have returned to Zamunda. At the barbershop, where Murphy and Hall also reprise their characters, the conversation bounces from Teslas to transgender people. Before making โBlack Panther,โ Murphy has said Ryan Coogler approached him about a โComing to Americaโ sequel. Ruth E. Carter designed the costumes of both โBlack Pantherโ and โComing 2 America.โ Both were shot in Atlanta.
New this week: 'Coming 2 America,' Camilo and a dragon movie
Read full article: New this week: 'Coming 2 America,' Camilo and a dragon movie(ABC/Paramount+/Amazon via AP)Hereโs a collection curated by The Associated Pressโ entertainment journalists of whatโs arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. MOVIESโ Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall are back in Queens as Prince Akeem and Semmi in โComing 2 America,โ the sequel to the 1988 film, which is now coming straight to your living room Friday on Amazon Prime Video. Set to becoming the King of Zamunda, Murphyโs character returns to the U.S. to find a son heโs never met. Adโ A more family friendly streaming option this week is the Walt Disney Co.โs computer animated โRaya and the Last Dragon,โ featuring the voices of โStar Warsโโ Kelly Marie Tran as Raya and Awkwafina as a dragon. The big-voiced Grammy-winning singer self-produced โBaby, Iโm Hollywood!โ โ which is a mix of soul music, piano ballads and funk sounds.
Dave Prowse, the original Darth Vader, dies at 85
Read full article: Dave Prowse, the original Darth Vader, dies at 85LONDON โ Dave Prowse, the British weightlifter-turned-actor who was the body, though not the voice, of arch-villain Darth Vader in the original โStar Warsโ trilogy, has died. Prowse donned Darth Vader's black armor and helmet for โStar Warsโ (1977), โThe Empire Strikes Backโ (1980) and โReturn of the Jedi" (1983). He was a regular at โStar Warsโ fan events but was banned from official conventions by Lucas in 2010 after the pair fell out. Mark Hamill, who played Luke Skywalker in the โStar Warsโ films, tweeted that Prowse was โa kind man & much more than Darth Vader.โ Hamill said the actor "loved his fans as much as they loved him. โAs a kid, Dave Prowse couldnโt be more famous to me; stalking along corridors as evil incarnate in the part of Darth Vader & stopping a whole generation of kiddies from being mown down in street as the Green Cross Code man,โ he wrote.
'Coming 2 America' to launch on Amazon Prime in March
Read full article: 'Coming 2 America' to launch on Amazon Prime in MarchโComing 2 America,โ the sequel to the 1988 Eddie Murphy comedy, has landed on a date to come to audiences. The film which reunites Murphy and Arsenio Hall will debut on Amazon Prime Video on March 5, 2021, Amazon Studios said Friday. Originally a Paramount Pictures theatrical release, the studio sold the film to the streamer last month but had yet to finalize a date. โComing to America was a cultural phenomenon that is one of the most loved and celebrated comedies of all time,โ said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, in a statement. โWe know audiences around the world will fall in love with this hilarious, joyful movie that will surely become a timeless favorite.โJames Earl Jones, Shari Headley and John Amos will also be reprising their roles alongside new additions like Wesley Snipes, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan and KiKi Layne.
Barry Jenkins to direct 'Lion King' follow-up
Read full article: Barry Jenkins to direct 'Lion King' follow-upNEW YORK โ The Walt Disney Co. will make a follow-up to the 2019 live-action โThe Lion King,โ with Barry Jenkins, the director of the Oscar-winning โMoonlightโ and the James Baldwin adaptation โIf Beale Street Could Talk,โ set to direct. The new โLion Kingโ grossed more than $1.6 billion worldwide, so a sequel was perhaps always likely. Less expected was a โLion Kingโ with Jenkins directing. The film, Disney said, will explore the mythology of โThe Lion King,โ including Mufasa's origin story. Disney didn't announce any further plot details or casting on the new โLion Kingโ project, which was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.
Batter Up! Baseball, soundtrack of summer, is back - sort of
Read full article: Batter Up! Baseball, soundtrack of summer, is back - sort ofThe Los Angeles Dodgers play the Los Angeles Angels at sunset during the fifth inning of a preseason baseball game, Tuesday, July 21, 2020, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Batter Up! Baseball, soundtrack of summer, is back - sort of
Read full article: Batter Up! Baseball, soundtrack of summer, is back - sort ofThe Los Angeles Dodgers play the Los Angeles Angels at sunset during the fifth inning of a preseason baseball game, Tuesday, July 21, 2020, in Los Angeles. Rather than keeping players and club personnel sealed in a bubble environment, baseball teams will fly around the country, raising more health concerns. โGoing to be 2020 coronavirus baseball,โ Yankees star pitcher Gerrit Cole said. Los Angeles ace Clayton Kershaw had hoped to take part, but he was scratched from the opener because of back issues. โItโs that sound, itโs the summer sound.โ___AP Baseball Writers Ronald Blum and Janie McCauley and AP Sports Writers Howard Fendrich and Joe Reedy contributed to this report.
Baseball plans game at Field of Dreams, but will they come?
Read full article: Baseball plans game at Field of Dreams, but will they come?Visitors play on the field at the Field of Dreams movie site, Friday, June 5, 2020, in Dyersville, Iowa. Small town Iowa, baseball is still a big thing here, he said. The Field of Dreams site is open to visitors, who at no charge can run the bases and see if they can smack a ball into cornstalks that now stand about a foot tall. For Go the Distance Baseball, the company that now owns the Field of Dream site and plans to build a complex of youth baseball and softball fields, the talk of playing a game began five years ago. We understand the best choice for Major League Baseball in 2020 comes first.___Follow Scott McFetridge on Twitter: https://twitter.com/smcfetridge