Reuters Entertainment News Summary
Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.
Tyler Perry gets ahead of Hollywood with July production restart
Filmmaker Tyler Perry on Tuesday became one of the first Hollywood film and television executives to announce the resumption of production in the midst of the coronavirus era. Perry will start production of his television shows "Sistas" and "The Oval" on July 8 at his sprawling Tyler Perry Studios complex in Atlanta, Georgia, television network BET said in a statement.
'Seinfeld' star Jerry Stiller dies aged 92, son Ben pays tribute
Jerry Stiller, who played two of American television's most cantankerous fathers on the sitcoms "Seinfeld" and "The King of Queens," has died aged 92, his son Ben Stiller said on Twitter on Monday. "I'm sad to say that my father, Jerry Stiller, passed away from natural causes," wrote Ben, a Hollywood comedian who appeared with his father in "Zoolander" and other movies.
Delayed 'Friends' reunion holding out for live audience over remote event
Fans may have to wait until the fall for the "Friends" reunion special as HBO Max executives are holding out hopes of filming it before a live audience rather than shooting the much-anticipated get together remotely with stars under quarantine. Robert Greenblatt, chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment, which is launching the HBO Max streaming service on May 27, said on Monday he thought it was worth waiting until the one-off unscripted show could be filmed in a traditional way.
Disney to release 'Hamilton' performance in July on its streaming service
Walt Disney Co will release a film recording of the smash Broadway musical "Hamilton" on its streaming service on July 3, the eve of U.S. Independence Day, the company said on Tuesday. Disney had planned to debut the film, which features footage of the live show in June 2016 with creator Lin-Manuel Miranda and the original cast, in movie theaters in October 2021. But the coronavirus pandemic, which has shuttered Broadway stages and cineplexes, has prompted Disney to adapt its programming strategy.
Kurt Cobain's 'Unplugged' guitar has $1 million auction estimate
Kurt Cobain's cardigan sold for a record $334,000 last year. Now the acoustic guitar the punk rocker played for Nirvana's "MTV Unplugged" session, just five months before his death, is expected to fetch around $1 million at auction in June. Julien's Auctions said on Monday the 1959 Martin D-18E guitar that Cobain played for the 1993 live taping is going up for sale, The guitar comes with battered case, whose storage compartment contains a small suede bag where the musician is said to have stashed the heroin he was addicted to in his final years.
Japanese author Murakami to DJ 'Stay Home' radio special as virus shutdown continues
Haruki Murakami, one of Japan's most acclaimed novelists, will host a radio special to try to lift the nation's spirits as a state of emergency over the novel coronavirus lingers. Murakami, whose breakout novel "Norwegian Wood" debuted in 1987, will play favorite songs and welcome listener comments during a "Stay Home Special," the name evoking a plea from Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike for residents to avoid going out.
Singer Bryan Adams apologizes for coronavirus conspiracy rant
Canadian singer Bryan Adams apologized on Tuesday for a social media post in which he blamed "bat eating, wet market animal selling, virus making greedy bastards" for the novel coronavirus. Adams, who first became a global star in 1984 with hits including "Summer of '69" and "Heaven", made the comments in the caption of an Instagram post on Monday when he addressed the cancellation of his concerts at the Royal Albert Hall in London due to COVID-19.
YouTube star Logan Thirtyacre pays $800K for dinner with Brady
YouTube star Logan Thirtyacre has won a coronavirus charity auction that includes dinner with Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady after he laid down a $800,000 bid. The 25-year-old Thirtyacre, who has amassed a fortune on his puppet show skits based on the Super Mario Brothers arcade game, told TMZ he had been willing to pay up to $2 million for the chance to dine with his idol.
Lessons from porn industry could help Hollywood adapt to coronavirus
As Hollywood tries to figure out how to resume production of movies and TV shows in the coronavirus era, one sector may be better prepared than others to deal with the challenges. The porn industry in Los Angeles came up with its own testing system and database in the 1990s to protect actors during the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Broadway theaters to remain closed through Sept. 6
Broadway theaters have extended their closures because of the coronavirus pandemic through Labor Day on Sept. 6, the Broadway League industry group said on Tuesday. Among the most-visited tourist attractions in New York, the theaters had previously set a tentative reopening date of June 7.