Hocus Pocus 2 is adding RuPaul's Drag Race queens Kahmora Hall and Kornbread "The Snack" Jete, Entertainment Weekly noted. EW has confirmed through a source close to production that the drag superstars joined the Hocus Pocus sequel cast as drag versions of Sarah and Mary Sanderson, portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy in the 1993 original and the upcoming Disney+ movie. Fellow Drag Race alum Ginger Minj will also appear in the film as a drag version of Bette Midler's Winifred Sanderson.
The latest stars to discuss Disney's action and inaction regarding Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill are Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke, the stars of Disney+'s upcoming Marvel series Moon Knight, Out Magazine noted. "I guess my comment would be: gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gay gayyyyyy!" Isaac started singing when asked by Variety during the Moon Knight junket, adding, "It's an absolutely ridiculous law." Hawke took a subtler approach, saying, "My life's work is dedicated to creating empathy. … The more places we shine light, the less dark places there are, and there's less to be afraid of. And the more we understand each other's experiences, the more humanity we find in them, and the better we all actually feel."
Moon Knight director Mohamed Diab feels Western cinema has a long way to go in its depictions of his native Egypt—and specifically knocked Wonder Woman 1984 for playing into the tropes, Deadline noted. "You never see Cairo. You always see Jordan shot for Cairo, Morocco shot for Cairo, sometimes Spain shot for Cairo. This really angers us," Diab said. "I remember seeing Wonder Woman 1984 and there was a big sequence in Egypt, and it was a disgrace for us.
Season two of the Netflix show The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On will have an all-queer cast, according to PinkNews. The first season of the reality dating show—from the makers of Love Is Blind—premieres April 6, but it has already been renewed for a second season with an all-queer, mostly female cast. Hosted by Nick and Vanessa Lachey, The Ultimatum will follow six couples who are considering marriage; when half of the couple is ready to tie the knot but the other is less sure, an ultimatum is issued—and the unsure party has eight weeks to decide.
Musician Daddy Yankee posted an emotional message to his fans on DaddyYankee.com announcing a farewell tour and his retirement from the music industry at age 45, a press release stated. "La Ultima Vuelta World Tour" will kick off in Portland at the Moda Center on Aug. 10, and will trek across North and Latin America. Also, Daddy Yankee is releasing Legendaddy—his first album in 10 years.
Meghan Markle's first exclusive Spotify podcast series, called Archetypes, will examine the history behind the stereotypes that get leveled against women, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series, produced by Archewell Audio and Spotify's Gimlet Media, will be released later this summer and be hosted by the duchess of Sussex. She is expected to interview historians and experts to discover the history behind such labels and have conversations with other women whose own public perceptions have been shaped by these stereotypes.
HBO Max's Our Flag Means Death is a historical pirate comedy based very loosely on the real-life adventures of Stede Bonnet—but has also distinguished itself as a top-notch queer series, out.com noted. According to the media outlet, "This crew is a bunch of misfits who left the constraints of society to live their lives how they wanted to."
Out musician Bob Mould announced the opening acts for his North American tour, per a press release. H.C. McEntire will perform in California and the South, Vic Bondi in the Pacific Northwest, and J. Robbins in the Northeast. Also, Mould has added a Thursday, July 7 performance at Chicago's Thalia Hall to his solo performance dates. See bobmould.com/tour/ .
Two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank (Boys Don't Cry; Million Dollar Baby) and Reacher breakout Alan Ritchson have signed on to star in the film Ordinary Angels, per Deadline. Set against the worst snowstorm in Kentucky history, the pic is inspired by the true story of a struggling hairdresser (Swank) who single-handedly rallies an entire community to help a widowed father (Ritchson) save the life of his critically ill young daughter.
Jonathan Bennett and Jaymes Vaughan are officially married, People Magazine reported. The Mean Girls actor, who got engaged to the TV host in Nov. 2020, and his groom celebrated their love in front of their closest friends and family in an all-inclusive, destination wedding on Saturday at the Unico Riviera Maya Hotel in Mexico. Visit people.com/movies/jonathan-bennet-jaymes-vaughan-wedding-married/ .
Erykah Badu and Miguel have been announced as headliners for R&B Only Fest, according to Rated R&B. Powered by COLORS Worldwide and Live Nation, the festival will be held on Saturday, May 28, at Atlanta's Lakewood Amphitheatre. R&B duo dvsn, who will release their fourth album later this year, will perform; Ty Dolla $ign will also take the stage.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers are getting a star on the Walk of Fame, Variety noted. The "Californication" rockers will receive the honor at an unveiling ceremony scheduled for Thursday, March 31; the star will be in the second row at 6212 Hollywood Blvd. George Clinton, who produced the band's 1985 album "Freaky Styley," will unveil the star alongside Woody Harrelson, Bob Forrest and emcee Nicole Mihalka, chair of the board for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce.
HBO Max announced the renewal of the Sex and the City sequel series And Just Like That... for a second season, Deadline noted. And Just Like That… stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis reprising their characters from the original series, which aired from 1998-2004 on HBO. While the original series showcased the women navigating the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s, the revival tackled the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s.
Saturday Night Live is back with three new shows in April with hosts Jerrod Carmichael, Jake Gyllenhaal and Lizzo, Deadline noted. Gyllenhaal will be making his second hosting appearance on April 9—the day after his latest film, Ambulance, comes to theaters; he will be joined by Camila Cabello, who returns for the second time, the day after her new album Familia is released. Lizzo will be pulling double duty on April 16 as both host and musical guest.
Television personality Wendy Williams posted a video pushing back against her bank, Wells Fargo, for freezing her accounts while awaiting a guardianship ruling in New York, NBC News noted. In the Instagram video, Williams accuses her former Wells Fargo financial adviser, Lori Schiller, of starting the process after Williams "began asking questions about my money." She also alleged that Schiller was given access to her medical records from a former doctor, whom Williams said she has since fired, which are being used to justify the guardianship petition. Williams ended the video by asking, "Please let me have access to my money."
Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins had 10 substances in his system when he was found dead in Bogota, according to NBC News. The office of the Attorney General of Colombia tweeted that a preliminary toxicology test found substances including opioids, benzodiazepines, tricyclic antidepressants and THC, the psychoactive compound in marijuana. The office did not rule on the cause of death, and said that investigation is ongoing and results will be released after they are obtained.
Todrick Hall talked with Entertainment Tonight about his controversial gameplay while on Celebrity Big Brother, according to out.com . "I'm happy with the game I played," he said. "I wish that the personal statements wouldn't have been said. I wish I wouldn't have crossed into a personal level. But I don't regret being on the show and I've learned a lot from it." Hall recently put out his first statement on the season, saying it was "the most difficult thing" he's ever done and thanking fans for standing behind him.
The CW has renewed several of its most prized scripted originals, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Returning for the 2022-23 broadcast cycle are: All American (season five), The Flash (season nine), Kung Fu (season three), Nancy Drew (season four), Riverdale (season seven), Superman & Lois (season three), and Walker (season three). All American ranks as The CW's most-watched series, while a pickup for The Flash was expected after star Grant Gustin agreed to a new deal to return for what sources say could be an abbreviated final season of the DC Comics drama.
Harry Hamlin (Mad Men) has signed on for a series regular role in the AMC series Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches and for a supporting role in the film 80 for Brady, per Deadline. The former series is based on Rice's Lives of the Mayfair Witches trilogy; it focuses on an intuitive young neurosurgeon who discovers that she is the unlikely heir to a family of witches.
A suspect in the death of Broadway singing coach Barbara Maier Gustern was charged with manslaughter, Deadline noted. Lauren Pazienza, 26—of Port Jefferson, Long Island, New York—turned herself in to New York police. Gustern, 87, was heading toward a cab outside her Chelsea apartment on the evening of March 10 when she was pushed to the ground from behind. Gustern suffered severe head trauma and soon went into a coma. Gustern—a singer and vocal coach whose students included Blondie's Debbie Harry, avant-garde performer Diamanda Galas and the cast of Daniel Fish's acclaimed 2019 Broadway revival of Oklahoma!—was a longtime fixture on the downtown cabaret scene.
Amanda Bynes' conservatorship has been terminated, coming to end after nearly nine years, Variety noted. Bynes, who rose to fame as a child actor on Nickelodeon's All That in the '90s and then starred in a slew of hit movies in the early 2000s, has been under a conservatorship since 2013. In 2013, the former child star's parents, Rick Bynes and Lynn Organ, originally petitioned the court for a conservatorship when their famous daughter allegedly set a driveway on fire and was hospitalized on an involuntary psychiatric hold. In 2014, her mother was granted a full conservatorship, becoming her official conservator.
Josh Flagg shared that he is dating a mystery man two weeks after announcing his divorce from husband Bobby Boyd, per Page Six. "I was not looking to date anybody because I was married," he told People Magazine. "We never went on a date until after Bobby and I left our marriage." Flagg has reportedly been living at the Beverly Hills Hotel—where he wed Boyd in 2017—since breaking up with the Versace and Calvin Klein model-turned-real estate agent.
Heroes actress Hayden Panettiere is "OK" after she and on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson brawled with patrons at the Sunset Marquis hotel in Los Angeles after he criticized an unknown individual for tipping poorly, Page Six noted. Hickerson served jail time last year after pleading no contest to two felony counts of injuring a spouse or girlfriend: Panettiere.
Moses J. Moseley, an actor from The Walking Dead, died in January, and now his cause of death has been revealed, per Extra. TMZ obtained a copy of his death certificate, which says the 31-year-old died from a "gunshot wound to the head," adding that he "shot self with intent unknown." For now, his manner of death is still "undetermined"—meaning officials don't know if the gunshot was accidental or intentional.
