CHRISTOPHER NOLAN'S “TENET” NOW DELAYED UNTIL AUGUST
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood's plan for a big July reopening — will come no sooner than August. One of the two big blockbusters theaters hoped would lure movie fans back to the multiplex has been pushed back. And the second blockbuster is said to be on shaky ground to make its July release date. Warner Bros. says it will delay Christopher Nolan's “Tenet,” which had been due out July 31. The new date is Aug. 12. Warner gave no reason for the delay but it comes amid a surge of reported cases of COVID-19, especially in areas that had eased restrictions on people being out and about. Meanwhile the other big hit theaters had pinned their hopes on is said to be on the verge of retreating from its July 24 release date. Disney hasn't said anything officially about the fate of “Mulan." But with the number of cases in many states on the upswing, no one should be surprised if it gets pushed back, too.
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DISNEY RE-IMAGINING SPLASH MOUNTAIN'S RACIST TIES TO "SONG OF THE SOUTH""
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — You don't have to be all that “woke” to know that officials at Disney have misgivings about the 1946 movie “Song of the South." It hasn't been re-released in theaters for decades, it was never released on video or DVD in the U.S. — and isn't offered on the new Disney Plus streaming channel. Now, Disney is cutting its last public tie-in to the movie; it's changing the Splash Mountain theme park ride to rid it of vestiges of the film. From the get-go, “Song of the South" has been criticized for its racist portrayal Blacks and its romanticizing of slavery. Recently there have been calls for Disney to ditch references from the movie from Splash Mountain. But in announcing its decision to revamp the log plume ride, Disney said yesterday it was planning the move last year. The ride will now focus on “The Princess and the Frog," the 2009 film featuring a Black female lead.
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DIXIE CHICKS DROP THE “DIXIE” FROM THEIR NAME
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Before The Dixie Chicks changed their name, they covered their bases. The Grammy-winning country group has dropped the word “Dixie” from their name — and will now be known as The Chicks. The move comes after Lady Antebellum ditched “Antebellum" from their name, opting for Lady A, which fans have been calling them all along. In making their change, the Dixie Chicks did their due diligence, avoiding a problem Lady A had with its change. Lady A learned that another performer — who's Black — had long been performing under that name. The two Lady A's have resolved their beef. Before the Dixie Chicks ditched their name, they found The Chicks was already being used by a New Zealand band — and got their blessing before going public with the change.
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NYC JUDGE TOSSES TRUMP'S BROTHER'S EFFORT TO DISMISS NIECE'S TELL-ALL BOOK
NEW YORK (AP) — The publisher of a book written by a niece of President Donald Trump says it's “delighted" with a court ruling that rejects a move to block the tell-all. A New York City judge dismissed a motion by Trump's brother Robert to keep the book from being sold. The win by Mary Trump and Simon & Schuster may not be the final judicial word on the matter. In dropping the case, the judge said he did so because his court doesn't have jurisdiction over the matter — so it's possible the effort could be revived elsewhere. The president and his brother claim the niece signed a deal preventing her from writing about the family's business. The book carries the title “Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man.” It's to be released next month.
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By Oscar Wells Gabriel II