FALL MOVIES SHUFFED BECAUSE OF CORONAVIRUS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Remember how the summer movie release schedule was torn to shreds by the coronavirus pandemic? It’s starting to happen again — this time with the fall release schedule. Warner Brothers says it has delayed several of its releases — and among them are movies that lots of people were looking forward to seeing. They include the new “Batman” movie and a prequel based on “The Sopranos” TV series. That movie is being pushed back from September to March of next year.
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119737-v-336:24-(Oscar Wells Gabriel, AP entertainment correspondent)-"I'm Oscar Wells Gabriel"-Warner Bros. delays many releases including 'The Batman' (21 Apr 2020)
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LESTER HOLT DOES KIDS’ NEWSCAST
NEW YORK (AP) — NBC's Lester Holt is doing a twice-weekly ‘kids edition’ of the ‘NBC Nightly News’ to talk to youngsters who might be anxious and curious about the coronavirus pandemic. Holt answers questions sent in from across the country and does uplifting stories about young people trying to help out. A medical expert will also be on hand. Holt says he's pulling from his experience as a father and grandparent. He hopes that kids understand that it's OK to feel a little freaked out by the experience and that adults are feeling the same way. The short reports are being offered on NBC’s YouTube channel and other digital platforms on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
MICHELLE OBAMA READING FOR KIDS
NEW YORK (AP) — Former first lady Michelle Obama is reading to kids to help them pass some time during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the “Mondays with Michelle Obama” series, she will present online video readings using the classic book “The Gruffalo.” The read-in’s are set for noon eastern time on Facebook and the PBS Kids portal on YouTube. It runs through May 11.
HBO MAX WILL LAUNCH IN A MONTH
NEW YORK (AP) — The streaming service HBO Max will launch May 27, AT&T’s WarnerMedia announced Tuesday, signalling that the so-called streaming wars won’t subside because of the coronavirus pandemic. HBO Max will be among the most expensive streaming services, at a price of $14.99 a month. But WarnerMedia is hoping a deep library of HBO hits, including “Game of Thrones” and “Succession”; DC Comics blockbuster movies like “Wonder Woman” and “The Dark Knight”; and hit TV shows including “Friends” and “South Park” will be enough to lure viewers. While stay-at-home orders have led to viewership spikes across streaming services, a record rise in unemployment will make the higher cost of HBO Max prohibitive for some.
“FRIENDS” REUNION OFFERS CHANCE TO ATTEND
NEW YORK (AP) — The big upcoming “Friends” reunion special is inviting a few extra friends — maybe you. Castmembers of the popular show have announced that five fans will get a chance to watch the reunion taping live and rub shoulders with stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer. The sweepstakes offer is being presented by The All In Challenge and all proceeds will go to No Kid Hungry, Meals on Wheels and America’s Food Fund, which benefits Feeding America and World Central Kitchen. The minimum bid is $10.
NEW ‘HUNGER GAMES’ BOOK AND MOVIE COMING
NEW YORK (AP) — The next “Hunger Games” book is coming out next month, and a movie version is now being planned. Lionsgate is working on an adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” a prequel to her three “Hunger Games” novels that will be released May 19. With movie productions halted by the coronavirus pandemic, no release date has been set for the film version. Collins' novels have sold tens of millions of copies and the film versions, which starred Jennifer Lawrence as heroine Katniss Everdeen, have earned nearly $3 billion.
LAUNCH OF MAGNOLIA NETWORK PUSHED BACK
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chip and Joanna Gaines’ Magnolia Network will be blooming late because of the coronavirus crisis. The network’s planned October launch is being pushed back because of production delays related to the COVID-19 disease. A new debut date wasn’t immediately announced. The pandemic has brought most TV and film production to a standstill. Discovery Inc.’s DIY Network will be rebranded as the Magnolia Network when the joint venture with the Gaines' company Magnolia launches. To tide viewers over, the DIY Network will air a special Sunday previewing some of Magnolia Network’s series. Among them: “Family Dinner” and the England-based remodeling series “Bespoke Kitchens.”
RELATIVES OF SOME KILLED IN BRYANT CRASH SUE
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The families of four of the people who were killed in the helicopter crash that killed Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna are heading to court. They have filed suit against the company that owned and operated the doomed chopper. The new suits join the one filed a couple of months ago by Bryant’s widow, Vanessa.
BASEBALL FANS SUE MLB OVER SEASON DELAY
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A lot of baseball fans are upset and dismayed that the baseball season hasn’t started on time because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But two — are suing. The suits were filed in Los Angeles by a man who says he bought a partial season plan for New York Mets games — and a woman who bought six tickets for a May game in New York to see the Yankees play the Red Sox. The suit, against both New York teams and Major League Baseball, demand refunds — and demand that the case be made a class-action suit. MLB, the Mets and Yankees didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
by Oscar Wells Gabriel II
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