‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ casts Michaela Coel in sequel

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“I May Destroy You” creator and star Michaela Coel has been cast in Marvel Studios’ upcoming “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” According to Variety, Coel joined the production at Atlanta’s Pinewood Studios, where director Ryan Coogler started production last month. Other cast members include returning stars Letitia Wright, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke and Angela Bassett.

Coel, 33, was nominated for a 2021 Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie for her HBO series, which fictionalized her experience as a sexual assault survivor. Her prior credits also include the series “Chewing Gum” and “Black Mirror,” as well as the 2017 film “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

The “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” will premiere in theaters on July 8, 2022.

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’13 Reasons Why’ star Tommy Dorfman comes out as a trans woman

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“13 Reasons Why” star Tommy Dorfman is reintroducing herself as a trans woman. In a Time magazine interview published Thursday, Dorfman — who played Ryan Shaver in the Netflix series — revealed that she has been “privately identifying and living as a woman.”

“Today is about clarity: I am a trans woman. My pronouns are she/her. My name is Tommy,” Dorfman said, adding that she has officially undergone a medical transition as well. Dorfman, who previously used they/them pronouns, noted that being public about her transition for the first time a “beautiful” process. Dorfman also revealed that she will not be changing her name in order to honor her namesake, “an uncle who held me as he was dying.” Tommy noted that it isn’t a “transition” in the sense that she is going somewhere, but “this is an evolution of Tommy. I’m becoming more Tommy. Just that I am actually myself.” She added that she will no longer take on any male roles – something that made her “feel really uncomfortable” – and will instead “infuse my trans body into film and television.”

Dorfman also took to Instagram to share her gratitude, saying: “Thrilled to reintroduce myself as the woman i am today. Thank you to all the trans woman (sic) that showed me who i am, how to live, celebrate myself, and take up space in this world.”

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Taylor Swift will not submit ‘Fearless (Taylor’s Version)’ for consideration at Grammy and CMA Awards

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Taylor Swift will not be submitting her re-recorded Fearless (Taylor’s Version) for Grammy and CMA Awards consideration. However the 31-year-old Swift will be placing her ninth studio album ‘Evermore’ up for nomination in each eligible class.

Swift re-recorded her 2008 second studio album after Scooter Braun bought Big Machine Records which held the rights to her first six albums in 2019. In a press release to Billboard, a Republic Records consultant stated: ‘After cautious consideration, Taylor Swift won’t be submitting Fearless (Taylor’s Version) in any class at this year’s upcoming Grammy and CMA Awards. Fearless has already received 4 Grammys together with album of the year, in addition to the CMA Award for album of the year in 2009/2010 and stays probably the most awarded nation album of all time.’

In 2020, Swift launched two new albums, folklore and Evermore. Folklore received Album Of The Year on the Grammys this previous March; yhe companion album, Evermore, launched in December 2020 and is eligible for the 2022 Grammys.

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Ariana Grande releases live performance of ‘Off The Table’ with The Weeknd

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The Weeknd and Ariana Grande have collaborated once again for the Vevo official live performance of “off the table.” The singers previously worked together on a remix of “Save Your Tears.”

Ahead of its release, The Weeknd took to Instagram earlier this week to reveal that the video was dropping soon. “Ari 🤍 @vevo off the table tomorrow,” he captioned a still from the music video on Tuesday.

Grande also shared a sneak peak, writing, “Last but not least ….. 🤍 @vevo off the table – wednesday @theweeknd. positions – thursday🌿.”

“Off the Table” was released as the fifth track on Grande’s album, Positions, which came out last October. Check out the live performance of “off the table” – here.

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First trailer for Ridley Scott’s ‘The Last Duel’ is released featuring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer and Ben Affleck

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The first trailer for Ridley Scott’s period drama “The Last Duel” has been released, featuring Matt Damon, Adam Driver, Jodie Comer and Ben Affleck.

The Last Duel is based on the book by Eric Jager, and has Affleck portraying King Charles VI and Damon as knight Jean de Carrouges, who must settle a dispute with Jacques LeGris (played by Driver), over sexual assault claims made by Damon’s wife, played by Comer.

The movie, produced by 20th Century Studios, had been in production for over a month in March 2020 when it was shut down amid the Covid-19 outbreak.  The movie is now set to open in theaters October 15.

Take a look at the trailer for The Last Duelhere.

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Former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein pleads not-guilty to 11 counts in Los Angeles Court

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Harvey Weinstein pleaded not guilty in a Los Angeles courtroom Wednesday to four counts of rape and seven other sexual assault counts. The 69-year-old was brought into court in a wheelchair by sheriff’s deputies, wearing a brown jail jumpsuit and face mask. Attorney Mark Werksman entered the plea one day after Weinstein was extradited to California from New York, where he was serving a 23-year prison term.

Weinstein’s charges involve five women and span from 2004 to 2013, said to have taken place in the hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles that the New York-based Weinstein would make his headquarters for Hollywood business. Weinstein pleaded not guilty to four counts of rape, four counts of forcible oral copulation, two counts of sexual battery by restraint and one count of sexual penetration by use of force, charges that together could bring a sentence of 140 years. The women were not named in the charging documents.

A New York jury found Weinstein guilty of rape in 2013 and sexual assault in 2006 at his Manhattan apartment; he is appealing that conviction, seeking a new trial. Weinstein maintains his innocence and contends that any sexual activity was consensual.

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BTS replaces themselves at No. 1 with “Permission To Dance”

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“Permission To Dance” from BTS has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, replacing themselves at the top spot by knocking off their previous single “Butter,” which dropped to No. 7 after seven weeks at No. 1. Permission To Dance, co-written by Ed Sheeran, marks the group’s fifth Hot 100 No. 1 since September 2020, following “Butter,” “Life Goes On,” “Savage Love (Laxed — Siren Beat),” and “Dynamite,” the latter of which was nominated for a Grammy.

BTS also just announced the Permission To Dance challenge in collaboration with YouTube Shorts. From July 23- Aug. 14, fans can post their own 15-second YouTube video dancing along to the track’s iconic choreography- with the hashtags #PermissionToDance and #Shorts. The group will feature their favorite clips in an upcoming compilation video.

You can check out the video for Permission to Dancehere.

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Lorde shares new song “Stoned at the Nail Salon”

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Lorde has shared her second single, “Stoned at the Nail Salon” from her upcoming album Solar Power. The song, co-produced with Jack Antonoff, features background vocals from Phoebe Bridgers, Clairo, Marlon Williams, and James Milne.

Solar Power, Lorde’s third album, is out August 20. You can take a listen to “Stoned at the Nail Salon” – here.

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Netflix drops teaser for new thriller series ‘Clickbait’ featuring Adrian Grenier

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Netflix shared a teaser trailer for the new thriller series ‘Clickbait,’ featuring Adrian Grenier as Nick Brewer, described as ‘a loving husband, father and brother.’ In the preview, Nick’s seemingly perfect life is called into question after he is captured and held hostage. He appears in a video while holding signs that read, “I abuse women” and “At 5 million views I die.”

Zoe Kazan co-stars as Nick’s sister, Pia Brewer, with Betty Gabriel as Nick’s wife, Sophie Brewer. “Clickbait” follows Pia and Sophie as they rush to find and save Nick while processing the accusations against him. The show explores “the ways in which our most dangerous and uncontrolled impulses are fueled in the age of social media, revealing the ever-widening fractures we find between our virtual and real-life personas.

Clickbait premieres Aug. 25 on Netflix. You can check out the teaser trailer: here.

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Watch the trailer for Johnny Knoxville’s ‘Jackass Forever’

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The trailer for the upcoming movie ‘Jackass Forever’ was released, set to open in theaters on October 22.

The original crew, consisting of Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Dave England, Wee Man, Danger Ehren, Preston Lacy – as well as newcomers Jasper, Rachel Wolfson, Sean “Poopies” McInerney, Zach Holmes, and Eric Manaka – are back for the new movie.

According to the official synopsis: “Celebrating the joy of being back together with your best friends and a perfectly executed shot to the dingdong, the original jackass crew return for another round of hilarious, wildly absurd, and often dangerous displays of comedy with a little help from some exciting new cast.”

Watch the trailer for “Jackass Forever” at the link – here.

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