Netflix renews ‘Cobra Kai’ for Season 5

shutterstock_1446546812

Netflix announced that it has renewed Cobra Kai for a fifth season; season 4 of the series will premiere on the streaming service this December.

Production on Season 5 will begin this fall in Atlanta, where all four previous seasons have filmed. Netflix previously announced that Season 4 of Cobra Kai will reintroduce Thomas Ian Griffith as Terry Silver, the villain from ‘The Karate Kid Part III.’

Cobra Kai premiered on YouTube in 2018, and moved to Netflix after two seasons. William Zabka, Ralph Macchio and Martin Kove reprise their roles from the Karate Kid movies. Johnny Lawrence (Zabka) reopened the Cobra Kai dojo, reigniting his rivalry with Daniel LaRusso (Macchio).  New students, including Johnny and Daniel’s teenaged kids, begin training and fighting over their love triangles and high school drama. Season 3 ended with Daniel and Johnny combining their dojos to challenge John.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

‘Candyman’ sequel earns $22 million at the box office in its opening weekend

shutterstock_1675282297

Universal Pictures “Candyman,” starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, earned more than $22.3 million at the box office this weekend, despite concerns over the delta variant. Co-written by Jordan Peele and directed by Nia DaCosta, “Candyman” delves into an urban legend that believes if someone repeats “Candyman” five times in front of a mirror, that person would summon the hook-handed killer. The sequel is a follow up to the original “Candyman” in 1992.

“Candyman” took over the No. 1 spot from “Free Guy,” which scored first place at the box office the previous two weekends. The action comedy starring Ryan Reynolds as a background character in a video game, earned more than $13.5 million. In third place, “PAW Patrol” earned $6.6 million. Based on the popular kids TV show, “PWE Patrol” has garnered more than $24 million since its debut. “Jungle Cruise” placed fourth with $5 million. whioe “Don’t Breathe 2” earned $2.8 million, “Respect” starring Jennifer Hudson brought in $2.2 million and “The Suicide Squad” tallied just over $2 million.

Editorial credit: Ron Adar / Shutterstock.com

Justin Bieber becomes Spotify’s most listened to artist of all time

shutterstock_348418277

Justin Bieber has become Spotify’s most streamed artist of all time with an average of more than 83.3 million monthly listeners. The success of Bieber’s album ‘Justice,’ along with his hit single with The Kid LAROI, ‘Stay,’helped bump up his numbers on the platform.

The 27-year-old Bieber averages 8.8 million more listeners than The Weeknd, who came in second with 74.5 million. Ed Sheeran came in third with 72.4 million, while Ariana Grande once broke Spotify’s record with 82 million monthly listeners, but now receives closer to 59.8M monthly listeners.

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

Olivia Rodrigo climbs back to the No. 1 spot on Billboard 200 with ‘Sour’

shutterstock_638854699

Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour” has returned to the No. 1 album on Billboard 200 chart. “Sour,” which came out in May, rises two spots this week to claim its third time at No. 1, with the equivalent of 88,000 sales in the United States. It is only the second LP of 2021 to spend at least three times in the top spot, after a 10-week run by Morgan Wallen’s “Dangerous: The Double Album.”

BTS tops Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart this week for a seventh time with “Butter.” Doja Cat’s “Planet Her” holds at No. 2, Lil Baby and Lil Durk’s “The Voice of the Heroes” is No. 3 and Wallen’s “Dangerous” is No. 4. The Chicago rapper G Herbo’s new “25” opens at No. 5 with the equivalent of 46,000 sales, including 61 million streams.

Editorial credit: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com

Netflix picks up ‘Manifest’ for fourth and final season

shutterstock_1705156861

Netflix announced on Twitter over the weekend that it has renewed the sci-fi drama Manifest for a fourth and final season.  NBCs had announced back in June that it would not be making more episodes of the show, which follows passengers of a plane who arrived more than five years after they took off, but in possession of mysterious super powers. The fourth season on Netflix will consist of 20 episodes.

Showrunner Jeff Rake said in a statement: “What started years ago as a flight of fancy deep in my imagination has evolved into the jet engine journey of a lifetime. Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned the worldwide outpouring of love and support for this story, its characters, and the team who work so hard to bring it all to life. That we will be able to reward the fans with the ending they deserve moves me to no end. On behalf of the cast, the crew, the writers, directors, and producers, thank you to Netflix, to Warner Bros., and of course to the fans. You did this.”

The cast of Manifest includes Melissa Roxburgh, Josh Dallas, Athena Karkanis, J.R. Ramirez, Luna Blaise and Jack Messina.

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

Legendary actor Ed Asner dies at age 91

shutterstock_1414076801

Hollywood legend Ed Asner has passed away at age 91. Asner’s death was confirmed by his family on his Twitter account Sunday morning in a statement which read: “We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you.”

Asner, a seven-time Emmy-winner, is the most decorated male performer in Emmys history; he received the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2001, and is also the winner of five Golden Globe Awards.

Asnwer was best known for playing Lou Grant on both The Mary Tyler Moore Show as well as the TV series Lou Grant. He was also the former president of the Screen Actors Guild. His other notable works include Roots, Elf, Up, CSI: NY, The Good Wife, and Rich Man, Poor Man; recently, the actor appeared in guest roles on hit shows like Modern Family, Grace and Frankie, Dead to Me, and Cobra Kai.

Asner is survived by his four children: twins Matthew and Liza, daughter Kate, and son Charles.

Ed Asner Dead: ‘Mary Tyler Moore Show,’ ‘Elf,’ & ‘Up’ Star Passes Away At Age 91

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com

Liam Payne to release the song ‘Sunshine’ from the Disney film ‘Ron’s Gone Wrong’

shutterstock_1645141195

Liam Payne will release the single “Sunshine,” featured in the upcoming Disney film ‘Ron’s Gone Wrong,’ which is set to hit theaters this fall. In addition to being featured on the film’s soundtrack, Payne voices a character in the film.  Payne shared in a statement: “I am such a big fan of Disney, so to be working on this is a dream come true. I can’t wait for you all to hear ‘Sunshine’ and to see “Ron’s Gone Wrong.” It has been a lot of fun!”  Check out the trailer for “Ron’s Gone Wrong” – here.

Ron’s Gone Wrong follows the story of a socially awkward schoolboy named Barney and Ron, a walking and talking digital device designed to be its owner’s best friend with the occasional malfunction. The former One Direction member joins a star-studded cast which also features Zach Galifianakis, Jack Dylan Grazer, Olivia Colman, Ed Helms, Justice Smith, Rob Delaney, Kylie Cantrall, Ricardo Hurtado, Marcus Scribner, and Thomas Barbusca.

To pre-order Payne’s single ‘Sunshine’ head here.

Editorial credit: Tom Rose / Shutterstock.com

Take a look at the trailer for Billie Eilish’s concert film ‘Happier Than Ever’

shutterstock_1638674035-3

Disney+ released a new trailer for Billie Eilish’s upcoming concert special Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles.  This will be Eilish’s second film of the year, following Apple TV+’s documentary Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry.

In this official trailer, Eilish can be seen performing her new album Happier Than Ever in full at the Hollywood Bowl with help from her brother and collaborator Finneas, the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic as conducted by Gustavo Dudaeml and Brazilian guitarist Romero Lubambo.

Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles was co-directed by Robert Rodriguez (Sin City, Spy Kids) and Oscar-winner Patrick Osborne (Wreck-It-Ralph, Bolt).   Eilish will perform renditions of her Happier Than Ever hits like “NDA,” “my future,” “Your Power,” “Therefore I Am,” and “Lost Cause.”

Check out the trailer for Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles here.

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com

‘Game of Thrones’ star Jacob Anderson cast as lead in ‘Interview with the Vampire’

shutterstock_739634020

Game of Thrones actor Jacob Anderson — who played Grey Worm — has been cast in a leading role in AMC’s adaptation of Anne Rice’s Gothic vampire novel Interview With the Vampire. Anderson will play Louis, a young man who is seduced into the world of the undead by the amoral vampire Lestat (played by Sam Reid). The casting will reunite Anderson with GoT director Alan Taylor, who is helming the show’s first two episodes.

Anderson has previously appeared in Showtime’s Episodes, The Mimic and Broadchurch, plus was recently announced for a recurring role in the upcoming season of Doctor Who.

Interview With the Vampire is expected to air on AMC in 2022, and will launch a franchise universe based on Rice’s novels.

Editorial credit: Jaguar PS / Shutterstock.com

‘Downton Abbey’ sequel film gets official title and March 2022 release date

shutterstock_126181781

Focus Features announced on Twitter that the second ‘Downton Abbey’ movie will be called ‘Downton Abbey: A New Era.’  The film, set for theatrical release on March 18, 2022, will continue the saga of the wealthy Crawley family and those who serve them at their English country estate. Downton creator Julian Fellowes wrote the screenplay and My Week with Marilyn director Simon Curtis is helmed it.

The Downton Abbey franchise began as an ITV/PBS drama series in 2010, and ended its six-season run in 2015. The show’s original stars Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle and Joanne Froggatt returned for a big-screen follow-up in 2019, and will return for the sequel. In addition, Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West have been added to the cast.

Editorial credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com