“Empire” actor attacked in hate crime.
Jussie Smollett, of FOX’s “Empire,” was brutally attacked while walking in Chicago early Tuesday morning. As a recognizable and outspoken voice in the LGBT community, the attack has sparked a conversation on social media regarding the safety of entertainers inside the industry. “Empire” has paused production on its fifth season until further notice. (Variety)
“Black Panther,” “Mrs. Maisel,” “This Is Us” win at silver anniversary SAG Awards.
The Screen Actors Guild aired its 25thawards ceremony Sunday night. This year’s most-talked-about actors won big, including Glenn Close for “The Wife,” Rami Malek for “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Emily Blunt for “A Quiet Place,” and Mahershala Ali for “Greenbook.” (Backstage)
“Rent: Live” was not so live.
The night before FOX’s “Rent: Live” was scheduled, actor Brennin Hunt (Roger) suffered an injury mid-rehearsal. Unlike a typical Broadway performance, there were no understudies to step in and as it became evident Hunt would not be able to perform, producers decided to air the recorded Saturday night dress rehearsal instead of a live performance. (Variety)
Mindy Kaling is shaking up Sundance.
Mindy Kaling came to Sundance ready to raise the bar and she did just that with a $13 million bid from Amazon Studios for her film, “Late Night.” Previously, “The Big Sick” (also purchased by Amazon Studios) held the Sundance record at $12 million. Starring Kaling and Emma Thompson, the film’s production also featured a crew equal numbers of men and women. (Deadline)
“Black Panther” returns to theaters for Black History Month.
In honor of Black History Month, Disney announced it will re-release “Black Panther” in theaters for free for the month of February. Announced after the film’s ensemble won Best Cast at the 2019 SAG Awards, film pundits are wondering if this is a final effort by Disney to further campaign for the film in this year’s Oscar race. (Variety)
Criterion to launch its own streaming service.
For those of you still mourning the loss of FilmStruck, rejoice: Criterion’s streaming service is imminent. The entire Criterion Collection will be available on their own dedicated streaming service starting in April. Users can pay $10.99/month or $99.99/year. (Vulture)