Zendaya’s ‘Challengers’ tops box office… “This Is Us” podcast… Richie Sambora is upset… Kanye West faces a racial discrimination lawsuit… and Britney Spears & her father settle dispute

Listen to “Showbiz – Apr 29, 2024” on Spreaker.

 

Zendaya’s tennis romance drama Challengers easily won the box office, taking in $15M in its opening weekend. This movie was actually supposed to open in time for last year’s awards season, but those plans were thwarted because of the SAG-AFTRA strike. During the strike, actors weren’t allowed to do any press. Producers knew Zendaya’s social outreach — which includes 184M IG followers — would play a huge part in getting butts in the seats, so they decided to wait. Good call, because we got to see some fabulous red-carpet fashion from Zendaya and Challengers is No. 1. The faith-based movie Unsung Hero opened in second with $7.8M, which was way ahead of expectations. It’s based on the true story of David Smallbone, whose successful music company in Australia collapsed so he moved his family to the US in search of a brighter future. Along the way, David and his wife began to realize the musical talent of their seven children, three of whom would become successful Christian artists — Rebecca St. James and for KING + COUNTRY. Godzilla x Kong finished in third place with $7.2M, which — along with Kung Fu Panda — crossed the $500M mark at the global box office.

The podcast J-Si didn’t know he needed…..From 2016 to 2022, hearts were ripped from chests during each and every episode of This Is Us. And now, Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown and Chris Sullivan are teaming up for a This Is Us rewatch podcast. That Was Us launches on May 14. Mandy, Sterling and Chris will take a deep dive into the lives of the Pearsons, reliving every heart-wrenching moment, discussing the loss, grief, love, blending families, body issues, sibling rivalry, terminal illness, miscarriage, racism, adoption, relationships, and substance abuse suffered by one or all of them. They’ll also share behind-the-scenes stories and interview fellow cast mates, fans and surprise guests.

It’s been 11 years since Richie Sambora just stopped showing up for Bon Jovi concerts. He was going through a lot of personal issues, but there were a lot of feelings to sort through. Jon Bon Jovi insists he’s all good and that Richie is welcome to pick up his guitar and re-join the band at any time. In fact, he said Richie recently came out and watched the first three episodes of Thank you, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story, which is now airing on Hulu. But a source told People says Richie’s not seeing things exactly the same way. The source said, “Richie flew out to see Jon and brought him a birthday present — a really nice guitar — but they screened Jon’s documentary instead. Richie left after the third episode because he was sick and tired of what he was seeing. He didn’t like the way he was being cast. He disagrees with how they framed his departure from the band and to him, the currency of happiness is more important than the currency of money.”

In celebrity lawsuit news, one of Kanye’s former security guards is suing him for discrimination and wrongful termination. Benjamin Deshon Provo worked for as Kanye’s security guard in 2021 before being moved to Donda Academy and the Yeezy brand warehouse. He claims that Kanye discriminated against him and other Black employees, paying them less and treating them unfairly compared to white employees. Provo said Kanye fired him for refusing to cut off his dreadlocks, which he wears as part of his Muslim faith. He’s seeking damages for discrimination, retaliation, labor code violations, and more. He also hopes to prevent Kanye from operating educational schools for minors in California. In other news, a judge has ruled that Travis Scott must face a jury trial in the Astroworld lawsuits. Just like Drake, Travis hoped he would be dismissed from the billion-dollar civil litigation over the 2021 disaster, which resulted in 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries. Travis was denied. The trial is set to begin May 6 in Houston. This is a civil trial, not a criminal one. Last year, a grand jury declined to indict Travis and 5 others in connection with the Astroworld tragedy.

TMZ was first to report that Britney Spears settled her conservatorship case with her father Jamie Spears on Friday. Shockingly, Jamie isn’t paying Britney one thin dime, but Britney is on the hook for her estranged father’s legal bills. And according to TMZ, those bills total more than $2M. Her attorney Matthew Rosengart gave Page Six a statement making it sound like Britney was cool with all this. He said, “Although the conservatorship was terminated in November 2021, her wish for freedom is now truly complete. As she desired, her freedom now includes that she will no longer need to attend or be involved with court or entangled with legal proceedings in this matter.” A source also told Page Six, “Although he was ready to go to trial, Rosengart acted upon her wishes, and she’s thrilled it’s all resolved.” But TMZ’s source says that is NOT true and Britney is livid. The source said Rosengart assured Britney they had a solid case against her dad, but after paying him over $4M in attorney’s fees, she’s got to fork over another couple million to pay for her dad’s legal fees!!

 

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