Mattel is developing movies… Jonas Brothers take THE TOUR global… Celebrity health… Ariana is refusing to film… and Ethan Slater’s estranged wife breaks silence

Listen to “Showbiz – July 28, 2023” on Spreaker.

 

With “Barbie” already earning over half a billion dollars worldwide in its first week of release, how can there NOT be a sequel? Robbie Brenner — who runs Mattel Films and produced “Barbie” — says, “Everybody hopes that when you create a movie that there is going to be a franchise. That’s the hope, that it goes on and on and it’s a gift that keeps giving. But, in this day and age, you just want to get the first one right.” So THAT’s about the most non answer ever. “The New Yorker” said Mattel is basically “raiding its entire toy box” to find products to turn into movies, none of which will be rated R. As of right now, Brenner said they’ve hired the screenwriter for “Cocaine Bear” to write the script for a Magic 8 Ball movie, which he says will likely be a PG-13 thriller. J.J. Abrams is working on “Hot Wheels” while Vin Diesel is attached to “Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.” Daniel Kaluuya — the British actor best known for “Get Out” — is making a Barney movie. The Polly Pockets movie is pretty far along in the movie-making process. Lena Dunham has finished writing the script and she will be directing the movie, which stars Lily Collins as Polly Pocket. Filming could begin by the end of the year or shortly after the new year.

Tickets have been selling out for all the Jonas Brothers shows, so they’ve added 50 more dates to The Tour, which has them hitting North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand well into 2024. The North American leg of The Tour kicks off Aug. 12-13 at Yankee Stadium. The JoBros have now added 27 new shows to this leg, including 5 new dates in Canada. If you’re interested in any of these dates, you can sign up for Live Nation’s Verified Fan presale starting now through Monday, July 31, at 10 pm ET. If you’re selected, you can start buying those tickets starting Thursday, Aug. 3, and then general ticket onsale begins on Friday, Aug. 4, at 10 am local time. After the North American leg of shows, The Tour heads to Australia and New Zealand from February to March, and they’ll close out the European leg of the tour from May to June. This will actually be the first time The Jonas Brothers have ever performed in Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Hamburg, Lyon, Munich and Norway!

Celebrity recovery roundup! As Madonna continues to recover from a serious bacterial infection, she posted a video to celebrate the 40th anniversary of her debut album. Dancing along to her 1983 single “Lucky Star,” Madonna captioned the video, “To be able to move my body and dance just a little bit makes me feel like the Luckiest Star in the world! Thank you to all of my fans and friends! You must be my lucky stars too! And Happy 40th Birthday to my very. First Album.” Meantime, Tori Kelly remains hospitalized after doctors discovered blood clots in her lungs and legs. She posted a handwritten letter to her fans on X (aka Twitter): “As you may have heard, I’m dealing with some unexpected health challenges. It’s been a scary few days but I can feel your prayers and can’t stop thinking about you. I’m feeling stronger now and hopeful but unfortunately, there are still some things to uncover……” Tori was supposed to have spent the past week promoting her new EP, which is out today. She said, “Of course I’m heartbroken about all of the things I had planned for this week of releasing my EP, but I know my health must come first. Until I see you again, I still want you to enjoy a project that represents the happy place I’ve been in the last few years. I won’t let this hurdle prevent the music from being yours on Friday.” And finally, Bronny James is now home resting after being released from the hospital yesterday. On Monday, 18-year-old Bronny collapsed in cardiac arrest during basketball practice at USC. Thanks to paramedics, he was awake by the time he arrived at the hospital. He spent only a brief time in intensive care, and by Tuesday, he was listed in stable condition. Cedars-Sinai Medical Group cardiologist Dr. Merije Chukumerije said in a statement that Bronny’s workup will be ongoing, but his doctors are “hopeful for his continued progress and are encouraged by his response, resilience, and his family and community support.”

It’s not exactly smooth sailing on “Vanderpump Rules.” sources say Ariana Madix refuses to film any one-on-one scenes with her ex-boyfriend Tom Sandoval. And while Ariana will film group situations, she refuses to talk to him. Actually, that’s the same case at home. They’re still living in the same house, but for the past 4 months, they haven’t spoken. They rely on intermediaries to communicate. Meantime, Rachel Leviss — she dropped Raquel — still hasn’t agreed to appear on camera. Even though she’s under contract to film, Bravo might not be able to enforce it because under California law, Rachel wouldn’t have to participate in filming if a doctor determines her mental health is at risk.

Days after news broke that Ariana Grande was having an affair with her “Wicked” co-start Ethan Slater, he filed for divorce from his high school sweetheart, Lilly Jay. Ethan insists he still wants to be an active co-parent to their 11-month-old son, and despite her world falling apart, sources say Lilly is in full agreement with that. Sources also say that Ethan has asked Lilly to issue a joint statement saying they’re both committed to co-parenting their son, but she’s been putting that off. And when Ethan expresses frustration about all the stories being leaked to gossip sites, Lilly claims she has no idea where the leaks are coming from. However, a source says they’re all coming from Lilly! In fact, Lilly herself told Page Six that Ariana is “not a girl’s girl” and said her family is the collateral damage.

 

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