‘Free Guy’ Still No. 1… Disney seeks arbitration… DaBaby addresses homophobic remarks… Britney Spears’ dogs have been returned… and Angelina Jolie has joined Instagram
Listen to “Showbiz – Aug 23, 2021” on Spreaker.
“Free Guy” remained the number one movie at the box office for a second week, earning another $18.8M. “Paw Patrol” debuted in second with $13M. This was really impressive because you can watch it on Paramount+ for no extra charge. “Jungle Cruise” was in third, earning another $6.2M in its fourth week of release, followed by “Don’t Breathe 2” with $5.05M and “Respect” in fifth with $3.8M. As far as other new movies this weekend, “The Protege” with Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton only managed a seventh place finish with $2.93M. And Hugh Jackman is extremely disappointed that his new movie “Reminiscence” opened in ninth place with only $2M. In his defense, it was also available on HBO Max.
Box Office: ‘Free Guy’ Still No. 1 Hero With $19M, ‘PAW Patrol’ Opens to Solid $13M https://t.co/FpWM52nRf0— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) August 22, 2021
Disney has blinked first in the legal battle brought on by Scarlett Johansson for allegedly breaking her contract. She believes her contract was breached when “Black Widow” was released on Disney+ at the same time as it was released in theaters. Scarlett was set to earn bonuses based on the box office performance, but gets nothing from the streaming views. Disney said the contract didn’t say anything about an EXCLUSIVE theatrical release, only that “Black Widow” had to show in no less than 1500 theaters. Either way, Disney has asked if they can work this out through confidential arbitration to avoid a jury trial, but Scarlett’s lawyers slammed Disney for trying to hide its misconduct, asking, “Why is Disney so afraid of litigating this case in public?”
“After initially responding to this litigation with a misogynistic attack against Scarlett Johansson, Disney is now, predictably, trying to hide its misconduct in a confidential arbitration,” Johansson’s attorney John Berlinski said in a statement https://t.co/pa1uDc8c31— Variety (@Variety) August 21, 2021
DaBaby was back on stage in New Jersey over the weekend for the first time since he made those homophobic comments a month ago in Miami. At first, he doubled down on his comments but then posted an apology, which he later took down. At the NJ concert, DaBaby opened his set with a video montage and a voiceover, where he thanked the radio station for allowing him to be there. He said, “…Hats off to y’all for that…They accepted my sincerity and all my apologies when I said I never, ever meant to offend anybody or say anything to make anybody feel any type of way live on that stage a few weeks ago….they helped the world move forward and become a better place and not dismiss people off mistakes made like we ain’t human.” After the video, DaBaby came out to perform his song “Cry Baby” and then told the crowd, “Other than the people that, you know, was truly offended, I feel like the rest of y’all (blankety-blankers) being cry babies.”
DaBaby told the crowd “I never, ever meant to offend anybody” https://t.co/Px7HpaF4pi— billboard (@billboard) August 23, 2021
Britney Spears got her dogs back on Friday! TMZ said a concerned housekeeper believed the dogs were sick and not being cared for properly. According to their source, both dogs require a special diet which wasn’t being kept. Both of the dogs were dehydrated and, allegedly, one was close to death! From what we understand, the housekeeper took photos after one of the dogs threw up and the dog sitter took the animals to the vet. Rather than return the dogs, the dog sitter kept them and nursed them back to health. Britney assumed the housekeeper had sent the photos to her dad and that he’s the one who took the dogs. That’s what led to the confrontation over the phone where Britney may or may not have hit the housekeeper. That’s still under investigation. But as for now, the dogs are back and the housekeeper is gone.
Britney Spears ‘Thrilled’ to Be Reunited with Dogs After Dispute with Employee Over Their Health: Sources https://t.co/NoMZuSOcrq— People (@people) August 22, 2021
Angelina Jolie joined Instagram on Friday and in just one hour, she became the fastest person to reach 1M followers. She broke a second record when she hit 2M in under three hours. Angelina decided to join the social media platform to speak for those who can’t speak for themselves in Afghanistan. In her first post, Angelina shared a letter she was sent from a teenage girl in Afghanistan, captioning it, “This is a letter I was sent from a teenage girl in Afghanistan. Right now, the people of Afghanistan are losing their ability to communicate on social media and to express themselves freely. So I’ve come on Instagram to share their stories and the voices of those across the globe who are fighting for their basic human rights.” Angelina continued, “I was on the border of Afghanistan two weeks before 9/11, where I met Afghan refugees who had fled the Taliban. This was twenty years ago. It is sickening to watch Afghans being displaced yet again out of the fear and uncertainty that has gripped their country. To spend so much time and money, to have blood shed and lives lost only to come to this, is a failure almost impossible to understand. Watching for decades how Afghan refugees – some of the most capable people in the world – are treated like a burden is also sickening. Knowing that if they had the tools and respect, how much they would do for themselves. And meeting so many women and girls who not only wanted an education, but fought for it. Like others who are committed, I will not turn away. I will continue to look for ways to help. And I hope you’ll join me.” In her bio, Angelina shared a link to the UN Refugee Agency website, where you can learn more and also donate.
