Music Observer

Minions: The Rise of Gru Exceeds Top Gun, Taking the Biggest July 4th Opening Title

There was a box office tie last week. However, the results are evident this weekend as Minions: The Rise of Gru takes the top spot at the domestic and worldwide box office.

The fifth Despicable Me film grossed around $105 million in three days and is expected to gross $127.9 by the end of the July 4 weekend.

Worldwide, Minions: The Rise of Gru grossed $93.7 million, bringing its three-day international total to $202 million.

Minions: The Rise of Gru brings another domination as the highest-grossing animated movie franchise, which Despicable Me has earned since 2017. It might also take the title as the all-time highest July 4th opening – if the estimates hold, it will exceed Transformers: Dark of the Moon in 2011.

Read Also: Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and Elvis Cast Give Details of the Making of the Movie

Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick, in its sixth week, is still above the clouds, decreasing only 14 percent from last week for an expected four-day earning of $32.5 million. The much-awaited sequel is estimated to top $570 million by the end of the holiday weekend. 

Elvis, directed by Laz Luhrmann, paved its way into the third spot, decreasing 36 percent from its first week in release, gaining $19 million more than three days and is expected to take another $2 million on the Fourth, taking its two-week sum to an estimated $70 million. 

Completing the top 5 list in its fourth release week is Jurassic World Dominion, gaining an estimated $19 million more than four days for a domestic box office through Monday of $335 million. 

Finally, The Black Phone by Ethan Hawke sits at number 5. The film too in about $14.6 by the end of the holiday weekend, taking its two-week sum to nearly $50 million.

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Moira Stuart Snags Honorary Degree from Northumbria University

Moira Stuart, a British broadcasting legend and one of the most well-known faces on TV was given an honorary degree from Northumbria University.

When Stuart became the first black newscaster in BBC Radio, she had been on air for three years. Three years later, it was when British television saw her anchor their national news segment. 

The prestigious university has awarded a Doctor of Letters to Stuart.

The 72-year-old TV presenter stated that her career enabled her to “shift barriers” and “change so many stagnant stereotypes.”

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In her acceptance speech for her new doctorate at a graduation service in Newcastle, Stuart stated: “I’m so moved by this honor, I’m deeply indebted to [the university’s] grace and generosity.”

Stuart’s career at the BBC began in the 1970s as a production assistant for radio programs, including Talks and Documentaries. She went on to be a BBC Radio 4 announcer, newsreader, and programme presenter.

Stuart presented nearly every kind of News bulletin for 40 years.

Previously, she has been made a CBE and OBE for services to media and been given honorary doctorates from the University of Edinburgh and Canterbury Christ Church University.

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Filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and Elvis Cast Give Details of the Making of the Movie

With countless wild experiences expected from this film, one particular scene takes viewers deeper into the story of Elvis Presley.

Director Baz Luhrmann and cast Austin Butler, Tom Hanks (in his signature accent), and Olivia DeJonge brought back some memories for us when they appeared on the latest EW’s Around The Tables series. 

They discussed their experience recreating the opening night – July 31, 1969 – of the iconic run of Elvis Presley at the Las Vegas International Hilton. 

“We’re sitting in those glorious booths, and I’m amongst 200 extras – I’ve got my five hours of preparation on, but everybody’s waiting for him,” Hanks recalls, pointing to Butler.

“We were waiting for you, and the electricity of what we were shooting that day and the opulence of the set. And when it finally occurred, we all felt: There he is.” 

“The curtain came up, and the music was blaring like crazy,” Hanks added. 

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“We did it many times that day, but every time that curtain came up, we all felt the same way: There he is. We could not take our eyes off him, and essentially, we got to see an Elvis show over and over again, and not once did it flag. That’s one of the most exciting days I’ve had on a movie in a long time.” 

Luhrmann reveals that on one of the most unbelievable days in his life while filming Elvis – which could be considered a career-making moment.

He was observing the extras go ballistic with thrill while seeing Butler as Elvis perform. Finally, however, it was the reply of a person among the crew member he has collaborated with for more than 30 years that sank it in. 

“He goes, ‘Boss, I’ve worked on your Star Wars, and I’ve done your Superman, done The Thin Red Line. But what’s going here? I’ve never seen anything like this,” Luhrmann reveals. 

“He’s like, ‘I’d pay money to be here.’ And I thought, ‘those extras would pay money to be here. They had the golden Willy Wonka ticket.”

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The Duffer Brothers Reveals Initially Killing One More Character in Stranger Things 4

Stranger Things 4 has led to the deaths of favorite (and non-favorite) characters, like Hellfire Club president and metalhead Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) and Dr. Martin Brenner (Matthew Modine).

Apparently, another character narrowly escaped the same fate.

Matt and Ross Duffer, the show’s creators, said the written script saw that Enzo (Tom Wlaschiha), the Russian jailer turned sidekick to police chief Jim Hopper (David Harbour), couldn’t get out of the Kamchatka.

“In terms of who makes it, who lives or dies, I think there was a version where Dimitri, a.k.a. Enzo, didn’t make it,” Matt said in an interview with Collider. 

A shady character at first, Enzo helps Hopper out of the heavily guarded prison. No heart, though – it’s all about the money. He’s allied with a grumpy pilot named Yuri (Nikola Djuricko), who betrays her and lowly Joyce (Winona Ryder) and Murray (Brett Gelman) for the money.

Enzo befriends Hopper after he is exposed as a traitor and thrown behind bars with his American pal.

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“He ended up making it,” Matt said of the character. “But that’s [the most] radical of a departure from the original idea versus what we ended up with.” 

Ross continued that it’s uncommon for them to drift away from the original scripts. 

“When we’re breaking a season, that is one of the first things we’re talking about is, ‘Where do we want this story to end up?’ So, the ending is always that goalpost. Even as we’re breaking episode one, we know exactly where we’re going. I don’t think we’ve deviated truly in any season for the finale; we’ve always stuck to it. I believe the case is the same here.” 

Previously, the Duffer Brothers unveiled that they already have an idea of how the upcoming fifth and final season will conclude – they’re just not exactly sure how to reach there. So we can only expect one thing: Season 5 will be set entirely in Hawkins, after a season 4 that also saw California and Russia. 

“We wanna go back to a lot of the things we did in season 1,” Matt told Happy Sad Confused on Monday. “A lot of the original groupings and pairings that we had in season 1 – there’s something nice about coming full circle.” 

Regarding the ending, Ross stated: “While a lot of season 5 is actually pretty blurry, the last 30 minutes of it are pretty clear in our heads. So, if we can make the journey entertaining, I think that we have an end that will hopefully satisfy. You can’t satisfy everyone, but the hope is that it’s something that feels right for this story.”

They added that Eddie’s death would bring “huge repercussions” among the survivors. And although Max is alive, they said, she’s “brain dead, blind, and all of her bones are broken.”

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Kris Jenner Talks About Her Tight Schedule, Being Part of Her Kids’ Businesses

To say the least, Kris Jenner is one of the busiest stars in the entertainment industry.

The businesswoman wakes up every day around 4 am in silk pajamas. (Because she considers 5 am to be too late.) Then he does Pilates, takes a bath, answers emails, and then starts solving problems that come with managing various big shots, aka her children.

She’s quick to boast the myriad offerings that make up the Kardashian-Jenner empire.

“You know, the girls have so many different businesses from Kylie Cosmetics to Skims, to Good American, to Kim’s new skincare line and 818 and Poosh – it’s all, you know, always evolving,” she states. 

The night before, she had dinner for Kim’s skincare brand, SKKN, she says, “which was beautiful.” 

In line with the family’s entrepreneurial efforts, which are supported by their E! reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians and a host of other spin-offs, being Kris Jenner isn’t easy these days, and keeping up with Jenner isn’t easy too.

Now she is even promoting her team up with Amazon Glow, a child-friendly technology that she believes will help her play and video chat with her many grandchildren.

“I get to have quality time and do things with the grandkids that I can’t do when I can’t see them in person,” she states, further saying that it aids in creating a “meaningful connection.” 

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Jenner confesses the days are long, and production can be “very, very time consuming,” especially with the making of Season 2 of Hulu’s The Kardashians quickly approaching.

However, she states, “I’m in love with the show.” 

“You do get to experience the sort of business side and the personal side, and then you get to see what each one of us is up to singularly, which I think is important,” she continues. 

As all the meetings and filming are packing her time, Jenner says she sometimes misses a call or two from her children. 

“Decline?” she responded, laughing when asked if she had ever clicked the “ignore” button on a call from one of her offspring during business hours. “Well, it depends on the day.”

But when it comes to her grandchildren, she makes a huge exception. 

“I would never ignore a call from my grandkids. That would probably stop me in my tracks, and I wanna deal with whatever they’re up to and get in some Lovey [her grandmother nickname] time,” she stated. 

“I might ignore a call from the kids, but it’s probably 99.9 percent of the time I’ll pick it up.” 

She further said: “Sometimes if I’m on a Zoom, it’s a little bit easier to answer via text, you know what I mean? I was in a meeting yesterday, and I picked up the phone. I had to walk out of the room a couple of times when Kylie called. So, you know, you never know who’s got what going on.”

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Three Songs Released Under Michael Jackson’s Name Pulled Out from Streaming Services

Michael Jackson’s songs have been removed from streaming platforms due to concerns that his vocals were fake.

These three songs, “Monster,” “Keep Your Head Up,” and “Breaking News,” are all part of the posthumous compilation album, Michael, released in 2010. They were sued by a fan claiming the voice is from a session singer.

Sony Music and Jackson’s estate stated that their removal from streaming services doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t authentic.

They call the measure “the simplest and best way to move beyond the conversation associated with these tracks once and for all” in a statement. “The focus remains where it belongs – on the exciting new and existing projects celebrating Michael Jackson’s legacy,” such as MJ, the Broadway musical, and a newly-revealed biopic. 

“The album’s remaining tracks remain available,” the statement added. “Nothing should be read into this action concerning the authenticity of the tracks – it is just time to move beyond the distraction surrounding them.” 

They call the measure “the simplest and best way to move beyond the conversation associated with these tracks once and for all” in a statement. “The focus remains where it belongs – on the exciting new and existing projects celebrating Michael Jackson’s legacy,” such as MJ, the Broadway musical, and a newly-revealed biopic. 

“The album’s remaining tracks remain available,” the statement added. “Nothing should be read into this action concerning the authenticity of the tracks – it is just time to move beyond the distraction surrounding them.” 

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Released in 2010, Michael was the first album of outtakes and unheard music released after Jackson’s death from a propofol overdose in 2009.

Long before the album hit stores, the icon’s family doubted that he had played all the songs.

“I tried so hard to prevent this craziness, but they wouldn’t listen,” said a tweet from Jackson’s nephew, Taryll. “It doesn’t sound like him,” said La Toya, Jackson’s sister. 

In response to the allegations, Sony said in a statement that it had “complete confidence in the results of our extensive research, as well as the accounts of those who were in the studio with Michael, that the vocals… are his own.” 

During its release, the Michael album’s back cover stated: “This album contains nine previously unreleased vocal tracks performed by Michael Jackson. These tracks were recently completed using music from the original vocal tracks and music created by the credited producers.” 

But fans grew suspicious about three specific songs after hearing the music. 

According to the official story, Jackson wrote and recorded the songs with the production team Edward Cascio and James Porte in 2007. However, gossip continued to spread, saying that the vocals were from an American singer named Jason Malachi, who reportedly claimed credit for them in a Facebook post in 2011.

Read Also: Billie Eilish and Finneas Secures Invitation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

Christian Bale Discloses his Unawareness of What the MCU Was

Christian Bale reveals he had no idea what the Marvel Cinematic Universe was before signing on for Thor: Love and Thunder.

The actor, who makes his official debut in the MCU as Gorr the God Butcher in Marvel’s new installments of the Thor franchise, shared that sentiment with Total Film Magazine.

When queried whether he had any doubts about portraying another comic book character after his role as Batman, Bale answered: “Absolutely not, no,” he stated. “That didn’t even enter into my head at all. I’d read that, and people would go, ‘Oh, look at this! He’s entered the MCU!” he added.

Bale added, “And I’d go, ‘I’ve done what? I haven’t entered s—, thank you very much.’ I’m like, ‘The MCU?’ I had to ask what that was.” 

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Bale discussed the role with filmmaker Taika Waititi, who considered incorporating a dance number highlighting the stylings of Kate Bush, who is currently gaining momentum after her recent spotlight.

“There’s obviously sort of a Nosferatu slight attitude,” Bale stated. “Taika and I wanted to do a whole dance, which we didn’t get to do, but we had all this sort of Kate Bush stuff that we worked at. But I think he just realized he was never going to be allowed to put that in the final film.” 

Bale also revealed that he was mistaken to google the comic character. 

“You sort of go, ‘I know that he does.’ It’s right there in the name, isn’t it?” he stated. “But I did make the mistake of googling him and, oh no! [In the comics] he runs around in a G-string all the time. And I thought, ‘They don’t have the right man for that.’” On the bright side, Waititi did nix the G-string. 

“But I always did think what he could do with this in front of a blue screen,” Bale said. “He could chuck on whatever he wants later on.”

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Billie Eilish and Finneas Secures Invitation from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences

The talented songwriting team of Billie Eilish and Finneas have been invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

The list of invitees to this year’s Academy Awards was released on Tuesday, and it includes 397 people, including actors, directors, musicians, producers, film editors, and more. 

Eilish and Finneas were in the lead in the music category of invitees after they earned the Oscar for Best Original Song for “No Time to Die.” The win made Eilish the youngest person to snag the “triple crown” of film music with “No Time to Die”: an Oscar, Grammy, and Golden Globe.

In the music industry, composers Hesham Nazih, Ariel Rose Marx, Jacobo Lieberman, Nathan Johnson, Natalie Holt, Leo Heiblum, Lili Hadyn, and Amie Doherty are also invited to participate in the Academy. 

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Meanwhile, other individuals from other categories count actors Troy Kotsur (CODA), Jamie Dornan (Belfast), Arian DeBose (West Side Story), and Anya Taylor-Joy (Last Night in Soho), writer-directors Sian Harries Heder (CODA) and Ryusuke Hamaguchi (Drive My Car). 

Eilish made music history at the Glastonbury festival last weekend as she became the youngest artist to headline the fest. 

“As ever, Billie’s greatest strength has been embracing the road less well-trodden and bringing the weirdness into the mainstream, not watering it down for the general public,” said Thomas Smith of NME, giving a four-star review of her Pyramid Stage performance. 

“Tonight’s show felt like proof that the future is here, and Glastonbury’s future remains rock-solid for the next half-century if they continue to trust their guts and push things forward.” 

Ahead of the performance, Eilish was interviewed by NME for the cover story last week, admitting that she feels “so honored to be a part of” the festival.

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BET Awards 2022 Winners: Doja Cat, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs, Lizzo, and Many More

The BET Awards are back and better than ever.

This year’s awards show will be hosted by Taraji P. Henson, who also anchored this event last year. She appears in her gig alongside some other exceptional talent ranging from film and music to television sports; it’ll take place at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday evening.

Doja Cat is a force to be reckoned with. Her album of the year, video of the year, Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, and Best Female Hip Hop Artist led her to six nominations for this prestigious award show.

Sean “Diddy” Combs received the Lifetime Achievement Award with a star-studded roster of friends honoring the producer/artist, like Mary J. Blige, Jodeci, Nas, Lil’ Kim, Busta Rhymes, the Lox, Bryson Tiller, and Faith Evans. 

Lizzo headlined the BET Awards with a flute and sported a stunning disco ball to play her song “About Damn Time.” Then, Janelle Monae performed on stage, handing a special shout-out to “all the gays in the house” and presenting a “f— you” to the Supreme Court ahead of announcing the first award for the evening, Best Female R&B/Pop Artist to Jazmine Sullivan. 

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Check out this list of winners from the BET Awards: 

Album of the Year

WINNER: An Evening With Silk Sonic, Silk Sonic

Back of My Mind, H.E.R.

Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, The Creator

Certified Lover Boy, Drake

Donda, Kanye West

Heaux Tales, Mo’ Tales: The Deluxe, Jazmine Sullivan

Planet Her, Doja Cat

Best Female R&B/Pop Artist

Ari Lennox

Chlöe

Doja Cat

H.E.R.

WINNER: Jazmine Sullivan

Mary J. Blige

Summer Walker

Best Male R&B/Pop Artist

Blxst

Chris Brown

Givēon

Lucky Daye

WINNER: The Weeknd

Wizkid

Yung Bleu

Best Female Hip Hop Artist

Cardi B

Doja Cat

Latto

Megan Thee Stallion

Nicki Minaj

Saweetie

Best Male Hip Hop Artist

Drake

Future

  1. Cole

Jack Harlow

Kanye West

Kendrick Lamar

Lil Baby

Best Group

Silk Sonic

Chlöe X Halle

City Girls

Lil Baby & Lil Durk

Migos

Young Dolph & Key Glock

Best Collaboration

WINNER: “Essence,” Wizkid Feat. Justin Bieber & Tems

“Every Chance I Get,” DJ Khaled Feat. Lil Baby & Lil Durk

“Family Ties,” Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar

“Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat Feat. SZA

“Way 2 Sexy,” Drake Feat. Future & Young Thug

“Whole Lotta Money” (Remix), Bia Feat. Nicki Minaj

Best New Artist

Baby Keem

Benny the Butcher

WINNER: Latto

Muni Long

Tems

Yung Bleu

Video of the Year

“Family Ties,” Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar

“Have Mercy,” Chlöe

“Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat Feat. SZA

“Pressure,” Ari Lennox

“Smokin Out the Window,” Silk Sonic

“Way 2 Sexy,” Drake Feat. Future & Young Thug

Video Director of the Year

Anderson .Paak a.k.a. Director .Paak

Benny Boom

Beyoncé & Dikayl Rimmasch

Director X

Hype Williams

Missy Elliott

Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award

“All in Your Hands,” Marvin Sapp

“Come to Life,” Kanye West

“Grace,” Kelly Price

“Hallelujah,” Fred Hammond

“Hold Us Together (Hope Mix),” H.E.R. & Tauren Wells

Jireh, Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music

WINNER: “We Win,” Lil Baby X Kirk Franklin

BET Her

“Best of Me (Originals),” Alicia Keys

WINNER: “Good Morning Gorgeous,” Mary J. Blige

“Have Mercy,” Chlöe

“Pressure,” Ari Lennox

“Roster,” Jazmine Sullivan

“Unloyal,” Summer Walker & Ari Lennox

“Woman,” Doja Cat

Best International Act

Dave (U.K.)

Dinos (France)

Fally Ipupa (Democratic Republic of the Congo)

Fireboy Dml (Nigeria)

Little Simz (U.K.)

Ludmilla (Brazil)

Major League Djz (South Africa)

Tayc (France)

WINNER: Tems (Nigeria)

Best Movie

Candyman

King Richard

Respect

Space Jam: A New Legacy

Summer of Soul

The Harder They Fall

Best Actor

Adrian Holmes, Bel Air

Anthony Anderson, Black-Ish

Damson Idris, Snowfall

Denzel Washington, The Tragedy of Macbeth

Forest Whitaker, Respect | Godfather of Harlem

Jabari Banks, Bel Air

Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us

Will Smith, King Richard

Best Actress

Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

Coco Jones, Bel Air

Issa Rae, Insecure

Jennifer Hudson, Respect

Mary J. Blige, Power Book II: Ghost

Queen Latifah, The Equalizer

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary

Regina King, The Harder They Fall

WINNER: Zendaya, Euphoria | Spider-Man: No Way Home

YoungStars Award

Akira Akbar

Demi Singleton

WINNER: Marsai Martin

Miles Brown

Saniyya Sidney

Storm Reid

Sportswoman of the Year Award

Brittney Griner

Candace Parker

Naomi Osaka

Serena Williams

Sha’carri Richardson

Simone Biles

Sportsman of the Year Award

Aaron Donald

Bubba Wallace

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Ja Morant

LeBron James

Stephen Curry

Lifetime Achievement Award

Sean “Diddy” Combs

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Kate Bush Secures World Record with ‘Running Up That Hill’

Kate Bush might want to hug and kiss Netflix, or she might have already done that.

According to a report from Guinness World Records, the singer has already broken three world records with her song “Running Up That Hill,” which is featured in the latest season of Stranger Things.

Bush currently bags the records the longest for a song to peak at number 1 on the UK Official Singles Chart; the oldest female artist to top the official UK singles chart at No. 1; and the longest gap between the No. 1 spots on the Official UK Singles Chart.

The record holder, followed by Bush-Cher, who took the top spot in 1998 at the age of 52 with her “Believe,” tweeted to congratulate the singer.

Read Also: Kate Bush Thankful to the Duffer Brothers for Bringing Her Song Up the Charts

“Bravo Kate, Records Are Meant 2 Be Broken!! Remember Back In The Day, When Women Had SHORT SELL BY DATES!?” Cher wrote on Twitter. “We Had 2 Fight Our Way Through The Testosterone Curtain, & We Did it So The Girls Who Came After Us Could Sing As Long As They Want To. With Mega Respect.” 

Bush also took to her website to express her gratitude to Netflix and thank Stranger Things for using the song in a key plot point that saved Max (Sadie Sink).

“It features the song, ‘Running Up That Hill,’ which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show – I love it too!” she said in the note. “It’s all really exciting!”

Stranger Things released its two final episodes of season 4 on July 1, now available on Netflix.

Read Also: Kate Bush Expressed her Gratitude to Stranger Things Fans After Blowing Up her Song