It turns out Michael Jackson really wanted to play James Bond

One of the most iconic film franchises of all time almost looked quite a bit different, with news that Michael Jackson once tried to nab the title role in a James Bond movie. While most music fans are well aware of Michael Jackson’s status as one of the world’s most successful musicians, others might not be too well-versed in his acting career.
Read more: https://tonedeaf.com.au/michael-jackson-wanted-james-bond/?source=Snapzu

Merritt Wever to Star in HBO Comedy Pilot ‘Run’

Merritt Wever has been cast in the lead role of the upcoming HBO comedy pilot “Run,” Variety has confirmed. The series focuses on Ruby (Wever), a woman living a humdrum existence, one day gets a text, inviting her to fulfil a youthful pact promising true love and self-reinvention, by stepping out of her life to take a journey with her oldest flame.
Read more: https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/merrit-wever-hbo-comedy-pilot-run-1202963518/?source=Snapzu

'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Negative Buzz Amplified by Russian Trolls, Study Finds

Did Star Wars: The Last Jedi destroy the franchise and permanently rupture the fandom as its critics (melodramatically) have accused it of doing? According to a new academic paper by researcher Morten Bay, the answer is clearly no. The paper, titled Weaponizing The Haters: The Last Jedi and the strategic politicization of pop culture through social media manipulation, examines the online response to 2017’s Last Jedi, a movie that has come to be considered controversial amongst the larger fanbase of the franchise.
Read more: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/star-wars-last-jedi-was-targeted-by-russian-trolls-study-says-1148475?utm_source=twitter?source=Snapzu

Utah Must Cover $475K in Legal Fees After Losing 'Deadpool' Case

If you mess with Deadpool, you get the horns. Or, in this case, a massive fine. A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Utah to pay nearly half a million dollars in legal fees after losing a court case involving a movie theater that served alcohol during screenings of the 2016 superhero flick.
Read more: https://www.geek.com/culture/utah-must-cover-475k-in-legal-fees-after-losing-deadpool-case-1754030/?source=flipboard?source=Snapzu

Singer Charles Aznavour dies at 94

French singer and songwriter Charles Aznavour dies at the age of 94.
Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-45709214?source=Snapzu

The Comedy Master Who Hasn’t Gotten Her Due: Elayne Boosler

A new box set makes the case that the pioneering female stand-up should be considered in the same class as David Letterman and Andy Kaufman.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/30/arts/television/elayne-boosler-the-comedy-master-who-hasnt-gotten-her-due.html?source=Snapzu

Ben Johnson’s 1988 Olympic drug test contains altered lab codes and hand-scrawled revisions. And almost no one has seen it until now

The Canadian sprinter lost his gold medal 30 years ago this week after a positive test at the lab in Seoul. The Star dug up the results which are filled with bizarre notations. “If I had seen this in Seoul, I would have kept my medal.” “If I had seen this in Seoul, I would have kept my medal,” Johnson says while reading pages from the September 1988 lab report containing his drug-testing results. “If you can’t see the evidence, how can others condemn somebody?”
Read more: https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/2018/09/28/ben-johnsons-1988-olympic-drug-test-contains-altered-lab-codes-and-hand-scrawled-revisions-and-almost-no-one-has-seen-it-until-now.html?source=Snapzu