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Monday, Jul. 29, 2019

Scorsese visits Osage Nation ahead of filming

In this Friday, July 26, 2019 photo provided by the Osage News, film director Martin Scorsese, left, meets with Osage Nation Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear in Oklahoma. Scorsese is directing an upcoming adaptation of "Killers of the Flower Moon," by David Grann, about the 1920s slayings of wealthy Osage tribal members after the discovery of oil on their land. (Cody Hammer/Osage News via AP)

PAWHUSKA, Okla. (AP) --

Director Martin Scorsese has visited Oklahoma and met with the principal chief of the Osage Nation to discuss filming his upcoming adaptation of "Killers of the Flower Moon."

The Tulsa World reported that Scorsese and others involved in the film met with Principal Chief Geoffrey Standing Bear and other Osage representatives for about two hours to discuss how the movie will accurately portray the tribe's culture, history and language.

The movie is an adaptation David Grann's nonfiction book "Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI." It documents the 1920s slayings of wealthy Osage tribal members after the discovery of oil on their land.

Standing Bear said Scorsese told him Robert DeNiro will play cattleman William Hale. Leonardo DiCaprio is also set to star.

Sunday, Jul. 28, 2019

Anne Hathaway: "Modern Love" role gave her more compassion

Gary Carr, from left, Anne Hathaway, Cristin Milioti and Daniel Jones participate in the Amazon Prime Video "Modern Love" panel at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour on Saturday, July 27, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

LOS ANGELES (AP) --

Anne Hathaway says playing a bipolar character in Amazon's new series "Modern Love" affected her emotionally long after she wrapped the role.

Hathaway plays Terry Cheney, a woman navigating romance with bipolar disorder, in an episode of the anthology. The series, based on The New York Times' column of the same name, debuts Oct. 18.

At a Television Critics Association meeting Saturday, Hathaway said the role gave her a heightened compassion for people with mental illnesses who can't walk away once the cameras stop rolling. She said she hopes telling stories like Cheney's will open up the conversation surrounding mental illness.

After reflecting on her role, Hathaway lightened the mood when she was asked how she feels about her newly announced second pregnancy.

"How do you think?" she replied, smiling.

Saturday, Jul. 27, 2019

50 Cent: "Power" being overlooked by Emmys is racial

Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson participates in the Starz "Power" panel at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour on Friday, July 26, 2019, in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)

By Jonathan Landrum Jr., Entertainment Writer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) --

50 Cent said he thinks "Power" being overlooked by the Emmys over the years was racial despite the success of popular Starz series that has a prominently black cast.

"I like to say it's racial. That's the easy way to get out of things," said the rapper and executive producer of the series during a panel discussion Friday at the Television Critics Association Press Tour. "People who are running and connected to these ceremonies are not necessarily cool people."

After 50 Cent's comments, "Power" creator Courtney Kemp — who accompanied him on stage — sarcastically said "So now, we'll never get one."

"Power" stars Omari Hardwick as a man who's trying to leave behind his life as a drug kingpin and go legit. The series has become one of Starz's most popular shows, but the popularity of the series hasn't translated into Emmy nominations.

50 Cent said he experienced being overlooked before during his music career, especially when his More

Friday, Jul. 26, 2019

Mary J. Blige to star in first of several "Power" spinoffs

In this June 23, 2019 file photo, Mary J. Blige arrives at the BET Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) --

The end of the hit Starz series "Power" is the beginning of several planned spinoffs, the first featuring Mary J. Blige.

The Grammy-winning singer and actress said the announcement was probably the most exciting thing that would happen to her this year.

Blige's casting in the new show, titled "Power Book II: Ghost," was announced Friday at a TV critics' meeting.

"I have been a fan of 'Power' forever," said the singer, who was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress and original song for her work on the Netflix film "Mudbound."

"It's so relative to how I grew up," she added. "I'm so grateful to be a part of this."

"Power" executive producers Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and Courtney A. Kemp said the spinoff is intended to be part of a collection of new shows inspired by the world of "Power."

Naturi Naughton, who stars in the series as Tasha St. Patrick, said Blige will be a great element to the More

Friday, Jul. 26, 2019

Streep to receive Toronto Film Festival's first acting award

This Dec. 8, 2014 file photo shows Meryl Streep at the premiere of "Into The Woods" in New York. Streep will be the first recipient of an acting award bestowed as part of the Toronto International Film Festival. The festival’s organizers announced Friday, July 26, 2019, that Streep will receive the inaugural TIFF Tribute Actor Award during a Feb. 9 charity gala. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

TORONTO (AP) --

Meryl Streep will be the first recipient of an acting award bestowed as part of the Toronto International Film Festival.

The festival's organizers announced Friday that Streep will receive the inaugural TIFF Tribute Actor Award during a Feb. 9 charity gala. The glitzy fundraiser will support the festival's year-around efforts to promote films and the industry's leading creators.

The actress is the most nominated actor in Academy Award history and has won the Oscar three times.

The award is separate from honors bestowed on films shown at the September festival. Its People's Choice Award frequently becomes an Oscar best picture contender.

Streep stars in Steven Soderbergh's upcoming Panama Papers film "The Laundromat" with Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas. The film will have its North American premiere at TIFF.

Friday, Jul. 26, 2019

Twitter reports strong user growth

This July 9, 2019, file photo shows a sign outside of the Twitter office building in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) --

Twitter reported surprisingly strong second-quarter user numbers and revenue Friday, even as it eliminates robotic and fake accounts on its platform.

On that front, the social media messaging service said instances of suspicious behavior and spam dropped by 18% during the second quarter.

But Twitter's push to cut down on fake accounts costs money, and its adjusted profit fell 36% to about $37 million, or 5 cents per share. At the same time, revenue surged 18 percent, to $841 million, far better than the $829 million that Wall Street was looking for, according to a survey by FactSet. In April, Twitter had forecast revenue of $770 million to $830 million for the quarter.

Twitter's daily user base rose 14% to 139 million, an increase of 5 million users. Analysts were expecting 134.7 million daily users.

The San Francisco company started disclosing its daily user base earlier this year. These are users who log into the site at More

Friday, Jul. 26, 2019

NBC's "Will & Grace" reboot to end in 2020 after 3 seasons

This March 17, 2018 file photo, Sean Hayes, from left, Megan Mullally, Eric McCormack and Debra Messing attend the 35th Annual Paleyfest "Will & Grace" in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

LOS ANGELES (AP) --

"Will & Grace" is coming to an end, again.

NBC said Thursday that the rebooted sitcom will wrap after its upcoming 2020 season, with the air date to be announced.

"Will & Grace" was part of a wave of revivals when it returned to TV in 2017. The third and final season will include 18 episodes.

When the comedy first aired, from 1998-2006, it was a groundbreaker for its depiction of gay friends Will and Jack, played by Eric McCormack and Sean Hayes.

Debra Messing and Megan Mullally also starred in the original and the reboot, which followed a much-viewed 2016 election-themed reunion video.

In a joint statement, the new show's producers said they consulted with the cast in deciding to bring "Will & Grace" to a close.

Thursday, Jul. 25, 2019

Comcast tops profit estimate as it adds broadband customers

This Jan. 24, 2019, file photo shows a Comcast truck in Pittsburgh. Comcast Corp. continued to add internet customers while dropping video subscribers in the second quarter. The company’s profit slipped but a key earnings measure topped Wall Street expectations. Shares were flat in morning trading Thursday, July 25. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar, File)

By Tali Arbel, Technology Writer

NEW YORK (AP) --

Comcast Corp. continued to add internet customers while dropping video subscribers in the second quarter. The company's profit slipped but a key earnings measure topped Wall Street expectations. Shares were flat in morning trading Thursday.

The Philadelphia-based cable company said Thursday that it added 209,000 broadband customers and lost 224,000 video ones as people continued "cutting the cord," a yearslong industry trend. Revenue in its cable division rose thanks to the gain in internet customers. Comcast also raised prices.

The company is launching its own streaming service next year amid a flood of new competitors from Disney, Apple and AT&T as traditional TV customers shrink and ratings fall. It is pulling "The Office" from Netflix to support its own service.

In its NBCUniversal division, which includes the NBC broadcast network, cable networks like Bravo and MSNBC, theme parks and film studios, revenue slipped, pulled More

Thursday, Jul. 25, 2019

HBO chief skeptical about another "Big Little Lies" season

In this Wednesday, May 29, 2019 file photo, executive producers Reese Witherspoon, left, and Nicole Kidman attend the premiere of HBO's "Big Little Lies" season two at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York. HBO programming chief Casey Bloys said that he's looking at the possibility of another season of "Big Little Lies" with skepticism. Bloys told a TV critics' meeting Wednesday, July 24, 2019, that he doesn't see an obvious story to pursue for a third season. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

By Lynn Elber, Television Writer

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) --

The future of "Big Little Lies" is as uncertain as the legal fate of the Monterey Five.

HBO programming chief Casey Bloys says he's taking a cautious approach to pursuing another season.

"You have to approach these things skeptically, to make sure that something doesn't get done just to get done. You should have a high bar for it, and I think everybody involved does," he said in an interview Wednesday.

Earlier, he told a TV critics' meeting that he doesn't see an obvious story to pursue for a third season.

But he called the show's cast and creators "extraordinary," and said if they're enthusiastic about an approach to a new story line he'd be open to considering it.

When the series ended last Sunday, the five women who harbored a dark secret were seen heading into their California seaside town's police station. Based on their skyrocketing stress levels, it looked like a confession was ahead — and maybe another season More

Wednesday, Jul. 24, 2019

Actor Rutger Hauer, of "Blade Runner" fame, has died at 75

This Jan. 19, 2013 file photo shows actor Rutger Hauer at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Hauer, who specialized in menacing roles, including a memorable turn as a murderous android in "Blade Runner" opposite Harrison Ford, has died July 19 at his home in the Netherlands. He was 75. (Photo by Victoria Will/Invision/AP, File)

By Mark Kennedy, Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) --

Dutch film actor Rutger Hauer, who specialized in menacing roles, including a memorable turn as a murderous android in "Blade Runner" opposite Harrison Ford, has died. He was 75.

Hauer's agent, Steve Kenis, said Wednesday the actor died July 19 at his home in the Netherlands.

Hauer's roles included a terrorist in "Nighthawks" with Sylvester Stallone, Cardinal Roark in "Sin City" and playing an evil corporate executive in "Batman Begins." He was in the big-budget 1985 fantasy "Ladyhawke," portrayed a menacing hitchhiker who's picked up by a murderer in the Mojave Desert in "The Hitcher" and won a supporting-actor Golden Globe award in 1988 for "Escape from Sobibor."

Filmmaker Guillermo del Toro in a tweet called Hauer "an intense, deep, genuine and magnetic actor that brought truth, power and beauty to his films." Gene Simmons, the KISS bassist who starred opposite Hauer in "Wanted: Dead or Alive," described his former co-star as " More