Activists React to Hollywood's Silence During Depp-Heard Trial

►"Where are you and why are you not supporting Amber Heard?" At the height of the Time's Up movement, stars rallied in support of women during high-profile cases against the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Bill Cosby. THR's Rebecca Keegan writes that the absence of such solidarity today, particularly during the fractious Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial, has some #MeToo proponents worried about the future of the movement. The story.

—"It’s like the Roman Colosseum." Amber Heard’s attorney suggests a Virginia jury didn’t believe her client’s abuse claims because of social media. Elaine Bredehoft spoke to NBC’s Today to slam the outcome of Johnny Depp’s defamation lawsuit against Heard. Bredehoft, who confirmed Heard plans to appeal the verdict, said the non-sequestered jury could not have escaped the bombardment of Twitter, Instagram and TikTok posts attacking her client. The story.

Making of Peacock's 'Girls5eva'

►More songs and crazier costumes. THR's Tyler Coates goes inside the second season return of Peacock's breakout comedy hit Girls5eva. The show’s creatives explain how they bring together its vibrant, colorful and over-the-top world in a season that sees the reunited turn-of-the-millennium girl group go for broke with a new album. The story. 

—Can't stop, won't stop. HBO has picked up a fourth season of comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show. The renewal comes a few weeks after the conclusion of season three. Starring and created by Robin Thede, the series earned Emmy nods for best variety sketch series for each of its first two installments. The story.

—Cut above. Apple TV+ is adding to the star-studded cast of its drama The New Look. John Malkovich, Emily Mortimer and Claes Bang have signed on to the series, which chronicles the Paris fashion world at the end of World War II and the rise of designer Christian Dior. Ben Mendelsohn is playing Dior; the cast also includes Juliette Binoche and Maisie Williams. The story.

—Puntastic. Fox has handed out a script commitment to Felonious Monk, a drama based on the novel by William Kotzwinkle. Written by Michael Brandon Guercio (Treadstone, Code Black), the drama revolves around a disgraced cop with anger issues-turned-monk who returns to his hometown to take care of his dead uncle’s outstanding business debts, and suspects foul play. The story.  

—"We reject defendant’s arguments." A New York appeals court on Thursday affirmed the conviction of Harvey Weinstein for rape and sexual assault, turning down his bid to overturn the decision based on arguments that the trial was stacked against him. In a unanimous decision, a five justice appellate panel of the New York Supreme Court backed the trial judge’s rulings that Weinstein claimed were procedurally improper and unfair. The story. 

The Hollywood Bowl At 100

►"There’s no place like it." Gwen Stefani, H.E.R., Eric Idle, Audra McDonald and more stars share with THR's Kirsten Chuba their all-time favorite moments at the iconic amphitheater, which hosted its first L.A. Philharmonic performance in 1922. The story. 

—💯💯💯 After a scaled-back 2021 schedule, the Hollywood Bowl returns for its centennial season with a dazzling calendar. The Bowl’s centennial schedule kicks off June 3 with Gwen Stefani and the L.A. Philharmonic. The lineup. 

—Thank you for being pretend. The Golden Girls kitchen is coming to Los Angeles. Bucket Listers, a company that creates experiences based on IP, is launching an “immersive homage” based on the classic sitcom. The “officially licensed” kitchen is slated to debut in July and will feature “a fully functioning restaurant and bar,” described as fast-casual with an emphasis on desserts, obvs. The story.

—Almost there. Almost Famous, a musical adaptation of Cameron Crowe’s 2000 film, announced a Broadway run starting Sept. 13. The musical, which features a book and music by Crowe, has scheduled an opening night for Oct. 11. The run will take place in a Shubert theater, but the exact theater has not yet been announced. The story. 

Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone On Pushing Comedy Forward 

►"For comedies, budgets keep getting lower, and we’re still expected to compete." THR's Seija Rankin spoke to longtime collaborators — and husband-and-wife team — Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone on their new slate of funny shows, including the soon-to-drop Netflix series God’s Favorite Idiot, the state of comedy right now and why they’re pushing back against the studio squeeze. The interview. 

—Dial it back. A month into his tenure at CNN, CEO Chris Licht is beginning to make changes to the news channel. In a memo to staff, Licht updated employees on hiring and organizational structure, and discussed some new editorial priorities and tweaks. One that viewers at home will immediately notice: CNN is cutting back on its use of the “Breaking News” banner. The story.

—No fear. Christopher Landon, the writer-director behind horror hits Happy Death Day and Freaky, has been tapped to write and direct Amblin’s remake of Arachnophobia. James Wan and his Atomic Monster cohort Michael Clear are producing the feature project along with Amblin, while Frank Marshall will exec produce. The story.

—Laters, gators. As most of its Marvel counterparts on Disney+ have done, Moon Knight posted its best viewing time figures for the week of its finale, according to Nielsen rankings for May 2-8. Netflix’s Ozark, meanwhile, spent another week atop the charts, far outdistancing anything else. The streaming rankings. 

TV Review: 'The Boys' S3

►"As gleefully brutal as ever, with (slightly) more heart." THR TV critic Angie Han reviews season three of Amazon Prime Video's The Boys. In the latest season of the irreverent superhero series, the gang discovers that Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), the very first Supe, might hold the key to stopping Homelander (Anthony Starr) for good. The review. 

—"Hoop dreams realized." THR's chief film critic David Rooney reviews Jeremiah Zagar's Hustle. Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah and NBA player Juancho Hernangómez star in this inspirational drama from LeBron James' SpringHill about a struggling Philly pro basketball scout betting everything on an unknown talent. The review. 

—"A mostly winning charmer." THR film critic Sheri Linden reviews Craig Roberts' The Phantom of the Open. Mark Rylance and Sally Hawkins star in a comic drama based on the true story of a British man who made sports history as the world’s worst golfer. The review.

Thank Pod It's Friday    

►All the latest content from THR's podcast studio.

—TV's Top 5. Lesley Goldberg and Dan Fienberg break down the latest TV news. The guys begin by running through the headlines, including the major cast departures from Fear of the Walking Dead, The Handmaid's Tale and Law & Order. They preview all the big TV shows coming up in June and also Austin's ATX TV Festival. P-Valley creator and showrunner Katori Hall drops by for a chat. And Dan reviews The Boys, This Is Going to Hurt, Irma Vep, P-Valley and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Listen here. 
 
—Awards Chatter. Awards analyst Scott Feinberg talks to the great and the good of Hollywood. In this episode, Scott speaks to Sarah Jessica Parker. The star reflects on how her career changed after Steve Martin cast her in L.A. Story, why 25 years ago she was reluctant to play Carrie Bradshaw on Sex and the City and what it has been like to revisit the character more than a decade later — this time with diverse costars, but without Kim Cattrall.  Listen here.

In other news...

—Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe drops film trailer for Paramount+ summer release

—MTV Movie & TV Awards to feature Elvis song performance from Diplo, Swae Lee

—Vox Media union takes next step toward potential strike

—Queen Latifah reveals the gift Adam Sandler bought for her after Hustle premiere

—KC Carthew’s dystopian pic Polaris to open Fantasia Film Festival

—Lionsgate promotes Suzy Feldman to exec vp worldwide TV marketing

—Visual Effects Society exec director Eric Roth to retire

—Isidoro Raponi, mechanical effects expert on E.T., King Kong and Alien, dies at 76

What else we're reading...

—Taylor Lorenz on the worrying trend of content creators and influencers moving into breaking news that was seen so clearly during the Depp-Heard trial [WaPo]

—Critic James Poniewozik reflects on the enduring quality and legacy of The Wire [NYT]

—Natalie Hope McDonald answers questions and provides background on Nipsey Hussle’s murder trial, which began this week [Vulture]

—Catherine Thorbecke on Sheryl Sandberg's complicated legacy at Facebook [CNN]

—And here's your Friday list (although I low-key think all their songs sound the same): "The National’s 20 best songs – ranked!" [Guardian]

Today...  

...in 1988, director Penny Marshall brought Tom Hanks and Big to theaters, where the film eventually grossed $150 million worldwide and became a pop culture classic. The review. 

Today's birthdays: Jason Jones (49), Anderson Cooper (55), Imogen Poots (33), Penelope Wilton (76), James Purefoy (58), Suzie Plakson (64), Anne Winters (28), Louis Partridge (19), Tate Taylor (53), Clive Mantle (65), Suzi Quatro (72), Arianne Zucker (48), Maddison Jaizani (27), Pico Alexander (31), John Dykstra (75), Peter Thorwarth (51)