‘Girls5eva’ Leads On Highlighting Women in Their 40s

►”Gonna be famous 5eva, cuz 4ever’s too short.” Girls5eva stars Renée Elise Goldsberry, Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps and Paula Pell sat down with THR‘s Lesley Goldberg for a wide-ranging discussion about their roles as 40-something pop stars looking for a comeback, while also reflecting on their own personal journeys in the entertainment business. The conversation. 

—The end is nigh. Pacific Theatres Exhibition Corporation has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy to liquidate its remaining assets for its creditors, the company said on Friday. The story.

—Going back to the Wells. Wells Adams is headed back to the Bachelor in Paradise beach. The resident bartender of The Bachelor franchise’s summer spinoff series will return for season seven in an expanded role. The story.

Lakers vs. Lakers

►Dueling streamers. Netflix has gone straight to series on an untitled workplace comedy inspired by the front office of the NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers. Team president Jeanie Buss is attached to exec produce the Mindy Kaling-produced workplace comedy that is inspired by the 17-time NBA champion’s family owners and front office.

Netflix’s project comes on the heels of HBO’s untitled scripted drama about the Lakers. Created by Adam McKay, and starring John C. Reilly as Jerry Buss, HBO’s drama focuses on the team’s historic 1980s “Showtime” squad. The story.

—Messy. John Legend tweeted on Friday that direct messages between fashion designer and former Project Runway contestant Michael Costello and Chrissy Teigen, in which she allegedly bullied him, are “fake.” The story.

—“I roll with Thede.” Robin Thede and Gabrielle Union on improvising the “Black Table Talk” sketch in A Black Lady Sketch Show and the pivotal platform the groundbreaking comedy offers Black actresses. The interview.

Soderbergh’s ‘No Sudden Move’

►”A skilled craftsman doing what he does best.” THR‘s chief film critic David Rooney runs the rule over Steven Soderbergh’s No Sudden Move, which stars Don Cheadle and Benicio Del Toro as crooks in 1954 Detroit involved in a document theft that grows increasingly tricky in this nimble neo-noir premiering on HBO Max. The review.

—Killer Kate. Amazon Studios has nabbed the Kate Beckinsale action-comedy Jolt, from Hysteria director Tanya Wexler, ahead of next week’s Cannes Virtual Market. The project sees Beckinsale play a badass bouncer with anger-management problems. The story.

‘Loki’ Suggests a ‘Doctor Strange’ Line Is Key to MCU’s Future

►”I see a scheme. And in that scheme, I see myself.” The second episode of Loki dropped on Wednesday but if you’re still wondering about the implications, Richard Newby looks at the TVA’s links to the multiverse as the show’s ties to the MCU become more apparent. The deep dive.

—Hiding in plain sight. Bumper Loki coverage in today’s newsletter! Graeme McMillan takes a look at how Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s character Ravonna Renslayer has connections to fan-favorite bad guy Kang the Conqueror, who is set to debut in Ant-Man 3. The story.

—Selling a trickster. Disney studios marketing head Asad Ayaz on dreaming up mischievous ways to engage fans over the six-week run of Loki and resuming the promo push for Black Widow after delays due to the pandemic. The interview.

In other news…

—Bowen Yang delights in Fran Lebowitz’s disapproval of his SNL impression.

—Taylor Swift’s next album to be Red (Taylor’s Version).

—Cheeky Kim Kardashian magazine cover censored by supermarket.

—Basquiat biopic newly remastered in black and white on its 25th anniversary.

—Lou “The Hulk” Ferrigno takes a (not so subtle) shot at the MCU.

—Annie Ilonzeh to star in NBC’s drama pilot Getaway.

—Asian auteurs Apichatpong Weerasethakul and Jia Zhangke talk collaboration and pandemic experiences.

—Drag Race winner on crafting distinctive fashion in the competition series that “changed the world.”

—Netflix, Spotify need to offer “more and more services” to avoid churn, Liontree CEO says.

—Kim Cattrall is not traveling to space on Artemis-1 but she did go to NASA space camp.

What else we’re reading…

—”Consolidation May Be Coming to a Screen Near You” [Wall Street Journal]

—”The Beatles: Get Back—An Exclusive Deep Dive Into Peter Jackson’s Revelatory New Movie” [Vanity Fair]

—”Demon Slayer: The Viral Blockbuster from Japan” [New Yorker]

—”How Hollywood’s Box Office “Parlor Game” Hurts Movies Like In The Heights.” [Los Angeles Times]

—”How the F9 Team Sought Justice For Han And Shaped the Franchise’s Future” [Los Angeles Times]

—”Why Straight Actors Playing Gay Are No Longer Automatically Acclaimed” [The Guardian]

Today… 

… in 1987, Fred Schepisi’s comedy Roxanne hit theaters. Steve Martin, who also wrote this adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac, starred as a big-hearted, and big-nosed fire chief who falls in love with a beautiful astronomer played by Daryl Hannah. The original review.

Today’s birthdays: Yuh-Jung Youn (74), Zoe Saldana (43), Robin Tunney (49), Paul Dano (37), Aidan Turner (38), Jean Dujardin (49), Hugh Dancy (46), Paula Abdul (59), Kathleen Turner (67), Mia Sara (54)