Here's the Scoop...

It looks like that tale as old as time made a ton of money! Hey, remember Beauty and the Beast from 1991? Here it is in 2017, but live-action!

The live-action fairytale Beauty and the Beast enchanted moviegoers in North America, earning $170 million in receipts this weekend, BoxOfficeMojo.com announced Sunday.

Coming in at No. 2 is Kong: Skull Island with $28.9 million, followed by Logan at No. 3 with $17.5 million, Get Out at No. 4 with $13.2 million and The Shack at No. 5 with $6.1 million.

Rounding out the top tier are The LEGO Batman Movie at No. 6 with $4.7 million, The Belko Experiment at No. 7 with $4 million, Hidden Figures at No. 8 with $1.5 million, John Wick: Chapter Two at No. 9 with $1.2 million and Before I Fall at No. 10 with $1 million.

Were you Disney's guest this weekend?

Be Well,
Steve

Comments? Questions? Nooz? Email Steve



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Legendary rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry dead at 90
Chuck Berry, whose indelible guitar riffs and famous duck walk helped define the early days of rock 'n' roll, died Saturday, police said. He was 90.

The St. Charles County, Mo., Police Department said officers responded to a medical emergency at Berry's home and found him unresponsive. Life-saving first aid treatments were unsuccessful and Berry was pronounced dead at the scene at 1:26 p.m., the department said.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer first came to stardom in the 1950s along with Elvis Presley, who many music critics have pointed out borrowed heavily from Berry's sound and brash stage presence.

Presley would hardly be the last musician to copy Berry's pioneering style.

His first hit was the single "Maybellene" in 1955, which set the standard for a career defined by spunky guitar licks and lyrics that defined life for a carefree generation of Baby Boomers in postwar America. For later generations, Berry's music is intrinsically linked to 1950s nostalgia.

"Maybellene" sold more than 1 million copies and hit No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Berry's rollicking songs like "Johnny B. Goode" and "Roll Over Beethoven" defined a genre unlike any heard before. Young people across the United States immediately flocked to the upbeat sounds, setting the stage for decades of popular music to follow, from the Beatles to Nirvana.

Berry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, the same year he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammy's.

Berry announced on his 90th birthday last year plans to release his first studio album in 37 years and continued to play live, including a standing monthly gig at a bar in his native St. Louis until the time of his death.


'Sesame Street' introduces Julia, a muppet with autism
Sesame Street is adding Julia, a muppet with autism, to its cast.

The character, who first appeared in digital and printed storybooks in October 2015, will debut on the long-running kids educational program in April.

"The big discussion right at the start was, 'How do we do this? How do we talk about autism?'" Sesame Street writer Christine Ferraro explained on 60 Minutes Sunday about introducing Julia.

"It's tricky because autism is not one thing, because it is different for every single person who has autism," he continued.

In Julia's debut episode she will display common characteristics found in those with autism. In a scene from the episode, she ignores Big Bird when first introduced to the iconic character.

"I thought that maybe she didn't like me," Big Bird says to Elmo and Abby Cadabby.

"Yeah, but you know, we had to explain to Big Bird that Julia likes Big Bird. It's just that Julia has autism. So sometimes it takes her a little longer to do things," adds Elmo. "We're pretty good at understanding people. We live with a grouch."

Julia is being portrayed by puppeteer Stacey Gordon who is the mother of an autistic son.

"Had my son's friends been exposed to his behaviors through something that they had seen on TV before they experienced them in the classroom, they might not have been frightened," she said of how Julia can help children understand autism.

"They might not have been worried when he cried. They would have known that he plays in a different way, and that that's OK."


LOOSE LIPS:
"We were always different. I was always a little bit more buttoned up, and she was always more brash and free ... I think she's brought me out of my shell a bit, and made me enjoy life a little bit more. It's been fun to grow together in that."
--John Legend, on his relationship with wife Chrissy Teigen, to PEOPLE



??? Guess Who ???
Which future Disney live-action remake film will not be a musical according to the director?


Mark Hamill posts throwback photo of his first day as Luke Skywalker
This weekend, Mark Hamill tweeted an early photo of himself dressed as Luke Skywalker on the set of Star Wars: A New Hope.

"Taken in Tunisia early morning Day #1 waiting for my 1st shot (emerging from home for robot auction)-Perhaps the very 1st #LukePic #SW," he captioned the Twitter image, which featured him standing in a desert, sporting shaggy, blonde hair and wearing a white tunic and pants, as well as a utility belt.

The science-fiction blockbuster A New Hope was released in 1977. Hamill, now 65, has since appeared in three Star Wars sequels and is set to star in this winter's Star Wars: The Last Jedi.


Dave Chappelle calls hosting 'SNL' a 'perfect storm of circumstances'
Dave Chappelle said hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest influenced his decision to host Saturday Night Live in November following the presidential election.

"It was a perfect storm of circumstances that made me do it. Lorne Michaels is a genius," Chappelle said in reference to SNL's creator and executive producer during a new interview with CBS This Morning.

"So Lorne had decided that he wanted - he was adamant that I do the slot after the election. 'I want you to do the first show after the election.' But the decisive factor had a lot to do with A Tribe Called Quest," he continued.

According to the comedian, the death of A Tribe Called Quest member Phife Dawg had brought him to a party in remembrance of the rapper at fellow member Q-Tip's home where Chappelle heard the group's final album, "We Got It from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service."

"Late in the night, Tip played some of the album. And it was real movin'. And hearing Phife's voice. And it was a powerful night, you know?" Chappelle recalled.

"So the album had this idea that we're all gettin' in the age where we lose one another sometimes, you know?" he continued. "So when Q-Tip decided to do the show, he said he wanted me to host. We had talked about it before, but he was very emphatic. And he goes, 'Dave, this is the last Tribe album ever.' And that was the tipping point, you know? Like - well, if you really want to honor someone's legacy, you know?"

"I know Lorne thought that I was probably [expletive]', but I was pretty resolute," Chappelle said of calling Michaels about hosting.

Chappelle's SNL appearance included an opening monologue that discussed Donald Trump's election night win, a sketch performed alongside Chris Rock that mocked the reaction to Trump's win and a Walking Dead segment that brought back characters from Chappelle's Show.


??? Guess Who ???
Which future Disney live-action remake film will not be a musical according to the director?

Disney's upcoming live-action adaptation of Mulan will not be a musical unlike its 1998 animated predecessor, according to director Niki Caro.

"From what I understand, no songs right now, much to the horror of my children," Cara said during an interview with Moviefone while promoting her latest film, The Zookeeper's Wife.

"It's a big, girly martial arts epic. It will be extremely muscular and thrilling and entertaining and moving," she continued about her take on Mulan.

The lack of musical numbers differs from Disney's latest live-action adaptation of Beauty and the Beast which featured the original animated film's musical numbers along with new songs.

Mulan, which is being fast-tracked into production, is being produced by Jason Reed, Chris Bender, Jake Weiner and executive produced by Hong Kong-based producer Bill Kong.

Caro was announced as the director in February after attempts to acquire an Asian director were unsuccessful as Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi) and Rogue One star Jiang Wen, a hit director in China, passed on the project.

The script, penned by Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver (Jurassic World) is a rewrite from a spec written by Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin.

The film came under fire in October after reports surfaced that the title character would have a Caucasian love interest. Disney quickly shot down the rumor promising that all primary roles in the film including that of Mulan and her love interest would be filled by Chinese actors.

Mulan is set to arrive in theaters Nov. 2, 2018.