Steve Pond's Blog, page 88

LA’s Iconic Mayan Theater to Close Shop as a Nightclub After 35 Years

A downtown Los Angeles icon is closing up shop — for now, at least. On Monday the owners of the historic The Mayan announced it will cease to operate as a nightclub and music venue in September.

A notable example of the 1920s Mayan Revivalism architectural movement, The Mayan, located at 1038 South Hill Street, opened in 1927 as a venue for musical theater. It changed ownership several times over the ensuing decades has been a movie venue specializing in Spanish language cinema and, in the 1970s and 1980s was a pornographic theater. It was purchased by its current owners in 1990, and reopened the same year as a nightclub.

“Farwell from the Mayan,” the owners announced in a statement posted on Instagram. “It is with heavy yet grateful hearts that we announce The Mayan will be closing its doors at the end of September, after 35 unforgettable years.”

After thanking patrons and friends, the statement continued, “Before we take our final curtain call, we invite you to join us on the dancefloor every Saturday night through September 13th for one last celebration of everything The Mayan has meant to us all.”

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A post shared by The Mayan (@themayanla)

The building is unlikely to be demolished, as it has been declared an official historic landmark by the city of Los Angeles. However, the owners have not said what they plan to do with the property after it ceases to operate as a nightclub.

The Mayan was designed with input from Mexican anthropologist and sculptor Francisco Cornejo, with the building’s exterior and interior based on the art and artifacts of pre-Columbian American societies.

The post LA’s Iconic Mayan Theater to Close Shop as a Nightclub After 35 Years appeared first on TheWrap.

Stephen Colbert Denounces $16 Million Paramount-Trump Settlement as ‘Big Fat Bribe’ for Skydance Merger | Video

On Monday’s “The Late Show,” Stephen Colbert — sporting a new mustache — marked his return from summer hiatus by denouncing the $16 million settlement Paramount reached with Donald Trump, declaring the deal to be a “big fat bribe” to win approval for the company’s merger with Skydance Media.

“While I was on vacation, my parent corporation Paramount paid Donald Trump a $16 million settlement over his 60 Minutes lawsuit,” Colbert said during his monologue, adding, “as someone who has always been a proud employee of this network. I’m offended, and I don’t know if anything will ever repair my trust in this company. But just taking a stab at it, I’d say $16 million would help.”

Colbert explained that the payment settled Trump’s “nuisance lawsuit” based on the false claim that CBS-produced “60 Minutes” deceptively edited footage from its interview last fall with then-Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris. As Colbert noted, Paramount’s statement on the settlement even declared that lawsuit to be “completely without merit.”

“And keep in mind, Paramount produced ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.’ They know ‘completely without merit,'” he joked.

‘Now, unlike, unlike the payoffs from ABC and Twitter,” Colbert said, referencing earlier payments to settle some of Trump’s other lawsuits, “Paramount’s settlement did not include an apology — that’s good.”

“Instead,” Colbert continued as he set up another joke, “the corporation released a statement where they said, ‘You may take our money, but you will never take our dignity. You may, however, purchase our dignity for the low, low price of $16 million. We need the cash.'”

The Colbert laid into Paramount more pointedly. “Now, I believe this kind of complicated financial settlement with a sitting government official has a technical name in legal circles: It’s big fat bribe,” he said, “because this all comes as Paramount owners are trying to get the Trump administration to approve the sale of our network to a new owner, Skydance.”

At this, Colbert started dancing glibly to mock the name “Skydance.”

Watch the whole monologue below:

The post Stephen Colbert Denounces $16 Million Paramount-Trump Settlement as ‘Big Fat Bribe’ for Skydance Merger | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Celebrity Family Feud’ Scores Biggest Premiere Audience in 3 Years With 4.16 Million Viewers | Exclusive

“Celebrity Family Feud” debuted to its biggest premiere audience in three years, TheWrap can reveal exclusively.

As the Steve Harvey-hosted competition show returned for its 11th season on Thursday, July 10 on ABC, “Celebrity Family Feud” brought in 4.16 million viewers and scored a 0.42 rating in the key broadcast demo among viewers 18-49, according to Nielsen live-plus-same-day figures, marking the show’s strongest season premiere performance in three years, since July 7, 2022.

The “Celebrity Family Feud” Season 11 premiere was up 46% when compared to the Season 10 premiere last year, which scored 2.84 million, while its rating grew by 27% from last year’s 0.33 rating.

In fact, the Season 11 premiere scored the biggest audience the show has seen since Aug. 28, 2022 and the best rating the show has seen since Aug. 13, 2023.

Additionally, “Celebrity Family Feud” ranked as the No. 1 most-watched program during the night of Thursday, July 10 among total viewers, outpacing CBS’ “Big Brother,” which scored 3.18 million viewers, by 31%.

The premiere episode welcomed Taraji P. Henson and Jennifer Hudson to the ABC competition show as they went head-to-head with their respective families, while the latter part of the episode saw “The Dan Patrick Show” face off against “The Rich Eisen Show” for their selected charities.

This Thursday’s episode will feature comedian-actor Matt Rife as he goes head-to-head with rapper-DJ Lil Jon before actress-singer Kat Graham competes against actress Francia Raísa for their selected charities.

“Celebrity Family Feud” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streams next day on Hulu.

The post ‘Celebrity Family Feud’ Scores Biggest Premiere Audience in 3 Years With 4.16 Million Viewers | Exclusive appeared first on TheWrap.

Chelsea Handler Reveals the One Regret She Has About Life After ‘Chelsea Lately’: ‘I Had to Regrow My Audience’ | Video

After her seven-year run on late-night show “Chelsea Lately,” audiences wouldn’t see Chelsea Handler return to stand-up comedy for another six years. While visiting “Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out,” Handler surprised the host by calling the absence an unforced error.

“Big mistake,” Handler said.

“Really?” Birbiglia exclaimed. “I thought you were going to say that it was a great idea!”

“No, now I think about that, and I’m like, wow, it would’ve been better to just keep the ball rolling and get my shit together,” Handler replied. “In those six years, I got my shit together in a huge way, but I didn’t need to take that long of a break, and it affected – I had to regrow my audience, and so I wish I hadn’t done that.”

You can watch the interview clip below.

After hosting “The Chelsea Handler Show” for two seasons starting in 2006, Handler continued her relationship with E! by launching “Chelsea Lately” in 2007. “Chelsea Lately” ran for seven seasons, a half-hour late-night comedy show. The show gave the stand-up comic the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd multiple times a week through her cold opens.

Shortly after “Chelsea Lately” ended its run in 2014, however, Handler took a break from stand-up. Despite working on numerous Netflix documentaries and other projects, Handler would not air a stand-up special until “Chelsea Handler: Evolution” premiered on HBO Max in Oct. 2020.

This year, Handler released her Netflix special “Chelsea Handler: The Feeling” and her book “I’ll Have What She’s Having.” She also hosted the Critics’ Choice Awards back in February.

Birbiglia commiserated by sharing that he’s been on a break for three months since his last stand-up special, to which Handler said, “Oh, that’s nothing.” In fact, Handler said taking a break can be important for stand-up comics to maintain their craft.

“It is interesting, because I think you do experience feelings,” Birbiglia said.

“Well, you have to have a life, also,” Handler responded. “You have to experience life, and I think the thing with comedians that I have definitely seen is that it can be all-consuming. That’s not how it is for me. It does not consume me. I do not need to be onstage. I’m perfectly happy off-stage, and I’m happy onstage. Now, I have such an equilibrium about it that I’m sharper, smarter and calmer than I’ve ever been in my life when I’m on stage.”

“But the time off is as important as the time on.”

The post Chelsea Handler Reveals the One Regret She Has About Life After ‘Chelsea Lately’: ‘I Had to Regrow My Audience’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Ben Shapiro Says Megyn Kelly’s Epstein Sources Are Complicit in One of History’s ‘Greatest Cover-Ups’ | Video

Ben Shapiro came after Megyn Kelly’s sources who she says claim Jeffrey Epstein was an asset for America or Israel – but insist on remaining anonymous.

While on Monday’s episode of “The Megyn Kelly Show,” the host and Shapiro sparred over whether or not the deceased American financier, child sex offender and sex trafficker Epstein was also an asset for America or Israel. Kelly was adamant she had sources that said “not only do we believe he was an agent, but we don’t believe he killed himself.”

“I mean, that’s fine,” Shapiro said. “They should come out, and they should say that, and then they should say who’s covering that up.”

He added: “I have the names of the people who are making the claim that Jeffrey Epstein killed himself, and that the most gross and sort of extreme of the conspiracy theories … the most extreme version of the theory, is not true. I have the names of the people who are claiming that they are all in the administration. And this is my point. If other people want to make those claims that are counter to that, then they should provide evidence, or at least put their names on it, so we can question them about that as well, because otherwise we’re just in the realm of pure speculation, and frankly, I just don’t find that useful.”

Kelly countered that Shapiro exclaiming her sources were not valid because they did come out with the information public is not fair. She pointed to the fact that doing so could be dangerous both professionally and personally because “they don’t want to be the one to cross Trump.” Shapiro scoffed at that and added that coming out with information on Epstein would only make the whisteblower richer.

“I’m not saying you should name them,” he said. “I’m saying they should name themselves, because otherwise, they are being complicit in one of the greatest cover-ups in the history of America.”

Shapiro continued: “If somebody came out today, and they were a whistleblower on the greatest scandal in the history of the American Republic, they would make more money tomorrow than in their entire life working for the FBI. That’s ridiculous.”

Epstein has had Trump’s MAGA base turning on each other across the board since the DOJ and FBI’s memo last week revealed that the Trump-mandated investigation into Epstein’s criminal past “did not uncover evidence that could predicate an investigation against uncharged third parties.” This came mere months after Bondi told Fox News that she was in possession of a list of that very nature.

CNN even reported that Deputy FBI Director Dan Bongino was considering a resignation over the memo and the reaction from many of Trump’s consituents.

“Dan Bongino has told people he is considering resigning as the deputy director of the FBI over the fallout that has continued ever since this memo was released,” Kaitlan Collins said. “The anger inside the MAGA base has only continued to grow instead of going away as some officials inside hoped it would.”

Watch the full conversation between Kelly and Shapiro above.

The post Ben Shapiro Says Megyn Kelly’s Epstein Sources Are Complicit in One of History’s ‘Greatest Cover-Ups’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Better Go Mad in the Wild’ Subject Frantisek Klisik Dies Hours After Film Wins at Karlovy Vary Film Festival

František Klišík, the Czech poet and charismatic protagonist of Miro Remo’s “Better Go Mad in the Wild,” died in the Czech Republic on Sunday, the day after the documentary about him and his twin brother Ondřej won the top prize at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. He was 62 years old and is survived by Ondřej. 

According to Czech media reports, Klišík had been visiting a friend in the Czech village of Ohrobec and celebrating the film’s victory. He was found dead in a pond adjacent to the village pub at 8:30 a.m. local time on Sunday.

Only a couple of days before, both Klišík attended the festival for the premiere of their film.

Remo’s winning documentary, a beautiful portrait of the two brothers facing down life and mortality while living in the remote Šumava forests, was the first Czech film in eight years to win the top prize in Karlovy Vary. It will now serve as a tribute to František and a time capsule of his life after his unexpected death. Though he was a man the world had only just gotten to know via the film, he made a larger-than-life impression while also being deeply human. 

In a statement posted to Facebook following František’s death, Remo said that the news “hit me in the car” while “my phone was still buzzing with joy.” 

“We were returning home in a celebratory mood, and our whole family was enjoying the sweet feeling of victory,” Remo wrote in a post addressed directly to Klišík. “Our two children were in the back, and my wife Veronika and I held hands, crying with happiness – the past few years had been very difficult. The sky was blue, cloudless, the landscape sleepless… a gentle breeze played in the grass.”

When news of the death came, he added, “I double-checked if it were really true; it was. Looking at my wife, I simply spread my arms, just like when we won, Franto, but differently now. Since then, many of your poems echo in my head: ‘Life is a momentary illusion, a cry into silence, a foolish effort, a cup forced upon you, a sip of delicious taste, a prerequisite for death, which then is our certainty, a prerequisite for life.’”

In a release announcing the film’s award, the Karlovy Vary jury called “Better Go Mad in the Wild a “a funny valentine to the fading art of being true to yourself” and that the “delightfully inventive documentary is a portrait of bickering twin brothers who may live a weird, off-grid life on their dilapidated farm but who, in a world as mad as ours, actually might be the sanest people on earth.”

“In the lifestyle it portrays but also in the filmmaking risks it takes and the raucously loving brotherhood it admires, “Better Go Mad in the Wild” feels like a gulp of fresh, woody air, or a quick dip in an outdoor pond, or a moment of contemplation as a cow chews on your beard,” the jury said. “In short, it feels like being free.”

The post ‘Better Go Mad in the Wild’ Subject Frantisek Klisik Dies Hours After Film Wins at Karlovy Vary Film Festival appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Murderbot’ Showrunners Aimed for ‘Undercutting Sentimentality’ in Season 1 Finale Departure

“Murderbot” Season 1 ends with the titular robo finally managing to make the connections with people like it’s seen on its many serials – only to decide to leave them and forge its own path.

The finale ends with Murderbot (Alexander Skarsgård) and the Preservation Ops team returning to Port FreeCommerce after their mission went up in flames. The team worked hard to get Murderbot back into their possession and its wiped memory and personality – developed courtesy of his busted governor module – restored. When all is said and done, and despite the fact that Murderbot defied the odds and grew to care about the team, it makes the decision to sneak away in the night and explore alone.

“One of the reasons that we wanted to do this is that we felt that the book had a really beautiful ending, and it put his finger on something thematic, which is the idea that personhood is not reducible, that you shouldn’t reduce people into what you want them to be,” Paul Weitz told TheWrap. “There’s a way that it seems like the series is headed with Murderbot in terms of its love for the Preservation Ops team and but it brings to question whether that’s being true to the character or whether it’s being true to itself, because it doesn’t want to be human.”

Murderbot’s choice to leave came after the Preservation Ops crew spent days celebrating its return and integrating him even more into their group. But with a growing desire to find itself, Murderbot chooses to sneak out and leave the planet on its own. He’s caught at the door by Gurathin (David Dastmalchian) – who was the most anti-Murderbot of the entire team all season – and both showrunners agreed that scene had to be “softly stated” to get the moment and decision across.

“I think the key was in the line ‘I have to check the perimeter’ and how much that was going to carry,” Chris Weitz said. “And everything else is how much it has to be undercut. It has to be sort of softly stated. And then it was how much Gurathin and how much David Dastmalchian could bring to bear. He hasn’t really drunk the space Kool-Aid that that the others have in terms thinking all they need to do is go back to Preservation Alliance and everything is going to be rosy. He understands what it’s like to be lost in the universe. So it was just kind of allowing David, I think, to lead that scene in many ways.”

Paul Weitz added: “I do think that Chris’s point about undercutting sentimentality, the fact that that’s what it says – ‘I have to check the perimeter’ – which is something that’s kind of set up during the series. Alexander, you don’t have to say much too honestly. He’ll talk ad nauseam about anything having to do with the creative aspect of the show, but also, like he gets it instinctively.”

The season ends with Murderbot convincing a sentient spaceship to let it board and hitch a ride out of Port FreeCommerce. For fans of Martha Wells’ books, it likely spiked excitement that they might get a teasing glimpse of ART – short for Awesome Research Transport – a ship that begrudgingly befriends Murderbot in the second novella. The showrunners admitted that how and when to introduce the beloved character has been one of the more daunting aspects of the adaptation.

“ART has to be done so well,” Paul Weitz admitted. “It’s kind of daunting, the idea of having like 15 seconds of ART at the end – to make a decision that’s so important.”

“God willing, or space God willing, we will get a chance to do ART,” Chris Weitz added. “It’s going to be really, really important, because it’s such a wonderful character.”

Luckily for fans of both ART and “Murderbot,” the showrunners will get the chance to bring the character to live. The Apple TV+ series was renewed for a second season just before the Season 1 finale aired.

The post ‘Murderbot’ Showrunners Aimed for ‘Undercutting Sentimentality’ in Season 1 Finale Departure appeared first on TheWrap.

‘The Boys’ Swings at Trump Over Epstein Files With Soldier Boy ‘Herogasm’ Spoof: ‘FAKE NEWS’

“The Boys” may be on break, but their Trump bashing certainly isn’t.

The official account for Vought International, the fictionalized megacorp known for managing the so-called “Supes” of “The Boys,” shared a picture of Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles) and Crimson Countess (Laurie Holden) on its social media accounts. The image reads, “BREAKING: HEROGASM CONFIRMED NOT TO EXIST” in a clear homage to President Donald Trump’s current debacle over the Epstein Files.

“It’s a shame we even have to address this, but Vought can confirm rumors of a superhero orgy known as Herogasm are FAKE NEWS,” Vought International said in a decidedly Trump-like post. “Furthermore, there are no ‘Herogasm Files’ with a list of attendees like Soldier Boy, Liberty and Deep. The idea that Soldier Boy, pictured here with the love of his life, would organize yearly debauchery is absolutely RIDICULOUS.”

You can view the post below.

It’s a shame we even have to address this, but Vought can confirm rumors of a superhero orgy known as Herogasm are FAKE NEWS. Furthermore, there are no “Herogasm Files” with a list of attendees like Soldier Boy, Liberty and Deep. The idea that Soldier Boy, pictured here with the… pic.twitter.com/XMrmY5yRrv

— Vought International (@VoughtIntl) July 14, 2025

The post makes several references to the third season of “The Boys,” which featured Soldier Boy as a prominent character. Soldier Boy and Crimson Countess dated and fought alongside each other on a superhero team for Vought in the 1980s. Countess and the rest of the team eventually betrayed Soldier Boy and attempted to kill him, though he came back decades later during the primary run of the show.

Vought’s post is a clear dig at the Trump administration, referencing the current president in several key ways. The name “Herogasm Files” alludes to the Epstein Files, drawing a parallel between the fictional superhero orgy and the sex trafficking operation run by Jeffrey Epstein.

Trump made headlines last week when he committed to not declassifying the files that purportedly show who was implicated in the operation that involved the sexual abuse of minors. This has caused a significant fracture within his voter base, with Trump supporters questioning why the president reneged on a promise to declassify the Epstein Files. Recently, Elon Musk took to X to claim Trump was implicated in the files, but the post has since been deleted.

“How can people be expected to have faith in Trump if he won’t release the Epstein files?” Musk asked on X July 8.

The Vought social media missive is a clear callout, adopting the sort of verbiage like “FAKE NEWS” that would feel at home in a Truth Social post from the president. This is far from the only time that “The Boys” has made fun of Trump’s presidencies, either on social media or in the series itself.

The fourth season of the show received criticism for its transparent political commentary, including a storyline where the villainous blonde Homelander gets involved with a presidential election.

The post ‘The Boys’ Swings at Trump Over Epstein Files With Soldier Boy ‘Herogasm’ Spoof: ‘FAKE NEWS’ appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Love Island USA’ Season 7 Winners Revealed: Which Couple Won the $100,000 Prize?

“Love Island USA” has crowned its Season 7 winners.

After a tumultuous but highly-rated season full of crash outs and dramatic recouplings, one couple emerged victorious as the Season 7 winners: Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales. The couple scored the most amount of fan votes and will take home the grand prize of $100,000.

Fan-favorite couple Nic Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen were the runners-up. The other couples that made it to the “Love Island USA” Season finale were Iris Kendall and Pepe Garcia-Gonzalez, and Huda Mustafa and Chris Seeley.

Peacock also unveiled a Season 7 reunion special set for release August 25 at 6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET. The special will feature this season’s winners, fan-favorite couples, and this year’s bombshells revisiting the biggest moments from this eventful season, hosted by Ariana Madix and Bravo’s Andy Cohen.

Coming off of last season’s popularity, “Love Island” Season 7 launched in June with 10 new islanders: Ace Greene, Chelley Bissainthe, Mustafa, Vansteenberghe, Carthen, Austin Shepard, Jeremiah Brown, Taylor Williams and Yulissa Escobar.

Escobar was quickly sent home in Episode 2 after her racist comments on two podcast resurfaced — a fate that also happened to Cierra Ortega, who entered the villa as a bombshell relatively early on in the season. Ortega was coupled up with Vansteenberghe, and, after her departure, Vansteenberghe recoupled with Carthen, making way for a pairing that excited many fans rooting for “Nicolandria.”

Early into the season, Mustafa and Brown’s relationship turned sour and defined much of the early weeks of the show, but the pair eventually parted ways. As usual, “Love Island” tradition Casa Amor shook up dynamics in the villa, specifically for Carthen and Williams, as the latter developed a relationship with Clarke Carraway, who were dumped ahead of the finale.

The last couple to be kicked off the villa was Bissainthe and Greene, who received the least amount of votes from the public ahead of the finale.

Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales in “Love Island USA.” (Peacock)

Last season, Serena Page and Kordell Beckham scored the most votes by fans and were crowned the Season 6 winners, with Leah Kateb and Miguel Harichi coming in as runner-ups. Both couples, as well as several other Season 6 fan-favorites like JaNa Craig and Kaylor Martin, will grace “Love Island” fans’ screens once again in spinoff series “Love Island: Beyond the Villa.”

And the franchise continues to expand, with Madix set to host the upcoming second season of spinoff series “Love Island Games.” The series will return Sept. 16.

“Love Island USA Season 7” has ranked as the #1 streaming reality title for five consecutive weeks, marking its most-viewed season yet according to Nielsen and internal data. Over 40% of Season 7’s audience are new viewers. Season 7 has also seen Peacock’s biggest mobile audience ever for an entertainment series, with over 30% of usage occurring on mobile devices.

“Love Island USA” Seasons 4-7 are now streaming on Peacock.

The post ‘Love Island USA’ Season 7 Winners Revealed: Which Couple Won the $100,000 Prize? appeared first on TheWrap.

Melissa Gilbert and Ellen DeGeneres Support Rosie O’Donnell After Trump Threat: ‘Good For You, Rosie’

Melissa Gilbert and Ellen DeGeneres have made their support for Rosie O’Donnell clear after Donald Trump threatened to revoke her American citizenship Saturday. “Good for you, @rosie,” DeGeneres wrote via Instagram.

“Someone explain this to me like I’m 5…why ROSIE??!!” Gilbert wrote on her own post. “@Rosie what the actual f–k,” she added in the caption alongside the hashtag #teenytinypresidentialpenis.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Melissa E. Gilbert (@melissagilbertofficial)

“Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,” Trump wrote via Truth Social Saturday morning.

“She is a Threat to Humanity, and should remain in the wonderful Country of Ireland, if they want her. GOD BLESS AMERICA!” Trump added.

The pair have a notoriously frosty relationship that dates back to at least 2006, when O’Donnell criticized Trump for being the “moral authority” surrounding the case of the year’s Miss USA, Tara Conner, who was accused of underage drinking and drug use.

“He annoys me on a multitude of levels. [He] left the first wife, had an affair, left the second wife, had an affair, had kids both times, but he’s the moral compass for 20-year-olds in America,” she said at the time.

O’Donnell later hit back with two posts of her own. “The president of the USA has always hated the fact that i see him for who he is – a criminal con man sexual abusing liar out to harm our nation to serve himself,” O’Donnell wrote in the first.

“This is why I moved to Ireland – he is a dangerous old soulless man with dementia who lacks empathy compassion and basic humanity – I stand in direct opposition all he represents.”

The second featured a photo of Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. “Hey donald –
you’re rattled again?” she captioned the picture. “18 years later and I still live rent-free in that collapsing brain of yours. You call me a threat to humanity –
but I’m everything you fear:
a loud woman
a queer woman
a mother who tells the truth
an american who got out of the country b4 u set it ablaze.”

The post Melissa Gilbert and Ellen DeGeneres Support Rosie O’Donnell After Trump Threat: ‘Good For You, Rosie’ appeared first on TheWrap.