AMERICAN IDOL GOES VIRTUAL WITH CASTING: American Idol is skipping its live casting roadshow for a virtual tour this year. The ABC competition series was renewed for a fourth season in May, and while a live bus tour is typically held during the summer in search of contestants, this year’s search has gone digital because of COVID-19. The tour will kick off August 10th and will run through Septembr 9th. Contestants between the ages of 15 and 28 can sign up online.
ALAN PARKER DIES: The two-time Oscar nominee Alan Parker has died after a lengthy illness. He is best known for directing such classics as Bugsy Malone, Midnight Express, Mississippi Burning and The Commitments, as well as big-budget Madonna movie Evita. Parker is survived by his wife Lisa Moran-Parker, his children Lucy, Alexander, Jake, Nathan and Henry, and seven grandchildren.
NAYA RIVERA MAKES ONE FINAL APPEARANCE IN SUGAR RUSH: The late Glee star Naya Rivera appears in Netflix‘s Sugar Rush, which dropped Friday. Titled “Birds of a Feather,” Rivera appears as guest judge. When asked if she’s a baker, she said: “I do. I have a four-year-old son so you're kind of required to know how to bake at that point.”
THE DISCIPLE JOINS VENICE LINEUP: Chaitanya Tamhane‘s The Disciple has joined the official competition lineup of the Venice Film Festival. This is the first Indian film to do so since 2001 when Mira Nair‘s Monsoon Wedding won the Golden Lion.