The daily gossip: October 30, 2019

1. HBO orders Game of Thrones prequel spinoff House of the Dragon

Just hours after bailing on a Naomi Watts-led prequel that left the future of the Game of Thrones franchise in question, HBO's plans have become much clearer: A totally different prequel, release date unknown. House of the Dragon, which is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, will dramatize the story of the once-mighty House Targaryen long before it was reduced to a mad queen and a curly-haired sad boy.

HBO

2. Hollywood charity tricks attendees into thinking Keanu Reeves is going to show up

This week, a charity event in Hollywood promoted an event at which Keanu Reeves would be the headliner. There was just one problem: Reeves didn't know about it. Tickets to the gala, which cost up to $1,000, promised the chance to hobnob with Reeves, who was said to be accepting an award. Attendees were disappointed when Reeves didn't show, and his representative soon issued a terse statement saying he was never going to be there: "He knew nothing about the event and has no affiliation with this organization whatsoever." The charity did auction off a painting of Reeves, so hey, maybe it was just a Dorian Gray thing. It would explain why he hasn't aged since 1992.

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3. Olivia Newton-John is selling her black leather Grease outfit

A rare opportunity for all you T-Birds and Pink Ladies: To raise money for her cancer treatment center, Olivia Newton-John is auctioning off the iconic black leather outfit she wore at the end of Grease, which immortalized that feel-good message that you should totally change everything about yourself for the person you love. The outfit is expected to sell for as much as $200,000, so if you've got bills, they'll be multiplyin'.

The Guardian

4. Bill Murray applied to work at an airport P.F. Chang's

Bill Murray's belated transition from beloved Hollywood actor to eccentric wandering prankster has hit a fork in the road with the chance for a steady new gig: A job at the P.F. Chang's at the Atlanta airport, which the company offered after Murray indicated he'd like to work there. On a podcast with Amy Schumer, Murray revealed that he filled out an application to work at the P.F. Chang's because "it looks like the best time" — an opinion that will last roughly 45 seconds, until a customer screams at him because the orange chicken is too orange, or whatever.

CNN

5. Nicolas Cage to play a janitor being attacked by robots in a spooky amusement park

Nicolas Cage's admirable commitment to keeping the Hollywood machine churning by taking literally any project that crosses his desk has reached an impressive new zenith. The Oscar-winning actor is set to star in Wally's Wonderland, a horror-thriller about a janitor stuck in a twisted amusement park when the Chuck E. Cheese-esque animatronic characters come to life and try to kill him. "For me there was always one actor and one actor only who could make this movie work," said director Kevin Lewis — but alas, Meryl Streep had a scheduling conflict, so Cage will have to do.

Deadline