Summer may have barely kicked off this week but, in true Hallmark fashion, Lacey Chabert is already getting us excited for the holiday season. The latest of her upcoming Hallmark movies is Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True, which was filmed on location at Walt Disney World. In anticipation for it, she took her castmates on all her favorite rides, and I have to highlight one unexpected pick.

Lacey Chabert Reveals Her Favorite Walt Disney World Rides

The cast for Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True was announced earlier this month. Chabert is leading it (obviously), with Travis Van Winkle, Disney Channel alum Christy Carlson Romano, Bryce Durfee and Taegan Burns. On Instagram, Hallmark post a video of Chabert taking the group on her top five rides, and it's too delightful:

How much fun does this look?! Here’s the list of rides they went on:

1. Dumbo Flying Elephant at Magic Kingdom
2. Seven Dwarves Mine Train at Magic Kingdom
3. Slinky Dog Dash at Disney Hollywood Studios
4. TRON Lightcycle Run at Magic Kingdom
5. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney Hollywood Studios

OK, so these are some pretty solid picks, overall. Chabert clearly likes her thrill rides, and I respect that there’s a mix of classic and new Walt Disney World attractions. However, noticeably, there are some all-time great attractions missing from that lineup, and I need to get into them. But, first, let's discuss what I think is her most surprising choice.

There's One Disney Pick I Don't Get

Obviously, Lacey Chabert is totally allowed to have her own opinions on when it comes to theme park rides, but Dumbo? This is such a hot take! The only thing I can excuse is that she had a memorable experience on the ride as a kid, and is nostalgic for it, because it’s kind of meh to me.

Plus, she picked it over a ton of better classic rides like Peter Pan’s Flight, Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. For context, Chabert also chose the Dumbo ride over newer favorites like Rise of the Resistance, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind and Avatar: Flight of Passage.

I imagine Lacey Chabert got to spend a lot of extra time deciding on her top Walt Disney World picks while filming Holiday Ever After: A Disney World Wish Come True over the holiday season last year. We learned about the Disney World movie in December, and the Queen of Hallmark wrapped on the film back in January with fireworks. (because, of course). We don’t know exactly when the movie is being released yet, but it’s definitely going to be part of the robust Christmas movie lineup. It’s going to be so magical to see a Hallmark movie at the Most Magical Place on Earth!

And, while we wait for that, Lacy Chabert has also been working on a Hallmark miniseries set in Paris, France called Paris Is Always A Good Idea, which is coming out on Hallmark+ on July 30. I'm happy she's keeping us fed with a new show as I ponder her Walt Disney World movie... and theme park ride tastes.

Dwayne Johnson has had a ton of major career highs, from becoming one of WWE’s biggest stars to headlining billion-dollar movie franchises like the Jumanji series. But before he became a movie calendar staple, there was The Mummy Returns, a movie that helped launch him as a film actor and also gave the internet one of its favorite CGI punching bags. And now, the former WWE star is getting real about that viral Scorpion King VFX moment, and it's amazing.

Just recently, Johnson revisited the infamous Scorpion King sequence from the 2001 Brendan Fraser movie. The moment comes during the finale, when Mathayus returns as a giant scorpion-human creature. It has become one of the most famous examples of early-2000s VFX aging badly, and the star behind the VFX clearly knows it. As he put it during an interview posted to Esquire's Instagram account:

That is a very Rock answer. He can laugh at the moment, call it what it is and still give credit to the artists who were trying to make it work. Honestly, that balance is what makes the quote land. The effect does look rough, and everyone knows it looks rough. But what's great is that Johnson is not throwing the VFX team under a sand crawler. Unfortunately, the team was hit with something that's plagued visual effects artists for decades: not a short timetable.

That tracks with what Brendan Fraser previously said about the same scene. Fraser even told The Rock during a one-on-one conversation about how even the CGI team wasn't happy how the scene came out. But, according to Fraser, "it’s charming in its own way." The Rick O'Connell actor said he met members of the CGI team at the movie’s premiere and congratulated them, only for them to admit they needed more time.

Fraser also joked that the final creature looks like something out of an early video game, which seemingly adds to its nostalgic appeal. That feels pretty accurate. The Scorpion King at the end of The Mummy Returns does not exactly look like a real person fused with a giant scorpion. I'd more so liken it to something that wandered out of a PlayStation loading screen and somehow made it into a major Universal blockbuster.

Still, Johnson’s larger point is important. As goofy as that moment has become, it changed his life. Not only was The Mummy Returns his first major movie role, but it also led directly to The Scorpion King, his first starring vehicle. I bet plenty of actors would kill for a career lowlight that also opens the door to becoming one of the biggest stars in some of the best action movies.

There's also something oddly fitting about Johnson’s Hollywood career beginning with a meme-ready digital monster. Even buried under some truly cursed CGI, the charisma still broke through, and audiences and studios could see there was something there. And that, to me, is what makes the man a true star.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's next big screen outing is his reprisal of the role of Maui in Disney's live-action Moana, which lands in theaters on July 10.

The Duttons have not had their last ride, as Dutton Ranch has been renewed for Season 2. Considering the viewership records this Yellowstone spinoff broke as it aired on the 2026 TV schedule and the success of the franchise as a whole, this news shouldn’t come as a surprise. So, I’ve already been thinking about what could happen next and who could return for a cameo.

Dutton Ranch Has Been Renewed For Season 2

Now, before we get to what could happen, let’s talk about what has happened. Dutton Ranch quickly became a beloved Yellowstone show, so it makes perfect sense why Paramount+ decided to drop this exciting announcement a few weeks before the Season 1 finale:

According to the streamer, the show amassed 12.9 million viewers globally in the week after its premiere. That’s the biggest series launch in Paramount+ history. It also had the biggest series premiere on cable since 2023, as it drew in 2.9 million viewers.

Along with that, Dutton Ranch’s reviews were fairly positive. Plus, considering its success as well as the quick renewal for Marshals, the other Yellowstone spinoff that aired this year, this kind of news felt inevitable. So, now that the future is secure, let’s dream about who could show up.

There Are Three Yellowstone Characters I’d Like To See On Dutton Ranch

While I would love to see any familiar character on Dutton Ranch, I do think there are three people I want to see most. So, without further ado, let’s talk about who should make their way down to Texas.

Kayce

I know this is obvious, but it needs to be stated again. Kayce and Beth are the only two living Dutton family members from their generation, and it’s kind of weird that they haven’t talked since Yellowstone ended and their respective spinoffs began. However, thankfully, Kelly Reilly has said she wants a crossover, Cole Hauser wants to go back to Montana, and Luke Grimes has said he’d love to reunite. So, this feels inevitable; it’s just a matter of figuring out when and how they could find their ways into each other's shows.

Young John Dutton

I think it’s safe to say that Kevin Costner will not be returning as John Dutton, considering what happened both on and off-screen. However, it’s important to remember that he’s not the only person who played Yellowstone’s patriarch. Josh Lucas played John in flashbacks, and I’d love for him to come back and do that on Dutton Ranch.

We know Beth’s past and her father loom large over this new show, and the flashbacks in the OG series were some of my favorite moments. So, by bringing back Josh Lucas as John Dutton, the series could dive further into Rip and Beth’s past and give us some more screentime with the patriarch who kicked this whole franchise off.

Jimmy

This feels like a no-brainer, so I’ll keep it short. Jimmy is in Texas as far as we know, and he’s a beloved bunkhouse boy. It only feels right that Jefferson White be invited over to Dutton Ranch to do some cowboying.

So, with all this in mind, I can’t wait to see who shows up in Season 2 of Dutton Ranch. However, before we get there, we have to finish Season 1 first, and you can watch the last few episodes as they air on Fridays with a Paramount+ subscription.

As more Netflix subscription holders tune into Outlast: The Jungle, the cast is speaking out about their experiences on the extreme reality competition show. After Team Charlie spoke their piece about the backlash they received from fans, it's time for their former teammate, Sarah Awad, to speak. She specifically talked about the anger she felt while being booted from the group and later rewatching it.

It was during an interview with WTOP that Awad spoke about her recent stint on the addictive 2026 TV schedule offering. She arguably became the talk of the internet along with Leiya Pillitteri, due to how they were treated by Team Charlie. While Leiya has thoughts focused on other former teammates, Sarah confirmed she was just as angry about getting kicked off the team as it appeared on the series. She said:

One thing I'll say about Outlast: The Jungle is that the show does a great job of portraying the contestants' personalities. Every time one of these people does an interview or posts on social media, it feels like they're the exact person featured on the show. That's not always the case in even the best reality TV shows, so I appreciate that.

That aside, Sarah confirmed her Team Charlie exit was traumatic, and it was sparked due to arguments with her teammate, Wes Saunders. While she ultimately was taken in by Team Bravo after being kicked out, she shared that the whole experience was hard to watch, even a year after filming it:

Team Charlie got their comeuppance on Outlast: The Jungle, after Sarah prevented them from getting necessary supplies by joining Team Bravo, rather than exiting the game. Leiya Pillitteri also got revenge later by joining Team Alpha and stealing Charlie's kayak, which they'd won in another challenge. Team Charlie was ultimately eliminated by Team Alpha, thanks in part to Leiya's primitive firemaking ability.

Sarah was cut from Team Bravo before the end of the game, but she doesn't seem to harbor the same ill feelings toward them that she did toward Charlie. In fairness, her exit from Bravo felt more of a game strategy than Charlie largely voting her out due to how they felt about her.

With Outlast: The Jungle making waves on streaming and social media, I can't wait for news on if or when we'll be getting another season. This season is one of its best, and it reminds me of old-school Survivor in the best way possible. Here's hoping it's the first of many seasons that are set in the jungle, and future episodes live up to just how good this season was! Also, after hearing Sarah Awad's take on her experience, I'm curious as to who else might talk about theirs.

Check out Outlast: The Jungle on Netflix along with the previous two seasons, which take place in colder climates.

Every so often, a new horror movie comes along and turns the box office on its head. This year Obsession has become that movie everyone’s been talking about. What started as a low-budget swing by filmmaker Curry Barker has grown into one of the 2026 movie calendar’s wildest theatrical stories, the kind of breakout that makes everyone in Hollywood suddenly look to YouTube filmmakers for the next big thing. Well, the guys behind Obsession have a one-word response to their flick blowing past box-office expectations.

In a recent Hollywood Reporter interview, Cooper Tomlinson, Curry Barker’s That’s a Bad Idea YouTube channel partner and Obsession cast member, was asked if he had run out of ways to describe how insane watching Obsession’s box-office win was. And he had landed on a one word:

That is a pretty grounded answer for a movie that has done something very ungrounded. Obsession was not some obvious studio juggernaut. According to reports, the movie was produced for $750,000, premiered at TIFF, triggered a bidding war and was acquired by Focus Features for $15 million. That is already the kind of journey filmmakers dream about before the theatrical release even happens. Then the movie actually opened, and the story got much bigger.

Obsession was not born of a polished studio development process; rather, the idea was sparked after Barker watched an episode of The Simpsons before his guest appearance on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The next morning, he told Tomlinson he had an idea for a “be-careful-what-you-wish-for” story, and the whole thing moved quickly from there.

That kind of origin story makes the box office run feel even more surreal. One minute it is a strange idea between friends, and then a few years later Christopher Nolan and Steven Spielberg have reportedly seen the movie, audiences are turning Tomlinson’s trivia-night character into a meme, and Hollywood is suddenly paying close attention to the guys from That’s a Bad Idea.

There is also something satisfying about the fact that Tomlinson and Barker already have their next project lined up. The pair have shot Anything But Ghosts, a supernatural horror-comedy for Focus that exists in the same universe as Obsession and co-stars Aaron Paul. Tomlinson described working with Paul as a full-circle moment, since he and Barker once literally bumped into the Breaking Bad star at a screening of El Camino years before making a movie with him.

Obsession is not just a hit of the moment but one of the best horror movies of recent memory. It is also proof that a pair of filmmakers can build their own audience, sharpen their instincts online and then walk into the theatrical space with something that actually moves people. So, yes, “grateful” is probably the right word.

The other word might be “ready,” because after this, many more people will be watching what Barker and Tomlinson do next. But, for now, they can check out Obsession, which is still playing in theaters.

Boy Meets World cast members Rider Strong, Danielle Fishel and Will Friedle have been stoking up nostalgia amongst fans over the last few years via their rewatch podcast, Pod Meets World. The three actors have been talking about a variety of topics related to the beloved TGIF sitcom, including moments they loved and storylines they disliked. Someone they haven’t been reminiscing with is co-star and friend Ben Savage, with whom they've been estranged, and they’ve said quite a bit about the situation.

Rider Strong Recalls Reaching Out To Ben Savage About The Rewatch Podcast Before The Estrangement

Around the time Pod Meets World premiered in 2022, Fishel addressed Savage’s absence, explaining that he didn’t want to be a part of the show because he wasn’t sure it was “his thing.” It was in 2023, though, that Fishel and her co-stars revealed, during an interview with Variety, that Savage eventually “ghosted” them. They discuss this topic more in their documentary, Doc Meets World, in which Strong recalled (via Us Weekly) what happened after he, Friedle and Fishel reached out to Savage:

On the ‘90s teen sitcom, Strong played Shawn Hunter – the best friend of Savage’s Cory Matthews – and reprised the role on the spinoff series, Girl Meets World (which he only learned about in the press). Despite the bond between their two characters, Strong said he and Savage were “never close.” Still, he seems to feel bad about no longer having him in his life and, in the doc, Strong recalled telling Savage he was “really going to miss [him] doing” the podcast and that he thought his former scene partner was “making a mistake.”

Danielle Fishel Gets Real About Missing Her Friendship With Ben Savage

Savage and Fishel spent a lot of time together, since she played Cory’s girlfriend and eventual wife, Topanga Lawrence. Fishel and Savage also starred alongside each other on Girl Meets World, and they apparently remained close until the estrangement. While chatting with People, Fishel recalled how she and Savage looked forward to the time that he would become a dad, and he and his wife, Tessa Angermeier, welcomed their first child in 2025. As for how she feels about Savage not joining the podcast, Fishel said this:

The Dancing with the Stars alum went on to say she “would never try to shove that perspective down somebody's throat and make them do it.” She can understand that the podcast project wasn’t for Savage, but she’s still hopeful that “when the time is right,” the story of [their] friendship will continue” unless she’s proven “wrong.”

How Will Friedle Is Still Trying To Connect With His On-Screen Brother

Will Friedle is certainly someone who recognizes how much BMW still resonates with fans, which factored into his decision to take part in the rewatch podcast. Known for his role as the kooky Eric Matthews, Friedle was also disappointed when the man who played his TV sibling opted not to join the podcast. Friedle told Variety in 2023 that the estrangement was a “sore subject” due to his “shared history” with Savage. At one point, Friedle even called Savage once a day for 30 days. Per the doc, Friedle was blocked, but he’s not giving up hope:

Of course, it remains to be seen whether such a conversation will actually take place. But, on the other side of the equation, some may wonder how Savage feels about his former friends’ attempts to reach out. He hasn’t formally responded, as of this writing, but he may or may not have alluded to it in a post.

Did Ben Savage Allude To The Drama With A Social Media Post?

In June 2025, Savage shared a post on Instagram, and it includes a couple of photos of him and his baby daughter. What’s most notable about this post, regarding the actor/former political candidate’s estrangement from his friends, is the two-word caption: “Good company”. Check out the post down below:

So is that brief message simply a brief way for Savage to signify his joy over being with his child? Or is that a veiled dig at Savage’s friends to signify that he’s content with the “company” he’s keeping now? It could very well be the former, and some fans could just be reading too deeply into this. Still, given this estrangement, it’s honestly hard not to consider whether there’s a double meaning here.

In any case, though, there doesn’t seem to be any true momentum when it comes to a potential reconciliation between Ben Savage and his former co-stars. We, of course, can’t say with certainty that he’ll absolutely never talk to Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong and Will Friedle ever again. And, if that happens, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if the three podcasters were to inform fans of that long-hoped-for encounter.

Stream all seven seasons of Boy Meets World – and the three seasons of spinoff series Girl Meets World – now using a Disney+ subscription.

Zoe Saldaña isn’t the queen of the worldwide box office by chance. The actress seriously worked for it, especially when it comes to portraying the iconic Neytiri for the Avatar movies. When CinemaBlend talked to the actress for Fire And Ash about playing the role for the past fifteen years, she flexed on all the things she can do now. And one really stands out.

The Skills Zoe Saldaña Learned For The Avatar Movies

Saldaña’s Na'vi role is done through performance capture, meaning that she actually does physically perform just about every moment in the film – she just looks very different from the final product we see on the big screen. Here’s what she told us about what she can do because of Neytiri:

What can’t she do? You can check out the interview moment in the clip below:

I’m pretty sure Saldaña could survive on her own in Pandora at this point. There’s one acquired skill she named that I want to talk about though.

I Love How One Of Her Skills Has A Neytiri Twist

As she said in our interview, she’s got solid archery proficiency, but it’s not the normal way one would shoot a bow and arrow. Zoe Saldaña knows how to be an archer “the Na’vi way”, which is sideways. What’s interesting about this little fun fact is that apparently shooting a bow and arrow this way is actually way harder and less precise than the typical way people do archery. So when she says she has good aim it's a really awesome flex. Especially, since she probably doesn’t have to target anything on set well if she doesn’t want to.

Zoe Saldaña has been playing Neytiri since she was 28 years old, and by her estimation she’ll be well into her fifties once the last one comes out. The Oscar winner just turned 48 last week, and the trilogy of movies has helped her become the highest-grossing actor of all time with her name on $15.46 billion across her lifetime so far.

Following Fire And Ash’s release during the holiday season, we’re not sure which direction Avatar will go next or if the franchise will “put on the brakes” after earning less money. Currently Avatar 4 and 5 are on the Disney movie release calendar for 2029 and 2031.

Right now you can see Zoe Saldaña’s Neytiri in the entire Avatar trilogy at home – on Disney+, digital or physical media.

Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo’s relationship remains a topic of discussion since it was reported that the two were divorcing after almost a decade of marriage. Overall, the process seems to be progressing quickly, as movers have already been present at the former couple’s Nashville abode. Based on statements the two have made, they’re also remaining friendly. All the while, there’s been speculation about why the relationship ended and, per a new report, a potential career decision on Bunnie’s part was a contributing factor.

Over the years, Bunnie Xo – whose real name is Alisa DeFord – has discussed a myriad of topics regarding her personal life, including her experiences as an escort. DeFord (46) reportedly worked within that profession for over a decade, and she transitioned out of it by 2023. While the media personality has since moved onto other ventures, a source who spoke with Rob Shuter’s Naughty or Nice substack claimed that DeFord allegedly wanted to move back into that business, which purportedly displeased her husband:

After the divorce news broke, Bunnie was candid about where she stood with 41-year-old Jelly Roll (whose real name is Jason DeFord). When speaking about what ultimately prompted her ex-husband to file for divorce, Bunnie detailed a fight that apparently occurred on Mother’s Day. However, another source claimed the argument didn’t end the marriage but “exposed problems that had been building for a long time.” As for why Bunnie would allegedly consider being an escort again, another insider said this:

Following the divorce news, insiders also alleged that Jelly Roll and Bunnie Xo’s relationship was a “PR” nightmare. That was supposedly due to Bunnie’s risqué social media posts and sex-positive discussion countering the Christian values Jelly has been exuding through his music in recent years. However, per an unnamed source, “morality” wasn’t so much the main issue when it came to this split but something else entirely:

Jelly Roll briefly addressed his divorce during a vlog, and he actually called Bunnie as a way of showing that the two were still on good terms. From there, Jelly implored his viewers to head over to Bunnie’s Dumb Blonde podcast to get all of the information on the split. During that podcast episode, Bunnie praised her ex and also lauded him for gifting her the “compound” they’d been building for the last year. She also spoke to her relationship status, saying she had no plans to date, though insiders claim Bunnie won’t be single for too long.

As for Bunnie Xo’s professional ventures, she hasn’t given any public indication that she’ll become an escort again or make any kind of return to adult entertainment. Regardless, in the aftermath of her divorce, the world seems to be her oyster.

It’s been a big summer for Kaley Cuoco, as the Big Bang Theory alum announced earlier this month that she and Tom Pelphrey are expecting their second baby. Not surprisingly, Hollywood was as supportive as ever for the happy couple following their news, which comes three years after they welcomed their firstborn. That alone constitutes a big summer; however, Cuoco is staying busy and having fun too, as she brought the bump out to an event.

The actress stepped out for the premiere of HBO’s new limited sketch comedy series, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness. Her growing bump was on full display as she posed for photos and hugged Larry David. Cuoco took to Instagram to reflect on the premiere last night, also praising David and his new series on the 2026 TV schedule that was co-created by him and Jeff Schaffer:

Since Cuoco didn’t spill the beans about baby number two until this month, it’s so nice to see her all glammed up and taking the bump out and about. It sounds like she may have to be careful, though, because she is pretty far along, and even just laughing hard might be what the baby needs to come out. That would certainly be a unique way to induce labor.

Now, overall, Cuoco and Pelphrey’s relationship has been through a lot over the four years since Ozark brought them together. They had a sweet meet-cute at the show’s Season 4 premiere in 2022, and the following year, they welcomed their first daughter, Matilda Carmine Richie Pelphrey. People were soon anxious to know when baby number two would be coming, so they are probably happy to know that she will finally be making her way into the world in the near future.

Even though the happy couple didn’t wait long to have their first baby, they have been taking things a bit slow since their lives changed. Cuoco and Pelphrey announced their engagement in August 2024 and have yet to tie the knot. But now that they’re planning for their second child, it wouldn’t be surprising if wedding planning was put on hold until things in their household quieted down. However, keeping things in the present, Cuoco is glowing, and I’m excited to see her and her partner start another new chapter in their lives.

It’s unknown when Baby Pelphrey will be making her way into the world. However, she already seems to be causing good trouble for Cuoco. Now, as we wait for more updates about this little bundle of joy, you can stream Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, the show that made the actress laugh so hard her baby almost popped out, with an HBO Max subscription on June 26.

Spoilers ahead for The Sheep Detectives, streaming now on Amazon Prime Video.

Kyle Balda's The Sheep Detectives hit theaters back in May and became a critical and box office success. The book to screen adaptation has plenty of hilarious comedic bits, but also told a moving story about grief. The movie is now streaming for those with an Amazon Prime subscription, and writer Craig Mazin spoke to CinemaBlend about why he thinks kids can handle its emotional narrative.

The Sheep Detectives is basically Babe meets Knives Out, with the titular animals helping to solve the murder of their shepherd George (Hugh Jackman). While its a funny concept, the sheep also explore the complex emotions that come with losing their caretaker. I had the chance to speak with Mazin and the cast ahead of the movie's release, where I asked the Last of Us writer if he was prepared to hear from young moviegoers in years from now who he made cry with the movie's touching script. He responded with:

Points were made. Every generation has a handful of movies and/or books that they remember crying over as a young person. For children of the '90s like me, Mufasa's death in The Lion King comes to mind. But while The Sheep Detectives might have a similar effect on young moviegoers nowadays, Mazin thinks the way art addresses those complicated emotions is something that is actually helpful. What's more, he thinks kids can handle the tears that might come from the movie.

While George's death is what kickstarts the adventure of The Sheep Detectives, it's not the only loss that might have audiences choking up. Because in the movie's third act Bryan Cranston's sheep Sebastian sacrifices himself to save Lily and Mopple from a pack of dogs. This forces Julia Louis-Dreyfus' character to face the losses she buried into her psyche throughout her life with George and the flock.

I also asked Louis-Dreyfus about The Sheep Detectives potentially affecting young audiences in particular. I name dropped The Lion King during our chat, and the Seinfield star responded by saying:

While death and grief are subject that might be hard for parents to talk about with young children, The Sheep Detectives actually offers the language and story that can help open up these conversations. And for those who have experienced loss, it was a surprisingly accurate portrayal of the grieving process. Add in the many laughs that buoy the movie, and it's a project that the whole family can enjoy.

The Sheep Detectives is streaming on Amazon Prime Video as part of the 2026 movie release list. I'd definitely recommend watching it if you didn't catch the movie in theaters... even if you might need some tissues.

I’ve had a hard time believing the rumors that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were going to get married at Madison Square Garden. At first, it was hard to comprehend, simply because it’s not every day you hear about a couple using an arena for a wedding. Then, it seemed like a logistical nightmare considering everything going on in New York City around July 3. However, new evidence that this could really happen has convinced me that the singer and football player might actually tie the knot in the middle of Manhattan.

Between the NBA Finals just concluding on the 2026 TV schedule, the FIFA World Cup going on right outside New York City, and the Fourth of July coming up, it seemed like a lot to have arguably one of the biggest weddings ever in Madison Square Garden. The arena is notably placed right on top of Penn Station, and with tourists coming and going for all these massive events, it was difficult to wrap my head around Swift and Kelce getting married there. However, new evidence from the NYT says otherwise.

Now, I already knew that MSG did not have events booked between June 29 and July 6. That was kind of convincing, considering this arena is always hosting an event of some kind, and clearing a full week felt a bit odd.

However, new evidence involving a permit is extra convincing. According to three sources, a permit was requested to close the streets around The Garden from July 2 to midday July 4 for an event on July 3. Do you know what’s rumored to happen on July 3? Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding. Plus, on top of that, Amtrak police officers who work in Penn Station said they’ve been told to expect this wedding.

The NYT has some more application information, too, as it reported that Winick Productions filed one with NYC’s Street Activity Permit Office in early June to set up a tent or canopy outside MSG. A representative from the event planning company declined to comment. However, according to the application, it said the event would include 500 to 999 attendees, and stated that it’d need space for loading and unloading.

Adding to that evidence, a city official told the outlet that “Madison Square Garden is planning to host the wedding festivities on July 3.”

If that wasn’t enough, a person who is aware of some guests’ accommodations shared that multiple members of the Kansas City Chiefs have booked rooms at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square around July 3. We know the team’s head coach, Andy Reid, will be at the wedding, and this information claims that a lot of Kelce’s teammates will be there too. Considering he’s played for the same team his whole career, that makes sense.

Overall, the city is planning for a big event on July 3, and it seems like many agencies and companies are proceeding as if this wedding will happen at MSG. However, nothing is confirmed yet. In fact, rumors have gone around that the couple might use this arena for a reception while they hold their ceremony elsewhere.

This new information is compelling evidence, though. Plus, the benefits of using MSG are notable, seeing as it knows how to handle a big event, it can hold a large number of guests, and it can provide safety and security, since you can’t directly see into the venue from outside.

So, with all that said, I think I actually believe that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift could get married at Madison Square Garden on July 3.

We may be mostly through Rick and Morty Season 9, but that doesn't mean the fun stops on the 2026 TV schedule. The President Curtis spinoff is on the way, and it looks like the series based on one of the flagship show's best side characters will differentiate itself by embracing the paranormal creatures of Earth. And, to put it quite simply, I'm pumped!

The latest trailer for the series, which can be seen above, shows lots of wild cryptids, including a werewolf, mothman and even Cthulu. I was initially worried about whether the fictional POTUS was up to handling these types of threats without Rick and his grandson along for the ride. However, it looks like he's doing just fine and carving out his own unique lane in the shared universe.

While Rick And Morty Deal With Space, President Curtis Seems To Lean More Into Cryptids And Earthbound Threats

While it's entirely possible that President Curtis will have feature a cosmic adventure or two, the trailer gives the impression that the titular politician and his agents will lean into tackling threats that are tied to Earth for the most part. Given that, I would expect we won't be seeing him hop between dimensions or planets, as they do on Rick and Morty.

I almost get X-Files vibes from the trailer, except for the fact that there's no Agent Scully frequently insisting the paranormal doesn't exist. Still, I'm really digging the vibes here, and the creative team should be lauded for taking things in a new direction for this show. I wouldn't be surprised if this writing staff has been around for Rick and Morty's best episodes, so I'm confident that they can produce some truly entertaining stories.

Do Rick And Morty Exist In President Curtis' Universe?

Given the uniqueness of this series and the copious amount of universes in Rick and Morty, though, I do wonder if President Curtis if that aforementioned duo even exists in this continuity. After all, fans now there are more than a few universes where Morty and Rick have died, one of which the current Rick and Morty reside in.

I think an interesting twist would be that President Curtis is set in a separate universe from that of the Rick and Morty series and fans will be treated to different versions of those two characters. I know we already get a ton of different Ricks and Mortys via the main show, but it'd be cool to see a couple stick around to do more than serve as the basis of a one-off joke.

Usually, I'd be a bit wary of a spinoff happening this deep into its parent show's run. However, with Rick and Morty delivering some of its best episodes in Season 9, it feels like the writing team has only scratched the surface of comedy for this franchise. Here's hoping the well is just as deep with President Curtis, and it becomes like American Dad is to Family Guy.

President Curtis premieres on Adult Swim on July 26th, with episodes becoming streamable the next day for those with an HBO Max subscription. We'll see if this spinoff lives up to the hype it's built so far, and if Adult Swim has yet another hit series on its hands.

You know, I always thought that if we saw one of the Off Campus stars in a sexy ad, it’d be for a company like Calvin Klein. However, in a total plot twist, Stephen Kalyn proved that you can make cell phone commercials steamy through his shirtless Verizon ad. Now, as this “simple is sexy” campaign takes the internet by storm, the actor’s co-stars from the sexy Prime Video project and his real-life fiancée shared their A+ reactions.

So, after playing the often-shirtless Dean Di Laurentis in the book-to-screen adaptation of Off Campus, Stephen Kalyn partook in a steamy ad for Verizon. In it, he fearlessly danced around a studio while a voiceover that sounded like something straight out of a romance novel played. Take a look:

Obviously, the guys of Off Campus had to show up to support their boy. So, down in the comments on Kalyn’s post, Belmont Cameli, who plays Garrett Graham and is no stranger to a sexy scene, as well as Antonio Cipriano, who plays John Logan, commented:

• Belmont Cameli: this happened to a guy I know once
• Antonio Cipriano: sign me tf up

I’d love to know which “guy” Cameli is referring to, and that query makes the comment even funnier. Also, it sounds like Verizon has a new customer in the Logan actor. Alongside those comments, the last of the guys from the off-campus house, Jalen Thomas Brooks (he plays John Tucker) and Ella Bright (she’s Hannah Wells), liked the post. So, the Off Campus cast really showed up to support the Dean actor and his sexy cell phone ad.

However, I think my favorite comment has to be his fiancée’s. Kalyn and his partner, Victoria Lovatsis, have been together since 2012, per People. As Off Campus took over the 2026 TV schedule and people continue to stream it with an Amazon Prime subscription, she’s been very supportive of him. And that trend continued here with one hilarious comment:

This truly made me laugh out loud. What a clever comment for her to post! Plus, while she’s showing her love for the phones here, we also know she adores the guy holding one in this ad.

Those close to Kalyn weren’t the only ones with clever comments, however. Fans were leaving their funny remarks as well, writing things like:

• haleymiller: Thank you for your service …. Literally
• zariaanichelle: Stephen please I’m trying to work
• tatiana_kushner: This is crazy work for a telephone company 😂 Respect.
• ohjoy: They could place any product at the end of that video, and we’d all be buying it. 🔥
• sydneynaseef: absolutely hilarious that this is an ad for a cellular service
• thebohobookblogger: This is basically a Verizon, Calvin Klein ad, cool.

I agree with that last comment. If I hadn’t seen Verizon mentioned in the caption, I would have thought this was a Calvin Klein ad. Honestly, it reminds me of the Calvin Klein campaign Jeremy Allen White did a few years ago.

Anyway, overall, the comments on this post are incredibly entertaining and complimentary. And that totally fits the vibe of this whole campaign, too. Verizon was going for sexy with this ad, as the caption states, and Stephen Kalyn was the perfect person to help them do that, seeing as he’s set to lead Season 2 of Off Campus. Plus, the fabulous comments from his co-stars, fiancée and fans further proved how great this whole situation is.

When Bob Iger took over Disney in 2005, he quickly put together a list of potential acquisitions. One of the iconic franchises on his list was James Bond, which was still owned by the Broccoli family (and has since been acquired by Amazon). I’ll say upfront that I’m not a Disney hater by any means, but I’m really glad this was a deal Iger couldn’t get done. There is really one specific reason why: Disney overexposes everything.

Marvel, Star Wars, and Bond, James Bond

I’m not going to get into the whole history of Disney and where it was as a company before Iger was named CEO in 2005, but let’s just say, according to some within the company, there was a malaise internally. Iger set out to change that with a series of acquisitions, most notably the first deal he made, buying Pixar in 2006. His list was longer. As Iger recently told the Financial Times:

Disney bought Marvel in 2009 and Lucasfilm (which encompasses Star Wars) in 2012. Bond was the only franchise on the list that Iger and Disney didn’t get their hands on. For me, this is a huge relief. As a huge fan of the James Bond movies, I’ve been worried about how Amazon would treat the iconic franchise, but I’m positive that Disney would have exploited it to the hilt.

Disney Does Too Much With Its Franchises

I’ve long argued that Disney made a huge misstep after the enormous success of Avengers: Endgame. I firmly believe that they should have taken a quick breather and then reset the MCU completely. Instead, they doubled down and kept pumping out two or three movies a year, while adding a seemingly endless amount of streaming content, all of which is available with a Disney+ subscription, of course.

What they did was way overexpose the whole MCU franchise. There were new movies and shows constantly. It got overwhelming for many fans, including me. They’ve done pretty much the same thing with Star Wars since purchasing Lucasfilm. They have slowed down on both recently, finally recognizing the overexposure. I’m really glad this didn’t happen with James Bond. Imagine James Bond the Movie! James Bond the TV Show! James Bond the Roller Coaster! James Bond the lunchbox! You get my point.

While I’m definitely frustrated that James Bond 26 is taking so long (maybe we’ll see it in 2028?), I’d much rather be waiting for what is hopefully a great movie than being inundated with James Bond everywhere, watering down the brand, and leaving me as frustrated as I have been with recent MCU and Star Wars projects.

When Calls the Heart Season 13 finished airing on the 2026 TV schedule back in March, and the show unfortunately won’t be back until 2027. While filming hasn’t started yet, much of the cast has remained busy for personal reasons. Baby fever hit the set of the hit Hallmark drama, with four current cast members expecting as of last winter. Erin Krakow has since welcomed a little girl (after her baby secret was nearly outed on set), and she's now explaining how "messy" situations on set have prepared her for motherhood.

Krakow and co-star Ben Rosenbaum, who tied the knot during a secret wedding last summer, officially welcomed their first baby in April, per a People exclusive. They first announced they were expecting in November and later shared fun updates. In a recent joint email interview with the aforementioned publication, the new parents discussed this little one. Krakow humorously recalled on-set snafus that helped prepare them for child-rearing, while Rosenbaum made a keen point about why Krakow was ready to be a mother:

Over the years, When Calls the Heart has indeed gotten the characters into some sticky and messy situations, some that were accidents and some that were not. Rosenbaum’s Mike Hickam has gotten the short end of the stick, as Krakow pointed out, but she has also seen and done a lot, especially when it comes to babies. Her character, Elizabeth, has a son, Jack, who was born ahead of Season 6. So Krakow has definitely done her share of child-rearing -- on camera, of course.

Sloppy situations aren't the only elements from WCTH that have prepared Krakow and Rosenbaum for parenthood. The couple also recalled an emotional moment on the series for Elizabeth, and they’re already experiencing the same thing with their own daughter:

Of course, aside from their When Calls the Heart experiences, Krakow and Rosenbaum did a few other activities ahead of the baby's birth. They embarked on a babymoon to get one last trip in before their lives got hectic, and Krakow even shared an A+ pun that was years in the making. Although the show is on hiatus, I'm glad the two actors have time to spend with their daughter before production on Season 14, of which a start date has not been announced.

Meanwhile, Krakow and Rosenbaum are not the only ones on When Calls the Heart to soak in the joys of parenthood amid the hiatus. Kevin McGarry and Kayla Wallace, who is currently starring in the hit Taylor Sheridan drama Landman, announced the arrival of their baby on Mother’s Day. Chris McNally and Hallmark’s Julie Gonzalo are expecting their second and, based on their last baby update on Valentine’s Day, Gonzalo’s bump was getting pretty big.

It’s exciting to see the WCTH family expanding and, by the time Season 14 begins filming, there could be three new little Hearties in all. And, when Erin Krakow and Ben Rosenbaum return to set, I can imagine that art might imitate life in some sweet ways now that they're parents.

Netflix’s horror section is about to go through a pretty major franchise swap in July. If you have been meaning to revisit the Saw movies, you may want to start clearing some time, because a huge chunk of Jigsaw’s bloody legacy is leaving the streamer. The good news? Another horror icon returns to take Billy the Puppet's place just a few days later. We’re talking Ghostface people.

According to an official release, all eight Saw installments currently listed on the service will leave Netflix's streaming lineup on July 19. Then, on July 24, the service will add the first three Scream movies, which, for my money, are still the best when I’m ranking the series. More specifically, Wes Craven’s original Scream, Scream 2 and Scream 3 are all dropping for folks with a Netflix subscription.

That is a very funny trade for horror fans, if you ask me. One franchise built its reputation on grimy traps, moral tests and Tobin Bell’s eerie little puppet speeches. The other helped revive the slasher movie by combining horror with comedy and making the fans the targets with its meta commentary.

Depending on your taste, July is either a loss, a win or a perfect excuse to squeeze in two completely different horror marathons. The Saw departure is the bigger immediate news because Netflix is losing so much of the franchise at once. Eight movies are an entire pile of traps vanishing from the service in one day. For viewers who like watching horror series in order, July 19 is the date to circle in red marker because, obviously, after that, your chance is out the window. Those first eight installments are listed as follows:

• Saw
• Saw II
• Saw III
• Saw IV
• Saw V
• Saw VI
• Saw: The Final Chapter
• Jigsaw

The first Saw remains one of the great low-budget horror success stories of the 2000s, a nasty little thriller that gradually became the foundation for one of the genre’s most recognizable modern franchises. The sequels are more elaborate and increasingly tangled in timeline gymnastics, but that is part of the appeal. Half the fun is watching the franchise try to turn every grisly device into another piece of Jigsaw mythology.

While the loss of the Saw movies will undoubtedly sting many horror fans, the arrival of the original Scream trilogy softens the blow.

The first Scream is still a landmark slasher, and it remains one of the rare horror movies that is both genuinely scary and genuinely funny without either tone cannibalizing the other. Scream 2 is also one of the stronger horror sequels out there, building on the original’s meta premise while moving Sidney Prescott’s nightmare to college. Scream 3 is definitely the oddball of the trilogy, but even its Hollywood-set chaos has its defenders. Heck, I’m a fan of that movie far more than the rebooted trilogy's latest entry, the 2026 movie release Scream 7. I think the less said about that film, the better.

Netflix also has other horror-friendly titles coming and going in July, making the month feel a little like Halloween in midsummer. Krampus, Talk to Me and The Witch are set to arrive July 1, while Night of the Living Dead leaves July 4. Later in the month, Hannibal Seasons 1-3 hits the service July 27, followed by The Exorcism on July 28. So, needless to say, horror hounds will have plenty to enjoy on the streamer this summer even with the loss of the Saw films.

CBS News has been undergoing a number of changes under the direction of Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss, and those alterations have garnered mixed responses. Former employees of the brand, including recently fired 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley have been particularly vocal about the direction of the company, with several of them also accusing the brand of not allowing editorial autonomy. Weiss and co. have since denied claims that the company’s news coverage has become biased and, now, one anchor is sharing their take.

Tony Dokoupil Weighs In On Claims That There’s Been News-Related Interference At CBS

Among the media veterans who remain with the Eye Network’s news branch right now is Tony Dokoupil. The CBS Evening News anchor recently sat down with The Wall Street Journal to discuss his continued work at the storied media company. During the conversation, Doukoupil was asked for his take on the accusations of editorial tampering that have swirled around his place of employment as of late. The newsman admitted to being well aware of the chatter before noting how they compare to his own experience:

Thus far, Dokoupil has apparently been a key part of the plans that have been unfolding at CBS News since Paramount/Skydance took the reins and tapped Weiss to run the brand. In December, Dokoupil was promoted from CBS Mornings co-host to lead anchor of CBS Evening News. During his interview with WSJ, Dokoupil was also asked what it was like to work with Weiss, who’s drawn backlash in recent months. While insiders have alleged that even Weiss’ morning meetings haven’t been positive, Dokoupil had this to say:

The new editor-in-chief aside, some people have also expressed concerns about alleged tampering from executives at Paramount/Skydance, including company president David Ellison. Dokoupil went on to share his personal experience with Ellison in relation to his own work on Evening News:

These comments from Tony Dokoupil seem to run counter to much of what’s been said by other network alums. And they haven’t held back their responses.

What Have Scott Pelley And Others Said About CBS News’ Current State?

Before being fired from 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley reportedly had a heated discussion with new 60 Minutes producer Nick Bilton. It was during that chat that Pelley reportedly accused Weiss of “murdering” the aforementioned news magazine show and, within that same week, Pelley was dismissed from the company. Since then, Pelley has continued to chastise CBS, as he’s questioned the leadership that’s in place and how they’re choosing to report the news.

Pelley’s initial comments came amid a number of firings at 60, with EP Tanya Simon being let go along with executive editor Draggan Mihailovich and correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega. For their parts, Vega and Alfonsi have also made claims about bias. Former series EP Bill Owens – who left the company in April 25 amid the editorial changes – also defended Pelley’s murder comments. Likewise, former correspondent Steve Kroft also agreed with the notion of “journalistic interference” being in play.

As it stands, CBS News is still conducting its business, with Bari Weiss reportedly making more plans for the company. What those changes may or may not mean for Tony Dokoupil and others who work there remains to be seen.

With the DCEU behind us, moviegoers are invested in upcoming DC movies, which will expand co-CEO James Gunn's newly formed shared universe. The first slate of projects is called Gods and Monsters, with James Gunn's Superman being the debut movie. That blockbuster introduced David Corenswet's title character, and also featured a cameo by Milly Alcock's Supergirl. And it turns out that the Hollywood actor offered his onscreen cousin some advice about flying around on wires.

It's still early into the DCU, with Craig Gillespie's Supergirl being the second big screen adventure. Milly Alcock is stepping into the spotlight at Kara Zor-El, and during an interview with ET Corenswet revealed his first impression of the House of the Dragon star. In his words:

He's not wrong. Milly Alcock brings a ton of swagger to Kara, even during her brief appearance in Superman. The Supergirl trailer showed her drinking her way through the cosmos, and also kicking ass and taking names. But the first reactions to Supergirl also praised the actress for the heart she brought to the title character.

Later in the same interview, Corenswet revealed what advice he gave Milly Alcock about being a Kryptonian on the big screen. Rather than it being about character or fame, he spoke to her about the reality of flying on wires during long shooting days. As he told it:

While superhero actors make flying look easy, the reality of actually filming these sequences is something else entirely. The wires and harnesses needed to take flight are notoriously uncomfortable, and it turns out that it covers actors in bruises as well. This might be a testament to how tight and safe the rigs are, but it doesn't make them any less painful. Suddenly I'm very glad to be firmly on the ground.

Luckily for DC fans, the wait for Supergirl is nearly over. Fans will be able to see Milly Alcock take flight when the movie hits theaters on June 26th as part of the 2026 TV schedule. David Corenswet will also appear as Kal-El, so maybe they'll be able to take to the skies together.

I watched the first season of Netflix’s Outlast and really enjoyed it. It was an intense show that hit me emotionally. My investment came from the series showcasing humans in all their messy forms. I always planned to watch season 2, but got distracted by the million and one other things I can watch with my Netflix subscription. Then I saw Outlast: The Jungle premiered and decided to watch it before watching the second season.

Outlast: The Jungle is the same series as the original Outlast, but with slight differences. However, it felt a lot lighter and more hopeful than the first season. That one felt bleak. The more inspirational and positive lens actually made me really enjoy this series.

Warning: Outlast: The Jungle spoilers are ahead. Proceed with caution.

Outlast: The Jungle Ended Up Inspiring Me Because Of The Girl Power Tone

I love inspirational movies starring women. There are also plenty of girl-power-focused TV shows. These films and TV series highlight female empowerment. Women can run the world, and these fictional landscapes highlight this fact. However, I have not seen many survival series that focus on amplifying women as these powerful hunters, nurturers, and strategists in the wild.

From the start of Outlast: The Jungle, you understand that the women are the most valuable characters. They are calm, observant, and skilled. We kind of suspect (and hope) that the women on Team Alpha will end up on top.

They are showcased as the most determined, intelligent, patient, kind, and gritty in the series. You want to be around these women. I loved that the season felt especially filtered through Maddy Jones and Nikki Hru’s lenses. They were the narrators and stars. We need to see more reality TV shows that give women a platform to demonstrate how their skills and natural abilities make them an asset in difficult situations, such as surviving in the jungle.

I Expected Villains But They Were Kind Of Laughable In The End

Many of the men on Outlast: The Jungle don’t come across in the best light. They take alpha male tendencies to the next level. This isn’t the case for every man this season, but far too many of them. The male members of Charlie, in particular, were extremely hard to stomach this season.

They basically came off as bullies who behaved badly until the bitter end, with a strong emphasis on "bitter." They burned down their camp and destroyed their supplies before leaving, just to make sure none of the remaining survivalists could take their leftovers. Additionally, they left talking about how badly everyone else sucked. It showed their very poor character.

You couldn’t even hate these men because they felt so laughable at the end. Almost caricatures of bad guys. They got foiled by the women, aka Outlast: The Jungle’s heroes, in the end.

Additionally, their final acts just make you happy that they got out. Outlast: The Jungle Season 1 Episode 7, “A Shot to Win,” had me on the edge of my seat. I really wanted Alpha to beat Charlie, but things looked so rough. This made it more satisfying when the finale started with Charlie’s elimination. Couldn’t have happened to better guys.

The Ending Was Very Satisfying Because Of The Winners

I saw no other satisfying ending than Maddy and Nikki winning the season. They had done everything right, including dealing with people stealing from them. They stole too, but they did it as revenge, so it felt justified. As previously stated, Outlast: The Jungle felt like it was about Maddy and Nikki. Therefore, every other tribe had done something that made it hard to root for them.

Even when the women decide to leave Leiya Pillitteri behind, you understand because the series paints her as a liability. Nikki and Maddy tried to keep her, but she just wasn’t made for this show. The editors really favored Nikki and Maddy, likely because they knew the outcome. Nonetheless, it worked.

I cheered when the women finally won the show. Reality TV is full of iconic moments, but it’s rare when it ends satisfyingly. This feeling of peace about the winner is due to brilliant editing. We know the heroes from the start, and just take the journey.

Outlast: The Jungle Had A Bit Of An Honor And Integrity Message That I Unexpectedly Connected With

I despise the words honor and integrity on reality competition shows. Big Brother and shows like it often involve at least one contestant obsessed with playing the game with honor and integrity. They will not compromise their morals to win a show. The money isn’t that important to them. In real life, I completely agree that most things should involve some honor and integrity.

However, on a show for money, you know what you signed up for. You should want to win and play as hard as possible to get the prize. Therefore, it’s not fun to watch people try to moralize a game that should have limited morals. Nonetheless, somehow Outlast: The Jungle became an unexpected display of morals.

Outlast Season 1 felt the opposite. So many people were just ruthless that it became difficult to watch. The Jungle takes the opposing view. Nikki and Maddy win because they’re the most honorable team. They’re kind and encouraging, even when Leiya starts to cost them the win.

The show almost acts as proof that honor and integrity do matter in the end. It can lead to decisions that end in a favorable result. I still believe you can lack honor and integrity on reality TV and still win and be a good person. However, I enjoyed that Outlast: The Jungle shows a different perspective. I like the idea that honor and integrity still have a place on reality TV.

The Series Felt Grittier And Real, Which Contrasted It From Other Survival Shows I Watched

I loved Survivor 50, but I am an inconsistent viewer. However, I have seen enough to know the show fairly well. It’s a fun family series that often makes light of the dire situations. It takes out all the danger and darkness of trying to survive on an island. However, we know that they barely eat, face dangerous environmental situations, and play a cutthroat game. It’s not all rainbow and sunshine, but the Survive editing makes it feel less intense than what’s actually happening.

In Outlast: The Jungle, you feel every moment of danger. It exemplifies the darkness and danger that you would expect when living in the wilderness for a few days. This grittier approach to survival just makes the series more compelling. I hope Netflix continues to renew Outlast and Outlast: The Jungle because it feels just as intense as some of the best survival movies.

After weeks of speculation about Big Brother Season 28's theme and twist, we may have confirmation thanks to a leak from a foreign Paramount+ site. It looks like fans were on the money when they guessed we'd get returning Houseguests, as this coming season on the 2026 TV schedule will supposedly honor the past in a way I (along with other fans) really hope is legit.

While CBS remains quiet on the theme, the Chinese WeChat page for Paramount+ reportedly posted a purported synopsis for Big Brother Season 28 early. Check out the premise below, which hints at returning legends, revisiting past twists, and exploring "eras" of BB (via: @MiaRevengeee):

"Time Trip" sounds like the type of Big Brother season fans have wanted for years, in which past seasons of the show return in big ways. More importantly, this synopsis would suggest that legends of the game are seemingly rejoining the fun. To that point, recent rumors even suggested Season 15's Elissa Reilly Slater could return alongside other alums.

Fans had a lot to say about these reported details, as plenty of responses are floating around on X. Check some of them out:

• What if the returning legends have to compete in a game to enter and stay in the BB house?? - @unknownboy405
• Oh, I just know I'm gonna be accidentally calling this theme the Time Warp all season long. - @fast_benjamin
• Anytime I see 'change the game,' or anything related I just assume production is ready to really interfere - @MrBranman
• Wowwwwwwwowwww omggggg time capsule sounds crazy - @b1ggestbrother
• I hope we get at least 4 from each era - @NotoriousFOP

As usual, the synopsis doesn't tell the whole story, meaning we'll have to wait until Big Brother starts to find out exactly how the past will be honored. Maybe it means we'll be seeing some of the worst Have-Not rooms return, or we'll finally get them to switch from slop back to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

I'm also curious how many returnees we can expect. A vague post from Julie Chen Moonves had people speculating that Season 28 will feature eight returnees and eight newcomers, which could be cool. I'd certainly like that more than just a few returnees, and we'd have a better shot at seeing a returning player win.

While we don't know if this synopsis is 100% legit, it only deepens the mystery of what's to expect in BB Season 28. We have no idea who might be returning, what twists will be used or why the show was testing a livestream on YouTube not that long ago. As always, all that's left to expect is the unexpected, though it does seem we may now have a vague idea of what's on the way!

I'm so ready for Big Brother Season 28's premiere, which hits CBS on July 9th. Now that it seems we have an idea of what to expect, I guess we need to start looking to see which Houseguests are dropping off social media in the weeks leading up!

Disney has spent years turning animated classics into live-action movies, and that trend is not slowing down anytime soon. Moana is set to hit the 2026 movie schedule soon, and Tangled is currently in the works, which means plenty of beloved Disney titles are still making the jump from animation to live action. Pixar, however, has mostly avoided that treatment so far. Now, thanks to someone asking the Toy Story creators about that very possibility, we have a pretty clear answer, and their response is hilarious.

During a recent BAFTA interview with Toy Story 5 director Andrew Stanton and producer Lindsey Collins, the two were asked late in the conversation whether they would ever consider making a live-action Toy Story movie, and their reactions were immediate. After both seemed to groan at the idea, Stanton said:

Collins, meanwhile, sounded like someone trying to stop a spell from being spoken aloud in a haunted attic. She jumped in with:

Stanton then jumped in with a question many Pixar fans were probably thinking. He asked:

Collins quickly shut the whole thing down. The producer added:

Stanton agreed. He echoed her sentiment:

Honestly, I love everything about this exchange. Nobody reached for the careful studio answer. There was no “never say never” or “we’re always open to new storytelling possibilities.” They reacted like someone had suggested the unthinkable. Which, to be fair, sending Woody into the uncanny valley feels pretty "unthinkable."

The funny thing is, we actually joked about this idea before. In the past, Emily Blunt and Dwayne Johnson said they were ready to star in a live-action Toy Story, if only they could find someone to play Woody. It was an idea the two had joked about after their Jungle Cruise pairing. It was a fun hypothetical, and honestly, if anyone could make that conversation entertaining, it would be those two.

But a live-action Toy Story is a weird idea on a basic conceptual level. The whole premise already exists in a world where toys look like toys, move like toys and interact with human spaces. The animation is doing the job that live action would theoretically be trying to “realize.” So what would the new version be? Actual toys moved around with CGI faces? Humans in toy costumes? A photorealistic Woody with pores? No, thank you, Sheriff.

That does not mean new Disney live-action remakes are automatically bad ideas. Some have connected with huge audiences, and the upcoming live-action Moana at least has the built-in hook of bringing Dwayne Johnson back as Maui while introducing a new actress as Moana. There are ways to rethink an animated story for a different medium.

The original 1995 movie was already revolutionary for the way it used computer animation to make toys feel alive. Its whole identity is tied to Pixar’s form. Taking that into live-action risks sanding away the very thing that made it special in the first place.

Maybe that's the reason why Stanton and Collins’ reactions are so satisfying. They are not making a grand anti-remake argument. They just seem to know, instinctively, that this particular franchise does not need another layer of reality slapped on top of it.

Besides, Toy Story 5 already has enough going on. The franchise is continuing in animation, where it belongs, with the same visual language audiences have loved for decades. Woody, Buzz, Jessie and the rest of the gang do not need to be dragged into the uncanny valley for the sake of novelty. Sometimes the best answer really is the simplest one. That’s gonna be a hard no from me as well, dog.

Toy Story 5 is now playing in theaters, so check your local listings for showtimes. But if you want to revisit the other five movies or the rest of the House of Mouse's back catalog, all you need is a Disney+ subscription.

Leslie Jones managed to make quite a mark during her five-season stint on Saturday Night Live and, since leaving the show in 2019, she's provided insight into her experiences working there. While Jones has been open about the highs of the gig, she's also been honest about some of the lows. More recently, the actress and comedian talked about being typecast in many of her sketches, despite wanting to be included in roles that were more dynamic.

Ahead of SNL's return on the 2026 TV schedule, Jones was a guest on The Sam Sanders Show. During a conversation about whether the sketch-comedy show was a great place for Black comics, the Top Five alum talked about her own experience and consistently being put in sketches where she was fighting or having to be angry:

While she's said in the past she originally didn't even want to be on the show, Leslie Jones apparently joined Saturday Night Live with the notion of wanting to showcase her abilities both as an actress and comedian. Although Jones' work on the show is quite enjoyable, she does make good points in that many of her characters do fit the mad or fight-ready descriptions.

When asked if she was OK with the sketches at the time, Jones admitted that her desire to be on the series was what took precedence. However, she also admitted it took a while for her to even realize she was getting the same thing to do every week. At the same time, though, she was also on national TV as part of a cast many others would die to be a part of. The comedian explained:

Though frustrated, Leslie Jones can see that Saturday Night Live is a machine. Writers figure out what audiences like about a cast member, and they'll continue to hit on what works. This is to say, she's not the only former SNL cast member to frequently be put into the same box, but that doesn't mean it's any less disappointing for her.

What seemed to be at the center of Leslie Jones' displeasure was her desire to "play" more and show the various abilities she has as an actress. Still, as she reiterated, being a product of the machine meant writers were reluctant to go outside of her "character" when it came to sketches, which further annoyed her:

When asked if Saturday Night Live was a good place for Black comedians, Leslie Jones said it was a great platform that can open a lot of doors for any comedian. There are plenty of success stories involving cast members who've had careers after being on the NBC staple. And, most notably, Kenan Thompson has even made being a cast member a long-term career.

It's been interesting to hear Jones be candid about her SNL experience. Since leaving the series, she returned to join the star-studded 50th anniversary special, and she still seems to have solid relationships with some former castmates. While it's unfortunate that her time on the show wasn't what she wanted, I'm glad she seems to have still maintained a solid connection to the series.

Saturday Night Live returns to NBC this fall, and I'm eager to see what upcoming hosts and musical guests are planned for next season. I may need to watch some old episodes with my Peacock subscription, because I've been needing some sketch comedy in my life as of late.

For four seasons, I watched as the Landry women took me through more twists and turns than I could have ever imagined. (Though that’s probably why I do this and am not an episodic TV writer.) We knew The Way Home would be ending this season, and the finale did not disappoint. Well, mostly. There was one storyline I’d hoped would get tied up neatly.

What Did We Learn From The Way Home Finale?

Listen, if you watched the way The Way Home Season 4 and series series finale, you know it played out was very complicated, and I’m going to get into some spoilers here, but here’s the gist of what happened in the final episode of Season 4:

• Eliot got shot.
• Fern was pregnant with Cliff’s baby.
• KC is Jacob’s kid.
• Jacob got to say goodbye to his adopted father.
• Del time-traveled, and talked to Colton before his death.
• Kat and Eliot finally got engaged.

And they said they were worried about whether or not they'd even have enough to talk about in Season 4!

All of this was a lot to pack into an hour of network TV, but interestingly, the show ended on what I felt was the perfect moment. Kat and Alice dove into the (absolutely freezing) pond to time travel, and we didn’t get to see as the audience where they went. It’s nice to know there will be more adventures on their horizons that we won’t be a part of, and with the reveal that KC is a Landry for sure, we also know there will be future generations around to time travel. It’s circular and lovely, but also bittersweet.

None of this, though, solved the mystery I’d been hoping we'd get an answer to.

The One Way Home Mystery I Really Hoped The Show Would Solve Had To Do With Nick

There’s been a rather persistent fan chorus online about Nick and his supposed girlfriend Claire. Claire is mentioned often by Nick after he returns to Port Haven, but we never see her on the small screen. As you might also recall, when Nick was much younger, he met the current version of Alice and they had a really awesome connection.

Unfortunately, in the present day, a relationship between the two would not be remotely appropriate given the massive age gap, but there have been a faction of fans who have wondered if a fully grown Alice in the future time travels to the past to spend time with the adult version of Nick. Some fans believe in the Alice is Claire theory, aka that Claire is actually just Alice and Nick has been holding his cards close to his chest this whole time. As a theory, I love it.

Thank goodness for the two showrunners on the series, mother-daughter duo Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke, because they were aware of this fan chatter online. When TV Insider asked them if Alice and Claire are the same person, Conkie and Clarke confirmed they left it open on purpose!

• Heather Conkie: "That’s us being cheeky because there are some who actually think that Alice is Claire and vice versa. We left that open."
• Alexandra Clarke: "We leave it open because you never know. There’s never say never, as we say, never say never. And we [really] were just being very cheeky."

Conkie also said she would have liked to have seen more from the Alice and Max Goodwin romance storyline in upcoming Hallmark episodes, but that the show ultimately decided to end. This to me is maybe evidence that the Nick/Alice theory doesn’t hold (pond) water. However, it's also worth pointing out there’s a world where Alice could have even married Max Goodwin in the timeline, lost him (since this show is fond of killing off characters) and eventually time traveled to be with Nick down the line. Stranger things have happened, and weird theories like this are exactly what gets me invested in shows in the first place.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for consistently releasing new content for fans, both in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. One of the most highly anticipated upcoming Marvel movies is Spider-Man: Brand New Day, and there are countless questions about how the story will go down after No Way Home's twist ending. Tom Holland recently teased that one character remembers who Peter Parker is after Doctor Strange's mind-erasing spell, and fans think they've figured out who it is. Let's break it all down.

Folks who have spent years watching the Marvel movies in order know that the Spider-Man franchise is one of the most the most popular. The Brand New Day trailer showed Peter living in isolation after being erased from the world's collective memory, but in a recent interview with IGN Benelux, Holland let slip that someone will remember his signature character. The exchange between him and Zendaya went like this:

• Tom: I think no one remembers that I'm Spider-Man apart from one.
• Zendaya: Nobody remembers that you're Peter Parker. They know Spider-Man.
• Tom: Nobody remembers that Spider-man is Peter Parker, apart from one person.

Well, this is news. Tom Holland is one of the MCU's biggest spoilers, with a reputation of accidentally revealing sensitive information before movies come out. This is just the latest example, and now we know that someone in Brand New Day will remember Peter Parker, and (presumably) that he's Spider-Man. And yes, fans have some theories already rolling around.

The comment section is filled with fans poking fun at Tom Holland for revealing another spoiler, as well as theories about who will remember Peter Parker in the next Spider-Man movie. One name came up time and time again: The Incredible Hulk. Specifically the big green guy, not Bruce Banner. Some comments read:

• It's gotta be Hulk.
• Also, Hulk remembered Peter was how it was written in the comic book. Somewhere along the line of "Bruce Banner forgets, but Hulk remembers."
• WHOOPS. Hulk remembers Peter just like in the comics - Tom let it slip
• Omfg they’re doing the thing where hulk remembers him!

There is some precedence for this in the comics, which some of the above commenters are referencing. In 2020's Immortal Hulk: Great Power, Loki uses a spell that allows The Hulk to possess Spider-Man. This story takes place after universe-altering memory spell not unlike what Doctor Strange did in No Way Home. At the end of the adventure Banner doesn't know Peter Parker, but The Hulk does. The Big Green Guy famously says:

Given this history in the comics, some fans think that Brand New Day will mirror this story, and have The Hulk remember Spider-Man's real identity. Bruce Banner didn't recognize him in the movie's trailer, but when Hulk takes control that might change. Later in the same interview, Tom Holland spoke more about the world not remembering Peter in his upcoming blockbuster, offering:

It seems inevitable that MJ and Ned will eventually learn the truth about their relationships with Peter/Spider-Man, but we'll have to wait and see how it all shakes out on the big screen. Luckily our wait for the movie is nearly over.

All will be revealed when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31st as part of the 2026 movie release list. Hopefully Tom Holland can get through the rest of the promotional tour without revealing any major spoilers.

Universal Orlando Resort is getting ready to celebrate its 35th anniversary in a big way this spooky season by making us feel like we’re locked inside some of the best horror movies. The theme park has already announced Sinners will have its own house and we've learned we’ll be able to relive the final season of Stranger Things. I can’t wait for those scares, but now we have new word about one of the original houses, and it’s the scariest, and most unexpected house announcement yet. Also allegedly among "the bloodiest" this season.

The latest confirmed house set to be on Universal Orlando Resort’s Halloween Horror Nights 2026 lineup is called Madlands: Caged Cannibals. Guys... cannibals!??! I'm screaming already. It's the third original house announced this year alongside Jack and Oddfellow: Chaos and Control and H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular.

CinemaBlend had the chance to speak to Lora Sauls, who is the resort’s assistant director of entertainment creative development, about the new house, and she told me a lot about how the idea came about and why they think it'll be a "home run" with people in the parks.

Typically, half of HHN's houses consist of non-IP haunts, and after Sauls described Madlands to me, I completely understand why they're particularly hyped about this one. It's a shocker in the best way. Plus, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre houses are already incredibly popular whenever they have them, and now Universal Orlando Resort the chance to put their own memorable spin on the cannibal sub-genre of horror. As Sauls explained:

When guests enter Madlands, they’ll be transported to a fictional dystopian world where a tribe of cannibals take on the traits of zoo animals when hunting their prey. And guys, we are the prey. Per Sauls, the tribe of cannibals we'll meet in Madlands have been inspired by what they imagine zoo animals to be like, but since animals have gone extinct, they are only operating on an idea. It's also apparently one of the more hardcore houses this year – which means it’s going to be one people are going to be talking about!

Sauls also said she’s really proud of this one from a production point of view, pointing out the “scenic aesthetic” of it. She encourages fans to go at a slow-but-steady pace through it, but I just know this one is really going to trigger some serious fears. I'm already stressing out about it and I'm nowhere near a theme park gate yet. Of course, I was curious about the smells in this one; the Universal Orlando Resort's assistant director teased there’s some “interesting” ones to get ready for. Hope you brought a clothespin.

If you’ve been craving (pun intended) a really scary haunted house at Universal Orlando Resorts’s Halloween Horror Nights, Madlands sounds like it will have the kind of intensity you might be searching for. The announcement comes at a perfect time in the HHN lineup in my opinion, too. I always want something to get me into my fears, and Madlands might be that house this year.

Tickets are now on sale at Universal Orlando Resort’s website with the theme park event running from August 28 until November 1.

Back in September 2025, Jimmy Kimmel Live! was at the center of a controversy due to a comment the titular host made in regard to the death of political activist Charlie Kirk. It was eventually decided that Kimmel’s show would be suspended indefinitely, and then-acting Disney CEO Bob Iger was involved with the decision-making. At that time, some speculated whether that move was politically motivated, as U.S. President Trump was among those unhappy with Kimmel. Now, Iger is providing clarity on the rationale behind the choice.

During a broadcast, Kimmel said the public had hit “new lows” over the past weekend due to “MAGA gang desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.” FCC Chairman Brendan Carr subsequently seemed to suggest that ABC’s broadcast license could be revoked due to the comments. It was shortly after that Sinclair Broadcast Group and Nexstar Media Group pulled Kimmel from its ABC affiliates.

Kimmel’s suspension came down on September 17, with Iger and then-Disney Entertainment Co-Chair Dana Walden (who’s since become the company’s president and CCO) making the call. Iger, who stepped down to make way for new CEO Josh D’Amaro earlier this year, spoke to The Financial Times and reflected on the Jimmy Kimmel situation. The businessman denied that politics played a role in the course of action he and Walden took and noted that it was spurred by something else:

It was alleged around that time that execs at Disney weren’t pleased with Iger’s decision to pull the talk show. Some higher-ups allegedly tried to advise Iger of other courses of action to take and, an insider claimed that after he opted for a suspension, some execs saw that as a “betrayal.” Nevertheless, internal conversations with Kimmel were simultaneously underway, and the goal was for all parties involved to find an ideal way to move forward. Eventually, the suspension was lifted on September 22, with the show resuming production the 23rd.

After returning to the air, Jimmy Kimmel said he was surprised his show was suspended at all. The veteran late-night host explained that he “saw it as distortion on the part of some of the right-wing media networks, and [he] aimed to correct it.” Kimmel has also since shed light on some of the discussions he had with network executives while he was off the air. While the Man Show alum admitted he could be “reactionary” at times, he said he also found it “helpful” to have discussions with Walden and others to hear their perspectives.

Mor Kimmel has been involved in another situation involving politics. In April, Kimmel made jokes ahead of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, including a barb about First Lady Melania Trump. Kimmel quipped that Trump had “a glow like an expectant widow.” Those jokes notably came ahead of the reported assassination attempt on POTUS’ life during the aforementioned dinner, and Kimmel received backlash after the fact. But he defended his joke, saying it was “not by any stretch of the definition a call to assassination.”

Jimmy Kimmel Live! is in the midst of its summer stretch of episodes, and guest hosts will take to the desk while Kimmel goes on vacation. As for the controversies that have surrounded the show as of late, it seems the dust has settled. However, it’ll admittedly be hard to forget that suspension saga.

It’s a big year for Universal theme parks, as Epic Universe celebrated its first anniversary, and now Universal Kids Resort — a park geared toward families with young children — is set to make its grand opening. Featuring seven different lands themed around kid-favorite movies like Shrek and Trolls, Universal Kids has been specifically created for ages 3 to 8, though all ages are welcome.

In fact, I was able to take my 11-year-old to visit Universal Kids Resort ahead of its July 1 opening, and not only was there plenty for her to do, she absolutely loved the experience — in spite of the intense Texas heat! Let’s take a look at 3 things she wasn’t able to stop talking about.

Staying At Universal Kids Resort Is A Treat For All Ages

Universal Kids Resort is located in Frisco, Texas, (just north of Dallas), and even though that’s in my neck of the woods, it was totally worth it to actually stay in one of the hotel’s 300 rooms. My daughter couldn’t agree more. First of all, the decor is so bright and colorful, you can’t help but get excited for what’s in store.

After checking in (and taking pictures with SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick, who greeted us in the lobby), we made our way through the rainbow tunnel, up the elevator and down the brilliantly colored hallways, and that was when things really got "fire" for my 11-year-old.

The room itself was so cute, offering a queen-size bed for parents and bunk beds for kids (suites are available that sleep up to six guests). My daughter immediately climbed the ladder to the top bunk and posed for photos in front of the colorful walls. Our room even included a view of the park, and we spent a long time looking out, identifying the different universes we could see and planning which rides we wanted to hit first the next day.

As far as the hotel amenities, they keep it simple with a cafe (with a bar), a pool (with lifeguards) and a small arcade, but for me the best part of staying at the resort was being mere steps away from the park the next day — as well as being able to easily head back to our room when we needed a break.

I spoke to Sharon Parker, director of marketing and sales for Universal Kids Resort, and she pointed out a couple of other advantages that parents might find interesting:

After experiencing the resort, I’m not sure my daughter would let us return to Universal Kids and not stay overnight.

Jurassic World Adventure Camp Had The Best Rides For My Pre-Teen

Because Universal Kids is for the younger crowd, the thrills are mild compared to other theme parks. There are no big drops and nothing goes upside down, but I was pleasantly surprised at how many rides my 11-year-old — who typically jumps on the biggest roller coasters without a second thought — wanted to go on.

For her money, Jurassic World Adventure Camp offered the best experience. The Cretaceous Coaster was her favorite ride in the whole park, offering a slightly more thrilling experience than the other kids coaster, Rhonda’s TrollsFest Express. Take a closer look at the Cretaceous Coaster below:

Elsewhere in the dino-filled land, Mr. DNA’s Double Helix Spin was a hit, and she got to burn off some energy running around the Jurassic World Lookout Towers. A couple of other ride highlights were the Swings Over Del Mar in the Puss in Boots land, Bobbing Barrels in Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants Bikini Bottom, and the Minions’ Bello Bay Cruise, which is a must-do.

Parents be warned, you will get wet on those last two, but you probably won’t mind in that Texas heat.

Kids Will Flip Over The Triple Gooberberry Sunrise (And The Chicken Strips)

There are snack and meal options all over Universal Kids, naturally, but if you’re looking for one of the wildest treats, you’ve got to hit up Goofy Goober's in the SpongeBob universe for the Triple Gooberberry Sunrise ice cream sundae.

This delicacy from The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie gave my tween the sugar rush she needed to keep going, as it is described as: "Vanilla & chocolate ice cream, strawberry Dole Whip, chocolate fudge, with crushed smore’s cookies crumble and strawberry Pop-Tarts pieces, whipped topping, banana, and a cherry on top."

To get this monstrosity in the souvenir cup, it’ll put you out $19.99, but come on mom, it’s vacation!

I loved that there were options for both adventurous little eaters and pickier ones, and even your typical snacks like soft pretzels were given the Universal treatment:

Also, if your kids are chicken tender aficionados like mine, the ones at Universal Kids Resort definitely made the grade. In fact, my 11-year-old raved about them so much, I stole a bite when she ordered them a second time, and it truly was tastier than it had any right to be.

If you go the chicken route, allow me to recommend the Jurassic World Canteen, where the Dinosaur Bites set a full scene with dino nuggets atop a mashed potato volcano, complete with barbecue sauce lava. Broccoli trees surround them, making for the perfect prehistoric meal.

Universal Kids Resort’s opening is one of the most exciting theme park events in 2026 for how it caters to the whims of young children first, but my experience proved that there’s something there for kids (and kids at heart) of all ages. Teens, tweens and adults may not be able to find the thrill rides they seek in other parks, but they might just be surprised at what fun they can have while accompanying their children or younger siblings.

Universal Kids Resort in Frisco, Texas, opens Wednesday, July 1, coinciding with the 2026 movie release of Minions & Monsters.

The history of The Big Bang Theory is long and storied, and its enduring popularity as a franchise means we are still hearing stories about the show more than five years after it wrapped in 2019. Among this oft-discussed lore is the show’s pilot, which ended up going through a complete rewrite before we got the version fans saw on our TV screens. With James Burrows’ passing, one more story can be added to the lore.

Burrows was a sitcom pioneer and icon long before he got involved in Chuck Lorre’s Big Bang Theory. He’d seen shows like Cheers and Taxi come and go, and he placed his imprint on more shows than I have time to type out or you likely have the patience to read. One of those was TBBT. He famously directed both pilots for the comedy, and he was open during his lifetime about being responsible for both the flop and the winning final formula.

News broke a few days though that sitcom pioneer and icon James Burrows had died at 85. As noted prior, the longtime director was involved in some absolute TV behemoths from Cheers to Will & Grace and Friends. His casts have long celebrated his efforts, and that continued after his passing with Jennifer Aniston and more famous names paying tribute. Now, these sweet stories from his career are running around.

As for Burrows, he feels like the credit for the success of The Big Bang Theory didn’t really go to his efforts. Though, he kind of wishes it had, telling THR in a retrospective before his death that the cast was the “glue.”

As he noted, though, the cast wasn’t cemented that first time around. Originally the show had featured Amanda Walsh as a character named Katie and had been short some of the sidekicks who came later on. Jim Parsons had apparently played a womanizer and a “drinker” in the original pilot, and all that got shuffled around later. We also recently learned from Simon Helberg he’d gotten cast with the second pilot order, and he’d nearly lost the role to Kevin Sussman. As you probably already know, Sussman will be starring in Stuart Fails to Save The Universe when it heads to the 2026 TV schedule this fall.

Alls well that ends with a second pilot apparently. I’d known a lot about the original pilot, but I hadn’t realized until recently that Burrows had been involved with both the loser and the winner. Clearly the direction was not the issue that first time around.

There was so much hype tied to Scary Movie 6's debut on the 2026 movie schedule. With past icons reprising their roles and questionable popcorn buckets hitting the web, it was all too easy to miss that it wasn't the only horror comedy to come out this year. As critics nitpicked the commercial hit, I think it's time to direct all those disappointed back to They Will Kill You.

Zazie Beetz's horror comedy didn't get as much hype from general audiences as Scary Movie, but it absolutely should. That's why I'm directing all readers to watch it with their HBO Max subscription or elsewhere, especially if they walked away disappointed with Scary Movie 6.

They Will Kill You Mixes Gore And Comedy In A Way I Didn't See Coming

They Will Kill You follows Asia Reaves, a woman with a traumatic background desperate to find work as a housekeeper. Upon taking the job, however, she soon finds she's working in a building full of immortals, with some dark secrets that only the best horror movies contain.

Fortunately, Asia isn't some frightened Final Girl. She's a killing machine, and the only problem with that is her enemies are unable to die. I'll save any spoilery bits for those who haven't watched, but I'll just say this movie gave me heavy Kill Bill vibes.

What I will say is that I never imagined a movie so gory could be so funny. Somehow, They Will Kill You really walks the tightrope between horror and comedy in a fantastic way, and does both really well. It also makes great use of its cast, with the action slowed down just enough to let Zazie Beetz, Patricia Arquette, and Tom Felton really shine.

They Will Kill You Beats Scary Movie 6 Both With Critics And Audiences

I think most people familiar with Scary Movie weren't surprised the movie didn't score high marks with critics, as the vast majority of them are marked "rotten" on Rotten Tomatoes. Given the Wayans generally aren't concerned too much with critic scores, I doubt they're sweating it, but I would imagine at least a few people left the theater wishing they'd invested their money elsewhere.

Compare that to what critics said about They Will Kill You, and it's a shame these movies weren't in theaters at the same time. I think it could've gotten more attention that way, and probably a better run as people sought out a more consistent horror comedy, even if both have their merits.

At the end of the day, They Will Kill You is not a parody of other horror, and there will be people who go to see a horror comedy simply for the parody. That said, I hope more people will take a chance on this movie, which has the potential for a sequel, should it get enough support.

Check out They Will Kill You, as it's genuinely one of the most entertaining movies I've seen in 2026 thus far. I don't say that lightly, given it's been an eventful year, though there are still plenty of movies on the way that could impress!

Seth Rogen has been bringing the comedy in a big way for over two decades, but over the past year he’s really stood out in a new way, setting Emmy records with The Studio, not to mention The Muppet Show TV special he delighted us with this year. Next up he’ll appear in The Invite, which Olivia Wilde both directs and stars in, and as reviews hit ahead of its release on the 2026 movie calendar, I’m surprised to see it sporting a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score (as of this writing).

Is it shocking to me that Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz are capable of such a rating? Not at all, but scores this high are hard to come by these days for any filmmaking ensemble. Even the critically lauded Toy Story 5 is ranked lower than The Invite at 92%. The year’s biggest shocker Obsession, which is doing unprecedented things at the box office, has 94%. So if that’s the bar that’s been set, what exactly do The Invite reviews say?

Alex Godfrey of Empire rates the movie 4 stars out of 5, warning that it’s not a date movie. As tense and funny as it is, The Invite is also “a sad, incisive, brilliantly drawn study of a failing marriage.” The critic says:

Kate Erbland of IndieWire gives it a B+, saying that Olivia Wilde is fully in control here, balancing the big laughs from the awkward dinner party teased in the trailer with the heartbreaking moments, all while surprising the audience at every turn. Erbland cannot overstate how much fun it is to watch The Invite in a crowded theater, so please, she says: Accept this invite. The critic continues:

Joey Magidson of Awards Radar says that “Olivia Wilde directs the hell out of” the upcoming A24 movie, giving a talky comedy a real visual style. It’s smart and profound but also “a laugh riot.” The quartet of actors are doing top-tier work, Magidson says, rating The Invite 3.5 out of 4 stars and writing:

Siddhant Adlakha of IGN gives it a “Great” 8 out of 10, praising Olivia Wilde’s achievement and joining other critics in saying it’s one of the best of the year. Adlakha’s review of The Invite reads:

Several of the reviews I’ve read had small quibbles, particularly with The Invite’s third act, but because the critics find the overall product so impressive, they’re willing to overlook some things. Jacob Oller of AV Club is a tad less forgiving, giving the movie a B-, writing:

Despite the critiques from the AV Club critic, however, he says Olivia Wilde’s directorial control of her ensemble keeps the awkward dinner party moving through its clunkier courses.

After reading Olivia Wilde’s comments on how sex is portrayed in movies — and her promise that The Invite would be “irreverent” and “playful” — I was expecting the “fun” but possibly not the depth that critics say her direction brings to the movie.

I’m definitely interested in checking out this highly rated film, and we don’t have long to wait, as The Invite hits theaters on Friday, June 26.

Nick Frost is being honest about playing Hagrid ahead of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone arriving on the 2026 TV schedule, and admitting his performance may not be for everyone. The actor will tackle the immense role of being Hogwarts' groundskeeper and Harry's confidant, and confirmed he's going to be doing more than emulating the late Robbie Coltrane.

The actor spoke about what he's done with the character in a recent interview with The Times, and how his take on Hagrid had to be different than Coltrane. While he assured there will be some semblance of the iteration his predecessor helped make iconic, there simply needed to be more to the performance due to the length of the series:

Nick Frost added that elements of his Hagrid will be inspired by his uncle, as well as Michael Clarke Duncan's performance in The Green Mile, another great actor who left us too soon. Ultimately I like the comparison between Hagrid and John Coffey, as both could be characterized as "gentle giants" who have immense power but rarely use it.

The actor has no illusion about his take on the character, knowing that some audiences will want him to do a one-to-one performance of Robbie Coltrane's Hagrid. Fortunately, he's largely unbothered by that, as he shared his reaction below:

Not everyone who watches Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will like Nick Frost as Hagrid, though I'd be willing to bet many will. He's a self-confessed superfan of the franchise who made a habit of watching the movies yearly before this remake was ever a thing.

He also has the look down, even if Robbie Coltrane looked more in line with the original illustrations of Hagrid. He also has a solid library of roles to reference that suggest he'll do a fantastic job as the groundskeeper, who always has a penchant for sidestepping the rules a bit to help his friends or a magical creature.

Frost is confronting a reality that every actor in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will face, in that viewers will make comparisons to the former live-action cast. Hopefully, he can pass on his mindset to the younger actors stepping into the roles, and remind them that it's ok if people on the internet feel like the ones that came before them played the roles better. Based on the footage I've seen so far, I think it's possible we'll see many say the exact opposite, but I digress.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone will air on HBO and HBO Max come Christmas time. I'm excited to return to Hogwarts this holiday season, and may need to rewatch the movies before it arrives so that I can get in the right frame of mind.

Spoilers ahead for America’s Got Talent Season 21’s fourth night of auditions, which aired June 23. You can stream the episode with a Peacock subscription.

It was a night of surprises on America’s Got Talent, as the fourth round of auditions aired on the 2026 TV schedule. Simon Cowell and the rest of the judges started out saying they loved not knowing exactly where the acts were going, but that sentiment fell flat after three straight acts received the dreaded red X. Thankfully Rubén Roldán was there to save the night, and you’ve got to see the act that earned Simon Cowell’s second and final Golden Buzzer of the season.

Season 21 so far has had knife-throwers who had overcome significant trauma, singers who flummoxed Mel B and plenty of magic, singing and acts involving dogs. What we haven’t seen yet is parkour, and definitely not the way Rubén Roldán did it. The contestant stunned the judges by starting his act outside the theater, revealing just before he started that he had a prosthetic leg. The 23-year-old removed his prosthetic, shocking everyone watching from inside, and began jumping from stair rail to stair rail. You have to see this for yourself:

When the act was finished, there was the longest pause of astonishment before the entire crowd exploded in applause for the unbelievably impressive routine. And when I say that Rubén Roldán had everyone’s jaw on the ground, I literally mean Sofía Vergara and Simon Cowell's mouths were fully agape.

The contestant told the judges that he lived in the countryside and had lost his leg as a child in a tractor accident, and Simon Cowell couldn’t wait any longer to give him his flowers — or his pass to the live shows, rather, saying:

Cue the gold confetti, as Simon Cowell slammed down the Golden Buzzer, sending Rubén Roldán into a fit of celebration that had audience members in tears.

This was the veteran judge’s final Golden Buzzer to give out for Season 21, after he awarded his first to 14-year-old Lai Noelle in the season premiere for singing a rendition of Sienna Spiro’s “Die On This Hill.” Howie Mandel and Mel B have also used both of theirs already, with the former Spice Girl's second coming in this episode as well. Now just two Golden Buzzers remain, with Terry Crews and Sofía Vergara each giving out just one so far.

Given how often a Golden Buzzer winner goes on to win the entire competition, I’ll be excited to see who the final two acts are to get them. Tune in to find out, as new episodes air at 8 p.m. ET each Tuesday on NBC, available to stream the next day on Peacock.

Whenever a director goes back to change an earlier movie, as James Cameron is thinking about doing with his 1986 classic Aliens, people understandably get nervous. Cameron, who has proven just how popular his 3D work is with the Avatar franchise, believes he can update one of the best sci-fi movies of all time AND one of the best horror movies of all time with his 3D technology, and I’m all for it. Usually, I’m one of the people who doesn’t want to see perfection messed with, but that’s not the case here, because I think Cameron has made smart moves with Aliens.

It Looks Like This Is Happening

More than any other director in Hollywood, James Cameron has leaned into 3D technology. The success of the Avatar series is proof-positive that he knows how to create a movie with it, and he doubled down on that with the concert film he made with Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft, which came out earlier this year to rave reviews. While promoting that movie, he spoke with Letterboxd about converting Aliens to 3D. Cameron said:

He said that converting the film could work today because of where the technology is today:

If anyone knows just how far the latest 3D technology can go, it’s Cameron, as he’s been largely responsible for pushing the new tech forward with Avatar. It’s one reason I really trust his idea here, but it’s not the only one.

The Last Time He Tweaked Aliens, It Really Worked

A couple of months ago, I wrote about how I’d never seen the director’s cut of Aliens. When I did finally watch it, I loved it. That’s not always the case for me, either. In fact, it’s way more common that I love the original theatrical version over any director’s cut of a movie I love. While there was one added scene I didn’t care for in Aliens, overall, I do think Cameron’s director’s cut is a better movie. And that’s really saying something about a movie that I think even surpasses the first movie in the series.

It’s for that reason that I trust Cameron here. I’ll admit that I’m not the biggest fan of the Avatar films, and I don’t always love 3D movies, but I don’t think Cameron would mess around with Aliens if he didn’t believe that this could work. He’s a master of film technology, so I have to believe he’s going to do right by the film and its legions of fans like me.

Toy Story 5 played into the idea that everyone’s favorite cowboy doll Woody is getting older — showcased best by his blindingly reflective bald spot — alongside not only the franchise’s fanbase, but also the iconic actor who’s voiced the role for the past 30 years. But I don’t think we can blame aging on the fact that Tom Hanks was apparently clueless that entire time about Woody having a last name.

The character, who wasn’t originally written into the fifth movie, is as beloved as Pixar and Disney characters get, but I can’t deny how easy it is to totally miss out on the lawman’s moniker amounting to more than just the five letters composing his first name. So I won’t be the first one to judge Hanks for being out of the loop, especially since his reaction to the news is so danged funny to watch, as seen below.

When presented with the new-to-him information that Woody isn’t just a single-named entertainer like Cher or Madonna, he was surprised, and offered up maybe the world’s best guess for what Woody’s surname might be.

Is "The Sheriff" a single last name in the vein of De Niro or Del Toro, or is "The" meant to be Woody's middle name there? Either way, a classic response from the acting legend.

As was this display of incredulity after learning that Woody's last name is actually "Pride." To which he responded with:

While this didn't get addressed within that interview from BBC Radio, Woody's full name was initially revealed by Toy Story 3 director Lee Unkrich, who stated at the time that the identifier had been a discussed and established detail since the development phases on 1995's Toy Story. So it wasn't just something tacked onto the character years later. (Toy Story 5's most emotional sequence plays into name-based reveals, so this interview clip feels pretty on-point for the sequel.)

More fun was had when the topic came up that Jessie's last name is also Pride, which has sparked plenty of internet fan theories about how closely the two characters are related. That was something that Tim Allen said he'd come across online in the past, noting that he'd seen fans talking about Woody and Jessie being brother and sister.

Turns out Tom Hanks doesn't want the two toys to be that closely linked. As he put it:

If the sibling bit is true, it wouldn’t change anything TOO much, and isn’t nearly as bothersome as it’d be to learn that Buzz and Jessie share the same bloodline. Or that Forky and Karen Beverly are related. Oh wait, that one might track...can plastic utensils be related?

Another more pertinent question: can Toy Story 5 continue its box office dominance into its second week in theaters, or will the upcoming DC movie Supergirl push it down to #2? [Cue Smarty Pants cracking up.]

Ugh. In less than a week, now not one, but two newcomer shows from the 2026 TV schedule have been canceled after one season! We hadn't even finished mourning the cancellation of The Boroughs by Netflix, and now we must say goodbye to another one-season show. But this time, Peacock is the latest streaming service to add a great new show to the growing list of TV cancellations this year.

The Latest 2026 TV Cancellation By Peacock

Back in January, Peacock debuted a 1970s-set spy thriller and buddy comedy called PONIES (Persons Of No Interest) starring Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson. The show follows Twila and Bea, who become CIA operatives at the American Embassy in Moscow, Russia after the mysterious deaths of their spy husbands. Sadly, the show has officially been canceled.

It's a big bummer the plug was pulled on this considering the Season 1 finale that left us with a ton of unanswered questions. Check out how Haley Lu Richardson responded to the news:

If anything is going to cheer one up, it's donuts – especially one's that state that Ponies is "4EVER". One of the show's co-creators, David Iserson, also commented on the cancellation with these words on Instagram:

In the statement, Iserson also encouraged people to check out the show with a Peacock subscription even though there are no plans for it to continue. He also shared "hope" to visit the series' characters again.

Why Peacock Pulling The Plug On Ponies Is Such A Bummer

Per Deadline's reporting of PONIES' cancellation, the decision likely came down to viewership numbers. But, those who did watch the show really liked it. It earned a lot of praise from critics and it also has an 83 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

When CinemaBlend spoke to the creators back in February, they expressed "anxiety" about whether the show would get picked up for Season 2, especially since they had big plans for the show past Season 1. As Iserson told us at the time:

SPOILERS AHEAD: The show ends with the revelation that Bea's husband Chris is alive and one of the other CIA operative's wives has been a KGB agent all along. Season 1 also ended with Bea and Twila with guns to their heads while the CIA offices are literally on fire. Now, fans of the show may have to always wonder what could have happened next.

PONIES definitely deserved another season to find its audience and answer our burning questions, but this type of move by streaming services is tragically becoming the new normal.

Daniel Radcliffe has been as busy as ever these days. He wrapped up his run in Every Brilliant Thing on Broadway in May, with his narrator role being taken over by Mariska Hargitay. Radcliffe also lent his voice to Pizza Movie (streaming via Hulu subscription), and stars in NBC's already renewed The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins, one of the funniest comedies to hit the 2026 TV schedule so far. Radcliffe has been in the industry since he was little, and co-star Erika Alexander shared a sweet take about what it’s like being on set with him.

The mockumentary sitcom premiered in January and was officially renewed for Season 2 in May. Radcliffe stars as Arthur Tobin, a documentary director, and it is just the latest role in his extensive filmography that spans almost three decades. Despite his many roles and his long Hollywood career, Radcliffe is still a genuinely nice person, according to Alexander, who's been a TV star for as long as he's been alive. She shared this with Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist podcast:

You never know how a celebrity is going to act, especially the longer they’re in Hollywood. It’s not so surprising to know how sweet and genuine Radcliffe is, though, because every video I’ve seen of him, he just seems like a good person, most recently from fans on TikTok who saw him in Every Brilliant Thing. The fact that even after just filming the pilot for Reggie Dinkins, Radcliffe was already missing his co-stars is just so nice to hear.

His love for his co-stars only grew once the show got picked up. Alexander recalled small things that Radcliffe did on set, and while she compared him to a therapy dog, it sounds like he’s really the protective brother who is willing to do anything and everything for his siblings. Not only that, but he’s as professional as ever, and it’s just what everyone needs to keep filming on track:

Filming with someone like Daniel Radcliffe, who grew up in Hollywood and who people grew up with, can be intimidating. So I love that he’s actually really nice and sweet. This also makes me even happier that Reggie Dinkins is coming back for Season 2 following the praise from critics, because I can only imagine how Radcliffe would have reacted knowing that he wouldn’t be seeing his co-stars every day.

Now that he doesn’t have Every Brilliant Thing to keep him occupied, I wouldn’t be surprised if Radcliffe is counting down the days until production on Season 2 starts. At the very least, he may be keeping in constant contact with his co-stars. Any time a cast is genuinely friendly with each other, it makes the series or movie even better, and I’m so glad we don’t have to worry about any problems with Reggie Dinkins. A premiere date for Season 2 has not been given, but fans can watch the first season now with a Peacock subscription.

Karen Gillan is definitely no stranger to massive film franchises, thanks to her work within the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the world of Jumanji. However, she’s now stepping into a very different kind of IP in the form of Highlander. Gillan has been tapped to play Heather MacLeod, the wife of Henry Cavill’s Connor MacLeod. Thus far, the actress has expressed a considerable amount of enthusiasm over getting to join this film series. Now, Gillan’s opening up about one aspect of the experience that she's truly obsessed with.

From my personal vantage point, Gillan is the kind of star who commits to a role, as her layered performance as Marvel’s Nebula alone is proof of that. When it comes to Highlander, though, it seems there’s an added layer of significance here. The fan-favorite actress recently spoke about that while chatting with Rayo and expressed her affection for the franchise’s original 1986 movie. From there, Gillan lovingly discussed the action film’s key link to her heritage:

So it would seem that the opportunity for Gillan to film this movie in her native country of Scotland is something she’s particularly obsessed with, and I can understand why. It’s natural for people to take pride in their place of origin and their culture as a whole. As for Gillan, her affection for the Highlands has truly been palpable through the lovely set photos she’s been sharing on social media amid principal photography. During her interview, Gillan further emphasized the novelty of getting to film in her “natural habitat”:

Speaking of colliding, some truly awesome actors are going to come to blows (on-screen) in this upcoming action movie as well. Cast members Dave Bautista and Djimon Hounsou will fight while playing the roles of The Kurgan and Sunda Kastagir, respectively. Those two stars, along with Henry Cavill and Karen Gillan, will be joined by Russell Crowe, Marisa Abela and Jeremy Irons. That feels like quite an eclectic bunch to make a movie with in Scotland, and I wish I could be a fly on the wall somewhere within that set.

Directed by Chad Stahelski, Highlander is a reboot of the classic fantasy franchise and sees Connor MacLeod learning of his true identity as an “Immortal” and using his skills to obtain The Prize. That quest will ultimately bring him into conflict with Kurgan and, along the way, romance is likely to ensue between Connor and Heather. Stahelski is aiming to “upgrade” the franchise for a new generation of viewers, though I certainly wouldn't be surprised if he were to maintain the fantastical elements that have long been synonymous with it.

The early looks at Highlander that have been shared thus far don’t give too much away and actually spark more questions than answers. Still, I have a feeling Stahelski is planning something truly special, and I’m so glad the Scottish Karen Gillan landed a role. I look forward to hearing more about her experience making the movie, and I hope she continues to drop photos featuring picturesque landscapes ahead of the movie’s release date, which has not been revealed as of this writing.

Anytime there’s an upcoming Marvel movie on the horizon, fans are going into the experience knowing full well what the Hero Vs. Villain situation is going to be, with the Russos’ Avengers: Doomsday as the ultra-epitome of that idea. Not so much with Spider-Man: Brand New Day, though, which tipped fans off to both Jon Bernthal’s Frank Castle and Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner, but without word on specific big bads. It’s really starting to make my Nicky Sense tingle. (Editor Note: destroy the phrase “Nicky Sense.”)

It’s obviously a known mystery amongst fans that major villain reveals have yet to surface, but Tom Holland himself spoke to that notion at one of Spider-Man: Brand New Day’s red carpet premieres, as seen in a clip shared on X. He shared:

Certainly not the first time someone has used the "unlike anything we've seen before" boast to address a villain, and this is certainly an instance where we literally haven't seen the villain yet. So it tracks, logically speaking. But having Holland address it as a "mystery" without spoiling anything sparked a few theories in my head about why Marvel and the Spider-Man team are waffling on reveals. (Especially if the antagonist ends up being Tombstone, who first took over the rumor mill back in February, or others like Ramrod, Tarantula and Boomerang.

Theory 1: It's Connected To Doctor Doom, And Can't Be Revealed Until Doomsday's Trailer Is Out

The idea here is that whatever villain Spider-Man is dealing with in Brand New Day's reworked version of reality is directly related to Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom, and that Kevin Feige & Co. won't want to show off the villain's iconography without first revealing RDJ's full Doom look in an Avengers: Doomsday trailer, which is rumored to be going public for San Diego Comic-Con.

It's not extremely likely, but it's possible that Spider-Man: BND's reshoots went down to incorporate things from Doomsday that hadn't yet been conceived when director Destin Daniel Cretton went through the initial production phase, and/or that already filmed scenes needed touch-ups to bring in new visuals. How cool and depressing would it be if Peter had to face off against a Tony Stark clone, or if Sadie Sink is playing a femme Doombot?

Theory 2: The Villain Reveal Will Be A Twist Involving A New Character

Also possible: Spider-Man: Brand New Day may already revealed its key villain by proxy of one of the new actors joining this corner of the MCU. Which pretty much limits this theory to Severance great Tramell Tillman's Bill Metzger or one of the as-yet-unidentified characters being played by Sadie Sink or Keith David. unidentified character.

Although it could technically end up being Eman Esfandi, who will be portraying a new love interest for Zendaya's MJ. Such a transparent placement might be a weak story move, but it's still feasible, all things considered.

Theory 3: The Villain Will Be A Variant Of An Already Existing Character

To flip the previous idea, it's possible the biggest foe trying to take Spider-Man down is someone who's already very familiar to MCU audiences, only under the guises of a more heroic role. What if, much like Robert Downey Jr. jumping from Iron Man to Doctor Doom, another beloved actor flips from playing a virtuous hero to playing a devious bad guy?

Could we see Chris Evans taking over the role of Green Goblin or something, or something even wilder, like Tobey Maguire and/or Andrew Garfield taking on new life as Brand New Day's antagonist(s)? That sounds way wilder than whatever will probably happen, but one can dream. I'm also not counting out the idea that the previously spoiled Savage Hulk could be the main villain.

Theory 4: It's Ned

To stretch the previous theory out a little more, maybe we're not talking about a variant of a superhero character, but rather an alternate version of someone from Peter Parker's personal life. Such as, oh I dunno, Jacob Batalon's Ned. The movie's twisted version of reality makes this theory seem easier to pull off than it would if Ned was still knowingly Peter's BFF.

But maybe the Ned we see in the trailers isn't just the same memory-lapsed dude that we're meant to think he is. Maybe this Ned is all-knowing and responsible for the dangers and terrors that come Peter's way in Brand New Day. Plus, I don't think it's a coincidence that an anagram for the movie's subtitle is: Brand Ned Way. That's pretty much all the evidence needed, amirite?

I cannot wait to find out which of the webslinger's rogues will be bringing the chaos when Spider-Man: Brand New Day hits theaters on July 31, 2026.

Oprah Winfrey is obviously a legendary interviewer who has talked with many of the greats. But, we just learned something new about Oprah’s history with the late Whitney Houston. According to a new revelation from the game-changing TV personality, there was a time when she got an entire audience to keep a secret after the struggling pop star had a faux pas during a performance on her show in 2009.

Whitney Houston died at the age of 48 due to an accidental drowning in a bathtub at the Beverly Hilton while she had drugs in her system. The singer behind one of the most iconic movie songs in Hollywood history and a ton of beloved hits struggled with drug addiction for 30 years, and apparently Winfrey and her audience once saw this firsthand. As the talk show host shared:

Winfrey revealed what happened while receiving the LionHeart Award at The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity on Tuesday (via Variety). As she continued to say about the memorable interview:

During the in-depth sit down itself on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Whitney Houston spoke to Oprah about her drug addiction by getting honest about the ways in which substance abuse became a coping mechanism for her during her marriage with Bobby Brown. Houston also talked about how her own mother staged an intervention to get her to rehab. The singer ended up going to a 30-day program, but sadly the stint didn’t help reverse her decades of struggles.

While Winfrey says Houston was clean during the initial interview, when she came in to perform on the day of the show's taping with a live audience, she was reportedly under the influence again, and fell in front of everyone. As Winfrey added:

Looking back, it’s rather impressive that the audience stayed to their word and never let slip the incident. It perhaps speaks to the public's respect for both Oprah Winfrey and Whitney Houston. At the time, Houston was having a comeback moment with her album I Look To You, which ended up being her final record. In May 2011, she went back to rehab for drug and alcohol abuse before dying nine months later.

In 2022, Naomi Ackie portrayed Whitney Houston in the biopic, I Wanna Dance With Somebody. It’s currently available to stream with an Amazon Prime subscription. While The Oprah Winfrey Show may be long over, Winfrey continues to be a greatly decorated interviewer with her own podcast debuting new episodes every week.

Blue Bloods may have ended in 2024, but the Reagan family legacy is far from over. The series has continued on with spinoff Boston Blue on the 2026 TV schedule, following Donnie Wahlberg’s Danny Reagan in the titular Massachusetts capital. It’s been a success so far, with a second season on the way later this year. However, the series was not originally pitched with Wahlberg until a network note changed things forever.

When Blue Bloods was canceled, many fans, and even cast members, advocated for more seasons. There had been reports that either a spinoff or a movie could be happening, and Boston Blue was officially announced in early 2025. Wahlberg previously revealed that the show didn’t start as a Blue Bloods spinoff, with creators Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier developing a different family cop drama. The NKOTB member, meanwhile, was almost sent to Texas for a different Blue Bloods spinoff.

The series that the Brandons and Jerry Bruckheimer were floating around would have involved a police officer in L.A. moving to Boston to work with his son, a rookie cop at the BPD. While the idea was intriguing, CBS had one note that ended up changing the direction of the show to something much better, as Margolis recalled to the Television Academy, via TV Insider:

It sounds like the network jumped at the chance to make a Blue Bloods spinoff happen. They just needed to find the right concept, and the Brandons and Bruckheimer just so happened to have the perfect one. It just needed a few tweaks. Not surprisingly, they were all on board, and Sonnier couldn’t have been happier with how it played out:

It is pretty interesting to know that just one note really changed everything. It’s possible that we would have eventually gotten a Blue Bloods spinoff had Boston Blue not moved forward or stayed with the original pitch, but this is definitely better. While the show includes a mostly new cast, fans have seen some of their favorite Blue Bloods characters, and with Season 2 coming soon, it’s possible that even more will be appearing.

Knowing how Boston Blue came to be makes sense in terms of Wahlberg’s involvement. Since Blue Bloods was an ensemble, it was hard to predict who would get a spinoff, even with Tom Selleck championing for Blue Bloods’ return. This does make me wonder how many other spinoffs started off as slightly different pitches thanks to one note, and I’m glad the note changed Boston Blue for the better. The series will return for Season 2 this fall on CBS, but the first season, as well as all 14 seasons of Blue Bloods, are streaming with a Paramount+ subscription.

I missed The Housemaid when it was in theaters late last year and early this year, as the 2026 movie schedule was just getting going. Now, Prime Day rolls on, and I’m thinking it’s time to finally check out the hit movie starring Sydney Sweeney. Not only is the movie deeply discounted for VOD with a Prime subscription, but it’s also available on Starz for streaming, which also has a great streaming deal for Prime Day. Here are the two ways you can watch The Housemaid at a great price.

2025 Was Quite The Year For Sydney Sweeney

Sydney Sweeney had a huge year in 2025. In addition to The Housemaid, she gained some awards buzz for her transformative performance in Christy, the biopic about boxer Christy Martin, and she also turned in an underrated performance alongside Julianne Moore in Echo Valley, which you can check out with an Apple TV subscription. 2026 has been busy too, with the release of the final season of the show that really made her a star, Euphoria.

It was The Housemaid that really generated the most buzz, however. The book-to-screen adaptation about a nanny (played by Sweeney) with a troublesome past is hired by a wealthy family on Long Island. The movie was a massive hit, making more than $400 million globally at the box office. If you’re one of the few people who didn’t see it, like me, now’s your chance with one of two great deals.

The Housemaid Is Streaming On Starz and On Sale For Prime Day

There are two great deals available this week. First, The Housemaid is streaming on Starz, and you can get Starz as an add-on to your Prime for just 99 cents for the first two months. Starz is one of the more underrated streamers, and there is a lot there, especially for just a buck. Not only can you watch The Housemaid, but also another one of the best movies of 2025, The Long Walk, and classic comedies like A League of Their Own.

Starz also has great original programming, including Outlander: Blood of My Blood, which will be dropping Season 2 as part of the 2026 TV schedule in September, and Power Book III: Raising Kanan, starring Patina Miller, which is wrapping up its five-season run right now. It’s a great time to catch up with all the Power Book shows on Starz.

If adding another streaming service to your menu doesn’t make sense, The Housemaid is also on sale from Amazon. You can buy the video-on-demand version for just $6.99 for Prime Day, which is more than half off the regular price. Heck, that’s only a buck more than it is to rent the movie. It’s a really great deal and not one you often see on movies this early in their release schedule.

I know what I'll be watching tonight!

Book to screen adaptations are quite commonplace in the film world, with fans of the source material eager to see their favorite stories on the big screen. Author Colleen Hoover's book It Ends With Us was made a movie (streaming with a Netflix subscription), although the project has become synonymous with the legal battle between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni. Anne Hathaway will star in a film version of her novel Verity, and an alleged insider claims that the Oscar-winner needs so create some space from the It Ends With Us.

Anne Hathaway has a very busy year, and the forthcoming Colleen Hoover adaptation is only one of her new projects. We got our first look at Verity in April, and it should be interesting to see how closely it's associated with Blake Lively's infamous movie. A reported insider spoke to In Touch Weekly about the pressure Hathaway is reportedly under for the movie, saying:

While Lively and Baldoni reached a settlement, It Ends With Us continues to make headlines. And as such, some folks are wondering if Verity will be overshadowed or connected to that infamous movie adaptation. If this anonymous insider is to be believed, that's a major concern behind the scenes. The same individual was also quoted saying:

You may be asking, what are those other landmines? After all, Hathaway is an acclaimed actress who isn't associated with any beefs or BTS drama. Perhaps its all about It Ends With Us, and the fact that she's promoting so many projects in one year. The anonymous insider went on to share some concerns that are following Verity after the last Collen Hoover movie. They claim:

Prior to the It Ends With Us legal saga beginning, Blake Lively faced some backlash regarding the way she was promoting the movie. Namely her encouraging fans to wear florals in theaters, which some folks thought stood in juxtaposition to the movie's serious story about domestic violence. But Anne Hathaway's reputation is pretty sterling, so I'm not sure I share this alleged source's concerns.

Verity will hit theaters on October 2nd as part of the 2026 movie release list. We'll just have to wait and see how Hathaway promotes the movie.

WWE is giving us six matches this weekend at Night Of Champions, and upon first glance, the card seems pretty good. Roman Reigns isn’t working the event, nor is CM Punk or Rhea Ripley, but plenty of other big names are involved including Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins, Bron Breakker, Gunther, Oba Femi, Liv Morgan, Iyo Sky, Jade Cargill and Yeet Man Jey Uso. There’s enough here for a really fun second tier premium live event. That being said, something feels off.

If six matches sounds like a lot, it’s probably because it is, at least for Triple H. Vince McMahon loved getting a high volume of wrestlers on the card. He’d think nothing of booking seven or eight matches at a random Backlash. Thanks to an increase in commercials and changes in booking philosophy, however, we almost always get five matches now. In fact, you have to go all the way back to Evolution in July of 2025 to find a non-Mania, non-SummerSlam card with more than five matches, and the Evolution thing was clearly because Triple H wanted to get as many women on the card as possible since it was a special event.

So, what does that mean from a practical standpoint? There are a few options. It could mean one of these matches is going to be a squash or some kind of double DQ or goofy ending that’s over quickly. It could mean a couple of these matches are just going to have a few minutes shaved off to accommodate adding another one. Or it could mean we’re going to get a longer premium live event that we’re normally used to seeing. I’m not really sure, but it’s something to look out for.

Regardless, there’s a lot to talk about here. I expect we’ll see at least one title change, maybe two, and I have some big thoughts about what WWE should do with rising mega-star Oba Femi, who is in the King Of The Ring finals. Before we get to that though, here’s a quick look at how my predictions have been going. I’ve made guesses for every PLE since WrestleMania 38, and let’s just say my winning percentage is a little higher than Bayley and Lyra Valkyria as a tag team…

Jey Uso vs Oba Femi In The Finals Of The King Of The Ring Tournament

Oba Femi is not going to lose a straight up match to Jey Uso. As hard as WWE might want to push the Yeet Man, he’s not beating Oba straight up. They let him kick out of about six Brock Lesnar finishing moves and a sneak attack before his last defeat. He’s not losing clean to Jey Uso, but it’s unclear whether we’re actually going to get a clean match here.

WWE is being really obvious that we’re going to get Brock Lesnar vs Oba Femi III at some point, probably as Lesnar’s retirement match, and rumors have been claiming for months that it’s going to happen at SummerSlam. The winner of the King Of The Ring tournament is going to face one of the WWE World Champions at SummerSlam. So, if Oba wins, that means the Lesnar match either isn’t happening at SummerSlam or he’s wrestling twice.

I don’t know. If it were me, I’d push Oba to the moon. He has the potential to be the biggest new WWE star in a long time, but I just have this feeling that Lesnar is going to show up and cost Oba, paving the way for Uso and Cody Rhodes at SummerSlam. This could really go either way, but because I’m so confident that the right storyline move here is to push Oba as hard as possible, I’m going to choose him. And not only am I going to choose him, I’m going to make a bold prediction. I think he wins King Of The Ring, retires Brock Lesnar and beats Roman Reigns to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

Predicted Winner: Oba Femi

Iyo Sky vs Liv Morgan In The Finals Of The Queen Of The Ring Tournament

What is WWE doing here? They’ve left themselves with two bad options. If Liv Morgan wins, it’ll set up a match to unify the Women’s World Championships at SummerSlam, presumably with Rhea Ripley if she’s not hurt. That sounds appealing, but I don’t really get why WWE would want to unify the championships when there’s a ton of main event level women right now who need big prizes to wrestle for. Besides, as much as I love Liv Morgan, she’s not exactly the sort of Roman Reigns or Hulk Hogan-type generational talent who would ordinarily do something so massive. Maybe Rhea Ripley is, but if she was going to be the one to unify the belts, it should probably be her quest, not something Liv does all the work to set up.

Then again, if Iyo Sky wins, we’re probably just going to turn around and run Liv and Iyo back at SummerSlam. That’s a great match, but it’s odd to make one of your marquee matchups at SummerSlam a rematch we just saw. Iyo could, of course, always win Queen Of The Ring and then challenge Rhea Ripley, but it feels like the breakdown of their friendship would warrant a much longer storybuild than that.

I don’t know. It’s been kind of fun watching Morgan brag about how she’s going to unify the belts, but I still don’t understand how this entire pitch got approved to start with.

Predicted Winner: Iyo Sky

Trick Williams (Champ) Vs Ricky Saints For The United States Championship

Unlike those first two matches, this one is really simple. Ricky Saints has a ton of potential and his crowd reactions are improving. He’s not, however, particularly over with the crowd. He’s certainly not over enough to be winning championships, and he’s nowhere even close to over enough to be beating Trick Williams, who is one of the most popular superstars in the company.

The goal here for Saints is to work a good match and continue to endear himself to the fans. The more he shines in the ring and perfects his character work, the more likely it is that he’ll become over enough to be a real threat to Trick Williams or whoever else down the road. Until then, he can, to paraphrase Trick, step aside while grown folks are talking.

Predicted Winner: Trick Williams

Seth Rollins vs Bron Breakker In A Steel Cage

I was kind of leaning toward Seth Rollins winning this match until Monday Night Raw this week. During the episode, Rollins interfered in Breakker and Austin Theory’s tag team title match against the Street Profits and cost the team their belts. Since I think this collective feud is going to continue long-term, that makes it more likely Breakker is going to win this match so the score stays relatively close.

I also think there’s a chance we’re finally going to see the return of Bronson Reed, who has been out for months with an injury. He could tip the scales back in the Vision’s favor after Logan Paul’s unfortunate injury and maybe set up a six man tag between Rollins and the Street Profits and Breakker, Theory and Reed.

Predicted Winner: Bron Breakker

Cody Rhodes (Champion) vs Gunther vs Sami Zayn for the WWE Championship

After Gunther retired AJ Styles and John Cena, I thought there was a legitimate chance he might not lose a single match in 2026. I thought he would just mow down every single person put in front of him. Instead, he just keeps losing. He lost to Cody Rhodes. Then he lost to Cody Rhodes again. Most people think he’s about to lose to Rhodes and Zayn for the third time at Night Of Champions.

Personally, I just can’t believe that. I can’t believe WWE would take the dude who has been the most unstoppable monster for the last several years and give him three straight Ls to Cody Rhodes (even if each one has been heavily protected). The long-term damage to Gunther’s aura would take way too long to recover.

Unfortunately, WWE isn’t making the most logical choices right now. I’m confident Sami Zayn is not going to win so he can continue his heel turn, but Cody Rhodes is certainly in play here. He’s already beaten Gunther twice, and WWE has repeatedly shown that it prefers to keep its main belts on its biggest stars. They may just keep the belt on Cody again and make us all wonder what the entire point of this feud with Gunther was.

Whenever I'm stuck between two outcomes, I always go with the one I think helps the characters most in the long run. For me, that's Gunther winning here.

Predicted Winner: Gunther

Tiffany Stratton (Champ) vs Jade Cargill For The Women’s United States Championship

I’m a big believer that more often than not, if you want to keep someone’s momentum going, you need to support that progress with wins. I’d argue Jade Cargill is doing the best work of her WWE career right now. Her faction with B-Fab and Michin allows a bit of the mic pressure to be taken off her, and the visual of the three together just fits. It lets Jade focus on being a monster.

With questions lingering about Rhea Ripley’s injury status, I think Triple H and company need to pull the trigger here and just let Jade run with the United States Championship for awhile. I’d like to see her stack up victories for awhile and remind everyone that she’s Jade Cargill. Sometimes it’s better to see someone dominate the midcard than continually take losses in the main event. Just ask LA Knight.

I wouldn’t write off Stratton off though. She’s been stuck in the mud for awhile, but she’s still pretty over with the crowd. She won’t beat Cargill clean, but there’s definitely a chance that Charlotte Flair could get involved, as she’s been feuding with Cargill’s faction. That might set up a match between the two at SummerSlam, but if it were me, I’d just have that match be for the United States Championship.

Predicted Winner: Jade Cargill

Big Brother Season 28's premiere date is rapidly approaching on the 2026 TV schedule, and wild things are happening we can't explain. Specifically, a livestream test has gone up on the site's official YouTube account, and it has some wondering if the live feeds are going to be available on another platform.

An unlisted video on the official Big Brother channel is in the midst of testing a livestream that, as of writing, has been going on for over 17 hours. It's a curious thing, considering we already have access to live feeds with a Paramount+ subscription, and on Pluto TV as well. Given that, I have an alternate theory that would both elevate the BB experience that makes more sense than putting the live feeds on yet another platform.

Big Brother Might Be Partnering With Content Creators And Former Houseguests For Live Feed Watch Parties

Big Brother fans want returning Houseguests and have been speculating that Season 28 will feature everyone from Season 15's Elissa Reilly to Season 23's Derek Xiao. As I keep reminding people every time I post a rumor related to it, CBS has not confirmed that this season will feature returning Houseguests. How could CBS possibly appease fans this season if they end up giving us a bunch of unknowns rather than former Houseguests?

My guess would be they'll be attempting to do what other reality fan sites have done for a while, and attempt to create a live-feed watchalong page with former Houseguests hosting. Many Houseguests are comfortable livestreaming on both Twitch and other platforms, and could be tapped to participate in a stream in which viewers watch them watch the live feeds. Honestly, they could still do this even if returning Houseguests are in the season, so I think it's a possibility either way.

Why Big Brother Adding Live Feeds To YouTube Doesn't Make Sense To Me

While it's totally possible Paramount+ is looking to add the live feeds to yet another platform, I'm not sure that makes sense. Even if people don't want to pay for a subscription to the streaming platform, the ad-supported option on Pluto TV works great, and is absolutely free. Networks like making money, so it just doesn't make sense to further dilute potential profit by creating a third place for people to tune in.

The good news is that, with the Big Brother premiere just around the corner, we won't have to wait long for answers. I do hope that there are some quality-of-life improvements coming to the live feeds ahead of Season 28, as we've taken a step back in recent years. The removal of the "flashback" feature was a big blow to the live feed crowd, who now have to watch around the clock to catch every moment. So it would be great if that returned.

I would also love live feeds to be available on Night 1 after the premiere, as the first week of the game is so vital to see when it comes to figuring out Houseguest dynamics and why some people get along, and others don't.

We'll see what's going on once Big Brother premieres over on CBS on July 9th. As much as I'm loving the speculation leading up to Season 28, I can't wait until we have some confirmation about what's on the way and finally get into this season!

One big reason I haven't even considered cancelling my Audible subscription anytime recently is because, in addition to the credit I get each month with my membership, Audible is constantly offering great deals on audiobooks to purchase -- sometimes you can buy a great title for just a few bucks. It's not at all helpful for my ever-growing TBR, but in terms of having no shortage of books lined up to listen to at any given time, I really can't complain.

Because today is Prime Day, in addition to there being some great streaming deals going on at Amazon, Audible has a giant list of audiobooks for sale. Some have already had at least one book-to-screen adaptation, while others would make great movies or TV shows.

Not An Audible Member?

If you're not already an Audible member, there's a deal for that too! Before we get to the books, what you need to know is that, the discounted audiobooks are for Audible members with an Amazon Prime membership.

Not A Prime Member But Still Want To Sign Up For Audible?

If you are not an Amazon Prime member, you can sign up for Audible for $.99/month for the first three months right now, and also get the $20 credit, but that credit will go much further if you want to spend it on the deals I'm about to talk about, as the deals below are for Audible subscribers who are also Prime members!

Prime Day Audible Audiobooks On Sale

• I went through the list of books Amazon has on sale for Prime Day.
• I read and listen to a lot of books.
• I've read or listened to some of these. 
• I am also including some books I have not read or listened to, but either plan to or have heard good things about. 

Zack Snyder has been keeping Ben Affleck’s Batman alive on social media lately, sharing moody throwbacks that remind fans why Batfleck still has such a strong grip on the DC fandom. The filmmaker’s black-and-white shots and DCEU memories are exactly the kind of thing that sends SnyderVerse fans back into the trenches, cape in hand. But Jennifer Garner’s recent throwback to her ex-husband might take the cake when it comes to cool.

Snyder’s Instagram Batman posts are cool in that classic “rain, rage and jawline” sort of way. He has been steadily sharing behind-the-scenes images from his time at the helm of DC movie releases, including the shot below, which he noted was taken with a Leica M-D and 28mm f/1.7 lens. And yes, as you can see, it is in black and white.

To be clear, Snyder knows how to shoot Batman. Whatever people think of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice or Justice League (both available to stream with an HBO Max subscription) his version of the Dark Knight had a very specific presence. Affleck’s Bruce Wayne looked tired, haunted and built like he could bench-press a Gotham City gargoyle.

That is why Snyder’s recent throwbacks have landed with so many fans. His version of Batman was operatic, bruised and massive. The photos bring back the feeling of that era, especially now that the DCU has moved into a new phase with David Corenswet’s Superman and a different Batman future on the horizon. Still, Jennifer Garner’s photo does something Snyder’s never could.

Garner’s Father’s Day post was not about the DCEU. It was not about restoring anything, teasing anything or lighting the Bat-Signal for another round of internet debate. It was a family post shared to her Instagram, honoring dads and the kids who love them. And, as you can see in the final image of the carousel below, it shows Ben Affleck as a dad in a Batsuit making his son happy.

In her caption, Garner reflected on the fathers in her life and the love kids have for great dads. She wrote:

That is already sweet, but then you get to the photo. Affleck is in the Batman suit, mask and all, holding one of his children, who looks absolutely delighted. It may not be a brooding Bat standing in the rain, but it is a Dad enjoying a moment with his kiddo while dressed as one of the most famous superheroes ever. What is cooler than that?

As a father, Garner’s photo takes the cake for me. Snyder’s images sell the legend of Batman. Garner’s photo sells the magic of Batman. There is a difference. The whole point of these superhero roles, at least partly, is that they become real to kids. Adults can argue about canon, tone, box office and cinematic universes until the sun burns out. But to a child standing next to Batman, none of that matters.

Snyder gave fans some unforgettable images of Ben Affleck as Batman. But Garner gave us Batdad, and I’m sorry, that one wins.

Swifties have officially been on high alert for weeks, trying to figure out what’s rumor and what’s truth when it comes to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s impending wedding. The rumored date of July 3 is quickly approaching, with fans split over whether or not Madison Square Garden will be the venue. I've always been a bit skeptical about this being true, and some new claims might actually make more sense.

Having your wedding at Madison Square Garden does seem like a huge flex for Taylor Swift, and the venue makes sense in terms of size and security. However, I’ve been suspicious that this might be a rumor intended to sleuth out any leaks, because do we really see her marrying Travis Kelce indoors under arena lighting? Have we forgotten the gorgeous garden where your English teacher and your gym teacher got engaged? Well, now sources are suggesting MSG may not be the plan for their vow exchange after all, as a source told Naughty But Nice’s Rob Shuter:

Remember, this is still a rumor, but I can definitely get on board a lot easier with the idea of Madison Square Garden being the venue for the reception but not the wedding itself. Of course, if true, that means we still don’t know where the celebrity couple will officially be pronounced husband and wife.

Could Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce still plan to take a page out of Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s book after all and tie the knot at Swift’s apartment? Many Swifties are refusing to give up on the idea of an Ocean State wedding, despite the denials from a Rhode Island wedding planner.

However it goes down, another insider claims the plan all along has reportedly been a two-location affair, as they said:

If true, it sounds like there might be a smaller guest list — and likely few plus-ones — for the ceremony itself, with a larger venue opened up afterward to more friends and loved ones. If that “much bigger celebration” does take place at MSG, Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce could invite as many people as they wanted!

It sounds like a win-win, because a third source alleges it was important to the couple to keep their vow exchange a personal moment, saying:

I’m keeping all options open when it comes to the impending nuptials between the “Karma” singer and her “guy on the Chiefs.” We won’t know for sure when or where things are going down until they happen, but as far as the rumors go, this latest one sounds pretty reasonable.

ABC is currently in the midst of a brouhaha with the FCC over the latter’s attempts to unearth a long-dormant partisan mandate that concerns “bona fide news programs” giving equal airtime for political parties and candidates. But it didn’t take any governmental pressure for The View to welcome Vice President J.D. Vance for its June 16 installment, and on top of all the headlines the interview garnered, it was the most-watched ep to hit the 2026 TV schedule and beyond.

J.D. Vance's Appearance Made Headlines For Days

Though many may have expected the Veep's appearance on The View to be a completely incoherent spectacle of arguments and railroaded talking points, the actual interview wasn't nearly so tumultuous. The hosts and guest smiled way more than general expectations might have allowed, even despite Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar & Co. getting directly political rather than wholly focusing on the new memoir he was there to promote, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith.

In fact, Vance appeared on Fox News' Gutfeld the next day and told host Greg Gutfeld that it wasn't quite the visceral experience that he was anticipating, while still giving Whoopi a little gruff over her questioning how Donald Trump's administration views minorities and racial equality. As he put it:

Of course, while it may have been an easier time than suspected for Vance and The View's six women around the table, the interview also sparked some polarized reactions. It wasn't quite on the level of Jimmy Fallon tousling Trump's hair on The Tonight Show, but many felt that the hosts could have and should have dug their heels in even deeper.

Unsurprisingly, former host Meghan McCain also had a few things to say about Vance's interview, and positivity was not part of the equation.

Can't please everyone all of the time, of course. But regardless of how anyone felt about the interview, the facts are clear that a ton of people tuned in for it.

J.D. Vance's Interview Was The Second Most-Watched Episode In The Past 5 Years

Audiences were not put off by the potential for political muckraking when J.D. Vance joined The View, with Deadline reporting that a whopping 3.3 million people tuned in on June 16. It seems like those numbers tracked for the majority of the episode, as Vance was brought out early on and stayed the course.

This was the most watched episode of the past 20 months or so, falling behind the November 6, 2024 installment that aired the day after the presidential election. Easy to understand wny that was a big crowd, all things considered.

What's more, the V.P. interview made for the second most-watched View episode going all the way back to January 11, 2021. Interestingly enough that episode featured guest Ken Jennings for his first appearance talking about hosting Jeopardy! following the death of Alex Trebek in November 2020.

So what might happen if The View brings both J.D. Vance AND Ken Jennings on for a future episode? The world just can't handle that kind of excitement.

The View airs weekday mornings on ABC.

Tom Cruise has played a variety of roles throughout the course of his career, but his latest is shaping to be one of his most transformative performances to date. His 2026 movie schedule entry is Digger, the newest film from Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Details on the film have been kept tightly under wraps, and fans haven’t gotten to see much footage. Now, though, the public has been treated to yet another look at the film, and this latest look at the titular character is giving major Les Grossman energy.

Warner Bros. recently released a retrospective that covers Cruise’s career thus far, and it’s a nostalgia-inducing piece of work. As part of that video, fans received a fresh look at Digger, in which Cruise plays the titular Digger Rockwell, who’s an incredibly powerful man. Check out the video below to see the tease:

Per the few plot details that have been released on Iñárritu’s latest film, which he co-wrote, it centers around Digger as he tries to prevent a disaster from destroying humanity. During his appearance at CinemaCon 2026, Cruise talked about taking on the role, saying it “took 40 years for me to be able to put on the boots of Digger Rockwell and to reveal the many layers of the character.”

Iñárritu also hyped up his leading man during the event and acknowledged that while Cruise has done plenty of stunts in his time, “embodying this character is another kind of fearless.”

It’s hard to disagree with that assertion based on the footage that’s been shown thus far. What really strikes me is the level of physicality Cruise seems to be bringing to the role. So it's fitting that the official poster shows the character in mid-action. Check out the one-sheet Cruise shared:

Footage was also screened at CinemaCon, and the reception was positive, with many noting the transformation Cruise underwent for the role. Emma D’Arcy, one of Cruise’s co-stars, also gushed about his work and called the experience of watching him “unparalleled.” In addition to D’Arcy, the ensemble includes other talented stars, including Sandra Hüller, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, Michael Stuhlbarg and John Goodman. Needless to say, Iñárritu assembled a strong group of performers.

I wasn't sure what Cruise would do next when he was finished with the Mission: Impossible franchise, but I think this is a great first post-M:I production. What I'm hoping is that this marks Cruise's return to more character-centric pieces. Not to say that Ethan Hunt isn't a well-developed character, but I'm hopeful Cruise will get back to his somewhat smaller roots.

Digger opens in theaters on October 2, 2026. It’s far too early to say whether this could end up being one of Tom Cruise’s best movies. However, I’m truly hopeful that this will end up being something special. In the meantime, check out Cruise’s performance as Grossman by streaming Tropic Thunder with a Paramount+ subscription.

After a tense legal back-and-forth, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni settled their dispute stemming from their work on It Ends with Us. While Lively later pursued damages and legal fees, that portion of the saga is over now that a judge has ruled that Lively is entitled to the fees but not the damages. Statements shared by both parties suggest that they’re looking to move forward from the situation. In the interim, Baldoni’s lawyer, Bryan Freedman, is weighing in on that settlement and what he viewed as its most vital component.

Freedman’s been vocal throughout the case and, after the settlement came down, he said Baldoni (42) was feeling “ecstatic” about settling with Lively (38). The attorney recently spoke with Fox News Digital and recalled that the settlement was set in motion after a phone call “out of the blue” from Lively’s legal team on a Friday night. Now, in Freedman’s estimation, the most “important” aspect of that legal accord was that it allowed Baldoni, and others facing claims from Lively’s camp, to talk out the allegations they were facing:

The Lively/Baldoni legal situation began in December 2024, at which point Lively accused Baldoni of sexually harassing her on the set of It Ends with Us. Both actors starred alongside each other in that film, which Baldoni co-directed. Additionally, Lively alleged that Baldoni launched a smear campaign against her with the aid of a PR firm. Eventually, the Shallows also filed suit against Baldoni, Jamey Heath (the head of Baldoni’s production company, Wayfarer Studios) and others for alleged offenses.

Baldoni vehemently denied the claims made against him and sued The New York Times – which first published the news of Lively’s legal complaint – for $250 million. He also countersued Lively, Ryan Reynolds (Lively’s husband) and others for the sum of $400 million. The Jane the Virgin alum filed suit on the basis of alleged defamation and extortion amongst other offenses.

Eventually, both Baldoni and Lively saw wins and losses as the legal battle went on. During the summer of 2025, both of Baldoni’s multi-million-dollar lawsuits were dismissed, marking a win for Lively. Earlier this year, however, Baldoni saw a legal victory when a judge threw out 10 of the 13 claims Lively leveled against him. It was shortly thereafter that Lively and Baldoni reached their settlement but, even after that, their respective legal teams engaged in a war of words regarding which side received the optimal outcome.

Most recently, after Lively’s favorable ruling involving the attorney’s fees, her lawyers, Michael Gottlieb and Ersa Hudson released a statement and said they were “gratified” over the results. From their vantage point, “ruling makes it clear that Ms. Lively brought her claims in good faith” and also proved there was “no evidence she acted with malice.” But Bryan Freedman later argued that Lively and co. “failed,” because she “was only awarded limited attorney fees for a single claim as part of a case that lasted only a matter of months.”

Some may continue to debate who came out with the better deal (though some analysts have argued that Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni’s lawyers were the true winners of the case due to the money they earned). As of right now, the public isn’t privy to the details regarding how much money Baldoni will have to play Lively. Regardless of that, based on Freedman’s comments, he appears to be pleased with how the settlement turned out.