Nick Jonas’ new movie with Paul Rudd, ‘Power Ballad,’ premieres Sunday
The ‘Power Ballad’ poster. (Lionsgate)
Power Ballad, the new movie starring Nick Jonas and Paul Rudd, will have its premiere Sunday on the closing night of the Dublin International Film Festival. Why there? Because the story is mostly set in Ireland and the film’s writer, director and producer, John Carney, is Irish.
According to the film’s official synopsis, Nick plays a “fading boy band star” named Danny, who meets Paul’s character, Rick, a “past-his-prime wedding singer,” during a gig. But after Danny turns one of Rick’s songs into his comeback hit, Rick is determined to get the “recognition he believes he deserves” from it.
The movie is described as a “feel-good story about music, self-respect, friendship, and the price of ambition.”
Power Ballad hits theaters June 5.
Nick will appear in another movie due to be released this year: the as-yet-untitled sequel to Jumanji: The Next Level. And in June he’s expected to begin filming another movie called Bodyman, about a bodyguard who stands to inherit his billionaire employer’s company, much to the dismay of the billionaire’s children.
Timothée Chalamet attends the 32nd annual Actor Awards, March 1, 2026, in Los Angeles. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
With less than a week to go before the 2026 Oscars, Timothée Chalamet is facing backlash for comments he made about opera and ballet in a recent interview.
The actor has specifically been criticized by some in the arts community for saying “no one cares” about ballet and opera, suggesting they are dying arts.
“I admire people — and I’ve done it myself — [who] go on a talk show and go, ‘Hey, we gotta keep movie theaters alive, you know, we gotta keep this genre alive,'” Chalamet said during a town hall with Matthew McConaughey in late February, presented by CNN and Variety. “And I don’t wanna be working in ballet or opera or things where it’s like, ‘Hey, keep this thing alive,’ even though it’s like, no one cares about this anymore.”
Chalamet quickly added, “All respect to the ballet and opera people out there,” as the crowd laughed.
“I just lost 14 cents in viewership,” he said.
Megan Fairchild, a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, responded to Chalamet’s comments on Instagram last week, sharing a video of herself alongside a caption that read in part, “Artists supporting artists matters. None of these paths are easy, and there’s no need to put ballet or opera down along the way.”
“Ballet and opera aren’t niche hobbies people opt out of for fame,” Fairchild said in the video. “They’re disciplines you can only enter if you have the rare ability for them in the first place.”
Conductor Alondra de la Parra also joined the chorus of pushback in a viral Instagram video in which she walks out of a prop coffin, saying jokingly, “I’m coming out of my coffin, because… we’re dead.”
The Seattle Opera, meanwhile, seized on Chalamet’s comments as an opportunity to promote its production of “Carmen,” giving operagoers 14% off tickets with the promo code “TIMOTHEE.”
“Timmy, you’re welcome to use it too,” the company wrote in the caption of an Instagram post Friday.
Chalamet has previously spoken about his family’s own history in the arts, particularly his mother’s, grandmother’s and sister’s ballet careers.
“I grew up backstage at the New York City Ballet. My grandmother danced in the New York City Ballet, my mother danced in the New York City Ballet, my sister danced in the New York City Ballet,” he said in an interview last December promoting Marty Supreme, which has since resurfaced online.
The pushback comes just days ahead of the 98th Academy Awards, which take place Sunday at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Chalamet has been on a roll this award season, winning best actor statuettes at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice Awards and more.
Chalamet started off award season as the Oscar favorite for lead actor, though in recent weeks Sinners star Michael B. Jordan has emerged as another strong contender.
Kelley Carter, ABC News entertainment contributor, pointed to the timing of the backlash to Chalamet’s February town hall remarks, saying it is important to keep in mind that “awards season is a political campaign.”
“While you’re not going to see outright smear campaigns, you are going to see people resurfacing maybe unfavorable interviews at times,” she said.
ABC News has reached out to Chalamet’s representatives for comment.
Mary J. Blige performs onstage during ONE Musicfest 2025 at Piedmont Park on October 25, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/FilmMagic)
If you’re a fan of Mary J. Blige‘s Lifetime movies, here’s some good news. The singer has three more original films in the works as part of her extended deal with the network. Like her previous films, the first is named after one of her songs, this time Be Happy from her 1994 album, My Life.
According to Deadline, Be Happy tells the story of 50-year-old Val, a wife and stay-at-home mom who hopes to rekindle the spark in her marriage after she and her husband, Ross, become empty nesters. Instead, she is forced to confront the realization that “her marriage and the woman she once was may be slipping away.”
When Val travels to New Orleans to support her pregnant daughter, Kayla, this leads to more than she expected. It “awakens long-buried dreams and passions” and introduces her to photographer Peter Mosley, who helps her rediscover her sense of worth. As she begins to see herself in a new light, she’s faced with the question: “Is it ever too late to choose yourself and the love you truly deserve?”
Tisha Campbell stars as Val, with Russell Hornsby portraying her husband, Ross. Mekhi Phifer plays Peter, and Zing Ashford appears as Val’s daughter Kayla. Making her directorial debut is actress Gabourey Sidibe, best known for her roles in Precious and Give Me Back My Daughter.
Be Happy will be Mary’s latest Lifetime film, following Real Love, Strength of a Woman and Family Affair. It premieres on Feb. 7.
Clockwise from top left: Alyson Hannigan as Willow Rosenberg, Charisma Carpenter as Cordelia Chase, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy and Nicholas Brendon as Xander Harris in “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” (Getty Images, FILE)
Former Buffy the Vampire Slayer stars are mourning the loss of actor Nicholas Brendon, who died at 54.
Brendon, who portrayed Xander Harris on the long-running supernatural drama, was a central figure in the series’ original cast and remained closely connected to fans of the show in the years that followed.
Alyson Hannigan, who starred alongside Brendon for years on the series, shared a heartfelt note on Instagram on Friday, reflecting on their friendship.
“My Sweet Nicky, thank you for years of laughter, love and Dodgers,” she wrote. “I will think of you every time I see a rocking chair. I love you. RIP.”
Sarah Michelle Gellar, who played Buffy, also honored Brendon with a deeply personal post, referencing a poignant line tied to the show’s themes of identity and belonging.
“They’ll never know how tough it is to be the one who isn’t chosen. To live so near to the spotlight, and never step in it,” Gellar wrote. “But I know. I see more than anybody realizes, because nobody’s watching me.”
She added, “I saw you Nicky. I know you are at peace, in that big rocking chair in the sky.”
Other Buffy stars to pay tribute to Brendon include David Boreanaz, who played Angel on the show before moving to his own spinoff; Charisma Carpenter, who played Cordelia, a love interest of Brendon’s character; and Emma Caulfield, who played former demon Anya, who also became a love interest for Brendon’s character.
The news of Brendon’s death was confirmed in a statement shared on his official Facebook page, revealing he passed away in his sleep from natural causes. The message described him as “passionate, sensitive, and endlessly driven to create,” noting that in recent years he had turned his focus to painting and art, which he often shared with loved ones and fans.
His death marks another loss for the Buffy community. In 2025, Michelle Trachtenberg, who played Buffy’s younger sister, Dawn Summers, also passed away.
