Category: Entertainment

Close friends and contemporaries of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette Kennedy are speaking out about the couple’s love story in a new special examining their lives and tragic deaths.

John and Carolyn | Love, Beauty and Loss, airing Tuesday, Feb. 17 on ABC, features interviews with close friends of the late couple, as well as their contemporaries and the journalists who covered their lives.

“From the very beginning, they had a volatile relationship, and unfortunately, the cameras were always there recording,” one person says in the trailer for the special, which dropped Feb. 12 on Good Morning America.

The couple’s lives were cut short when they died in a fatal plane crash in July 1999, along with another passenger, Bessette Kennedy’s older sister Lauren. The accident occurred when the light aircraft that Kennedy was piloting crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts.

“There just wasn’t enough time,” a friend of the couple says in the special’s trailer.

John and Carolyn | Love, Beauty and Loss, airs Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 10 p.m. ET on ABC and streams the next day on Disney+ and Hulu.

In addition to new interviews, the special also features newly unearthed photographs of Bessette Kennedy and rare footage from the couple’s 1996 wedding, according to ABC News Studios, which produced the special.

The special on the Kennedys coincides with the release of Love Story: John F Kennedy Jr & Carolyn Bessette, a Ryan Murphy-produced scripted series about the couple, airing on FX.

In John and Carolyn | Love, Beauty and Loss, viewers will also go behind the scenes of the FX series and see new interviews with its stars, as well as its executive producers, costume designer and production designer.

Disney is the parent company of Disney+, Hulu and ABC.

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(SPOILER ALERT) Make haste, dearest gentle reader, to watch the official trailer for part 2 of Bridgerton season 4.

Netflix has shared a brand-new trailer that shows off what will happen in the second half of the season centered around Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek’s (Yerin Ha) love story.

We see Benedict and Sophie seeking comfort in loved ones in the aftermath of Sophie denying Benedict’s proposal for her to be his mistress.

“Being a mistress is the last thing I would ever want,” Sophie says.

We also see Benedict’s reaction to Sophie’s rejection.

“How else am I to be with a woman society’s made it impossible for me to be with?” he says.

The trailer also ushers in the return of Jonathan Bailey’s Anthony Bridgerton and Simone Ashley’s Kate Bridgerton.

“You’ve convinced yourself that she is reason enough to risk everything,” Anthony tells Benedict in the trailer.

This fairy-tale fourth season of Bridgerton premiered its first part on Jan. 29. It found Benedict refusing to settle down, before meeting a mysterious woman at a masquerade ball. That woman turned out to be Sophie, a resourceful maid who now works at Bridgerton house after fate brings her back into Benedict’s life.

“Will Benedict’s inability to see these women as one in the same derail the undeniable spark between him and Sophie? And can love truly conquer anything — even a cross-class connection forbidden by society?” the season’s official synopsis reads.

Also starring in season 4 are Victor Alli, Masali Baduza, Nicola Coughlan, Hannah Dodd, Daniel Francis, Ruth Gemmell, Claudia Jessie, Luke Newton, Golda Rosheuvel, Isabella Wei, Michelle Mao and Katie Leung.

Part 2 of Bridgerton season 4 arrives on Feb. 26.

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Fans and celebrities alike are supporting James Van Der Beek’s family following his death at age 48.

A GoFundMe page set up to support the late Dawson’s Creek actor’s family shows Steven Spielberg and his wife, Kate Capshaw, donated $25,000 to the fundraiser, adding to the more than $1.8 million raised so far.

Along with Spielberg, Wicked director Jon M. Chu donated $10,000 to the fund.

GoFundMe lists a total of more than 35,000 donations tallied so far.

The fund was created by a user account titled “Friends of the Van Der Beek family” and lists Kimberly Van Der Beek, James Van Der Beek’s wife, as the beneficiary.

James Van Der Beek was best known for playing the titular character, Dawson Leery, on Dawson’s Creek, and later took on a number of roles in films, including Varsity Blues, as well as TV shows such as Mercy, One Tree Hill and Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23.

James Van Der Beek died Wednesday morning following a battle with colorectal cancer.

His family shared the news on his official Instagram page. He is survived by his wife and their six children.

The GoFundMe page describes the financial strain that the family experienced throughout James an Der Beek’s illness, which he revealed to People in 2024.

“Throughout his illness, the family faced not only emotional challenges but also significant financial strain as they did everything possible to support James and provide for his care,” the page says.

“Kimberly and the children are facing an uncertain future,” it continues. “The costs of James’s medical care and the extended fight against cancer have left the family out of funds. They are working hard to stay in their home and to ensure the children can continue their education and maintain some stability during this incredibly difficult time.”

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Ready, set, binge! Here’s a look at some of the new movies and TV shows coming to theaters and streaming services this weekend:

Prime Video
Cross: Alex Cross is back and ready for justice in season 2 of the thriller series. 

FX, Hulu
Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette: Watch the first installment in Ryan Murphy’s new anthology series. 

AMC
Dark Winds: The premiere of season 4 of the drama series makes its debut.  

Movie theaters
Wuthering Heights: Emerald Fennell directs her take on the classic love story, which stars Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi. 

Crime 101: Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry and Mark Ruffalo star in the new crime thriller film.

GOAT: From producer Stephen Curry comes an animated film about a goat who plays basketball. 

That’s all for this week’s Weekend Watchlist – happy streaming!

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Prime Video is betting on Off Campus. The upcoming romance series has been renewed for season 2 ahead of its season 1 premiere. The first season of the new series will debut in May. Off Campus is based on the bestselling book series from Elle Kennedy, and focuses on a college romance between a songwriter and an all-star hockey athlete …

Ed Helms and Nat Wolff are joining the cast of She Gets It From Me. Deadline reports that the actors are joining Rachel Zegler and Marisa Tomei in the upcoming film. The movie follows a young woman who refuses to get married before she meets her birth mother …

The official trailer for Taylor Tomlinson’s upcoming comedy special Prodigal Daughter has arrived. Netflix released the trailer for Tomlinson’s fourth comedy special, which arrives to the platform on Feb. 24. She returns to her roots in this special by deconstructing her faith, processing her religious trauma and confronting her fear of death …

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Chris Hemsworth plays a game of cat and mouse with Mark Ruffalo in Crime 101.

The Bart Layton-directed film, which premieres exclusively in theaters globally on Friday, follows a jewel thief (Hemsworth) whose heists along the 101 freeway in Southern California capture the attention of a relentless detective (Ruffalo).

The actors have lost count of the number of times they’ve worked together, Hemsworth told ABC Audio, as both are OG members of The Avengers in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. But this film was completely different than any of their other acting collaborations, Hemsworth said.

“It’s super refreshing. We’ve talked about doing other stuff together for a long time. And I sent him the script, and he immediately flipped for it and said, ‘This is brilliant,'” Hemsworth said. “And off we went.”

While the tone of Crime 101 is much different than that of an MCU joint, Hemsworth says their iconic superhero personas weren’t far away from this film’s set.

“We brought some of our Thor and Hulk energy initially of just the excitement,” Hemsworth said. “And then Bart [Layton] was like, ‘Whoa, different energy, different film.'”

Hemsworth said striking a different tone with Ruffalo this time around was wonderful, but it was also intimidating.

“It was quite lovely to step into completely different shoes, but quite uncomfortable, too, because it’s like acting in front of a family member, you know?” Hemsworth said. “They know your tricks, and now you’re doing something very different. And so it was quite unsettling, but as it should have been for the characters, too.”

The Thor actor said he and Ruffalo “just had a fantastic time” making this film together.

“He’s one of my favorite people,” Hemsworth said.

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Ryan Gosling is set to host Saturday Night Live for the fourth time.

NBC has announced that Gosling will return to Studio 8H to host the March 7 episode of the show. The Oscar nominee is promoting his upcoming film, Project Hail Mary, which he produced and stars in. He will be joined by Gorillaz, who will serve as the show’s musical guest for the first time. The Grammy-winning band’s new album, The Mountain, is set to release on Feb. 27.

Also scheduled to host SNL is Connor Storrie, one of the breakout stars from the hit series Heated Rivalry. NBC initially made the announcement of Storrie’s hosting gig during the Jan. 31 episode, which was hosted by Alexander Skarsgård. Mumford & Sons will serve as the musical guest on the episode, marking their fourth appearance performing on the show. They’re promoting their new album, Prizefighter, which releases on Feb. 20.

Another episode of SNL is scheduled to air on March 14, although a host and musical guest have yet to be announced.

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Emmy Award-winning Baby Reindeer star Jessica Gunning has been cast to play The Mamas & The Papas singer Cass Elliot in the upcoming movie My Mama Cass.

The biopic will be based on the bestselling memoir My Mama, Cass, written by Elliot’s daughter, Owen Elliot-Kugell, with the book being adapted by novelist and screenwriter Emma Forrest.

A press release notes that the film is “not a traditional Mamas & the Papas biopic,” rather a “definitive Cass Elliot film, centered on her life, legacy, and the mother-daughter bond that shaped them both.”

In addition to focusing on Elliot’s life and career, the film will highlight Owen’s journey to uncover the truth about her mother’s death at age 32 in order to put to rest the urban legend that she died choking on a ham sandwich. Cass died of heart failure in 1974 when Owen was 7.

The film is currently in production.

As a member of The Mamas & The Papas, Cass scored six top-10 hits, including “Monday Monday,” “California Dreamin'” and “Dedicated to the One I Love.” The group sold over 40 million records and was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.

Cass went on to a solo career, scoring hits like “Make Your Own Kind of Music” and “Dream a Little Dream of Me.”

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The NAACP announced Thursday that Viola Davis will be the recipient of the prestigious Chairman’s Award. 

She’ll receive the honor at the upcoming 57th NAACP Image Awards, which air live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Feb. 28. 

“The Chairman’s Award honors individuals who excel in public service and leverage their unique platforms to ignite and drive meaningful change,” according to the announcement.

“Viola Davis is a generational talent who has commanded audiences with her powerful and transcending performances,” Leon W. Russell, chair of the NAACP National Board of Directors, said. “Through a career defined by excellence and courage, she has used her platform to work towards opportunity and equity, crafting an undeniable legacy for generations to come. We look forward to celebrating her and the trailblazing path she has created for herself, and others to follow.”

Past award recipients include Kamala Harris, Amanda Gorman, Samuel L. Jackson, the late civil rights activist Rep. John Lewis, Ruby Dee, Danny Glover, Rev. James Lawson, Tyler Perry and then-Sen. Barack Obama.

Davis, who holds EGOT status, is also nominated for an NAACP Image Award for her role in the action-thriller G20.

The public can vote to determine winners in select categories. Voting ends Friday. 

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Nicolas Cage returns to the Spider-Verse in the official teaser trailers for Spider-Noir.

Prime Video released two versions of the new trailer for its upcoming live-action series, which is produced by Sony Pictures Television, on Thursday. The streaming service also announced that the show will make its global premiere on May 27.

The series finds Cage starring in his first leading TV role, as he reprises the character he originally voiced in the 2018 Oscar-winning animated film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.

This live-action take on the character is based on the Marvel comic Spider-Man Noir, which tells the story of Ben Reilly (Cage), “a seasoned, down on his luck private investigator in 1930s New York, who is forced to grapple with his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city’s one and only superhero,” according to its official synopsis.

A unique feature of this brand-new show is that it will be available to watch in two different ways — what Prime Video is calling the Authentic Black & White option or the True-Hue Full Color option. Because of this, two different teaser trailers have released for the series; one entirely in black-and-white and one in color.

Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Abraham Popoola, Jack Huston and Brendan Gleeson also star in the new series.

Harry Bradbeer, the Emmy Award-winning director of Fleabag and Killing Eve, helmed and executive produced the show’s first two episodes. Oren Uziel and Steve Lightfoot are the co-showrunners of the project. They developed the series with the team behind Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Amy Pascal, who all also executive produce.

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