Category: Entertainment

Broadway Wicked is meeting present-day film Wicked.

Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth — stars from the original Broadway cast — joined Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande at the Los Angeles premiere of Wicked on Saturday.

The group of four posed together on the carpet, locking arms with the present stars tucked in between the stars of the 2003 Broadway musical. The Wicked film stars Grande and Erivo in the lead roles of Glinda and Elphaba, respectively.

“I watched it with our ‘Wicked’ family and I bawled the entire time,” Chenoweth, who played Glinda in the original Broadway production, said in a clip posted on the Wicked account’s Instagram Story.

“I was so proud of her. She killed it,” Chenoweth said of Grande. “And Cynthia, we knew she was going to be powerful but the warmth and heart she brings to it. Just like Idina, it was perfect.”

Along with Grande and Erivo, Wicked stars Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, Ethan Slater as Boq, Marissa Bode as Nessarose and Jeff Goldblum as the Wizard of Oz.

Wicked: Part One hits theaters on Nov. 22. Wicked: Part Two is slated to arrive in theaters on Nov. 21, 2025.

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Disney+ has set April 22 as the premiere date for season 2 of its Star Wars series spinoff Andor, according to Variety. The series follows Diego Luna‘s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story character Cassian Andor, and his early days with the Rebellion against the evil Galactic Empire. Genevieve O’Reilly, Stellan Skarsgård, Adria Arjona, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, Fiona Shaw, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis also star. The 12-episode second season will take place over four years split into three-episode pods, with each pod covering a few consecutive days in each successive year before the events of Rogue One, per the outlet. Disney is the parent company of ABC News …

Actress/singer Andra Day has been tapped to play Athena in season 2 of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, according to Variety. Season 2 is based on The Sea of Monsters, the second installment in Rick Riordan‘s acclaimed book series. Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, is one of the most important Olympian characters in the Percy Jackson books. Day joins fellow newcomer Tamara Smart, and series regulars Walker Scobell, Leah Sava Jeffries, Aryan Simhadri, Charlie Bushnell, Dior Goodjohn and Daniel Diemer. Disney is the parent company of ABC News …

Tony Todd, the actor best known for starring in the Candyman and Final Destination horror franchises, died peacefully at his home in Marina Del Rey on November 6, his rep Jeffrey Goldberg tells ABC News affiliate KABC-TV. He was 69. A cause of death was not given. Todd’s other credits include Night of the Living Dead, The Rock and The Crow. He also played Kurn in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Alpha Hirogen in Star Trek: Voyager …

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Essence Atkins stars on the new sitcom Poppa’s House with Damon Wayans Sr. and his namesake son, Damon Wayans Jr. As one would imagine, her experience working with the comedians on set has been nothing short of laughter.

“It’s fun. We laugh all day. We try to make each other laugh all day. We are constantly kind of mining for what is funny and trying things. And sometimes they work and sometimes we know they don’t,” she tells ABC Audio. “We make fun of ourselves, but it’s such a playful atmosphere.”

This energy permeates across the screen to viewers, as she says the show is for “people who want to laugh” and “people who feel like the world is worlding and … need to laugh.“

“You can look forward to laughter — real laughter, like, out loud, not where you’re just like, ‘Oh that’s funny,’ but like, you actually are laughing,” Essence says of Poppa’s House. “And I think you can look forward to stories that you will find a point of view that you connect with.”

She adds the show is also for “people who grew up with the classic sitcoms and loved them because we definitely have a throwback kind of feel.”

“I think if you loved My Wife and Kids, or if you loved Half & Half or if you loved Girlfriends or if you loved The Wayans Bros. or if you loved, you know, even Friends … or Living Single. I think that the elements are there,” Essence says. “But in addition to that, you have something that’s unique to the show, which is that you have a real-life father and son playing father and son.” 

Poppa’s House airs Mondays on CBS at 8:30 p.m. ET/PT.

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Venom: The Last Dance topped the domestic box office, adding an estimated $16.2 million, for a three-week total of $114.8 million. The film took in an estimated $33 million internationally, for a global haul of $394.2 million.

Second place went to The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, snagging an estimated $11.1 million in its North American debut.

Breathing down its neck in third place was the Hugh Grant-led horror film Heretic, delivering an estimated $11 million in its opening weekend. Heretic picked up an estimated $5.2 million overseas, for a worldwide total of $16.2 million.

The Wild Robot took fourth place, grabbing an estimated $6.6 million, to bring its domestic tally to $130.8 million. Internationally, the film added an estimated $8.9 million globally, for a worldwide gross of $292.4 million.

Rounding out the top five was Smile 2, adding an estimated $5 million to its domestic tally, which now stands at $60.5 million. Globally, the film has grossed $123.6 million.

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Cold Case Files: The Grim Sleeper is coming to A&E Friday at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT, centering on serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr., who preyed on, raped, strangled and shot many woman in South Central LA for over 20 years. It’s a story Regina Hall was unaware of until she considered narrating the two-part doc.

“It definitely did draw me in. As a woman, a black woman watching those families who lost loved ones,” she tells TV Insider. The doc details how he was finally caught, tried, convicted and sentenced on first-degree murder and attempted murder charges. It also puts a spotlight on the victims.

“To see the victims humanized beyond just being addicts or prostitutes … I loved what A&E did because it gave a great picture of these victims as human beings, as mothers, daughters, and sisters. Seeing the pain those loved ones were left with,” Regina says.

She notes “it was powerful” to narrate the doc “because the story has an insane amount of gravity” and says she “wanted to do it justice because of the people involved.”

With her own production company and a deal with MGM Alternative, Regina says she’s looking to explore and produce more true crime stories “because it is a space that I’ve been interested in and watched.”

With another Scary Movie just announced, Regina, who appeared in the films as Brenda Cooks, says she’s excited to see the Wayans at the helm again.

“We’ll see if Brenda is in this new world,” she adds. “I’m thrilled at the possibility that the band could get back together again. That would be fun.”

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James Van Der Beek is opening up about his cancer diagnosis, days after revealing he was diagnosed with Stage 3 colorectal cancer.

The Dawson’s Creek star sat down for a new interview with People and discussed the journey he and his family have been on in the last year.

“What do you do when you’re staring down a Stage 3 diagnosis? This has been a crash course in [the] mastery of mind, body [and] spirit,” he said.

The 47-year-old recalled going in for a colonoscopy in August 2023 after experiencing some symptoms.

“The gastroenterologist said, in his most pleasant bedside manner, ‘It is cancer.’ And I think I went into shock,” Van Der Beek said.

Van Der Beek said he went in for additional scans, which confirmed he had Stage 3 cancer but also offered a bit of a silver lining.

“Found out it was still localized. It had not spread, but it was Stage 3, which is not what you want to hear,” he said.

Van Der Beek said his cancer diagnosis ushered in a new and unfamiliar chapter.

“And thus began, the full-time job of having cancer, signing up for all the various medical portals and getting on the phone with insurance and creating appointments … I was not prepared for just how much of a full-time job that it really is,” he continued.

Although the cancer news came as a shock, Van Der Beek said it was also a catalyst and motivating in a sense.

“I really didn’t feel like this was going to end me. I really felt like this is going to be the biggest life redirect,” he said. “I’m going to make changes that I never would have made otherwise, that I’m going to look back on in a year, five years, 30 years from now and say, ‘Thank God that happened.'”

Colorectal cancer begins in the colon or rectum, often referred to as colon or rectal cancer based on its location, according to the American Cancer Society, which added that most cases start as polyps — growths on the inner lining of these organs — that become more common with age. For that reason, regular screenings with colonoscopies can not only help detect colorectal cancer, but can help prevent it, too, since a polyp can take as many as 10 to 15 years to develop into cancer.

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

Netflix
Meet Me Next Christmas: A woman in pursuit of a fairytale romance races through New York City in the new holiday movie.

Outer Banks: It’s them against the world. Stream the end of season 4 now.

Arcane: Time to watch it all burn. The highly anticipated second season of the animated show is now streaming.

Prime Video
Citadel: Honey Bunny: The world of Citadel keeps expanding. Watch the new action series now.

Peacock
Eat Slay Love: Celebrity pals take a girls trip to Vietnam in the new series.

Paramount Network
Yellowstone: Remember who runs the valley in the last episodes of season 5.

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

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Rashida Jones is remembering her late father, famed music producer Quincy Jones, in the wake of his death.

The Parks and Recreation alum, 48, shared a photo of her and her father from when she was a baby to Instagram on Nov. 7 and recalled a sweet memory from her childhood.

“My dad was nocturnal his whole adult life. He kept ‘jazz hours’ starting in high school and never looked back,” she began. “When I was little, I would wake up in the middle of the night to search for him. Undoubtedly, he would be somewhere in the house, composing (old school, with a pen and sheet music). He would never send me back to bed.”

“He would smile and bring me into his arms while he continued to work…there was no safer place in the world for me,” she continued.

Rashida Jones, who co-directed and co-wrote the 2018 documentary Quincy about her father, called him “a giant,” “an icon,” “a culture shifter” and “a genius,” adding that music and all he created were “a channel for his love.”

“He WAS love. He made everyone he ever met feel loved and seen. That’s his legacy,” she wrote. “I was fortunate enough to experience this love in close proximity. I’ll miss his hugs and kisses and unconditional devotion and advice.”

She added, “Daddy, it is an honor to be your daughter. Your love lives forever.”

Quincy Jones was dad to seven children during his lifetime, sharing Rashida Jones with ex-wife Peggy Lipton. He died Nov. 3 at the age of 91.

Lipton, an actress and singer, died in 2019 at the age of 72.

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A first look at the new trailer for Mufasa: The Lion King debuted exclusively on Good Morning America on Friday.

The highly anticipated Barry Jenkins-directed film, arriving in theaters Dec. 20, is a prequel to 2019’s The Lion King.

The exclusive first-look opens with Rafiki telling a story about two brothers: Mufasa and Taka, and how they embarked on a journey to find a new home and start a new kingdom.

The clip shares a glimpse of the adventure the brothers go on and the characters they meet, including Zazu and Sarabi, Mufasa’s future mate and Simba’s mother in the 2019 film.

According to a synopsis for the film, Rafiki tells the legend of Mufasa to young lion cub Kiara, the daughter of Simba and Nala.

“Told in flashbacks, the story introduces Mufasa as an orphaned cub, lost and alone until he meets a sympathetic lion named Taka — the heir to a royal bloodline,” the synopsis reads.

“The chance meeting sets in motion an expansive journey of an extraordinary group of misfits searching for their destiny — their bonds will be tested as they work together to evade a threatening and deadly foe.”

The new look at the film comes after Walt Disney Studios released the official trailer for the film in August.

The star-studded cast for Mufasa includes Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Blue Ivy Carter, Donald Glover, Mads Mikkelsen, Seth Rogen, Billy Eichner and Anika Noni Rose.

Mufasa: The Lion King is set to release in theaters on Dec 20.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Good Morning America.
 

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Lucasfilm is reportedly teaming up with X-Men writer/producer Simon Kinberg on a new Star Wars trilogy. Deadline hears the films will be comprised of episodes 10 through 12 of The Skywalker Saga that began with George Lucas‘ eponymous 1977 film. However, insiders have disputed that, saying Kinberg will begin a new saga, alongside other Star Wars projects in the works from James Mangold, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Taika Waititi and Donald Glover. Lucasfilm is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News …

CBS has given full season orders to the prequel spin-off NCIS: Origins and the comedy Poppa’s House, the network announced on Thursday. NCIS: Origins centers on the younger version of Mark Harmon‘s character Leroy Jethro Gibbs, played by Austin Stowell. Poppa’s House stars Damon Wayans as as “legendary talk radio host and happily divorced ‘Poppa’ who has his point of view challenged … when a new female co-host is hired, and at home where he finds himself still parenting his adult son (Damon Wayans Jr.), a brilliant dreamer who is trying to pursue his passion while being a responsible father and husband.” Poppa’s House airs Mondays at 8:30 p.m. ET, followed by NCIS: Origins at 10 p.m. ET …

Bravo has dropped a new trailer for season 14 of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which finds Kyle Richards, Garcelle Beauvais, Erika Jayne, Dorit Kemsley and Sutton Stracke all returning, with new housewife Bozoma Saint John. Kathy Hilton also returns in her friend role, with Jennifer Tilly joining as a new friend. Camille Grammer, Faye Resnick and interior designer Martyn Bullard will all appear throughout the season. Season 14 of RHOBH premieres Nov. 19 … (Trailer contains censored profanity.)

The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s Lola Tung, Grotesquerie’s Nicholas Alexander Chavez, The Walking Dead‘s Austin Nichols and model/musician Gabbriette have been tapped to complete the cast of Sony Pictures’ I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel, according to Deadline. They join Freddie Prinze Jr., who starred in the original film, alongside Chase Sui Wonders, Madelyn Cline, Sarah Pidgeon, Tyriq Withers and Jonah Hauer-King. The film hits theaters in July 2025. I Know What You Did Last Summer, which starred Jennifer Love Hewitt, Prinze, Prinze’s now-wife Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe, followed a group of friends stalked by a hook-handed maniac after hoping to hide a tragic accident …

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