Category: Entertainment

Saturday Night Live kicked off its 50th season with a star-studded cold open that featured SNL alum Maya Rudolph reprising her Vice President Kamala Harris, joined by fellow SNL vets Andy Samberg and Dana Carvey, playing second gentleman Doug Emhoff and President Joe Biden, respectively. Comedian Jim Gaffigan was tapped to play Harris’ running mate Tim Walz. Current SNL cast member James Austin Johnson returned as Donald Trump, with Bowen Yang taking on the role of Trump’s running mate JD Vance. Hacks‘ Jean Smart hosted the season 50 premiere and Jelly Roll was the musical guest …

Days of Our Lives actor Drake Hogestyn, who played John Black on the long-running soap opera, has died at the age of 70 due to pancreatic cancer, his family shared Saturday on the show’s official Instagram. “After putting up an unbelievable fight, he passed peacefully surrounded by loved ones,” the statement read in part. Hogestyn was a minor league baseball player before joining the soap in 1986 …

John Ashton, the actor best known for his role as John Taggart in the Beverly Hills Cop film series, “passed away peacefully” in Fort Collins, Colorado, on Sept. 26, his rep confirmed in a statement obtained by Good Morning America. He was 76. Ashton’s other film roles include Midnight Run, alongside Robert De Niro, as well as Little Big League, Some Kind of Wonderful and She’s Having a Baby …

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The Wild Robot topped the domestic box office, earning an estimated $35 million in its opening weekend. The animated adventure — with a voice cast including Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Catherine O’Hara, Bill Nighy, Kit Connor and Stephanie Hsu — added an estimated $18.1 million internationally, for a global total of $53.1 million.

After a three-week run at No. 1, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice slipped to second place, grabbing an estimated $16 million at the North American box office, bringing its four-week tally to $250 million. The film has grossed $373 million worldwide to date.

Transformers One took third place, delivering an estimated $9.3 million in its second week of release, for a total of $39.2 million. Its global tally now stands at $72 million.

Fourth place went to India’s Devara Part 1. The action drama collected an estimated $5.6 million at the North American box office and $32.9 million worldwide. Rounding out the top five was Speak No Evil with an estimated $4.3 million domestically, bringing its tally to $57.7 million worldwide.

Opening in sixth place was Francis Ford Coppola‘s much-hyped Roman epic Megalopolis. The film — starring Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Laurence Fishburne, Chloe Fineman and Dustin Hoffman — earned just $4 million at the domestic box office and $6.1 million worldwide against a $120 million budget in its opening weekend.

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Kris Kristofferson, the singer, songwriter and actor whose songs were among the most admired not just in country but music in general, has died, according to a post on his official Facebook. He was 88.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28 at home,” reads the message. “We’re all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”

Kristofferson’s resume was eclectic: Rhodes scholar, U.S. Army veteran, pilot, Golden Gloves boxer and award-winning actor. But it was his famous songs — including “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” — that made him a music legend. No less a luminary than Bob Dylan was once quoted as saying about Kristofferson, “You can look at Nashville pre-Kris and post-Kris, because he changed everything.”

Born Kristoffer Kristofferson in the border town of Brownsville, Texas, on June 22, 1936, he earned a master’s from Oxford, moved to California, joined the Army and became a helicopter pilot — and began writing songs on the side. Inspired by Dylan, he rejected an Army assignment to teach literature at West Point and instead moved to Nashville.

After struggling for several years, and even working as a janitor at the same studio where Johnny Cash and Dylan recorded, Kristofferson got his break when established stars like Tom T. Hall, Ray Price, Roger Miller, Ray Stevens and Cash recorded his songs. Cash’s hit rendition of “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” helped it win the Country Music Association’s Song of the Year trophy in 1970, the same year Kristofferson released his debut solo album.

That album featured “Me and Bobby McGee,” which Janis Joplin recorded before her death in October 1970. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1971 and is now known as her signature song.

In 1971, Kristofferson launched his acting career, and over the years he appeared in films like A Star Is Born, which won him a Golden Globe, and Semi-Tough, Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea, Lone Star and Blade.

In 1985, Kristofferson joined his old pal Johnny Cash in the supergroup The Highwaymen, which also included Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. He also continued his solo career and toured nonstop until 2020. He was a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and won multiple Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy.

When Nelson was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2023, he advocated from the stage for Kristofferson’s induction, as well.

Kristofferson, who dated Joplin and once wed fellow singer Rita Coolidge, is survived by his wife, Lisa, as well as eight children from three marriages and seven grandchildren.

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Kris Kristofferson, the singer, songwriter and actor whose songs were among the most admired, not just in country, but music in general, has died, according to a post on his official Facebook. He was 88.

“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news our husband/father/grandfather, Kris Kristofferson, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 28 at home,” read the message. “We’re all so blessed for our time with him. Thank you for loving him all these many years, and when you see a rainbow, know he’s smiling down at us all.”

Kristofferson’s resume was eclectic: Rhodes scholar, U.S. Army veteran, pilot, Golden Gloves boxer and award-winning actor. But it was his famous songs — including “Me and Bobby McGee,” “Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down” and “Help Me Make It Through the Night” — which made him a music legend.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates…

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Daniel Radcliffe is among those mourning the death of beloved British actress Maggie Smith, who died Friday at age 89.

Radcliffe, who played the titular character in the Harry Potter movie series, shared a statement reflecting on meeting Smith when he was a young actor.

“The first time I met Maggie Smith I was 9 years old and we were reading through scenes for David Copperfield, which was my first job,” he began. “I knew virtually nothing about her other than that my parents were awestruck at the fact that I would be working with her.”

He added in part, “She was incredibly kind to me on that shoot, and then I was lucky enough to go on working with her for another 10 years on the Harry Potter films. She was a fierce intellect, a gloriously sharp tongue, could intimidate and charm in the same instant and was, as everyone will tell you, extremely funny.” 

He called himself “amazingly lucky to have been able to work with her,” adding, “The word legend is overused but if it applies to anyone in our industry then it applies to her. Thank you Maggie.”

Whoopi Goldberg, who starred with Smith in 1992’s Sister Act and 1993’s Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, posted on Instagram, “Maggie Smith was a great woman and a brilliant actress. I still can’t believe I was lucky enough to work with the ‘one-of-a-kind.'”

Smith’s Downton Abbey co-star Michelle Dockery said in a statement, “I feel tremendously lucky to have known such a maverick. She will be deeply missed and my thoughts are with her family.” 

The loss of Smith even led a “deeply saddened” King Charles III to share a statement on behalf of himself and his wife, Camilla, on Friday: “As the curtain comes down on a national treasure, we join all those around the world in remembering with the fondest admiration and affection her many great performances, and her warmth and wit that shone through both on and off the stage.”

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Kerry Washington‘s latest show, Unprisoned, will not go on. She announced the news of its cancellation Friday while sharing gratitude for the fans who supported the show for two seasons. 

“Ladies & Gents, that is a wrap on Unprisoned,” Washington wrote on Instagram, alongside a montage of behind-the-scenes moments. “This beautiful show that we poured so much of our hearts and souls into is unfortunately not coming back for a Season 3. But I wanted you to hear it from me because while we’re super duper disappointed, we’re also crazy deeply grateful.”

“Thank you to ABCS, Hulu & Onyx for giving us a creative home,” she continued. “And most importantly, we are grateful to YOU ALL – for watching, laughing, crying, yelling, dancing, eye-rolling, cheering (and all of the things between) along with us each episode. It was such a blessing. And we thank you.”

Unprisoned debuted in 2023. It followed Washington’s character, Paige Alexander, a marriage and family therapist whose life is turned upside down following her father’s (Delroy Lindo) release from prison and subsequent move into her home, where she lives with her son (Faly Rakotohavana). 

Marque Richardson, Jordyn McIntosh and Jee Young Han also star in the series, which premiered its second season in July.

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We’ve already reported that Francis Ford Coppola gave his own film Megalopolis five stars on the cineaste site Letterbxd, but in a new chat with Deadline alongside his star Adam Driver, the Oscar-winning filmmaker explains what he thinks of the mixed reaction to the decades-in-development project. 

Coppola insisted his director friends are “very frank about” saying if they didn’t like a film — and apparently they haven’t said that to him. “I’ve been getting what I wanted to get from my colleagues” was how he put it. 

He later allowed of the public reaction to it, “No one says it’s boring.” He insisted “a lot of people will say, ‘Wow, I want to see it again,’ and the more they see it, the more they’ll get out of it,” relating it to the reaction to his Apocalypse Now.

For the record, Apocalypse was an award-winning film out of the gate — something that people incidentally pointed out after Megalopolis‘ “fake critic” controversy. 

“There are people who love the film. There are people who say, ‘I don’t know what I think,’ but they’ll see it again, and they’ll find something else in it — because there’s a lot in it.” 

Coppola seems to have also fielded a question about reports his Megalopolis set was disorganized — or possibly headlines of his alleged inappropriate behavior on set. It’s unclear because the trade’s questions were not recorded.

Nevertheless, Coppola said, “We’re witnessing the death of journalism and the death of the studio system. … For journalism to retreat behind unknown sources and … trying to get clicks, and saying something bad because you know that something bad will always get clicks, it’s sad.”

Driver called the production among his all-time favorite experiences as an actor.

Megalopolis is now in theaters. 

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With Kevin Costner not returning to Yellowstone for the remaining episodes of season 5, a new promo seems to be leaning into the mystery of just how his exit will be addressed come November.

While it likely won’t be a “Who shot J.R.?” moment — Costner’s John Dutton has been shot on the show before — the show’s cast and crew, including Kelly Asbille (Monica), Denim Richards (Colby), Jennifer Landon (Teeter) and director Christina Voros, spoke about how tight conditions were. 

Asbille commented, “There was a lot of security around the script, and the narrative,” with Landon saying, “We get these redacted scripts. Basically everything is blacked out except for your lines.”

Richards offered that “the audience will see real reactions” from the actors, because they don’t know what’s coming, either.

Voros expressed, “It’s a huge testament to the intrepidness of the crew, because you’ve learned how to do something a certain way for seven years, and all of a sudden have a new set of challenges that come from protecting the story for the sake of the audience.”

That said, Kelly Reilly (Beth) said, “I just feel so grateful. There’s a lot of laughter on our set.” Her onscreen love Rip, played by Cole Hauser, also put a positive spin on it, considering reported tensions that led to Costner’s decision not to return. “This year, there were fun times on set. This is the greatest office in the world,” he said. 

Voros also teases the cast was “at the absolute top of their game.” 

But brace yourselves, Yellowstone fans: Rip, Beth, and her adopted brother and archenemy Jamie (Wes Bentley) are seen in tears, and her onscreen brother Kacee (Luke Grimes) said the episodes “brought me to tears.” 

Yellowstone returns Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on Paramount Network.

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The upcoming movie about the making of Bruce Springsteen’s album Nebraska has reportedly found the actor to play the rocker’s father.

According to Variety, English actor Stephen Graham, who’s had roles in Peaky Blinders, Snatch, Boardwalk Empire and more, has been cast to play Springsteen’s dad in Deliver Me From Nowhere, which stars Jeremy Allen White as The Boss.

Springsteen’s father, Douglas Frederick “Dutch” Springsteen, passed away in 1998. The rocker has been very open about the rocky relationship he had with his dad growing up and even wrote about it in his 2016 biography, Born to Run. Their relationship inspired such songs as “Adam Raised A Cain” and “Independence Day.” 

Deliver Me From Nowhere, directed by Scott Cooper, is based on the Warren Zanes book Deliver Me from Nowhere: The Making of Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, which follows Springsteen’s efforts to make his 1982 solo album, Nebraska.

In addition to White, the cast includes Paul Walter Hauser and Odessa Young. Reports in May claimed Succession star Jeremy Strong was in talks to play Springsteen’s manager Jon Landau, but so far there’s been no confirmation that he’s been cast.

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Have no fear, your reality roundup is here! Here’s a look at what happened in the world of reality television this week:

Dancing with the Stars (ABC)
After Anna Delvey was voted off of Dancing with the Stars on Tuesday, she gave a curt response when asked what she was going to take away from the experience. “Nothing,” Delvey said in a now infamous viral moment. Judge Carrie Ann Inaba told Entertainment Weekly she was taken aback by Delvey’s comment. “That was dismissive not only of the opportunity she was given, of her wonderful and supportive partner Ezra [Sosa] in his debut season, but also of all of us who work on the show-from the dancers to behind the scenes to the creative team,” Inaba said.

The Masked Singer (Fox)
The identity of Leaf Sheep has been revealed. Yes, you read that correctly. On the season 12 premiere of The Masked Singer, which aired Wednesday, John Elway was the first celebrity to be unmasked. The two-time Super Bowl champion sang “I Like It, I Love It” by Tim McGraw before his true identity was made known. Panelist Ken Jeong guessed correctly, while the rest of the panel struck out.

The Golden Bachelorette (ABC)
Joan Vassos has started her journey for love as the first-ever Golden Bachelorette. Unfortunately, reports have emerged that one of her potential suitors, Gil Ramirez, had a restraining order filed against him. The woman who filed the temporary restraining order said she is his former partner and listed the need for the filing as emotional harassment. “Despite telling him to not contact me, come to my house — he made repeated unwanted contact with me, family members and friends,” she wrote.

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