In brief: Linda Cardellini to star in ‘Friday the 13th’ prequel series and more
What, like it’s hard? Tom Everett Scott is set to play Elle Woods’ father in the Legally Blonde prequel series Elle, Deadline reports. The show will be for Prime Video and is executive produced by the film’s star, Reese Witherspoon. Elle follows how Elle Woods’ high school experiences shaped her into the woman and lawyer she becomes …
Lizzo will star as Sister Rosetta Tharpe in an upcoming biopic, Deadline reports. Tharpe, who died in 1973, was a Black gospel singer, songwriter and guitarist who influenced and shaped early rock ‘n’ roll artists like Chuck Berry, Little Richard and ElvisPresley …
Linda Cardellini will play the lead role in the new Friday the 13th prequel series at Peacock, as Variety reported. The actress will play Pamela Voorhees in the new show, which is titled Crystal Lake. Pamela is the mother of Jason Voorhees, the famous slasher from the horror franchise …
Joey Bada$$ is back on Power Book III: Raising Kanan, though his character, Unique, was nearly killed off in the show’s third season.
A fan-favorite on the cast, he tells ABC Audio it was “actually dope to see how much love and appreciation people have for the character in the event of his ‘demise.’ But it was also cool to see how people felt when they found out, ‘Oh, s***, he’s actually not gone,’ too.”
As seen in the first two episodes of season 4, Unique survived with the help of an under-the-radar doctor, who warned his injuries could lead to personality changes if he didn’t receive professional help. Those changes are coupled with his desire to seek vengeance against Raq and all those who he felt had conspired against him.
Joey says it’s different than the vengeance Unique’s brother sought in season 3 because Ronnie had “more of, like, a social disorder.” While he notes that they had similarities in their anger and frustration, he says Unique was previously “able to contain that and use it to his advantage and, like, be smart about it.”
“I think now with the brain injury he’s way more prone to flying off the handle,” Joey adds. That showed up when Unique killed Raq’s lawyer after secretly seeing the two and assuming they were together. When asked whether any of that had to do with Unique loving Raq, Joey says, “There’s a lot of conflicting ideas, thoughts and emotions going on in his head, but I think they’re all scrambled because of the brain injury.”
When Kendrick Lamar takes the stage for the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, he’ll become the first solo hip-hop artist to headline the show, proving that the event has come a long way since its humble beginnings.
The idea of having current big-name pop, rock or country stars perform during halftime only dates back to 1991, when New Kids on the Block did it. Before that, it was marching bands, older stars like Chubby Checker or the G-rated vocal troupe Up with People.
But what seemingly solidified the halftime show as a showcase for superstars was Michael Jackson‘s 1993 performance, featuring a huge inflatable globe and a choir of over 3,000 local children. Thanks to Michael, for the first time ever ratings increased between halves during the game. From then on, stars and spectacle were the rule.
Over the years, the show has been plagued by controversy, starting with 2004’s infamous “Nipplegate” incident with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson. That led the NFL to hire “safer” classic rock artists such as Bruce Springsteen as halftime performers. Pop stars returned in 2011 with the Black Eyed Peas‘ performance.
Controversies persist, though. During Madonna‘s 2012 performance, one of her guests, rapper M.I.A., flipped off the crowd. And in 2016, Beyoncé was criticized for having backup dancers dressed in outfits reminiscent of the Black Panther political party.
In 2019, many fans felt that Maroon 5, Big Boi and Travis Scott should have declined to perform, due to the NFL’s alleged treatment of Colin Kaepernick. In fact, Rihanna declined to do the show that year for that very reason, but returned as the halftime headliner in 2023.
Here’s a look back at who’s done the halftime show since 1991:
1991 — New Kids on the Block 1992 — Gloria Estefan 1993 — Michael Jackson, performing with 3,500 children 1994 — Country stars Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna Judd and Naomi Judd 1995 — Patti LaBelle, Miami Sound Machine and Tony Bennett 1996 — Diana Ross 1997 — ZZ Top, James Brown, the Blues Brothers featuring Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi 1998 — Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, The Temptations, Queen Latifah 1999 — Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy 2000 — Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton 2001 — Aerosmith, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Nelly, Mary J. Blige 2002 — U2 2003 — Shania Twain, No Doubt, Sting 2004 — Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, Kid Rock, P. Diddy 2005 — Paul McCartney 2006 — The Rolling Stones 2007 — Prince 2008 — Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 2009 — Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band 2010 — The Who 2011 — Black Eyed Peas 2012 — Madonna 2013 — Beyoncé (and Destiny’s Child, briefly) 2014 — Bruno Mars feat. Red Hot Chili Peppers 2015 — Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott 2016 — Coldplay, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars 2017 — Lady Gaga 2018 — Justin Timberlake 2019 — Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi 2020 — Jennifer Lopez and Shakira 2021 — The Weeknd 2022 — Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg with 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak 2023 — Rihanna 2024 — Usher 2025 — Kendrick Lamar
