Spike Lee says ‘it’s been a blessing’ to have a body of work with Denzel Washington
Director Spike Lee (L) and Denzel Washington seen at Apple Original Films and A24’s HIGHEST 2 LOWEST – Los Angeles Special Screening at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Ted Mann Theater on August 13, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Eric Charbonneau/A24 via Getty Images)
Spike Lee and Denzel Washington‘s friendship has survived the test of time, and it’s because they have a strong foundation. Spike tells People their “relationship is based upon love and trust, trust and love,” which is reflected in the closeness of their families, as well as the five movies they’ve done together.
“The five films together, you know, they stand up,” Lee says, referring to Mo’ Better Blues, Malcolm X, He Got Game, Inside Man and Highest 2 Lowest, which he suggests may be their last.
He says Denzel “has been talking about retirement, even though he just did another deal.”
If that is indeed the case, Spike is grateful for their existing collaborations. “It’s been a blessing to have this body of work of us doing films that the people love,” he says.
In this handout photo provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Oscar statuettes are seen backstage during the 95th annual Academy Awards on March 12, 2023, in Hollywood, California. (Al Seib/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has partnered with YouTube.
A multiyear deal has been signed that grants YouTube the exclusive global rights to the Oscars starting in 2029 and going until 2033.
This means that the Oscars awards ceremony itself, red carpet coverage, behind-the-scenes content, Governors Ball access and more will be available live and to watch for free around the world on YouTube and to YouTube TV subscribers in the U.S.
YouTube also plans to make the Oscars more accessible by offering features such as closed captioning and audio tracks available in several different languages.
ABC has aired the Oscars broadcast for decades and has the rights to the telecast through the 100th annual awards ceremony, which will take place in 2028.
“We are thrilled to enter into a multifaceted global partnership with YouTube to be the future home of the Oscars and our year-round Academy programming,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Lynette HowellTaylor said in a statement. “The Academy is an international organization, and this partnership will allow us to expand access to the work of the Academy to the largest worldwide audience possible — which will be beneficial for our Academy members and the film community. This collaboration will leverage YouTube’s vast reach and infuse the Oscars and other Academy programming with innovative opportunities for engagement while honoring our legacy. We will be able to celebrate cinema, inspire new generations of filmmakers and provide access to our film history on an unprecedented global scale.”
Neal Mohan, CEO of YouTube, said, “Partnering with the Academy to bring this celebration of art and entertainment to viewers all over the world will inspire a new generation of creativity and film lovers while staying true to the Oscars’ storied legacy.”
If you’re not careful, you can find out that it’s not clocking to you that you haven’t been standing on business by knowing all of the cultural trends that happened this year. That’s why we’re going over the memes, viral moments and trend-setting sensations that dominated the cultural landscape of 2025:
No one could get enough of Labubus this year. The collectible plush toys, which were created by Hong Kong illustrator Kasing Lung, are fluffy monsters with pointy teeth, large ears and a playful look on their face. They’re exclusively sold by the retailer Pop-Mart, although knockoff versions of the product, known as Lafufus, also took the world by storm. While most people don’t usually get to pick which color Labubu appears in their blind box, TikTok user Lilzbullzmarbella infamously showed off her gold one. “I have the one and only 24 carat gold Labubu,” she says in a video that went viral.
Here’s one that we’ll do our best to explain, but you may want to consult your youngest family member for more. The phrase 6-7, pronounced six seven, was completely unavoidable this year. YouTuber Cam Wilder posted a video in which a young boy named Maverick Trevillian is seen yelling, “Six seven,” while doing a hand gesture moving upward-facing palms up and down. Video edits of Maverick doing this went viral, and the phrase, which has no fixed meaning, became a meme popular with Gen Alpha.
It was the video we all cringed at but couldn’t look away from. A couple, locked in an intimate embrace, were caught allegedly cheating on their respective spouses while on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert this summer. Former Astronomer CEO Andy Byron and its head of human resources, Kristin Cabot, immediately pulled apart from each other just as Coldplay’s Chris Martin said, “Either they’re having an affair or they’re very shy.”
A video of Justin Bieber speaking to the paparazzi sparked an internet phenomenon this year. “You’re not getting it. It’s not clocking to you. It’s not clocking to you that I’m standing on business, is it?” Bieber asks the photographers. The phrase became so popular that Bieber himself referenced it in his SWAG track “STANDING ON BUSINESS.”
Finally, the TikTok audio referred to as “Nothing beats a Jet2 holiday,” which featured an old advertisement for the Jet2 airline mixed with the 2015 song “Hold My Hand” by Jess Glynne, took the world by storm. Everyone was using the cheerful audio to ironically post disastrous videos from vacations gone wrong.
Musical guest Cher, host Ariana Grande and Bowen Yang during promos on Thursday, December 18, 2025 (Rosalind O’Connor/NBC)
Ariana Grande returned to host Saturday Night Live for a third time on Dec. 20, and her appearance doubled as a farewell lap for her Wicked co-star and departingSNL cast member Bowen Yang.
Grande kicked off the show by poking fun at herself, noting that she’d last hosted about a year ago. “So many people have been asking me if I’m going to revisit any of my sketches from last time, like Domingo,” she said. “But I told them, ‘I don’t think so. When something is perfect, it doesn’t need a sequel.’ That’s why I just finished filming Meet the Parents 4.”
Grande did revisit one of her past characters, though: Antonio, the traumatized young castrato. She dressed up as him to introduce the second performance from musical guest Cher.The iconic singer stuck to holiday fare for her first appearance on the show since 1987, singing her 2023 hit “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” and then a cover of Chuck Berry‘s “Run Rudolph Run.”
The rest of Grande’s monologue was a parody of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You,” with lyrics changed to reflect the difficulty of buying Christmas presents for acquaintances.
Her other sketches included one where she playedMacaulay Culkin‘s Home Alone character Kevin McCallister. She also showed off her impersonation skills by singing as both Katy Perry and Celine Dion in a sketch called “Random Holiday Duets Spectacular.“
Grande and Cher came together in the final sketch to bid goodbye to Yang, who played a Delta employee doing his final shift serving eggnog in the airport lounge. Ari played his wife and Cher played his boss, and they sang “Please Come Home for Christmas” together.
“I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here,” Yang said in character, choking back tears. “And I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer. Especially the people. I’ve loved every single person who works here. Because they’ve done so much for me.”
