Toni Collette to star in Apple TV comedy-drama series ‘Lenni’
A photo of Toni Collette. (Apple TV)
Toni Collette has found her next starring project.
The actress is set to lead the new comedy-drama series Lenni for Apple TV. Collette will star as the titular divorced social worker in the series, who, after a family tragedy, strives to protect her loved ones from life’s troubles.
Ciarán Hinds, Dan Wyllie, Josh McKenzie, Celeste Barber, Genevieve Hegney, Arka Das and Wayne Blair make up the rest of Lenni‘s cast.
The series is based on the hit Norwegian show Pernille, which was created by Henriette Steenstrup. Lenni will be directed by Bad Sisters and Margo’s Got Money Troubles‘ Dearbhla Walsh. It was adapted by Sarah Scheller.
Lenni is described as “a darkly comedic mystery about family — what it means to have one, to lose one, to pull one apart,” according to Apple TV.
“Lenni, a child welfare worker and divorced mother of two, spends her days fighting for other people’s families while her own is in a constant state of hilarious chaos. The season follows Lenni through a new case, where the stakes couldn’t be higher as her work and personal life collide,” an official description of the series reads.
Production on Lenni is currently underway in Sydney, Australia.
The cast of ‘Descendants: Wicked Wonderland.’ (Disney+)
The first trailer for Disney’s Descendants: Wicked Wonderland is here.
The next installment in the popular Descendants franchise, which follows the children of Disney heroes and villains, sees the return of Red and Chloe, played by Kylie Cantrall and Malia Baker. The new trailer was released Friday.
This time around, Red and Chloe are forced to deal with the fallout of a changing past and face a new villain named Maddox Hatter, portrayed by Leonardo Nam, as they try to save the Queen of Hearts and Wonderland.
Rita Ora reprises her role as the Queen of Hearts, with Paolo Montalban as King Charming, Melanie Paxson returning as the Fairy Godmother and Brandy as Cinderella.
Wicked Wonderland will also welcome new cast members Liamani Segura as Pink, Red’s younger sister; Brendon Tremblay as Max Hatter, Maddox’s son; and Alexandro Byrd as Luis Madrigal, Luisa Madrigal’s son.
Descendants: Wicked Wonderland premieres on Disney Channel on July 16 and will be available to stream on Disney+ starting July 17.
Billy Joel performs at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 9, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Billy Joel is telling fans not to worry about him after he was diagnosed with a brain disorder last year and underwent brain surgery.
The “Piano Man” singer said on Sirius XM’s The Billy Joel Channel on Wednesday, that he’s “OK,” adding, “I just want people to know, don’t worry about me. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here. I’m still here.”
Joel also opened up about undergoing surgery for his condition, saying, “They implanted a shunt in my brain and it actually improved things.”
In May 2025, Joel canceled all of his scheduled concerts after being diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, an “abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid deep within the brain,” according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, is the fluid that lives in the ventricles, or cavities, of the brain that helps cushion the brain and the spinal cord. When the flow of CSF is somehow blocked and fluid builds up in the ventricles, it causes normal pressure hydrocephalus, according to NINDS.
The condition is most common in older adults, and the most common treatment is surgery.
Joel recalled his neurologist describing the condition as “water on the brain.”
He added that he first noticed that things weren’t right when his balance was off.
“I had this sense of being on a boat, like this rocking motion. I wasn’t steady on my feet,” he said.
He said at first, he was going to pass on surgery but changed his mind after reading that it could help with his balance and memory.
“I don’t want to lose my marbles,” Joel said, adding that the procedure, which involved getting a shunt implanted in his brain, “improved things” for him.
“My memory got better, my balance got a little better, my ability to function was better, and I realized — and the doctors told me this — because of my job, which is playing rock ‘n’ roll music very loud, that it was giving me something like a concussion every time I did a show,” he said.
Joel continued, “It was causing damage to my brain nerves, and I could be losing more brain cells the more shows I did, and I realized that means I shouldn’t be doing this right now. I got to improve.”
The singer said that he’s now doing physical therapy and listening to his doctors.
“They don’t want me to stress too much,” he said. “I’m doing whatever it is they tell me to do, because I don’t want to lose it, you know? So I’m always testing myself.”
In January, Joel returned to the stage for the first time since his brain disorder diagnosis. He surprised an audience at a Florida village amphitheater with a two-song set.
