Entertainment

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN After a third season filled with high-stakes chess moves, the question lingered whether “Succession’s” finale could close the deal. It did, literally and figuratively, in an episode that again shuffled allegiances and featured perhaps the most eventful wedding in terms of behind-the scenes drama since “The Godfather.” The Emmy-winning HBO

By Nadeem Muaddi, CNN Megan Thee Stallion is now a college graduate, crossing the stage at Texas Southern University on Saturday in cap and gown to receive her diploma with the rest of the student body-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody-ody. The Grammy winning rapper earned a bachelor of science degree in health administration, a goal she set to honor

By Sugam Pokharel and Karol Suarez, CNN Mexican singer Vicente Fernandez, 81, passed away on Sunday at a hospital in the western Mexican city of Guadalajara, according to a post published on his official Instagram account. The ranchera star was in poor health after a fall in August that forced him to have surgery. Locally

By Scottie Andrew, CNN “Succession” doesn’t do neat conclusions. It leaves gaps to be filled in off-screen, in later seasons or not at all — even the central question in the show’s title of who will succeed Logan hasn’t been answered. We, the devoted viewers, are left to read between the lines, debate and theorize.

By Andy Rose, CNN Anne Rice, author of the best-selling Vampire Chronicles novel series, died Saturday, her son announced on social media. She was 80 years old. She passed away due to complications resulting from a stroke, Christopher Rice said. Rice’s biggest success was her first novel, “Interview with the Vampire,” which was published in

By Brandon Griggs, CNN For a musician whose commercial peak came more than 50 years ago, Michael Nesmith had a rousing swan song. The singer and guitarist for the Monkees died Friday of heart failure at his home in California. He was 78. Only weeks earlier, Nesmith was performing before thousands of adoring fans on

By Marianne Garvey, CNN A New York family who came together by chance 21 years ago has now shared their remarkable story in a children’s book. Pete Mercurio was walking out the door to meet his then-partner (now husband) Danny Stewart for dinner in August 2000 when his phone rang. It was Stewart, calling to

By Catherine E. Shoichet, CNN The “West Side Story” in theaters now isn’t the movie you’ve seen before — and that’s a good thing. The original 1961 film won 10 Oscars, including Best Picture. But for decades this retelling of “Romeo and Juliet” through the lens of White and Puerto Rican gangs in New York

By Leah Asmelash, CNN Things are looking pretty sour for fans of Olivia Rodrigo. After tickets to the “Driver’s License” singer’s “Sour Tour” went on sale Friday morning, many cities sold out almost instantly — with tickets now being resold for thousands online. In New York, for example, tickets to see Rodrigo are being resold

By Sandra Gonzalez and Chloe Melas, CNN Michael Nesmith, a singer and guitarist for the hit group the Monkees, died Friday. He was 78. Micky Dolenz, Nesmith’s bandmate, confirmed the news to CNN. “I’ve lost a dear friend and partner,” Dolenz said. “I’m so grateful that we could spend the last couple of months together

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN …And just like that, it’s time for this week’s TV OT. See what I did there? What’s my age again? As we come closer to closing out 2021, this curious cat decided to look ahead by looking back, researching what pop culture milestones were upon us in the new year. The

By Marianne Garvey Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson revealed they got matching tattoos after a “Saturday Night Live” appearance by the singer in 2017. Cyrus and the “Saturday Night Live” comic were on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” on Thursday, where they talked about the upcoming New Year’s Eve special they’ll be hosting together.

By Chloe Melas, CNN Warning: This article contains spoilers about the first episode of “And Just Like That…” “And Just Like That…” shocked fans during its first episode. The reboot of HBO’s hit show “Sex and the City” returned to the screen with a long-awaited reunion on Thursday. HBO Max, which like CNN is part

By Toyin Owoseje, CNN Kanye West hasn’t given up hope of saving his marriage. The hip-hop star made a public appeal to his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, to “run right back to me” as he performed alongside Drake at the “Free Larry Hoover” benefit concert on Thursday night. The event, which took place at Los

By Scottie Andrew, CNN Lina Wertmüller, a central figure of Italian cinema and the first woman to be nominated for an Academy Award in the best director category, died this week, Italy’s Ministry of Culture confirmed. She was 93, according to Variety. Wertmüller made films that were both debased and staunch in their moral standing,

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN After a successful series and two not-so-great movies (the last coming in 2010), “And Just Like That…” revives “Sex and the City” minus one of its fab four, with the remaining trio entering a new phase of life that brings fresh challenges. The name surely carries plenty of equity, but

By Lianne Kolirin, CNN Robbie Shakespeare, the legendary bass player and one half of the band Sly and Robbie, has died at the age of 68. Shakespeare’s friend, manager and producer Guillaume Bougard confirmed the musician’s death in a statement to CNN on Thursday. Bougard said Shakespeare passed away in Miami on Wednesday due to

By Marianne Garvey, CNN Banana Split has been revealed. Katharine McPhee and her producer husband David Foster were unmasked as Banana Split on the latest episode of “The Masked Singer.” There are two finalists left, Bull and Queen of Hearts, who will now compete next week in the season finale. In the latest round, contestants

By Marianne Garvey John Lennon died 41 years ago on Dec. 8 after being shot outside of his apartment building in New York City, Fans paid tribute to the late artist on social media. Lennon was 40 years old at the time of his death. Lennon’s wife Yoko Ono, wrote, “Over 1.5 million people have

Megan Thomas, CNN Nick Cannon is thanking supporters after sharing that his 5-month-old son, Zen, had died of a brain tumor. On Wednesday’s episode of the “Nick Cannon Show,” the talk show host and actor opened up about how he’s been managing his grief following the death of his youngest child over the weekend. “People

By Lisa Respers France, CNN The fact that Meryl Streep didn’t know what “G.O.A.T.” means proves that she is just that. Jennifer Lawrence told Stephen Colbert on “The Late Show” that while filming “Don’t Look Up” with Streep, the cast would “offhandedly call Meryl the G.O.A.T.” — abbreviation for the “greatest of all time.” “And

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN The beauty of being Will Smith is that if you decide to scratch items off your bucket list, National Geographic and Disney+ will dutifully mount and chronicle your adventures. Enter “Welcome to Earth,” which allows Smith to explore the world with those who do so professionally, in what amounts to

By Lisa Respers France, CNN According to Rebel Wilson, not everyone on her management team was excited about her weight loss journey. The “Pitch Perfect” star has documented her fitness transformation on social media for more than a year. Wilson told BBC Breakfast in a recent interview that “I got a lot of pushback from

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Four years after the death of Hugh Hefner, some insiders are coming forward to share what they say was the reality of life inside the Playboy empire. A&E Network’s upcoming documentary series “Secrets of Playboy” includes interviews with “colleagues, executives, Playmates and employees from all levels of the brand” who

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN In a grand science fiction tradition, “Don’t Look Up” uses a disaster-movie framework as a metaphor for a reality-based crisis, with a huge comet hurtling toward Earth as a surrogate for indifference to addressing climate change. Yet this star-studded, extremely provocative satire at times veers off course itself, partially undermining

By Marianne Garvey Pete Davidson and Machine Gun Kelly love a good manicure. After appearing in their underwear for a Calvin Klein campaign on the brand’s Instagram Live on Monday, the two live streamed again Tuesday, hitting a nail salon for a side-by-side treatment. “Beautiful, Colson,” Davidson tells MGK about his nails. The duo rocked

By Chloe Melas, CNN Brooke Shields does not look back with fondness on an interview from the 1980s with Barbara Walters. In a conversation with Dax Shepard for his “Armchair Expert” podcast, Shields recalled being interviewed by Walters when she was 15, following her famous Calvin Klein jeans campaign. Shields reflected on Walters asking her

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Television host and actor Nick Cannon shared with his talk show audience on Tuesday that his youngest child, Zen, has died. “Over the weekend I lost my youngest son to a condition called hydrocephalus that was pretty much a malignant, invasive midline brain tumor, brain cancer,” an emotional Cannon said.

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN Presenting a far richer story than a simple biopic, “Being the Ricardos” turns writer-director Aaron Sorkin loose again on the medium of television and produces one of the year’s most satisfying movies. That it was made for a streaming service, Amazon, is a wrinkle even the legendarily foresighted Desi Arnaz

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Olivia Rodrigo is planning on hitting the road in 2022. The “Drivers License” singer has announced her “Sour” tour in support of her debut album of the same name. Rodrigo, 18, will kick off the tour in San Francisco in April and winds down in London in July. Meanwhile, the

By Marianne Garvey, CNN Colton Underwood is happy and in love. The former “Bachelor” star, who is currently in Netflix’s “Coming Out Colton,” about his coming out journey, made it Instagram official in honor of his boyfriend Jordan C. Brown’s 39th birthday. Brown is a political strategist. Underwood posted photos of the two looking happy

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Now we know Mr. Big really is Team Carrie. At least the actor who portrayed him on “Sex and the City” is sticking up for the actress who portrayed her. In an interview with The Guardian promoting the new series “And Just Like That…,” the latest in the “SATC” franchise,

By Amy Woodyatt, CNN BTS fans, Christmas has come early — members of the K-Pop band finally have personal Instagram accounts. All members of the band — RM, Jin, V, J-Hope, Suga, Jimin and Jungkook — posted to their new social media profiles on Monday. The profiles have already amassed millions of followers, and commenting

By Toyin Owoseje, CNN Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence is positively glowing. The 31-year-old star, who is expecting her first child with husband Cooke Maroney, dazzled in a floor-length gold gown as she posed for pictures at the premiere of her upcoming film “Don’t Look Up” in New York on Sunday night. She completed the shimmering

By John Blake, CNN If the Jazz Police began launching midnight raids against musicians who offended their sensibilities, Kenny G would be at the top of their list. The 65-year-old saxophone player has been called the best-selling instrumentalist of all time, someone whose songs have formed the sonic backdrop of so many weddings, shopping mall

By Scottie Andrew, CNN In Siân Heder’s award-winning coming-of-age film “CODA,” the Rossi family living room is a place the foursome gathers for big conversations — from the difficult and awkward to the celebratory. The cozy sea-green space is where teenage Ruby, the sole hearing member of a deaf family, chides her parents for engaging

By Leah Asmelash, CNN Tom Holland may play a big-time superhero, but it seems his co-star Zendaya is doing all the heavy lifting. During an appearance on “The Graham Norton Show” this week, the two “Spider-Man: No Way Home” actors told a story about having to accommodate for their height difference when doing stunts, specifically

By Leah Asmelash, CNN Taylor Swift’s rerelease of her hit song “All Too Well” has broken the record for the longest song to take the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart — and Swift has handled the win with grace. The songstress sent flowers to Don McLean, whose song “American Pie” first set

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN On paper, there’s nothing particularly new about “Harlem,” which focuses on yet another quartet of 30-something women navigating life and love in the big city. But the execution of this Amazon series from “Girls Trip” writer Tracy Oliver lifts it above the norm, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments — starting

By Marianne Garvey Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s “Verzuz” battle turned real on Thursday night. The event, held at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Palladium in front of a live audience, featured the two groups, who got into a physical altercation during the show. Bone Thugs-n-Harmony’s Bizzy Bone said that Three 6 was “mocking” him and

By Chloe Melas, CNN 50 Cent is sorry for poking fun at Madonna. The rapper and “Power” star recently mocked the icon for risque photos she posted of herself on Instagram showing her scantily-dressed on her bed. 50 Cent compared one of her photos to when a house falls on the Wicked Witch of the

By Lucy Kafanov, Julia Jones, Alexandra Meeks and Fernando Alfonso, CNN In an interview with ABC that aired Thursday, Alec Baldwin shed light on what happened in the moments prior to the fatal shooting on the set of the film “Rust” that claimed the life of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. The actor explained to ABC’s George

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN After last year’s “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical” — a dual threat as both a critical disaster and a ratings flop — NBC returned to more fertile territory with its latest holiday presentation, “Annie Live!” Incorporating a live audience, the show more closely approximated the energy of a theatrical experience,

By Leah Asmelash, CNN “Jeopardy!” champion Amy Schneider is making history as the first trans woman to qualify for the show’s Tournament of Champions. Schneider, an engineering manager from Oakland, California, won her 11th contest this week. Though Schneider is not the first trans champion the show has had, she is the first to qualify

By Marianne Garvey Shawn Mendes has released a new song called “It’ll Be Okay” in the wake of his breakup with Camila Cabello. On Tuesday, he had teased the song on Instagram, as he sang the lyrics: “Are we gonna make it?/ Is this gonna hurt?” Lyrics in the song include: “If you tell me

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Sandra Bullock is pretty private and protective when it comes to her children, but she opened up on the new episode of “Red Table Talk.” The actress talked to the show’s co-hosts Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield-Norris about how her partner, Bryan Randall, was not involved in

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN Much like Caitlyn Jenner’s coming-out education in “I Am Cait,” “The Bachelor” alum Colton Underwood approaches the process of telling the world who he is almost like an anthropologist in the six-part Netflix docuseries “Coming Out Colton.” It’s a carefully constructed showcase for someone who, like Jenner and her extended

By Julia Jones, CNN Alec Baldwin told ABC News he never pulled the trigger of the gun that shot director of photography Halyna Hutchins on the set of “Rust.” “The trigger wasn’t pulled. I didn’t pull the trigger,” Baldwin said in an excerpt released Wednesday from the sit-down interview — his first since the October

By Stella Chan, CNN Jacqueline Avant, a philanthropist and the wife of music icon Clarence Avant and mother-in-law to Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos, was fatally shot in her home early Wednesday, according to a spokesperson for Netflix. Police suggested Avant may have been targeted. “I don’t think it’s a random attack, but I can’t speculate

By Scottie Andrew, CNN Calling all filthy animals: Airbnb is renting out the “Home Alone” house this month for one hijinks-filled night. The very same Chicago-area home that saw a young Macaulay Culkin get the better of the buffoonish Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern will be available for one overnight stay on December 12. Oh,