Entertainment

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Kim Kardashian West is set to make her “SNL” hosting debut. The TV personality and business mogul was one of four guest hosts announced Wednesday by NBC. The others include fellow first-time hosts Owen Wilson, Rami Malek and Jason Sudeikis, who was a writer and cast member on the show between

By Marianne Garvey, CNN “The Wire” creator David Simon won’t be filming an upcoming HBO series in Texas due to a controversial abortion law passed in the state, he announced on Twitter. “As an employer, this is beyond politics,” Simon wrote. “I’m turning in scripts next month on an HBO non-fiction miniseries based on events

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN Early ’90s TV is hitting the refresh button this fall, in the case of “The Wonder Years,” delivering an impressive and ambitious ABC dramedy. Coming on the heels of Disney+’s “Doogie Howser, M.D.” reboot, the two shows join the earlier “One Day at a Time” in proving it’s possible to

By Marianne Garvey, CNN Britney Spears posted a birthday tribute to her “very private” sons — with their permission. The singer, who shares teens Sean Preston and Jayden James with with ex-husband Kevin Federline, wrote, “There is nothing stronger than the love between a mother and son.” She continued: “My boys’ birthdays were last week

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Elvira, the famed “Mistress of the Dark,” has shared she identifies as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. The actress, who was born Cassandra Peterson, shared her love story in her new autobiography, “Yours Cruelly, Elvira.” Peterson writes that she was a new mom decades ago trying to get back

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Ooh la la la, The Fugees are getting back together. The famed hip-hop trio made up of Ms. Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel will go on a world tour in honor of the 25th anniversary of their acclaimed album “The Score.” “As I celebrate 25 years with the

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Actor Willie Garson, known for his role on the “Sex and the City” series and films, has died, according to his son, Nathen Garson. He was 57. “I love you so much papa. Rest In Peace and I’m so glad you got to share all your adventures with me and were

By Chloe Melas, CNN “The Voice” returned for a new season on Monday with Ariana Grande and the show’s newest coach. “I’ve been watching ‘The Voice’ for years and I wanted to be a coach. This is my first season and I’d like to think I’m here to win,” Grande said. She is coaching with

By Marianne Garvey, CNN “The View” returned for its 25th season this month, with the co-hosts returning to the studio with a live audience for the first time since March 2020 due to the pandemic. Within a week of the new season’s debut, “The View” had its most-watched telecast in five months and drew its

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN George Lucas freely discussed how director Akira Kurosawa’s 1958 samurai classic “The Hidden Fortress” served as inspiration for “Star Wars,” so seeing Japanese anime turned loose on the franchise nicely brings the relationship full circle. “Star Wars: Visions” consists of nine stand-alone shorts, with the best providing a fascinating wedding

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN Fourteen years after “The Sopranos” ended in much-debated fashion, “The Many Saints of Newark” reopens that universe, wisely going back decades before those events. Yet what sounds like a Tony Soprano origin story really focuses on other characters, in a richly detailed movie filled with enough new material and callbacks

By Lisa Respers France, CNN After months of concealing her blossoming belly, Jeannie Mai Jenkins revealed Monday that she and her rapper husband Jeezy are expecting their first child together. “The Real” co-host shared the news on Monday’s episode of her show. “I can definitely say that our Real fam is growing,” she said. “It’s

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Many were hoping Michael K. Williams would score a posthumous Emmy and the man who won the award in the category he was nominated has paid tribute to him. Tobias Menzies won the outstanding supporting actor in a drama series for his role in “The Crown.” And while he wasn’t

By Scottie Andrew, CNN A whistled rendition of “The Farmer in the Dell” rang through M&T Bank Stadium ahead of the Baltimore Ravens’ victory on Sunday, honoring an iconic Baltimore character and the late actor who brought him to life. The tune was an homage to Michael K. Williams, who starred in the Baltimore-set series

By Marianne Garvey, CNN Anthony “AJ” Johnson, an actor and comedian best known for his performance as Ezal in “Friday,” has died, his representative LyNea Bell told CNN Monday. He was 55. “The world of Comedy has truly been shaken, again. Our BH Talent family is heartbroken about the loss of the iconic legend of

By Marianne Garvey, CNN Elizabeth Olsen’s Emmy Awards dress was designed by her sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. The “WandaVision” actress wore a cream-colored dress from the Olsen’s line The Row, launched in 2006. She topped the gown with Chopard earrings and Stuart Weitzman shoes. Olsen’s stylist Elizabeth Stewart revealed the designers were behind the

By Lisa Respers France, CNN There was more diversity in the Emmys presenters Sunday night than there was in the actual winners — and people have feelings about that. #EmmysSoWhite trended on Twitter after not a single actor of color won in the acting categories despite a record number of diverse nominees this year. Strong

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN Broadcasting’s fall TV season gets underway this week with a pair of promising — one might even say out of the ordinary — dramas, a few spinoffs, and a particularly stale new primetime soap. The brand extensions include “CSI: Vegas,” “NCIS: Hawaii,” “FBI: International” and a new “The Masked Singer”-like

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik’s daughter, Khai, turned a year old and her grandmother celebrated the milestone by sharing some photos. Yolanda Hadid posted photos on her verified Instagram account of her with her granddaughter, whose birthday is September 19. “Happy first birthday to our Angel Khai,” read the caption

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Ah, live TV, how quickly you can turn us from bitter, grumbling shade factories to weeping messes. The Emmys was no exception. Say what you will about the repeat-filled winners, some of the honorees brought their acceptance speech A-game under a kind of extreme duress most of us can only imagine

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN It’s a night of ru-bilation for RuPaul. The legendary television figure, whose full name is RuPaul Charles, on Sunday night made Emmy history by becoming the most-awarded person of color in the show’s history with 11 wins. The previous record holder was cinematographer Donald A. Morgan, according to the Los Angeles

By Brian Lowry, CNN Netflix capped a historic night with Emmy wins in two of the three top categories for “The Crown” and “The Queen’s Gambit,” with Apple TV+’s comedy “Ted Lasso” completing a streaming sweep at the 73rd annual Emmy ceremony. In a stunning achievement, Netflix’s 10 wins on Sunday night, coupled with 34

Review by Thomas Page, CNN No two people have the same film festival experience. There’s the thumbing of the program and picking out titles, making priorities and curating your own double, triple, quadruple bills. There’s the hopping between venues, meeting faces old and new, emerging from dark rooms disappointed or elated or somewhere in between.

By Deanna Hackney, CNN Comedian and actor Chris Rock revealed Sunday that he has tested positive for Covid-19, and he is using the opportunity to urge others to get vaccinated against the virus. On his verified Twitter account, Rock posted, “Hey guys I just found out I have COVID, trust me you don’t want this.

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN The 73rd Emmy Awards took place on Sunday night. Below is a list of winners in major categories. Outstanding lead actor in a limited series or TV movie Paul Bettany, “WandaVision” Hugh Grant, “The Undoing” Ewan McGregor, “Halston” *WINNER Lin-Manuel Miranda, “Hamilton” Leslie Odom Jr., “Hamilton” Outstanding lead actress in a

By Alaa Elassar, CNN Abubakr Ali was 10 years old when two hijacked airplanes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York City on September 11, 2001. The terrorist attacks took place a year after Ali moved to the United States from Egypt, and they changed his life forever. From that day forward, the

By Lauren M. Johnson, CNN Rumors have been swirling for months about the status of Adele’s relationship status, but now she is making it official on her Instagram account. Adele, 33, and Rich Paul, 39, were first linked when Paul told the New Yorker in May they were “hanging out.” The proof appeared in July

By Chloe Melas, CNN The Emmy Awards are Sunday night, celebrating the best TV of the year. Here’s everything you need to know. The host Cedric the Entertainer is set to host the 73rd annual event and promises to bring some humor as the show celebrates how TV has helped get us through the pandemic,

By Leah Asmelash, CNN Though they go by different names, almost every major streaming service has some type of “Black film” collection, often promoted during the month of February or, during 2020’s Black Lives Matter protests, in the summer. These collections mainly act as an exhibit for the Black movie titles the streamer already has,

By Scottie Andrew, CNN Tammy Faye Messner (formerly Bakker) was camp incarnate. With her wildly over-the-top makeup and garish animal-print ensembles, a penchant for singing Christian disco anthems despite her lack of voice training, and a sense of childlike wonder with which she preached her gospel, she made for compelling TV viewing. Though the televangelist

By Brian Lowry, CNN The record-low ratings for last year’s Emmys turned out to be the canary in the coalmine for steep across-the-board drops in award-show viewing — the alarm for an unwelcome wakeup call. Yet if hope springs eternal that those shows can at least partially rebound, challenges associated with the pandemic and shift

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Snow Tha Product is the socially-conscious raptress the world needs right now. Born Claudia Alexandra Feliciano in San Jose, California, to undocumented Mexican immigrant parents, the rapper is set to the judge the US Finals of Red Bull Batalla, the world’s largest Spanish rap battle, this weekend. Despite more than

By Leah Asmelash, CNN Lil Nas X and his sexuality have somehow become a hot topic of discussion among rappers and hip-hop fans alike. And now, rapper Kid Cudi is standing up for rap’s wunderkind. When Lil Nas X dropped the tracklist for his debut album “Montero” earlier this month, some people criticized the young

By Sara Spary, CNN Jane Powell, the star of some of Hollywood’s best-loved Golden Age musicals, has died at the age of 92. Powell died Thursday at her home in Wilton, Connecticut, her friend Susan Granger told CNN on Friday. A megastar of musical films of the 1940s and ’50s, Powell’s hits included “Seven Brides

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN Floating and stinging as it explores the boxing icon’s life inside the ring and out, “Muhammad Ali” is another epic Ken Burns-produced dive into the life of an influential 20th-century figure, coming on the heels of “Hemingway.” Much has said about Ali, but going the distance with this four-part PBS

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Lizzo apparently has not abandoned her quest to get close to Chris Evans. With news that Warner Bros. (which is owned by CNN’s parent company) is reportedly planning a remake of the 1992 film “The Bodyguard,” the singer has let the world know she wouldn’t mind starring in it with

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Another judge from “The Activist” has spoken up regarding backlash against the show. On Thursday, Priyanka Chopra Jonas addressed the issue in a statement on her verified Instagram account in the wake of CBS and its production partners, Global Citizen and Live Nation, announcing that changes have been made to

By Marianne Garvey, CNN Shannen Doherty says her stage 4 breast cancer diagnosis is “part of life at this point.” The “Beverly Hills 90210” star discussed her health during a virtual panel for her upcoming Lifetime movie “List of a Lifetime,” about a woman who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. “I feel like I

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN The stars outshine the movie in “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” a dazzling showcase for Jessica Chastain and Andrew Garfield as Tammy Faye and Jim Bakker in a dutiful, somewhat disjointed chronicle of how the televangelists amassed great wealth before his disgraced fall. While it’s not a landslide vote, thanks

By Chloe Melas, CNN “America’s Got Talent” has crowned another winner. Dustin Tavella, 35, was named the Season 16 winner of “America’s Got Talent” on Wednesday night. Tavella is the third magician to ever win the series and. He walked away with $1 million dollar prize and will headline a show at the Luxor Hotel

By Lisa Respers France, CNN The original format of “The Activist” will be scrapped following pointed criticism of the CBS show that was echoed by one of the program’s own judges. In a statement to CNN, the network along with production partners Global Citizen and Live Nation, said, “The Activist was designed to show a

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN At 91, Clint Eastwood’s long career as a filmmaker and longer one as a star are far more interesting than “Cry Macho,” an understated, uneventful slog of a movie that feels like a misguided merger of “Gran Torino” and “Bronco Billy.” Blame many of the problems on a woefully weak

By Marianne Garvey, CNN Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga have teamed up with ViacomCBS for a global cross-brand takeover that will include multiple projects across CBS, MTV and Paramount+. “We are honored to partner with the legendary Tony Bennett and the iconic Lady Gaga for ViacomCBS’ biggest cross-platform music talent collaboration to-date” said Bruce Gillmer,

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Just because she couldn’t see super well out of that faceless mask doesn’t mean Kim Kardashian West didn’t notice people having some fun with her Met Gala look this year. The entrepreneur/reality star shared some of the memes about her on the Instastory section of her verified Instagram account. One

By Nicole Williams and Joe Sutton, CNN Country star Reba McEntire expressed gratitude Wednesday after she had to be rescued from a historic building in Atoka, Oklahoma, after the staircase collapsed. McEntire had to be evacuated on a fire ladder from a second-story window on Tuesday, CNN affiliate KXII reported. “Thankfully, no one was seriously

By Marianne Garvey, CNN Octavia Spencer has privately apologized to Britney Spears following a joke she made after the singer announced her engagement to Sam Asghari. “Y’all, a few days ago Sam and Britney announced their engagement and me being me I made a joke,” Spencer wrote in an Instagram post with a photo of

By Chloe Melas, CNN It was the place to be Tuesday night. Fat Joe and Ja Rule hit the stage at Madison Square Garden for Verzuz, the epic music battles created by Swizz Beatz and Timbaland during the Covid-19 pandemic. The hip-hop legends went 20 rounds, playing their hit songs like Ja Rule’s “Between Me

By Marianne Garvey, CNN Late night is stepping up for the planet. Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, James Corden, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Seth Meyers and Trevor Noah will unite across networks on Sept. 22 for “Climate Night,” focusing their programming on climate change. Shows that will participate include TBS’s “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” ABC’s

By Lisa Respers France, CNN It’s his first season of “The Morning Show,” but it sounds like Hasan Minhaj has been training for his role for quite some time. “I’ve been playing a fake TV anchor for seven years, so this wasn’t a stretch for me,” Minhaj joked about going from “The Daily Show” to

By Marianne Garvey, CNN Chrissy Teigen is opening up about a recent medical procedure she underwent. In an Instagram Story this week, Teigen showed off her cheekbones, saying, “I did that Dr. Diamond buccal fat removal thing here,” pointing her her face. “And since I quit drinking, I’m really seeing the results, and I like

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Julianne Hough has responded to the backlash about a new reality competition show she’s judging. “The Activist” is a forthcoming CBS series in which six activists from around the world come together “to bring meaningful change to one of three urgent universal causes: health, education and the environment. “The activists

By Chloe Melas, CNN Britney Spears deleted her Instagram late Tuesday afternoon. The move comes just two days after she announced her engagement to her longtime boyfriend Sam Asghari. CNN has reached out to representatives for Spears for comment. A source close to the singer says that “it was her decision” to delete the account

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Norm Macdonald, a comic who was beloved as anchor of “Saturday Night Live’s” popular “Weekend Update” segments, died Tuesday, according to multiple reports, citing his manager. He was 61. Deadline was first to report the news. Macdonald had been battling cancer for several years but kept his diagnosis private, his

By Scottie Andrew, CNN Performances at the very first Newport Jazz Festival, the “grandaddy of all music festivals,” took place outside because they had to — there was no venue large enough to hold the thousands of fans clamoring to hear from future legends like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. George Wein created the Newport

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN “Once Upon a Time in Queens” wants to do for baseball and the 1986 Mets what “The Last Dance” did for the NBA and the Chicago Bulls. Yet while it’s a great deal of fun, ESPN’s four-part “30 for 30” docuseries doesn’t quite scale those heights, offering a nostalgic trip

By Lisa Respers France, CNN When Sam Asghari needs sound advice, he goes to his sisters. “When I need an honest opinion, I go to my sisters,” he told Men’s Health. “I learned a lot about women from them, and I learned a lot about respecting women.” They must have taught him well because he’s

By Chloe Melas, CNN The “Hawkeye” trailer is here to get you in the holiday spirit. The Marvel series is coming to Disney+ right before Thanksgiving and here’s what you need to know. It stars Jeremy Renner and Hailee Steinfeld and it’s the fourth live-action Marvel Studios show to hit the streaming service. Previous series

By Marianne Garvey, CNN LEGO has launched a set of the Fab 5 loft from Netflix’s “Queer Eye.” The company debuted the set design, which has a total of 974 pieces, including a couch and wall art. LEGO mini-figure versions of the cast, including, Tan France, Bobby Berk, Antoni Porowski, Karamo Brown, and Jonathan Van

By Hannah Ryan, CNN US actress Kate Hudson is engaged to long-term boyfriend Danny Fujikawa, she revealed on Monday. The “Almost Famous” star took to Instagram to post a picture of herself wearing an engagement ring and embracing Fujikawa. Accompanying the picture was the caption “Let’s go!” followed by a variation of wedding-related emojis. Courteney

By Marianne Garvey, CNN On screen and off, the Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA is opening up about how his career has unfolded and how he’s evolved as a man. Quick recap of how the Wu-Tang Clan came to be: The group, which hails from Staten Island, includes original members RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man,

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Jeff Bridges says his cancer is in remission, and he’s making progress in his fight against the long-term effects of Covid after a tough battle. In a new post to his website, the actor says his cancerous mass is now the “size of a marble” and his Covid “in the rear

By Toyin Owoseje, CNN Tanya Fear, a British actress who appeared in sci-fi series “Doctor Who,” has been found after being reported missing in Los Angeles, according to the LAPD. Police were notified around 11 a.m. local time on Monday that Fear had been located, officials told CNN. Police said there is no criminal investigation

By Sandra Gonzalez, CNN Fictional media’s First Family is back(stabbing). HBO drama series “Succession,” which closed off its sophomore installment back in October 2019, is set to return for a new season on October 17, the network announced Monday. (CNN, like HBO, is owned by WarnerMedia.) A logline released by HBO teased, “Ambushed by his

By Chloe Melas, CNN MMA fighter Conor McGregor and rapper Machine Gun Kelly were seen exchanging words on the red carpet at the MTV VMAs Sunday night. Although reports claim there was an alteration, McGregor has denied that. “Nothing happened with me, I only fight real fighters, people that actually fight, you know what I

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN Add “Y: The Last Man” to the long list of comics-turned-series since “The Walking Dead” became a smash hit that have yearned to emulate its post-apocalyptic appeal. Like most of the others, this beyond-grim drama falls short, at least initially, despite a strong cast headed by Diane Lane as the

By Lisa Respers France, CNN Gabrielle Union is recounting the difficult path she had to take to welcome her daughter with husband Dwyane Wade. She shares details of the journey in her new book, called, “You Got Something Stronger?” In an excerpt published by Time, the actress talks about resisting her doctor’s suggestion they use

By Toyin Owoseje, CNN Uzo Aduba, star of “Orange Is the New Black,” “In Treatment,” and “Mrs. America,” has announced that she married filmmaker Robert Sweeting last year. The 40-year-old actress shared the life update with fans on Instagram on Sunday by posting a picture of herself and her new husband on their wedding day.