Entertainment

Walter Koenig, who played Chekov on 'Star Trek,' dies at 90

Koenig, the actor who played navigator Pavel Chekov in the original "Star Trek" series and its first seven films, died Sunday at his Los Angeles home, leaving only two surviving members of the show's original bridge crew.

Eric Bauza, the modern voice of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, dies at 46

The Emmy-winning voice actor, who became the first performer of color to play Bugs Bunny, died suddenly Sunday at his Los Angeles home; the county medical examiner attributed the death to hypertensive cardiovascular disease.

Jay-Z to headline Super Bowl LXI halftime show after years of picking others

The NFL, Apple Music and Roc Nation confirmed Monday night that Jay-Z will headline the Apple Music Super Bowl LXI Halftime Show in February, resolving years of speculation over whether the producer behind the last seven shows would ever take the stage himself.

A24's Elizabeth Holmes documentary grows 25% in second weekend after posting its best opening in 13 years

"You Can See Everything," directed by Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim, added theaters and grew its box office take in its second weekend, extending a run that trade outlets say already gave it the best documentary opening weekend since 2013.

Jessica Lange and Danny Boyle receive top honors at Savannah's student-run film festival

The actress and the director were feted Sunday at the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, the country's largest university-run showcase, as it opened an eight-day run built around Hollywood's coming awards season.

Netflix Shares Slide as Weak Forecast Follows Layoffs and a Content-Chief Shake-Up

Ted Sarandos says Netflix "could do better" in the U.S. after the company cut 1,000 jobs, replaced its content chief and lost its film boss in the same week its growth slowed to a three-year low.

A $100 Million Stop-Motion Epic Opens to Rapturous Reviews and a Modest Box Office

LAIKA's "Wildwood," the studio's first film in seven years, drew a perfect critics' score but a tempered opening weekend, reviving questions about whether handmade animation can still find a mass audience.

DC Studios' 'Clayface' Opens Soft in First Box Office Test for Warner Bros. Under New Owner Skydance

The $10.4 million domestic debut of the horror-tinged Batman villain origin story lands below forecasts and adds to questions about DC Studios' consistency — in the first wide Warner Bros. release since the studio's parent completed its roughly $81 billion merger with Paramount Skydance.

Judi Dench Says Failing Eyesight Has Ended Her Acting Career

The 91-year-old Oscar winner told BBC Radio 4 that macular degeneration now makes it impossible for her to act on stage or on film.

Fuerza Regida tops a historic night at the Billboard Latin Music Awards

The regional Mexican act won eight trophies in Miami as Rosalía entered the show's Hall of Fame and fans decided a major award by popular vote for the first time in the ceremony's history.

Raye wins 2026 Mercury Prize for This Music May Contain Hope.

The singer-songwriter's ambitious, orchestra-backed second album beat works by Sir Paul McCartney and Olivia Dean to take Britain's most prestigious album prize — the first largely pop record to do so in more than three decades.

Live Nation filing confirms Trump attended meeting that sealed Ticketmaster antitrust deal

An amended court filing discloses for the first time that President Trump was present when Justice Department lawyers and Live Nation finalized the settlement terms now awaiting a federal judge's approval.

Peacock posts a second straight profitable quarter as Universal's 'The Odyssey' lifts Comcast's media results

Comcast's entertainment arm — Peacock, Universal Pictures and the NBC networks — posted its strongest quarter yet, bolstering the case for the company's planned split from its cable and broadband business next year.

Malone says Trump administration warned Netflix its Warner Bros. bid was dead

The longtime cable investor and former Warner Bros. Discovery director said regulators' private message to Netflix was the decisive blow that cleared the way for Paramount Skydance's takeover. Netflix has disputed that account.

Spotify posts record quarterly gross margin as subscriber growth beats guidance

Spotify added 6 million paid subscribers and grew revenue 16% in the third quarter, posting its best-ever third-quarter gross margin even as net income fell on a higher tax bill.

EA shuts down BioWare, cuts about 400 jobs in first moves since $55 billion buyout

The video game publisher's decision to close its 31-year-old role-playing studio and end early development of a new "Mass Effect" marks its first major restructuring since Saudi-backed investors took the company private in August.

Golden Globes Deny Lionsgate's Bid to Enter 'Michael' as a Comedy or Musical

The billion-dollar Michael Jackson biopic will compete in the tougher drama categories instead, after the Globes' film committee rejected director Antoine Fuqua's letter arguing for a musical/comedy placement.

BBC asks judge to compel Trump's deposition as clock runs out in $10 billion suit

With discovery set to close in December and no deposition date on the calendar, the BBC has asked a Florida magistrate judge to order Donald Trump to sit for questioning in his own defamation lawsuit over an edited Panorama documentary.

Legendary Entertainment Revives Takeover Bid for Lionsgate Studios

The Apollo-backed producer of "Dune" and "Godzilla" has submitted a fresh offer for the newly independent studio behind "John Wick" and "The Hunger Games," sending Lionsgate shares up more than 15 percent as a long-running sale process intensifies.

Christiane Amanpour to Leave CNN After 43 Years

CNN's longtime chief international anchor will step away from the network at the end of June 2027, a staged exit that begins just two weeks after CNN's parent company completed its roughly $110 billion merger into Skydance.

Netflix film chief Dan Lin exits in widening leadership shake-up

Dan Lin's departure as head of Netflix's film division follows the ouster of content chief Bela Bajaria and roughly 1,000 layoffs, leaving the company's movie strategy in flux hours before its third-quarter earnings report.

Subscribers seek court order to keep Paramount+ and HBO Max operating separately

Five plaintiffs asked a federal judge to preserve Paramount+ and HBO Max as independent businesses inside the newly formed Skydance Corporation, as the combined company's stock trades near a 52-week low under nearly $80 billion in debt.

Victoria's Secret Brings Its Runway Back to Los Angeles, and a $50 Million Bra Steals the Night

Kylie Jenner made a surprise runway debut in the brand's priciest-ever Fantasy Bra as the show relocated to the West Coast for the first time in nearly two decades, part of a broader bet on the lingerie giant's turnaround.

K-Pop's Biggest Stars Are Sitting Out the Grammys Over a Category Built to Honor Them

As Recording Academy voters cast first-round ballots for the 69th Grammy Awards this month, BTS, Stray Kids and the industry's largest K-pop labels are boycotting a new "Best Asian Pop Music Performance" category — a prize created to recognize them that critics say instead sidelines them.

Taylor Swift Caps Academy Museum Gala as Fundraiser Tops $14 Million

Taylor Swift closed the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures' sixth annual gala with an unannounced four-song set, helping the Rolex-backed fundraiser — which honored John Carpenter, Colman Domingo and Charlize Theron — raise more than $14 million for the museum.

'Street Fighter' Tops a Crowded Weekend as Disney's 'Whalefall' Becomes October's Third Box-Office Casualty

Paramount and Legendary's video-game reboot opened to an estimated $31 million, a franchise record but short of studio hopes, while the $60 million survival thriller "Whalefall" sank with about $7.5 million as the month's string of expensive theatrical misfires grew to three.

Anne Carson Wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature

The Canadian poet and classicist is honored for a genre-blurring body of work that reimagines ancient texts for contemporary readers.

Elizabeth Holmes documentary "You Can See Everything" heads for a specialty box-office record

A24's Nathan Fielder-directed documentary about the convicted Theranos founder outpaced forecasts in its opening weekend, putting an unusual three-hour art film on track to set a modern box-office mark for theatrical documentaries.

Universal Music Group ousts Def Jam's chief in widening wave of executive layoffs

The world's largest music company pushed out senior leaders across the United States, Britain and Ireland this week as a long-running cost-cutting plan entered a new phase, with one departing Universal executive immediately resurfacing at Warner Records.

Harry Styles debuts unreleased Liam Payne tribute song during Madison Square Garden residency

During the second anniversary of his former One Direction bandmate's death, Styles paused his sold-out MSG show to premiere an unheard song, "What Is Enough," written for Liam Payne — a quiet moment inside one of the biggest concert residencies in the arena's history.

Cumulus Media Exits Bankruptcy, Handing a Stake to Alden Global Capital

The radio broadcaster erased roughly $550 million in debt after an eight-month restructuring, but one of its new shareholders is a firm better known for cutting newsrooms at American newspapers.

Netflix Ousts Content Chief Bela Bajaria, Taps Ex-Disney Executive Peter Rice

Ted Sarandos installs former Disney and Fox executive Peter Rice as chief content officer, replacing Bela Bajaria after nearly a decade, two days after Netflix cut 1,000 jobs and amid flat subscriber engagement and a run of filmmaker departures.

Skydance Floods Market With 470 Million Warrants as Record Media Debt Rattles Investors

Ten days after closing its roughly $110 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the renamed Skydance has watched its stock trade deeply underwater as rating agencies flag nearly $90 billion in debt.

Fox and Roku shareholders approve $22 billion streaming merger

Shareholders at both companies voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to clear Fox Corporation's acquisition of the streaming platform, a deal that would combine Tubi and the Roku Channel and still faces a Justice Department antitrust review before it can close.

UK culture secretary 'minded to intervene' in Sky's $2 billion ITV takeover

Lisa Nandy says she may step into Sky's proposed takeover of ITV's channels and streaming service on media-plurality grounds, reopening scrutiny of a deal that would reshape British commercial broadcasting.

Prosecutor calls Russell Brand a 'ruthless' predator as rape trial opens in London

A newly sworn jury at Southwark Crown Court heard the Crown's opening case against the comedian and actor, who denies seven charges of rape, sexual assault and indecent assault involving six women over a decade.

Netflix Cuts 1,000 Jobs in Its Biggest Layoffs Since 2022

The company is eliminating about 6 percent of its global workforce, including several television development executives, as growth in viewing time lags behind revenue and competition from YouTube and TikTok intensifies.

Tupac Shakur's Killer Sentenced to 40 Years to Life, Closing 30-Year Cold Case

Duane "Keffe D" Davis, the only person ever charged in the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, was sentenced in Las Vegas to 40 years to life — a term that closes out one of hip-hop's longest-running unsolved cases.

Disney Emerges as Lead Bidder for Character.AI's Assets After Chatbot Pioneer Files for Bankruptcy

The entertainment company that spent the past year demanding Character.AI stop using its characters is now positioned to acquire a license to the startup's intellectual property, weeks after hiring its former chief executive as Disney's own technology chief.

Fox Entertainment and Kevin Hart's Hartbeat launch a microdrama-to-TV pipeline

A new partnership gives Fox Entertainment Studios first-look rights on film and TV projects built from short vertical series released under Hartbeat's Codeblack, Essence and Revolt brands, with an initial slate of 25 titles.

Interscope Sues Summer Walker for $50 Million Over Unfinished Record Deal

Universal Music Group's Interscope Records filed suit days after the R&B singer invoked California's decades-old "seven-year rule" to declare her 2017 contract void, setting up a fight over how many albums she still owes.

Live Nation Prices $1.4 Billion in New Debt as Its Monopoly Verdict Awaits a Remedy

The concert and ticketing giant is refinancing notes due in 2027, even as it carries a $450 million legal charge and awaits rulings on both its settlement with the Justice Department and the jury verdict that found it operated an illegal monopoly.

Paramount Completes $110 Billion Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Creating Skydance

The merger that reshapes Hollywood closed Tuesday after a federal antitrust suit, a Writers Guild challenge and conditional clearances in Washington, Brussels and London — but a fight over nearly half the new company's ownership sitting with foreign governments is still unresolved.

Blackpink's Lisa Goes Solo, On Screen and Off, in New Documentary

"Always Lalisa" opens in theaters and IMAX worldwide this week, documenting Lisa's turbulent first year building a solo album, an acting resume and a management company apart from Blackpink.

Judge orders CAA co-founder to finish deposition in Julia Ormond's Weinstein lawsuit

A New York judge has ordered Michael Ovitz to finish a deposition he cut short in June after refusing to answer questions about Jeffrey Epstein, keeping alive Julia Ormond's lawsuit accusing the talent agency he co-founded of enabling Harvey Weinstein.

Netflix Orders Season 3 of 'The Hunting Wives' Before Season 2 Has Even Premiered

The East Texas thriller, cast off by Starz and picked up by Netflix on short notice last year, becomes one of the platform's rare back-to-back renewals — locked in before audiences have seen a single episode of its second season.

Nana Patekar, veteran Indian actor known for his intensity on screen, dies at 75

The three-time National Film Award winner and 2013 Padma Shri recipient died of cardiac arrest in Goa; he was cremated with full state honours near Pune as tributes arrived from India's prime minister and actors across the country's film industries.

A Decade After '13th,' DuVernay Closes New York Film Festival With '14th'

The director's new Netflix documentary, built on more than 50 interviews spanning the political spectrum, has its world premiere Friday at Alice Tully Hall as the festival's Closing Night selection.

Spotify and Joe Rogan Sign New Multiyear Deal, Extending Their Six-Year Partnership

The streaming giant and its most-followed podcaster renewed their licensing agreement for "The Joe Rogan Experience" on Thursday, a deal The Wall Street Journal valued at roughly $250 million, as Spotify leans further on podcasting to keep growing past 300 million paying subscribers.

Canadian Poet Anne Carson Wins 2026 Nobel Prize in Literature

The Swedish Academy honored the 76-year-old poet and classicist's "bold and inventive" body of work, which reshapes ancient literary forms for contemporary readers.

London Film Festival opens with 'Elsinore,' reviving a forgotten theater tragedy

The 70th BFI London Film Festival opened with the European premiere of "Elsinore," a dramatization of actor Ian Charleson's final, acclaimed performance as Hamlet while he was dying of AIDS — a film now drawing early Oscar speculation for its star, Andrew Scott.

National Book Foundation Names 2026 Finalists, With Rushdie Medal to Follow

The National Book Foundation named 25 finalists across five categories for the 77th National Book Awards on Tuesday, and confirmed Salman Rushdie will separately receive its lifetime-achievement medal at the November ceremony.

California awards tax credits to 35 films, from Ice Cube's 'Last Friday' to a 'Michael' sequel

The state's expanded production tax credit is projected to generate $1.08 billion in spending and nearly 30,000 jobs from this round alone, as California and Congress both weigh how far incentives should go to keep Hollywood productions from leaving.

Paramount Skydance Closes $111 Billion Takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, Forming New Media Giant Skydance

After a year of courtroom battles, a dozen state lawsuits and a rival Netflix bid, David Ellison's company closed its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery Tuesday, uniting CBS, CNN, HBO Max and two of Hollywood's oldest studios under one roof.

Montana town suspends, then restores, filming permit for Daily Wire's ICE-themed movie

Livingston, Montana briefly halted street filming on "Pawn Shop," a Ben Shapiro-backed production starring Harvey Keitel and Danny Trejo, after residents said the shoot disrupted a food pantry and unsettled the town; commissioners restored the permit with new conditions while insisting the dispute was never about the film's politics.

R&B singer Freddie Jackson, voice behind 'You Are My Lady,' dies at 69

The Grammy-nominated singer, whose smooth tenor defined romantic R&B radio in the 1980s, died Monday night according to a family statement posted to his verified Instagram account. No cause of death has been disclosed.