It's always fun to see what upcoming horror movies are on the way, but this spring the genre will receive an interesting twist thanks to The Weeknd getting his hands on it. Following Abel Tesfaye releasing Hurry Up Tomorrow, his sixth and final studio album under The Weeknd last week, the first trailer for his movie of the same name is here. And I'm especially interested in what is being teased for Jenna Ortega's mysterious character.

In the Hurry Up Tomorrow trailer (which can be viewed above), we get a first glimpse of The Weeknd's movie. While I wasn't sure what to expect from it, it seems like the movie will have Abel Tesfaye playing himself (or a fictionalized version of himself, anyway), who seems very much haunted by something. Jenna Ortega co-stars in the movie with him as his girlfriend, but there are hints here and there that seem to suggest there will be a lot more to her. Why does she say she's "not trying to hurt" him before coldly apologizing to him? Why is she pouring gas all over someone's house and running off? Why does Abel seem so stressed and confused by her? The questions are piling up!

Jenna Ortega has become a mainstay in horror movies in the last few years in things like the recent Scream movies, X and horror-esque properties like Wednesday and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. She also co-starred with Sabrina Carpenter in last year’s very bloody Taste music video. Now, she’s working next to The Weeknd for his debut film that looks like it will be very creepy and twisted. As Tesfaye says in the trailer: “WTF”!! Also, I’m so confused about who Barry Keoghan is playing in the thriller.

The Hurry Up Tomorrow album just came out, but watching the trailer also has me wanting to listen to it more closely to look for hints regarding how the music and movie’s plotline might be connected. Considering what I’ve read about it thus far, I imagine Hurry Up Tomorrow might have some commentary on the isolation of fame and such. I also am curious if some of the imagery from his collaboration with Universal Horror Nights (including last year’s Nightmare Trilogy house) will be involved at all.

When The Weeknd spoke about working with Jenna Ortega recently, he said she “brought so much depth to the character”. In one instance he remembers himself and director Trey Edward Shults thought one scene was “just ridiculous,” but she said she had “an idea” about the scene and went for it on set and Tesfaye’s reaction was “not acting.” Ortega also called The Weeknd a “sweetheart” on set who really “looked out for everyone on set” and a pleasure to get to know.

Hurry Up Tomorrow was co-written by Tesfaye alongside Waves and It Comes At Night filmmaker Trey Edward Shults, who also helmed the film. It’s another one of the upcoming 2025 movies I’m now curious about. You can check it out in theaters on May 16.

Among the many 2025 movies on the way, one is for all the fans of The Weeknd. The “Blinding Lights” singer has co-written a movie inspired by his next album called Hurry Up Tomorrow, and Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan are his castmates. As we wait for more details for the thriller, The Weeknd had some glowing things to say about Ortega’s work on the project.

After Jenna Ortega had a big year by being the star of one of 2024’s big hits, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the actress is going to have a massive one with numerous projects set to be released in 2025. One of them had her working closely with a global pop star. Here’s what The Weeknd had to say about co-starring with the 22-year-old in a recent interview with Variety:

The Weeknd shared being in awe of the young actress, and given all the work we’ve seen from her so far, I’m not really surprised. Hurry Up Tomorrow is directed and co-written by Terry Edward Shults, who also helmed 2017’s It Comes At Night and 2019’s Waves. While we really don’t know anything about the plot, The Weeknd’s description of Jenna Ortega’s performance definitely has me more intrigued about what’s to come.

It sounds like Jenna Ortega was a huge asset to the production of Hurry Up Tomorrow, and she found a way to add her own mark on the character that had not been considered by the two main creatives behind the movie. Ortega also had her own comments for The Weeknd (born Abel Makkonen Tesfaye) after starring alongside him for his feature debut:

Both talents must have bonded over their love for horror. The Weeknd has had houses at Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights for three years in a row that showcase the artist’s ability to share haunting visions alongside his hit-making music. Previously, he starred in The Idol, which garnered strong opinions from critics and was later cancelled by HBO.

Ahead of the Hurry Up Tomorrow movie, The Weeknd’s new album will come out next week on January 31. The movie is heading to theaters on May 16 from Lionsgate., and the artist has also announced that he’ll have a tour for the album as well.

Regarding what’s next for Jenna Ortega outside of her movie with The Weeknd, other upcoming Jenna Ortega movies and TV shows include a dark comedy with Paul Rudd called Death of a Unicorn coming in March, the Klara and the Sun movie adaptation and Wednesday Season 2.

Every year, Universal Halloween Horror Nights manages to craft some super scary and interactive haunted houses to make us feel like we’re in the middle of either the best horror movies of all time or the original concepts crafted uniquely for Universal Studios’ guests. This year, the festivities have promised the terrors of silence from A Quiet Place movies, Bride of Frankenstein and Dracula's daughter going head to head, and the marshmallowy nostalgia of Ghostbusters across the many haunted houses this year.

2024’s festivities was my fourth year in a row as CinemaBlend’s final girl for Halloween Horror Nights (though last year I ranked Universal Orlando’s houses rather than the Hollywood ones). After going to the event's opening night, courtesy of Universal, on Thursday and surviving all the houses, I can confidently say 2024 is a really solidly scary and yet another really fun year to enjoy the spooky season at Universal Studios Hollywood. Here’s my personal ranking of all the houses in terms of how worth it I think they are to check out – though honestly, all of them are a great time.

8. Monstruos 2: The Nightmares of Latin America

Monstruos 2 was the first house of the night I ventured to, and I have to say, I was rather disappointed with this one – especially after the same location had one of the most terrifying Latin-themed houses in my 2022 ranking of Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights with La Llorona: The Weeping Woman. This original house (which is not far from the park’s entrance/Minion Land) had some creepy characters for sure, as it features El Charro, the devil dog El Cadejo and the boogeyman El Cucuy, but I found the scares to be rather one-note... and sort of goofy. Of course, it’s possible my walkthrough was during some weird lull.

7. Insidious: The Further

This year, Insidious returns to Halloween Horror Nights, and while we ranked the version in Orlando as the scariest this year, the same can definitely not be said about the Hollywood version. Now don’t get me wrong, this house (which is just past the Wizarding World) is super unsettling and had my blood curdling as it took me and the other guests deep into The Further through the red door, encountering dolls, a child’s drawings and demonic creatures on the way, but most of the house itself is a lot of long dark hallways.

6. Dead Exposure: Death Valley 

Down on the Lower Lot of Universal Studios Hollywood, there are four haunted houses to check out. If I were to tell you to skip one of them, I’d suggest Dead Exposure: Death Valley (especially since I know lines can get intense as the season progresses). That being said, I enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected. This house takes place on a top-secret government facility where an experiment to create super soldiers has turned for the worst. This one is full of great imagery and a lot of cool use of neon lighting, but lacks the kind of real punch the remaining ones coming up do.

5. The Weeknd: Nightmare Trilogy 

When the first haunted house from The Weeknd came out in 2022, it surprised me when it became my favorite house of that year, particularly because I’m not an avid follower of his music. This sequel, Nightmare Trilogy (also on the Lower Lot), is another really impressive house from the wicked corners of The Weeknd’s mind, but like some sequels do, it just wasn’t as effective for me this time around. The story was more convoluted as well, from my POV. Even so, I really love how original the imagery feels, and how gory it is.

4. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire 

The only one of the 2024 movies to get its own haunted house this year is Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, and it was definitely one of my favorites. From appearances from iconic Ghostbusters characters like the marshmallow men and Slimer, to numerous and quite terrifying appearances of Garraka, the Frozen Empire house does an awesome job of being really entertaining, making one feel like they are in the movie, and actually being quite scary too. The house (which is next to the Insidious house) even made me appreciate the movie itself more as well!

3. A Quiet Place

My most highly-anticipated house of this year was the first adaptation of A Quiet Place at Horror Nights. It’s one of my favorite horror franchises to come out of the past decade, and the house did not disappoint. As you go through the queue (located next to Monstruos 2), a woman on a screen encourages guests to remain quiet, and that’s just what my group did. It made me feel part of the eerie forest atmosphere as one early scare actor implemented sign language and another who screamed was instantly captured. I found myself abiding the urge to be quiet even though I was also internally gasping about all the amazing appearances of the aliens (or Death Angels) and references to the first two movies.

2. Universal Monsters: Eternal Bloodlines 

I’m always a huge fan of Universal’s Monsters houses because of how much work they put into them year after year, including how they always pick a fun combination of characters to go head to head with. After our 2023 ranking of Hollywood’s Horror Nights had the Unmasked house at No. 4, Eternal Bloodlines stacked up even higher among houses this year. This house, which is the biggest one of the year and located on the Lower Lot, features Saskia Van Helsing teaming up with the Bride of Frankenstein against Dracula’s daughter, and the storytelling and the immersive nature of it was such a great time! I felt like I was in a movie I wanted to see, and the combination of worlds was really special to see in one house.

1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Legacy of Leatherface

If you want to get really scared at Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights this year, the most gory and satisfyingly story heavy house of them all is this year’s The Texas Chainsaw Massacre edition! The house (on the Lower Lot) comes as the first movie celebrates 50 years this spooky season, and wow, does it deliver. Rather than simply adapting one of the movies, as Horror Nights did in 2021, this one offers a super stressful and spine chilling origin story for Leatherface. Seriously, enter this one only if you can handle the terror!

Big Bonus Scare: Blumhouse's Terror Tram 

Last, but not least, I wasn’t sure where to rank this one, since it is technically not a haunted house, but a unique HHN experience. As the theme park has done in past seasons, during this event, Universal Studios Hollywood transforms its Studio Tour into a massive open air experience that takes guests through actual sets while they get scared. This year, it was all Blumhouse themed, with appearances from movies from the studio like M3GAN, The Purge, Freaky, Happy Death Day and one of Blumhouse’s upcoming horror movies, Wolf Man.

The fear factor is definitely rampant in Terror Tram this year, as the tram has guests walking through the backlot to a ton of scare actors running around with chainsaws and getting in your face. M3GAN gets to lead the pack with her viral dance and a lot of chaos, and that definitely made me want to turn back out of fear.

You can buy Halloween Horror Nights tickets for evenings up until November 3 on the Universal Studios Hollywood website now. I hope my final girl escapades help you have a blast at the best haunted houses of your choosing.

Selena Gomez has been absolutely killing it lately. She currently stars as a member of the Season 3 cast of Only Murders in The Building, which has proven to be a hit for Hulu. She’s also dominating the makeup industry with Rare Beauty and recently put out a new song, “Single Soon,” which is a late-summer bop. The new song is getting a lot of buzz, considering its lyrics lay out the singer’s desire to be single after being in a relationship. The song has since been rumored to be about her high-profile relationship with The Weeknd, but Gomez just set the record straight -- and I appreciate the direct honesty.

It was probably a given that after the former Disney Channel star’s song conveyed her desire to have more fun as a single woman, rumors would swirl about her previous relationships serving as inspiration for the lyrics. A number of sources stirred the pot when it came to the speculation, with many naming the Idol star as being a possible influence for the track. The singer put an end to the chatter by responding to HollywoodLife’s Instagram post that suggested “Single Soon” was about The Weeknd. She simply said:

Well, I guess that settles it. I love how direct the “Come & Get It” singer was about the chatter, not letting anyone take away from her intended narrative. The song seem to be more about her independence, anyway, so the actual relationship it refers to doesn’t really matter in context of the music. However, this didn’t stop listeners from analyzing the lyrics, especially making note of one line in the song that says “And the weekend's almost here.” Based on her direct opposition to the notion of the track being about her famous ex, it’s safe to assume she was just referring to the actual end of the week.

Selena Gomez was in a relationship with The Weeknd, who’s real name is Abel Tesfaye, from January 2017 to October 2017. They publicly attended the Met Gala together that year as well as other public red carpet events. While their romance was short-lived, this hasn’t stopped the public from creating their own theories about how they may have inspired each other’s art. It seems Gomez has definitely moved, though, and appears to be enjoying the single life with besties like Taylor Swift and focusing on her creative endeavors. 

The release of “Single Soon” suggests even more music may be on the way from the Spring Breakers actress. While she has been incredibly active in other ways, a new album is a long time coming. The song could indicate an up-beat pop tone for future releases, and I personally can’t wait to see what's in store. The “Hands to Myself” singer has constantly been embedded in online drama and the seemingly never-ending rumor mill surrounding her past relationships. However, she's apparently stayed true to who she is and stood up for herself in the face of negativity. I just love that she defender herself here and am hoping she continues to do so as she continues to navigate her life and career.

You can check out Selena Gomez’s latest song, “Single Soon” which is currently available on Spotify and Apple Music. Fans can also see her reprise her Golden Globe-nominated role on Only Murders in the Building, which just began its third season using a Hulu subscription. 

The Idol is one of those shows whose news-cycle fodder may be remembered stronger and longer than the series itself, with its five-episode first(?) season on HBO wrapping up on July 2 without an abundance of fanfare or revulsion, though perhaps its delayed viewership will react more vibrantly. But it’ll be difficult for post-season conversations to be louder than all the reports, rumors, and critical panning that preceded The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp’s big TV collaboration with director and noted “twisted mind”-haver Sam Levinson. Although now such talks might revolve around a new report that puts some of The Idol’s five-star reviews and other positive online reactions under a suspicious light.

I doubt anyone expected The Idol to match up accordingly with FX and Hulu’s The Bear in terms of hitting the 100% Fresh critical ceiling on Rotten Tomatoes, but the budget-stretching drama currently sits at 22% Rotten (from 85 reviews), which itself is a big rise from the initial post-Cannes score of 9%. The audience score is far more positive at 41%, but within that audience pool of reviewers exists a pattern of questionable legitimacy, as pointed out by Rolling Stone.

As it turns out, 491 out of the 500 5-star reviews posted on Rotten Tomatoes for The Idol’s reaction-provoking series premiere were crafted by users who were posting their very first reviews ever (at least under those names) on the site. While that certainly isn’t inarguable proof of wrongdoing or coerced promotion, and it’s theoretically possible for 98% of a TV show’s audience score to come directly from first-timers, it’s certainly not the most common occurrence. (Rolling Stone also notes that a similar look at The Last of Us’ reviewer standings doesn’t isn’t comparable by way of new users.)

Things have also looked more than a little sketchy on IMDb, where The Idol boasts over 31,000 10-star ratings. Half of those takes apparently come straight from users located in India, and out of a small sampling of those reviews, several were flagged by an A.I. content detector, while another categorized the show as a film. One can assume those stats would only grow more questionable if more of the positive reviews were studied further.  

Again, it’s within the realm of possibility that The Weeknd’s hyper-promotion of The Idol via his hugely popular social media channels engaged a large number of Indian viewers to watch the premiere, and for a ton of those people to love the show enough to hop onto IMDb to rate it. But again, not the most common way for things to go, especially not for a project that has been widely considered to be supercharged meh-ness.

Ahead of The Idol’s debut, the show was derided by many for Euphoria’s Sam Levinson choosing to refilm the entire shebang and take the story in a different direction following the sudden exit of original director Amy Seimetz, who’d already filmed a ton of footage by that point. Quite a few members of the crew who worked on the HBO series were among those who spoke of it with ill will, saying that Levinson and Tesfaye leaned heavily on gratuitous sex scenes and plotting and pushing back on the cult elements that would have added to Jocelyn’s story arc. Lily-Rose Depp also made things sound a bit feral around the set when talking about filming the second time around, though she didn’t get nearly as critical as the show’s staff. 

One member from the production crew told Rolling Stone that the premiere was worse than they’d even expected. The worst thing, to them, was knowing how “nuanced and natural” the lead characters were in the original iteration, and then seeing what actually played out on screen, saying it was like “watching a jumbled analog of the show’s own SNL parody.” That parody included Chloe Fineman’s backwards-bra-wearing spoof of Depp’s character, which the actress responded to.

Making the initial bursts of 5-star and 10-star reviews all the more questionable, in the end, is the show’s viewership dropping off quite quickly after the premiere was touted as getting more online attention than The Last of Us’ debut. Perhaps the numbers for the season finale, “Jocelyn Forever,” will tell a different story, but chance are solid that they’ll be even lower than the 133,000 linear TV viewers that watched Episodes. 3 and 4 on the night. 

For those who do want to catch up on all the music industry mayhem, all it takes to watch The Idol in its entirety is a Max subscription. 

Spoilers below for anyone who hasn’t yet watched the series premiere for HBO’s The Idol, so be warned! 

With only a week having passed since viewers said farewell to a pair of HBO’s critically acclaimed original series through Barry and Succession’s final episodes, the cable network unleashed its latest headline-maker, The Idol, onto audiences to kick the summer off with glitz, quasi-glamour, and enough sleazeball energy to fill a backyard swimming pool. Co-created by Euphoria’s Sam Levinson, Reza Fahim, and co-lead Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye, the drama is a vaguely heightened take on pop stardom and the music industry, as anchored by Lily-Rose Depp’s emotionally off-centered attention-magnet Jocelyn, who becomes enamored by Tesfaye’s self-made cult guru Tedros. 

Beyond The Idol’s stacked cast, the new series made pre-premiere waves for a host of behind-the-scenes issues. One was the creative overhaul that happened after the original director Amy Seimetz (The Girlfriend Experience) left the show, with her 80%-finished work being ditched in favor of Levinson’s vision, creating a lot of additional work for various crew members. Other reported issues involved the hyper-sexualized subject matter creating discomfort, and so on. And now it’s no longer just hype, as The Idol has premiered on HBO (and for those with Max subscriptions), so let’s get into some of the thoughts this series provoked from yours truly. 

1. Lily-Rose Depp Is Solid Enough That I Almost Empathize With Her As Much As I Do With Jocelyn

Like, I’m aware that Depp has spoken very highly of her experience working on The Idol, and that she isn’t the inspiration for the character’s mental health issues or her self-destructive impulses. And by all means, the life that Jocelyn is living is a bazillion times more lavish and enviable than my own humble situation, but the entire episode is draped with this cautionary-tale cloak that makes it harder for me to separate life from fiction, and I just feel sorry for everyone in this slimy predicament. Which I guess is a credit to Sam Levinson, but I’m not sure how positive the vibe should be when it’s presented.

2. So Much Smoking, Sort Of

One can always count on HBO shows to appear as if they have their own special budget just for cigarettes, and The Idol is no different. At least when it comes to Depp’s Jocelyn, who gives the characters played by the actress’ father Johnny Depp a run for their money, as she seemingly lights up at least once in every scene she’s in, regardless of the setting. But then she may be the only main character who smokes, which is itself kind of an odd choice. Pretty sure someone should be putting the kibosh on all that, though, considering they’re all in album-making mode. 

3. Gawdamn, I Love Jocelyn’s Bigass Glass Door 

Jocelyn’s house in The Idol is in real-life the home of The Weeknd himself, so I’m actually super-effing-jealous of the singer-songwriter for having that bigass glass door that would be perfectly suited for the front of a high-end department store. 

4. I Can’t Tell If This Show Knows What Satire Is

I dunno what to think when The Idol takes a judgmental dump on safety-minded nudity clauses and hypes up the sexiness of mental illness imagery. Because there’s no satire-friendly comeuppance (at least so far) for Jocelyn’s inner circle, it’s not entirely clear what the intention is. 

5. Thank Goodness They Only Showed THE Picture Once

Honestly, I’m kind of shocked that the episode didn’t end with Jocelyn’s cum-face picture being painted as a giant mantle-topping portrait, given how much verbal attention it received — the “twitter’s calling her a cumsock”-ness of it all — on top of the few seconds it was actually shown. But I’m absolutely happy that it didn’t end with that portrait’s existence. 

6. Why Is Hank Azaria Doing A Voice?

I love Hank Azaria, and I’m all about his character breaking out and becoming the true hero of this show, which obviously isn’t going to happen. But I’m not sure we needed to see/hear him delivering a Simpsons-ready voice for the role. I guess I hope it pays off in some way, but I kinda just wish it wasn’t a thing. “What do they call it? The bugooki? The bunooki? The banocki?” Eesh. 

7. How Does Tedros Have That Hair Without Knowing It’s Called A Rat Tail?

Maybe this was viewers’ first major sign that Tedros is a shallow dork, and not the amorous and powerful cult leader he projects himself to be. Has there ever been a fully grown adult who rocked a mohawk and was later surprised when someone told them it was a mohawk?

8. It’s Hard To Know Whether Viewers Are Supposed To Actually Like Jocelyn’s Music

The Idol obviously hypes up everything that’s seen and heard in the episode, as it goes with most TV shows. But unlike most shows, the music that recurs throughout was canonically created by the main character, who herself thinks it’s not that great, and doesn’t believe anyone else’s not-entirely-convincing attempts to tell her it’s a great song. So like…who is this song for? I’d think the same to a lesser extent about the dancing and choreography, but those elements seemed to inspire only genuine compliments. 

9. First-Episode Masturbation Scenes Probably Aren’t Ever Necessary, Even If The Show Was Called “Only Masturbation Time”

I’m sure it was integral to the plot. 

10. Chekov’s Basic Instinct Clip

Considering The Idol had already gone above and beyond all of Basic Instinct’s sexually charged moments by the time Jocelyn and her bestie assistant Leia were shown to be watching the movie, it would seemingly be safe to assume that the clip is indeed foreshadowing a murder (dun-dun-dunnnn) coming somewhere down the line. The second somebody talks about ice sculptures being brought in for a party or even, keep an eye on those ice picks. 

11. I Never Want To Be My Super-Famous BFF’s Assistant

Leia’s life surely has all kinds of positives, but being completely responsible for a dismissive bestie sounds like hell in any capacity, much less with fame added into the mix. But then my BFFs wouldn’t do any of this kind of shit, so it wouldn’t be as bad. It would still be annoying though, especially on cum-picture day. 

12. Eli Roth Is Great At Playing An Annoying Shitbird

I hope we get a scene where Eli Roth's Andrew Finkelstein gets into a confrontation with Andy Cohen, and they just get louder and louder to the point where the sound barrier melts. Also, someone not having their ID on them doesn't feel like a real plot detail in 2023. 

13. Not A Whole Lot Actually Happened

While I can appreciate that The Idol didn’t sport an extended runtime with its premiere episode as it goes with some HBO series, not very much actually took place in the 50 or so minutes that were on display. Jocelyn took some pics, talked to a Vanity Fair writer, looked for her phone, smoked a bunch, met Tedros at a club, and then met up with him again. Sprinkle in some light exposition about Jocelyn’s mom and the pop star’s mental issues, and that’s about it. To say nothing of the direction choices, the story felt more like an ep’s first act than a first ep itself.

By and large, I think I had more fun thinking about The Idol than I did actually watching and experiencing it for its narrative values. Which, to be fair, is more than I can say for at least 50% of what's airing on TV at any given moment, so that's some kind of a win. And I'll no doubt keep watching for the remainder of the first season to see just how awkward things will get, as well as to see how many other pop stars' real-life issues get flippantly referenced.

After what seems like years of headlines, revealing and expansive profiles about the ups and downs of the show’s production, and major on-set shakeups, HBO’s highly-anticipated The Idol has finally premiered. The new drama series tells a story of fame, excess, and identity with its saga about Lily-Rose Depp’s aspiring pop star and her complicated relationship with a self-help guru played by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, who also co-created the new series.

So, if you watched the show as it debuted, or plan on catching it later with your Max subscription, there’s a good chance you’re wondering where you’ve seen The Idol cast before. Well, we’re about to break down all the major players in this much talked about new arrival. 

Lily-Rose Depp (Jocelyn)

Lily-Rose Depp sits atop The Idol cast as Jocelyn, an up-and-coming pop star whose rise in fame and popularity is at the center of the show’s complex narrative.

The daughter of Johnny Depp and Vanessa Paradis, the young actress and model makes her TV debut with The Idol, though she has appeared in several high-profile film projects over the past few years. This includes roles in The Dancer, The King, Voyagers, and Silent Night. 

Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye (Tedros)

Abel Tesfaye, better known by his stage name, The Weeknd, co-leads The Idol cast as Tedros, a self-help guru who acts more like a cult leader than anything else.

Outside of his successful music career, which has led to the “Blinding Lights” singer performing at the Super Bowl, Coachella, and some of the biggest stadiums around the world, Tesfay has also made several film and TV appearances. This most notably includes a brief yet unforgettable cameo in Uncut Gems. 

Troye Sivan (Xander)

Next up is Troye Sivan, who appears as Xander, Jocelyn’s creative director and confidante.

If you recently watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine, then you’ll most likely recognize Sivan from his portrayal of a young James Howlet, a.k.a., Logan, from the 2009 Marvel movie. Since then, the singer and actor has appeared in movies like Boy Erased and Three Months. He has also made small-screen appearances on shows like Saturday Night Live, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and multiple others. 

Da’Vine Joy Randolph 

Da’Vine Joy Randolph appears as Destiny, one of Jocelyn’s managers.

There are plenty of reasons why Randolph looks so familiar, and that’s because she’s appeared in movies like Dolemite Is My Name, The United States vs. Billie Holiday, The Lost City, and On the Come Up, to name a few. Her TV credits include turns on This Is Us, Empire, High Fidelity, People of Earth, Madagascar: A Little Wild, and most recently, Only Murders in the Building, in which she plays Detective Williams. 

Jennie Ruby Jane (Dyanne)

Jennie Ruby Jane stars as Dyanne, one of Jocelyn’s backup dancers who joins her on her rise to fame.

If you’re a fan of K-pop, you should be awfully familiar with Jane, as she is a member of the incredibly successful girl group Blackpink, in which she performs mononymously as Jennie. And, though she appeared on the 2018 Korean reality program Village Survival, the Eight, Jane is making her acting debut with her performance on The Idol. 

Suzanna Son (Chloe)

Suzanna Son shows up on The Idol as Chloe, one of Tedros’ many followers in the Los Angeles area.

Prior to joining The Idol cast, Son made a name for herself in the 2021 indie film, Red Rocket. 

Moses Sumney (Izaak)

Moses Sumney takes on the role of Izaak, another one of Tedros’ followers.

Like several other members of the show’s cast, The Idol is Sumney’s first acting gig. However, he’s had a rather successful music career the past decade, releasing multiple studio albums and making appearances with the likes of Tessa Thompson, Andrew Bird, Bon Iver, and Beck, to name a few. 

Jane Adams (Nikki)

Jane Adams portrays Nikki, an executive at Jocelyn’s record label.

One of the most established stars in the cast, Adams has made dozens of film and TV appearances throughout her career, including Happiness, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Hung, Easy, and most recently, the Max original series, Hacks. Fans of You’ve Got Mail will also probably recognize Adams from her small part as Sydney Anne, the talk show host who flirts with Greg Kinnear’s character. 

Hank Azaria (Chaim)

Hank Azaria pops up as Chaim, another one of Jocelyn’s managers.

Probably best known for voicing countless iconic characters on The Simpsons, Azaria has also had a legendary career in a live-action capacity, as well. Over the years, he’s appeared in movies like Grosse Pointe Blank, The Birdcage, Heat, Mystery Men, Year One, and multiple others. His TV work is just as impressive with shows like Mad About You, Huff, Ray Donovan, Life & Beth, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel under his belt. 

Hari Nef (Talia)

Hari Nef plays Talia, a reporter covering Jocelyn’s story.

Prior to landing a role on the new HBO show, Nef made a name for herself on the Amazon original series, Transparent, which she followed up with roles on You, Camping, And Just Like That…, and most recently, Extrapolations. Nef is also set to appear in the upcoming Barbie movie. 

Rachel Sennott (Leia)

Next up is Rachel Sennott, who takes on the role of Leia, Jocelyn’s best friend and trusty assistant.

Since giving her breakout performance in the 2020 dramedy, Shiva Baby, Sennott has continued to rise through the ranks of young Hollywood. In recent years, she’s appeared in everything from movies like Bodies Bodies Bodies and shows like Call Your Mother, with more on the way.  

Dan Levy

Multi-Primetime Emmy Award winner Dan Levy also appears on the series. The son of Canadian comedy legend Eugene Levy is best known for his turn as David Rose on Schitt’s Creek, though he does have numerous other credits to his name. Movies like Happiest Season, Admission, and Stage Fright have all given Levy time to show his comedy chops. He’s also slated to be in the upcoming Haunted Mansion movie later this summer.

Eli Roth

Horror director Eli Roth also appears, in his latest in a long line of acting gigs. In addition to directing movies like Cabin Fever, Hostel, Knock Knock, and The Green Inferno, Roth has shown off his acting chops in everything from Inglorious Basterds to The House with a Clock in Its Walls.

Ramsey

Ramsey joins the long list of The Idol cast members making their acting debut on the new show, as all of her work prior to the series’ debut has been in the world of music. Her track “Love Surrounds You” appeared during the first season of Euphoria.

Mike Dean

And then there is record producer Mike Dean, who makes his acting debut on The Idol. Prior to joining the show’s expansive cast, he made a name for himself working on seminal hip hop albums like Kayne West’s The College Dropout, Kid Cudi’s Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, and Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch the Throne. He’s also worked on Beyoncé’s Lemonade, Frank Ocean’s Blonde, and countless others.

Well, that about wraps up the major players in The Idol cast. New episodes air Sunday nights on HBO and streaming on Max. If you want to know about the other great shows coming out in the next few months, check out our 2023 TV schedule.

Stream The Idol on Max.

Sam Levinson is known for pushing the boundaries with his graphic depictions of sex, nudity and drug use on the popular drama Euphoria, so it’s no surprise that his newest project — the upcoming HBO series The Idol — is already stirring up controversy due to its explicit content. The director took over the project when it was almost finished, scrapping most of it and shifting the script’s narrative into what crew members have called “torture porn.” The reviews are in, after the first two episodes were screened at Cannes Film Festival, so let’s see what they think after all the changes to the series and reported issues.  

The Idol stars Lily-Rose Depp as aspiring pop star Jocelyn and Abel Tesfaye (aka The Weeknd, who also co-created the series) as the sex cult leader she becomes involved with. Depp seemed to be having the best time with her colleagues at the premiere in France, and Deadline reports the show got a 5-minute standing ovation from the Cannes crowd, but what do the critics have to say? 

Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair says while the show seems to take itself pretty seriously — and is certainly going for a shock factor — the stakes don’t seem that high after the first two episodes, with some of the dialogue coming off as awkward and prosaic. The critic continues: 

Damon Wise of Deadline isn’t sure exactly where the series is headed after the first two episodes — probably somewhere nasty — but Lily-Rose Depp is “riveting,” Wise writes: 

Douglas Greenwood of Vogue agrees that Lily-Rose Depp is excellent in a performance that requires a lot, physically and emotionally, and says the series will likely be polarizing in the same way as Euphoria. From the review: 

David Fear of Rolling Stone argues that The Idol is way worse than the buzz that has preceded it, as Sam Levinson mistakes toxicity for complexity and crude caricatures for sharp satire. He continues: 

Lovia Gyarkye of THR is not the only critic to say that there’s nothing erotic about Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd’s sex scenes, and the critic says The Idol is frustrating in that it shows glimpses of potential when it’s not trying so hard to be shocking. More from the review: 

Caspar Salmon of the Daily Beast says The Idol is straight-up “bad,” questioning why The Weeknd’s character is not objectified in the same way as Lily-Rose Depp’s. The critic accuses Sam Levinson’s series of giving a “self-excusing presentation of rape culture," continuing: 

It sounds like Sam Levinson delivers as promised on shock value with The Idol, but how much the rest of the series comes together — and how problematic viewers find it — remains to be seen. The show will premiere at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, June 4, and can be streamed with an HBO Max subscription (now just called Max). 

The crowd at Cannes Film Festival was pleased to see Johnny Depp make his return to acting, giving the actor a 7-minute standing ovation following the premiere of Jeanne du Barry. Some saw it as a controversial choice to have his first post-trial film open the festival, but he wasn’t the only member of his family stirring things up in France. His daughter Lily-Rose Depp was there promoting her own polarizing project in HBO’s upcoming series The Idol. If she was feeling the heat of any of the drama surrounding The Idol, you certainly couldn’t tell, because she seemed to be having the best time.

Lily-Rose Depp walked the red carpet at The Idol’s premiere May 22 with co-creators Sam Levinson (of Euphoria fame), The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) and Reza Fahim. The quartet looked thick as thieves as they stood for pictures at a photocall beforehand: 

Big smiles were plastered on their faces, as Lily-Rose Depp wore a plunging black minidress that was complemented by her co-star’s all-black ensemble. Director Sam Levinson — who is already a controversial figure for Euphoria’s graphic content, including explicit sex scenes involving teenage characters — has received a ton of criticism from The Idol's crew members, who were allegedly furious about the increased raunchiness that was added to the series when he took over. 

Sam Levinson inherited The Idol from Amy Seimetz, who had reportedly filmed all but a fifth of the series before she exited the project. The director chose to scrap the majority of that, shifting the narrative and ramping up the depravity of its characters with scenes that had crew members comparing it to “rape fantasy” and “torture porn.”

Lily-Rose Depp defended Sam Levinson amid the controversy, calling him the best director she’d ever worked for and saying she’d never felt “more supported or respected in a creative space.” That certainly seemed to come through at the photo op, as the actress seemed joined at the hip to the co-creators:

In The Idol, Lily-Rose Depp plays aspiring pop star Jocelyn, who — after suffering a nervous breakdown — becomes involved with The Weeknd’s self-help guru Tedros, who’s also the leader of a secret sex cult that mirrors the NXIVM scandal. The Weeknd reportedly thought the original script had too much of the female perspective, resulting in the controversial changes.

As far as appearing at Cannes with her father, it wasn’t just the controversy surrounding Johnny Depp’s film and Lily-Rose Depp’s series that they had in common. Just as the actor received several minutes of applause from the festival crowd, The Idol garnered a 5-minute standing ovation following its screening.

Audiences will have a chance to check out the scandalous series soon, as The Idol will make its debut at 9 p.m. ET Sunday, June 4, on HBO, and will also be available to stream with an HBO Max subscription (now branded as Max). Be sure to check out our 2023 TV schedule to see what other premieres are coming to TV and streaming soon. 

One of the biggest joys for yours truly at the latest ‘90s Con in Hartford, CT was the panel lovingly focused on Saved by the Bell, with Elizabeth Berkley, Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Mario Lopez as the stellar trio of guests. And while much of the panel (and the event at large) was dedicated to looking back at the decade in question, the SBTB squad took a few minutes to talk about their current and future projects. Which sadly don’t include Season 3 of the superb Saved by the Bell revival, which was maddeningly canceled last year by Peacock.

Up next for Elizabeth Berkley is the HBO drama The Idol which has already made the controversy rounds this year over sexed-up content claims. That might come as quite a shock to longtime fans of the actress, who counts a Melissa & Joey appearance and a Hallmark Christmas movie among her last handful of acting roles. Sure, she’s got Showgirls on her resume, but she already poked fun at that within Saved by the Bell itself. In any case, here’s what she had to say about joining the new show from Johnny Depp’s daughter Lily-Rose Depp and the Guiness World Record-breaking musician The Weeknd. 

Considering The Idol still doesn’t have a premiere date locked down, having been largely revamped from the ground up when Euphoria’s Sam Levinson took over directing duties from Amy Seimetz, it’s understandable that Elizabeth Berkley couldn’t say too much about what viewers can expect to see beyond what the teasers have already shown us. Speaking of, here’s the latest one that HBO put out into the world, though I couldn’t spot the Saved by the Bell vet in there anywhere. 

For now, we’ll just have to be patient while waiting to see what role Berkley took on for her first big HBO role — she was in a multi-episode stint for Showtime’s The L Word — while coming up with our own theories about just how gritty the new project will be compared to Bayside’s high school silliness. 

Elizabeth Berkley On Working With Mark-Paul Gosselaar Again

It was actually before she brought up The Idol when Elizabeth Berkley took a second to reflect on and regret Saved by the Bell not returning for another season. More specifically, she turned to former co-star Mark-Paul Gosselaar to pointedly compliment him and voice her wishes for them to team up again at some point. Here’s how she put it:

It was the Season 2 installment “The Gift,” in which Jessie talked to Kelly about applying to medical school regardless of anyone else’s thoughts, that Mark-Paul Gosselaar served as a director for Peacock’s Saved by the Bell. Prior to that, he’d only directed two other TV episodes — one episode of Franklin & Bash and one of Murder in the First — so it might be a bit before the next one comes around, and it’ll take some very special planning for Berkley to be involved. But that doesn’t mean we can’t hope for it just as much as she is. And hey, if Franklin himself Breckin Meyer wanted to get involved as well, the more the merrier!

MPG echoed her thoughts about it being a really great experience, while also restating how disappointed he was that the show was canceled. As great as it is that both seasons can be streamed over and over again with a Peacock subscription, I just want to spend more time with Zack, Jessie and all of the new characters like Daisy and Lexi.

Everybody can get so excited, so excited, and mayyyybe so scared for the upcoming debut of The Idol when it hits the 2023 TV premiere schedule.

Sam Levinson is no stranger to criticism when it comes to the graphic nudity and sex scenes depicted in his work, particularly on HBO's Euphoria. However, those critiques were taken to a whole new level for his upcoming project The Idol, when Rolling Stone released an exposé in which 13 anonymous cast and crew members spoke out about the direction Levinson had taken the project, comparing it to “rape fantasy” and “torture porn.” Now, The Idol’s star Lily-Rose Depp has weighed in, releasing a statement in defense of the director.

The Idol stars Johnny Depp’s daughter as an up-and-coming pop star who falls in with a self-help guru and sex cult leader played by The Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye). Sam Levinson, in collaboration with Reza Fahim and The Weeknd, made some big changes to The Idol when he took over the nearly finished project for Amy Seimetz. While many crew members were furious about the amped-up depravity of the characters, Lily-Rose Depp defended Levinson and the environment he created. In her words: 

Amy Seimetz vacated The Idol with the majority of it already filmed, but Sam Levinson chose to scrap most of what had been done to shift the narrative — which The Weeknd allegedly thought had too much of a female perspective — and up the debauchery. The change in tone for the series doesn’t seem to have negatively affected Lily-Rose Depp’s experience, as the actress praised Levinson for making her feel seen and respected.

Rolling Stone’s exposé featured numerous members of the cast and crew who took issue with Sam Levinson’s revised scripts, and while some of the scenes they found offensive weren’t actually shot, the magazine reported some strong reactions from the employees regarding The Idol controversy, including:

• It was like, ‘What is this? What am I reading here?’ It was like sexual torture porn.
• It was like any rape fantasy that any toxic man would have in the show — and then the woman comes back for more because it makes her music better.
• It was a show about a woman who was finding herself sexually, turned into a show about a man who gets to abuse this woman and she loves it.
• It’s almost such an extreme that it’s like, there is no message. There is no point. They’re just trying to see how much of a reaction they can get.

Lily-Rose Depp wasn’t the only one to make a statement following the Rolling Stone article. The Weeknd responded as well, taking a shot at the magazine’s relevance: 

Even before the Rolling Stone article, though, viewers reacted to the release of The Idol’s trailer with concerns about the oversexualization of Sam Levinson’s female characters and his use of graphic sex and trauma. You can see the trailer for yourself below: 

No release date has been announced for The Idol, but fans can see Sam Levinson in action with Euphoria, which is available for streaming with an HBO Max subscription. Keep an eye on our 2023 TV schedule for all of the upcoming premiere dates. 

HBO is currently enjoying the spoils of success anew thanks to its ratings monster The Last of Us, and the wait is already on for the second season of House of the Dragon. But just beyond all of the premium cabler’s known upcoming projects, one highly anticipated drama that has largely maintained an air of mystery has been Lily-Rose Depp and The Weeknd’s The Idol. With no release date in clear sight, the sex cult-infused project is at the center of an alarming new report filled with allegations of unplanned increases in sex scenes and nudity, among other issues, as tied to the budget-ballooning creative overhaul that gave Euphoria creator Sam Levinson the reins to reshoot an already near-completely season. 

13 past and current crew members from HBO’s The Idol spoke anonymously with Rolling Stone about what many of them claim has been a truly standout production in their respective careers, but largely in the most negative kinds of ways. Many of the issues stem from the sudden behind-the-scenes shift in April 2022, in which original director Amy Seimetz vacated the series with only around one-fifth of the production yet to be completed. What was said to already have been a challenging and stressful filming gig (though not because of the director herself) became something else entirely once Sam Levinson stepped in. He reportedly scrapped the majority of what was already filmed — with the unconfirmed budget for Seimetz’s work being in the $54-75 million range — and shifted the narrative in a way that allegedly undercut the original idea behind the show, in part due to an assortment of newly added sex scenes that ramped up the depravity of its characters along with the nudity for the actors.

Under Amy Seimetz’s guidance, The Idol was a story about Lily-Rose Depp’s starlet attempting to make a name for herself in the music industry and falling into the snares of an influential predator (played by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye”) who runs both a nightclub and a secret sex cult that mirrors the NXIVM scandal. With The Idol changes reportedly happening in part because Tesfaye felt the story had too much of a female perspective, Levinson’s revised take on the core story is implied as being his way of topping Euphoria’s controversial sex scenes, thus flipping the entire point of the show on its head. As one crew member put it:

Sam Levinson’s script changes reportedly came on the fly, to the point where production staff were allegedly unaware what they were meant to be planning for on a day to day basis. And even after finding out each morning what was happening, still had to deal with mid-day changes, with scenes getting added and removed, shot and reshot. Two such drafted-but-unfilmed moments reportedly included:

• A scene in which Tesfaye's character violently punches Depp's character in the face, after which she smiled and asked to be hit more, thus provoking an erection from her aggressor.
• A moment in which Depp's character would be tasked with carrying an egg inside her vagina without dropping or breaking it, with the punishment for erring being that Tesfaye's character would refuse to "rape" her. This would have been followed by her going emotionally overboard and loudly begging him to "rape" her. 

The reason why the latter moment wasn't filmed is allegedly because no one could figure out a way to realistically convey that Depp was putting an egg into her vagina without her physically inserting an egg into her actual vagina. One of the crew members who spoke about that suggested sequence had this to say:

Sam Levinson's penchant for nudity and envelope-pushing scenes in Euphoria have earned the full gamut of reactions from viewers, with those opposed pointing to the sexualization of the teenaged characters as being problematic, even if the performers themselves are of age. (With co-star Chloe Cherry coming directly from the world of porn.) Not that the show's older character don't get their own risqué scenes, as evidenced by Eric Dane's prosthetic dong.

Sydney Sweeney has spoken out several times about her own nude scenes, sharing that they've had a measurable effect on her career. She's also revealed that her character was written to have other nude moments as well, and said she felt comfortable suggesting to Sam Levinson that she be clothed, with the director reportedly having no problem adjusting.

Which isn't to say that Amy Semetz's initial take on The Idol was without sex scenes, since that was still central to the story, though in a way that allowed Lily-Rose Depp's character to empower herself enough to escape the violence of The Weeknds character and his cult. But the heightened focus on such content is noted as being totally gratuitous and a disservice to the story itself, taking away from whatever message is still there.

Several sources pointed to a reported lack of oversight and involvement from HBO's higher-ups as being part of the problem, with no one in charge to corrall Levinson's creative process. If not to cull the rampant nudity, then to at least provide a steady daily schedule for those working.

Stay tuned for more info on The Idol's impending release on HBO.

Halloween Horror Nights is the biggest event at Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando Resort. It has millions of fans that visit the parks during the spooky season. Some of those fans are actually famous, and have found ways to not only enjoy HHN, but become part of it. This year, The Weeknd became a key part of the event by hosting his own house and not because Universal wanted him, but because he wanted to do it..

One celebrity who has been part of Halloween Horror Nights before is Guns ‘N’ Roses guitarist Slash, who has written music for the event at Universal Studios Hollywood before, but The Weeknd wasn't just interested in that. During a recent preview for the event where CinemaBlend was in attendance, creative director John Murdy explained that The Weeknd actually contacted Universal directly because he wanted to be involved in the event, though Murdy admits he wasn’t that familiar with the pop star at that point. The creative director explained…

It did not take long, however, for Murdy to see that The Weeknd had some potential within the sphere of Halloween Horror Nights. The music and the music videos from The Weeknd certainly have some dark vibes, though The Weeknd has said he’s not as dark a person as he might appear.  Murdy was intrigued enough to take the conversation to the next level. He continued…

When the two were able to have a conversation, it sounds like it was a real meeting of the minds. While The Weeknd had a lot of specific ideas about how to bring his music to life in Halloween Horror Nights, John Murdy was able to explain what needed to be done to make the music work in an HHN context. The Weeknd had the concepts, but they needed to be adapted properly to work as a Horror Nights house...

The end result was certainly something special. CinemaBlend recently visited both Halloween Horror Nights events, and our staff ranked The Weeknd’s house near the top on both coasts. One has to wonder if this will be the beginning of a new collaboration that could see an updated house, or possibly an entirely new one, from The Weeknd in years to come. 

Ready to live your own marathon of horror movies? Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights is officially back in business for the spooky season, where you’ll find a ton of objects of nightmares and hellish creatures ready to place you in the center of their terrors and get you with all the jump scares. Once again, CinemaBlend checked out every Horror Nights house so you can decide for yourself which frights are most worth your time at Universal’s viciously fun seasonal event. 

After ranking Hollywood Horror Nights in 2021, I went back from another blast of an opening night on the West Coast Universal Studios. (If you’d like to plan your visit to Orlando’s 2022 Halloween Horror Nights, check out our other ranking.) It’s another strong year for the spooky event in Southern California, between horror franchises, originals and the first house based on a musician’s vision since 2013’s Black Sabbath attraction with The Weeknd After Hours Nightmare. Since I know there are a lot of attractions and only so much time to experience them, here’s my ranking of 2022’s houses from worst to best: 

8. Universal Horror Hotel

The most forgettable house of the year was Universal Horror Hotel, a brand-new and original concept. It took the place of The Walking Dead attraction for the first time since 2016, which used to be a year-round Haunt Venue before having its final hurrah at last year’s Horror Nights. In the line queue, it’s set up that it's a 1920s hotel in Hollywood that was once the hunting ground for a serial killer and owner of the business. There’s some scary images of doomed vacationers and such to witness, but overall I found it to be the weakest of 2022’s offerings.

7. The Horrors Of Blumhouse

Although this house ranks low of the overall offerings this year, I will say if Freaky and/or The Black Phone are favorites for you, absolutely seek it out. There are some really solid moments from each of the recent Blumhouse films to be part of if you venture into The Horrors of Blumhouse, located by the Waterworld attraction near the front of the park. The new attraction based on Scott Derrickson’s critically-acclaimed 2022 summer horror film The Black Phone and 2020’s Vince Vaughn-led Freaky is fun and packed with scares. However, its sets felt lesser than the other houses and the concept itself of blending these very different movies doesn’t really work thematically. 

6. Universal Monsters: Legends Collide

Every year, Horror Nights features a house with Universal Monsters, and in 2022, Universal Studios is bringing together Dracula, The Mummy and The Wolf Man in an “epic battle,” as it has been teased. I had especially high hopes for this one, especially since last year’s The Bride of Frankenstein Lives! was such a highlight. Universal Monsters: Legends Collide, which is aptly located on the Lower Lot next to Revenge of the Mummy: The Ride, has some stellar sets (primarily Egyptian-themed) and a cool concept to walk through, but it’s more moody than scary. Perhaps the camp of the three very different monsters coming together is what distracts it from being truly great.  

5. Killer Klowns From Outer Space

The only returning house from a previous year for 2022’s Hollywood Horror Nights is Killer Klowns From Outer Space, which previously came around in 2019. The house is based on the 1988 cult classic of the same name and is located on the Lower Lot near Universal Monsters: Legends Collide. Killer Klowns is the most lighthearted of the houses this year (depending on how scared of clowns you are), and yet it simultaneously finds a sweet spot of being both unsettling and entertaining to experience. There’s an overwhelming feeling of rubber being everywhere, even through sound effects, as you enter a circus tent full of characters from the movie, and loads of jump scares that sets itself apart from any other house in Universal Studios. No wonder it’s back for more! 

4. La Llorona: The Weeping Woman

The mythical ghost of La Llorona previously haunted the likes of Universal Studios Hollywood in two earlier houses, 2011’s La Llorona: Villa de Almas Perdidas and 2012’s La Llorona: La Cazadora de Ninos, but a decade later, she has a new house titled La Llorona: The Weeping Woman and it’s one of the most frightening of the batch at this year’s Horror Nights. The house, which is located at the Parisian Courtyard next to Universal Horror Hotel, has numerous clever and especially gruesome scares that make it more unique than the others mentioned above. 

3. Halloween

Ahead of Jamie Lee Curtis’ Laurie Strode having her final face off with Michael Myers in the upcoming horror movie Halloween Ends, HHN has finally created a house based on the 1978 horror classic Halloween. Michael Myers has been the star of five prior houses, including last year’s Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, which also ranked high for me, but this one is the first time it’s purely been based on the movie that started it all. And yes, it includes Laurie Strode. While I wouldn't say it's among the scariest houses this year, the attraction, which is located a bit of a ways past Hogwarts, beautifully captures the spirit of the classic film in really iconic and impressive ways horror fans will appreciate and enjoy being part of, making it a major 2022 highlight. 

2. Scarecrow: The Reaping

The original Horror Nights house that really got my skin crawling this year was Scarecrow: The Reaping, located right next to the Halloween house. The new attraction takes place in a Depression-era farm where scarecrows have avenged their land. When walking through, it smells intensely of straw, features numerous gory images of killed farmers, one of which has an ear of corn shoved down their throat and includes having to pull away hanging intestines and skinned rabbits as you walk through. Scarecrow: The Reaping makes incredible use of its space and really aims to creep out and scare way better than the other houses this year. I especially felt like I had been through something after that one. 

1. The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare

My favorite house of 2022’s Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights is indeed its most advertised: The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare. And I say this as someone who listens to The Weeknd’s music, but doesn’t consider myself a super fan. As the best houses often do, After Hours Nightmare completely transports you to a distinct vision, plus it features songs from the artist’s album After Hours too. Murders at a dance club and a variety of really stylish ghoulish figures are soundtracked by his pop music in the most inspired and memorable experience of this year’s event. Each of the house's rooms is a feast for the eyes, features numerous surprises, and it's just as scary as it is fun to live inside. 

Overall, 2022’s Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood delivers an assortment of really entertaining houses. There were a few disappointments, but the really great ones make up for it. In addition to these eight mazes, the Terror Tram has returned and features elements from Jordan Peele movies Us and Nope. Scare Zones are back, featuring a new one where Death Eaters stalk Hogsmeade. Additionally, there’s a special bar themed after The Weeknd: After Hours Nightmare on the Lower Lot. Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights tickets are on sale now for select dates in September and October, with its final night taking place on All Hallows’ Eve. 

The relationship between Tristan Thompson and the members of the Kardashian-Jenner family might be a bit strained at the moment. Despite welcoming a second child with Khloé Kardashian via surrogate, the NBA player was revealed to have cheated on her, fathering a child with another woman — a fact Khloé only became aware of as cameras rolled for their Hulu reality show, The Kardashians. So apparently when Thompson crossed paths with Kardashian’s sister Kendall Jenner at The Weeknd’s concert last Friday, it made for a pretty uncomfortable situation.

An eyewitness reported to ET that when The Weeknd played at SoFi Stadium on Friday, September 2, both Kendall Jenner and Tristan Thompson were present with separate groups of friends on the guest platform near the stage. When the show was over, Thompson apparently exited toward the back of the venue, as Jenner was walking toward the front. The source said that the two walked past each other but did not acknowledge one another. Awkward!

The NBA player will always be connected to the family, as he shares daughter True and the new baby boy (whose name is yet to be revealed) with Khloé Kardashian. Kris Jenner even revealed that he sent her flowers for Mother’s Day. One might think that just by nature of him and Kardashian sharing two children, Khloé’s sisters might remain civil with her ex, as they seemed to mostly do following his other dalliances. However, this incident makes it look like her younger sister, at least, is not in a place to forgive and forget. 

ET’s source reported that the model partied with The Weeknd's rumored girlfriend Simi Khadra, her twin Haze, and their brother Fai, along with Leonardo DiCaprio's ex-girlfriend, Camila Morrone. Tristan Thompson, meanwhile, reportedly spent the concert texting and talking to an all-male entourage.

Tristan Thompson’s paternity scandal was the third time he’d been (publicly) caught cheating. Their relationship was documented on The Kardashians, where the Good American co-founder explained why she was willing to forgive his past mistakes. She talked up how good therapy had been for the NBA player, and even said she hoped to marry Thompson someday.

However, just weeks after their surrogate became pregnant with a younger sibling for True Thompson, Khloé Kardashian learned that Maralee Nichols had given birth to Tristan’s baby boy, proving that he had cheated on her on his 30th birthday — after Kardashian had thrown him a big party. The two broke up (for good this time?), and the Strong Looks Better Naked author told Kendall Jenner that she was so upset about the situation, she passed out.

Khloé Kardashian’s second child was not revealed until after The Kardashians season finale aired, so it’s likely fans will get a deeper look into the family’s newest addition when the show returns to Hulu subscribers on Thursday, September 22. Until then, you can check out some of the other best shows on Hulu, as well as our 2022 TV schedule in order to keep up with all of the upcoming premieres. 

For the better part of the past three decades, HBO has been home to shows that pushed the envelope in terms of content while also being considered artful in their approach to topics that may not be deemed as savory or decent. In the past it was with staples like Oz, we see it now with Euphoria, and in the future we’ll see it with the sensationalized drama series, The Idol, starring Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and Lily-Rose Depp. 

Is this the first you’re hearing of the upcoming series co-created by the Grammy Award-winning musical artist and the mastermind behind Euphoria’s craziest moments? If so, don’t worry, because we’re about to break down the promising and extremely twisted series and share everything we know about it so far!

The Series Centers On A Pop Star Who Gets Wrapped Up In A Cult Led By A Self-Help Guru

When The Idol makes its debut on HBO at some point in the near future (a release date has yet to be announced), the drama series will center on an up-and-coming pop star (Lily-Rose Depp) who finds herself getting wrapped up in a modern-day, Los Angeles-based cult and its charismatic and enigmatic leader, a self-help guru (The Weeknd). 

Though not a lot about the intricacies of the plot have been revealed at this time, what HBO has announced about the show at this point makes it sound dark, mysterious, and enchanting from both a story and visual standpoint. Let’s just hope it finds its way to the 2022 TV schedule so we can find out more about this show.

The Idol Cast Is Led By The Weeknd And Lily-Rose Depp

The Idol cast will be led by The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp, who will portray the self-help guru/cult leader and the pop star who is taken under his wing, respectively. Although he has appeared in multiple music videos, documentaries, and specials since breaking out as one of the most successful and unique mainstream musical artists of the past decade, this will be The Weeknd’s first lead role in a scripted series. He previously had a cameo in Uncut Gems, though he played a version of himself.

This will also mark the first main role on a TV series for Lily-Rose Depp, though like her father, Johnny Depp, she has a great deal of experience on the silver screen. Since making her debut in Kevin Smith’s 2014 horror comedy, Tusk, Depp has given performances in The King, Voyagers, and Silent Night, to name a few.

Following the initial announcement by HBO, Deadline revealed in December 2021 that Juliebeth Gonzalez, Maya Eshet, Tyson Ritter, Kate Lynn Shell, Liz Sierra, Finley Rose Slater, and multiple others had been added to The Idol cast.

The Weeknd Co-Created The Idol Alongside Reza Fahim And Euphoria’s Sam Levinson

Not only will The Weeknd be playing one of the show’s main characters when The Idol makes its debut on HBO (and streaming on HBO Max) at some point in the future, the pop star also helped come up with the idea behind the show along with Sam Levinson, best known for creating the smash hit series Euphoria and movies like Malcolm and Marie, Assassination Nation, Another Happy Day, and Operation: Endgame. Joining the pair in this creative venture was Reza Fahim. All three also served as writers and executive producers for the series.

When The Idol was first announced, HBO Executive Vice President, Francesca Orsi, released a statement saying the trio’s “subversive, revelatory take on the cult of the music industry” was something new for the premium cable outlet, which is saying something, considering the channel’s stellar history of trying new things.

The Idol Went Through A Major Overhaul In April 2022

Production on The Idol kicked off in late 2021 and a large portion of the show’s first season was filmed at that time, but the series was given a remix in April 2022 when the show went through a major overhaul. The various changes on The Idol, which were reported by Deadline, included several members of the crew departing the project, with at least one member of the cast stepping away from their duties as well.

According to the report, Amy Seimetz, who is probably best known for writing, directing, and starring in several episodes of The Girlfriend Experience, was slated to direct the series but left the project as part of the major shakeup. Joseph Epstein, who helped write part of the series and was to serve as showrunner, left the show as well. The following day, Deadline reported that actress Suzanna Son would not be returning amid the overhaul of the series.

Following Seimetz’s departure, it was expected that Sam Levinson would be taking over her duties as the show’s director. At the time, The Hollywood Reporter noted that some of the show would have to be reshot, but it wasn’t entirely clear how much of the material would have to be tossed.

The Show Is Expected To Have Six Episodes

When The Idol was first announced in November 2021, HBO revealed that the show would consist of six episodes, though the duration of each chapter was not yet known. Even though there was a major overhaul of the show partway through production of its first season, there have been no announcements concerning the episode count, so we can expect to see six episodes unless otherwise noted before its eventual debut.

The Idol Trailer Gives A Taste Of ‘The Sleaziest Love Story In All Of Hollywood’ 

In July 2022, HBO dropped a teaser trailer for The Idol that gave prospective viewers their first taste of “the sleaziest love story in all of Hollywood.” Though only clocking in at a little over 90 seconds in length, the trailer had a lot to unpack and showed off The Weeknd and Lily-Rose Depp’s characters in some fairly chaotic and tense interactions set in and around the Los Angeles area. You can take a look for yourself below:

Just about as soon as the trailer dropped, Twitter was abuzz with comments from people sharing some pretty honest thoughts about the show and its similarities to Euphoria. How much the two shows have in common won’t be known until The Idol makes its debut at a later date.

The Idol is slated to debut on HBO at some point in the near future. You will also be able to watch the show online, but only if you have an HBO Max subscription.

The Weeknd has been finding new ways to expand his footprint within the entertainment industry as of late. He’s made a name for himself as a Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and record producer, but he’s now entered the worlds of TV and film as an actor, writer and producer. His most recent project is a new music-centric series at HBO, which he’s co-creating and writing with Euphoria boss Sam Levinson. However, it looks like the production is undergoing some major behind-the-scenes changes at the moment.

The upcoming show, called The Idol, is still set to happen, so there’s no need for people to fret on that front. Per THR though, HBO is looking to alter not only the crew but the cast as well. In doing so, the premium cable channel apparently hopes to craft a new creative direction for the production. 

The six-episode series, which was ordered to series back in November 2021, is set to tackle the Los Angeles music scene. The drama will chronicle the tumultuous relationship between a rising pop star and a self-help guru, who also just happens to be a cult leader. Suzanna Son, Troye Sivan, Lily-Rose Depp and Steve Zissis have been tapped as series regulars, with a number of recurring roles also filled. It’s currently unclear as to who might be recast. The trade reports that the show has already been in production, so certain scenes will need to be reshot. The network acknowledged The Idol changes in a statement shared with THR:

The Weeknd (whose birth name is Abel Tesfaye) and Sam Levinson are an interesting creative combination, but it’s a smart fit for this particular creative venture. The rapper, who’s even worked on American Dad! at this point, obviously knows his fair share about the music industry and can provide a unique perspective. Levinson, based on what he’s one with Euphoria (streamable with an HBO Max subscription), can create the appropriately glamorous and dark atmosphere necessary for a story like this. It’s also probably a given that it'll be just as raw as the Zendaya-led drama. I wouldn’t be surprised if it features a few nude penises and drug use (which could draw the ire of D.A.R.E.). 

With the success that Sam Levinson has had with his current series, I wouldn’t be surprised if he manages to replicate it for this new production. Its premise suggests that it’s going to be a truly trippy (and possibly emotionally exhausting) piece of work. And honestly, I’d expect nothing less from the man behind “Blinding Lights.”

A release window has yet to be announced for The Idol but, in the meantime check out some of the best HBO Max shows and take a look at CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule for info on new and returning shows.

While Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt continue to share headline space due to their ongoing divorce drama, it seems as though the former has found a new romantic partner. Rumors are making the rounds that the Maleficent actress is dating Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd. While this hasn’t been confirmed, the lyrics in one of the singer’s new songs definitely strengthens the claim that this pairing truly exists.

The Weeknd’s newest album, Dawn FM, has been released, and in the eighth track, “Here We Go… Again,” he talks about how he’s currently in a relationship with a famous actress. Check out some of the lyrics in the song:

Now if you haven’t been following along with the Angelina Jolie/The Weeknd developments, then this “movie star” could be referring to just about any big-name actress in Hollywood. However, once you factor in that Jolie and Mr. Weeknd (who previously dated model Bella Hadid) were photographed exiting the Los Angeles restaurant Giorgio Baldi together, and were later sighted at a private concert not long after and then seen going to that same restaurant together again in September, that does some credence to the idea that they’re romantically involved.

It is worth noting that when Angelina Jolie and The Weeknd were first spotted together at Giorgio Baldi, it was indicated that their meeting was business-related, Here’s what a source told Page Six at the time:

That HBO series is The Idol, which is set against the “backdrop of the music industry” and follows a self-help guru and leader of a modern day cult who forms a “complicated relationship” with a rising pop singer. If The Weeknd is looking to use this premium cable show as a way get his foot in the Hollywood door, then meeting with Angelina Jolie last summer was certainly a way to make his way further into that corner of entertainment. Still, that doesn’t mean their relationship couldn’t have blossomed into something deeper afterwards.

For now though, Angelina Jolie and The Weeknd are staying quiet about whether or not they are indeed dating, but if/when they officially comment on the matter, we’ll let you know. As far their professional endeavors go, in addition to his new album dropping, The Weeknd began filming The Idol last November, and his co-stars on the series include Lily-Rose Depp, Suzanna Son, Steve Zissis, Troye Sivan and Juliebeth Gonzalez. Meanwhile, Angelina Jolie most recently starred as Thena in Eternals, and she’s next expected to star in the film adaptation of Every Note Played.

Most of the talk surrounding Angelina Jolie in recent months has either had to do with her ongoing divorce from her ex Brad Pitt or had to do with her upcoming Marvel Phase Four release The Eternals. Now, however, she’s been seen out to dinner with popular crooner The Weeknd not once, but twice. You know what that means: tongues are wagging. It's not the first time this has happened to some major celebrities in recent months, either (See: Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell).

This week, Angelina Jolie was seen out (in notable black pumps and a Saint Laurent bag to boot) in Los Angeles meeting with The Weeknd for dinner. Jolie reportedly arrived at the LA-based Giorgio Baldi alone and met the singer in a private area of the restaurant for a two and a half hour meal. According to the Daily Mail, following the meal, the two kept hanging out, and were seen leaving together.

She reportedly left the restaurant with the 31-year-old singer, joining him in his SUV and heading back to his place in Bel Air. This wasn’t the first time the two had spent time together, either. They’d actually gone to the same restaurant together back on June 30th of this year, marking the other time the two were publicly seen together, though that time the two left separately.

Of course, fans love a good mystery. Any time two major celebrities are seen looking cozy together, it's also not rare to see romance rumors get sparked. Just look at the whole Hayley Atwell and Tom Cruise headlines of late after they looked cozy on the set of Mission: Impossible 7, were said to be dating and now have allegedly broken up, all before ever confirming they were together. That whole story has been pretty much a whirlwind, and this one has even more intrigue to it.

Real romances are sometimes sparked and confirmed later, after all, as happened when Tom Holland and Zendaya were caught making out in a car or Keanu Reeves walked with his girlfriend Alexandra Grant on the red carpet years -- and I mean years -- after they started dating.

So, you know, the Daily Mail calls this second meal a meal that is “continuing to spark romance rumors," and it's certainly true that the mystery of why they are meeting has sparked curiosity from their fans who are already talking about it on Twitter and elsewhere.

I can see why people are interested, given it is hard to tell what the connection might be between the two. Plus, the age gap between Angelina Jolie (46) and The Weeknd (31) also adds to the curiosity factor, here. It should be noted Jolie is also involved in a lot of causes and the two could be collaborating on a project of either the philanthropic or acting variety, they could be pals, or if there could certainly still be more going on.

To just add to this, The Weeknd has been very open about wanting to broaden his career after playing the Super Bowl halftime show mid-Covid. He had already appeared in the buzzy Uncut Gems movie from the Safdie brothers at that point. He currently also has a project he’s set to write and star in where he will collaborate with the creator of the Zendaya starrer Euphoria over at HBO. This won’t even be his first writing gig, as he actually once wrote an episode of American Dad.

Angelina Jolie has her own production company, so it’s definitely possible the meet-ups could be career related, of course. Still, Jolie has also been seen by the public as single for a while now (in fact since her high-profile split from Brad Pitt, though it's been alleged she's gone on some dates). She’s spent the time since focusing on family and philanthropic work, as well as acting a fair amount. Maybe it's time for romance to take precedence?

As for The Weeknd? The singer was previously tied to Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez. He and Hadid broke up for the second time back in 2019. We’ll keep you updated if the two frequent the restaurant a third time or if this particular mystery is ever fully resolved.

Without a doubt, The Weeknd rocked the crowd at Raymond James Stadium during Super Bowl LV, though he may have literally had fans rocking at home, too. That's what some viewers were implying after the performance, which made some fans really happy, while leaving others feeling motion sick and a bit exhausted by all the "blinding lights."

First things first: if Twitter is a measuring stick for how well The Weeknd did overall with his Super Bowl halftime show, it seems he knocked it out of the park. The Canadian singer-songwriter pulled off a highly choreographed performance that featured hits from his entire discography, including a medley comprised of songs from his breakout mixtape from 2011, House Of Balloons. Fans were happy with the song choices, as well as the flashy sequences with a weird robotic chorus and lots of bandaged-up dancers.

For all the love the performance got, some didn't have quite as much fun watching the "Snowchild" singer dance and stumble his way across the stage and then the stadium itself. A number of people felt the camera work was a little too chaotic, and created a feeling of motion sickness. That's definitely the first time I can remember someone saying that about a Super Bowl performance, so I guess this is a historic moment? What do you say, Daniel Craig?

And as great as The Weeknd's singing and footwork was, there's no denying the strobe light effects and frantic camera movements could been seen as problematic for audience members susceptible to such things. Some complained about the intensity of the lighting and, of course, mentioned the motion sickness as well.

Now, before anyone goes and writes this off as an "old crowd doesn't get it" kind of thing, note that there were viewers from all walks of life who had problems, while the same variety of people spoke out in praise of The Weeknd's performance. This includes the 80-year-old icon Dionne Warwick, who one could argue knows a thing about wowing crowds.

Health concerns aside, there is already a debate if The Weeknd's Super Bowl performance is one of the greatest halftime shows the NFL has put together in some time. I personally think it's the best since Lady Gaga's halftime performance, at the very least, for a Super Bowl that also featured quarterback Tom Brady. I'm willing to go out on a limb and say The Weeknd's was better, though it seems others don't agree.

Honestly, the final word on the legacy of The Weeknd's Super Bowl performance may ultimately come down to just how many people became physically ill from the visual side, as opposed to those who were gleefully immersed in sick beats. It's definitely a note for future performers and the producers, and also leaves a question of just how much is too much? Apparently, some people do not like such a busy halftime show, and have valid reasons for being upset about it.

Time will tell how well this performance is regarded in the long run, and if it measures up to the Bruno Mars, Beyonce, or Prince halftime shows of the past. The Weeknd certainly got people talking either way, which shows he was worthy of the coveted performance slot. Take a look at the show below to see how you feel about it.

Did you enjoy The Weeknd's halftime performance at Super Bowl LV? Sound off on our poll and the comments and make your voice heard, and for more on the Super Bowl read up on how Miley Cyrus prepped for her Super Bowl pre-game concert before the big game.

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As one of the most acclaimed and meme-ified movies of 2019, Uncut Gems was a great critical and commercial hit for Adam Sandler, writers-directors Benny & Josh Safdie, and the studio behind it, A24. While the movie didn't receive a lot of love at the Oscars, particularly with Sandler getting egregiously snubbed, the drama certainly found an audience, proving to viewers who typically associate the comedian with his outlandish larks that he had serious acting chops. Now that it's been nearly a year since the movie's notable release, what is the Uncut Gems cast, which also includes LaKeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Idina Menzel, Judd Hirsch, and Kevin Garnett, working on now?

Let's take a look and see!

Adam Sandler (Howard Ratner)

As Howard Ratner, a Diamond District jeweler with hefty gambling debts, Adam Sandler gave arguably the best performance of his career in Uncut Gems. Having established his star power on Saturday Night Live, he went on to make a series of profitable (if not always critically celebrated) comedies, including Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, The Waterboy, The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, Mr. Deeds, and 50 First Dates, as well as Click, Grown Ups 1 & 2, and Just Go With It. He also lends his voice to the Hotel Transylvania movies. Additionally, Sandler garnered praise for his performances in Punch-Drunk Love, Funny People, and The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected). Additionally, the actor/producer grew his fanbase through several Netflix originals, with Murder Mystery being the most heavily-streamed title of these collaborations.

Most recently, Adam Sandler co-wrote and starred in the 2020 Netflix horror-comedy, Hubie Halloween, the latest Happy Madison production. He also reunited with the Safdie brothers earlier this year for the short film, Goldman v Silverman. Currently, Sander is filming a role in Netflix's upcoming sports film, Hustle, from director Jeremiah Zagar (We the Animals). He's also set to reprise his role as Dracula in Hotel Transylvania 4. And the comedian might also make Murder Mystery 2, notably since he's signed on to keep working with Netflix for the foreseeable future.

Julia Fox (Julia De Fiore)

In the role of Julia De Fiore, Howard's girlfriend and employee, Julia Fox provided a stunning breakthrough performance in Uncut Gems. But as a clothing designer, model, painter, and photographer prior to this film debut, Fox was already an established artist. Following her work in this superb film, Fox was seen in Puppet and the TV series, Day by Day. She also stars in PVT Chat, which is currently in the film festival circuits. Additionally, Fox starred in the music video for "Nothing Good," by Goody Grace ft. G-Eazy and Juicy J. Recently, the burgeoning actress filmed a role in Steven Soderbergh's No Sudden Move, which will be her high-profile follow-up to this Safdie brothers' hit.

Outside of acting, Julia Fox wrote and directed the short film, Fantasy Girls.

LaKeith Stanfield (Demany)

As Demany, Howard's constantly pestered assistant, LaKeith Stanfield provides another standout supporting turn in Uncut Gems. First gaining recognition for his outstanding Independent Spirit Award-nominated performance in Short Term 12, Stanfield continued to find notice and praise for his other supporting turns in Selma, Straight Outta Compton, Get Out, Dope, and Knives Out, as well as his leading roles in Sorry to Bother You and Crown Heights. He also stars in FX's acclaimed Atlanta. Other notable credits include Death Note, Snowden, The Purge: Anarchy, and The Girl in the Spider's Web.

Earlier this year, LaKeith Stanfield starred in The Photograph and did voice work for the final season of BoJack Horseman. Additionally, Stanfield filled in as co-host for Adult Swim's The Eric Andre Show Season 5. Next, he'll play William O'Neal in Judas and the Black Messiah. Currently, the in-demand actor is filming a role in the dramatic western, The Harder They Fall, and he'll also voice the lead character in Netflix's upcoming anime series, Yasuke.

Kevin Garnett (Himself)

Playing a fictionalized version of himself, former professional basketball player Kevin Garnett made a good impression with Uncut Gems. Thanks to his versatility, defensive ability, and impressive work ethic, the athlete was considered one of the greatest power forwards in professional basketball history. Garnett played with the Minnesota Timberwolves for 12 seasons before he joined the Boston Celtics, resulting in the team winning the NBA Championship. Later, he joined the Brooklyn Nets before returning to Minnesota and then retiring from the sport in 2016.

While Kevin Garnett impressed many moviegoers and critics with his performance, it wasn't his first time acting. He previously had an uncredited role in Blue Chips and he played the late Wilt Chamberlain in the 1996 TV movie, Rebound: The Legend of Earl 'The Goat' Manigault.

Despite Uncut Gems' critical success, Kevin Garnett doesn't have any additional acting projects currently lined up.

Idina Menzel (Dinah Ratner)

In the role of Dinah Ratner, Howard's exasperated wife, Idina Menzel showcased her exceptional dramatic talents once more in Uncut Gems. A Tony-winning actress and musician, Menzel is best known for her award-winning Broadway performance in Wicked, as well as her celebrated work in Rent, including the 2005 film adaptation, and If/Then. She's also well-known for voicing Queen Elsa in Frozen and Frozen II. Her other notable film and TV credits include Enchanted, Glee, Kissing Jessica Stein, Ask the Dust, Hercules, Private Practice, Rescue Me, and Lifetime's Beaches remake. The actress also reprised the role of Elsa in Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Next, Idina Menzel is expected to star in an upcoming modernized musical version of Cinderella, starring Camila Cabella, which is scheduled to come out early next year. There's also the long-promised film adaptation of Wicked, which may or may not find the actress returning to her star-making role.

Eric Bogosian (Arno Moradian)

As Arno Moradian, a menacing loan shark out to collect Howard's well-overdue tab, Eric Bogosian provided a very threatening role in Uncut Gems. An accomplished playwright and novelist in addition to being an accomplished actor, Bogosian is best known for writing plays like Talk Radio and subUrbia, both of which have received film adaptations. Oliver Stone directed the former in 1988, with Bogosian playing the lead role, while Richard Linklater brought the latter to the big screen in 1996, with Bogosian penning the screenplay.

As an actor, meanwhile, Eric Bogosian starred in Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and he also appeared in Billions, The Get Down, The Good Wife, The Larry Sanders Show, and Scrubs. His other famous film credits include Deconstructing Harry, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, Special Effects, Under Seige 2: Dark Territory, and Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, as well as Igby Goes Down, Blade: Trinity, and Cadillac Records. He also narrated Listen Up, Philip.

Most recently, Eric Bogosian appeared in HBO's Succession and an episode of Instinct.

Judd Hirsch (Gooey)

In the role of Gooey, Howard's father-in-law, Judd Hirsch played a small-but-noteworthy part in Uncut Gems. A two-time Emmy and Tony-winning actor, Hirsch is best known for his extensive TV work in Taxi, Numb3rs, and Dear John, as well as his noteworthy roles in Ordinary People, for which he was Oscar-nominated, Independence Day, Independence Day: Resurgence, Teachers, Running on Empty, Tower Heist, The Muppets, and A Beautiful Mind. He also previously collaborated with Adam Sandler on The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected). Recently, Hirsch starred in CBS' sitcom, Superior Donuts, which ran for two seasons. Prior to that, he was a series regular on ABC's Forever, which only lasted one season.

Earlier this year, Judd Hirsch was seen in the horror film, A Deadly Legend, as well as episodes of Hunters, God Friended Me, and The Return of Brian Willing.

Keith Williams Richard (Phil)

Playing the part of Phil, Arno's quick-tempered henchman, Keith Williams Richard fit the bill as a large and imposing supporting character in Uncut Gems. In addition to making a memorable appearance in this awards contender, he also made his acting debut. After this cinematic introduction, Richard starred in the short film, Three Deaths, earlier this year.

Jonathan Aranbayev (Eddie Ratner)

As Eddie Ratner, Howard's oldest son, Jonathan Aranbayev made his screen debut in Uncut Gems. And to date, this role remains his only professional film credit. His follow-up project hasn't been announced yet.

Noa Fisher (Marchel Ratner)

In the role of Marchel Ratner, Howard's disengaged daughter, Noa Fisher plays a prominent supporting character in Uncut Gems. This indie drama-thriller became the young actress's first screen credit, serving as a promising start to a hopefully burgeoning career. Earlier this year, Fisher starred in the short film, Let's Do Drugs, as well as episodes of Betty and Day by Day.

Jacob Igielski (Beni Ratner)

Playing the part of Beni Ratner, Howard's youngest son, Jacob Igielski received his biggest role to date in Uncut Gems, notably as he made his feature film debut. Prior to this performance, the child actor was seen in short films like 2013's Opening Night and 2016's Fidelio. Also, Igielski appeared in an episode of Netflix's Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj. Next, he stars in the horror film, Mother, from writer-director Michael Morrissey.

The Weeknd (Himself)

In the role he was born to play, The Weeknd plays a fictionalized version of himself in Uncut Gems. The Canadian R&B artist started his career in 2010 when he uploaded songs to YouTube. Following a series of mixtapes, he released his debut studio album, Kiss Land, in 2013. He followed that up with 2015's Beauty Behind the Madness, which was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys. 2016's Starboy won Best Urban Contemporary Album and became the artist's biggest success to date. Earlier this year, The Weeknd released his fourth studio album, After Hours, to wide acclaim. In addition to these achievements, The Weeknd is also an Oscar-nominated musician for his single, "Earned It," which was featured in Fifty Shades of Grey.

Earlier this year, The Weeknd expand his acting resume to include voice work in episodes of Robot Chicken and American Dad!, the latter of which he also helped write.

Mike Francesa (Gary)

In a rare acting turn, sports radio personality Mike Francesa played a small-but-crucial role as Gary, Howard's befuddled bookie. Much like several other performers in the film, Francesa made his feature debut in Uncut Gems. His only other acting credit was in John Leguizamo's 2003 TV movie, Undefeated, wherein he made a cameo as himself. While Francesa hasn't established himself as an actor, his voice is certainly well-known. His WFAN show, Mike and the Mad Dog, which he hosted with Chris Russo, ran from 1989 to 2008 and it was considered one of the most successful talk radio programs in American history. After that, he hosted Mike's On: Francesa on the FAN through 2017. From there, Francesa would return on-and-off in short-form segments over the next couple years.

Mike Francesa doesn't have any future acting credits lined up presently. He retired from radio for the third time back in July to spend more time with his family.

Did you love Uncut Gems? Who gave your favorite performance in this heavily-praised Safdie brothers movie? Be sure to let us know in the comment section below!

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The movie industry is full of iconic black films, everything from superhero movie Black Panther to romantic comedy How Stella Got Her Groove Back to Oscar-winning Moonlight. The black cinema landscape has movies that appeal to audiences of all genres, but they are often overlooked or forgotten. Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services have plenty of black-led hidden gems, including Lupita Nyong’o’s Little Monsters, Beats starring Anthony Anderson, and sci-fi future classic Sorry to Bother You.

The films on this list are black-led movies that address pressing societal and universal struggles, while also being entertaining. I tried to include at least one movie from each of the major film genres (horror, comedy, drama, etc.). If you’re looking for something to watch, I hope you consider some of these films.

The Weekend (Amazon Prime)

The Weekend, released in 2018, stars Sasheer Zamata, Tone Bell, DeWanda Wise, Y’Ian Noel, and Kym E. Whitley. It’s directed by Stella Meghie. The Weekend follows Zadie (Sasheer Zamata) as she goes for a weekend at her mother’s B&B and ends up spending what was supposed to be her vacation with her ex and his new girlfriend. She also bonds with one of the male guests. The Weekend is a romantic comedy that’s very funny and offers some insight into relationship choices and things we allow because we can’t let go. Most of the comedy in The Weekend comes from Zadie’s blunt relationship with her mother Karen (Kym E. Whitley).

Stream it on Amazon Prime here.

Uncorked (Netflix)

Uncorked is a 2020 Netflix original that’s directed by Prentice Penny. Mamoudou Athie plays Elijah in the movie, a young man who dreams of becoming a sommelier, but his father, Louis (Courtney B. Vance), wants him to help run the family restaurant. Elijah decides to follow his dreams and study to be a sommelier but several obstacles make that dream even harder. Uncorked has a fantastic cast that includes Niecy Nash as Elijah’s mother. The film is a dramedy that has some really funny moments mixed with some heartbreaking scenes. It’s a unique movie because there aren’t many films that focus on sommeliers and make them actually compelling.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Fast Color (Hulu)

Fast Color is about three generations of black women with powers. This 2018 drama focuses on Ruth (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) as she’s being hunted for her weather-controlling powers. Years ago, Ruth abandoned her daughter (Saniyya Sidney), and is now heading back home to her and her mother (Lorraine Toussaint), both of whom also have powers. Fast Color is directed by Julia Hart and produced by her husband Jordan Horowitz, who also produced LaLa Land. Fast Color is a superhero origin story that also dabs in folklore, making for a more grounded superhero film. Fast Color is a film that really sucks you into this world and makes you want to stay as long as possible to learn more about it, and these women and their powers.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Eve’s Bayou (HBO Max)

Kasi Lemmons made her film directorial debut with Eve’s Bayou in 1997. She later went on to direct 2019’s Harriet. The cast includes Lynn Whitfield, Samuel L. Jackson, Jurnee Smollett, Debbi Morgan, and Meagan Good. Eve Bayou is about how a father’s infidelity starts to break a family apart, but it’s torn even further--leading to deadly consequences--when a lie forces one daughter to take drastic actions. Eve’s Bayou is very dark in its subject matter, but it’s a movie that leaves a lasting impression, mainly due to the stellar acting by the entire cast and the film’s use of witchcraft.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

Little Monsters (Hulu)

Little Monsters is a 2019 horror comedy starring Lupita Nyong'o, Josh Gad, and Alexander England. The film follows a zombie outbreak, and a teacher and musician who have to protect a group of school children who don’t quite understand what’s going on. Lupita Nyong’o plays Miss Audrey Caroline, a sweet but badass school teacher who uses her wits and resources to get the children out of some really dangerous situations. Little Monsters falls in the Shaun of Dead zombie horror film world with a very silly portrayal of a zombie apocalypse. Director Abe Forsythe has a lot of fun with the concept, and the film really thrives with Nyong’o and Alexander England as leads. It’s also very entertaining to see Josh Gad play a not-so-nice guy.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Roxanne Roxanne (Netflix)

Michael Larnell directed Roxanne Roxanne, a 2017 biopic about the life of rapper Roxanne Shante. The film stars Chanté Adams, Nia Long, and Mahershala Ali. Roxanne Roxanne focuses a lot on Roxanne’s turbulent home life, first as a child and then as an adult. It’s a very dramatic movie that involves domestic violence, drug abuse, and even a child kidnapping. Roxanne Roxanne is also about the 80s and 90s music industry, and how a young girl was able to use her talent to breakthrough.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Loving (HBO Max)

Loving is a movie about the real-life Loving v. Virginia case that made interracial marriages legal in the United States. The film follows Richard (Joel Edgerton) and Mildred (Ruth Negga) Loving, a white man and a black woman married at a time when it was still illegal in some states to marry outside of one’s race. The couple goes to the supreme court to have their life and marriage legalized. 2016’s Loving received several major award nominations, including an Oscar nomination for Ruth Negga. Jeff Nichols does an excellent job directing Loving, but the biggest strength of the film is the acting from Negga and Joel Edgerton. They really bring these historical figures to life with delicacy and thoughtfulness.

Stream it on HBO Max here.

Sweetheart (Netflix)

Kiersey Clemons stars in Sweetheart, a 2019 horror film about a young girl trapped on a deserted island with a deadly creature. Sweetheart is so much more than a monster flick as it deals with hot button societal issues like privilege and racial and gender inequalities. Justin Dillard directed Sweetheart and the film works both as a thriller and a character study. Viewers watch Jennifer (Clemons) go from helpless castaway to someone who goes headfirst into a monster fight.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Luce (Hulu)

Luce stars Kelvin Harrison Jr., Octavia Spencer, Noami Watts, and Tim Roth. This 2019 film directed by Julius Onah is based on a play of the same name, so it feels very much like a film with theatrical origins. Luce revolves around adoptive parents who start to question if their star son is not as noble and good as they believed. This suspicion is fueled by his teacher, Harriet Wilson (Spencer), who thinks Luce may still have violent tendencies from being a child soldier in Eritrea. Luce doesn’t offer viewers any clear cut answers, everything is vague and ambiguous, but that’s the point. It’s a film that’s supposed to make you think and question Luce, his adopted parents, Harriet, and society as a whole.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Love Jacked (Netflix)

Amber Stevens West and Shamier Anderson star in Love Jacked, a 2018 romantic comedy about Maya (Amber Stevens West), a woman who finds out her fiancé has been cheating on her, right before their plans to travel back to America where he was to meet her family. Upon returning to America, she meets Malcolm (Shamier Anderson) and tells him her entire broken engagement story. He ends up pretending to be her African fiancé. If you’re expecting some Shakespeare sonnet level writing with Love Jacked, you’ll be very disappointed. If you expect a cute, simple romantic comedy, then you’ll be pleasantly surprised with Love Jacked. Amber Stevens West and Shamier Anderson have great chemistry and the wacky storyline will keep you entertained all through the movie.

Stream it on Netflix here.

Sorry to Bother You (Hulu)

Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson star in Sorry to Bother You. This 2018 Boots Riley black comedy follows Cash (Stanfield) as he gets a new job as a telemarketer. He quickly discovers that when he uses his “white voice,” he gets better responses. He becomes a top person at his company but finds himself conflicted when his friends want to form a union. Things just get weirder from there in Sorry to Bother You. The film takes an unusual and clever approach to address issues like slave labor and implicit biases. It’s definitely a film that leaves a lasting impression.

Stream it on Hulu here.

Beats (Netflix)

Beats is a 2019 Chris Robinson directed film about a boy August (Khalil Everage ) who develops PTSD after he witnesses his sister being shot and murdered. Because of the incident, he no longer leaves his home. A former music producer turned high school security guard, Romelo (Anthony Anderson) goes to August’s house to try to get him to return to school to improve the school’s attendance. He hears August mixing beats and the two develop a friendship. Their friendship helps August start to create music and overcome his PTSD. Beats is an interesting look at a boy who has kind of lost his ability to cope in society and how music allows him to begin to live again.

Stream it on Netflix here.

These are just a few of the many great black-led films that you may have not seen yet, so make sure to check CinemaBlend for some of our other recommendations.

The Weeknd is mostly known for crooning popular songs and developing a reputation for being mysterious. He showed another side of himself, however, when he popped up in Uncut Gems. More recently, he appeared on Seth MacFarlane’s popular TBS series American Dad! and now he’s revealed exactly why voicing a character on the animated show was important.

In fact, he joined American Dad! directly because of that mysterious reputation I alluded to above. Except he calls it a “dark, shadowy aura.” He says it’s not reflective of his real personality and so he wanted to show a different side of himself, noting,

The guest stint on American Dad! happened earlier this spring and saw The Weeknd playing an animated version of himself who was literally a virgin. Producer Joel Hurwitz told Variety in the same interview the ultimate goal of the episode was to go against “The Weeknd’s brand.” The writer’s room originally thought the virgin idea would be hilarious if he were game for it, but they actually had to approach the singer-songwriter about the premise, which could have gone either way. Luckily, as The Weeknd noted, he doesn’t take himself all that seriously.

What ended up happening was that he loved the virgin joke and he ended up fully collaborating on the episode, which also involved him working on a song for American Dad. If you were to ask The Weeknd, it’s not a big surprise that any of this came together though Joel Hurwitz still contends he’s “too famous to be watching our dumb cartoon.” But The Weeknd says this is the type of project he really likes diving into.

American Dad! has been on the air since 2005, originally airing as part of Fox’s Animation Domination block before flip-flopping to TBS. In that time, there have been a ton of big guest stars joining the show. More recent episodes, for example, had Chris Parnell, Patrick Stewart, Ron Perlman, Paget Brewster, David Koechner, Ted Danson, Craig Robinson, Bill Nye, Lauren Lapkus, and many, many more. The Weeknd may be a little more famous than some of these other actors, but he’s also not known for acting or voice work. You have to start somewhere.

The Weeknd’s big episode “A Starboy is Born” originally aired on TBS on May 4 and includes the song "The Weeknd's Dark Secret." If you missed the episodes of American Dad! it can also be streamed on Hulu or you can check out the musical moment on YouTube.

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Earlier this year, a lawsuit was filed against musical artists The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar, as a track from their Black Panther soundtrack was accused of infringing on the copyright of a pre-existing song. That case didn’t take long to resolve, as only a couple of months later, a decision has been made to dismiss the dispute, to the satisfaction of both parties.

Legal representatives for both rock group Yeasayer (the complaining party in this matter) and The Weeknd have signed off on dismissing the case, according to Digital Music News. With Yeasayer originally claiming that the Black Panther single “Pray For Me” had infringed on the copyright of their own tune “Sunrise” via some slightly tweaked musical elements, it looked as if this would be the latest in the history of Hollywood lawsuits alleging someone had stolen original content.

That would apparently no longer be the case, as this agreed dismissal leaves the chart-topping hit from director Ryan Coogler’s 2018 MCU hit able to exist without a care in the world. This is probably a good thing, considering Disney+ already has its hands full with all of the content alterations it's made without legal precedent.

The last thing anyone would have needed was for Black Panther to have to replace any sort of musical content with a generic backing tune. It’s a point that rings especially true when you think about how both the music within the film, as well as the tracks that were only featured on Black Panther: The Album, are deeply tied into the culture and content of the movie itself.

Any particular film’s score and musical soundtrack is sure to be identified as what makes that story feel unique. That claim only gets stronger when you remember just how big of a cultural event the release of Black Panther was, as the world celebrated Marvel Studios’ first solo-effort for a black superhero from the company’s comic canon.

With this Black Panther lawsuit reaching its mutually agreed conclusion, all the attention to details going into the creation of Black Panther II can now continue as planned. Though the Marvel Cinematic Universe may be caught up in the great standstill the world is currently encountering, it’s never a bad time to start dreaming what the future of Wakanda will sound like.

Black Panther II is slated for a May 6, 2022 debut, but that could change with the rest of the MCU having to adjust its release schedules for the foreseeable future. In the meantime, you can also watch Black Panther, complete with its usage of “Pray For Me,” on Disney+. Not a subscriber yet? Check out the movie through a 7-day free trial, and enjoy!

Back in 2018, Marvel not only gave T'Challa the spotlight in Black Panther, the studio began a phenomenon. Ryan Coogler’s exploration of Wakanda was much bigger than another money-making movie in the MCU, and part of that had to do with the hits found on the movie’s soundtrack produced by Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar. But now, one song on the album is the center of a copyright lawsuit.

Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd have been accused of stealing music from New York-based rock band Yeasayer with the Black Panther album’s third single, “Pray For Me.” The legal documents claim the artists pulled material from Yeasayer’s 2007 song “Sunrise” and slightly altered it purposefully with “intent to conceal the infringement.”

Yeasayer is referencing a “distinctive choral performance” two-thirds of the way into “Pray For Me.” It features a number of male voices singing with a pulsating vibrato at high registers – which the rock band claims they recorded themselves specifically for “Sunrise.” Listen to the Yeasayer song in question below:

You can hear the vocal sound in question in the introduction of “Sunrise.” Now compare it with The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar’s popular 2018 track. The first instance of the sound comes in at 2 minutes and 10 seconds:

In the legal documents (obtained via TMZ), Yeasayer has demanded a jury trial to determine if they may be compensated for all profits and damages for “Pray For Me.” They’ve also asked for an injunction to block all further sales and airplay of the song. Yeasayer claims the song’s infringement is “immediately recognizable” eight times throughout the track.

The Weeknd and Kendrick Lamar have been reached out to and have not yet responded with a comment regarding “Pray For Me.” Since Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams’ 2015 case for “Blurred Lines” resulted in the musicians paying Marvin Gaye’s family $7.4 million in damages, plus half the song’s royalties for its similarities to 1977’s “Got To Give It Up,” cases such as these have been more commonplace.

There’s currently copyright cases regarding Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” and Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings.” Katy Perry was ordered to pay $2.78 million to Christian rapper Marcus Gray in October for the similarities between his song “Joyful Noise” and her 2015 single “Dark Horse.” Lady Gaga’s Oscar-winning “Shallow” from A Star Is Born was also accused of copyright from an unknown artist as well.

“Pray For Me” wasn’t only in the Black Panther soundtrack, it’s also featured in the movie itself when T’Challa, Nakia and Okoye travel to Busan, South Korea.

Black Panther is about to move from Netflix on March 3 and reach Disney+ a day later. Black Panther 2 has been announced for release on May 6, 2022.

It has been a year of highs and lows for Selena Gomez, and now the 25-year-old actress and pop star has had another setback--or so it seems. Reports say she and the Weeknd have called it quits after dating for ten months. Allegedly, the Weeknd was the one who decided it was time to move on from the relationship. However, it sounds like he and Gomez are still friends, and there is no bad blood because it all boiled down to different priorities and timing issues.

The news comes at a strange time, as the rumor mill says Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber recently reunited as friends after at least a year of no public contact. Some of those reports, which arrived before the news of the breakup, had mentioned the Weeknd knew about the meetups and felt okay with Gomez's decision to visit with her ex. That information might be accurate, but the fact the Weeknd and the "Wolves" singer were no longer in a relationship seems like a significant missing detail. Regardless, TMZ sources say Bieber was not the cause of the Weeknd and Gomez's breakup. Instead, the Weeknd and Gomez were finding it hard to give the relationship enough attention because they each had a lot happening in their personal and professional lives.

It might raise eyebrows that the Weeknd was the one behind the split, as Selena Gomez is still bouncing back from her kidney transplant surgery. But these celebrities are adults and know what works for them. It would be unfair to assume the Weeknd was anything but caring and supportive during Gomez's operation and recovery. In fact, the Weeknd and Gomez apparently kept in touch in October as friends, so perhaps friendship is what they both want.

Selena Gomez and the Weeknd first sparked romance rumors in January when paparazzi caught them kissing outside a restaurant in Los Angeles. By the end of the month, the couple had ventured to Italy for a romantic holiday. In February, Gomez took in the Weeknd's concerts in Europe, and a month later, he took her to Toronto, his hometown. The media continued asking questions until the couple went Instagram official with a lovey-dovey picture update in April. Over the next several weeks, Gomez and the Weeknd shared fun experiences like attending Coachella together and walking the red carpet at the 2017 Met Gala. Things evidently shifted around Gomez's kidney transplant surgery and hospital recovery. There were fewer relationship updates, and in September, Gomez and the Weeknd stepped out as a couple for one final event before breaking up in October.

It sometimes is sad to hear about Hollywood breakups, so it is crucial to focus on the happy times instead of the eventual ending. Kristen Bell said something along those lines regarding Anna Faris and Chris Pratt's breakup, and it fits this situation. The romance between Selena Gomez and the Weeknd was short and sweet, but they shared incredible times. Here's hoping they remain friends and find happiness in new ways.

Looks like things are getting serious between Selena Gomez and The Weeknd! Apparently, the singers will make their official public debut as a couple at the Grammys. The age of Seleknd is upon us (that couple name could use some work, though).

Just a couple weeks after the surprise couple first caught the public's eye by making out after a romantic dinner date, Selena Gomez and The Weeknd have just planned their biggest and most public date night yet: the Grammys. According to TMZ's sources, The Weeknd has recently contacted the Grammy Awards' organizers and told them Gomez would be his plus one for the event, requesting that they adjust the seating so that they are next to one another at the ceremony. This will be the first time the new couple will be seen together outside of paparazzi photos.

While the couple will get plenty of time to cuddle up with one another during the ceremony, Selena Gomez will have to sit alone for a bit as The Weeknd performs. He is slated as the event's headlining act alongside his "Starboy" collaborators Daft Punk. And although his latest album Starboy was released too late to be up for Grammy consideration this year, The Weeknd could still take home a trophy as a contributor on Beyonce's album Lemonade, which is up for Album of the Year --- The Weeknd is featured on the album's track "Six Inch."

But while her new boyfriend will be taking to the stage at least once at the February 12 awards show, Selena Gomez will probably only be getting up if she has to run to the bathroom. Though her 2016 album Revival was eligible for Grammy nominations and featured hit singles like "Hands To Myself" and "Good For You," it failed to receive any nominations. At least she can cheer on The Weeknd!

At last year's Grammy Awards, The Weeknd attended with then-girlfriend Bella Hadid, and Selena Gomez sat in the front row next to her BFF Taylor Swift. At this years awards, both of their old partners-in-crime could sit out. Hadid is not a musician, so since she's no longer dating The Weeknd, there's really no reason for her to attend. And for her part, Taylor Swift didn't get nominated this year, having not released any new music within the Grammys time parameters. She actually was eligible for part of an award if her ex Calvin Harris' song "This It What You Came For" wound up getting a nom since she co-wrote it, but the song failed to get nominated. Given that she skipped the Video Music Awards a few months back, it's within the realm of possibility that she chill at home on Grammy night. Although the Grammys ads are heavily featuring Swift's acceptance speech from last year, so maybe there is something planned... hmmm...

It all goes down in just two weeks on February 12, which just so happens to be almost exactly one month since The Weeknd and Selena Gomez first started dated. What a major month-iversary date!

When you're in the public eye, it's not a good look to go off on another famous person in front of the world on social media. Instead, celebrities have found much more subtle ways to quietly diss one another on social media. Here are some of the times superstars unfollowed, untagged, or liked shady posts of their fellow celebs in the past year.

Bella Hadid unfollows Selena Gomez

Selena Gomez had the Internet buzzing when she went on a date with fellow pop star The Weeknd at the beginning of 2017, but one person that wasn't feeling the couple was The Weeknd's ex Bella Hadid. The supermodel had split up with the R&B crooner just two months earlier, citing scheduling as the main conflict, and apparently the feelings are still there, because after news of The Weeknd's new lady broke, Hadid unfollowed Gomez on Instagram, E! News reported.

Rihanna unfollows Jennifer Lopez

Just a few months before Bella Hadid unfollowed Selena Gomez for dating her ex, Rihanna did the same thing with Jennifer Lopez. After both JLo and Drake posted a cutesy photo of the two of them cuddled up on a couch together, Rihanna showed what may have been her disapproval by hitting the unfollow button on Lopez's social media accounts,. Drake and Rihanna had been heavily rumored to be in an on-again, off-again relationship for years.

Tina Knowles likes a Jennifer Hudson diss

There's no need to be petty when you're the mother of Beyonce, but that's what it looked like Tina Knowles was doing when she liked an Instagram comment that ridiculed Jennifer Hudson's singing. Knowles later cleared up the snafu, saying that her finger slipped and the like was purely accidental, and going on to say that she loves Jennifer Hudson. You've got to be careful where you click, Mrs. Knowles!

Nicki Minaj doesn't tag Demi Lovato in photo

The 2016 Met Gala sparked some online drama between Nicki Minaj and Demi Lovato. Minaj uploaded a photo from the event of herself posing alongside a designer friend and Lovato, but only tagged the designer, E! News noted. Lovato responded by commenting on the shot with a laughing emoji, peace sign, and thumbs up, and then went on to share the photo --- which featured Minaj giving her what looks like a side-eyed glare --- on her own account, saying that the image summed up her night and that she didn't enjoy the Met Gala. It sounds like Lovato is commenting on a feud with Minaj, but Lovato later added a clarification to her Instagram comment, saying that she loved how Minaj was looking at her and was actually just trying to make a joke at how awkward she herself looked in the photo.

Taylor Swift's squad unfollows Demi Lovato

Poor Demi --- not even a week after her social media mix-up with Nicki Minaj she became the catalyst for another bit of Instagram shade, this time from Taylor Swift and her famous circle of friends. After Lovato posted a photo of herself with Hailey Baldwin, who has a rough relationship with Swift and her squad, Lovato reportedly lost some famous followers on her Instagram account, including Swift, Karlie Kloss, Selena Gomez, Gigi Hadid, and more, according to Seventeen.

Katy Perry dances to Taylor Swift diss

It is no secret that Katy Perry and Taylor Swift aren't exactly best buddies, so when Perry attended a Kanye West concert in 2016 (another celebrity who had some public friction with Swift) Perry took the opportunity to throw what looked like a little bit of shade. Swift and West had gotten into a very public battle over one of the lyric's in the rapper's song "Famous," in which he calls out Taylor by name and says he was responsible for her fame. When West performed the track at his concert, Perry filmed herself dancing to the verse in question and posted it to her Instagram.

Paris Hilton likes a shady Kim Kardashian post

Speaking of making people famous and Kanye West, Paris Hilton is often credited with paving the way for Kim Kardashian's brand of reality television stardom, and according to a post that Hilton herself liked on Instagram in 2016, the hotel heiress think that Kardashian wouldn't be a star if it weren't for her, Us Weekly reported. A meme posted by one of Hilton's fans photoshopped Hilton's face next to West and Kardashian from West's music video for "Famous," and written above them was a parody of the song lyrics: "I made his bitch famous." But it doesn't seem like the photo made Kardashian angry if she noticed it --- the reality star actually took a break from her social media hiatus a few months later to follow Hilton on Instagram.

Selena Gomez likes various posts dissing Justin Bieber

Although she dated Justin Bieber for over five years, there was no love lost on Selena Gomez's side after their break-up in 2016. When Bieber moved on to dating Sofia Richie, Gomez had some fun on Instagram, apparently liking various posts that dissed Bieber and celebrated Gomez.

Rihanna likes a post dissing Beyonce

Two of the most celebrated albums of 2016 came from Rihanna and Beyonce, but only Beyonce's Lemonade managed to get an Album of the Year nomination from the Grammys. Rihanna fan vented about his anger that ANTI didn't get the big nomination, and accused the awards show of purposefully short-changing Rihanna in order to keeping the spotlight on Beyonce. Surprisingly, Rihanna actually liked the shady post, but as Us Weekly reported, later went on to clarify that she hadn't read the full caption and didn't approve of the Instagram user pitting black women against one another.

Ashley Greene posts shady message after Joe Jonas AMA

Joe Jonas gave Reddit users everything they could have wanted in an AMA in 2016, unabashedly discussing various intimate details about his private life. One of those stories was about how he lost his virginity, which he said was to a past girlfriend named Ashley. It didn't take long for fans to realize he was talking about Twilight actress Ashley Greene, whom Jonas dated years back. Unsurprisingly, Greene didn't seem to love the personal story being shared online, but kept it subtle, seemingly responding to Jonas by simply posting the words "class is timeless" to her Instagram.

Zendaya, Tinashe, and more unfollow Chris Brown

Chris Brown made himself public enemy number one (yet again) after making some distasteful remarks about another R&B singer. After the singer Kehlani posted a photo from a hospital bed to Instagram saying that she had attempted suicide, Brown went on a Twitter rant accusing her of making the whole thing up. Fellow R&B songstresses Zendaya and Tinashe, both of whom had recently collaborated with Brown, swiftly hit the unfollow button, PerezHilton reported. Two-fifths of Fifth Harmony --- Dinah Jane and Normani Kordei --- also joined in on the unfollowing.

Quite a few hearts were broken throughout 2016. From iconic, long-lasting marriages to eyebrow-raising flings, a ton of celebrities dealt with some romantic turmoil in the past devastating year. Let's take a look back at all the famous couples who called it quits in 2016.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie

Without a doubt the most shocking breakup of the year was the dissolution of Brangelina, Hollywood's paramount supercouple for over a decade. Angelina Jolie shocked the world when it was announced that she had filed for a divorce from Brad Pitt in September. The couple had become a tabloid fixture from the very start when Pitt reportedly cheated on Jennifer Aniston with Jolie while they were filming Mr. & Mrs. Smith in 2005. They went on to have six children together --- three biological and three adopted from foreign countries.

Taylor Swift and Calvin Harris

Taylor Swift is pretty well known for her high profile relationships with famous men, but it looked like she had finally found her perfect match last year when she started dating Clavin Harris. Though they stayed together for over a year, Swift and Harris suddenly split up this summer, and it wasn't exactly the cleanest breakup. Harris went off on Swift on Twitter shortly after the split, accusing his ex's PR team of making him look bad by revealing that she was a writer on his hit track "This Is What You Came For."

Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston

Taylor Swift wasn't alone for long after her breakup with Calvin Harris. The singer quickly started a summer fling with Avengers actor Tom Hiddleston, which wound up fading away with the summer sun come September.

Johnny Depp and Amber Heard

Perhaps the most troubling breakup of the year was Amber Heard's split from husband Johnny Depp. After a year of marriage, Heard filed for divorce from Depp this year, and followed that up with a restraining order and the accusation that he had been verbally and physically abusive to her throughout their relationship.

Demi Lovato and Wilmer Valderrama

Wilmer Valderrama has a history of dating Hollywood's "it" girls, and many probably assumed that when he started dating Demi Lovato back in 2010 it would just be a short fling. However, the couple proved their doubters wrong by staying together for six full years before finally calling it quits this summer.

Lady Gaga and Taylor Kinney

Talk about a "Bad Romance." Lady Gaga ended her five-year relationship with The Vampire Diaries star this summer, a year after they had gotten engaged.

Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart

J-Lo was ridin' solo for a bit in 2016. The singer ended her five-year relationship with backup dancer Casper Smart back in fall. Although, Jennifer Lopez may have already moved on to a bigger name beau --- Lopez has been snuggling up with Drake recently.

Mariah Carey and James Packer

J-Lo wasn't the only diva to deal with heartache in 2016. Mariah Carey started the year out with an engagement to Australian billionaire James Packer, but in fall the couple announced their split. Packer makes an appearance in Carey's new reality series Mariah's World, which was filmed before the breakup was announced.

Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger

What seemed like one of the most stable relationships in Hollywood hit a bump in 2016. Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger ended their decade-long relationship this year.

The Weeknd and Bella Hadid

After nearly two years together, young stars The Weeknd and Bella Hadid announced their breakup this fall. As two of the buzziest celebrities right now, it was reportedly too difficult for the singer and model to maintain their relationship in the midst of both of their busy schedules.

Chloe Grace Moretz and Brooklyn Beckham

2016 was an unkind year to young love. Unlike bestie Meghan Trainor who found love with Spy Kids star Daryl Sabara this year, Chloe Grace Moretz broke up with her boyfriend Brooklyn Beckham. So much for getting in with the famous Beckham family...

Drew Barrymore and Will Kopelman

After five years together, Drew Barrymore announced that she was filing for a divorce from art consultant Will Kopelman in the summer of 2016. The couple has two children together, and stated that they will continue to co-parent the kids and remain friendly as exes.

Melissa Benoist and Blake Jenner

Although their relationship started out full of Glee, Melissa Benoist and Blake Jenner decided to end their three-year marriage at the tail end of 2016. Jenner had recently popped up in a cameo role on Benoist's hit show Supergirl, but soon after the couple cited irreconcilable differences and filed for a divorce.

One of the most talked about films of the year, especially around these parts, Suicide Squad continues to have a hold on pop culture on the way to its eventual Blu-ray release (and eventual sequels and spinoffs and whatnot). And as you might expect, one of the most topical shows on TV will be taking advantage, with Saturday Night Live tapping actress Margot Robbie to add her beguiling charms as the host of the Season 42 premiere.

Harley Quinn herself will make her live sketch series debut when Margot Robbie hits the stage as host of SNL's next season opener, and I'm betting the ratings will be pretty huge. Since her leap to the limelight here in the U.S. with Wolf of Wall Street, the Australian actress has become a mainstay celeb, and one with a warmth and intelligence that makes her largely beloved by everyone. We haven't really seen much from her by way of goofball comedy, and if her Saturday Night Live debut goes swimmingly, that could lead to more comedy projects in the future. (And if she wants to stick around the small screen for something, that works for us, too.)

Getting to host a season premiere of Saturday Night Live is a pretty big deal, considering the kind of talent that landed the gig in the past. Sometimes its celebrated alumni like Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, or unstoppable athletes like Michael Phelps and LeBron James, or big screen superstars like Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. And, in 2006, Dane Cook. No matter how many times I check, it's still Dane Cook's name there. Anyway, Robbie has some big shoes to fill, and I bet she's going to tap dance her way through them with ease.

Margot Robbie is no stranger to the small screen, after all. That's where her career started back in 2008, when she landed the role of Donna on the Australian soap opera Neighbors, a part that was meant to just be a guest spot but was expanded after her performance. After moving to the States, she was a regular on the short-lived drama Pan Am and then focused on more features such as About Time, Focus and this year's The Legend of Tarzan, among the other projects that didn't star Jared Leto's Joker.

Making his second appearance as the musical guest for the Season 42 premiere will be the R&B hitmaker The Weeknd. Coincidentally, this announcement coincides with the release of The Weeknd's new single "Starboy," the title track from his upcoming album, so you can bet that's at least one song he'll be performing. He was first on SNL back in 2015 for Amy Schumer's episode, and he also appeared as a musical guest's guest when he performed the track "Low Life" alongside rapper Future earlier this year for Jonah Hill's episode.

Saturday Night Live went through some big cast shake-ups this summer. Regulars Taran Killam and Jay Pharoah are out, as well as the one-and-done player Jon Rudnitsky. Mikey Day was soon added as a featured player, soon joined by Alex Moffat and Melissa Villaseñor. Here's hoping things stay smoothly from here on out.

SNL will make its return to NBC for Season 42 on Saturday, October 1. To see when all of your favorite shows are coming back, grab a baseball bat and a collar and head to our fall premiere schedule.

Everything about the Fifty Shades of Grey movie screams NSFW. It’s adapted from a booked based on saucy Twilight fan fiction, and it features a billionaire looking for someone to love his BDSM fetish as much as he does. So was there any doubt that the first music video for one of the film’s songs would be provocative? Watch below:

The Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack features an array of baby-making hits, like Annie Lennox performing "I Put a Spell On You" and a sexified remix of Beyonce’s "Crazy In Love." But this music video is for neither of those. The Weeknd’s "Earned It" was released as the soundtrack’s single, and they debuted a pretty racy video of Abel Tesfaye surrounded by a small army of scantily clad women performing a scandalous burlesque routine. But the cherry on top of this BDSM sundae is a nearly naked Dakota Johnson dangling from the stage ceiling and covered in ropes. She does have some tan-colored undergarments on, but they are few and far between. If she doesn’t want her mom to see the actual movie, she probably shouldn’t tell her about this video either.

Fifty Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson (the wife of Quicksilver, Aaron Taylor-Johnson) also directed this music video, the song for which she calls a perfect match for the film. Constantly playing The Weeknd’s music in her own household, she describes the artist as having a quiet seductive air about him that just draws you in. It was this quality, coupled with his music, that prompted Taylor-Johnson to want more. She and Universal asked him for more music to play during certain scenes of the movie. Though she wouldn’t specify which ones, you can bet they’ll be used to their fullest extent (i.e. on the steamiest of scenes). So aside from the end credits, be sure to listen for his tunes throughout the film.

All we want now is a music video for that Beyonce remix, though. We sort of got one, in a sense, when it debuted on the first trailer for the film, but we want more. And by "more," we mean we want to see something like Queen B putting on a show for her boo, Jay Z, in that "Partition" video. Despite the explicit nature of all the materials associated with the movie, Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) promises the film won’t be all about bondage sex. Johnson and her team edited it from an NC-17 rating to R, and the sex scenes that were included serve their purpose, which seems like no easy task. However, she does promise that fans of the book will find that there’s plenty of (*cough*) action to go around.

To say that Showtime's Homeland took an interesting turn last week might be a bit of an understatement. The final ten minutes of 'The Good Soldier' were pretty intense and surprising at the time, yet, after digesting, I felt that the events could ultimately hurt the thriller going forward. First, Carrie and Brody hook up sans protection in a parking lot. Then Brody passes the polygraph even though we (and Carrie) know he's lying. And finally, the episode ends with the the two of them driving off together (for 'The Weekend'). There is no question as to the power of those scenes in the moment but in terms of the big picture for the character drama I couldn't help but feel like it somehow already jumped the shark. Did episode six derail the (so far) excellent series or did 'The Weekend' manage to pull things together and continue Homeland's stellar first season run? Well, my fears were assuaged as the episode wasted no time building suspense (and character) that culminated in another perfectly placed twist, once again proving that the Showtime thriller is the real deal.

"I miss you."

There are three stories unfolding in 'The Weekend,' with the most minor taking place largely inside the Brody household. Jess is trying to keep things together, going through the usual motions like cutting her kids' hair but Dana is back to being difficult, especially after finding out that her dad knows about her mom's relationship with Mike. Morgan Saylor, the young actress playing the Brody daughter, handles the material quite well even though the scene comes across as a re-hash of one of their earlier bouts. Even so, looks like Dana can cancel her plans for the weekend (show title!) because she's grounded - if grounded means having friends over and getting so wasted that you jump through the sliding glass door. Again, this scene feels a bit forced but it functions as a nice way to get Mike over to the house so this storyline can finally become interesting and move the character dynamics forward. First, we watch Jess and Mike rekindle their flame (which seems so genuine and nice) before Dana bluntly tells Mike what she thinks of his helpful visits. It's a really phenomenal and sad sequence, that begins with the natural and caring relationship that could exist between Mike and Jess before it's forced apart by the naive belief that they somehow can or should return to their previous lives. However, everything has changed. There is no going back.

"Agents await."

The second narrative finds Saul on the road to bring Aileen in FBI custody. The show opens with the now solo terrorist on the run, Aileen, looking for a bus ticket to Mexico (yet, apparently the well-trained terrorist doesn't think asking for any ticket to the country, not caring what city, is suspicious). Upon arrival south of the border she is quickly greeted by Saul and the Federales, and she wisely chooses to join Saul for the ride back to Washington. In a previous scene, the show did it's best to once again make us suspect Saul might have ulterior motives as it's rather unclear why he requests to go pick her up and when he throws in the ominous, "trust me" you know we're supposed to think something may be afoot. However, Saul just sees a misguided and lonely woman, someone whom with he shares a similarly isolated up-bringing and therefore thinks he can reach. After a mostly silent first few hours together, Saul slowly works away at her defenses and she begins to open up. Both actors do fine work, especially Patinkin who oozes empathy with every line, gesture and/or pose.

Eventually, she succumbs to his interrogation techniques (they are the very same ones he highlighted in the Affy interrogation, using knowledge to gain the upper hand) and it feels completely earned. The writers carefully crafted five or six sequences between the two characters, with Saul gaining just a little each time before they finally stop at a jailhouse en route so she can fully spill the beans. And beans she spills! Apparently, the Faisels were visited a week prior by an American terrorist who spent an inordinate amount of time up on the roof. Yes, another American! Saul calls it in to Estes and, as a sketch artist is working away with Aileen, he requests a picture of Brody be sent over for her to inspect. Of course, he has to ring up Carrie but before getting to the Carrie and Brody thread, I want to highlight how this b-story perfectly parallels the way the show as whole has been operating and to such great effect. The narrative builds slowly, with a focus on developing the characters and the relationships between them and suddenly, before we know it, this leads to a major development in the terrorism plot. Oh, and did a major development ever occur as a result of Saul's relationship building with Aileen.

"So you won't be hauling me in again next week?"

As I stated in the opening paragraph, what transpired between Carrie and Brody last week, although incredibly tantalizing in the moment, provided me with a few worries as to whether or not the series would ever be the same. Long story short, it won't be but that turned out to be kind of amazing. In no easy feat from the writers, they managed to turn my trepidation about the development of their relationship into complete awe, with me hanging on every exchange between the two incredible actors as the episode unfolded. But first things first, the show began for the two pretty much where we left them last week, heading away from the intelligence facility together after Brody had just beaten the poly. The two banter with ease before Brody opens up to her about his cheating wife and how he could really use a drink. The scene that follows didn't do much to assuage my fears that show was heading in the wrong direction because the entire fight with the White Suprememcist felt out of place. It belongs it a far inferior show but luckily they don't stay long and instead head for Carrie's family cabin.

Carrie still seems to be pretty suspicious of Brody, since the first thing she does upon arriving at the cabin is find and load her gun. Well, that's not technically true, she does have to phone her sister Maggie to find the key and remind us about her medication (in case we forgot that Carrie suffers from a mental illness - one serious enough that it would not be wise for her to miss a pill). Also of note, is how he genuinely seems to trust her and if he was a terrorist, he would probably be a little more interested in gathering intel from the CIA analyst and not just, well, graduating to cabin sex (unless he's playing the long con). Before they get to the cabin sex, Carrie manages to get him to open up about the lie detector and how he may have learned how to beat the machine in order to stay alive.

The chemistry between Danes and Lewis is palpable. The scenes we spend with them are a delight, first because we get to watch these two incredibly fractured people find a degree of comfort in each other and second because we know that Carrie still believes him to be a terrorist and therefore every minute of the former is tainted. Their relationship is fascinating and I completely regret the doubts I had after it escalated last week. Their weekend continues as they wake up hungover and decide to try a day together sober. This leads to more opening up and it's quite clear that Carrie's suspicions might be giving way to genuine feelings and she's no longer as certain of his guilt.

However, just when things seem to be moving most swimmingly, she slips up and he realizes that she's been spying on him. In perhaps one of the most interesting and series-altering moments, Carrie comes clean and tells him about the American POW being turned and how she suspects that it's him. He tries his best to convince her otherwise, opening up about everything from being a Muslim to killing his partner, Tom Walker, while under duress in captivity. Carrie receives a call from Saul and before she can answer, Brody starts to leave. She picks up and we find out that Walker is not dead, he is the man who visited the Faisel's roof - which happens to be perfectly positioned for a sniper to hit an incoming Marine helicopter - and the American POW who's been turned. Carrie runs to Brody and tries to apologize as she realizes that the feelings she was having for Brody were real. Sorry but, "Hey Carrie, fuck you." She breaks down as he drives away, on his way home to look in on his family where he breaks down himself. It's a shocking and then saddening ending. Truly remarkable storytelling as little things - like Abu Nazir probably using Brody beating Walker to turn him - come to light in retrospect.

A common thread amongst the storylines this week was how a slow start soon gave way to very interesting and engaging sequences. The way the two more important weave together at the end is truly brilliant writing, playing all of our expectations that started building as early as the first episode against us. This doesn't mean that Brody isn't still a terrorist, at least not for sure, but it does add another exciting chase element to the mostly character driven show. Homeland moves so fast that it has no time to concern itself with convention or our expectations, which is probably what makes the series feel so fresh and original. I said in an earlier paragraph, when discussing how the way that Saul makes Aileen talk felt earned, and that can be said about the series as a whole so far. That all small character moments or the biggest twists feel earned. Now with Tom Walker on the loose, Carrie breaking down and Brody, well, as ambiguous as ever what could possibly happen next week? I can't wait.

Homeland airs on Showtime, Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT. It stars Claire Danes, Damian Lewis, Mandy Patinkin and Morena Baccarin.