| | | | | | What's news: At the AMAs, Janet Jackson made her first televised performance in 7 years. Netflix has acquired Richard Linklater's Nouvelle Vague. Christopher McQuarrie has revealed that Top Gun 3 is "already in the bag." — Abid Rahman
Do you have THR's next big story? Confidentially share tips with us at tips@thr.com. |
American Music Awards 2025 ►Billie's big night. Billie Eilish, SZA, Beyoncé, Eminem, Post Malone, Becky G and Gracie Abrams were among the big winners at the 2025 American Music Awards held on Monday night. Eilish, who couldn’t attend the show in person due to her world tour, dominated the night, sweeping seven awards, including artist of the year, album of the year, song of the year, favorite touring artist, favorite female pop artist, favorite pop album and favorite pop song. The winners.
—Smoochas gracias. Host Jennifer Lopez kicked off the AMAs with an extensive six-minute dance number soundtracked to biggest songs of the past year. The “On The Floor” singer began the night with her own hit “Dance Again” before launching into a dance performance featuring songs from various nominated artists. Lopez commenced the hybrid number to the tune of Kendrick Lamar’s “squabble up,” before transitioning into including Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song,” Bruno Mars and Rosé’s “APT.”, Post Malone’s “I Had Some Help,” Chappell Roan’s “Hot To Go!,” Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” and Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” among others. During the middle of her performance, Lopez also kissed several of her backup dancers as Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control” played in the background. The performance.
—Taking back "Control." Janet Jackson was awarded the AMAs Icon Award for 2025, and the music legend blessed the ceremony with her first televised performance in 7 years. Beginning her set with her hit song "Control," Jackson launched into a rendition of “Someone to Call My Lover,” which notably reentered the pop cultural zeitgeist in recent months after going viral on TikTok. She also performed “All for You.” The story.
—"It’s all I wanted to do, I didn’t want be rich or famous, and here I am a few years later, picking up this wonderful award." Rod Stewart delivered a lively performance of “Forever Young” at the AMAs as he received the lifetime achievement award. Ahead of his set, all five of the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer’s children took the stage to honor their father. A subsequent video was played to showcase the extensiveness of Stewart’s career. The story.
—Awkward. Fans were quick to clock Shaboozey‘s reaction to Megan Moroney saying the Carter Family invented country music while presenting at the AMAs. The awkward moment happened when the two singers were presenting the award for favorite country duo or group, which ultimately went to Dan + Shay. The story.
—Lookin' good. The stars were out for the 2025 AMAs. Dozens of A-listers and music icons were in Las Vegas Monday night and walked the purple carpet. THR has put together a gallery of all the best looks from the night. The gallery. |
Inside 'The Handmaid's Tale' Series Finale ►"This is called The Handmaid's Tale. It's her time as a handmaid. And at the end, she's nobody's handmaid: She's Onjune." For the final time, THR's queen of chat Jackie Strause spoke to The Handmaid's Tale creator Bruce Miller and star Elisabeth Moss about the show that just wrapped its six-season run. The duo discuss the Hulu series' finale and how sequel show The Testaments comes into play. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"It felt right to bring closure to her journey." Jackie also spoke to The Handmaid’s Tale star who returns for a cameo in the series finale. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—ICYMI. In a monumental effort, Jackie wrangled together The Handmaid's Tale author Margaret Atwood, show creator Bruce Miller, stars Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski and Ann Dowd as well as 20-plus producers, castmembers and execs who together reveal how a classic novel became the Emmy-winning emblem of anti-Trump resistance. The oral history. |
Unpacking That Unexpected 'Sirens' Ending ►"What I love about the ending is that it asks the audience to decide how to feel about it." THR's resident Sirens expert Lexy Perez spoke to the Netflix show's showrunner Molly Smith Metzler, director Nicole Kassell, and stars Meghann Fahy and Milly Alcock about the surprise finale. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I’m gonna be on Reddit. I want to hear what everyone thinks." Lexy has a longer chat with Molly Smith Metzler, in which the Sirens showrunner talks about reimagining Greek mythology through the lens of power and sisterhood, why the shocking ending was “inevitable” and why “no one knows what to compare the show to.” Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I love the idea of analyzing the idea of what a siren is." For Sirens junkies, Lexy also had a more indepth chat with director Nicole Kassell, who breaks down the episodes she helmed and offers her thoughts on rethinking the Greek myths. Warning: Spoilers! The interview. |
How 'The Studio' Creators Seduced (and Skewered) Hollywood ►"The most pressure I felt was that we’d convinced all of these people to come on our show." As season one of Apple TV+'s critically acclaimed comedy The Studio wraps, the show's creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg talk to THR's Mikey O'Connell about cold-calling A-listers, their wish for Ted Sarandos to get a guest actor Emmy nomination and the one surprising stipulation of filming that finale in Las Vegas. The interview.
—"I feel like they got their white whale, which was Martin Scorsese." THR's Beatrice Verhoeven spoke to The Studio's casting director Melissa Kostenbauder on how they managed to wrangle all those season one guest stars. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"There was some crazy stuff that didn’t make it in, where I’m really quite out of control." THR's Rick Porter spoke to Zoë Kravitz about her turn in The Studio. The actress reveals she was first hired just for the Golden Globes episode. That role expanded, however, giving Kravitz a chance to lean into a big comedic part. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—ICYMI. The Studio has half the town wondering who inspired the Apple TV+ show’s characters. THR's Julian Sancton and Benjamin Svetkey rounded up the prime suspects. The story. |
Netflix Buys Richard Linklater's 'Nouvelle Vague' ►🤝 Sold! 🤝 Netflix has acquired Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague, a black-and-white love letter to the French New Wave, specifically to Jean-Luc Godard's 1960 classic Breathless. The sale comes after the film’s strong debut at the Cannes Film Festival, where it received a 10-minute-plus standing ovation from the audience. The French-language movie is shot on film in the 4:3 aspect ratio and stars Guillaume Marbeck as Godard, Zoey Deutch as Godard’s star Jean Seberg and Aubry Dullin as Jean-Paul Belmondo. Nouvelle Vague will likely not receive a longer theatrical run in the U.S., just the standard awards-qualifying two-week window domestically, a source tells THR. The story.
—"It’s already in the bag." Christopher McQuarrie has provided an update on Top Gun 3. McQuarrie, who was a writer-producer on 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick, was a guest on the most recent episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast, posted on Monday, where he told Josh Horowitz that he already has the ideas set for the third installment. “Is Top Gun 3 harder to crack in some ways than Top Gun: Maverick?,” Horowitz asked, to which McQuarrie responded, saying, “No, it’s already in the bag.” Horowitz followed up by asking, “You’ve cracked it?” And the Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning director said, “Yeah, I already know what it is.” The story. |
Hayley Atwell on the Polar Bear and Tortoise That Halted Production on 'Final Reckoning' ►"Tom said on his last day of filming that making movies is not something he does; it’s who he is and what he loves." THR's Brian Davids spoke to Hayley Atwell about her new film, Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning. The British actress discusses how Mission star Tom Cruise uses fear to his advantage, before addressing two unanswerable questions about the futures of her character Grace and the MCU’s Peggy Carter. The interview.
—"Every Mission: Impossible I've ever done has had a parallel Mission: Impossible running alongside it, which is making Mission: Impossible." Brian also spoke to Final Reckoning star Simon Pegg. The Brit actor behind Benji Dunn sums up two decades' worth of challenges making Mission movies, missing Rebecca Ferguson and whether it really is the end. The interview.
—"It's not lost on me that Tony Gilroy has literally written me into Star Wars history." Brian spoke to Elizabeth Dulau, the breakout star of Disney+'s incredible Andor. The Brit newcomer discusses how Andor is her first real acting job out of RADA, cementing her place in the Star Wars mythos and forming a close bond with co-star Stellan Skarsgård during production. Warning: Spoilers! The interview.
—"I just wrote a movie that would make me and Tim laugh, and I feel like that’s enough to bet on." Brian spoke to director Andrew DeYoung about his new black comedy, Friendship, that stars Paul Rudd and Tim Robinson. DeYoung reveals he wrote the Craig Waterman character with his friend Robinson in mind, and that it was inspired by his own experience trying to make a new friend during adulthood. DeYoung also discusses the surreal response to the film’s 2024 premiere at TIFF and why he’s confident the theatrical comedy is on its way back. The interview.
—"We’ve been looking for something to do together for a while. The first hurdle was finding a filmmaker that we both like." Brian spoke to Kate Mara about her role in Andrew DeYoung's Friendship, as well as starring with her sister Rooney in the upcoming Werner Herzog film Bucking Fastard. Mara also offers her thoughts on the new Fantastic Four film having previously played Sue Storm. The interview. |
THR's 2025 Class of 22 Supporting Actors ►"I would very much like us to do a crossover with The Last of Us." This year, we saw supporting performances that popped in major returning dramas like The White Lotus and Severance, and also in newcomers like The Residence and The Day of the Jackal. Stars from Emmy contenders, including Dichen Lachman, Matt Bomer, Lee Byung-Hun, Elizabeth Banks, Jodie Turner-Smith and Patti LuPone, spoke to THR about the role they covet, the scene that spiked their anxiety and what their character would do in a recession. The story.
In other news...
—Ryan Reynolds celebrates nature’s losers in Nat Geo’s Underdogs trailer
What else we're reading...
—Laura Pitel, James Shotter and Neri Zilber report that in a major shift, Germany's leader is now saying Israel’s actions in Gaza "can no longer be justified" [FT]
—With open corruption seemingly de rigeur in the second Trump administration, Evan Osnos writes that greed at the top has galvanized America’s aspiring oligarchs—and their opponents [New Yorker]
—As X continues to suffer tech issues on top of the persistent Nazi problem, Charlie Warzel wonders why anyone is still using the platform [Atlantic]
—Robin Pogrebin reports that as George Lucas' Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles approaches completion, the Star Wars creator is increasingly taking a hands-on role [NYT]
—Imogen West-Knights reports that a Swedish government initiative to define a national culture has stirred up a hot debate in the country [NYT]
—Deborah Acosta has an interesting piece on why Florida’s condo owners are so desperate to sell [WSJ]
—Miles Surrey writes that, going forward, HBO's The Last of Us has an Abby predicament [Ringer]
Today...
...in 2010, Warner Bros. Pictures released Michael Patrick King's Sex and the City 2 in theaters. Though a huge box office hit, making almost $300m globally, the film was panned by critics and widely derided as borderline racist. The original review.
Today's birthdays: André 3000 (50), Lily-Rose Depp (26), Joseph Fiennes (55), Paul Bettany (54), Adam Carolla (61), Ben Feldman (45), Jack McBrayer (52), Shanola Hampton (48), Izabela Vidovic (24), Cindy Sampson (47), Richard Schiff (70), Bella Heathcote (38), Peri Gilpin (64), Lee Meriwether (90), Mara Brock Akil (55), Eddie McClintock (58), Linnea Quigley (67), Chelsea Field (68), Darin Brooks (41), Chris Colfer (35), Kimberley Sustad (38), Orli Shuka (49), Giuseppe Tornatore (69), Jane Musky (71), Todd Bridges (60), Mac Brandt (45), Sara Wiseman (53), Ken Lerner (77), Michael Steger (45), Lorne MacFadyen (35), Dondré T. Whitfield (56), Steven Brill (63), Gianni Paolo (29), Atsuko Okatsuka (37) |
| | | |
