New Photo - Rihanna Shares Rare Family Moment in Powerful Post

Rihanna Shares Rare Family Moment in Powerful Post Geca FloresDecember 1, 2025 at 2:30 AM 0 Rihanna's Instagram post served not only as a powerful tribute to her homeland but also offered a glimpse into her personal life. In honor of Barbados' Independence Day, the awardwinning singer celebrated the country's 59 years of Sovereignty after gaining independence on Nov. 30, 1966. Moreover, the music icon also acknowledged the country's leaders and paid a special tribute to their second President, Jeffrey Bostic, as he officially assumed office on Independence Day.

- - Rihanna Shares Rare Family Moment in Powerful Post

Geca FloresDecember 1, 2025 at 2:30 AM

0

Rihanna's Instagram post served not only as a powerful tribute to her homeland but also offered a glimpse into her personal life.

In honor of Barbados' Independence Day, the award-winning singer celebrated the country's 59 years of Sovereignty after gaining independence on Nov. 30, 1966.

Moreover, the music icon also acknowledged the country's leaders and paid a special tribute to their second President, Jeffrey Bostic, as he officially assumed office on Independence Day.

"Congratulations to Barbados, MY HOME, on our 59th year of Independence and our 4th year as a Republic! Today also marks the installation of our 2nd President, His Excellency Lieutenant Colonel The Most Honorable Jeffrey Bostic, who, alongside our Honorable Prime Minister Mia Mottley, will continue to lead Barbados with excellence!! Barbados, I LOVE YOU!!!! #Bajan2DeBone," she wrote.

Besides her patriotic and powerful message, the "Umbrella" hitmaker shared a look of her country — from its pristine crystal waters, yummy delicacies, stunning beaches and people, including legendary Barbadian cricketer Sir Garfield Sobers.

Sir Garfield Sobers and Rihanna Fenty during the National Honors ceremony and Independence Day Parade at Golden Square Freedom Park in Bridgetown, Barbados, on November 30, 2021.Photo by RANDY BROOKS/AFP via Getty Images

In addition, Riri also treated fans to a personal glimpse of family life at home, sharing sweet moments with A$AP Rocky and their sons RZA Athelston Mayers and Riot Rose Mayers.

She also highlighted her pregnancy journey with their third child, daughter Rocki Irish Mayers, whom the couple welcomed in September.

View this post on Instagram

Rihanna celebrates the Independence Day of Barbados

This rare update from the "Don't Stop the Music" singer sparked excitement and admiration from fans, especially from her fellow Barbadians, with some even referring to her as their "Caribbean queen."

"Happy Independence to you and the people of Barbados, our national heroine," a follower added.

The same goes for another saying, "Real thugz never forget where they come from baddest queen."

The post also inspired playful fan commentary, with many teasing that her patriotic message made the album unnecessary.

"We don't need that d--n album, Robyn, we're proud that there's no place like home," one wrote.

"That pic of you and your babies is just top tier! Screw the album, we love mommy Riri," an Instagram user said.

A follower poked fun and noted, "I used to want you to release an album, now I don't, in your time comes!"

"Yeah, we don't need an album. Just continue to represent Barbados. Happy Independence, Barbados," a commenter added.

Besides the singer proudly representing her country, the Fenty Beauty owner has made significant contributions to Barbados through her philanthropic efforts.

"There is nothing more important than saving lives and making lives better because the purpose is better than me," the Barbados native said, according to Fox 13.

In addition to being the official Ambassador for tourism, her foundation, Clara Lionel Foundation, launched in 2012 in honor of her grandparents, Clara and Lionel, has donated millions of dollars worth of equipment to hospitals as well as educational resources and essential supplies to schools and shelters.

Related: Fans Were Annoyed for Rihanna's Son During Fashion Show

This story was originally published by Parade on Dec 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Entertainment"

Read More


Source: Entertainment

Published: December 01, 2025 at 08:45AM on Source: PRIME TIME

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

Rihanna Shares Rare Family Moment in Powerful Post

Rihanna Shares Rare Family Moment in Powerful Post Geca FloresDecember 1, 2025 at 2:30 AM 0 Rihanna 's Instagram po...
New Photo - Mamdani-appointed NYC professor who wrote book on ending policing now tasked with shaping community safety

Mamdaniappointed NYC professor who wrote book on ending policing now tasked with shaping community safety Peter D'AbroscaDecember 1, 2025 at 3:00 AM 0 A sociology professor at Brooklyn College appointed to New York Mayorelect Zohran Mamdani's transition team wrote a book about ending policing. "I'm excited to announce that I have been asked to join the Mamdani Transition Team to work on community safety issues. A New Era for NYC," Alex Vitale said on X. Vitale is the author of "The End of Policing," published in 2017.

- - Mamdani-appointed NYC professor who wrote book on ending policing now tasked with shaping community safety

Peter D'AbroscaDecember 1, 2025 at 3:00 AM

0

A sociology professor at Brooklyn College appointed to New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's transition team wrote a book about ending policing.

"I'm excited to announce that I have been asked to join the Mamdani Transition Team to work on community safety issues. A New Era for NYC," Alex Vitale said on X.

Vitale is the author of "The End of Policing," published in 2017. The book, which opens by explaining that police don't exist to help citizens, argues for an end to traditional policing for certain criminal activity, including narcotics use, prostitution, patrolling borders and "misbehaving adolescents." The book also argues that police shouldn't combat street gangs.

Alex Vitale, author of "The End of Policing," speaks during a discussion on school policing at the University of Southern Maine on Thursday, March 5, 2020. Other speakers were, left to right, Portland Police Chief Frank Clark, South Portland School Resource Officer Al Giusto, Portland School Board Chair Roberto Rodriguez and Al Cleveland of Maine Youth Justice.

On ending gang units, Vitale argues that they are racist.

Mamdani Keeps Jessica Tisch As Nypd Commissioner

"In most cities, gang units function as a mechanism for racialized social control," the book says in chapter five. "Black and Latino youth are labeled as gang members for hanging out together, while white youth groups are dismissed as harmless."

Read On The Fox News App

Policing borders is also racist, according to the author.

"The expansion of Border Patrol powers has been justified through fear and racism. It legitimizes xenophobic narratives that define immigrants as threats rather than as fellow workers or neighbors," the book says in chapter six.

Mamdani Taps Party Insiders To Steer Transition Despite Vowing To 'Turn The Page' On Old-guard Nyc Dems

Vitale also describes border policing as "inhumane."

Chapter nine of the book argues against training police officers on implicit bias, claiming that police officers' views on race do not matter because the whole system of policing is racist.

"Racism in policing is structural, not simply a product of bad attitudes," the book says. "Training officers to recognize implicit bias without changing what they are tasked with enforcing is like teaching a soldier to be sensitive while sending him to occupy a foreign country."

The professor's faculty profile on Brooklyn College's website says Vitale has spent 30 years writing about policing and that he consults with law enforcement entities and international human rights organizations.

He teaches courses about African Americans in the criminal justice system, according to his university profile.

Vitale has often called to abolish police on his X account, including bicycle police, police helicopters and police in schools. He has also called to abolish joint terrorism task forces, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Border Patrol and even the presidency of the United States.

Mamdani Ripped After 'Word Salad' Response To Question About Key Issue In Nyc: 'No Plan'

NYPD officers respond to a shooting.

He has also called for the NYPD to abolish its gang database.

Neither Vitale nor Brooklyn College returned requests for comment.

Mamdani has hired others who harbor anti-police sentiments.

Click Here To Download The Fox News App

Earlier this month, he announced that campaign advisor Elle Bisgaard-Church would join his staff. She has been dubbed the "chief architect" of Mamdani's campaign proposal to have social workers respond to certain non-violent 911 calls and is affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America.

Mamdani officials did not return a request for comment.

Fox News' Alec Schemmel contributed to this report.

Original article source: Mamdani-appointed NYC professor who wrote book on ending policing now tasked with shaping community safety

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Entertainment"

Read More


Source: Entertainment

Published: December 01, 2025 at 08:45AM on Source: PRIME TIME

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

Mamdani-appointed NYC professor who wrote book on ending policing now tasked with shaping community safety

Mamdaniappointed NYC professor who wrote book on ending policing now tasked with shaping community safety Peter D...
New Photo - DAN GAINOR: November's Nuttiest News: An Elvis judge, COP chaos and more media lunacy

DAN GAINOR: November's Nuttiest News: An Elvis judge, COP chaos and more media lunacy Dan GainorDecember 1, 2025 at 3:00 AM 0 Here's your round up of the seven wildest stories from last month. Let's get started with the blazing insanity of a climate conference in Brazil and then look at six others. It's November, and that usually means the ecoloons come out of the woodwork. For the past several years, November has brought the annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties, or COP.

- - DAN GAINOR: November's Nuttiest News: An Elvis judge, COP chaos and more media lunacy

Dan GainorDecember 1, 2025 at 3:00 AM

0

Here's your round up of the seven wildest stories from last month. Let's get started with the blazing insanity of a climate conference in Brazil and then look at six others.

It's November, and that usually means the eco-loons come out of the woodwork. For the past several years, November has brought the annual meeting of the Conference of the Parties, or COP. This year was COP30, held in Brazil and drawing more than 56,000 delegates and business representatives from around the globe. Yep, you made the connection — that's a carbon footprint the size of a small city, flying all around the world to protest … the use of carbon.

It was far worse than that. First, there's the massive highway they built right through the Amazon to get to the conference instead of, you know, doing it online. According to the BBC, that meant eight miles of "a new four-lane highway cutting through tens of thousands of acres of protected Amazon rainforest."

The highway had been proposed back in 2012, "but it had repeatedly been shelved because of environmental concerns."

Newsom Claims Trump Is 'Handing The Future To China' At Brazilian Climate Confab That Wh Skipped

Then rooms at the event were so expensive even some of the delegates balked at the cost. (And most weren't paying for themselves.) So Brazil brought in two large cruise ships to house poorer delegates. One of them advertised that it "offers 11 restaurants, 12 bars, 3 swimming pools, and 8 hot tubs." Life's tough working to save Mother Earth. That's not a climate event — it's a 56,000-person group vacation.

Read On The Fox News App

We're talking Ken Burns, sometime historian and all-around lefty. Burns is in the news for his new documentary series on the Revolutionary War. I'll leave fact-checking that to actual historians. I'm here to mock Burns for his elitist view of rural America. Burns was interviewed on Bulwark's "How to Fix It" podcast, and he decided to shill for his paymasters in formerly public media.

According to Burns, defunding public media will hurt us in non-blue America. "It'll hurt mostly rural communities — maybe that's their intention. There'll be news deserts."

That's right, folks in rural America must not have things like the internet to find news. He sounds like he expects us to be upset because we can't hear NPR while sitting in our outhouse and drinking our moonshine.

Ken Burns speaks onstage during the New York premiere of PBS' "The American Revolution," featuring Ken Burns and Tom Hanks, during the 2025 Atlantic Festival on September 18, 2025, in New York City.

Rural America barely even notices public media. Those outlets are designed for upscale urban audiences who are more than 90% liberal. A country boy can survive … without NPR's ever-left spin on the news.

Things are changing in the opinion section of The Washington Post. In an effort to reach out to other voices, the paper launched a new section called Ripple. Depending on your age, that might mean what happens when you toss a pebble into a pond. Or it could conjure images of the great Redd Foxx playing Fred Sanford in "Sanford and Son." His preferred drink on the show was a fortified wine called Ripple. For oldsters like myself, one wonders if the other names they considered were Mad Dog, Night Train or Thunderbird.

Things are changing in the opinion section of The Washington Post.

Change, as we learned from President Barack Obama, is often not so good. Such is the fate for the Farmers' Almanac. The almanac is, well, buying the farm. No, not that almanac, the other one — or, as The put it, "not to be confused with its older, longtime competitor, The Old Farmer's Almanac in neighboring New Hampshire."

Still, this Maine-based almanac has 208 years under its prodigious belt, and AP says, "it's believed to be the oldest continually published periodical in North America."

The Maine State Capitol in Augusta.

All that is ending in 2026 due to a "chaotic media environment." The staff has nothing to be ashamed of. They outlasted more than half the newspapers I ever worked for. Chaotic, indeed.

And while we are down on the farm, let's talk sheep, followed by goat cuddling. The Washington Post ran a feature on a farmer who rescues gay sheep, under the memorable headline, "I love your sweater. Is it made from gay sheep wool?"

According to the Post, "As many as one in 12 male sheep are non-procreative but show an — ahem — interest in other rams." So the farmer, whose sheep carry names like "Marvin Gay," did "a fashion hookup with Grindr," appropriately the gay hookup site. Together, they launched a fashion show "to promote Rainbow Wool." The title of the show: "I Wool Survive."

Not to be outdone, USA Today marked Thanksgiving by writing about "turkey cuddle therapy." "Cuddling turkeys, in particular," we are told, "can be profound." But don't you dare touch a turkey without its permission. "All interaction between guests and animals happens on the animals' terms − in other words, the turkey needs to choose me," wrote the author.

I will tell you, I cuddled some turkey on Thanksgiving — along with mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.

A Thanksgiving dinner featuring cooked turkey and more.

Click Here For More Fox News Opinion

The media are bombarding us with well-earned complaints about how expensive life is for most Americans and how hard it is to buy a house. Leave it to lefty Vox to zig while the entire world zags. Vox ran a piece in November headlined, "Why owning a house is overrated."

Yeah, building equity and having a place you can fix up and call home — what craziness. What followed was an interview with Jerusalem Demsas, editor-in-chief of The Argument, who argues: "Homeownership is overrated." Now, I agree houses don't always go up in value, but to come out against the American Dream is uniquely liberal.

7. Hunka Hunka Burnin' … Law

Movies that involve quirky judges are more honest than we want to admit. A Missouri judge is losing his job for wearing an Elvis wig and playing "The King" during court cases.

St. Louis Judge Matthew Thornhill "faces a six-month unpaid suspension under the deal he reached with the state," according to AP. After that, he gets 18 more months on the bench before he steps down, possibly to go on tour. (People magazine even had photos of him as Elvis.)

Click Here To Download The Fox News App

The Commission on Retirement, Removal and Discipline went after his love for the "King of Rock 'n' Roll," noting how he posed "with staff in a plastic Elvis wig and sunglasses" and sang from the bench.

Split of Judge Thornhill in his robes and wearing an Elvis wig on the bench

The Elvis-is-everywhere schtick allegedly violated rules on "order and decorum," despite 35 letters backing the judge's character. So the judge was judged and found wanting.

On the bright side, he might have the makings of a sequel to "My Cousin Vinny."

Click Here To Read More From Dan Gainor

Original article source: DAN GAINOR: November's Nuttiest News: An Elvis judge, COP chaos and more media lunacy

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Entertainment"

Read More


Source: Entertainment

Published: December 01, 2025 at 08:45AM on Source: PRIME TIME

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

DAN GAINOR: November's Nuttiest News: An Elvis judge, COP chaos and more media lunacy

DAN GAINOR: November's Nuttiest News: An Elvis judge, COP chaos and more media lunacy Dan GainorDecember 1, 2025 at...
New Photo - When a Devastating Famine Hit the Nigerian Village Where I Volunteered, I Felt Powerless. Then I Read This Book (Exclusive)

When a Devastating Famine Hit the Nigerian Village Where I Volunteered, I Felt Powerless. Then I Read This Book (Exclusive) Lizz Schumer, Janet Rich EdwardsDecember 1, 2025 at 5:30 AM 0 Courtesy of Janet Rich Edwards Photos from Janet Rich Edward's time in Niger as a Peace Corps Volunteer, 1982 It was 1984, and I was 22, flying to my post as a Peace Corps volunteer. I was glued to the window as we crossed the Sahara, awed by the barren expanse that was shrouded in red haze to the horizon. When I pressed my hand to the pane, it came back warm.

- - When a Devastating Famine Hit the Nigerian Village Where I Volunteered, I Felt Powerless. Then I Read This Book (Exclusive)

Lizz Schumer, Janet Rich EdwardsDecember 1, 2025 at 5:30 AM

0

Courtesy of Janet Rich Edwards

Photos from Janet Rich Edward's time in Niger as a Peace Corps Volunteer, 1982

It was 1984, and I was 22, flying to my post as a Peace Corps volunteer. I was glued to the window as we crossed the Sahara, awed by the barren expanse that was shrouded in red haze to the horizon. When I pressed my hand to the pane, it came back warm. I remember thinking it would green up as we approached Niger, which I knew was dry, but not desert desert. I'd grown up in the Cuyahoga Valley, splashing through brooks and pressing autumn leaves between wax paper sheets on my mother's ironing board. Only as we descended to the Niamey airport did I make out any trees. They were spindly, unfamiliar. It felt like we were landing on the moon.

My assignment was as a "nutritionist" in a maternal and infant clinic in the village of Torodi. In practice, that meant doing well-baby checkups, mixing up a homemade version of Pedialyte, and lecturing mothers on the value of a balanced diet, which was kind of absurd, given the difficulty of growing vegetables in sand. As out-of-place as I felt, I came to love the work and my colleagues, especially Djulde, the tiny, sharp-witted traditional midwife who taught me jokes in the local language and how to dance to the drums. I held the lantern for her while she delivered babies.

Courtesy of Janet Rich Edwards

Djulde and Janet

My favorite part of the job was riding my bicycle out to remote hamlets to check on the children. Toddlers would hide behind their mothers' skirts, thinking I was a ghost. More often than not, I'd return with a live chicken dangling by its feet from my handlebars. I'd learned not to protest the gift; that generosity was the lifeblood of Niger. By the end of the first year, I thought I had my feet under me. But I had no idea what was coming.

If you're old enough, you'll recall the song, "Feed the World," the Band Aid anthem for the Ethiopian famine. Its lyrics were cringey even then, but it was meant as a heartfelt fundraiser for food aid. The song was on a mix tape that a friend sent me, sandwiched between "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "What's Love Got to Do With It?" I danced my heart out to that tape, behind the closed door of my hut so my neighbors couldn't see my awkward moves. The Ethiopian drought felt far off. But by 1985, the whole desert belt of Africa was running out of food.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) sent us food aid in bulk packages, including dried soup, which I taught the mothers to pronounce: "MIN–UH–STRO–NEE ZOOP." We laughed together. But the laughter couldn't disguise what was happening. Children were dying. When we lost our first newborn at the clinic, I stepped outside, blinking back tears. Djulde strode up to me and slapped my face — sharp, quick. "Don't you dare cry," she said. "If you do, how will the mother feel?"

Courtesy of Janet Rich Edwards

Janet teaching the villagers how to make minestrone soup

I had no knowledge of death. I'd grown up sheltered, losing only grandparents we visited once a year. In Niger, death was suddenly everywhere — even the tough lizards that scampered over the mud walls of my compound were dying. I felt an impotence so deep it verged on despair. Raised vaguely Christian, I had, at best, a wary relationship with God. While I could see that the villagers around me drew great comfort from their faith, the oft-murmured phrase "Insh'Allah "— "God willing" — rang hollow to me.

Then, one day, an army duffel bag of paperbacks arrived from my mother. Inside was Huston Smith's The Religions of Man. I was so hungry for spiritual guidance, I devoured that book. I recall being struck by how similar the great faiths were, each describing something true and eternal, something far larger than us. To be sure, they used different words and parables, but they all seemed to be pointing toward some fundamental truth.

That was the thread that led me to the medieval mystics. For roughly 400 years, from 1100 to about 1500, a series of remarkable women claimed to communicate directly with God, receiving what they called "showings." They were Catholic, but they sounded remarkably similar to modern-day Buddhists. And they were women who sounded like, well, women. Writing from centuries plagued by war and plague and famine, they spoke of divine love. Their words rang with passion, urgency, clarity. The anchoress Julian of Norwich, who probably lost her entire family to the Black Death, was still able to write, "All is well, and all is well, and all manner of things shall be well." When I first read it, I laughed. It sounded naïve.

Courtesy of Janet Rich Edwards

Janet (second from right) with her clinic colleagues

But then something happened that I'll never forget. It was late afternoon in the clinic, and the call to prayer had just echoed from the mosque. Our last patient was a toddler who was so sick, his body so wasted, it was obvious he wouldn't last the night. My heart ached for him and his mother, who held him tightly. The little boy raised his head to look at me and suddenly everything fell away. His gaze was direct and his eyes were frank. He seemed to know he was dying. I felt that I was looking into the eyes of someone who had already seen ahead, and I somehow knew — I knew — that something in him would live on. I can't explain how I knew, nor can I expect anyone to believe me. He died that night. But in the morning, alongside the pain, I felt a strange peace. Nothing was well. Everything was well. Both were true. Somehow, in the eyes of that child, I'd glimpsed a mystery.

That paradox stayed with me. I came home, fell in love, got married, had children and a career. It wasn't until later, after my daughters left home, while attending a lecture about medieval nuns who crafted illuminated manuscripts, that I knew I wanted to write about a mystic. I had wondered so long about the brave women who dared to speak their experience. They were as likely to be branded heretic as they were to be recognized as messengers of God. As a young woman, I'd been struck by their words. As I grew older, I grew more curious about their lives. That's why I wrote Canticle, a novel about a headstrong mystic and the sisterhood that shelters her. It's a story with roots in a famine, a book, a child, and the mystery that still makes me wonder.

Bookshop.org

'Canticle' by Janet Rich Edwards

— sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Canticle by Janet Rich Edwards comes out Dec. 2 and is available for preorder now, wherever books are sold.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: "AOL Entertainment"

Read More


Source: Entertainment

Published: December 01, 2025 at 08:45AM on Source: PRIME TIME

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

When a Devastating Famine Hit the Nigerian Village Where I Volunteered, I Felt Powerless. Then I Read This Book (Exclusive)

When a Devastating Famine Hit the Nigerian Village Where I Volunteered, I Felt Powerless. Then I Read This Book (Ex...
New Photo - Wicked: For Good director tested the film without its songs — here's why

Filmmaker Jon M. Chu screened a version of his new movie without its beloved music. Wicked: For Good director tested the film without its songshere's why Filmmaker Jon M. Chu screened a version of his new movie without its beloved music. By Patrick Gomez :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/pgomezheadshot25b24b6c6d8948899ca9b24a6a9a6844.jpg) Patrick Gomez is an Executive Editor at . Formerly at People magazine and The A.V.

Filmmaker Jon M. Chu screened a version of his new movie without its beloved music.

Wicked: For Good director tested the film without its songs — here's why

Filmmaker Jon M. Chu screened a version of his new movie without its beloved music.

By Patrick Gomez

Patrick Gomez

Patrick Gomez is an Executive Editor at . Formerly at People magazine and The A.V. Club, the Critics Choice and Television Critics Association member has appeared on 'Today,' 'Extra!,' 'Access Hollywood,' 'E! News,' 'CNN,' and 'Nightline,' and can be seen frequently on 'Good Morning America.' Follow the Texas Native at @PatrickGomezLA wherever your media is social for all things 'For All Mankind' 'Top Chef,' and puppy related.

EW's editorial guidelines

November 27, 2025 3:00 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Jeff Goldblum is The Wizard of Oz in WICKED FOR GOOD, directed by Jon M. Chu.

The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) in 'Wicked: For Good'. Credit:

It's hard to imagine *Wicked: For Good* without, well, "For Good." So, why did director Jon M. Chu ask his team to edit a version of the film without its songs?

"We wanted to make sure every song fit and were the right length — especially of the new ones," the filmmaker tells **, referencing the addition of "No Place Like Home" and "Girl in the Bubble" as new ballads composer Stephen Schwartz crafted for Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba and Ariana Grande's Glinda, respectively.

"So yeah, we did versions where we took the songs out — just to double check, to make sure, 'Can this story work without the song?'" Chu said. "And we realized, no, you actually need it for this movie."

Thank goodness.

Does Glinda recognize the Tin Man? 'Wicked: For Good' director reveals his interpretation

Ethan Slater as the Tin Man in Wicked: For Good

'Wicked: For Good' director reveals secret note Fiyero sent Elphaba that explains surprise ending

L to R: Cynthia Erivo is Elphaba and Jonathan Bailey is Fiyero in WICKED FOR GOOD, directed by Jon M. Chu.

Chu admits he, at times, is "not a lyric person."

"I can't actually keep up with lyrics sometimes, and I need cinema to help me understand," he explains. "The lyrics are so deep and so good that sometimes I just need a little bit of visual help to get us there."

The director points to "No Good Deed" as one of those moments.

He feels that the song — which comes after Fiyero (Jonathan Bailey) has been captured and beaten, and Elphaba reckons with how her actions impact those around her — could come across as "a one-note declaration," so he was eager to give the character a true examination of her past.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

"When you go back and see Shiz again, it brings you back to her whole journey," he says of the flashback moments during the scene. "When you see Marissa [Bode] that way again, *Oh my God, Nessarose was so innocent*. And there was this moment where [Fiyero] looked back, and Elphaba looking at him, and then that creates this, *Did I miss my opportunity? How did this all go to s---?*"**

Millions of fans are likely grateful they're not asking the same after watching a *Wicked: For Good* without its songs.

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Movies"

Read More


Source: Movies

Published: December 01, 2025 at 06:38AM on Source: PRIME TIME

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

Wicked: For Good director tested the film without its songs — here's why

Filmmaker Jon M. Chu screened a version of his new movie without its beloved music. Wicked: For Good director tested the f...
New Photo - Stranger Things 5 stars preview what's ahead in Volume 2 and series finale: 'It does not scale down'

After the dramatic Volume 1 conclusion, the cast and crew promise it's just the tip of the iceberg. Stranger Things 5 stars preview what's ahead in Volume 2 and series finale: 'It does not scale down' After the dramatic Volume 1 conclusion, the cast and crew promise it's just the tip of the iceberg. By Nick Romano :maxbytes(150000):stripicc()/NicholasRomanoauthorphotoadc9b60763e34711935cbf7b3d768d24.jpg) Nick Romano is a senior editor at with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in Vanity Fair, Vulture, IGN, and more.

After the dramatic Volume 1 conclusion, the cast and crew promise it's just the tip of the iceberg.

Stranger Things 5 stars preview what's ahead in Volume 2 and series finale: 'It does not scale down'

After the dramatic Volume 1 conclusion, the cast and crew promise it's just the tip of the iceberg.

By Nick Romano

Nicholas Romano author photo

Nick Romano is a senior editor at ** with 15 years of journalism experience covering entertainment. His work previously appeared in *Vanity Fair*, Vulture, IGN, and more.

EW's editorial guidelines

November 27, 2025 1:00 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, and Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson in STRANGER THINGS, season 5

Finn Wolfhard, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Joe Keery, Charlie Heaton, and Gaten Matarazzo in 'Stranger Things 5'. Credit:

Courtesy of Netflix

- The *Stranger Things 5* cast and creators tease what's ahead in Volume 2 and the series finale.

- "It gets very big," Matt Duffer says of the back half of the season.

- Shawn Levy on directing Volume 2 episodes: "There's a lot of ambitious sequences in it, but also some really juicy, emotional character work."

**Warning: This article contains spoilers from *Stranger Things* season 5, Volume 1. **

It's hard to imagine what the rest of *Stranger Things* season 5 is going to look like after Volume 1. The first four episodes arrived Wednesday night on Netflix and, collectively, they feel like their own contained season of television, complete with full character arcs, intense event set pieces, and one shocker of a cliffhanger. Now, fans await Volume 2, which will bring episodes 5-7 on Christmas Day, and then the 2-hour series finale come New Year's Eve.

How much bigger is the final season going to get? "It does not scale down, I will say that much," series co-creator Ross Duffer tells ** of the back half of *Stranger Things 5*. "This is one reason it's taken so long to get out and why we were filming for so long."

The final season filmed over a calendar year from January-December 2024. Ross' brother and creative partner, Matt Duffer, calls the episode 4 Demogorgon battle "the most challenging sequence we shot for the entire season" from a logistics perspective. From there, "it gets very big," he teases.

"I would say Volume 2, though, more than scaling up on the action, visual effects front, the emotional aspect of it is really what gets bigger and more impactful," Matt continues. "Obviously, we're barreling towards the end and the final episode is, in fact, the end of this story for these characters. So it's highly emotional — and much more emotional than Volume 1."

STRANGER THINGS: SEASON 5

The Upside Down scene from the back half of 'Stranger Things 5'.

The stars echo a lot of the same sentiments. "I haven't even seen the Volume 2 episodes yet, but from what I remember, it just keeps getting bigger, or you keep up that stamina," Sadie Sink, our resident Max Mayfield, says. "What's smart about the volumes, too, is that it's all building to episode 4 in the first one, and we start on a higher note [in Volume 2] but then build to episode 7 and then the series finale."

"You thought Volume 1 was crazy..." Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers, begins, while his costar and bestie Millie Bobby Brown, who stars as Eleven, finishes that statement: "Get ready."

6 past 'Stranger Things' episodes that influenced season 5, according to the Duffers

Noah Schnapp's Will Byers in Stranger Things season 2, Millie Bobby Brown's Eleven in Stranger Things season 5, and Vecna/Henry Creel in Stranger Things season 4

What's next for Sadie Sink? 'Stranger Things' star talks the new phase of her career

Sadie Sink at the "O'Dessa" Premiere during the SXSW Conference & Festivals at the Paramount Theatre on March 8, 2025 in Austin, Texas.

The first Volume of *Stranger Things 5* left viewers with the remains of a massive Demogorgon battle, featuring a Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) appearance, that laid waste to the military base in Hawkins. As the Duffers confirmed to EW, Will was able to channel the big bad's psychic powers and destroy the monsters about to harm his friends, which adds what Matt Duffer calls a "new chess piece on the board in the battle for Hawkins."

Eleven also discovers her "sister" Kali/Eight (Linnea Berthelsen) is the thing hidden behind mystery door No. 1 in Dr. Kay's Upside Down laboratory. Meanwhile, the mind of Max has been trapped in Vecna's "mindscape" (essentially his memories) all this time while her body remains in Hawkins. Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Nancy's (Natalia Dyer) little sister, Holly (Nell Fisher), remains with Max, while Vecna continues his hunt for the 12 children that he needs to fulfill some mysterious mission.

"The end of this volume is like a finale in itself," Charlie Heaton, who plays Will's older brother Jonathan Byers, comments. "If that was a long movie, it would end there and there'd be another one."

Joe Keery, who plays Steve Harrington, describes the later episodes as a "big swing."

STRANGER THINGS: SEASON 5. Noah Schnapp as Will Byers and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things: Season 5.

Finn Wolfhard's Will and Jamie Campbell Bower's Vecna on 'Stranger Things 5'.

Shawn Levy, a longtime *Stranger Things* producer, typically directs episodes 3 and 4 of every season. Thanks to his commitments making *Deadpool & Wolverine*, he shifted gears for season 5, instead directing episode 6 and then co-directing episode 7 with the Duffer Brothers.

"I have to be cautious of spoilers. Let's just say there's a lot of ambitious sequences in it, but also some really juicy, emotional character work," Levy says of episode 6, titled "Escape From Camazotz."

For episode 7, "I'd never gotten to do one of those classic late-season 15-character scenes in a room, breaking down the plan, explaining the mythology," he points out. "I've always loved those scenes 'cause it's so satisfying. We wait all season for the characters to intersect and come up with that plan. So I got to direct some of those days, 14-15 of our series regulars in one room. It was chaos, very hard to get anyone to pay attention. Felt like a boisterous family reunion, but very fun to get to direct that kind of scene."

Levy, a filmmaker who regularly references the works of Steven Spielberg, further teases how "certain sequences are particularly Spielbergian in their inspiration" in the episodes he directs. "Every episode [in season 5] is ambitious storytelling, but there are some sequences in episode 6, for instance, where for something to feel event-y, it needs to be more than just big and complicated. It needs to be an ambitious set piece that is also rooted in key themes or key character growth moments."

Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers, Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, and Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair in Stranger Things: Season 5.

Mike (Finn Wolfhard) walks the gang through the plan of attack in 'Stranger Things 5'.

It applies to the budgets, as well. Season 5's episodes don't just look expensive, "they are!" Levy exclaims. He came to *Stranger Things 5* after directing *Deadpool & Wolverine*, and he's now busy shooting *Star Wars: Starfighter* with Ryan Gosling. By comparison, "These episodes might as well be called movies," he says.

He describes one sequence in episode 6 he wishes he could spoil.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

"I remember when I read a first season outline from the brothers and I said at that time, 'Oh my God, whatever poor son of a b---- has to do this sequence, dead meat. I wouldn't even begin to know how to figure out how to do that,'" the filmmaker recalls. "I begged them to actually change the idea. Couldn't it be something that's a little more doable? And they're like, 'No, it'll be awesome.' And then cut to, my calendar has me doing that episode and that sequence. I was the poor son of a b---- who had to figure out how to pull it off."

Wolfhard's advice is to savor it all. "I know that's stupid because I think a lot of people are gonna binge it. That's what streaming is and that's why it can be great," he says. "But also because it's the last season, my advice, if you can, try to make it last as long as you can."

It helps when there are two more episode drops through the new year.

- Sci-Fi & Fantasy Shows

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Sci-Fi"

Read More


Source: Sci-Fi

Published: December 01, 2025 at 06:38AM on Source: PRIME TIME

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

Stranger Things 5 stars preview what's ahead in Volume 2 and series finale: 'It does not scale down'

After the dramatic Volume 1 conclusion, the cast and crew promise it's just the tip of the iceberg. Stranger Things 5 s...
New Photo - A scandalous Eddie Murphy performance comforted Pete Davidson after his dad's tragic death on 9/11

&34;My mom's like, 'Whoa, what, what'd you get?,'&34; the &34;SNL&34; alum recalls of his childhood discovery. A scandalous Eddie Murphy performance comforted Pete Davidson after his dad's tragic death on 9/11 &34;My mom's like, 'Whoa, what, what'd you get?,'&34; the &34;SNL&34; alum recalls of his childhood discovery. By Jillian Sederholm Jillian Sederholm Jillian Sederholm is news director at . She has worked at EW for more than eight years.

"My mom's like, 'Whoa, what, what'd you get?,'" the "SNL" alum recalls of his childhood discovery.

A scandalous Eddie Murphy performance comforted Pete Davidson after his dad's tragic death on 9/11

"My mom's like, 'Whoa, what, what'd you get?,'" the "SNL" alum recalls of his childhood discovery.

By Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm

Jillian Sederholm is news director at *. *She has worked at EW for more than eight years. Jillian has previously worked as a reporter, social media editor, and homepage producer at NBC News, Digital First Media, Newsday, and *Random Lengths News.*

EW's editorial guidelines

November 27, 2025 2:00 p.m. ET

Leave a Comment

Pete Davidson and Eddie Murphy

Pete Davidson and Eddie Murphy. Credit:

Bruce Glikas/WireImage; Frazer Harrison/WireImage

Like Eddie Murphy before him, Pete Davidson joined the cast of *Saturday Night Live* before he was even old enough to legally drink, but his attachment to the comedy icon started long before.**

In the Netflix documentary *Being Eddie, *the *Bupkis* star explained how Murphy helped get him through one of the darkest times of his life when he was just 8, shortly after his dad, a New York City firefighter, was killed as a first responder to the Sept. 11 attacks. **

"My mom took me to the store in the mall that had DVDs and CDs, and *Eddie Murphy Delirious *was there, and I was like, 'What's this? He looks really cool, and this could be fun," Davidson recalled of seeing Murphy clad in his iconic red leather suit on the cover of the box for his 1983 stand-up comedy special. **

Davidson said he was already "a huge Eddie Murphy fan" from more age-appropriate movies like *Shrek *and* Dr. Doolittle*, but what he discovered when he started playing his newly-purchased DVD in the back of his family's Suburban on the way home wasn't what he was used to. **

Eddie Murphy in 1983's 'Eddie Murphy Delirious'

Eddie Murphy in 1983's 'Eddie Murphy Delirious'.

"Immediately, you know, 'F--- this, suck this, f--- you,' and my mom's like, 'Whoa, what, what'd you get?" he remembered. "I was dying laughing, and she was like, 'You can't watch this or any of that.'"**

But Davidson pleaded with his mother until she finally relented. **

"I was like, 'Please!' I'm laughing, and I think she saw I was enjoying myself and at a time where I really wasn't," he explained. "And she was like, you could watch this stuff as long as you don't repeat it or tell anybody, and it was a kind of a little pact we made, and that opened me to everything.**

Eddie Murphy reacts to David Spade making fun of him on 'SNL': 'Dirty motherf---er'

David Spade on 'Saturday Night Live'

Eddie Murphy reveals Yul Brynner tried to proposition him for sex with actor's wife

Eddie Murphy and Yul Brynner

A decade later, Davidson would follow in Murphy's footsteps by making a name for himself at *SNL, *where he joined the cast at 20 years old, just a year older than his comedy hero had been as a new cast member in 1980. And as luck would have it, Davidson was working there in 2019 when Murphy returned to the sketch comedy show after a 35-year absence.

The next year, the *King of Staten Island *actor paid tribute to Murphy in his own stand-up comedy special, *Pete Davidson: Alive From New York*, which kicked off with Murphy's "Party All the Time" as the intro song.

Things recently came full circle for Davidson when he got to star with Murphy in this year's heist comedy *The Pickup, *and the pair quickly bonded over losing their dads as children (Murphy's father was murdered in a crime of passion in 1969).

Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson in 'The Pickup'

Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson in 'The Pickup'.

Courtesy Amazon MGM Studios

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our EW Dispatch newsletter.***

******"We got along real fast, and we both have a lot in common," Davidson previously told *.* "We were always the young guy amongst a bunch of older dudes. We got along really, really, really well."

The *Norbit *star shared Davidson's enthusiasm. "We hit it off famously, and it was really great working with him," Murphy told EW. "I'd love to work with him again."

*Being Eddie *is on Netflix now.

- Movie Reviews & Recommendations

- Comedy Movies

Original Article on Source

Source: "EW Comedy"

Read More


Source: Comedy

Published: December 01, 2025 at 06:38AM on Source: PRIME TIME

#ShowBiz#Sports#Celebrities#Lifestyle

A scandalous Eddie Murphy performance comforted Pete Davidson after his dad's tragic death on 9/11

&34;My mom's like, 'Whoa, what, what'd you get?,'&34; the &34;SNL&34; alum recalls of his chil...

 

PRIME SKY © 2015 | Distributed By My Blogger Themes | Designed By Templateism.com