Award shows are already inherently debate-centric events, from the nominating process right through picking the winners. But over the years, such multi-headed conversations have stretched further back to address the categorical classifications themselves, sometimes with other film genres in mind, but increasingly more often with gender divisions as the centerpoint. It’s a topic that many Hollywood stars have discussed, including The Last of Us star Bella Ramsey, despite them not having the strongest feelings on the topic.
Ramsey, who portrays beloved video game survivor Ellie in HBO’s hit adaptation, was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series after The Last of Us’ first season, and though Succession’s Sarah Snook was the nominee joining the list of other 2024 Emmy winners, Ramsey was still honored to have earned the recognition. Appearing on The Louis Theroux Podcast, they first shut down any rumors of foul feelings, saying:
I didn’t find it insulting.
past comments made by House of the Dragon’s Emma D’Arcy, as well as Killers of the Flower Moon‘s Lily Gladstone — it’s doubtful anyone will arrive at a magical solution in the near future that pleases every single person equally. But one can hope.
Bella Ramsey Addresses Thoughts On Using They/Them Pronouns
Having shot to stardom as Lyanna Mormont on Game of Thrones, Bella Ramsey rose to possibly even greater heights upon landing The Last of Us, and thus found their private life and personal opinions coming up more and more in interviews and social media commentary. Ramsey addressed being gender-fluid back in 2023 ahead of the HBO horror-drama’s debut, but doesn’t seem to feel as strongly about embracing any particular pronoun at this point. As they put it:
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I’ve never been strict about they/them because I think I just don’t really care. Also, I’m very comfortable in, like, who I am. I know how important it is for other people, but for me, it’s not as important right now that it’s specific. I’m like, I don’t really…it just doesn’t really matter to me.
Ramsey’s The Last of Us, despite having a depleted post-apocalyptic population, is one of the more inclusive shows on TV at the moment. The latest episode specifically pointed out that this world was thrown into chaos before the Pride movement’s nationwide expansion, with neither Ellie nor her romantic foil Dina (Isabela Merced) understanding all the rainbow murals in Seattle. And gamers know that a very important pair of characters are on the way that will offer their own complicated take on representation.
Whether or not any awards ceremonies make the call to change up categories in the future, I think everyone would agree that Isabela Merced has already proven herself worthy of all the nominations, regardless of gender, job duties, or even the central medium. Give her an Oscar and a Tony as well!
The Last of Us airs every Sunday night on HBO at 9:00 p.m. ET, with new episodes simultaneously available to stream with a Max subscription.
The Met Gala always gives us some great moments in celebrity fashion, and this year’s event was no exception as it aired on the 2025 TV schedule. There were a lot of black-and-white ensembles, hats, capes and trains befitting of the Met Gala’s “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style” theme, including a particularly iconic look from Diana Ross. It was one arrival you definitely didn’t want to miss, and Zendaya made sure that she didn’t.
Diana Ross’ white gown was a show-stopper — if for no other reason because the dress with its gigantic feather-trimmed train took up nearly the entire staircase at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as you can see below:
(Image credit: Photo by Michael Buckner/Penske Media via Getty Images)
But wait a minute, who is that in the background peeping on Diana Ross’ entrance? This might be my favorite part of the evening, because look closely amongst the crowd, a little to the right of center, and you can see none other than Zendaya in that white hat making sure she was there to witness the epic moment. Need a closer look? Enhance!
(Image credit: Photo by Michael Buckner/Penske Media via Getty Images)
The Queen of Motown was unquestionably among the Met Gala’s top looks, and her entrance was disruptive in the best way, requiring six men to help carry that large train up the steps of the museum. The piece was more than visually impressive, too, as Diana Ross revealed that the names of all of her children and grandchildren were embroidered on it.
engagement ring from Tom Holland.
Some thought Zendaya’s look was actually inspired by Diana Ross, as the white outfit — and especially the hat — resembled part of Ross’ wardrobe in the 1975 film Mahogany; however, that turned out to be just a happy coincidence, as stylist Law Roach confirmed the Euphoria actress was channeling Mick Jagger’s ex-wife Bianca, per Teen Vogue.
Either way, it was so fun to see Zendaya totally geeking out, craning her neck to see the music icon’s big Met Gala moment. In addition to that favorite moment, we also saw Kim Kardashian and Kylie and Kendall Jenner climb the steps (I guess Rihanna didn’t get them banned after all).
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Speaking of the “Don’t Stop the Music” singer, Rihanna gave us yet another epic pregnancy announcement by debuting her baby bump on the carpet. This will be the third child for her and A$AP Rocky, who served as one of the co-chairs of the annual fundraiser.
Hailey Bieber also made an appearance, but she was without her husband as rumors of trouble in their marriage circulate, as well as concerns that Justin Bieber is blowing through his money.
Outside of the Met Gala, Zendaya is staying pretty busy, with a couple of offerings on the 2025 movie calendar, and the long-awaited Euphoria Season 3 is currently in production.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is always expanding, thanks to new projects arriving in theaters and streaming with a Disney+ subscription. The latest movie to hit theaters is Jake Schreier’s Thunderbolts*, which put a motley crew of antiheroes together. The movie’s ending finally revealed what the asterisk meant, and the studio is already changing its title for billboards and more. Now the director has given his honest thoughts bout Marvel spoiling Thunderbolts* for anyone who couldn’t go opening weekend.
The ending of Thunderbolts* revealed that the scrappy team is actually being branded the New Avengers by Valentina, in one final, satisfying twist. This was an effective punctuation on the movie, but the movie’s marketing is starting to reveal the team’s true name. Schreier spoke to The New York Times about this strategy, saying:
Especially given that the asterisk has been on the movie for a year, hopefully it doesn’t feel sweaty — it feels like this was a plan and we built up to it.
He’s not wrong. Rather than the New Avengers reveal being totally out of the blue, the asterisk in Thunderbolts* has hinted all along that it isn’t the team’s real name. And as such, he’s hoping that fans appreciate that twist ending, and the implications that the reveal comes with for upcoming Marvel movies.
While security keeps things under wraps before Marvel movies go to theaters, after that their contents usually are spoiled online. Indeed, the Thunderbolts* ending has found its way onto social media, which is likely part of the reason why the studio decided to take control over the narrative. They’re doing the title change themselves, which Schreier said was them “embracing” the way the internet works. The filmmaker went on to say:
It’s so interesting in this world, and Kevin talks about it sometimes, where sometimes they wanted things to leak and they don’t. I think we all assumed that it would be a bigger part of the conversation already, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens.
With the team officially dubbed the New Avengers, it should be fascinating to see how they end up attempting to save the Earth. Marvel’s Avengers: Doomsday live stream confirmed they’ll appear in the forthcoming blockbuster, alongside OG stars of the X-Men movies, as well as former Avengers members and the Fantastic Four. In fact, the latter team’s arrival was teased during Thunderbolts*’ credits scene.
Personally I’m invested in the New Avengers, as Jake Schreier’s blockbuster had a moving story, in addition to its action and comedy. I’d like to see them stick around for the long haul, and it’s thrilling that a crossover is already confirmed for Doomsday.
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Thunderbolts* is in theaters now and Fantastic Four: First Steps will follow suit July 25th as part of the 2025 movie release list.
Tom Cruise may be 62, yet he still insists on doing his own stunts, from climbing the tallest building in the world to driving motorcycles off cliffs. But in the upcoming Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, hitting the 2025 movie release schedule on May 21, the action icon pulls out all the stops, this time with a high-stakes underwater sequence he’s been building toward for four decades. Naturally, he shared a behind-the-scenes look on social media, and it goes so hard, proving that the Minority Report performer isn’t just making movies, he’s making cinematic history.
In a new Instagram video post, Cruise revealed behind-the-scenes footage of himself prepping, suiting up, and diving into a deepwater tank to film one of The Final Reckoning’s biggest sequences. The post’s caption reads, “It’s all about preparation and communication.” In the clip, which you can watch below, he and director Christopher McQuarrie are shown mapping the dive beat-for-beat, using hand signals and rehearsing underwater maneuvers with precision.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation—the pair crafted what they call “an underwater sequence unlike any other.” The scope is massive, and the execution feels more like a real-world dive mission than a movie set. And unlike previous entries, there’s a rawness to the stunt work that reminds viewers why Cruise remains unmatched when it comes to the best action movie sequences.
It’s also a full-circle moment. In a previous Instagram post, Cruise captioned the work on the water sequences, referencing Legend (1985), one of his early fantasy films, where he first tackled complex underwater shots. The actor wrote:
From Legend in 1985 to Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, I have been studying and filming underwater sequences for over 40 years. We have always tried to push our filmmaking to the next level, and in this movie McQ and I saw an opportunity to create an underwater sequence unlike any other. We are excited to share it with you.
Forty years later, the Top Gun star has built an entire franchise around escalating physicality. The eighth entry into the series of spy action thrillers might be his boldest leap yet, because he’s seen holding on to the wing of a biplane in the Final Reckoning trailers, but now we know that’s just the tip of things, as we are also getting a death-defying underwater sequence. If the rumors are true that this is Hunt’s final mission, the actor is making sure he goes out with something audiences haven’t seen before—and probably won’t see again.
With the film’s release just weeks away, the buzz around this underwater stunt is heating up. Whether or not The Final Reckoning marks the end of the line for Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise’s commitment to doing it for real reminds us why Mission: Impossible remains the gold standard for action movie franchises.
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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning releases in theaters on May 23, 2025.
J.K. Rowling has made no bones about her political feelings in recent years, and this week the topic came up again after one of the the new Harry Potter series actors Paapa Essiedu signed an “open letter” calling for the protection of trans rights amidst recent UK political rulings. Rowling said she’d never deny Essiedu work, but how does HBO feel about working with so many talents across a broad political spectrum?
Well, head honcho Casey Bloys recently spoke on the record over the matter after podcast host Matthew Belloni asked him on The Town if he monitored Rowling’s Twitter (X) account, which is where the author and producer is most active with her views. Bloys said he is “very aware” of how she feels personally but it does not impact the relationship Rowling has with Max.
No [I’m not nervous to do business with her]. I’ve said this before the decision to be in business with J.K. Rowling is not new for us. We’ve been in business for 25 years. We already have a show on HBO from J.K. Rowling called CB Strike that we do with the BBC.
Harry Potter movies grossing more than $9.5 billion in total and spawning spinoffs with the Fantastic Beast movies and plenty of opportunities in the theme park space and with merchandise. Just recently, a new Potter shop opened in Chicago, and Tom Felton was even on hand to greet a gaggle of fans.
While the new Max series is reportedly going to cost a fortune, I’d assume the studio is hoping it will be a boon for those with a Max subscription. As part of that deal, per Bloys, Rowling is entitled to her own personal opinions, as he feels we all are.
I think it’s pretty clear those are her personal political views. She’s entitled to them. Harry Potter is not being secretly infused with anything and she’s entitled to those views… if you want to debate her, you can go on Twitter.
Just shortly after the podcast broke, Rowling was asked about Paapa Essiedu seemingly disagreeing with her take on what is happening in the UK. A judge recently upheld transgender protections, but ruled there that the legal definition of the word “woman” would be based upon biology. Essiedu and others have felt there are wide-ranging implications to this, but while Rowling disagrees, she wrote on X that she did not have the power nor would want to cut the new Snape actor.
I don’t have the power to sack an actor from the series and I wouldn’t exercise it if I did. I don’t believe in taking away people’s jobs or livelihoods because they hold legally protected beliefs that differ from mine.
While Rowling has been notably vocal in her beliefs, and will be involved in the upcoming series, in general movie and TV sets are a hodgepodge of different types of people all working together for a common goal. The narrative surrounding Potter has simply been louder than most.
Harry Potter is set to become a new series with a new cast in 2026, and some actors like the aforementioned Felton have stated they are interested in a cameo.
