Jennifer Lopez and Mariah Carey are examples of professional musicians who have ventured into acting. They’ve both proven they can shine just as brightly on the big screen as they can performing on stage. However, one source says that the “We Belong Together” singer allegedly wants to “one-up” the New York City-born entertainer career-wise.
Mariah Carey may have her hands full with promoting her upcoming sixteenth album, Here for It All. However, a source told Star Magazine that the “Songbird Supreme” singer would allegedly love to make an acting comeback, with a reported “fringe benefit” of getting the “one-up” on another well-known singer/actress. They said:
She’d love nothing more than to build a new chapter with her acting career, which would come with the fringe benefit of getting one up on J.Lo, with whom she’s still ferociously competitive.
JLo’s best rom-coms, like Maid in Manhattan and The Wedding Planner, have showcased her natural charm and undeniable screen presence. But, you also can’t forget the “Get Right” singer’s drama films like Selena, Out of Sight, and Hustlers, which highlighted her emotional intensity. I’m still holding out hope she gets an Oscar someday.
Lee Daniels’ Precious. The “Hero” singer even directed and starred in the great Christmas movie, A Christmas Melody. Her acting comeback would surely satisfy her fans.
(Image credit: 20th Century Fox )
In terms of getting her acting career up and going, Star Magazine’s source claimed the singer has been contacting people about “making more noise in the movie space.” The source also alleged that Mariah Carey would reportedly prefer to act, compared to spending the next few years being featured in a documentary about her decades-long career:
There’s a time and a place for that kind of project, and Mariah just isn’t ready to go there just yet — she still has more chapters to write for herself!
I can understand that celebrities want to wait until later in their life to tell their life story. I’m confident Mariah Carey still has plenty of adventures left to live that fans would love to hear about.
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There’s never been any public confirmation of their being a feud between Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez. Back when The Butler actress joined American Idol as a Season 12 judge, there was a rumor that the network reportedly wanted to pull her from the show and replace her with Lopez. That is, until Carey’s people allegedly threatened to sue.
Also in the early 2000s, the “Like That” singer infamously said she didn’t “know” the “On the Floor” performer. However, rumors of an alleged feud went way back to the late ‘90s when Jennifer Lopez collaborated with record executive Tommy Mottola around the time of his divorce from Mariah Carey.
When Jennifer Lopez appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen in 2014, she denied the feud rumors and said she had never met Mariah Carey. However, the Marry Me actress said at the time that she’d love to meet and strike up a friendship with the fellow singer. But, Carey said in 2018 that she “still” didn’t know Lopez, claiming that she was “trying to say something nice or say nothing at all.”
Whether it’s true or not, Mariah Carey allegedly looking to “one-up” Jennifer Lopez with an acting comeback would add fuel to the fire of their reported feud. But the big screen has plenty of room for the two performers to show off their acting talent, and I can’t wait to hear about their future projects.
Sean “Diddy” Combs is currently waiting to be sentenced following the conclusion of his sex-trafficking trial. While he waits for the judge to deliver that decision, Combs remains behind bars at the Metropolitan Detention Center, which is located in Brooklyn. At the same time, there’s been much discussion about what the 55-year-old ex-mogul’s legal fate will be. Legal analysts have also been discussing whether U.S. President Donald Trump might pardon the rapper. Now, POTUS himself is addressing that possibility.
President Trump pardoned several individuals earlier this year, and a few public figures were among those granted clemency. Most notably, Todd and Julie Chrisley were pardoned years after they were found guilty of bank fraud, tax evasion and more. The president was recently interviewed by Newsmax and, during a portion of the conversation (which was shared on X), he was asked about possibly pardoning Diddy. While Trump provided an assortment of thoughts, he also mentioned one aspect of the situation that gives him pause:
Well, he was essentially, I guess sort of, half-innocent. I don’t know what they do, he’s still in jail or something. He was celebrating a victory but I guess it wasn’t as good of a victory. Probably — You know, I was very friendly with him, I got along with him great, [he] seemed like a nice guy. I didn’t know him well, but when I ran for office, he was very hostile.
Combs shared unflattering comments about Trump when decided to run for his first presidential term years ago. Rapper 50 Cent alluded to those remarks when he said he’d do everything in his power to keep Diddy from being pardoned by Trump.
The New York Post, Trump said during a June press conference at the Oval Office that he hadn’t been watching the case “too closely.” At the time, he also said he would need to “look at what’s happening.” During his recent chat about Diddy’s situation, the president went on to share mixed feelings about handing out a pardon and explained why this is a “difficult” situation for him:
Yeah, and it’s hard. You know, like you, we’re human beings, and we don’t like to have things cloud our judgement, right? But, when you knew someone and you were fine, and then you run for office and he made some terrible statements, so I don’t know… I’m being honest, it makes it more difficult to do.
Interviewer Rob Finnerty then directly asked President Trump whether it would be “more likely a no” on a pardon for Sean Combs, and the president responded with, “I’d say so.” These comments come weeks after Combs received a mixed verdict, which saw him found guilty on two counts of two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs was acquitted, however, on the two more serious charges, which were racketeering (RICO) and sex trafficking.
As Diddy remains in prison, his legal team is arguing for his release, even evoking the star’s reported “swinger” lifestyle while making their case. What the lawyers are proposing is a $50 million bail package that would allow the “Hello Good Morning” performer to await sentencing in his Miami mansion. As of this writing, that package has not been approved. Diddy’s sentencing is set to take place on October 3 and, based on President Trump’s comments, he doesn’t seem so inclined on pardoning the rapper down the road.
In the same tradition that produced a fairy tale story in Season 1, the Lower Decks crossover and musical in Season 2, and the recently-announced puppet episode for Season 4, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 delivered an episode with an especially kooky premise this week on the 2025 TV schedule. In order to test an early version of the holodeck, La’an Noonien Singh entered a murder mystery simulation revolving around the cast and crew of a TV show from the 1960s called The Last Frontier. It was obviously meant to poke fun at Star Trek: The Original Series, and Paul Wesley, who plays James T. Kirk on Strange New Worlds, opened up about breaking out his William Shatner imitation for the events of “A Space Adventure Hour.”
While Wesley’s Kirk performance is usually relatively subdued, “A Space Adventure Hour” gave the actor the opportunity to enter caricature territory when the Enterprise’s short-lived holodeck used Kirk as the model for Maxwell Saint, the lead actor of The Last Frontier. Speaking with TVLine, Wesley had this to say about channeling William Shatner’s Kirk from the TOS days, but without going too far with the impression:
I realized immediately what an opportunity it was to give the viewers a satirical, more humorous version of what I could have done. Because I know a lot of people are like, ‘Wait a minute, where’s the pause in the cadence, and where’s the gesturing, and that Shakespearean almost element of James T. Kirk that we all know from the ’60s?’ And I thought, ‘Well, here it is. Let me do it for you now.’ And I had an absolute blast doing it… I didn’t want to overdo it, but I also wanted to do enough where it was a wink to the true fans.
Paul Wesley has gotten to do his own within an official Star Trek production. That said, there were times during the shooting of “A Space Adventure Hour” (which also introduced a new romance for La’an) that Wesley had to pull back a little bit on the Shatner-isms, recalling:
the show’s finished its five-season run.
Yes, there is an endpoint already plotted out for what’s currently the only Star Trek TV series airing. However, we have a long ways to go before reaching it, so watch new episodes Thursday on Paramount+ in the meantime. Also don’t forget that Starfleet Academy, the next of the upcoming Star Trek TV shows, will premiere in early 2026.
Following The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ successful opening weekend, some of you who checked out the latest MCU movie might’ve decided to break out your Disney+ subscription to stream one or both of the Fantastic Four movies from the 2000s. Back in those days, it was Ioan Gruffud, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis and Chris Evans bringing Marvel’s First Family to life, and Evans actually reprised Johnny Storm/The Human Torch last year for Deadpool & Wolverine. Gruffud, who played Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic, shared how he reacted when he saw his old co-star flame on again.
This topic came up while Gruffud was reflecting on his time working on 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer with Vulture, naturally timed with First Steps’ release on the 2025 movies schedule. When asked if he got “joy and satisfaction” out of seeing Chris Evans play Johnny Storm again, the actor said this:
I did have a warm feeling come across me because you reminisce about the fun that we had. I absolutely loved working with him. I just remember laughing with Chris every single day on set, almost like giddy teenagers. It was a true delight to see Chris reprising Johnny, and that’s such an iconic sequence in that film. I was laughing out loud and just overjoyed by it, and it’s a beautiful homage to what Chris did as Johnny. Yes, he is beloved as Captain America, but he’s also beloved as Johnny Storm.
Deadpool & Wolverine came out five years after Chris Evans made his last appearance as Steve Rogers/Captain America in Avengers: Endgame. Though Evans has insisted that he’s not playing Steve again despite rumors claiming the contrary for next year’s Avengers: Doomsday, he was persuaded to revisit Johnny Storm nearly two decades after his last appearance as the character. Sadly, his time with the character was short-lived, as his skin was ripped off by Cassandra Nova after Wade Wilson threw him under the bus for his foul-mouthed tirade against the bald baddie.
expletive-filled return to the MCU and entertained so many people with it, including Ioan Gruffud. While the 2000s-era Fantastic Four movies weren’t exactly critical darlings, Gruffud nonetheless had a good time working with Evans on them, and feels that his depiction of Human Torch is just as important to the superhero movie landscape as his tenure as Captain America. Gruffud’s thoughts come shortly after Michael Chiklis, who played Ben Grimm/The Thing, shared a sweet message to the outpouring of love from Fantastic Four fans in the lead-up to First Steps arriving in theaters.
Although none of the 2000s Fantastic Four lineup, nor their counterparts from the 2015 reboot, will be present in Avengers: Doomsday, the latest incarnation of the team will appear in the upcoming Marvel movie. There will also still be some Fox superhero movie era love since Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Rebecca Romijn, Alan Cumming, Kelsey Grammer and James Marsden are reprising their respective roles from the X-Men film series, as well as Channing Tatum returning as Gambit following his surprise appearance in Deadpool & Wolverine.
There is a moment in the 2025 movie Superman that’s caused quite a stir, and it’s not based on any seemingly sociopolitical concerns. Rather, it’s a moment of kindness that writer/director James Gunn fought to keep in the film, even in the face of test audience confusion and executive notes.
It also happens to be one of my favorite scenes in David Corenswet’s DCU debut, as it ties together his character with a beautiful (yet comedic) note. There’s going to be some mild spoilers here, so be warned – I’m about to get nuts and share why what seems like an easily trimmable scene is really the crux of Clark Kent’s personality.
Nicholas Hoult) is using as a distraction in Metropolis, Superman (Corenswet) stops for a moment to save a dog and a squirrel. That second moment of animal kindness is alleged to be a huge point of conflict when shaping the overall edit of the picture. Per an interview with Rolling Stone, James Gunn shared why this was such a scandal:
… it was probably the second- or third-most hotly debated moment in the movie. Because we showed it to test audiences, and some people did not like the squirrel. They’re like, “Why the fuck is he saving a squirrel? Why is he taking time out, saving a squirrel?”
I’m not terribly surprised that a handful of Superman moments instigated debates such as this. That’s just the nature of “The Discourse” these days. However, seeing Kal-El’s relatively minor act as out of character is something I’d think even die-hard Supes fans could agree upon.
Reading the way that The Suicide Squad mastermind describes the reactions, and the ensuing battle to keep this beat, you’d think this was the second coming ofMan of Steel’s controversial death of General Zod. (Something HBO Max subscriptionholders probably continue to squabble over, after every viewing.) Fight he did, though, as Mr. Gunn had some specific feelings on why he felt one tiny life made all the difference in the world.
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)
James Gunn Almost Cut The Squirrel, But Decided Against It For A Very Good Reason
Depending on whether you’re Pro or Anti-Squirrel Scene, you may find this next twist in the tale a bit refreshing. Further along in his NYT discussion, James Gunn admits that he tried a version where Superman’s metahuman protagonist wasn’t shown making the save, which only served to help him realize its significance, thusly:
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There was a cut where I cut it out, and I’m like, ‘I really miss the squirrel. He’s gotta save the squirrel.’ In addition, there were also some geographic problems with where he ended up if I didn’t have him fly over with the squirrel. So I put the squirrel back in despite the protestations of some of my people on my crew.
No matter which side of the fence you’re on, Gunn’s dedication to continuity in the moment should be all anyone needs to see the validity of Superman saving a squirrel. That school of thought is rewarded not too long after the moment in question, as we see the “Last Son of Krypton” bemoaning the fact that Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and the Justice Gang killed the kaiju threat, rather than choosing a more humane solution.
In chatting with The New York Times about this innocent tree dweller’s fate, our Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 helmer further defended his viewpoint with an ethos that’s shown further along in the picture:
It could be seen as Pollyanna today, but Pollyanna’s about the edgiest, most punk-rock thing you can be. I think the fine line is finding the humor in a person without making fun of him, because I think it’s honorable the way Superman is. I wish more people were more like that.
We’ve been meant to look up to Superman as the ideal of utopian and altruistic thought. His actions and his personality are supposed to make us want to be better people. Clark’s chat with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) while vowing to save Krypto, the Justice Gang showing up to defend Jarhanpur, and even the decision to hand Lex Luthor over to the authorities all shine brighter because of a squirrel.
That’s a thought I encourage everyone to consider as they see Superman for the first or fifth time; thanks to James Gunn’s cinematic kick-off forDCU Chapter 1: Gods and Monstersstill running in theaters.
Music icon Ozzy Osbourne passed away at the age of 76 in late July, and much of the public continues to mourn him. Tributes have poured in for the late Black Sabbath member, and a massive funeral procession was held in England days ago ahead of a private funeral. In varying ways, members of the late rocker’s family have been expressing their love for their patriarch. That includes Ozzy’s daughter, Kelly, whom he shares with Sharon. Kelly recently took to social media to honor her dad in an unconventional, but fitting, way.
Over the years, Kelly Osbourne seemed to have a very close relationship with her father. That father-daughter bond seemed to truly remain intact as Ozzy suffered health issues during the final years of his life. Kelly took to her Instagram story to pay tribute to her dad by sharing a floral arrangement dedicated to the late Grammy winner. The flowers spelled out Ozzy’s name, but there was also a keenly placed expletive in the mix. Check out the post from the Beat Shazam fill-in for yourself:
(Image credit: Instagram)
It goes without saying that Ozzy Osbourne was known for being eccentric and unapologetically himself, whether he was on stage or off it. With that, he definitely had no problem dropping an f-bomb or two in his time. (And Kelly doesn’t mince words, either.) So, while the floral display may seem a bit unorthodox on the surface, it actually tracks with what fans know about the “Shot in the Dark” performer. All in all, a part of me would like to think that Ozzy would get a kick out of this particular tribute.
Elton John penned a lovely message to his “dear friend” upon hearing the news for himself. A sweet post also came from Nirvana, and Metallica also shared a great throwback photo. Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong penned a message as well.
Ahead of his passing Ozzy Osbourne had suffered from Parkinson’s Disease for years and, back in 2020, it was confirmed that he’d lost the ability to walk because of the disease. It was during that same year that he was also revealed to have developed emphysema. Nevertheless, Osbourne continued to make public appearances, and his death came just 17 days after his final concert, Back to the Beginning, during which he reunited with his Black Sabbath mates. Bassist Terence “Geezer” Butler recalled working with his old friend while prepping for that event, saying that it was difficult for Osbourne to prepare given he “wasn’t in good health.”
Following the death of “The Prince of Darkness,” his impact on not just music but pop culture as a whole has truly come into focus. Even though he was well known for his songs and theatrics during concerts, he was also something of a trailblazer for the modern era of reality TV. The Osbournes, his family’s flagship show, became a bonafide hit during the early aughts and chronicled the familial dynamics that existed amongst Ozzy, Sharon, Kelly and the couple’s son, Jack. Ozzy also made other TV and film appearances amid his career.
I think it’s fair to say that there won’t be another musical personality quite like Ozzy Osbourne. While he certainly leaves a serious void in death, his legacy will surely live on through not only his work but through the people who knew him best. Kelly Osbourne as well as whoever arranged that f-bomb-laced floral display are counted in that group as well.
