Leslie Odom Jr. talks 'flexing the storytelling muscle' with debut bookFailing Up

(Just kidding on that last one. )Failing Uphits shelves March 27 and will be available as an audiobookvia Audibleon April 10. Listen to an exclusive clip below, and read on for more from Odom. Credit: Feiwel & Friends But I took the meeting. They had heard about the fact that I enjoy working with college kids. So they said, What if you wrote a commencement address? What if you wrote a book and we designed it like a commencement address?...

May 1, 2025 · 4 min · 846 words · Cheryl Harris MD

Leslie Odom Jr. would reprise his Aaron Burr role if the originalHamiltoncast reunited

There was a magic about that original company. Odom outlines his experiences inHamiltoninhis new autobiographyFailing Up. I write what all those actors and performers mean to me, he says. Credit: Theo Wargo/WireImage I tried to mention as many of them in my Tony speech as I could. There was real love and admiration there from me. That would be the room where it happens, Odom jokes. Odom had a supporting role on the series as aBombshellensemble member and sometime lover of Christian Borles writer Tom....

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 195 words · Christine Williamson

Let Ashanti (and her new subway musicalStuck) soothe your MTA nightmares

Taking a ride on the New York City subway is the stuff of unimaginable nightmares. Its a scenario ripped from the bowels of hell thats become a part of our daily routine. Would you suddenlywantto spend several blissful hours gallivanting about the subterranean abyss? Freestyle Releasing Sing about their problems (Unwanted pregnancy! Think of the song-and-dance opportunities thatll enhance the trip for everyone! Take a breath, think ofAshanti, and sing your heart out!...

May 1, 2025 · 3 min · 540 words · Mary Kim

Let Paddington present at the Oscars

Every year, people seem to find a way to take issue with the Oscars. Paddington is a critically acclaimed bear and an entertainment veteran with six decades of industry experience. And still, no invitation to present at the Oscars? Credit: Everett Collection; Eddy Chen/ABC via Getty Images; Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images How come, Academy? To allow Paddington to present at this esteemed ceremony would be to allow sunshine into a dark foyer....

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 191 words · Ashley Dawson

Let's break down the Oscars best actress race (so far)

So many great women! And what wonder women they are rebels, rule breakers, uncompromising and brave heroines. Writer-director Martin McDonagh wrote Mildred with McDormand in mind, and audiences will surely know why. Credit: Left to Right: Niko Tavernise/Fox; Neon; Niko Tavernise/Paramount; Merrick Morton/Fox Searchlight Another case of the star and the material being in perfect harmony isJessica Chastainin Aaron SorkinsMollys Game. Meanwhile, Margot Robbieas figure skater Tonya Harding might have seemed at one time like a head-scratcher....

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 97 words · Sandra Carlson

Let's break down the Oscars best picture race (so far)

Among the many life lessons 2017 taught us is that the future is uncertain. But will voters find its never-surrender ethos too cerebral an exercise? IfDunkirkis all head, Guillermo del Toros lush, romantic fairy taleThe Shape of Wateris all heart. Credit: Marc Schmidt; Fox Searchlight Pictures; Sarah Shatz/Lionsgate; Universal Pictures; ButBillboardswill have to face off against Steven SpielbergsThe Postfor that distinction. feels like a direct counterattack on the general garbage heap that this year has been for womankind....

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 182 words · Megan Allen

Let's break down the Oscars best supporting actor race (so far)

Earlier this fall, I overheard a critic say, Supporting actor is abloodbaththis year. This turns out to be less hyperbolic than one might think. Certainly its the category thats the most crowded with deserving candidates. Credit: Everett Collection; Merrick Morton/Fox Searchlight; Atsushi Nishijima/Netflix; Sundance Institute And did youseeDustin HoffmaninThe Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)? Yes, sir, yes!

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 57 words · Jodi Taylor

Let's break down the Oscars best supporting actress race (so far)

Welcome to Oscar season! Better still, this holds true for both the lead-and-supporting actress categories. This is not wrong. Credit: Left to Right: Nicole Rivelli/Lionsgate; Justin Lubin/Universal; Netflix; Merie Wallace/A24 (Shes already off to an early awards start: The Gotham Awards nominated her for Breakthrough Actor. But then theres the other side of the spectrum. (If you are looking for a C.J. Cregg fix, keep moving.) You should get in on that....

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 72 words · George Velasquez

Let's crash cars with Steven Spielberg on the set ofReady Player One

Steven Spielberg is having fun. Youre here for stunt day! Perpendicular to it, about a football field away, an old mail truck is trundling toward The Stacks. Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. They think theyve lost him and escaped. The cars are empty, steered by remote control, for reasons that will become obvious. This isnt something you want to put an actual human body through. Jaap Buitendijk/Warner Bros. But there is a science and strategy at work, too....

May 1, 2025 · 3 min · 542 words · Sally Roman

Let's Make a Dealhost Wayne Brady will do double duty onThe Bold and the Beautiful

It’s not enough forWayne Bradyto simply hostLet’s Make a Deal, it seems. The entertainer has decided to join the cast ofThe Bold and the Beautifulas well. Yes, Brady is actually being referred to as a series regular. Credit: Gabriel Olsen/FilmMagic No, it’s not expected to impact his day job hosting the CBS game show. Brady will play Dr. Buckingham, the father of Zoe (Kiara Barnes). Brady has hostedLet’s Make a Dealsince 2009....

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 80 words · Erik Zimmerman

Let's talk about Beyoncé and Jay-Z'sEverything Is Love

Ahead, EW critic-at-large Leah Greenblatt and music editor Alex Suskind break it all down. Leah: So, Alex, do you agree that this is basically a vibe record? (Mr. Carter got promoted! Credit: Beyonce/Instagram The kids had the best time at camp! Mrs. Carter is very much enjoying her art-history extension course!) If4:44andLemonadewere the tumultuous first and second acts, thenEverything Is Loveis the long-awaited resolution. Parkwood Entertainment No one does surprises like musics reigning monarchs in both release drops and lyrics....

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 168 words · Lauren Collier

Let's talk about theThor: Ragnarokend credits and what they might mean

But theotherscene promises big plot points for the Marvel Cinematic Universe or just, like, bigness. Lets take a closer look, shall we? Ragnarokends with the titular apocalypse laying waste to Thors home realm of Asgard. Jasin Boland/Marvel Studios And the final proper scene ofRagnaroksees the newly-crowned King Thor setting a course for Earth. This is plot material familiar to comic book fans. However, that mightnotbe the future for the MCU Asgardians....

May 1, 2025 · 2 min · 222 words · Jonathan Garcia

Letty 'spins out' in the season 2 finale ofGood Behavior

Letty (Michelle Dockery) has just crossed a line. And then now she has killed not one but two people within the span of 10 seconds. Coming out of that, it was always the design to have her kill Teo. The last two scripts were really good, but they were feeling to me a little bit straightforward. If Letty had just killed Teo, hes like the bad guy. We want him dead....

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 157 words · Casey Jacobson