News

In a shocking move, Spring Baking Championship's 2025 contestant Lauren Klein withdrew from the competition during the debut episode. 

Season 11 of the reality competition series is now underway, and a new batch of aspiring bakers is battling for the show's $50,000 cash prize. 

Just like 2024's iteration of the series (and every season before that), the show sees its competitors taking part in spring-themed baking challenges and being eliminated one by one until a winner is crowned. 

Read full article on The Direct.

“Yellowjackets” and “Scream” star Jasmin Savoy Brown has a new podcast, titled “Today in Gay.”

Described as a “short, joyful daily news podcast by and for the queer community,” Brown came up with the show three years ago when she realized there’s no queer equivalent to NPR’s “Up First” or the NY Times’ “The Headlines.”

Though Brown serves as creator, the podcast will be hosted by Nay Bever, “Our Flag Means Death” star Vico Ortiz and Bex-Taylor Klaus. Bever and Brown will produce the podcast alongside editor and theme song-composer Lauren Klein, with research by Hannah Nobrega and illustrations by Jax Ko. All members of the “Today in Gay” production team identify as members of the queer community.

“Today in Gay” is fully-funded by Brown, who says everyone will be paid the same — from host to graphic designer, everyone working on the podcast will make $50/hr. The show will launch everywhere on Jan.

Tom Hanks is diving into the world of motion pictures in his new novel.

In The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece (Knopf), the Academy Award winner writes about the process of bringing a motion picture from the page to the screen through a group of characters. The story first takes place in 1947 when a soldier returning from war meets his 5-year-old nephew and then disappears for 23 years. Fast forward to 1970 and the nephew, a comic book artist, reconnects with his uncle, even drawing a comic version of him as a World War II hero.

“Cut to the present day: A commercially successful director discovers the 1970 comic book and decides to turn it into a contemporary superhero movie. Cue the cast: We meet the film’s extremely difficult male star, his wonderful leading lady, the eccentric writer/director, the producer, the gofer production assistant, and everyone else on both sides of the camera,...

Beginning Tuesday, March 27, Matthew Risch will be playing the role of Trip Wyeth replacing Justin Kirk, who will play his last performance this Sunday, March 25. He will be joining Stacy Keach, Judith Light, Elizabeth Marvel and Lauren Klein, who is playing the role of Polly Wyeth until Thursday, April 5. Stockard Channing will return to the role of Polly Wyeth on Friday, April 6.

Grease star Stockard Channing has temporarily stepped down from the cast of hit play Other Desert Cities to undergo arthroscopic knee surgery.

The Tony Award winner will miss Monday night's production and will be replaced by her understudy, Lauren Klein.

Channing is expected to be back onstage by the end of the month.

Other Desert Cities at the Lincoln Center Theater also features Stacy Keach, Judith Light and Rachel Griffiths in her Broadway debut.