News

Go inside rehearsals for Marriott Theatre's Catch Me If You Can, the delightfully entertaining musical comedy based on the true story about chasing your dreams and not getting caught. JJ Niemann will make his Marriott Theatre debut as the charming con artist, “Frank Abagnale Jr.” The production also features Marriott Theatre favorite Nathaniel Stampley as “Agent Carl Hanratty”; Mariah Lyttle as “Brenda Strong” and Jessie Fisher as “Paula Abagnale”. Directed...

A whole lot of movies came to Tubi in August, which means you might be struggling to pick which ones to check out first.

The good news is, you don’t have to spend any money to watch them, so you don’t have to worry about getting them in before a free trial expires, or before an account cancellation kicks in. The better news is that, if you don’t want to go scrolling for half an hour trying to decide what to watch, we can help.

Here are seven of the best new movies streaming on Tubi right now.

“Holes” (Photo credit: Walt Disney Pictures) Holes (2003)

Based on Louis Sachar’s book of the same name, “Holes” is a staple film for an entire generation. Starring Shia Labeouf, Sigourney Weaver, Patricia Arquette and more, the story centers on Stanley Yelnats (Labeouf) who is unfortunately part of a cursed family.

Frank Baum's 1900 children's novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" has had an incredible life well beyond its original intent. First, there was a Broadway musical adaptation in 1902, and then in 1939, it was adapted into the film "The Wizard of Oz" starring Judy Garland. Since then, there have been numerous excellent and unique reinterpretations of Baum's story, ranging from 1978's "The Wiz" (a movie musical featuring an all-Black cast) to the wildly successful "Wicked" franchise based on the novel by Gregory Maguire, which has since given rise to a major musical film version starring Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, and Jeff Goldblum. "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" is wildly adaptable because of its rather simple plot structure and hugely recognizable elements, and since it's been in the public domain since 1956, people have had a lot of time to create their own visions of this classic fantasy adventure.

Indeed, there have...

Now in its third year, Netflix’s The Paris Theater has today announced the full lineup for its much-enjoyed Big & Loud screening series, available exclusively on IndieWire. Per today’s release, the screening series “will deliver four consecutive weeks of cinema’s most unforgettable sensory experiences with a jam-packed lineup of 70mm, Dolby Atmos, and audio-obsessive cinema.”

This year’s series will kick off August 29 and run through September 25, and will put Manhattan’s largest Atmos theater to the test with 41 films, including 13 films on 70mm, and 6 films presented with special Dolby Atmos sound mixes. Per Netflix, the series aims to offer “a completely immersive experience, with picture and sound that allows audiences to fully immerse in the worlds onscreen, reveals new details to even the most seasoned filmgoers, and brings the intricate, thoughtful sound design of some of cinema history’s most gifted film artists to life.”

As has...

Stressed that it’s somehow already August? You’re not alone. But you can still ignore that stress, at least a little, with a good movie night. And there are a lot of options for you on Tubi this month.

Tubi is an entirely free streaming service, no subscription required to watch their offerings. You will have to put up with ads when you watch, but you don’t even have to create an account if you don’t want to. And this month, they have some old favorites, including the “Bring It On” franchise, and more recent hits too.

You can find a full list of what’s available on Tubi in August 2025 below.

Aug. 1

“21 Jump Street (2012)”

“22 Jump Street”

“A Low Down Dirty Shame”

“A Man Apart”

“Across The Universe”

“Annie (2014)”

“Baby Driver”

“Bandidas”

“B.A.P.S.”

“Barely Lethal”

“Bite The Bullet”

“Body Of Lies”

“Bottle Rocket”

“Bring It On...

Tubi’s August slate will feature a range of new and returning film and TV releases, including a rare series addition to its lineup.

On Aug. 7, the sci-fi comedy show “Demascus,” will premiere on the platform after being saved from cancellation. The six-part series found a new home on Tubi two years after AMC Networks canceled the show ahead of its launch in 2023.

Created by Tearrance Arvelle Chisholm, the series centers on Demascus, a Black man who goes on a journey of self-discovery using an experimental reality-bending technology. “Station 19’s” Okieriete Onaodowan plays Demascus with Janet Hubert, Caleb Eberhardt, Shakira Ja’nai Paye and Martin Lawrence starring in a recurring role.

Other TV offerings include “Saved By The Bell,” “The Kennedys,” “The Yogi Bear Show” and more. Other titles landing on the platform are the “Bring It On” franchise installments, “One Direction: This Is Us” documentary, “Matilda,” “The Da Vinci Code,...

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report the death of Broadway veteran Michael James Leslie. A native of Brielle, New Jersey, Leslie was a graduate of Rutgers College and Cornell Law School. He made his theatrical debut in the first Broadway revival of Hair, directed by Tom O'Horgan. Following that, he starred as the Lion in The Wiz alongside Stephanie Mills, becoming the final actor to play the role in the original Broadway production. He later joined Mills on her “Whatcha Gonna Do With My Lovin” tour, which included performances at The Metropolitan Opera House and the Kennedy Center. He was also known for originating the role of the Voice of the Plant in Little Shop of Horrors, performing in the Los Angeles, London, Broadway, and...

BroadwayWorld is saddened to learn of the passing of Broadway actor Michael James Leslie. Leslie's Broadway credits include: Revival of Hair, The Wiz (Lion), Senator Joe, and Little Shop of Horrors (2003 Revival). Friends and colleagues have taken to social media to share heartfelt tributes to the actor. Leslie's additional stage credits include the National Tours of Beauty and the Beast, and Little Shop of Horrors. His Off-Broadway credits include Romance in Hard Times, The Butter fingers Angel, Warren G, Little Shop of Horrors, Mowgli, American Heroes. Regionally, Leslie appared in The Wiz, Little Shop of Horrors (Dallas Summer Musicals), Once on This Island, The Happy Elf (First Children’s Theater of Milwaukee), A Christmas...

Tubi, Fox’s free streaming service, has announced its August titles. The Tubi August 2025 slate includes Tubi Originals, TV series, and numerous action, art house, Black cinema, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, kids and family, sci-fi and fantasy, thriller, and Western titles.

As a leading ad-supported video-on-demand service, the company engages diverse audiences through a personalized experience and the world’s largest content library of over 250,000 movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of exclusive Originals, and nearly 250 live channels.

You can watch the Tubi August 2025 lineup for free on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, and Cox Contour.

You can also watch the service on connected television devices, including Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Tubi website.

Tubi Originals

Action

President Down – 8/29

A secret...

Following his 2024 performance in The Wiz, Wayne Brady is making his highly anticipated return to Broadway as the showman Harold Zidler in Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Ahead of his limited run in the show, which begins July 22, the Brady visited The View to discuss joining the production. Though a longtime celebrated performer, Brady told the hosts that he still gets nervous and experiences "the jitters" before stepping on the stage. He believes these are essential for an actor or anybody in a creative career. "The day that you go, 'I got this,' you're done...so I'm still feeling those nerves [and] I'm scared going into opening night but that's because I love it so much." Also during the conversation, the actor recalled an experience during...

Today, between is all about the animals- or at least it is in Shubert Alley. Broadway Barks returns for its 27th annual dog and cat adoption event (3-6:30pm) between West 44th and 45th Streets, and between Broadway and Eighth Avenues. The event will be hosted by co-founder Bernadette Peters and Beth Leavel and is produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Learn more about Broadway Barks. We are celebrating the special day with a salute to all kinds of Broadway animals. Enjoy songs from musicals like: The Lion King, Seussical, Cats, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Water for Elephants, The Little Mermaid, The Wiz, Tarzan, Annie, and more! <iframe allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/playlist/60RRaXHISrPk5AJiEmJRhI?utm_source=generator?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height:...

Wicked fans are in for a treat ahead of the Wicked: For Good theatrical release this fall.

On November 6th, NBC will air a Wicked special live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, featuring the film’s stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. The duo, along with other stars from the movie (plus surprise guests) will perform songs from the first Wicked film. NBCUniversal is also teasing that “maybe, just maybe, a little bit from the upcoming film,” according to a press release.

The show is set to air on NBC at 8:00 p.m. Et/Pt on November 6th, and will start streaming on Peacock beginning on November 7th. Wicked: For Good will make its theatrical release on November 21st.

Grande and Erivo are no strangers to performing live on television together; the pair teamed up to open the 2025 Oscars with a medley of songs from Wicked, The Wizard of Oz,...

Wicked fans are in for a treat ahead of the Wicked: For Good theatrical release this fall.

On November 6th, NBC will air a Wicked special live from the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, featuring the film’s stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo. The duo, along with other stars from the movie (plus surprise guests) will perform songs from the first Wicked film. NBCUniversal is also teasing that “maybe, just maybe, a little bit from the upcoming film,” according to a press release.

The show is set to air on NBC at 8:00 p.m. Et/Pt on November 6th, and will start streaming on Peacock beginning on November 7th. Wicked: For Good will make its theatrical release on November 21st.

Grande and Erivo are no strangers to performing live on television together; the pair teamed up to open the 2025 Oscars with a medley of songs from Wicked, The Wizard of Oz,...

Hacks and The Pitt were among the big winners at the 17th annual Dorian TV Awards.

Chosen by Galeca: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, this year’s Dorian winners also included Severance, The Traitors and Pee Wee as Himself. Multi-hyphenate Cole Escola earned Galeca’s Wilde Wit Award, while Ncuti Gatwa — the first Black and openly queer performer to portray the doctor in BBC’s Doctor Who — was named this year’s Lgbtqia+ TV Trailblazer.

“This year’s Dorian TV winners prove once again that queer folks have an especially keen eye for stellar TV, using our culture’s lens to elevate the bold, brilliant, and blissfully bonkers,” Galeca Executive Director Diane Anderson-Minshall, said in a statement. “From Hacks’ dazzling domination to Ncuti Gatwa’s historic trailblazing, we’re proud to celebrate a wildly entertaining spectrum of talent and storytelling.”

Added Galeca’s President,...

Galeca: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics announced the winners of its 17th annual Dorian TV Awards Tuesday, recognizing excellence across television and streaming platforms with a focus on mainstream and LGBTQ-inclusive programming.

HBO Max’s medical drama The Pitt was named Best TV Drama, while lead actor Noah Wyle received Best TV Drama Performance for his portrayal of an emergency room doctor.

In the comedy categories, Hacks won Best TV Comedy for the third time. Jean Smart earned Best TV Performance and the series also received awards for Best LGBTQ TV Show, Best Written TV Show, and Best Supporting TV Performance for Hannah Einbinder. Smart was also named a Galeca TV Icon, joining previous honorees such as Jennifer Coolidge, Christine Baranski, and Carol Burnett.

Cole Escola in Oh, Mary! Emilio Madrid

Special honors went to Cole Escola, who received the Wilde Wit Award, and Doctor Who actor Ncuti Gatwa,...

Some characters are simply embedded in the cultural bedrock. Say the name “Dorothy,” and a very specific Kansas runaway in a gingham dress comes to mind, a figure who has been a fixed point in American storytelling for 125 years.

Director Jeffrey McHale’s documentary, It’s Dorothy!, takes on the formidable task of mapping the character’s sprawling journey. The film sets out not just to retell a familiar story, but to dissect how that story has been refracted through countless adaptations on screen and stage.

It approaches its subject with a clear affection, looking to understand how a simple fairytale character became an enduring and evolving piece of our collective mythology. The documentary frames itself as an energetic and sprawling exploration of a girl who is much more than her ruby slippers.

The Women Behind the Slippers

The documentary’s narrative engine is not the tornado or the trip to Oz,...

Exclusive: Nicole Scherzinger, recently anointed Best Actress In A Musical at the Tony Awards for her powerhouse performance in director Jamie Lloyd’s production of Sunset Blvd., tells Deadline she’ll “put on the show of a lifetime” with a solo concert at London’s hallowed Royal Albert Hall in October.

The award-winner promises that the concert in one of London’s architectural crown jewels on October 6 “will be a show that audiences won’t be disappointed in, hopefully.” The general on-sale ticket date is July 11.

Already announced are two dates that will follow her Royal Albert Hall debut. She plays Carnegie Hall, on October 8, followed by a performance at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles on October 30.

Scherzinger, on Zoom from her Sunset Blvd. dressing room at the St. James Theatre on W.44th St, adds that performing at the Royal Albert Hall “is a dream come...

Just last week, more than 200 of New York City’s fiercest dancers created a larger-than-life, over-the-rainbow romp down the yellow brick road in the sexy, Oz-inspired Broadway Bares: Come Out, Come Out on Sunday, June 22, 2025, at NYC’s Hammerstein Ballroom. The audience followed fresh-from-Kansas Dante - played by Bradley Gibson - down the yellow brick road after a tantalizing tornado swept him into Oz. Along his journey, Dante encountered a star-studded cast of outrageous characters, including Tony Award winner Alex Newell, who reminded us that there’s no better time for unity and activism than Pride - and that there’s truly no place like Broadway Bares - with a show-stopping live performance of “Home” from The Wiz. Draped in red silk, an ensemble of dancers shared breathtaking contemporary choreography by Savannah...

The movie business is just that: A business. Dollars matter the most. While movie accounting can get pretty complicated, it basically boils down to "a hit is a movie that made more than it cost to produce." But the stakes get much higher when studios spend the Gdp of a small country on a movie -- and then have to earn the Gdp of a medium-sized country to turn a profit. When you have to break records to break even, you're in a high-risk industry. The best way to decrease risk is with a proven commodity; a property you believe will perform because it has in the past. So as great as it is when a movie makes money, it's even better when it has cultural impact.

Cultural impact can be hard to measure. Many argue "Avatar" had no cultural impact despite being the highest-grossing movie of all time, but...

Midnight, Spine #1266, was released in the Criterion Collection on June 17, 2025.

Part of what makes the Criterion Collection so great is its ability to introduce collectors to films that they otherwise would never have seen. Midnight is a prime example of this. Released in 1939, the romantic comedy paved the way for decades of genre tropes and cliches that would follow.

The plot

Eve Peabody (Claudette Colbert), an out-of-work showgirl, arrives in Paris with no money and no place to stay. She soon finds herself living a life of luxury after posing as a wealthy Hungarian baroness, but keeping up the masquerade proves to be difficult work, especially with nosy taxi driver Tibor (Don Ameche) and pushy nobleman Georges (John Barrymore) on her tail.

Midnight review Claudette Colbert (left) and Don Ameche (right) Claudette Colbert (right) and Don Ameche (left) Claudette Colbert as Eve Peabody John Barrymore as Georges Flammarion

Released in the late 30s,...

“Believe what you feel and know you’re right because/The time will come around when you’ll say it’s yours,” croons Lena Horne as Glinda the Good Witch of the South near the climax of 1978’s The Wiz, a mega-budget adaptation of the funky all-Black Broadway reimagining of Baum’s Oz universe. Cinema history is littered with the shadows of what might have been but never was. But at least in the case of The Wiz, arguably the only all-Black Hollywood studio super-production until Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, it’s both a wonder and a testament to the kindness of the fates that something the benefit of 20/20 hindsight has cast as a true outlier managed to slip through.

And, at least in the hearts of its underserved audience, the film flourishes to this day. Odie Henderson, in his Blaxploitation survey Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras, surmised “The Wiz...

Independent podcast network Radiotopia from Prx today announced Radiotopia Presents: We’re Doing The Wiz, a new documentary series going behind the scenes of a high school musical that changed everything for a group of teens in the early 2000s. Co-created by Peabody Award-winning podcaster Ian Coss and NAACP Image Award-nominated author Sakina Ibrahim, with Story Editor Aaron Edwards, the series will be released on June 17 and is a 2025 Tribeca Festival Official Audio Storytelling selection.

We’re Doing the Wiz will be released via Radiotopia’s Radiotopia Presents podcast feed for indie limited series. New episodes of the four-part series will be released weekly free on-demand across all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Pocket Casts, and Overcast.

The podcast begins at a predominantly white performing arts school in rural Massachusetts in the early 2000s, where a bussing program has opened the door for a small group...

Welcome to another edition of The Roundtable on BroadwayWorld! We have a star in the making with us this week! Everybody look around, there’s reason to rejoice! We have Dorothy herself. Dana Cimone comes into the iconic role and has hit the road. Coming to you live for the first time from Atlanta, Georgia. Dana is so thrilled and honored to be making her debut as Dorothy in The Wiz. We catch up to talk about how the role came to be, how she is celebrating her 21st birthday while on tour, and how you too can find home ever on the road!. The Tony Award-winning Best Musical that took the world by storm is back.Conjuring up an Oz unlike anything ever seen before, the...

Watch Phillip Johnson Richardson “Phil.” perform an acoustic version of “Gramercy Park” from Hell's Kitchen! Joined by Jakeim Hart, Richardson slows it down for the latest installation of #HKUnplugged. He can currently be seen as 'Knuck' in the Tony-winning Broadway musical, now running at the Shubert Theatre! Richardson made his Broadway debut as the Tin Man in The Wiz in 2024. A native of North Carolina and a graduate of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, he can be seen in the A24 feature film Sharper starring Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan and John Lithgow. He was a series regular in the Apple+ series Little Voices. His first job out of school was with the Chicago company of Hamilton. The new #HKUnplugged video follows the recent release...

This might have been one of the wildest Final Jeopardy questions in the history of Jeopardy!. The contestant won with only $600 in their bank after the reigning champion made an intrepid bid and a spelling mistake. Jacob Hale, from Anchorage, Alaska, returned for his second game on Thursday, June 19, after a close game on Wednesday, where he had a one-day total of $4,800. He played against Bevin Blaber, from Schenectady, New York, and Vivek Upadhyay, from Princeton, New Jersey. The first round opened with balanced gameplay. Upadhyay, a physician, took a quick lead, however, with eight correct responses. Hale, a nonprofit finance director, tried to take the lead when he found the first Daily Double of the game. With $1,800 in his bank, he wagered $1,200. In “Let’s Go To Coney Island,” the clue read, “In the 1978 film The Wiz, Dorothy finds the Tin Man under this iconic (& aptly named) Coney Island roller coaster.

A favorite nugget of Wizard of Oz lore for many of us is the sublimely funny TV guide blurb written for a 1998 TCM airing of the MGM classic: “Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.” The inclusion of amusing oddities like that is what pulls It’s Dorothy! back whenever it threatens to go from exhaustive to exhausting, from dissection to dissertation.

Welcome humor comes also from new discoveries — at least to me — like the bizarrely kitsch spectacle of eliminated contestants on BBC talent search show Over the Rainbow removing their jeweled slippers and handing them to Andrew Lloyd Webber on a throne before being carried off the set on a cutout moon. Wtf? The winner — or survivor — of that Brit reality TV horror, Danielle Hope, went on to star in London as...

The Broadway League’s Black to Broadway initiative has announced the performers for the 5th annual Broadway Celebrates Juneteenth, a Free outdoor concert in Times Square on Thursday, June 19, from 11:00 Am to 12:30 Pm (rain or shine). The 2025 Juneteenth Legacy Award will be presented to Tony Award®-winning actor/activist, educator, and philanthropist André De Shields, who is being recognized for his trailblazing career that has spanned over five decades. Known for originating iconic roles on Broadway in The Wiz, Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Full Monty, and Hadestown, Mr. De Shields is a passionate advocate for both performance and philanthropy, including the establishment of The ANDRÉ De Shields Fund at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. With a career defined by bold choices, cultural impact, and enduring elegance, Mr. De Shields embodies the spirit of the Juneteenth...

The Wiz, Spine #1264, is now available on 4K in the Criterion Collection.

My relationship to The Wizard of Oz, like most people, begins in the very early years of my childhood. I don’t remember the first time I saw the 1930s classic, but as far back as I can remember, it was an important part of my upbringing. My relationship to The Wiz is different. I was always aware of its existence, and I recall watching small moments of it on cable television at a young age, but I never sat down and watched it in its entirety until now.

The Wiz plot

Dorothy (Diana Ross) is a teacher in Harlem struggling to find her place and her purpose. When she’s magically transported to the fantastical land of Oz, she must embark on a journey unlike anything she’s ever experienced before. Along the way, she’ll meet...

If there’s one criticism to be lobbed at Jeffrey McHale’s energetic, engrossing, and often quite loving documentary “It’s Dorothy!,” it’s that the documentarian has selected perhaps too good of a subject. The mythology and meaning of Dorothy Gale, the great hero of “The Wizard of Oz,” could easily inspire an entire series of films. While McHale somehow manages to touch on a dozen hot topics in his documentary — what the on-screen role means to the women who have played her, how and why the LGBTQ+ community so love her, how we grapple with the misdeeds of our favorite artists, and that’s literally just a small sample — that can make the actual film on offer feel a bit unfinished.

Still, McHale manages to hold all these very big topics together in an otherwise slim 97-minute running time. Packed with major talking heads, zippy animation, and a bouncing...

Physical media culture is alive and thriving thanks to the home video tastemakers hailing everywhere from The Criterion Collection to Kino Lorber and the Warner Archive Collection. Each month, IndieWire highlights the best recent and upcoming Blu-ray, DVD, and 4K releases for cinephiles to own now — and to bring ballast and permanence to your moviegoing at a time when streaming windows on classic movies close just as soon as they open.

The summer movie season is upon us, with “Lilo & Stitch” and “Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning” smashing records and luring audiences back to theaters for blockbuster spectacle and family-friendly fare. As the weather improves, you may not feel like going out to a movie or staying at home to watch one, and after a dreary East Coast winter and spring, you wouldn’t be faulted for preferring to get out and smell the roses rather than stare at a screen.

Stephanie Mills, best known for originating the role of Dorothy in The Wiz on Broadway, is leading The Queens Tour: 4 Legends, 1 Stage. The tour also features Patti Labelle, Chaka Kahn, and Gladys Knight. The second leg of the tour began on May 9 in Las Vegas. In an interview discussing the tour, Mills said, “It’s very exciting, and I think this will never happen again. And I say that because Patti is in her 80s and Gladys is in her 80s and Chaka and I—we're the youngest. I'm the baby of the group at 68 years old. But it’s all just so wonderful, Black women all coming together and bringing R&b back and showing the low and respect we have for each...

Cory Booker had been railing against Donald Trump’s agenda from the floor of the Senate for three hours when his feet started to go numb. On the lectern he had his cellphone out (against Senate rules), with his family group chat pulled up. Every now and then it pinged with a message of encouragement, or a photo of an absurdly shredded bald dude — the motivational speaker, ultramarathoner, and former Navy Seal David Goggins — instructing him to “Stay Hard.”

Booker’s family read Goggins’ book together back in 2021, his cousin Pam tells me.

On Thursday May 1 2025, Logo broadcasts RuPaul’s Drag Race!

The Wicked Wiz of Oz: The Rusical! Season 17 Episode 8 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” promises a thrilling experience with “The Wicked Wiz of Oz: The Rusical!” This season’s Rusical takes a creative twist, blending elements from “Wicked,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “The Wiz.” Fans can expect an exciting mix of storytelling, vibrant performances, and unforgettable musical numbers that celebrate the iconic tales of Oz.

Jamal Sims, known for his exceptional choreography, will guide the queens through their routines. His expertise is sure to elevate the performances, adding flair and energy to the stage. The combination of the queens’ talents and Sims’ choreography is likely to create a visually stunning show that captures the essence of these beloved stories.

Adding to the excitement, singer Adam Lambert will make a special appearance as a guest judge. His musical...

Broadway alum Stephanie Mills has returned with a high-energy dance remix of the classic hit, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough." The new dance cut, produced by Antoine Qua Richardson, Ronald Wali B Johnson and Addaryll Wilson, offers an up-beat house music arrangement layered with the sultry tones of Stephanie’s ranging and timeless vocals. Listen to it below. Mills, alongside Patti Labelle, Chaka Khan and Gladys Knight, will be embarking on the “Queens: 4 Legends, 1 Stage” tour kicking off May 9th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here. Stephanie Mills is a singer and actress, known for her turn as the principal role of Dorothy in the original Broadway production of The Wiz. As a singer, she has produced a string of hits, including “What...

While Wayne Brady regularly delights many fans on television as a game show host, he initially started with improv comedy and portraying different characters.

He took his talents to Whose Line Is It Anyways? and Let’s Make a Deal, where he is known for keeping the show entertaining with co-stars and contestants.

Viewers saw Wayne appear in a reality television series, Wayne Brady: The Family Remix, where he co-starred with his daughter, ex-wife, and her current partner.

While that didn’t extend beyond one season of episodes, Wayne hasn’t slowed down when it comes to working.

Months ago, fans could watch him on stage as the titular character in a Broadway revival of The Wiz.

He’s now returning to Broadway, as recent news revealed another new role for Wayne away from television.

Wayne Brady joins the Moulin Rouge cast

On Wayne’s Instagram page, he shared several posts,...

Imagine being Ashanti, the Grammy-winning R&b queen behind hits like Foolish and Always on Time, living your dream only to have it tainted by a stranger’s obsession. For over a decade, Ashanti endured a chilling ordeal with a stalker, Devar Hurd, whose relentless harassment turned her life upside down.

In a recent revelation, the 44-year-old singer bravely shared the dark truth about Hurd’s invasive actions, from explicit messages to showing up at her sister’s events, revealing the emotional toll it took on her. This eventually led her to be forced to beef up security and face him in court multiple times.

Invasion of Ashanti’s privacy by a terrifying stalker Ashanti posted her postpartum looks/ Image credits: Instagram/ @ashanti

Devar Hurd’s fixation on Ashanti started in 2003 and escalated by 2006. He began sending her mother, Tina Douglas, a barrage of disturbing texts and photos, insisting they were meant for Ashanti.

Universal Pictures has announced the nationwide theatrical re-release of The Wiz, the 1978 Oscar-nominated musical starring music legends Diana Ross and Michael Jackson, screen icon Lena Horne, and comedy titan Richard Pryor.

The landmark film, which reimagines L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, through the lens of 1970s Black culture, will return to theaters nationwide for special screenings on May 18 and May 21, 2025.

Nearly five decades since its original release, The Wiz remains a defining moment in cinematic history, celebrated for its bold, revolutionary vision of Oz. Based on the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, The Wiz tells the story of Dorothy (Oscar nominee Ross), a Harlem schoolteacher who is transported to the magical land of Oz during a snowstorm.

There, she embarks on a journey to meet the all-powerful ruler of Oz, The Wiz (Grammy and Emmy winner Richard Pryor), and find a way back home. Along the way,...

The 16th annual TCM Classic Film Festival gets underway Thursday night in Hollywood with a 45th anniversary screening at the Chinese Imax Theatre of the acclaimed second Star Wars feature, 1980’s The Empire Strikes Back, with creator George Lucas on stage to talk about it. It certainly fits in with this year’s theme, “Grand Illusions: Fantastic Worlds on Film,” though it is hard to wrap my head around the fact that this movie is now old enough to fit snugly in with so many of the classic titles TCM regularly features on their channel and at this festival, which brings them back in all their glory to the big screen.

The heavy programming of more contemporary box office hits this year does provide some irony to the title of one of the festival’s panels happening Sunday, “They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To,” featuring among others Sony Pictures chief Tom Rothman.

There are a lot of movies leaving Netflix in May of 2025, but thankfully, only 1 TV series right now!

The streamer released their list of all the titles that are being expired, and it’s unfortunately lengthy in the month of May.

Some fan favorite romantic movies and rom-coms like Notting Hill, Definitely, Maybe, and Maid in Manhattan are all leaving, along with some Oscar faves like Apollo 13 and Erin Brockovich.

In addition, numerous Spider-Man movies are being taken away as well!

Finally, only 1 TV show will be leaving. That show is all 6 seasons of Madam Secretary, which starred Téa Leoni in the lead role.

We’re compiled the full list of titles here for you to see.

Keep reading to find out more…

Scroll down to see what is expiring from Netflix soon…

Leaving 5/1/25

About Time

Annie

Apollo 13

Blade Runner: The Final Cut

Dallas Buyers Club

Definitely, Maybe...

The excitement is building for Season 17, Episode 8 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” titled “The Wicked Wiz of Oz: The Rusical!” This episode promises to be a colorful and musical journey, blending the magic of “Wicked,” “The Wizard of Oz,” and “The Wiz.” Fans can expect a dazzling display of talent as the queens take on iconic songs and characters from these beloved stories.

Choreographer Jamal Sims will be in charge of the routines, bringing his creative vision to the stage. His work is known for pushing the boundaries and showcasing the queens’ skills, so viewers can look forward to some stunning performances. Each queen will need to channel their inner diva, bringing their unique flair to this mashup of classic tales.

Adding to the excitement, singer Adam Lambert will be guest judging this episode. His experience in the music industry and vibrant personality will surely bring an extra spark to the judging panel.

Tubi, Fox’s free streaming service, has announced its list of May titles. The Tubi May 2025 slate features new Tubi Originals, TV series, and numerous action, art house, Black cinema, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, kids and family, reality, sci-fi and fantasy, thriller, and Western titles.

As a leading ad-supported video-on-demand service, the company engages diverse audiences through a personalized experience and the world’s largest content library of over 250,000 movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of exclusive Originals, and nearly 250 live channels.

You can watch the Tubi May 2025 lineup for free on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, and Cox Contour.

You can also watch the service on connected television devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Tubi site.

Tubi Originals...

Did Michael Jackson want to play Spider-Man? (Photo Credit – Prime Video)

In the 1990s, Michael Jackson made a serious attempt to buy Marvel Comics. His goal wasn’t to grow a media empire—it was to play Spider-Man. At the time, Marvel was on the verge of collapse, filing for bankruptcy in 1996. Jackson saw an opportunity and reportedly discussed purchasing the company with his family.

His nephew, Taj Jackson, later confirmed in an interview with Popcorned Planet that the singer wanted to work with Stan Lee and “probably wanted to be Spider-Man.” Marvel, before its cinematic boom, was struggling across the board. The comic book publisher had lost its luster, its stock was delisted from the New York Stock Exchange, and its animated TV presence was fading. Toy Biz, a toy company producing Marvel-themed merchandise, stepped in and eventually merged with Marvel. The company’s future looked uncertain.

Around the same time,...

Family Equality’s Night at the Pier gala has set its sights on a power Hollywood couple to honor on May 12.

Uber-manager and Untitled Entertainment founding partner Jason Weinberg and his screenwriter husband Merritt Johnson will be feted at Pier Sixty in New York with the Luigi Caiola Luminary Award at an event set to celebrate love, equality, family and inspiration, as well as a decade of marriage equality thanks to the 2015 U.S. Supreme Court case of Obergefell v. Hodges.

Their honor will be presented by clients and close friends like Oscar nominee Demi Moore, Marlo Thomas and Debbie Harry. Other planned tributes include Peggy Gillespie, co-founder and director of Family Diversity Projects, receiving the Hostetter-Habib Family Award presented by renowned choreographer Bill T. Jones. The night’s program also plans talent performances from Broadway shows like The Outsiders, Six, The Wiz, Kimberly Akimbo, Some Like it Hot and more.

Joel Schumacher's 1997 superhero film "Batman & Robin" is one of the more notorious — and perhaps one of the most important — entries in the whole of Batman media. Schumacher infamously ratcheted up his film's camp factor, including super-corny dialogue, ultra-cartoonish action sequences, garish neon colors, and the silliest characters seen in a Batman film in eight years. This was a dramatic flip from Tim Burton's Batman films from 1989 and 1992, which were shadowy, tragic, and dour. Schumacher had already introduced his more kid-friendly Batman aesthetic with "Batman Forever" in 1995, but "Batman & Robin" was one toke over the line. Critics hated it, audiences rejected it, and it bombed so hard (its $238 million box office was considered small at the time) that another Batman film wouldn't be released in theaters until 2005.

Uma Thurman played the snarling villainess Poison Ivy in "Batman & Robin," and she was one of the few to escape from the film unscathed.

Ariana Grande released the deluxe version of her 2024 album, Eternal Sunshine, Friday, along with a nearly 30-minute short film, Brighter Days Ahead.

Set to a backdrop of the album’s songs, the short film picks up 70 years after the Wicked star’s “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” music video. In that 2024 music video, she plays Peaches, a heartbroken young woman visiting a clinic named Brighter Days Inc. to have the memories of her lost love (played by Evan Peters) wiped from her mind.

In Brighter Days Ahead, Grande is now an elderly woman, visiting the same clinic to try its new procedure, memory restoration. The service comes at a price, according to a release: The relived memories are permanently erased after viewing. Throughout the short film, released Friday morning, Grande’s Peaches looks back at her life through clips of memories, including what appear to be...

The Criterion Collection has unveiled their June 2025 releases, and it is an absolutely stacked one, with unnerving suspense, bureaucratic domination and whatever Sidney Lumet was going for with The Wiz.

One of the most anticipated releases in Criterion’s June slate is William Friedkin’s Sorcerer, a stellar remake of The Wages of Fear that flopped upon initial release but has since gone on to be considered one of the finest thrillers of the 1970s. Surprisingly, it is Friedkin’s first film ever in The Criterion Collection. The release, set as spine #1267, has a new 4K digital restoration, and has special features that include a feature-length documentary on Friedkin from 2018, numerous archival interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, and more. Sorcerer arrives on June 24th.

Another new title coming from Criterion this June is The Wiz, an adaptation of the Broadway show which was a reimagining of The Wizard of Oz. Nominated for...

What does the Criterion Collection have in store for home video enthusiasts this June? The boutique label just announced their new releases for that month today, with five new movies entering the Collection. Leading the pack? A Sidney Lumet musical and one of William Friedkin‘s tensest efforts, as well as a classic screwball comedy, a doc about one of jazz’s greatest pianists, and a boldly unconventional film biography.

Read More: Criterion’s April Releases Include ‘Anora,’ ‘Chungking Express,’ ‘Some Like It Hot’ & More

new titles include Sidney Lumet‘s musical take on L.

Continue reading Criterion’s June 2025 Releases Include William Friedkin’s ‘Sorcerer,’ Sidney Lumet’s ‘The Wiz,’ ‘Thelonious Monk Straight No Chaser’ & More at The Playlist.

Just when I thought I was out (of money), Criterion pulled me back in (with their June 2025 release slate). How about William Friedkin's awesome Sorcerer for starters? Plus Terry Gilliam's great Brazil. Plus Paul Schrader's Mishima. Plus four more movies that I have yet to memorize: Sidney Lumet's The Wiz, Charlotte Zwerin's Thelonius Monk Straight, No Chase, Mitchell Leisen's Midnight, and François Girard's Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould. Pardon me while I drop this mic. Hasten thee to the official Criterion site to deplete all your funds on future physical media....

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

I’ve still never seen The Wages of Fear (life moves fast and there’s books to read in-between all those films) but within days of Criterion’s 4K arriving at my door comes news that its little brother is next in line. William Friedkin’s Sorcerer lands on 4K this June, a month that sees two of its biggest titles (and best-looking packages) get the much-desired upgrade: Paul Schrader’s Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters and Terry Gilliam’s Brazil should look and (in the case of Philip Glass’ score for the former) sound better than ever.

Sidney Lumet’s The Wiz and François Girard’s Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Gould also arrive on the format; both are complemented by a Blu-ray of Charlotte Zwerin’s Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser. Meanwhile, Mitchell Leisen’s Midnight (starring Claudette Colbert and John Barrymore) earns the honorable silver prize of a Blu-ray.

It's safe to say that, all things considered, Conan O'Brien did a really good job hosting the Academy Awards -- but apparently the original opening of the show was very different. Also, it featured O'Brien in green makeup

On his podcast "Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend" (via a report in Deadline), the former late-night host sat down with his head writer, Mike Sweeney, and said that the opening originally featured O'Brien popping in and out of different movies nominated for Best Picture. Sure, this is a gag that has certainly been done a million times at a million award ceremonies, but frankly, O'Brien's take sounded really funny.

"It was the idea that, 'Oh, Conan's now going to goof on all the movies,'" O'Brien said. "It starts with me and I'm in 'Wicked' and I'm all green, finishing 'Defying Gravity' or one of those songs. And...