Could Lady Gaga be the next Harley Quinn?

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Lady Gaga is in early talks to play Harley Quinn in director Todd Phillips’ followup to the 2019 blockbuster, Joker, according to The Hollywood Reporter; and get this — the sequel is said to be a musical.

Last week Phillips posted a pair a pair of photos, one of which was of the apparent cover of the script, with the title, Joker: Folie à Deux — a reference to the medical term for an identical or similar mental disorder that affects two or more individuals, usually members of the same family. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the title seems to imply that Gaga is being considered for the part of the Joker’s partner-in-madness.

A second photo in Phillip’s social media post showed Joker star Joaquin Phoenix reading the screenplay, although sources tell THR that Warner Bros. has yet to close a deal with the actor.

Gaga’s Harley Quinn would exist in a different DC universe than Margot Robbie‘s Quinn, which appeared in 2021’s The Suicide Squad, as well as several other films.

Phillips previously produced A Star Is Born, the 2018 remake that starred Joker producer Bradley Cooper and Gaga.

The first Joker movie was a box office smash, grossing over $1 billion worldwide. It also picked up a pair of Oscars, including a best actor nod for Phoenix.

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Jennifer Lopez reportedly wants to wed Ben Affleck “sooner rather than later”

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Wedding bells for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez will come “sooner rather than later” — that is, if J-Lo has her way.

“Jennifer will tell you she’s not in a rush to get married, but her friends think otherwise,” a source tells Us Weekly. “The truth is that if Ben wanted to push this forward as early as this summer, she’d be totally down with that.”

The insider also says the 52-year-old actress/singer, “wants the formalities out of the way so they can start their journey as man and wife sooner rather than later,” and she intends to have a big wedding.

“She definitely wants a spectacular celebration at some point and money won’t be an object!” the source continues. “They’re both committed to making this work and taking all the steps necessary to respect each other’s boundaries and learn from their mistakes the last time around.”

Ben and Jennifer, aka “Bennifer,” rekindled their romance last summer after Jennifer broke up with Alex Rodriguez. They first met in 2002 on the set of their film Gigli. In June 2002, Lopez filed for divorce from then-husband Chris Judd after two years, and began publicly dating Affleck.

Affleck proposed the following November, but called things off in September of 2003, just days before they were supposed to tie the knot. By January 2004, they had officially split.

If the couple makes it to the altar, it’ll be the Jennifer’s fourth marriage, and Affleck’s second. Jennifer shares twins Max and Emme, 14, with her ex-husband Marc Anthony, while Affleck has three kids with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

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‘American Idol’ recap: Season 20 winner revealed!

ABC/Eric McCandless

The winner of American Idol season 20 is Noah Thompson!

The reveal came Sunday night during the three-hour finale, but not before some final challenges and star-studded performances. 

The show opened up with Flo Rida performing his hit “Good Feeling” with an assist from both current and past contestants. Then, it was time to get down to business with the first round challenging the Top 3 — HunterGirlNoah Thompson, and Leah Marlene — to take on a song from the prolific catalog of Bruce Springsteen. Leah expertly executed “Born in the U.S.A.”, HungterGirl smashed “Dancing in the Dark,” and Noah hit home with the classic “I’m on Fire.”

Round two was the singles round, where the final three performed their own songs. Leah’s track was titled “Flowers,” Noah’s “One Day Tonight,” and HunterGirl’s “Red Bird.”

After their performances, it was time to eliminate the person with the least votes, which ended up being Leah. 

The celebrations continued as the countdown to crowning the season’s winner drew closer with acts from the Top 10 and talented legends like Earth, Wind, and FireDeana CarterBen PlattIdol alum Gabby BarrettSara BareillesThomas RhettMichael Bublé, judges Katy PerryLuke BryanLionel Richie, and more. 

For the last round of competition, the final two did an encore of a previous production they did on the show. Noah showed growth with Rihanna‘s “Stay” and HunterGirl did the same with Rascal Flatts “Riot.”

Afterwards, Noah was crowned the winner and he again performed his single “One Day Tonight.” 

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‘American Idol’ recap: The Final Three revealed

ABC/Eric McCandless

It got down to the wire on Sunday’s American Idol, with the Top 5 vying to make it into next week’s finale for the crowning of season 20’s winner.

This week, for their first challenge, the finalists were mentored by Grammy-award winner and former American Idol champ Carrie Underwood and were tasked with taking on an iconic song from her catalog. Here’s what the finalists chose.

HunterGirl: “Undo It,” by Carrie Underwood
Leah Marlene: “I’ll Stand By You,” (Cover), by Pretenders
Fritz Hager: “I Want to Remember,” by NEEDTOBREATHE ft. Carrie Underwood
Noah Thompson: “So Small,” by Carrie Underwood
Nicolina: “Blown Away,” by Carrie Underwood

After tackling one of Underwood’s hits, Finneas took the stage and performed his track, “Naked,” before the Top 5 took the stage again. For the second round of performances, the finalists chose a song that could close their show — or, in other words, “an epic encore,” as described by host Ryan Seacrest. Here’s what they chose:

Leah Marlene: “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” by Journey
HunterGirl: “Girl Crush,” by Little Big Town
Fritz Hager: “Youngblood,” by 5 Seconds of Summer
Nicolina: “All I Ask,” by Adele
Noah Thompson: “Working Man,” by Larry Fleet

With their final performance of the night out of the way, it was time to see who America voted into next week’s finale, which would feature performances from judges Luke BryanKaty Perry, and Lionel Richie, as well as Thomas RhettMichael BubléSarah Bareilles, Flo RidaEarth, Wind and Fire and more.

After the votes were tallied, Fritz and Nicolina were the bottom two, sending HunterGirl, Noah and Leah through to the finale.

Catch the American Idol season 20 finale when it airs live Sunday, May 22 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

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Fran Drescher reveals she spent two years convincing Elton John to cameo on ‘The Nanny’

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Elton John made a splash on The Nanny when he made a cameo in 1997 in the season five episode “First Date.”  Star Fran Descher revealed just how hard she worked to get the music great to appear on her sitcom.

“It took me a year or two get him on the show,” she told USA Today. “I was always an Elton John AIDS Foundation supporter and we were very warm to each other at all of his events.”

The episode was about Fran going on her first date with Maxwell Sheffield, played by Charles Shaughnessy, and hilariously pulling all the stops  to prevent Elton from recognizing her after a prior embarrassing run-in. 

As for how they got Elton to agree to appearing on the beloved sitcom, Drescher said it came down to good timing.

“When his documentary Tantrums & Tiaras was coming out, his publicist said, ‘Maybe this would be a good time to put him on the show to promote the documentary,'” she recalled.  “There’s a scene (in the film) where he throws a tantrum because he’s trying to play tennis and a fan starts saying, ‘Yoo-hoo! Yoo-hoo!’ So we thought it’d be funny if Fran was actually the ‘Yoo-hoo’ lady and gets in trouble when she has the opportunity to meet him through Mr. Sheffield.”

The sitcom star praised Sir Elton for being such a good sport. “That was an amazing episode and he couldn’t have been more gracious,” she said, adding that the cast came up with a special way to thank him. “We heard that he loves red roses, so we filled his dressing room with red roses.”

The Nanny ran for six seasons on CBS.

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American Idol recap: Top 5 revealed after two test positive for COVID

ABC/Raymond Liu

The Top seven pulled double-duty on Sunday night’s episode of American Idol.

With help from mentor will.i.am, the contestants were tasked with singing two songs. The first challenge was to pick a song that’s gone viral on TikTok and the second was a song in honor of Mother’s Day.

Not everyone hit the stage live on Sunday, though. At the beginning of the show, Ryan Seacrest announced that both Fritz Hager and Noah Thompson tested positive for COVID-19 and were quarantined in their hotel rooms. However, as the saying goes “the show must go on,” so Fritz’s practice performances were used for Katy PerryLuke Bryan, and Lionel Richie to judge, while Noah performed from his room.

Ryan also had the honor of surprising Christian Guardino with a video message from Michael Bublé, who invited the Idol contestant to sing with him during the finale show.

The host also revealed that whoever makes it into the Top five, will be whisked off to Resorts World Las Vegas to be mentored by Grammy-award winner and Idol alum Carrie Underwood.

After the night’s performances, here’s who made the Top five and who was eliminated.

Top Five:
Noah Thompson: “Painted Blue” Sundy Best and “Landslide” Fleetwood Mac
Nicolina: “Alone” Heart and “Light In The Hallway” Pentatonix
Huntergirl: “you broke me first” Tate McRae and “Like My Mother Does” Lauren Alaina
Leah Marlene: “Electric Love” Børns and “Sanctuary” Nashville Cast feat.Charles Esten, Lennon & Maisy
Fritz Hager: “All My Friends” Fritz Hager and “The Ocean” Fritz Hager

Eliminated:
Jay: “I Have Nothing” Whitney Houston and “A Song For Mama” Boys II Men
Christian Guardino: “Lonely” Justin Bieber and “Dear God” Smokie Norful 

American Idol returns Monday, May 9 at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

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First trailer for Harry Styles’ ‘Don’t Worry Darling’ is here

Courtesy Warner Bros.

The trailer for Don’t Worry Darling — starring Harry Styles and Florence Pugh — made headlines when it was first previewed at CinemaCon last week. Now, fans can finally see what caused the hype.

The trailer opens with Harry and Pugh — respectively playing Jack and Alice — living a perfect married life in an idyllic, experimental town housing project built to meet every resident’s need.  But things quickly turn sinister as Pugh begins noticing there’s more to their picturesque ‘Victory Project’ community that meets the eye, despite being told she mustn’t question her surroundings.  Her quest for clarity is met with harsh resistance from the project’s leader, played by Chris Pine, and her husband.  

“Our life together, we could lose this,” Harry’s character warns, but it’s not enough to sway his wife, who sees her neighbors mentally unraveling around her.

Don’t Worry Darling is directed by Olivia Wilde, who said during CinemaCon the movie is “a love letter to movies that push the boundaries of our imagination.” Wilde said it also borrows elements from The MatrixInception and The Truman Show.

“What would it take for you to give up that life, that perfect life. What are you really willing to sacrifice to do what’s right?” she teased. “Are you willing to dismantle the system that’s designed to serve you?”

She also said Harry’s performance in the film “is nothing short of a revelation.”

Don’t Worry Darling is due out September 23.

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‘American Idol’ recap: Luke and Katy win song contest, save 1 contestant from elimination

ABC/Eric McCandless

The search for the next American Idol continued Monday night, with a surprising twist.

For the first time ever, the show had a judge’s song contest, which meant that Luke BryanKaty Perry, and Lionel Richie each chose one song for each individual contestant to sing. The contestant then performed one of the songs and guessed which judge picked it. The judge whose song got chosen the most would be declared the winner. Later in the show, it was revealed that this judge would also have the ability to save one contestant from elimination.

After everyone took the stage, the tally revealed that Luke and Katy tied as the winners of the judge’s song contest. When America’s votes left Lady K and Tristen Gressett in the bottom two, Katy and Luke used their powers to advance Lady K into the Top 10.

Here’s the official American Idol season 20 Top 10.

Nicolina: “Since U Been Gone” Kelly Clarkson 
Mike Parker: “Chasin’ You” Morgan Wallen
Fritz Hager: “Wonderwall” Oasis
Christian Guardino: “I’m Not The Only One” Sam Smith
Noah Thompson: “Heartbreak Warfare” John Mayer 
Lady K: “traitor” Olivia Rodrigo 
Huntergirl: “9 to 5” Dolly Parton
Leah Marlene: “Make You Feel My Love” Bob Dylan
Emyrson Flora: “lovely” Billie Eilish ft. Khalid 
Jay: “Lilac Wine” Jeff Buckley

Eliminated:
Tristen Gressett: “You Can’t Always Get What you Want” The Rolling Stones

American Idol returns Sunday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. 

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‘American Idol’ recap: Gabby Barrett mentors, Top 11 revealed

ABC/Eric McCandless

And then there were 11.

The search for the next American Idol continued Sunday night as the Top 14 dwindled down to the Top 11.

Before it was revealed who unfortunately hadn’t secured enough of America’s votes, the talented singers took the stage to perform a song fitting of the night’s theme: Breakout Hits. Keeping with the theme it only made sense to have former contestant and Idol icon Gabby Barrett return to mentor the current contestants. After all, her breakout hit “I Hope” went five times platinum and was the best-selling country song of 2020.

After the remaining contestants left it all on the stage, America’s votes were revealed. Here’s who made the Top 11 and who was eliminated.

Top 11:
Jay: “Just The Way You Are” Bruno Mars
Huntergirl: “Baby Girl” Sugarland
Christian Guardino: “Take Me To Church” Hozier
Leah Marlene: “Happy Together” The Turtles
Fritz Hager: “Let It Go”James Bay
Tristen Gressett: “Whataya Want From Me” Adam Lambert
Lady K: “I Believe” Fantasia
Mike Parker: “Hurricane” Luke Combs
Emyrson Flora” “drivers license” Olivia Rodrigo
Noah Thompson: “Stand By Me” Ben E. King 
Nicolina: “Hallelujah” Jeff Buckley

Eliminated:
Ava Maybee: “Sign of the Times” Harry Styles
Allegra Miles: “ocean eyes” Billie Eilish
Dan Marshall: “She’s Got It All” Kenny Chesney

The Top 11 will take the stage again for America’s votes when American Idol returns Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

‘American Idol’ recap: Gabby Barrett mentors, Top 11 revealed

ABC/Eric McCandless

And then there were 11.

The search for the next American Idol continued Sunday night as the Top 14 dwindled down to the Top 11.

Before it was revealed who unfortunately hadn’t secured enough of America’s votes, the talented singers took the stage to perform a song fitting of the night’s theme: Breakout Hits. Keeping with the theme it only made sense to have former contestant and Idol icon Gabby Barrett return to mentor the current contestants. After all, her breakout hit “I Hope” went five times platinum and was the best-selling country song of 2020.

After the remaining contestants left it all on the stage, America’s votes were revealed. Here’s who made the Top 11 and who was eliminated.

Top 11:
Jay: “Just The Way You Are” Bruno Mars
Huntergirl: “Baby Girl” Sugarland
Christian Guardino: “Take Me To Church” Hozier
Leah Marlene: “Happy Together” The Turtles
Fritz Hager: “Let It Go”James Bay
Tristen Gressett: “Whataya Want From Me” Adam Lambert
Lady K: “I Believe” Fantasia
Mike Parker: “Hurricane” Luke Combs
Emyrson Flora” “drivers license” Olivia Rodrigo
Noah Thompson: “Stand By Me” Ben E. King 
Nicolina: “Hallelujah” Jeff Buckley

Eliminated:
Ava Maybee: “Sign of the Times” Harry Styles
Allegra Miles: “ocean eyes” Billie Eilish
Dan Marshall: “She’s Got It All” Kenny Chesney

The Top 11 will take the stage again for America’s votes when American Idol returns Monday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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