The Future of 'Wheel of Fortune'
Ryan Seacrest is set to take over Wheel of Fortune following Pat Sajak's departure after a 41-season run.
In an Instagram post, Seacrest called this "a full circle moment." He hosted the game show Click, the creation of Merv Griffin, 25 years ago. Griffin also created Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!
As for Vanna White, she's reportedly in talks to renew her contract with more pay. As reported in Puck, White allegedly hasn't had an increase to her base salary in 18 years.
Film and Television
Angela Bassett, Mel Brooks, and Carol Littleton will receive Academy Honorary Awards this year at the Academy’s Governors Awards.
The awards, which are "given to honor extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement, exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences, or for outstanding service to the Academy,” come in the form of the iconic Oscar statuette.
Plus, the Academy sent out 398 membership invitations. Here are a few of the actors who got the lucky envelope in the mail:
- Selma Blair
- Austin Butler
- Bill Hader
- Stephanie Hsu
- Nicholas Hoult
- Keke Palmer
- Paul Mescal
- Ke Huy Quan
A SAG-AFTRA strike is delayed as negotiation talks continue, but the future is unclear. Actors like Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence signed a letter to leadership saying that that membership is prepared to strike if needed.
According to Variety, a large issue at hand is the use of artificial intelligence — and artists' protections against it.
If there is a strike, it would mean SAG members joining the Writers Guild of America members (who have been on strike since May 2) on the picket line. It would also be the industry's first double-strike in more than six decades, NBC says.
Music
Madonna's "Celebration" world tour is officially on hold following a medical scare. According to long-time manager Guy Oseary, the singer had "a several day stay in the ICU" after developing a bacterial infection last Saturday.
He also noted that a new start date and the dates of rescheduled shows will be shared when the details are known.
Travis Scott will not face criminal charges for the 2021 Astroworld crowd rush that left 10 people dead. A grand jury decided that no crime occurred.
Looking forward, there's some new music on the way. Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore album, GUTS, is set to drop on Sept. 8. The lead single, "vampire," is out now.
We can also expect Pink Friday 2 from Nicki Minaj on Nov. 17.
This is what we're excited about. As a follow-up to the 2010 Pink Friday that introduced Minaj to the mainstream (hello, "Super Bass"), it also helped establish her as a character artist of sorts, who took on the persona of alter egos like Harajuku Barbie.
The original Pink Friday had seven editions released over two years, so if tradition stands, there should be quite the inventory of new music from the Queen of Rap.
Another upcoming project is a Christmas album from Cher. The singer took to Twitter with her usual emojis-as-hieroglyphics to share progress. Here's the takeaway: This isn't your mom's Christmas album, this is a Cher Christmas album. (Her words! Err, emojis.) It may be so uncharacteristically non-holiday that she said "It's scary to make something so Different."
We also have Rolling Stone's take on the 50 best Canadian musicians of all time. What do you make of this top 10?
- Joni Mitchell
- Neil Young
- Rush
- Leonard Cohen
- Drake
- The Band
- Shania Twain
- The Weeknd
- Alanis Morissette
- Celine Dion
