Month: June 2025

Director Spike Lee has released the trailer for his new crime thriller“Highest 2 Lowest” starring Denzel Washington, A$AP Rocky, Jeffrey Wright, and Ilfenesh Hadera.

The project marks the fifth time that Lee and Washington have collaborated on a feature film; they previously worked together on the projects: Mo’ Better Blues (1990), Malcolm X (1992), He Got Game (1998) and Inside Man (2007).

Written by William Alan Fox, “Highest 2 Lowest” is loosely based on Akira Kurosawa’s “High and Low,” which follows a businessman deciding whether or not to use his wealth to further his career or save a child’s life. Both “Highest 2 Lowest” and “High and Low” are reinterpretations of Ed McBain’s mystery novel “The King’s Ransom.”

An official film synopsis reads: “When a titan music mogul (Denzel Washington), widely known as having the ‘best ears in the business,’ is targeted with a ransom plot, he is jammed up in a life-or-death moral dilemma.”

The movie will be released in theaters August 22 and stream on Apple TV+ starting Sept. 5 ; see the teaser trailer – HERE.

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

NBC will air ‘Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks Special,’ hosted by Academy Award-winning actress/singer Ariana DeBose, live on Friday, July 4 from 8-10 pm ET on NBC, and simulcast live on Peacock. An hourlong encore presentation of the show will air at 10 pm on NBC.

The show will feature a star-studded lineup of special guests – including performances from The Jonas Brothers, Ava Max, Eric Church, Lenny Kravitz, Keke Palmer and Trisha Yearwood.

According to a press release, a 25-minute fireworks display featuring 80,000 shells and a projection show will follow, with Ahmir Thompson (better known as Questlove) and James Poyser producing the music for the fireworks display, which will be held at New York’s Brooklyn Bridge and the lower East River.

Will Coss, Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks executive producer, said in a statement: “We light the sky and create tradition, bringing millions across the country together for shared experience and memory.”

Jen Neal, NBCU Entertainment’s executive vice president of live events and specials, commented on the special in a statement: “It’s the kind of unforgettable national live event that brings us together as a country while showcasing the power and uniqueness of both our NBC and Peacock brands.”

Editorial credit: lev radin / Shutterstock.com

Starz is previewing the upcoming ‘Outlander’ prequel series Blood of My Blood, which premieres Aug. 8.

The network shared new teaser images for “Outlander: Blood of My Blood” which will release new episodes weekly on Fridays. The show is a spin-off of the long-running drama “Outlander,” which debuted in 2014 and is currently preparing for its eighth season. The prequel will introduce a new cast and fresh storylines while exploring the origins of key characters from the original series.

According to the show’s official synopsis, the story spans from World War I battlefields to 18th-century Scotland, highlighting two love stories defined by “loyalty, passion, and desire,” as the couples face challenges that threaten to pull them apart.

The series will center on two romantic storylines: Julia Moriston (played by Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine), and Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), who are the parents of original series protagonists Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser. Additional cast members include Tony Curran as Simon Fraser, Lord Lovat, Séamus McLean Ross as Colum MacKenzie, Sam Retford as Dougal MacKenzie, Rory Alexander as Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser, and Conor MacNeill as Ned Gowan.

Editorial credit: GIO_LE / Shutterstock.com

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo return in the first trailer for Wicked: For Good. 

Wicked: For Good is the second of a two-film adaption of the Broadway musical by director Jon M. Chu, picking up the stories of Cynthia Erivo’s Elphaba and Ariana Grande’s Glinda years later.  The sequel picks up after Elphaba (Erivo) is branded a “wicked witch” and flees the Land of Oz.

The films are inspired by Gregory Maguire’s 1995 book and the 2003 Broadway adaptation. The story explores the origins of “The Wicked Witch of the West,” and “Glinda the Good” from The Wizard of Oz, inspired by the Frank L. Baum novel.

Wicked: For Good is in theaters Nov. 21; see the trailer: HERE.

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

Prosecutors are streamlining their case and have moved to drop some of the charges against Sean “Diddy” Combs a day before closing arguments are set to commence. Combs, 55, is charged with sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. Those charges were not affected by the prosecution’s letter, but the jury will now have fewer predicates to consider during deliberations. Combs has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

In a letter to Judge Arun Subramanian filed on the morning of Wednesday, June 25, prosecutors said that they will not instruct the jury to consider attempted kidnapping, attempted arson and aiding and abetting sex trafficking prior to deliberations: “The Government understands the Court’s desire for streamlined instructions. Specifically, the Government has removed instructions from the charge relating to (i) attempted kidnapping under both California and New York law, (ii) attempted arson under California law, and (iii) aiding and abetting sex trafficking. The Government is no longer planning to proceed on these theories of liability so instructions are no longer necessary.”

In addition to dropping parts of their argument of the first count—one count of racketeering conspiracy—the letter sought to clarify Combs’ two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. The letter notes that it is “imperative” the jury understands that “earlier consent is not determinative” of whether a victim was sex trafficked, adding that the same is true of forced labor, which is part of Combs’ sex trafficking counts. Additionally, the letter requests that “the Court instruct the jury that sex trafficking/labor and payment to the victim for that conduct are not mutually exclusive.”

Prosecutors called 34 witnesses over 29 days of testimony, while Combs’ team rested their defense after only 20 minutes on June 24, having called no witnesses and only introducing a series of text messages into evidence. Combs —who has been in federal custody since his September arrest—also waived his right to testify. In a rare statement addressing the court, he said: “We have discussed it thoroughly, that is my decision. That is totally my decision, I am making it.”  He also expressed gratitude for how Judge Subramanian has handled the case thus far: “I’m doing great, your honor, wanted to tell you thank you, you’re doing an excellent job.”

Editorial credit: bella1105 / Shutterstock.com