Entertainment

Alix Earle is ready to go viral this season on Dancing with the Stars.

The 24-year-old social media personality and model was announced on Good Morning America Thursday as the latest contestant to join the upcoming 34th season, which will air later this year.

Over the years, Earle has garnered more than 7.5 million devoted TikTok followers, who follow her on the platform for her humor, beauty, fashion and lifestyle tips.

In 2023, she earned a spot on Forbes‘ Fashion 50 list. The following year, she also earned a spot on Forbes‘ Top Creators list. Earle has also been featured in Rolling Stone‘s annual Creators issue and was named Allure‘s Beauty Creator of 2024.

In addition to being a social media star, Earle is the host of the Hot Mess podcast, where she discusses mental health, her acne journey, cosmetic surgery and more.

In 2024, Earle told Elle that she is “obsessed with” DWTS and that her TikTok “For You” page has been inundated with content from the previous season.

She also attended the taping of the 500th Dancing with the Stars episode in November 2024 and filmed a “Get Ready With Me” video for it.

In that video, Earle reiterated how much she loves the show and mentioned how she grew up dancing.

“I love a good performance,” she said. “I was dancing competitively until my junior, senior year of high school.”

Earle joins Robert Irwin, who was announced as part of the season 34 cast in April.

The full cast of DWTS season 34 celebrities and professional dancers will be announced at a later date.

Dancing with the Stars will air on ABC and Disney+, and stream the next day on Hulu.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News and “Good Morning America.”

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Kieran Culkin is the latest addition to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast. The Succession actor will play TV host Caesar Flickerman in the prequel, a role played by Stanley Tucci in the original films. He joins a stacked cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning, Maya Hawke, Jesse Plemons and newcomer Joseph Zada in the lead role of Haymitch Abernathy. The film hits theaters Nov. 20, 2026 …

The teaser trailer for the new series Chief of War has arrived. Apple TV+ released the teaser starring Jason Momoa on Wednesday. The show, which arrives on the streaming platform on Aug. 1, tells the story of the unification and colonization of Hawai‘i at the turn of the 18th century from an indigenous perspective …

Martin Scorsese is getting ready for his close-up. The director will be the subject of an upcoming five-part documentary film series for Apple TV+. The new project will be directed by Rebecca Miller, and explores the life and the films of the legendary director. It includes interviews with the director’s family and friends, including Robert De Niro, Daniel Day-Lewis, Leonardo DiCaprio and Mick Jagger …

Noah’s Arc: The Movie is sailing on to Paramount+ with Showtime this summer. The streaming platform announced the film will debut on June 20 in time to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the series. Original stars Darryl Stephens, Rodney Chester, Doug Spearman, Christian Vincent, Jensen Atwood and Wilson Cruz reprise their roles in the upcoming movie …

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Tom Hanks is set to star in an off-Broadway production of a new play he co-wrote.

Hanks will star in the world premiere of This World of Tomorrow, a brand-new play he co-wrote with James Glossman. It’s based on a series of short stories by Hanks.

This World of Tomorrow is set at the end of the 21st century. Hanks will star as Bert Allenberry, a scientist from the future who embarks on a time-traveling adventure to find true love. Bert finds himself continuously returning to a special day during the 1939 World’s Fair in Queens, New York.

“Out of the collision of technology and desire, nostalgia and history, what life will Bert choose as his own?” the show’s official description asks.

The play will have a limited eight-week run at The Shed’s Griffin Theater in New York. It will be directed by Kenny Leon, who also directed the current production of Othello on Broadway starring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal.

This marks the second collaboration between Hanks and Glossman after they previously worked together on the play Safe Home in 2022.

This World of Tomorrow begins previews on Oct. 30 with the limited engagement running through Dec. 21.

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Milly Alcock is opening up about the rough start to her time working on House of the Dragon.

While guesting on The Tonight Show, Alcock, who played young Rhaenyra Targaryen in the first season of the Game of Thrones prequel series, said a person higher up on the show told her she would have to see an acting coach.

“On my second day on House of the Dragon, one of the, I’m not gonna say who, but someone very high up, pulled me aside and was like, ‘Um, we’re gonna get you an acting coach,’” Alcock said.

The actress said this encounter fueled her anxiety as she took on her first major acting role in such a popular franchise.

“It just confirmed everything that I’ve kind of known to be true, [which] is that I’m not very good at my job,” Alcock said. “You know what I mean! I was like, ‘I can’t do this. This is terrible. This is a big mistake.’”

Emma D’Arcy took over the role of Rhaenyra after there was a significant time jump during the second part of season 1. Alcock made a brief appearance in the role during season 2.

House of the Dragon is currently in production on season 3. The show is set 200 years before the events of the original series and is based on George R. R. Martin‘s novel Fire & Blood.

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Austin Butler is supposed to be cat-sitting in the official trailer for Caught Stealing.

Instead, he’s running for his life through the streets of New York. Sony Pictures released the new trailer for the upcoming Darren Aronofsky film on Wednesday.

Butler plays Hank Thompson in the movie, a former high school baseball star who can no longer play. Zoë Kravitz co-stars as his girlfriend. When the pair agree to watch Hank’s punk-rock neighbor’s cat for a few days, Hank finds himself caught in the middle of a crew of gangsters.

“You run away from what you’re afraid of. Then it owns you,” Kravitz says to Butler in the trailer.

Charlie Huston wrote the screenplay for the film that’s based on his book of the same name.

Matt Smith, Regina King, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Griffin Dunne, Bad Bunny and Carol Kane also star in the action-comedy crime film.

Caught Stealing arrives in theaters on Aug. 29.

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Jimmy Kimmel is now a grandfather.

The comedian and host shared the news on the May 20 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, revealing he missed the previous night’s show to be there for the birth of his first grandchild.

“You know, we were supposed to have a show last night, but we didn’t, because my daughter had a baby last night,” Jimmy said, referring to his daughter Katie Kimmel.

He added, “Katie and her husband, Will, had a baby girl right at the time we shoot our show last night, so I decided to be there instead of here.”

Katie, 33, is the late-night TV host’s eldest daughter, whom he shares with his first wife, Gina Maddy.

In addition to Katie, Jimmy is the father of son Kevin Kimmel, 31 — also from his first marriage — and two younger children, Billy Kimmel and Jane Kimmel, whom he shares with his current wife, Molly McNearney.

Jimmy said his eldest daughter was surrounded by an “army of family” at the hospital when she gave birth.

Katie paid tribute to her family with her daughter’s name, Patti Joan.

Joan is name of Jimmy’s mom, the baby’s great-grandmother.

In his opening monologue, Jimmy described being a grandfather as a “big responsibility,” going on to share some of the funny things he saw his own grandfathers do, including one giving himself haircuts using a cigarette lighter.

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George Wendt‘s Cheers co-stars are sharing heartfelt tributes following his death at age 76.

Wendt’s family confirmed the news Tuesday morning, announcing that the actor died peacefully in his sleep at home, according to a statement shared by his representative with ABC News.

“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” the statement read. “He will be missed forever.”

Wendt was best known for his iconic role as Norm Peterson on the classic sitcom Cheers, which earned him six Emmy nominations.

Calling Wendt “my friend,” Cheers co-star John Ratzenberger said in a statement to ABC News, “For eleven years on ‘Cheers,’ we shared a stage, a lot of laughs, and a front-row seat to one of television’s most beloved friendships. George brought Norm to life with a subtle brilliance — the kind that made it look easy. That was his gift.”

Ratzenberger described Wendt as “a true craftsman — humble, hilarious, and full of heart,” adding, “What you saw on screen was exactly who he was off screen with impeccable comedic timing and a deep loyalty to those he loved.”

“I’ll miss our conversations and the quiet moments of friendship that meant the most,” the statement added. “My thoughts are with his wife Bernadette, their children, and everyone who loved him.’

Ted Danson, who played Sam Malone on Cheers, also shared a moving tribute in his statement to ABC News.

“I am devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us,” the statement read. “I am sending all my love to Bernadette and the children. It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie.”

Another Cheers co-star, Rhea Perlman, told ABC News in a statement that Wendt “was the sweetest, kindest man I ever met.”

“It was impossible not to like him,” she continued. “As Carla, I was often standing next to him, as Norm always took the same seat at the end of the bar, which made it easy to grab him and beat the crap out of him at least once a week. I loved doing it and he loved pretending it didn’t hurt. What a guy! I’ll miss him more than words can say.”

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Yellowjackets has been renewed for season 4. Paramount+ with Showtime announced the renewal of the popular series on Tuesday. Chris McCarthy, co-CEO of Paramount Global and president of Showtime/MTV entertainment Studios, said the company was thrilled to renew the coming-of-age survival drama show for another season after the success of season 3. Yellowjackets‘ third season was the most-watched ever, according to Paramount+, with its finale becoming the most-streamed episode of the whole series …

The teaser trailer for the new drama series IT: Welcome to Derry has arrived. HBO released the teaser trailer on Tuesday. The upcoming show will air in the fall on HBO and HBO Max. The new series is based on Stephen King‘s novel IT and expands on the story told in Andy Muschietti‘s films IT and IT Chapter Two …

Carey Mulligan might be making her way to Narnia. The actress is in talks to join Greta Gerwig‘s Narnia film adaptation for Netflix, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The film is based on the popular novels by C.S. Lewis. Mulligan would play Digory’s mother in the film, which is reportedly an adaptation of the sixth novel in the series, titled The Magician’s Nephew …

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Nine Perfect Strangers is back for another season on Hulu. Season 2 finds Nicole Kidman’s character, the wellness guru Masha, leading another mysterious retreat for a group of people with plenty of secrets of their own.

Season 1 was based on the Liane Moriarty book of the same name. Season 2 takes the story beyond the novel, moving from the sprawling California hillsides to an Alpine castle. And that’s not the only change.

“It’s a whole new cast of characters, a whole new situation, and these characters — which is different from the first season — these characters know exactly what they’re getting into. They’re signing up for this exact psychedelic process,” Annie Murphy tells ABC Audio.

“We’ve got so many elements, so many moving parts of different characters. And to see them interact with each other, but also reveal a little bit of the past bit by bit … for an actor it’s the best playground to play in,” says star Henry Golding.

Murray Bartlett, star of season 1 of HBO’s The White Lotus, is no stranger to large ensemble shows set in the world of high-class hospitality. But his Nine Perfect Strangers character is something completely different.

“They’re also on opposite sides of the sort of retreat or hotel hierarchy. One’s trying to run the show, the other one is kind of a victim. But both really rich characters in different ways,” says Bartlett.

The show was filmed on location in Germany.

“We were all transplanted together to a different place,” says Bartlett. “You kinda feel like you’re on theater camp together. And I love that, I love being in a big ensemble cast.”

His co-star Christine Baranski feels the same way.

“We just bonded so quickly and so deeply as a cast that it’s going to go down as one of my favorite shows that I’ve ever done,” says Baranski. 

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George Wendt, the actor best known for playing Norm Peterson on the long-running sitcom Cheers, has died. He was 76.

A family representative confirmed the news to ABC News on Tuesday and said that Wendt “died peacefully in his sleep while at home.”

“George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,” the rep said in a statement. “He will be missed forever.”

Wendt earned six Emmy nominations for his role on the NBC comedy series.

Born on Oct. 17, 1948, in Chicago, Wendt began his career in comedy at Chicago’s The Second City theater.

Prior to Cheers, he starred in a few roles on television, including M*A*S*H, Taxi and Soap, before his big break as Norm.

Wendt starred in all 275 episodes of Cheers, from when the show first aired in 1982 to its final episode in 1993.

In a 2021 interview with Chicago Magazine, Wendt recalled the first time he auditioned for Cheers.

“I needed to look like a guy who wanted to have another beer,” he said.

The actor added that Norm was exactly like him, just “with better writing.”

Following Cheers, Wendt appeared on Saturday Night Live, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Frasier, George Lopez and other television shows.

He also starred in several television films, including Alice in Wonderland in 1999, Strange Relations in 2001 and Santa Baby in 2006.

Wendt married his wife, Bernadette Birkett in 1978. The duo met while working at the Second City theater. They share a daughter named Hilary and two sons, Joe and Daniel.

Wendt is also the uncle of actor Jason Sudeikis.

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