Entertainment

From outfit changes, to dancers and a marching band, Usher pulled out all the stops to deliver an impressive performance at the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show.

The singer took the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday delivering a slew of his hit songs from over three decades of his career including “Caught Up,” “Love in This Club,” “Burn” and more.

Joining the R&B legend on stage also was Alicia Keys who was decked out in a stunning red jumpsuit. Sitting at the piano, Keys began her set belting out “If I Ain’t Got You” before moving on to her and Usher’s 2004 hit single “My Boo,” which won a Grammy for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals.

H.E.R. also appeared on stage with a guitar solo performance before Usher returned on skates to perform “O.M.G.”

While singing his 2001 single “U Got It Bad,” Usher proceeded to take off his shirt, garnering an exciting reaction from the audience.

A few artists who have collaborated with Usher in the past also made surprise appearances including Lil Jon, Ludacris, and will.i.am.

Usher’s Super Bowl setlist:

“Caught up”
“U Don’t Have to Call”
“Superstar”
“Love in this Club”
“If I Ain’t Got You”
“My Boo”
“Confessions Part II”
“Nice & Slow”
“Burn”
“U Got It Bad”
“Bad Girl”
“O.M.G.”
“Turn Down for What”
“Yeah!”

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Months after a wax depiction of The Rock at a French museum drew fire from fans — and required personal consultation from Dwayne Johnson — a Madame Tussauds wax figure of Beyoncé is getting shade for reportedly looking like everyone except Queen Bey.

However, for the record, Leah Remini loves it.

The famous wax museum’s post had fans suggesting the statue looked like many people, just not Bey — with a common snark that it looks more like Remini than the Grammy winner.

For her part, the former King of Queens star doesn’t have a problem with that at all. “I am screaming! And loving all the tweets!” she posted on social media.

“This perimenopausal woman will take any and all comparisons to the beautiful Beyoncé,” Remini continued.

Many of Bey’s fans really let the museum have it, with one stating, “I don’t think you guys should do black celebrities,” and another offering, “Y’all might as well melt the wax down and send this Temu Beyonce back to the factory,” referencing the Chinese app that is widely clowned on for selling knockoffs.

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The second season of Halo just got underway on Paramount+, and star Pablo Schreiber is psyched. 

The actor plays Master Chief in the adaptation, and portraying the hero of the global phenomenon video game franchise can put you in the crosshairs with the fans.

However, the actor tells ABC Audio that he takes all of it in stride. “From the moment I got this job … I felt so honored to get to be the guy that brings this to life,” Pablo says.

He adds, “There’s a passionate fan base of millions of people that have all of their own passions for the project, you know, and they can be positive and they can be negative.” He says he views the feedback as a “positive,” because it reflects their passion. “And I love that,” he says.

Pablo says season 2 feels of a “higher quality” than the first, thanks to its new showrunner, David Weiner. “I think he brought some shifts and tonal changes to the show … that feels just more dynamic and more interesting,” Schreiber says. He calls it “darker [and] more mysterious” than the first season.

However, the biggest thrill for the actor is still getting suited up in Master Chief’s iconic green Mjolnir armor.

“It immediately gives you so much status and power, and you feel so imposing inside of that thing,” he says. “It really feels amazing.”  

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The success of Prey, which debuted in 2022 on Hulu and later went on to earn director Dan Trachtenberg an Emmy nomination, has led him to calling the shots on another film based on the intergalactic hunter species.

The Hollywood Reporter says that Trachtenberg will be directing Predator: Badlands for 20th Century Studios for a theatrical release — the way Prey was originally intended before ABC News’ parent company, Disney, purchased 20th Century Fox.

With 20th officially mum, the trade says Badlands‘ concept is still a secret, save that it will be set in the future, unlike the 1719-set Prey.

Like Prey, the trade teases this project will center on a female lead.

In that film, Amber Midthunder played a young Comanche woman whose tribe tangles with the species first seen in the 1987 Arnold Schwarzenegger action classic Predator. Prey won praise for its Indigenous representation, and pleased fans and critics alike.

Predator: Badlands, which could get underway in July, per the trade, is apparently just one of the projects being readied about the hunters.

THR reports 20th Century Studios has tapped Trachtenberg to oversee other entries in its now-revitalized franchise, as well.

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Have no fear, your reality roundup is here! Here’s a look at what happened in the world of reality television this week:

The Bachelor (ABC)
In a now-viral video for Betches’ “How Online Are You?” series, this season’s Bachelor star, Joey Graziadei, somehow confused Gypsy Rose Blanchard for the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. When shown a photo of Gypsy and asked to identify her, Joey responded, “I do know who this person is! Is it Ruth? It’s Jinsburg or Ginsburg or something like that. Am I wrong?” Yes, Joey. You are very wrong.

Love Is Blind (Netflix)
The latest trailer for season 6 of the dating reality show gives a glimpse at the drama that’s in store for these romantic hopefuls. In a montage, we see various couples as they try to make their relationships work outside of the pods. “We’re in a bit of a love triangle,” one of the women says, revealing that one of the other contestants DM’d her man. The new season debuts, appropriately, on Valentine’s Day, February 14.

The Real Housewives of Atlanta (Bravo)
Kandi Burruss is saying goodbye to RHOA. The longtime cast member announced this week that she’s leaving the show after 14 seasons. She told Variety on the Grammys red carpet Sunday that it was time for her to “take a break” and that she’s got “some nice big projects coming soon.”

Also of note: Peacock’s The Traitors was renewed for season 3, a new trailer for Hulu’s Vanderpump Villa was released, and the new contestants were revealed for season 21 of Bravo’s Top Chef, which premieres March 20.

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Having saved the world with Chris Hemsworth in the Marvel movies, Chris Pratt is now teaming up with Thor’s big brother Luke Hemsworth for the prequel series to Prime Video’s The Terminal List.

Luke, veteran of HBO’s Westworld, posted to Instagram a confirmation about the news, adding, “Yep pretty stoked to be joining this epic team.”

As reported, Prime Video is going ahead with two new Terminal List shows based on Navy SEAL-turned author Jack Carr‘s bestselling book series: a sequel and a prequel.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf is a prequel to the original, in which Pratt played Navy SEAL James Reece and Taylor Kitsch portrayed CIA contractor character Ben Edwards.

ABC Audio has learned Hemsworth will recur as Jules Landry, “a self-obsessed CIA contractor who hides a dangerously volatile personality beneath his muscled veneer.”

The show is set five years before the first one and focuses on Kitsch’s character’s early days with the agency.

Prime Video calls it “an elevated espionage thriller” that explores “the darker side of warfare and the human cost that comes with it.”

While Pratt will be featured in the prequel, he’ll headline the sequel series, which will be based on Carr’s bestseller True Believer.

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With news the Oscars will soon be giving kudos to the people who help pick the stars for a given project comes praise from Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan on what he calls “one of most consequential casting decisions ever made.”

That honor goes to picking Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man, Nolan told Stephen Colbert on Thursday night’s The Late Show.

While he’s now the odds-on favorite for his first Oscar for Nolan’s Oppenheimer, back in September of 2006, Downey was a risky proposition to lead what would become the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following years of legal trouble and addiction.

Director Jon Favreau and casting director Sarah Halley Finn pushed for Marvel Studios to screen test Downey, and the rest is history.

“I’ve always wanted to work with him,” Nolan expressed to Colbert, adding, “He has such charisma, and I think him playing Tony Stark in Iron Man is one of the most consequential casting decisions ever made in the movie business.”

Nolan explained that Downey has “this incredible generosity of spirit.” He added, “It means when he’s in a scene with other people he’s making sure they are all doing their best … He’s helping them clarify those emotional connections.”

The filmmaker noted he was keen to have Downey shed Stark in playing his Oppenheimer character Lewis Strauss. “I wanted to give him the opportunity to lose himself in a part, lose himself in another human being the way that great actors love to,” Nolan said.

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The White House Correspondents’ Association has tapped Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update” co-anchor Colin Jost to emcee the 2024 White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

The annual event will be held on Saturday, April 27, in Washington, D.C.

NBC News’ Kelly O’Donnell, the president of the organization, said in a statement, “Colin Jost knows how to make Saturday nights funny, and I am thrilled Colin will be live from the nation’s capital as the headline entertainer for this [year].”

She added of the Emmy nominee, “His sharp insights perfectly meet this remarkable time of divided politics, and a presidential campaign careening toward a rematch. His smart brand of comedy and keen observation will turn up the heat on the national news media and across the political spectrum.”

The annual event, which traditionally is attended by the president and first lady, media personalities, and other newsmakers, helps finance the association’s work, supporting the “journalists working to cover the president, events and programs to educate the public about the value of the First Amendment and a free press, and scholarships to help the next generation of journalists,” according to its website.

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The Motion Picture Academy will finally be giving casting directors their moments to shine at the Oscars. Beginning with the 98th Academy Awards in 2026, there will be a competitive Academy Award presented for Achievement in Casting. In a statement, Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said, “Casting directors play an essential role in filmmaking, and as the Academy evolves, we are proud to add casting to the disciplines that we recognize and celebrate.” …

Variety reports Denzel Washington and Spike Lee are reuniting for the thriller High and Low — their fifth film together and first since 2006’s Inside Man. The feature is a reinterpretation of the 1963 Akira Kurosawa film, itself based on King’s Ransom, Ed McBain‘s novel chronicling the kidnapping of a businessman’s chauffeur and the ransom payment that drove him to ruins …

Zac Efron is attached to star in the Sam Esmail movie Famous, according to Deadline. The story follows Lance Dunkquist, who has the face of a movie star, namely Hollywood icon James Janson — played by Efron in a dual role. Lance is determined to travel to Hollywood in search of fame. Eastbound & Down showrunner Jody Hill is set to direct …

Deadline reports Beau Bridges has joined the cast of CBS’ Matlock reboot, replacing Jamey Sheridan, who played Senior, the firm’s managing partner in the pilot. The reworking of the original show, which starred the late Andy Griffith, features Kathy Bates as the titular septuagenarian lawyer who joins a prestigious firm and racks up courtroom wins. The cast also includes Jason Ritter, Skye P. Marshall, David Del Rio and Leah Lewis…

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Mark Ruffalo was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Thursday, with his 13 Going on 30 co-star Jennifer Garner paying tribute to her longtime pal with a hilarious and heartfelt speech.

Ruffalo, who scored his fourth Oscar nomination last month for his work in Poor Things, attended the event with his wife, Sunrise Coigney, and their three children: Keen, Bella and Odette.

Garner, who 20 years ago starred opposite Ruffalo in the 2004 rom-com 13 Going on 30, delivered a hilarious speech she said she wrote in the car on the way to the ceremony after being asked to speak just the night before.

“Why wasn’t I asked to do this in the first place?” she jokingly asked. “I kicked off the Mark Ruffalo rom-com era!”

“Thank God I showed up,” Garner added. “I have got to be here to honor and elucidate rom-com Ruffalo.”

The Alias alum spoke about how “lucky” she and Ruffalo are for having starred in a movie that “still means something to people.”

Garner ribbed Ruffalo for having tried to drop out of 13 Going on 30 after the first rehearsal for what became one of the most memorable scenes of the film: the “Thriller” dance sequence, which the two recreated for a photo op.

“To work with you, Mark, is to love you — I don’t care what anyone says,” she said, ending her speech on one last laugh.

Also speaking at Ruffalo’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony was his friend Timothy McNeil, who read a speech of his own, as well as one from Laura Dern, who had to pull out of the event due to illness, and David Fincher, who directed Ruffalo in 2007’s Zodiac.

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