Entertainment

Now that the Top 24 have been decided, it’s America’s turn to take the reins on American Idol.

Sunday’s episode saw half of the contestants being mentored by country star Jimmie Allen, who was a previous contestant on the show, making it to the Top 40 during season 10, the year Scotty McCreery won. Not only did he serve as mentor, he also treated everyone to a performance of his new song, “Down Home.”

Here are the contestants who performed and their song selections:

Jay: “I Want You Back,” The Jackson 5 
Elli Rowe: “Everywhere,” Fleetwood Mac
Tristen Gressett: “With a Little Help from My Friends,” The Beatles/Joe Cocker
Scarlet: “Levitating,” Dua Lipa
Sage: “Jolene,” Dolly Parton
Danielle Finn: “Your Song,” Elton John
Mike Parker: “Best Shot,” Jimmie Allen 
Emyrson Flora: “Angels Like You,” Miley Cyrus 
Dan Marshall: “Heaven,” Bryan Adams
Jacob Moran: “In My Blood,” Shawn Mendes
HunterGirl: “Banjo,” Rascal Flatts
Nicolina: “Elastic Heart,” Sia 

Tonight, the remaining contestants, mentored by pop superstar Bebe Rexha, will take the stage for a chance to win America’s votes.

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

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It seems as though the speculation that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck had gotten engaged — again — isn’t speculation at all: It’s true.

ABC News has confirmed that the couple, who originally broke off their first engagement in 2004, are once again set to wed. People was the first to report the news, citing a rep for Jennifer.  The Marry Me star also added a diamond ring emoji to her Twitter handle, and tweeted a video teasing “a really exciting and special story to share.” 

She directed her fans to her online community OntheJlo, where People reported that she posted a clip of herself admiring a huge green diamond ring. The clip was shared on her sister Lynda Lopez‘s Instagram, with the caption, “So this happened.”

Jennifer and Affleck, aka “Bennifer,” rekindled their romance last summer after Jennifer broke up with Alex Rodriguez. 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.

Speaking about her reunion with Affleck, Jennifer told People earlier, “It’s a beautiful outcome that this has happened in this way at this time in our lives where we can really appreciate and celebrate each other and respect each other.”

Bennifer’s first engagement ended, in part, due to the media attention surrounding their relationship.

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The Disney+ Star Wars series Ahsoka has reportedly snagged a director from the Marvel universe.

Peter Ramsay, who along with Bob Persichetti and Rodney Rothman won an Oscar for the animated hit Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, will direct at least one episode of the upcoming series, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

As previously reported, the series stars Rosario Dawson as Ahsoka Tano, the one-time Jedi who has appeared in both The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett.

Not much else is known about the hush-hush project, except that it will likely tie into the close of the animated series Star Wars: Rebels, and the hunt for the Empire’s fearsome Grand Admiral Thrawn. That series’ finale showed the military genius vanishing into hyperspace during a climactic clash with young Jedi Ezra Bridger.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Australian actor Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Ukrainian actress Ivanna Sakhno and Hayden Christensen also will star in Ahsoka, the latter reprising his role as Ahsoka’s former master, Anakin Skywalker, who also will be seen in Lucasfilm’s upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi series.

Lucasfilm is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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Horror and comedy collide in the Starz series Shining Vale, airing Sundays. Courteney Cox and Greg Kinnear star as Patricia “Pat” Phelps and her husband Terry — a couple that moves their whole family into an old home that turns out to be haunted.

Judith Light plays Pat’s mother, Joan and tells ABC Audio she loves how the show combines genres.

“I think what [show creators] Jeff Astrof and Sharon Horgan have done has this really combination of comedy and drama and horror that is so deftly connected and complicated and funny,” she shares.

Not only did she love the combination of genres, when it comes to her role, Light says she was drawn to it because she found it “compelling” how Astrof and Horgan packed so many topics into the character.

“I saw with his character… I wanted to talk about women as they age and women and mental illness and the paranormal and relationships with your spouse and relationships with your children, it has everything,” the actress explains. “I don’t know how they did it. So I found it very I found it very compelling.”

At the end of the day, Shining Vale is a completely fictional series, however Light shares that she does believe in the paranormal.

“I do believe that there is something else, and I don’t know how it manifests itself, but I know that there are people that hear those things, see those things,” she says. “I do believe that there is paranormal activity that we are not necessarily prone to see or know.”

“I know that there is paranormal beyond what we know in this body, this tactile connection, that there is something else,” Light adds.

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has determined that Will Smith will be banned from attending any of its events — including the Academy Awards — for a decade.

In a statement, the Academy noted Friday, “The 94th Oscars were meant to be a celebration of the many individuals in our community who did incredible work this past year; however, those moments were overshadowed by the unacceptable and harmful behavior we saw Mr. Smith exhibit on stage.”

It continued, “During our telecast, we did not adequately address the situation in the room. For this, we are sorry. This was an opportunity for us to set an example for our guests, viewers and our Academy family around the world, and we fell short — unprepared for the unprecedented.”

“Today, the Board of Governors convened a meeting to discuss how best to respond to Will Smith’s actions at the Oscars, in addition to accepting his resignation. The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards.”

The statement also expressed its, “deep gratitude to Chris [Rock] for maintaining his composure under extraordinary circumstances,” and thanked “our hosts, nominees, presenters and winners for their poise and grace during our telecast.”

Smith resigned from the Academy last week, prior to the decision, saying, “I will fully accept any and all consequences for my conduct. My actions…were shocking, painful, and inexcusable.”

A “heartbroken” Smith, who also posted an apology to the Academy and Rock the Monday after the Oscars, apologized to the “long list” of “those I have hurt,” including Rock…”his family, many of my dear friends and loved ones, all those in attendance, and global audiences at home.”

Smith added, “Change takes time and I am committed to doing the work to ensure that I never again allow violence to overtake reason.”

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The long-running ABC reality competition series Dancing with the Stars is sashaying to Disney+.

“Dancing with the Stars has entertained fans for 16 years on ABC, and we are excited to bring this beloved show exclusively to Disney+ as the platform’s first-ever live series, noted Kareem Daniel, Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution chairman, in a surprise announcement.

Season 31 and 32 will run live on the streaming service starting this fall.

“The show’s broad appeal, as well as the overwhelming popularity of its Disney-themed competition nights, make Disney+ the perfect home for DWTS,” Daniel added.

An Instagram post announcing the move was liked by tens of thousands of fans, and earned “praise hands” from dancer Witney Carson, who said, “Huge!” Other dancing pros also replied with their support.

Over the show’s 30 seasons on ABC, the BBC Studios-produced show earned multiple Emmys, and its fall 2021 run, hosted by co-executive producer Tyra Banks, ranked among the top five unscripted series in the 18-49 demographic.

Network execs are reportedly aiming to fill DWTS‘ traditional Monday night slot with NFL football.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Marvel Studios’ sequel Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has bested The Batman, becoming the biggest movie in 2022 to date in terms of ticket pre-sales on Fandango.

Advance tickets went on sale on Thursday, and Fandango tells ABC Audio the Sorcerer Supreme conjured up “staggering” numbers of fans, with showtimes selling out for the May 6 release, leading theater chains to add showtimes to keep up with demand. It’s showing the biggest pre-sales since Spider-Man: No Way Home last year.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness stars at least two versions of Benedict Cumberbatch‘s title character, as well as returning Marvel movie players Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Rachel McAdams, as well as newcomer Xochitl Gomez, and X-Men veteran Patrick Stewart.

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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Sunday’s episode of The Simpsons will make history as the first to feature a deaf actor and use American Sign Language — despite characters only having four fingers.

The episode, titled “The Sound of Bleeding Gums,” follows Lisa Simpson as she tracks down the deaf son of her favorite saxophone player and helps him get a cochlear implant. Deaf Glee and I Hear You veteran John Autry II voices the character. Simpsons writer Loni Steele Sosthand drew his inspiration from the Oscar-winning film CODA, as well as his jazz-loving father and deaf brother.

“When we were talking about this Bleeding Gums character in our initial brainstorms, we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if Lisa discovers this whole other side of his life,'” he tells Variety. That led to him having a son, and then we based that character at least somewhat on my brother. And the story grew from there.”

“The Sound of Bleeding Gums” airs Sunday, April 10 on Fox at 8 p.m. ET. 

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With the forthcoming addition of No Time to Die, Daniel Craig‘s final turn as the suave super-spy, Amazon Prime will soon be the place to go for all your 007 needs.

Starting April 15, the streaming service will have access to every canon film in James Bond’s 25-movie history, from 1962’s Dr. No to 2021’s No Time to Die — meaning you can re-watch the adventures of every guy to hold the license to kill: Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Craig.

As 007 fans know, 1967’s version of Casino Royale, starring David Niven and Woody Allen (!), and 1983’s Never Say Never Again, which had Connery reprising the iconic role, aren’t considered “official” Bond films.

Prime recently acquired every movie in MGM’s 4,000 movie library, among them the cinematic exploits of Ian Fleming‘s iconic MI6 agent.

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Saturday Night Live star Kenan Thompson and his wife, Christina Evangeline, have called it quits after 11 years of marriage, a source tells Us Weekly.

“Kenan and Christina are completely amicable,” says the insider, who reveals the couple “officially” separated in back in November 2020. “They remain close as coparents and have remained very close throughout the separation.”

The source adds the split was a “mutual decision” between the two, explaining that the 43-year-old Kenan star and Christina, 33, “really just grew apart and wanted different things.”

Thompson sees his estranged wife “almost every day still” when he’s in town and the duo often “go to dinners just the two of them,” according to the insider.

And while neither has “officially filed for divorce” as of now, the source tells the magazine, “It can happen soon.”

Regardless, the insider insists Kenan’s “very active in his daughters’ lives. He’s an amazing father, especially given his schedule and obligations.”

“The kids spend majority of the time with their mom but he always makes sure to see them,” the source continues.

Thompson and Evangeline tied the knot in 2011.

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