‘Harry Potter’ cast members Tristan Harland, Gabriel Harland, Ruari Spooner, Gracie Cochrane and Alastair Stout pose for a selfie. (HBO)
The youngest Weasley sibling in HBO’s Harry Potter series is getting recast.
Gracie Cochrane, the actress who portrays Ginny Weasley in the upcoming Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, will not return to play the character in season 2 of the series, ABC Audio has confirmed.
Gracie and her family released a statement regarding her decision to exit the show.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances Gracie has made the challenging decision to step away from her role as Ginny Weasley in the HBO Harry Potter series after season one,” the statement reads. “Her time as part of the Harry Potter world has been truly wonderful, and she is deeply grateful to Lucy Bevan and the entire production team for creating such an unforgettable experience. Gracie is very excited about the opportunities her future holds.”
HBO also released a statement on Gracie’s decision to leave the show.
“We support Gracie Cochrane and her family’s decision not to return for the next season of HBO’s Harry Potter series, and we are grateful for her work on season one of the show. We wish Gracie and her family the best,” HBO’s statement reads.
HBO renewed its Harry Potter series for season 2 on May 6. The renewal announcement came months ahead of the debut of the show’s first season.
Dominic McLaughlin leads the cast as Harry Potter. He stars alongside Alastair Stout and Arabella Stanton, who play Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The show is described as a faithful adaptation of the books by J.K. Rowling, who serves as an executive producer.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will air on HBO and debut to HBO Max on Christmas Day 2026. Season 2 is set to begin production in fall 2026.
Cover art for Chris Brown’s ‘Brown’ album (Courtesy of RCA Records)
Chris Brown has landed on the Billboard 200 with his latest studio album. Brown debuted at #7 with 60,000 equivalent album units in the United States during the week ending May 14, according to Luminate. The project marks Chris’ 13th top-10 album album on the chart.
With 60,000 SEA units, the album also debuts at #4 on the Top Streaming Albums chart.
Brown features 27 songs and a star-studded lineup of collaborators, including Bryson Tiller, Leon Thomas, Sexyy Red, GloRilla, Vybz Kartel, NBA Youngboy, Lucky Daye, Fridayy and Tank.
Ahead of his upcoming R&B tour with Usher, Chris revealed that he’s thinking about adding “It’s Not You It’s Me,” “Something in the Water” and “Honeypack” to his set list. He’s also asked his fans for suggestions for additional songs they’d like to hear live.
Barbra Streisand atthe 98th Oscars at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
Barbra Streisand is set to be honored with an honorary Palme d’Or during the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival on May 23, but she just revealed that she won’t be able to attend the festivities.
“On the advice of my doctors, as I continue recovering from a knee injury, I am sadly unable to attend the Festival de Cannes this year,” Babs said in a statement. “But I am deeply honored to receive the Honorary Palme d’or and had so been looking forward to celebrating the remarkable films of the 79th edition.”
“I was also very much looking forward to spending time with colleagues whom I so admire – and, of course, returning to France, a place I have always loved,” she continued. “While I regret that I can’t be there in person, I want to extend my warmest congratulations to all of the filmmakers from around the world whose extraordinary talent and creative vision are being celebrated this year.”
Finally, she notes, “My heartfelt thanks to the Festival, and to everyone who continues to support and champion the art of cinema.”
Streisand’s honor will be the third honorary Palme d’Or handed out this year. Director Peter Jackson and actor John Travolta were already honored at the festival.
Rockers Tesla are getting ready to release a new covers album, Homage, and they’re previewing it with the release of their take on Queen’s 1977 track “Spread Your Wings,” which originally appeared on Queen’s sixth studio album, News of the World.
“‘Spread Your Wings’ for me was the song I always wanted to record by Queen,” says Tesla’s Brian Wheat. “I always felt it was the one song they had in their catalog that should’ve been a massive hit, but wasn’t because it was overshadowed by ‘We Are the Champions’ and ‘We Will Rock You’ on the News of the World album.”
“It was also a song written by John Deacon, who was the band’s secret weapon and whom not many people talk about, the quiet one, shall we say,” he adds.
Homage, dropping July 17, has the band covering songs by such artists as Bob Seger, Supertramp, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Creedence Clearwater Revival, James Brown, Elvis Presley and more. It also includes one original song, “Never Alone.”
Next up, Tesla is set to join Mötley Crüe on their The Return of the Carnival of Sins Tour, which begins July 17 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. A complete list of dates can be found at Teslatheband.com.
This tornado formed in rural Nebraska, near the unincorporated community of St. Libory, May 17, 2026. (Sierra Lindsey: NOAA NSSL)
(NEW YORK) — About 50 million people in America’s Heartland were in the storm zone on Monday, bracing for another day of destructive thunderstorms and tornadoes.
A level 4 out of 5 moderate risk for severe storms was in place across eastern Kansas, including the cities of Wichita, Topeka, Salina and Manhattan.
The new threat of twisters tearing through the Heartland comes a day after 20 tornadoes were reported in Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota and Kansas.
The rural Nebraska community of St. Libory, just north of Grand Island, appeared to be the hardest hit in the region on Sunday.
At least two homes in St. Libory were destroyed by a suspected tornado that swept through the community on Sunday evening, according to Howard County Emergency Management.
There were no immediate reports of deaths or injuries.
Full-time storm chaser Sierra Lindsey posted video on social media of a massive twister cutting across farmland and Highway 281 north of St. Libory on Sunday afternoon.
Severe weather spreading across the Heartland is expected to trigger a new round of tornadoes on Monday afternoon.
Residents from Oklahoma to Iowa, including the cities of Kansas City, Omaha, Lincoln and Des Moines, are being advised to stay alert for twisters.
Flash flooding is also possible due to heavy thunderstorms. A flash flood watch is in place from southeast Nebraska through eastern Kansas and through western and central Missouri.
Storms are expected to start popping up sometime after 2 p.m. CT and will likely grow exponentially once underway.
Flash flooding is also possible in parts of the Heartland due to training thunderstorms, or storms that continue to develop and dump rain over the same area in a relatively short amount of time. A flash flood watch is in place from southeast Nebraska to eastern Kansas and through western and central Missouri.
On Tuesday, a level 2 of 5 risk for severe storms will be in place from Texas to Vermont.
Tuesday’s storms are expected to follow a cold front snaking its way across the country. The main threats will be large hail and damaging wind, although isolated tornadoes are possible in the Great Lakes region.
Stormy weather will reach the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coast on Wednesday, from Richmond to Boston, with a level 1 out of 5 risk for strong winds and hail.
Summer-like temperatures expected in the East
Meanwhile, a big warm-up is expected to continue through Wednesday for most of the East, where afternoon temperatures on Monday are forecast to reach the 80s and 90s in many places.
The temperature in New York City is expected to reach near 90 degrees on Monday and could hit the mid-90s in Washington, D.C.
It will be even hotter on Tuesday for a large swath of the I-95 corridor, with highs in the 90s from D.C. to Philadelphia and New York City to Boston.
Extreme fire weather danger
Extreme fire weather danger is forecast for Monday from northeast New Mexico, across the Texas Panhandle and into southwest Kansas and Oklahoma.
Some of the largest wildfires are burning in Meade County, Kansas, where three large wildfires have consumed more than 82,000 acres combined, officials said.
Wildfires in New Mexico and Minnesota also forced evacuations over the weekend.
Several wildfires broke out in parts of Minnesota on Saturday and grew rapidly. The largest Minnesota wildfire, the Flanders Fire in Crow Wing County, has burned more than 1,600 acres and was 20% contained on Sunday night, according to the Minnesota Incident Command System.
The Minnesota wildfires prompted Gov. Tim Walz to declare a state of emergency on Sunday morning, including mobilizing the state’s National Guard to help battle the fires.
“Unpredictable and fast-moving wildfires are putting Minnesota communities at risk,” Walz said in a statement. “This emergency declaration ensures we can fully mobilize the resources needed to protect lives, support evacuations, and help communities respond and recover.”
(NEW YORK) — A court ruled in favor of OpenAI and its chief executive, Sam Altman, in a lawsuit brought by Elon Musk over alleged misconduct in the company’s evolution from a non-profit upstart to a for-profit corporation.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Pedro Pascal and a Disney Parks character attend ‘The Mandalorian’ special launch event at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on Feb. 28, 2023. (Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney)
This is the way to Disneyland.
Pedro Pascal donned his Mandalorian gear to surprise Disneyland guests in order to celebrate the retheme of the Star Wars attraction Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run.
Pascal shocked fans who were gearing up to ride the attraction for the first time with its new storylines that feature The Mandalorian characters Din Djarin and Grogu. The interaction was captured in a video posted on the official Star Wars Instagram.
“Pedro Pascal creates the surprise of a lifetime at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at @disneyland,” the post is captioned.
The video shows Pascal putting the final touches on his Din Djarin costume as he poses inside of the Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run attraction.
“Don’t make it too obvious it’s me,” Pascal says as he slides the Mandalorian helmet over his head. “I don’t think they’re gonna hear my welcome, but I’ll just be like, ‘What’s up?'”
Moments later, a group of Disneyland guests enter the attraction and are delighted to see a Mando character actor waiting near the queue. Little do they know that it’s actually the real deal. A ride attendant then asks Pascal, “Mandalorian, do you have anything to say before we send our travelers on their journey?”
Pascal then lifts the helmet off his head, which causes the guests to scream, jump up and down, and in some cases, fall to the ground.
“Now you all have to die because you’ve seen my face,” Pascal says to them.
Pascal stars in the upcoming film Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu, which arrives in theaters everywhere on Friday.
Disney is the parent company of ABC News and Lucasfilm.
Lauryn Hill attends the Carolina Herrera fashion show during New York Fashion Week on February 12, 2026, in New York City. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images)
Lauryn Hill only released one solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and she recently explained why. In a lengthy Instagram comment under a post by Fraim World, she addressed rumors about her career ad denied claims regarding her absence from music.
“When you’re inspired and desire to be principled, what doesn’t get talked about enough is the drain… nor the challenge to find safety so that you can create with integrity,” Hill wrote. “Most see opportunity as dollars only and often exclude the ‘sense.’ [Fugees’] The Score nor the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill were made because we were ‘allowed’ to represent what we did, we fought for every inch.”
She added that “wild success can cause greed that begins to degenerate the art for the money,” while emphasizing that “artists go through phases” and that “creativity requires expression, exploration and experimentation.”
Lauryn also compared herself to Harriet Tubman, saying she also spoke “difficult truths to power before certain forces tried to close those doors.”
“If it was so easy to do, where is that expression now on the world stage? Systems fear what they can’t control. Creativity is most potent when it’s free,” she continued. “If I did nothing else, I introduced standards and possibilities to a generation that didn’t know they could operate on that level before then.”
She added that she worked outside the support of the music industry before people fully understood her impact. “Another artist who values inspiration then recognizes IT’S [sic] value and re-presents it to an audience then ready to receive it,” she wrote.
Lauryn released the Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in August 1998. Featuring Carlos Santana, Mary J. Blige and D’Angelo, the album was certified Diamond and remains the only rap album by a woman to spend multiple weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200.
Bon Scott 80th artwork (courtesy of Chipster P.R.)
Original AC/DC frontman Bon Scott would have turned 80 this year, and one of the ways the milestone is being marked is with the third annual Bon’s Birthday Bash.
The bash, the only U.S. tribute event authorized by the Bon Scott Estate, is set to take plaice July 9 at The Cutting Room in New York City. It will feature performances by Living Colour’s Corey Glover, Trixter’s Steve Brown, former American Idol finalist Constantine Maroulis and more.
In addition to performances, the bash will include a Morrison Hotel Gallery pop-up, filled with never-before-seen images of Bon Scott by rock photographer Steve Joester.
Bon’s birthday was also celebrated earlier in May at the 20th anniversary Bonfest: The International Bon Scott Rock Festival, which took place May 1-2 in Kirriemuir, Scotland.
Scott was born July 6, 1946. He died Feb. 19, 1980, at age 33.
Lola Young performs during Elton John AIDS Foundation’s 34th Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party on March 15, 2026 in West Hollywood, California. (Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Elton John AIDS Foundation)
Last September, Lola Young collapsed onstage while appearing at the All Things Go festival in Forest Hills, New York. Now, it’s been announced that she’ll make a return to the same festival in the same location this September.
Along with Zara Larsson, Lola will headline the New York City edition of the 2026 All Things Go festival, taking place Sept. 25-27 at Forest Hills Stadium. Also on the bill are Carly Rae Jepsen, Sienna Spiro, Rebecca Black, Cara Delevingne and Meg Stalter.
You can sign up now for a presale taking place Wednesday at 10 a.m. ET. For the full lineup and all ticket info, visit AllThingsGoFestival.com. Lola, Zara and Sienna are also performing at the Washington, D.C., dates for the festival.
Lola is also teasing new music on Instagram: She posted a video of herself humming a melody, with the caption, “I’m Somewhere In-between.”
After Lola collapsed last year, she told fans she was “going away for a while” to look after her mental and physical health. She told Rolling Stone that she’s since been to rehab and has been attending AA meetings.
