Ian McKellen as Gandalf and Elijah Wood as Frodo in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.’ (Warner Bros. Pictures/Fathom Entertainment)
Fans of The Lord of the Rings will get a special surprise as the films return to theaters to celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring.
All three of The Lord of the Rings films are returning to cinemas this January. Warner Bros. Pictures and Fathom Entertainment have announced that director Peter Jackson has recorded exclusive and lengthy fan introductions for each of the extended editions of the three films — The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King — which will play ahead of the films.
These fan introductions will include Jackson reflecting on the making of all of the films, what it was like to bring Middle-earth to life and what made creating the films so special. They are custom, never-before-seen insights from Jackson, and the videos were made exclusively for this Fathom Entertainment rerelease.
A sample of the introduction from Jackson for the 25th anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring is available to watch now.
“We could not be more pleased that the large The Lord of the Rings fanbase will have the benefit of hearing in-depth and exclusively in theatres from Peter Jackson himself prior to each of these three remarkable films,” RayNutt, the chief executive officer at Fathom Entertainment, said. “The extended editions of the trilogy of The Lord of the Rings movies are sure to be a landmark event for fans and a high point for classic film re-releases in 2026.”
You can return to the shire with the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings trilogy in theaters from Jan. 16 through Jan. 18 and Jan. 23 through Jan. 25.
Bruno Mars has added a bunch of new U.S. dates to his upcoming The Romantic tour due to overwhelming demand. He’ll now be playing two-night stops in Las Vegas; Arlington, Texas; Detroit; Chicago; Tampa, Florida; and Miami. He’ll also play three consecutive nights in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Los Angeles, California. Tickets go on sale to the general public Jan. 15 at 12 p.m. local time.
Bridgertonhas revealed the songs set to appear in the first episode of the fourth season, which debuts on Netflix Jan. 29. The first episode, titled “The Waltz,” will feature string instrumental versions of Coldplay‘s “Life in Technicolor,” “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” by Usher and Pitbull,and “Never Let You Go” by Third Eye Blind.
If you missed Backstreet Boy AJ McLean on The Jennifer Hudson Show this week, you can now watch the moment when his daughters, Elliott and Lyric, surprised him mid-interview. “You’re supposed to be in school right now!” AJ joked before breaking down in tears. The two also recorded an intro for his upcoming solo album, My Name Is Alexander James, on which they share what they love most about their dad and how proud they are of him.
The Freezing Man benefit concert, which featured Garbage drummer Butch Vig as musical director, raised over $300,000 for the organization Joey’s Song in support of epilepsy research.
The two-day event, which took place Jan. 9 and 10 in Madison, Wisconsin, featured performances by Vig and his Garbage bandmate Duke Erikson, along with artists including Brian Aubert and Nikki Monninger of Silversun Pickups, former Guns N’ Roses drummer Matt Sorum, Curt Smith of Tears for Fears, Jane Wiedlin and Gina Schock of The Go-Go’s, Vicki Peterson of The Bangles and John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls.
“It’s Joey Song’s 15th year and it is the most epic one yet,” Vig says. “We want to keep it going. I think the shows on both Friday and Saturday were fantastic. I couldn’t be happier right now.”
In its history, Joey’s Song has raised a total $2.1 million.
Poster for ‘K-Pops!’ (Courtesy of Aura Entertainment)
A trailer has been released for Anderson .Paak‘s upcoming film, K-Pops!, which hits theaters on Feb. 27.
The movie follows Anderson’s character, BJ, “a fish-out-of-water musician on the search for stardom carrying a bruised heart from a complicated past relationship,” according to the official synopsis. As he attempts to reignite his music career, he secures a gig with a house band in Seoul for a K-pop competition show. There, he unexpectedly reunites with his long-lost son, played by Soul Rasheed, who is also chasing a career in the spotlight.
“What follows is a story of uniting people and cultures through music and comedy, rebuilding relationships and learning how to trust people as they evolve,” the synopsis continues.
In addition to starring in K-Pops!, Anderson makes his feature directorial debut and co-wrote the screenplay with Khaila Amazan.
The film also stars Jee Young Han, Jon “Dumbfoundead” Park, Yvette Nicole Brown, Cathy Shim and Kevin Woo.
Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones performs during the final night of the Hackney Diamonds ’24 Tour at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena on July 21, 2024 in Ridgedale, Missouri. (Photo by Gary Miller/Getty Images)
The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood is the subject of a new career-spanning book.
Fearless: The Anthology, from Genesis Publications, has Wood opening up his personal archive in a book for the first time and features photos of rare instruments, designer stage wear, concert set lists and more.
The book highlights hundreds of guitars Wood used over the course of his career with the Jeff Beck Group, Faces and The Stones. Some of them have rarely been seen before, with Ronnie sharing stories behind the instruments in his own words.
The description notes, “Every detail – the colors, patina, wear and tear, and unique modifications – has been captured to tell the story of Ronnie’s extraordinary journey through music.”
Only 1,000 copies of the book are being produced and are available in two formats. Both are signed and come with a variety of extras.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services building is seen on March 27, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Department of Health and Human Services announced it is cutting 10,000 jobs and closing offices aimed at cutting $1.8 billion (Photo by Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — The Trump administration took steps this week to reinstate hundreds of health and safety officials who had previously been dismissed in widespread layoffs, granting a major win for advocates of workplace safety.
The newly reinstated employees belong to the National Institute of Safety and Health, or NIOSH, a small federal office within the Department of Health and Human Services that’s focused on protecting coal miners from black lung respiratory disease. Critics of the Trump administration have accused the government of stripping away key protections for miners in its bid to reinvigorate the coal industry, ABC News has previously reported.
“This moment belongs to every single person who refused to stay silent,” Dr. Micah Niemeier-Walsh, an industrial hygienist at NIOSH and the vice president of the American Federation of Government Employees outpost in Washington, D.C., said Wednesday following news of the reinstatements.
In April 2025, hundreds of NIOSH officials were terminated as part of a so-called Reduction in Force, or RIF. Under pressure from lawmakers and labor organizers, the administration brought back some officials months later, and on Tuesday, hundreds more received an email saying the prior “notice is hereby revoked.”
“You are not affected by the RIF and remain employed in your position of record,” according to an email obtained by ABC News.
The reinstatement “ensures the continuation of critical programs that protect all working people, including mine safety research, chemical hazard assessment, and research on emerging occupational risks,” read a statement from AFGE, the federal workers union.
Andrew Nixon, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services, said in a statement that “the Trump Administration is committed to protecting essential services — whether it’s supporting coal miners and firefighters through NIOSH, safeguarding public health through lead prevention, or researching and tracking the most prevalent communicable diseases.”
Nixon confirmed that the reinstatement applies to all NIOSH officials except those who voluntarily left government.
People gather during protest on January 8, 2026, in Tehran, Iran. (Anonymous/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he’s been informed that the “killing” in Iran has stopped and the anticipated executions of arrested protesters won’t take place, as activists say thousands of people have died over more than two weeks of protests.
The information was coming from “very important sources on the other side,” Trump said while announcing the update during an event in the Oval Office on Wednesday.
“We’ve been told on good authority, and I hope it’s true. Who knows, right?” he added.
Asked by a reporter if this means that military action is now off the table against Iran, Trump responded, “We’re going to watch and see what the process is. But we were given a very good statement by people that are aware of what’s going on.”
More than 2,500 people have died during nationwide protests in Iran over the past 17 days, activists said Wednesday. Trump has expressed his support for demonstrators and hinted at potential American intervention against the government in Tehran over the killings.
The Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said it had verified a total of 2,571 deaths — and is reviewing reports of 779 other deaths — since the protests began on Dec. 28.
The confirmed deaths include 2,403 adult protesters, 12 protesters under the age of 18, 147 government-affiliated personnel and nine non-protesting civilians, HRANA said.
Another 1,134 protesters have been seriously injured, HRANA said, with at least 18,137 people arrested.
The HRANA data relies on the work of activists inside and outside the country. ABC News cannot independently verify these numbers. The Iranian government has not provided any civilian death tolls related to the ongoing protests.
The head of Iran’s judiciary, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejei, had suggested earlier Wednesday that there would be expedited trials and executions for those who have been arrested in the nationwide protests.
“If we want to do a job, we should do it now. If we want to do something, we have to do it quickly,” Mohseni-Ejei said in a video shared online by Iranian state television, according to The Associated Press.
“If it becomes late, two months, three months later, it doesn’t have the same effect,” Mohseni-Ejei said.
Trump said from the Oval Office on Wednesday that he’s been told that the executions are not happening.
“It was supposed to be a lot of executions today, and the executions won’t take place,” Trump said.
A U.S. official confirmed to ABC News that some personnel had been advised to leave al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar by Wednesday evening due to increased tensions in the region. Reuters was the first to report the advisory.
In a statement posted to its official website, Qatar’s International Media Office acknowledged that some personnel were leaving al-Udeid. “Such measures are being undertaken in response to the current regional tensions,” the statement said.
As casualties from the protests mounted, Trump wrote on social media on Tuesday, “Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING — TAKE OVER YOUR INSTITUTIONS!!! Save the names of the killers and abusers. They will pay a big price.”
“I have cancelled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY,” Trump added.
When later pressed by a reporter during a visit to Michigan on Tuesday on what he meant by help is on its way, Trump responded, “You’re gonna have to figure that one out, I’m sorry.”
Trump said he thought it was “a good idea” for Americans to evacuate from Iran. The State Department on Tuesday said that all U.S. citizens should leave the country.
Trump said he hasn’t been given an accurate number of how many people have been killed so far in the protests, but said “one is a lot.”
“I think it’s a lot. It’s too many, whatever it is,” he said.
Later Tuesday, he told reporters that he will be receiving “accurate numbers” on how many protesters have been killed in Iran soon and “we’ll act accordingly.”
Trump on Monday announced a 25% tariff on any country doing business with Iran. The president and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested other options are also still under discussion.
One U.S. official told ABC News that among the options under consideration are new sanctions against key regime figures or against Iran’s energy or banking sectors.
Members of Trump’s national security team — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA Director John Ratcliffe — met Tuesday morning to discuss Iran, according to Leavitt. Trump did not attend the meeting, nor was he scheduled to, she said.
Vice President JD Vance also led an Iran strategy meeting on Tuesday afternoon with the National Security Council principals committee, a source with direct knowledge of the meeting confirmed to ABC News.
Iranian officials have threatened retaliatory strikes against U.S. and Israeli targets in the event of any outside intervention.
Protests have been spreading across the country since late December. The first marches took place in downtown Tehran, with participants demonstrating against rising inflation and the falling value of the national currency, the rial.
As the protests spread, they have taken on a more explicitly anti-government tone.
Government forces have responded with a major security crackdown. A sustained national internet outage has also been in place across the country. Online monitoring group NetBlocks said on Wednesday that the blackout had surpassed 132 hours.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and top Iranian officials have said they are willing to engage with the economic grievances of protesters, though have framed the unrest as driven by “rioters” and “terrorists” sponsored by foreign nations — prime among them the U.S. and Israel — and supported by foreign infiltrators.
On Wednesday, President Masoud Pezeshkian was quoted by state media telling a meeting with Economy Ministry officials that if economic conditions were improved, “we wouldn’t be witnessing their protests on the streets.”
Dissident figures abroad have urged Iranians to press the protests and topple the government in Tehran.
Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi — who from his base in the U.S. has become a prominent critic of the Iranian government — on Monday appealed to Trump to act in support of the protesters.
On Tuesday, Pahlavi called on members of the Iranian military to join the protests. “You are the national military of Iran, not the military of the Islamic Republic,” he wrote on X.
“You have a duty to protect the lives of your compatriots,” Pahlavi added. “You do not have much time. Join them as soon as possible.”
ABC News’ Anne Flaherty contributed to this report.
Timothy Busfield is seen in a mugshot photo. (Albuquerque Metro Detention Facility)
(New Mexico) — Actor Timothy Busfield, who was arrested on charges of alleged criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse, is facing a new assault claim from another alleged victim, according to a motion for pretrial detention.
In a document filed on Wednesday, prosecutors said the father of a 16-year-old went to law enforcement on Tuesday to report alleged abuse from “several years ago.”
The teenage girl said that during an audition, Busfield “kissed her and put his hands down her pants and touched her privates,” the document said.
Busfield “begged the family to not report to law enforcement if he received therapy,” the document said, adding that the teenager’s father was a therapist and agreed at the time.
Busfield’s attorney said in a statement on Wednesday, “Tim Busfield denies the allegations in the criminal complaint and maintains they are completely false. As a voluntary step, he submitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding those allegations and passed.”
Busfield, best known for his role as Danny Concannon on “The West Wing,” turned himself in to authorities in New Mexico on Tuesday on charges of alleged criminal sexual contact of a minor and child abuse, according to police and U.S. Marshals sources.
The charges stem from accusations that Busfield inappropriately touched a child actor on the set of his show “The Cleaning Lady,” according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC News. According to court documents, the child’s parents reported that the alleged abuse began in 2022, when the child was 7 years old, and lasted until 2024.
Busfield denied the allegations when interviewed by investigators, according to the criminal complaint.
A publicist for Busfield’s wife, actress Melissa Gilbert, said in a statement on Tuesday that Gilbert “is honoring the request of Tim’s lawyers not to speak publicly while the legal process unfolds. … Melissa stands with and supports her husband and will address the public at an appropriate time.”
The new court document argues Busfield should remain detained. The prosecutors also accuse Busfield of speaking to the media before turning himself in to allegedly “prioritize personal narrative control.”
At a brief court appearance on Wednesday, a judge said Busfield will remain in custody in New Mexico with no bond.
Donald Trump during the signing of executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House, September 19, 2025. Trump signed a two executive orders establishing the “Trump Gold Card” and introducing a $100,000 fee for H-1B visas. The “Trump Gold Card” is a visa program that allows foreign nationals permanent residency and a pathway to U.S. citizenship. Demetrius Freeman/The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — The State Department is freezing immigrant visa processing for 75 countries in an effort to clamp down on applicants it deems likely to become a public charge.
The directive instructs embassies and consulates to halt decisions beginning Jan. 21 while the department reassesses its vetting procedures under existing immigration law, according to an internal memo first reported by Fox News Digital.
The effort comes months before the United States is set to co-host the 2026 World Cup with nearly 2 million tickets sold to fans around the world. The Trump administration previously said “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling to the World Cup” would be exempt from travel bans.
The suspension of immigrant visas will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, or temporary tourist or business visas, who make up the vast majority of visa seekers, the State Department said. As such, the suspensions announced would not apply for those seeking to travel to the World Cup in the U.S. this summer.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed the agency is pausing immigrant visa processing for the 75 countries.
“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” State Department principal deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott said in statement Wednesday. “The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people.”
Countries affected by the pause include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand and Yemen, according to the internal memo. The full list of countries was not immediately available, but ABC News has reached out to the State Department for more information.
“Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits,” Pigott added Wednesday in the statement.
Notably, Somalia has drawn scrutiny from the Trump administration in recent days following reports of fraud in Minnesota’s social services system. A self-proclaimed independent journalist posted a video last month alleging child care fraud in Minneapolis’ Somali communities. Several state and local officials have disputed the accuracy of the video, and authorities said at the time none of the centers featured in the video were accused of fraud.
Federal authorities are investigating the allegations in the state’s social services system, while Minnesota officials have disputed the claims of fraud.
President Donald Trump recently criticized Somali immigrants, describing them as “garbage” and saying he doesn’t want them in the United States during a Cabinet meeting last month.
The Trump administration announced Tuesday it would end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Somalis in March, effectively forcing as many as 2,400 people out of the U.S., despite the president’s remarks last month that Somalia was “barely a country.”
In November, the State Department circulated a cable to consular offices worldwide directing staff to apply stricter screening measures under the “public charge” provision.
Under the guidance, officers are required to deny visas to applicants considered likely to depend on public assistance.
Evanescence “Afterlife” single artwork. (Netflix Music)
Songs by Evanescence and Thom Yorke are nominated for the 2026 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards.
Amy Lee and company’s “Afterlife” and the Radiohead frontman’s “Dialing In” will compete in the best song written and/or recorded for television category. “Afterlife” was recorded for the Netflix series Devil May Cry, while “Dialing In” soundtracked the opening for the Apple TV miniseries Smoke.
The 2026 Guild of Music Supervisors Awards will take place Feb. 28 in Los Angeles.
Evanescence performed “Afterlife” at the 2025 Game Awards in December. The song gave the “Bring Me to Life” rockers their first #1 hit on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart.
