Mary J. Blige performs onstage during ONE Musicfest 2025 at Piedmont Park on October 25, 2025, in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/FilmMagic)
If you’re a fan of Mary J. Blige‘s Lifetime movies, here’s some good news. The singer has three more original films in the works as part of her extended deal with the network. Like her previous films, the first is named after one of her songs, this time Be Happy from her 1994 album, My Life.
According to Deadline, Be Happy tells the story of 50-year-old Val, a wife and stay-at-home mom who hopes to rekindle the spark in her marriage after she and her husband, Ross, become empty nesters. Instead, she is forced to confront the realization that “her marriage and the woman she once was may be slipping away.”
When Val travels to New Orleans to support her pregnant daughter, Kayla, this leads to more than she expected. It “awakens long-buried dreams and passions” and introduces her to photographer Peter Mosley, who helps her rediscover her sense of worth. As she begins to see herself in a new light, she’s faced with the question: “Is it ever too late to choose yourself and the love you truly deserve?”
Tisha Campbell stars as Val, with Russell Hornsby portraying her husband, Ross. Mekhi Phifer plays Peter, and Zing Ashford appears as Val’s daughter Kayla. Making her directorial debut is actress Gabourey Sidibe, best known for her roles in Precious and Give Me Back My Daughter.
Be Happy will be Mary’s latest Lifetime film, following Real Love, Strength of a Woman and Family Affair. It premieres on Feb. 7.
Billy Joel performs at Allegiant Stadium on November 09, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
Billy Joel shocked fans on Jan. 2 when he took the stage — for the first time since his brain condition diagnosis — to perform with a Billy Joel cover band in Wellington, Florida. The singer in that cover band is now speculating that the Rock & Roll of Famer is working toward a return to the stage.
Tony Monaco, lead singer of the tribute band Turnstiles,tells Spin.com that he had no idea Billy was coming to their gig until he, his wife and his daughters showed up backstage and Billy said “maybe” he’d be interested in sitting in with the band.
According to Tony, Billy suggested they do “New York State of Mind” together, despite the fact that, as he told Tony, “I haven’t sang in months and I don’t play piano much lately.” When the time came for the song, Billy was nowhere to be found. Soon afterward, Tony says, he saw Billy making his way to the stage.
“I was excited, but now I didn’t know what we’d play,” Tony said. Billy suggested “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” followed by “Big Shot,” which thrilled the audience.
“He’s not 100%, but his voice was strong, and I do think he’s going to come back,” Tony concluded.
“He may not do it on such a grand scale or get up from the piano too much, but I know he wants to play again and hasn’t shut the door on doing so. I’m not so sure that this wasn’t a little testing of those waters.”
Billy, 76, announced in May that he’d been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, which causes hearing, vision and balance problems. He canceled all his concerts.
Cover of Peter Frampton’s ‘Frampton Comes Alive!’/ (A&M Records/UMG Recordings)
Peter Frampton took to Instagram Tuesday to mark the 50th anniversary of his iconic live album, Frampton Comes Alive!
“I can’t believe today’s the day. It’s now been 50 years since Frampton Comes Alive! was released. Wow, 50 years,” he said. “Thank you all for helping it become such a huge phenomenal success,” he added, before joking, “probably time to buy a new one anyway.”
Frampton Comes Alive! helped launch the now-Rock & Roll Hall of Famer to stardom, with the album becoming one of the bestselling live albums of all time. It features live performances of now-iconic Frampton tunes like “Show Me the Way,” “Baby, I Love Your Way” and “Do You Feel Like We Do,” which all became top-15 hits.
Frampton Comes Alive! was the first live album to really make an impact, and in an interview with ABC Audio, Frampton said he was very proud of what the album did for both him and “music in general.”
“They say that it changed everything because of the massive sales for not a studio album. The biggest-selling album at that time for a couple of years there, and not even biggest-selling live album, biggest-selling album,” Frampton said. “We surpassed Tapestry, Carole King‘s wonderful album.”
Frampton Comes Alive! would go on to become Frampton’s only #1 record, spending 10 nonconsecutive weeks in the top spot. In 2020 it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
Dexter White and Diane Keaton attend the NeueHouse x ‘Mack & Rita’ premiere at NeueHouse Los Angeles on Aug. 10, 2022. (Michael Kovac/Getty Images)
Diane Keaton‘s daughter celebrated the late actress on Monday, on what would have been Keaton’s 80th birthday, sharing a photo of a tattoo she got in her mother’s honor.
Keaton’s daughter, Dexter White, who goes by Dexie, posted a pair of photos on Instagram. She wrote in the caption, “I miss you, mom,” with broken heart and dove emoji.
The first photo shows the mother-daughter duo embracing at a scenic overlook, Keaton wearing her signature wide-brim bowler hat and a long puffer coat, and Dexie wearing an oversized sweater and sneakers.
The second photo shows a pair of forearm tattoos, one that reads “La di da” with a heart — a nod to an iconic line from her mom’s famous movie, Annie Hall — and one that reads “Weird old world.”
White tagged her brother, Duke Keaton, in the second photo, just beneath the “Weird old world” tattoo.
In the caption, White thanked Los Angeles-based tattoo artist Daniel Winter, known professionally as Winter Stone, “for my forever reminder of my wonderful mom.”
Diane Keaton, who never married, became a mother at the age of 50 when she adopted White. She later adopted Duke Keaton in 2001.
The legendary Oscar-winning actress died at age 79 on Oct. 11, 2025.
Diane Keaton rose to fame in the 1970s with her role as Kay Adams in The Godfather films. In 1978, she won the Academy Award for best actress for her performance in Annie Hall.
She is also known for her roles in Play It Again, Sam, Baby Boom, Something’s Gotta Give, The First Wives Club and the Book Club franchise.
Jelly Roll joins Netflix’s ‘Star Search’ (Courtesy Netflix)
A few years ago, Jelly Roll served as an “artist-in-residence” on ABC’s American Idol. Now he’s going to be part of the judging panel for a reboot of the O.G. TV reality competition show Star Search.
Jelly Roll’s been tapped to be one of three judges on Netflix’s reboot of theiconic show, which originally ran from 1983 to 1995, and then again from 2003 to 2004. During its heyday, it featured future stars like Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Alanis Morissette, Usher, Pitbull, Tiffany and many more.
Along with the “I Am Not Okay” singer, the panel will include Sarah Michelle Gellar and Chrissy Teigen. The show, hosted by Anthony Anderson, premieres Jan. 20. Episodes will air live Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET and will include real-time voting via remote or mobile app.
Marlon Wayans speaks onstage at the 83rd annual Golden Globes nominations announcement and media preview at The Beverly Hilton on December 08, 2025, in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/WireImage)
Marlon Wayans recently had a spat with 50 Cent for suggesting 50 would experience karma related to his Diddy documentary, but Marlon says it was never his intention to fight. Speaking on the We in Miami podcast, Marlon explained that the exchange ended almost as quickly as it began.
“It was very quick for me,” Marlon said. “I was having a cigar and thinking about it, and I was like, ‘What example do I want to set? Is this an example of two Black men with two businesses fighting in public?’ It’s not good for my culture. That’s not the culture I want to represent. I want to build businesses. I don’t want to burn them down.”
Marlon added that he had no problem bowing out of what he described as an argument between “two n***** on the block,” noting that the two never actually had a personal issue with one another.
“The bigger picture is, we’re two successful businessmen,” he said. “Bro, why are we beefing? … The whole way I got into it was because I was trying to stop two Black men from going at it, right? You get caught up in the fight.”
In fact, Marlon says he’s far more interested in collaborating with 50, who he believes would make an ideal partner for a buddy comedy.
“I’m already thinking about putting him in my next movie,” he said. “I’ve got some action stuff I’m working on, and I think he could be an incredible star. It’d be a great combination. I think it’d be fun to see us together.”
“A buddy action comedy with me and this n****,” Marlon continued. “That’s how you tee it up—use it as a springboard to capitalize on something. That’s what people want to see.”
Sydney Sweeney in ‘The Housemaid.’ (Daniel McFadden/Lionsgate)
The Housemaid is getting a sequel.
Lionsgate is planning a second film in the franchise due to the success of The Housemaid. The film has earned more than $75 million domestically and $133 worldwide in its first 17 days of release and will continue rolling out in more international territories as January goes on.
The sequel will be called The Housemaid’s Secret. It is based on the second novel in author Freida McFadden‘s book trilogy. This upcoming film has been in development for the past few months, according to Lionsgate, and has a planned production start for 2026.
Sydney Sweeney and Michele Morrone are expected to return to their roles of Millie Calloway and Enzo Accardi in the new film. The sequel project is being developed for director Paul Feig to return at the helm. Sweeney will executive produce while Feig also produces through his Pretty Dangerous Pictures alongside LauraFischer. Rebecca Sonnenshine will once again adapt McFadden’s words for the screen.
“It’s clear from both the global box office and from the outpouring on social media that audiences have responded strongly – and audibly – to the totally unique and truly theatrical experience of The Housemaid and want to know what happens next,” Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Chair Adam Fogelson said. “The Housemaid’s Secret is another wildly thrilling book in Freida’s series that has captivated readers worldwide, and we look forward to translating it into a similarly rousing and riotous moviegoing experience.”
Feig said, “It’s been thrilling to see audiences around the world fall in love with The Housemaid and the incredible work of our talented cast and crew. We’re lucky that Freida McFadden has already extended Millie’s journey on the page, and that we get to work with Rebecca Sonnenshine and Lionsgate to bring this next story to audiences.”
The Housemaid follows a woman named Millie (Sweeney), who takes a job as a live-in housemaid for wealthy couple Nina (Amanda Seyfried) and Andrew Winchester (Brandon Sklenar). What started as a dream job quickly becomes a dangerous and seductive game of secrets and scandal.
Elton John performs at the 2025 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, November 8, 2025 (Disney/Frank Micelotta)
Elton John has announced some details of his annual Elton John Aids Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party.
The party will be held Oscar night, March 15, at West Hollywood Park, hosted by Elton and his husband, David Furnish, as well as actor Neil Patrick Harris and his husband, David Burtka.
“EJAFOscars has always been about more than films, it’s about coming together to change lives,” reads a post on Elton’s Instagram. “We’re excited to return this March to bring heart and purpose to Hollywood’s biggest night.”
Elton has not revealed the evening’s entertainment, although he is asking for input from fans. The post asks, “Who would you like to see join our hosts on stage? Let us know in the comments!”
Last year’s party featured a performance by Chappell Roan, with money raised going to both Elton’s foundation and L.A. wildfire relief.
(NEW YORK) — Flu activity could continue to increase in the U.S. over the next few weeks, according to a top flu epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“There’s a lot of influenza out there right now,” Dr. Carrie Reed, chief of the epidemiology and prevention branch of the CDC’s influenza division, told ABC News.
“We often see activity continue into the spring … I think the reality is that it’s going to continue to be elevated for a little bit longer,” she continued.
The CDC’s latest estimates indicate that there have been at least 11 million illnesses, 120,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths from flu so far this season.
“That’s likely a low estimate based on the data that we’re seeing so far,” Reed said, adding that the federal health agency typically publishes the lower range of the estimates.
A new variant that first emerged in the summer, known as subclade K, has become the dominant strain, CDC data shows. Subclade K is a variant of the H3N2 virus, which is itself a subtype of influenza A.
Of the 994 flu samples tested since Sept. 30, nearly all were influenza A. Of those samples that underwent further testing roughly 90% were H3N2, CDC data shows.
“Subclade K has acquired some mutations in the virus that make it a little bit different than what’s in the vaccine and what was circulating over the last couple years,” Reed said.
Public health experts currently recommend that everyone ages 6 months and older, with rare exceptions, get an annual flu vaccine.
Although the current flu vaccine is not a perfect match to subclade K, it is still expected to offer some protection against the new variant and lower the risk of serious disease, hospitalization and death.
Reed added that the new variant does not appear to be driving more severe illness yet.
“There are still benefits to vaccine, even if the virus [has] somewhat drifted from what’s in the vaccine,” she said. “We haven’t seen increases in hospitalization and mortality yet in the ways that we have with [doctors’ visits], although that’s something that we continue to watch for as well.”
For those who have gotten sick, there are medicines available, known as antivirals, that may help reduce the severity and length of illness.
Reed said for those who contract the flu and have a higher risk of severe disease, they should seek care early and speak with their doctor about receiving a prescription for flu antivirals.
She explained that flu antivirals have been found to reduce the duration of illness as well as lower the risk for severe disease, hospitalization and death.
Health officials have stressed that it is not too late for people get a flu shot if they haven’t received one yet.
“There’s still time to get a flu vaccine,” Reed said. “It does take a couple weeks for your immune response to pick up after vaccination, but that does mean there’s many more weeks of flu activity to benefit from the protection of an influenza vaccine.”
Flowers and photographs are seen at a memorial dedicated to the victims of the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School on June 3, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. Alex Wong/Getty Images
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) — Former Uvalde, Texas, school police officer Adrian Gonzales was alerted to gunman Salvador Ramos’ location before Ramos entered Robb Elementary School, but Gonzales failed to act, prosecutors argued in opening statements on Tuesday.
Gonzales — who is charged with 29 counts of child endangerment — is alleged to have neglected his duty and training during the chaotic response to the 2022 shooting, which left 19 children and two teachers dead.
This case marks the second time in U.S. history that prosecutors have sought to hold a member of law enforcement criminally accountable for their response to a mass shooting. Gonzales’ legal team maintains he’s being scapegoated.
Prosecutor Bill Turner spoke softly and on the verge of tears at the start of his opening argument. His statement marked the first time prosecutors have provided their rationale for charging Gonzales, disclosing that a teacher came face-to-face with Ramos before the shooter entered the school, and the teacher tried to warn Gonzales.
“She’s face-to-face with the gunman, and he fires on her, and she turns to run, and when she turns to run, she trips and she falls. And when she gets up, Adrian Gonzales, the police officer, is there,” Turner said. “She says, ‘He’s over there.’ She urges him to go get him.”
“He gets on the radio and says, ‘Shots are fired, he’s wearing black, he’s in the parking lot,'” Turner said. “He knows where he is, but Adrian Gonzales remains at the south side of the school.”
As Turner walked the jury through the tragic minutes that followed that encounter — describing the number of gunshots fired by Ramos as Gonzales allegedly waited outside — Turner hammered at the point that Gonzales allegedly stayed where he was, rather than try to stop the shooting.
Defense attorney Nico LaHood told the jury that “pure evil” visited Uvalde on May 24, 2022, but said convicting Gonzales will not deliver justice.
LaHood argued that Gonzales did everything he could in that moment — including gathering critical information, evacuating children and entering the school — and said Gonzales acted on the information he had.
LaHood and his partner Jason Goss delivered a lengthy opening argument that used a map and time codes to provide the jury with a minute-by-minute view of Gonzales’ actions.
“The government wants to make it seem like he just sat there, you know. He didn’t just sit there — he did what he could with what he knew at the time,” LaHood said.
LaHood also called out the prosecution for planning to show the jury autopsy photos. The judge has preliminarily allowed prosecutors to show the images, but reserves the right to hold photos from entering evidence.
“They’re going to really want you to focus on these photos, and I wish they wouldn’t — not because it hurts us — because .. it hurts those precious people over there,” LaHood said, pointing to some of the families and Uvalde community members in the gallery.
Despite nearly 400 officers responding to the shooting, law enforcement took 77 minutes to mount a counterassault to kill Ramos. Gonzales is one of only two officers charged in the case, along with former Uvalde schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo.
Judge Sid Harle seated a full jury after an emotionally fraught selection process on Monday. Dozens of potential jurors voiced frustration with the police response, and more than 100 excused themselves from the process, saying they did not believe they could be fair and impartial.
“They were only protecting themselves more than they were protecting the children,” one dismissed juror told the court, as others cheered and clapped in agreement. “I would have sacrificed myself to save them, but they didn’t. They just sat there.”
Gonzales has pleaded not guilty, and his lawyers argue he is being blamed for a broader law enforcement failure. During the jury selection process, some voiced frustration that more officers have not been charged in the years following the tragedy.
“Are you saying this man is the whole problem? You are sticking it on his shoulders alone?” one dismissed juror remarked. “How many of them were out there? They should all be sitting there with him.”
Gonzales was charged last year, along with Arredondo, the on-site commander on the day of the shooting. Arredondo’s trial has been indefinitely postponed due to a pending civil lawsuit after the members of an elite tactical unit with the U.S. Border Patrol refused to speak with prosecutors about their involvement that day.
Gonzales’ case is a rarity in U.S. law.
In 2023, a Florida jury acquitted Scot Peterson, a former Broward County sheriff’s deputy, who was charged with child neglect and culpable negligence for his alleged inaction during the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Peterson’s lawyers argued his role as an armed school resource officer did not amount to a caregiving post needed to prove child neglect in Florida, and that the response to the shooting was muddled by poor communication.
According to Bob Jarvis, a professor of law at Nova Southeastern University, prosecutors in the Gonzales case are likely to face the same legal hurdles that doomed the Peterson case.
“What you’re really trying to do,” he said, “is argue … that being a coward is a crime, and that is very, very difficult.”
