Kailey & Russell Dickerson (Disney/Michael Le Brecht)
If you keep up with Russell Dickerson on his socials, you probably know that his older son, Remington Dickerson, is obsessed with police officers.
The “Happen to Me” hitmaker says that extends to his 5-year-old’s Christmas list.
“Remy wants police any/everything,” Russell tells ABC Audio. “So we just had a police birthday for him in September. He got his little battery[-powered] police car. Fans are starting to bring like police gear for him, which is hilarious. A fan brought like her dad’s actual badge. It was amazing. So all police stuff.”
“Rad could, he could care less,” Russell says of his younger son, Radford Dickerson. “Whatever Remy does, it’s just like, if he’s playing with Remy, he’s fine. They’re adorable.”
Radford turned 2 in October.
Russell should be able to squeeze in plenty of quality family time with his boys and wife Kailey Dickerson over the holidays, as he doesn’t head back out on tour until Feb. 12, when he plays the San Antonio Rodeo.
Kevin Jonas, Nick Jonas, and Jo Jonas perform on stage during Jonas Brothers: JONAS20 Greetings From Your Hometown Tour, September 6, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Live Nation)
Jonas Brothers‘ Greetings From Your Hometown tour, which got underway in August in the brothers’ home state of New Jersey, will pause after Monday night’s show at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center for Christmas. It will then resume Dec. 30 in Jacksonville, Florida, followed by a New Year’s Eve show in Hollywood, Florida.
The 20th anniversary tour has made headlines all year for all the special guests — both old and new — the brothers have welcomed to their stage. It began with their former Disney Channel pal Demi Lovato, who joined them for the opening night at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, along with Switchfoot and Dean Lewis.
Since then, just a partial list of guest appearances has included a reunited Fifth Harmony, Hanson, John Legend, Jordin Sparks, Colbie Caillat, Natasha Bedingfield, Jason Mraz, Gavin DeGraw, Kenny G, Alex Warren, Alessia Cara, Plain White T’s, Russell Dickerson, Vanessa Carlton, Maren Morris, Christina Perri, Walk the Moon and Ashlee Simpson.
With all those guests, the JoBros are likely to have a favorite moment, right? Nick Jonas was diplomatic when answering that question.
“I mean kicking the tour off at Met Life, with the special guests that we had out for that show, was pretty incredible,” he told ABC Audio. “But there’s been so many moments.”
“It’s been fun to use those moments to not only celebrate the past and have friends and people that we’ve admired, but also to introduce new artists to the world,” he added.
For those fans who weren’t lucky enough to be in the audience for one of those special moments, JoBros have hinted that they might put out live recordings of the tour — so stay tuned.
For what seemed like the first time in his career, Dave Grohl‘s “nicest guy in rock” status took a major hit when he revealed in 2024 he’d fathered a child outside his marriage. After retreating from the public eye and canceling shows, Dave Grohl eventually returned in 2025 to rev up the Foo Fighters machine again, with a few surprises along the way.
One such surprise was the reunion of Dave Grohl and his Nirvana bandmates, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, for a performance at the FireAid benefit concert in support of those affected by the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires in January. They were joined by guest vocalists St. Vincent, Kim Gordon and Joan Jett in place of the late Kurt Cobain, as well as Dave Grohl’s daughter Violet Grohl.
The reconstituted Nirvana then played a second show in February during Saturday Night Live‘s 50th anniversary Homecoming Concert special, this time with Post Malone on vocals for a rendition of “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”
Dave Grohl continued to pop up at shows here and there, including a surprise Coachella appearance, before Foo Fighters officially announced their first concert post-scandal: a performance in Singapore set for October. Days after that news broke came another big surprise: the firing of drummer Josh Freese.
Freese, who joined the Foos in 2023 following the 2022 death of Taylor Hawkins, shared in a May 16 Instagram post that he was informed the band “decided ‘to go in a different direction with their drummer'” and that “no reason was given.”
While the Foos camp mostly stayed quiet amid the Freese dismissal, the band continued to hint at a full-on comeback, announcing more shows in Asia and teasing a return to the studio. In late June they released a cover of the Minor Threat song “I Don’t Wanna Hear It,” followed by the premiere of an original single called “Today’s Song” in early July.
Later in July, it was reported that the Foos had recruited Ilan Rubin of Nine Inch Nails to be their new drummer. In a twist, Freese announced that he was rejoining NIN after previously playing with Trent Reznor and company between 2005 and 2008.
Foo Fighters made Rubin’s joining official when they played a last-minute surprise concert in September in San Luis Obispo, California. They followed that show with a few more pop-up underplay performances across the U.S., which were recorded for a new live EP.
In October, the Foos put out another new single, “Asking for a Friend,” and announced a U.S. stadium tour with Queens of the Stone Age for 2026.
While it may have been a bumpy road back, Dave Grohl has officially returned to fighting Foo.
The trailer follows Omar Epps‘ character, Malik, as he is released from prison. Back on the streets, he seeks vengeance against those who killed his closest friend, engaging in shooting and other acts of violence while having flashbacks of his time behind bars. He is also seen having moments of remorse and reflection.
Malik is then introduced to the story of Moses the Black, played by Chukwudi Iwuji, a saint known for transforming from a gang leader into a monk. Inspired, he begins reading the Bible and making changes that are noticeable to his crew.
Meanwhile, a corrupt officer, played by a Cliff Chamberlain, tries to work with Quavo‘s character, Straw, the leader of Malik’s rival gang, to try to bring him down.
A voice is heard warning Malik, “If you’re gonna choose a battle, tough guy, choose the right one.”
Wiz Khalifa, who plays 2wo-3ree, the head of Malik’s crew, also appears in the trailer.
50 Cent and Epps serve as executive producers for Moses the Black.
After waiting almost four years, Led Zeppelin fans finally got to see the story of their favorite band on the big screen with the February 2025 release ofBecoming Led Zeppelin, the first officially sanctioned documentary about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band.
The film, directed by Bernard MacMahon, first premiered as a work in progress at the 2021 Venice Film Festival. It took until May 2024 for Sony Pictures Classics to acquire the rights to the completed project.
Described as a “hybrid docu-concert film,” Becoming Led Zeppelin featured archival footage of the band’s early days, along with concert footage and new interviews with surviving members Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones. It also featured archival audio from their late drummer, John Bonham.
The film initially opened exclusively in IMAX theaters and set a record in the U.S., bringing in $2.6 million, which was the biggest opening weekend ever for an IMAX-exclusive music release. The film also landed in the top 10 at the box office opening weekend. Since its release, Becoming Led Zeppelin has brought in $10.4 million domestically.
The film, currently streaming on Netflix, is on the short list for a possible Oscar nomination in the best documentary feature film category. It was also one of two docs to win best music documentary at the 10th annual Critics Choice Documentary Awards, tied with the Sly Stone doc Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius).
– This year also saw Led Zeppelin celebrate the 50th anniversary of their iconic album Physical Graffiti. To mark the occasion, the band released a new live EP, titled Live E.P., as well as an update of 2015’s three-LP Physical Graffiti Deluxe Edition. It included a remastered version of the album, a bonus album featuring rough mixes and early versions of songs.
– John Bonham’s son, Jason Bonham, also marked the milestone by launching a new tour, An Evening with JBLZE Celebrating 50 Years of Physical Graffiti, which had him and his band performing the album in its entirety, alongside other Led Zeppelin classics.
– Also this year, Plant released his first album with his band Saving Grace. Plus, Page and The Black Crowes reissued their collaborative live album, Live At The Greek.
Zoe Saldaña stars as Neytiri in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash.’ (20th Century Studios)
We see you, Avatar: Fire and Ash, at the top of the box office.
The third film in James Cameron‘s epic sci-fi series opens at #1 with an $88 million haul in its debut weekend, Box Office Mojo reports.
While certainly a good start, Avatar: Fire and Ash has a ways to go if it hopes to catch up to its predecessors. The 20th Century Studios franchise has spawned the highest and third-highest grossing films of all time in the original 2009 movie and its 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, respectively.
Coming in second at the weekend box office is the animated Bible adaptation David, which brought in just over $22 million. It was followed by two other new releases: The Housemaid, starring Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney, took #3 with $18.95 million, and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants, notched #4 with $16 million.
The Disney sequel Zootopia 2 added an extra $14.5 million to round out the top five.
Here are the top 10 films at the box office:
1. Avatar: Fire and Ash — $88 million 2. David — $22.017 million 3. The Housemaid — $18.95 million 4. The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants — $16 million 5. Zootopia 2 — $14.5 million 6. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 — $7.25 million 7. Wicked: For Good — $4.3 million 8. Marty Supreme — $875,000 9. Hamnet — $850,000 10. Now You See Me: Now You Don’t — $600,000
Disney is the parent company of 20th Century Studiosand ABC News.
In a screen grab from a video released by Secretary Kristi Noem, the US Coast Guard apprehends an oil tanker that was last docked in Venezuela, on Dec. 20, 2025. (@Se_Noem)
(WASHINGTON) — A U.S. official tells ABC News that the U.S. Coast Guard is “in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion.”
“It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order,” the official added.
The action comes after the U.S. Coast Guard seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela on Saturday, just ten days after the seizure of a sanctioned oil tanker.
Unlike that first vessel seized, the tanker seized Saturday is not on any sanctions list maintained by the U.S., EU, U.K. or U.N., according to Kpler, a data firm that tracks transportation and logistics networks.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed Saturday’s operation in a post on social media, saying that the Coast Guard “apprehended” the tanker with support from the Department of Defense in a pre-dawn action. She said the tanker had last made port in Venezuela.
“The United States will continue to pursue the illicit movement of sanctioned oil that is used to fund narco terrorism in the region,” Noem said in the post. “We will find you, and we will stop you.”
Last week, President Trump threatened to impose what he called “a total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers” traveling to and from Venezuela – a move that could devastate the Venezuelan economy, since oil exports are the lifeblood of President Nicholas Maduro’s regime.
In response to Trump’s announcement, Maduro said Venezuela would continue to trade oil and that Trump’s “intention” is regime change.
“This will just not happen, never, never, never – Venezuela will never be a colony of anything or anyone, never,” Maduro said.
The U.S. has amassed the largest military presence in the Caribbean in decades, including the world’s largest aircraft carrier.
The Pentagon also has so far struck 28 alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, killing at least 100 people, without providing any public evidence that the boats were carrying illegal drugs or identifying those killed.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi’s daughter Kiana Rahmani, son Ali Rahmani, and chairman of the Nobel Committee Norwegian Berit Reiss Andersen attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo City Hall on December 10, 2023 in Oslo, Norway. (Rune Hellestad/Getty Images)
(LONDON) — More than a thousand political, social, and cultural activists signed a petition condemning the “violent arrest” of the Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi and others allegedly by Iranian security forces in the northwestern city of Mashhad earlier this month.
Mohammadi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, was arrested as she attended a memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer who had been found dead in his office.
Dozens of other attendees were also detained, according to a statement released by Mohammadi’s foundation. The ceremony had turned into a scene of protest against the regime as videos show some of the attendees shouted slogans, including “death to the dictator” and “long live Iran.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has served as the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader since 1989. Mohammadi has been of prominent and vocal critics of Khamenei’s policies, accusing the regime of human rights abuses.
Mohammadi, who had campaigned against sharia-based laws including the mandatory hijab and executions, had been imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin prison until December 2024. She was released on medical leave, her lawyer said at the time.
Among those who were arrested this month were political activists including Sepideh Gholian, Hasti Amiri, Pouran Nazemi, Aliyeh Motallebzadeh — who have been arrested, prosecuted or jailed for their activism before — and Javad Alikordi, a brother of the deceased lawyer.
The day after Mohammadi and others were arrested, Taghi Rahmani, Mohammadi’s husband, said in a post on his X account that “apparently” the intelligence forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” has been behind the arrests.
Alikordi who used to advocate the cases of families of protesters in Iran before his death, had been handed one year in prison and two years of exile last year due to his advocacy of political prisoners. Despite official announcements indicating that his death was due to a heart attack, some attorneys and activists suggested possible Islamic Republic involvement.
The petition’s signatories asked for immediate release of those arrested.
“We condemn the violent arrest and the beating of our loved ones present at the memorial… Holding memorial and mourning ceremonies for the deceased is an inseparable part of fundamental human and civil rights,” the petition reads.
“We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees and emphasize their fundamental right to access phone calls, family visits, independent legal counsel, and medical care,” it continued.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee also called on the Iranian authorities “to immediately clarify Mohammadi’s whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions,” following her arrest.
Clarifying the importance of the petition on the release of Mohammadi and other arrestees, Mina Akbari, Iranian documentary filmmaker and activist wrote in a post on her Instagram account that it is not only a call on the release of those arrested, but its importance is also “in the composition of its signatories.”
“This statement is not just a protest against an arrest, but a demonstration of unprecedented unity in the heart of the deep political and intellectual divisions in Iran today,” Akbari said.
Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) walks through the Senate subway on December 09, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
(WASHINGTON) — Republican Sen. Rand Paul on Sunday criticized President Donald Trump’s military mission off Venezuela’s coast, calling the seizures of multiple oil tankers in the Caribbean Sea “a provocation and a prelude to war.”
“I’m not for confiscating these liners. I’m not for blowing up these boats of unarmed people that are suspected of being drug dealers. I’m not for any of this,” Paul told ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl.
Paul also described the administration’s policy of handling suspected drug traffickers as “bizarre and contradictory.”
“And then why is the former president [Juan Orlando] Hernandez of Honduras, who was in jail for 45 years, why is he released?” Paul asked. “So, some narco-terrorists are really OK and other narco-terrorists we’re going to blow up. And then some of them, if they’re not designated as a terrorist, we might arrest them.”
Here are more highlights from Paul’s interview:
On Erika Kirk and Marco Rubio’s 2028 Vance endorsement Karl: Is JD Vance the heir apparent here?
Paul: I think there needs to be representatives in the Republican Party who still believe international trade is good, who still believe in free market capitalism, who still believe in low taxes. See, it used to separate conservatives and liberals that conservatives thought it was a spending problem. We didn’t want more revenue. We wanted less spending. But now all these pro terror protectionists, they love taxes, and so they tax, tax, tax, and then they brag about all the revenue coming in. That has never been a conservative position. So I’m going to continue to try to lead a conservative free market wing of the party, and we’ll see where things lead over time.
Karl: And that’s not JD Vance.
Paul: No.
On retaliatory strikes in Syria Paul: You know, it’s hard not to want to hit back when they kill some of our own. But I would like to go back, really, to the first Trump administration when he said he didn’t want the troops there. There’s like 900 troops, maybe a thousand, maybe 1,500. They’re not enough to fight a war. They’re not enough to be an effective strategic force. What they are is a target and a tripwire.
So we’ve done this retaliatory strike. Now, now, Donald Trump ought to do what Donald Trump proposed in the first administration, what Ronald Reagan did after the 1983 bomb. He left. There’s no reason for us to be in Syria. We need to leave Syria and not be a trip wire to getting back involved in another war.
On the potential for a one-year extension for ACA subsidies Paul: Look, we have health care in our country for poor people. It’s called Medicaid. All of the rest of this stuff has not worked. Obamacare has been a failure. President Obama said it would bring premiums down. Premiums gone through the roof. Every time we give more subsidies, the premiums go higher. I have a plan that says everybody in this marketplace, and it’s only about 4%, everybody in this marketplace should be able to go to Amazon or Costco or Sam’s Club and as a group, a large group — millions of people in the group — negotiate with Big Insurance to bring prices down. It’s the only proposal out there that — that has a chance of bringing prices down.
Musical guest Cher, host Ariana Grande and Bowen Yang during promos on Thursday, December 18, 2025 (Rosalind O’Connor/NBC)
Ariana Grande returned to host Saturday Night Live for a third time on Dec. 20, and her appearance doubled as a farewell lap for her Wicked co-star and departingSNL cast member Bowen Yang.
Grande kicked off the show by poking fun at herself, noting that she’d last hosted about a year ago. “So many people have been asking me if I’m going to revisit any of my sketches from last time, like Domingo,” she said. “But I told them, ‘I don’t think so. When something is perfect, it doesn’t need a sequel.’ That’s why I just finished filming Meet the Parents 4.”
Grande did revisit one of her past characters, though: Antonio, the traumatized young castrato. She dressed up as him to introduce the second performance from musical guest Cher.The iconic singer stuck to holiday fare for her first appearance on the show since 1987, singing her 2023 hit “DJ Play a Christmas Song,” and then a cover of Chuck Berry‘s “Run Rudolph Run.”
The rest of Grande’s monologue was a parody of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You,” with lyrics changed to reflect the difficulty of buying Christmas presents for acquaintances.
Her other sketches included one where she playedMacaulay Culkin‘s Home Alone character Kevin McCallister. She also showed off her impersonation skills by singing as both Katy Perry and Celine Dion in a sketch called “Random Holiday Duets Spectacular.“
Grande and Cher came together in the final sketch to bid goodbye to Yang, who played a Delta employee doing his final shift serving eggnog in the airport lounge. Ari played his wife and Cher played his boss, and they sang “Please Come Home for Christmas” together.
“I just feel so lucky that I ever got to work here,” Yang said in character, choking back tears. “And I just wanted to enjoy it for a little bit longer. Especially the people. I’ve loved every single person who works here. Because they’ve done so much for me.”
