Steve Pond's Blog, page 56

Taylor Swift Reveals Title of Her 12th Album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’

Taylor Swift revealed Monday night that her upcoming 12th album will be called “The Life of a Showgirl.”

The announcement came via the singer’s official website, where fans can preorder the album, and on her Instagram account, where she also teased that she will be appearing on her boyfriend Travis Kelce’s podcast on Wednesday to discuss it.

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Fans who preorder “The Life of a Showgirl” can choose between the vinyl release, a cassette version for people who enjoy retro, rapidly declining sound quality, and a CD version that also includes a poster. The vinyl, cassette and CD releases will all have unique designs, just in case you want to go multi-format.

And per the website, there’s a limited supply. As such, only 4 copies will be sold to any one individual, presales are available only in the United States, and to enforce that, customers must have both a U.S. shipping and billing address to order.

There’s no release date yet — aside from news that your copy of the record “ships before 10/13/2025.” And just to make it murkier, Swift’s official website informs fans “this is not the release date, official release date to be announced.” It’s easy to deduce from this that the album comes out at some point before Oct. 13. Then again, maybe Swifties will get the record days or even months before the rest of us do.

On the other hand, we know Swift considers 13 her lucky number, so maybe it’ll Oct. 13th after all. Stay tuned!

And before you ask, as you can see in the image of the vinyl release at the top of the page, the album cover art is also being held back for a later announcement. That said, the orange background with a lock over it would honestly make a really good cover on its own.

The post Taylor Swift Reveals Title of Her 12th Album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Jasmine Crockett Rebuts Texas Governor, Says Dems Breaking Quorum to Stop Gerrymandering Are ‘More Texan and More American’ | Video

Texas Democratic House member Jasmine Crockett didn’t hold back on Monday while discussing the state’s governor and his party’s new gerrymandering scheme.

Republicans in Texas are attempting to redraw the state’s federal congressional districts, in order to eliminate 5 districts currently represented by Democrats. The plan is specifically to prevent Democrats from retaking congress next year even if the majority of American voters reject Republicans in the 2026 midterms, which at the moment looks very likely given how unpopular GOP policies are.

Texas Republicans did this same mid-decade gerrymandering scheme in 2003 for exactly the same reasons. Just like then, Democratic state representatives have fled the state in order to prevent a legislative quorum so that Republicans can’t pass the redistricting bill. So it is that on Monday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott went on Jake Tapper’s CNN show, where among other things he said those Democrats are weaklings, cowardly and “anti-Texan.”

Later, Tapper had Crockett on the show, where he asked her about Abbott’s comments,

“The only weakling in this equation is the governor himself. It’s not Texans that elected the governor to the governor’s mansion that asked him to do this. It is the criminal that is currently serving in the White House that begs for him to do this,” Crockett said. “So let me tell you something. I can guarantee you that Gene Wu’s district has not called in and said that he is not representing them or their voices. In fact, it’s just the opposite.”

Crockett added, “I know that my governor may not have practiced law too recently, but I would like to inform him, if he cares to know, that our Texas Constitution specifically provides for being able to break quorum. That is in our constitution. So as far as I’m concerned, these folks that decided that they were going to break quorum are more Texan and more American than the governor and the President himself.”

Watch the clip of her remarks below:

Dem Rep. Crockett defends Texas Dems who fled state
Watch the full video here: https://t.co/ijnGofCFCP pic.twitter.com/gBTQZ2bKY3

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) August 11, 2025

The post Jasmine Crockett Rebuts Texas Governor, Says Dems Breaking Quorum to Stop Gerrymandering Are ‘More Texan and More American’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Happy’s Place’ Co-Creator Teases Conflict Between Bobbie and Isabella in Season 2: ‘This Is More the Marriage Phase’

After “Happy’s Place” united sisters Bobbie (Reba) and Isabella (Belissa Escobedo) in its first season, Season 2 will see a bit more conflict between the pair, according to series co-creator Kevin Abbott.

“Last season was really more the honeymoon phase, where they both wanted to be sisters and they wanted it to work, and so arguments, you kind of slough off … anything that irritates you,” Abbott said on a “Happy’s Place” panel during NBCUniversal’s backlot day in Los Angeles. “Any little disagreements, they get put aside very quickly.”

Abbott said Season 2 will move the newfound sisters into the next chapter in their relationship, saying “this is more the marriage phase.”

“I have a good marriage, but this is the one where the irritants are a little more irritating, and you hold your ground a little bit more in certain areas,” Abbott added. “We are going to see a little bit more conflict between the two of them when it comes to trying to work out this sister relationship.”

With much of the cast and crew rolling over from “Reba,” “Reba” star Steve Howey guest starred in the first season, and Abbott is hopeful JoAnna Garcia Swisher could be the next alum to make an appearance on the NBC sitcom, especially since Swisher expressed her willingness to come on the show.

“We are working on that. We really, really want JoAnna to be on the show,” Abbott said. “We have a couple of roles that we are juggling to decide which would be the most fun for her — because we don’t want to bring somebody on and just have them be on. We want to bring them on and have, even if it’s just for us, a fun reason that they are playing the role that they are playing.”

Abbott added that Swisher, who currently hosts Netflix dating show “The Ultimatum: Queer Love,” is “at the top of the list of the people we want to bring on as guest stars.”

As for whether Howey might return for Season 2, the chances are a bit murkier after he landed a series regular role in ABC’s “High Potential,” which stars Kaitlin Olson. “He’s good, which is kind of a curse,” Abbott said joking, adding that there’s “always a chance” Howey could return. “We love him to death.”

“Happy’s Place” Season 2 premieres Nov. 7 on NBC. Season 1 is now streaming on Peacock.

The post ‘Happy’s Place’ Co-Creator Teases Conflict Between Bobbie and Isabella in Season 2: ‘This Is More the Marriage Phase’ appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Bel-Air’ Boss Says Season 4 Is Both an Ending and a Beginning: ‘Feels Like It’s Time to Graduate’

As “Bel-Air” gears up for its fourth and final season, showrunner Carla Banks-Waddles teased that the upcoming installment will feel like both an ending and a beginning.

“I think that it will feel like an ending but also a beginning,” Banks-Waddles said on a “Bel-Air” panel during NBCUniversal’s recent backlot day. “I can say that it’s going to be senior year, and Will and Carlton are going into their senior year. It’s been a four-year journey. It feels like it’s time to graduate.”

It won’t be just Will and Carlton who are “graduating to their next step,” Banks-Waddles continued, noting that each characters’ Season 4 storylines will introduce their next act. “It will feel like an ending, but it should also feel like a great beginning for what’s next for everybody.”

Olly Sholotan, who plays Carlton Banks on “Bel-Air,” noted that the final episodes are were handled with “the most care I’ve seen, I think, any characters in television have.” “It was just really beautiful, as a cast, for us to read the words that you wrote and how much care you took of every character’s final moments on the show,” Sholotan said to Banks-Waddles on the panel.

Sholotan and Jabari Banks, who stars as Will, also teased that as Will and Carlton transition from boys to young men as they graduate college, there might be some conflicts between the cousins.

“They are really stepping into their own this season and showing up for each other in ways that they never have before and encouraging each other in ways they never have before, I think it’s natural for our characters to butt heads,” Banks said. “I think they take care of each other in the most beautiful way possible.”

“And maybe Uncle Phil needs to step in here and there to help them out in all of the legal ways needed, maybe,” Sholotan added.

As the cast and crew of “Bel-Air” prepare to say goodbye to the Peacock series, Cassandra Freeman, who plays Vivian Banks, praised the show for offering what she said fans have applauded as an “accurate depiction” of “what it’s like to see my mother, my cousins, these successful women in the world,” saying “I’m excited to see what develops from people being inspired by the show, what legacy comes from this … I pray that the legacy of this show is you see more people have full representation and expression. I’ll miss that for the viewers and for us.”

While “Bel-Air” is coming to an end, it might not be the end of the road for some characters, with NBCUniversal president of scripted content Lisa Katz saying she would be “very open” to exploring a potential “Bel-Air” spinoff series.

“Right now, we are focused on doing this very intentional last season and making sure that it is very satisfying for the audience; but, obviously, looking at all of these characters, they are all so dimensional,” Katz said. “We realize there’s so many different places we could go, so we’d be very open to exploring that … [and] looking into that as we wrap that up.”

The post ‘Bel-Air’ Boss Says Season 4 Is Both an Ending and a Beginning: ‘Feels Like It’s Time to Graduate’ appeared first on TheWrap.

Conan O’Brien Calls Out Bob Odenkirk for Not Getting Him Cast in ‘Nobody 2’ After Saying He Would | Video

Conan O’Brien and Bob Odenkirk may be longtime friends and collaborators, but when it comes to the “Better Call Saul” actor’s action starring gig in “Nobody,” O’Brien just wants to get beaten to death.

That was his ask on a 2021 episode of “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” in promotion of the first “Nobody” — but alas, audiences can’t expect the comic to pop up in its sequel either, which hits theaters Friday via Universal Pictures.

“When the first ‘Nobody’ came out, I had you on, I loved it, we had a great interview, and I said at the end, ‘If you ever make another one, you’ve got to put me in it.’ You went, ‘Yeah! Yeah!’” O’Brien recalled on Monday’s episode before lamenting: “I’m not in it! I just want to be beaten. I want somebody to beat the s–t out of me.”

The host’s actual 2021 pitch went a bit differently: He positioned himself as a potential “sexual dynamo” for the still unconfirmed sequel, pressuring Odenkirk to find a role “for an old friend.” The Emmy nominee did seem interested in the idea.

“I’m hoping there are sequels. I’m also hoping if there is a sequel, you’ll find a role for an old friend,” O’Brien said at the time. “With maybe a little makeup I could not look like myself and I could play a guy who’s a sexual dynamo.”

“OK — will you start training for that?” Odenkirk asked, playing along.

“Yes I will. Yes I will,” the host assured. “I’m taking the medication now.”

Unfortunately, their game plan didn’t come to pass. But on Monday’s episode of “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend,” the two longtime pals began looking ahead to a potential third installment to round out a “Nobody” trilogy.

“When ‘Nobody 3’ comes out, I just want to be — put me in clown makeup, it won’t be me, and I’ll be a small … But I just want someone to beat me to death,” O’Brien insisted, to which Odenkirk responded: “We’ll make it happen.”

So, here’s to hoping.

Elsewhere in the interview, O’Brien enthused over Odenkirk’s chameleonic career — one that he admittedly never saw coming. (The two met in 1988 comedy circles and eventually worked together on “Saturday Night Live.”) The actor also opened up about his scrape with death on the set of “Better Call Saul” after suffering a heart attack in July 2021, and more.

Watch the full episode below:

“Nobody 2” hits theaters nationwide on Friday.

The post Conan O’Brien Calls Out Bob Odenkirk for Not Getting Him Cast in ‘Nobody 2’ After Saying He Would | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Bill O’Reilly Belittles Ex-WaPo Fact-Checker’s Excuse for Spiked Story on Biden Decline: ‘Everybody Knew, Including Him’ | Video

Bill O’Reilly says he got into journalism because of the Washington Post, but the conservative commentator has no sympathy for the paper’s precipitous decline – and certainly not its recently exited fact-checker, whose excuse for an abandoned story about Joe Biden’s mental state the “No Spin News” host found laughable.

“I got into journalism because of Woodward and Bernstein and Watergate,” the former Fox News anchor said Monday. “I was just enthralled by that, and that’s why I got into being a reporter. Now, the Washington Post is a left-wing magazine, and it has lost an enormous amount of readership. And the stats are unbelievable.”

O’Reilly cited a 61% decline in subscriptions over the last four years, and the reason, he said, is “because they hate Trump.”

“And that was the subject of their fact-checker [Glenn Kessler] going on a podcast,” O’Reilly said, rolling a clip of Kessler’s recent interview on Mark Halperin’s “Next Up” podcast:

“There was a lot of effort to produce a story that would look very carefully at what seemed to be a cognitive decline,” Kessler said. “We couldn’t get enough people on the record. … I can’t get too deep into the weeds of what happened … but you weren’t in all the meetings. … There was a lot of effort to produce the story — it didn’t come together.”

O’Reilly was incredulous: “Embarrassing. Man won’t tell the truth. Everybody in the Washington Post newsroom, including him, knew that Biden was in decline and couldn’t run the country. Everybody. And he’s the fact checker! ‘Oh, we need sources about that. We need sources!'”

O’Reilly drew a direct line between “that kind of deceit” and the failings of the Post.

“You’re not going to make money throwing that kind of garbage, gibberish out there,” O’Reilly said. “Jeez. Just admit it. You hated Trump. The Post wanted the Democrat to win and didn’t care who the Democrat was. Just admit it. Maybe have some respect. … You can’t sell a product that’s that flawed.”

Watch the entire monologue in the video above.

The post Bill O’Reilly Belittles Ex-WaPo Fact-Checker’s Excuse for Spiked Story on Biden Decline: ‘Everybody Knew, Including Him’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.

Sinclair to Explore M&A Opportunities for Broadcast Business

Sinclair, one of the biggest owners of broadcast stations in the U.S., will explore M&A opportunities for its broadcast TV business.

The media company, which owns, operates and/or provides services to 178 television stations in 81 markets affiliated with all major broadcast networks, announced Monday that it will launch a comprehensive strategic review of its broadcast branch, which will “evaluate all value-enhancing opportunities, including acquisitions, strategic partnerships and business combinations.”

Potential partners could include those in the broadcast and the broader media and technology ecosystem, according to Sinclair, and the company will also evaluate the benefits of separating its ventures through a “spin-off, split-off, or other transaction.”

“Scale wins in today’s broadcast industry, and we intend to lead that consolidation,” Sinclair president and CEO Chris Ripley said. “Our broadcast business’ industry-leading performance positions us as the partner of choice for value creation. Simultaneously, we expect separating ventures will crystallize significant value that the market has overlooked within our current structure, giving us even more flexibility to drive our broadcast strategy forward.”

Shares of Sinclair surged 27% in after-hours trading on Monday following the announcement.

The news comes in the wake of M&A activity within the broadcast space, with Grey Media set to acquire ABC-Fox-CBS-NBC affiliate stations in 10 markets from Byron Allen’s Allen Media Group for $171 million, while Nexstar is in advanced talks to acquire Tegna, which owns and operates 64 television stations in 51 markets.

Sinclair owns owns the Tennis Channel, multicast networks Charge, Comet, Roar and the Nest, as well as NewsOn, the streaming aggregator of local news content.

The post Sinclair to Explore M&A Opportunities for Broadcast Business appeared first on TheWrap.

‘Alien: Earth’ Release Schedule: What Time Are the First 2 Episodes Out on Hulu?

“Fargo” and “Legion” series creator Noah Hawley pens a new chapter in the “Alien” franchise, bringing the seminal science fiction series to Earth – and to television – in FX’s “Alien: Earth.” Set before the events of Ridley Scott’s 1979 “Alien,” the sci-fi classic that launched the long-running franchise, “Alien: Earth” promises a corporate hellscape where a ship comes crash-landing with a handful of nightmarish alien species on board.

That includes the iconic “Alien” creature, the Xenomorph, of course, but it also includes several brand-new creature creations concocted just for the series. We’ll have to wait to meet them all (and all other manner of monster we may encounter, man or otherwise) as “Alien: Earth” rolls out its episodes week-to-week.

Here’s everything to know about where to watch “Alien: Earth” and when to expect new episodes.

When does “Alien: Earth” come out?

“Alien: Earth” premieres on Tuesday, Aug. 12 on FX, Hulu and on Disney+ internationally.

What time is “Alien: Earth” on Hulu?

New episodes of “Alien: Earth” be available to stream at 8 p.m. ET on Hulu.

They will also air on FX at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

How many episodes are there?

“Alien: Earth” has eight episodes.

The first two episodes debut on Aug. 12. Subsequent episodes will debut weekly on Tuesdays.

What’s the full weekly release schedule?Episode 1: “Neverland” – Aug. 12Episode 2: “Mr. October” – Aug. 12Episode 3: “Metamorphosis” – Aug. 19Episode 4: “Observation” – Aug. 26Episode 5: “In Space, No One … ” – Sept. 2Episode 6: Sept. 9Episode 7: Sept. 16Episode 8: Sept. 23Has “Alien: Earth” been renewed for Season 2?

No, for now, “Alien: Earth” only has the greenlight for the first eight episodes. However, in a recent Variety interview, Hawley made it clear he has a long-term vision for the series and plans for it to run for multiple seasons.

“Season 1 is the proof of concept,” Hawley said. “And if it works commercially, then Season 2 is about building a model upon which we can envision making a Season 3, 4, 5.” He added that it’s “designed to be a recurring series,” and “endings are what give stories meaning,” so he already has an idea of where it’s headed.

The post ‘Alien: Earth’ Release Schedule: What Time Are the First 2 Episodes Out on Hulu? appeared first on TheWrap.

AMC Theatres to Trim Pre-Show by 4 to 5 Minutes, CEO Says: ‘We Don’t Love Deluging Our Customers’

AMC Theatres CEO Adam Aron provided some further details in an earnings call on Monday about his company’s plans to reduce the length of the ad and trailer-stuffed pre-show his customers see before their movie by “four or five minutes.”

In recent months, AMC customers have been notified on the theater chain’s online ticketing service that they should expect that the movie will start 25-30 minutes after the listed showtime. It came after AMC reached a deal with theatrical advertising company National CineMedia (NCM) to run their ads starting in July.

Aron told investors and financial analysts that his company decided to make a deal with NCM following the historically poor box office during the first quarter of 2025. Given that NCM has similar ad deals with other major chains like Cinemark and Regal, Aron said it was “irresponsible” for AMC to not follow suit.

“We were forgoing tens of millions of dollars that our competitors were taking,” he said.

While it’s been a respite for some moviegoers who show up late or get stuck in long concessions lines, the parade of ads, seven or more trailers, and Nicole Kidman’s now infamous AMC ad reel have become a source of frustration for many others who are tired of waiting to see what they paid for. The NCM deal allows for ads to run five minutes past the listed showtime before trailers run along with a one-minute spot before the last two trailers.

But studio marketing executives have told TheWrap there is worry that audiences will become more willing to arrive late in an effort to avoid as much of the pre-show as possible, meaning that they will miss trailers. At a time when the atomization of entertainment has made it more challenging to market films, seeing trailers in theaters still stands as the most effective means of raising awareness of coming attractions.

So what’s AMC going to do? Aron says the trims won’t come from the NCM ads. Those are contractually obligated. Instead, the company is looking into shortening its in-house reels telling moviegoers to silence their cellphones and not talk during the movie.

“Those play about four to five minutes in length, and we think we can take two or three minutes out of that,” he said.

AMC has also surveyed the number of trailers that it screens compared to other chains and found that on average, it screens one more trailer than the competition. Aron says they will cut out that extra trailer, taking off another two or three minutes from the preshow.

“We knew that when we made the NCM deal, we might have to make a tradeoff,” Aron said. “If we’re adding six minutes in NCM ad time, we would have to reduce a trailer or cut down some of our own marketing fluff in advance of the feature film.”

The ad cutbacks aren’t the only customer-friendly moves AMC has made. Last month, the chain announced that members of its free loyalty program would be able to enjoy 50% off tickets on Wednesdays in addition to the long-established discount Tuesdays for all customers. Aron said when the new program was unveiled that the box office had stabilized enough that the chain could now afford to offer two discount weekdays a week.

A big factor in that has been a continued rise in per patron spending as moviegoers continue to buy concessions more frequently. Food and beverage revenue per patron this past quarter reached a record $7.95, with overall revenue per patron reached a record $22.26 while attendance increased 25.6% year-over-year.

It should be noted that revenue was driven in part by an increase in ticket prices for screenings from Thursday through Sunday, counterbalancing the 50% off Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

AMC reported a significant loss cut in the second quarter of 2025 thanks to a resurgent box office driven by “Sinners,” “A Minecraft Movie,” and remakes of “Lilo & Stitch” and “How to Train Your Dragon” that bumped revenue by 36% Its stock took a bump accordingly by 3.4% on Monday to $3/share.

The post AMC Theatres to Trim Pre-Show by 4 to 5 Minutes, CEO Says: ‘We Don’t Love Deluging Our Customers’ appeared first on TheWrap.

‘South Park’: Kristi Noem Shoots Up a Pet Store Full of Dogs in Credits Scene Comedy Central Didn’t Air | Video

“South Park” isn’t done with Kristi Noem yet.

The official X account for the incendiary Comedy Central series shared a credits scene for Season 27, Episode 2 on Monday that featured the Department of Homeland Security secretary shooting up a pet store full of dogs, continuing the episode-long gag that Noem shoots every dog she sees on sight. (Of course, the DHS secretary did actually shoot her family dog, as famously documented in her own memoir.)

The credits scene did not air on the episode’s original Comedy Central premiere, but is included in the Paramount+ stream.

“Didn’t see this on TV? Here’s the Paramount+ version of the end credits scene,” the “South Park” X account wrote Monday.

And in case you missed it before, the series had another surprise for Noem on its social accounts. Doubling down on its mockery of the Trump cabinet member, “South Park” changed its X profile image to a still from Episode 2 featuring Noem’s face melting off.

Watch the full clip below:

Didn’t see this on TV?

Here’s the Paramount+ version of the end credits scene. pic.twitter.com/QAvMgQfU9t

— South Park (@SouthPark) August 11, 2025

The “South Park” social activity came in the aftermath of Wednesday’s episode, which debuted its over-the-top animated caricature of Noem, her plastic surgery, her penchant for shooting dogs and her Trumpian policies on immigration.

In an ode to her apparent plastic surgery, there was running gag where her face, pumped with filers, botox and more, would melt off of her body and need to be hurriedly reattached by her team.

Noem herself shared her thoughts on the satire on Thursday. Turns out, she wasn’t a fan of how she was depicted. Speaking to CNN, she didn’t have much to say about her portrayal as a woman on a crazed, puppy-murdering spree. Instead she objected to the show’s commentary on her physical appearance.

“It’s so lazy, it constantly makes fun of women for how they look,” she said. “Only the liberals and the extremists do that. If they wanted to criticize my job, go ahead and do that, but clearly they can’t. They just pick something petty like that.”

The post ‘South Park’: Kristi Noem Shoots Up a Pet Store Full of Dogs in Credits Scene Comedy Central Didn’t Air | Video appeared first on TheWrap.