Miley Cyrus went back to her “Hannah Montana” blond mane and to her roots as Miley Stewart, the tween with a big secret. The now real-life pop star reunited Monday evening with cast members in Los Angeles to celebrate the “Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special.” The original show was launched in 2006 on the Disney Channel. In it, middle-schooler Miley led a double life as a pop singer. Cyrus is now 33 and reflected to The Associated Press how the milestone has given her a new perspective on the show that launched her stardom. The anniversary special began streaming Tuesday on Disney+ and Hulu.
Nicholas Brendon, an actor best known for his role as a loveable underdog sidekick on the hit television series “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” has died. He was 54. Brendon’s family announced the death in a statement posted on his social media accounts Friday. They said he died in his sleep of natural causes, but did not say where or when it happened. Brandon played Xander Harris, a close friend of lead character Buffy, on the show that ran from 1997 to 2003. Brendon had also appeared on the TV show “Criminal Minds” and alongside Bradley Cooper in the Fox sitcom “Kitchen Confidential.”
CBS News says it's shutting down its radio news service after nearly a century of operation as part of a round of layoffs at the company. When it began operation in September 1927, the radio service was a precursor to the entire CBS network. It gave young executive William S. Paley his start and was the home of legendary broadcaster Edward Murrow’s reports from London during World War II. Today it is primarily known for its top-of-the-hour news roundups delivered to about 700 stations across the country. CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss said it will stop operating in May.
ABC has canceled its already filmed season of “The Bachelorette” starring Taylor Frankie Paul after a 2023 video surfaced. On Thursday, Disney Entertainment Television said was focused on supporting the family. The network made the move just days before the Sunday premiere. TMZ published a video of Paul punching, kicking and throwing chairs at her ex Dakota Mortensen. Police in Utah tell People magazine an investigation is open and allegations run both ways. Representatives for Paul and Mortensen didn’t immediately return requests for comment. Unlike previous leads, the 31-year-old had not appeared on the “Bachelor” franchise before
Longtime New York Mets broadcaster Howie Rose has announced he is planning to retire at the end of the season after spending four decades with the organization. The 72-year-old Rose began his Mets broadcasting career in 1987 and has served as the team’s lead play-by-play radio voice since 2006. Rose says he plans to work all the Mets’ home games as well as their three road matchups with the New York Yankees this year. He will work all home and away games during the postseason.
President Donald Trump and his team are increasing the pressure on journalists to cover the war in the Middle East the way the administration wants. The Republican president has complained on social media about stories he doesn't like and berated a reporter on Air Force One over the weekend. The government's top media regulator warned broadcasters risk losing their licenses to operate if they don't stay away from “fake news.” Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have questioned the patriotism of some news outlets because of their reports. Antagonism between presidential administrations and the press isn't unusual, but Trump's team has shown a hostility toward the very idea of being questioned.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s “One Battle After Another” has been crowned best picture at the 98th Academy Awards. Jessie Buckley won best actress and Michael B. Jordan won best actor at the 98th Academy Awards. After a lionized career stretching back three decades, Paul Thomas Anderson won his first Oscar for best director, a long-in-coming coronation for the “One Battle After Another” filmmaker. “Sinners” cinematographer Autumn Durald Arkapaw has made Oscar history, becoming the first female director of photography to win the award in the 98 year history of the Academy Awards. Paul Thomas Anderson and Ryan Coogler won their first Oscars and moving tributes were paid to Robert Redford, Diane Keaton and Rob Reiner at the 98th Academy Awards.
The Oscars team says the 98th Academy Awards aims to feel warm, tight and built for both the room and viewers at home. The show's producers are finishing final preparations with host Conan O’Brien, planned performances, tributes and a spotlight for the newer casting award. Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor and CEO Bill Kramer say they start planning earlier now. They say that cuts panic and helps the show flow. Ratings keep rising since the 2021 slump, helped by streaming on Hulu and outreach to younger viewers online. They also promise a big, emotional in memoriam.
Fox News apologizes for showing old video of a hatless Donald Trump at a dignified transfer ceremony
Fox News has apologized for airing old video of a hatless President Donald Trump at a dignified transfer ceremony as part of its coverage. In polarized times, online critics suggested that Fox was trying to make Trump look better with pictures that suggested he wasn't wearing a baseball cap on Saturday during the ceremony for the return of the remains of six service members killed in the Middle East war. Fox insisted this wasn't so, that a staff member inadvertently called up video of an old ceremony when preparing the story. Fox News anchor Johnny “Joey” Jones said he believed it was an honest mistake, “but that doesn't mean it was an acceptable one.”
After a near awards-season sweep by “One Battle After Another,” “Sinners” won best ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild’s 32nd Actor Awards on Sunday, setting up a potential nail-biter finale in two weeks at the Academy Awards. Michael B. Jordan won best male actor, upsetting the category favorite, Timothée Chalamet, and handing the 39-year-old Jordan the most significant prize of his acclaimed career. As expected, Jessie Buckley won best female actor for her performance in “Hamnet.” Sean Penn won best supporting male actor for “One Battle After Another” and Amy Madigan won best supporting female actor for “Weapons.” A month after her death,