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Danai Gurira joins cast of Mattel’s live-action ‘Matchbox’ film

Black Panther alum Danai Gurira has signed on to join the cast of Mattel’s Matchbox, the live-action film adaptation of Mattel Films’ real-world die-cast car toy line of the same name. Details about Gurira’s character are still undisclosed.

The live-action Matchbox movie stars John Cena, Jessica Biel, Sam Richardson, Teyonah Parris and Arturo Castro. The film synopsis reads: “The story is described as an action-packed, globetrotting adventure that centers on a group of childhood friends who must work together to stop an impending worldwide disaster and rediscover their friendship along the way.”

The screenplay for Matchbox is co-written by David Coggeshall and Jonathan Tropper and hails from Apple Original Films, Skydance, and Mattel Films, with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger, and Robbie Brenner serving as producers.  Brenner said in a statement: “For nearly 70 years, Matchbox has carried enormous cultural relevance and inspired generations of kids to unleash their imaginations, combining what they see in the world every day with what they dream their own world to be. We look forward to working with our incredible partners at Skydance Media to craft a story for the big screen that evokes the same, imaginative spirit of this beloved Mattel franchise and delights fans of all ages.”

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Entertainment Daypop

97th Academy Awards: See the full list of Oscar winners

The 97th Academy Awards ceremony was held on Sunday, March 2, 2025 at the Dolby Theater at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, honoring excellence in cinema and hosted by Conan O’Brien.

Anora was the big winner of the evening, with the film named Best Picture and star Mikey Madison winning for Best Actress, while Sean Baker earned the honors for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing.

Adrien Brody was awarded the Best Actor Oscar for The Brutalist, while Kieran Culkin won for Best Supporting Actor in A Real Pain, and Zoe Saldaña was named Best Supporting Actress for Emilia Pérez.

Flow was named Best Animated Feature, and Conclave writer Peter Straughan won for Best Adapted Screenplay.

This year’s ceremony also honored the city of Los Angeles in the wake of the wildfires earlier this year, bringing firefighters onto the Oscars stage and hosting a charitable component to raise money for fire victims.

For a full list of 2025 Oscar winners, head to the link: HERE.

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South Carolina governor declares state of emergency as wildfires erupt across South and North Carolina

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster declared a State of Emergency as thousands of South Carolina residents remain under an evacuation order after wildfires have affected as least 1,200 acres across the state.

The South Carolina State Fire Marshal said Sunday that firefighters were battling 175 wildfires that erupted across South and North Carolina amid windy and dry conditions, threatening homes and prompting evacuations, in an ongoing response operations to more than 175 wildfires that have burned a combined 4,200 acres across the state — including blazes burning in Horry, Spartanburg, Oconee, Union and Pickens counties.

One of the biggest wildfires raging Sunday morning was threatening residents in the Carolina Forest near Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, in Horry County, as well as the quick-spreading fire in the Carolina Forest which has burned more than 1,200 acres by Sunday morning and was threatening the communities of Walker Woods and Avalon, according to the South Carolina Forest Commission. The fire was 0% contained, officials said.

Governor McMaster said in a statement: “This State of Emergency ensures that our first responders, who are working tirelessly and risking their lives to protect our communities from these wildfires, have the resources they need, Dangerous wildfire conditions require that a statewide burning ban remain in effect until further notice. Those who violate this ban will be subject to criminal prosecution.”

As of March 1, 2025, the South Carolina Forestry Commission issued a State Forester’s Burning Ban for all counties. The ban prohibits all outdoor burning, including yard debris burning, prescribed burning and campfires: “While a majority of the current wildfire activity is concentrated in the Pee Dee region, the rest of the state is experiencing a dramatic uptick in wildfires, straining the capacity of Forestry Commission firefighters and local emergency response personnel to respond.”

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Israel cuts off aid into Gaza until Hamas agrees to new ceasefire proposal

On Sunday, Israel said is has stopped the entry of all humanitarian aid into Gaza until Hamas agrees to an extension of the ceasefire deal — coming after phase one of the deal expired on Saturday. The two sides have yet to negotiate the second phase, in which Hamas was to release dozens of remaining hostages in return for an Israeli pullout from Gaza and a lasting ceasefire.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office warned of “further consequences” after it stopped the entry of all goods and supplies into the Gaza Strip on Sunday. A statement read: “Israel will not allow a ceasefire without the release of our hostages. If Hamas continues its refusal, there will be further consequences.”

Netanyahu said he backed a US proposal to temporarily extend the current ceasefire during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and the Jewish holiday Passover, which envisions half the hostages held in Gaza being released on the day the deal begins. Hamas immediately rejected the plan, saying that Netanyahu and his government was carrying out “a blatant coup against the ceasefire deal” that had already been agreed.

Hamas has said it is willing to free the hostages all at once in Phase 2, but only in return for the release of more Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces. Meanwhile, an Egyptian official said Hamas and Egypt would not accept a new proposal aimed at returning the remaining hostages without ending the war.

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Country Daypop

Dolly Parton musical to premiere in Nashville ahead of Broadway opening

Dolly Parton announced that her upcoming Broadway musical will premiere is set to premiere in Nashville, ahead of its 2026 Broadway run. The production reunites Parton and Maria Schlatter, who worked together on Netflix’s Christmas on the Square.

The 79-year-old Parton shared that her show, Dolly: An Original Musical, will begin previews July 18 at Belmont University’s Fisher Center for the Performing Arts. The “rags to rhinestones story” of Parton’s life will officially open at the venue Aug. 8.   The music icon wrote songs and co-wrote the book for the musical, which includes fan favorites and never-before-heard tracks.

Parton said in a press release: “I am Tennessee born and raised, and Nashville has been my musical home for over 60 years. So, this is the right and perfect place to present the world premiere of my life story as a musical.”

Tickets for Dolly: An Original Musical are on sale now at the link: HERE.

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com

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Country Daypop

Kenny Chesney to release first book, ‘Heart Life Music’

Kenny Chesney will release his first book, Heart Life Music, on Nov. 4, 2025 (via William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers).

Chesney co-wrote the book with his longtime friend/collaborator, journalist Holly Gleason. Acording to a release, the book aims to capture the essence of “the superstar’s journey from small town East Tennessee dreamer to commanding the largest stages across the nation will capture the sparks of creativity, venture to places long gone, make unexpected music in Jamaica, the Kremlin, New England and Cabo San Lucas, drift across the waters of the Caribbean, Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, encounter and collaborate with heroes, engage with a coterie of singular folks, friends and inspirations, and always find the joy of being unabashedly alive.”

In a statement, Chesney said, “This is not my memoir, but something far better. It is almost a love letter to people who shaped and inspired me, the fans who’ve been there from tiny bars, radio stations who believed when nobody else did, a team who just kept coming back, legends who gave me wisdom and opportunities and all the friends who’ve been there along the way. To me, that’s where the music came from – and this is the story of how it turned into the soundtrack for the way No Shoes Nation lives their lives, too.”

Chesney adds: I always said I’d never write a book. Too many things happened almost to be believed, let alone lived, but I realized with the world moving in such fast forward motion, too much of what made Nashville, the music business and our lives great would be lost to the churn of the next click. To have been in a room as a kid writing with Dean Dillon, have Sean Payton call an NFL press conference to announce he’s drafting me to the Saints, be in Tuff Gong Studios with Aston ‘Family Man’ Barrett and Alvin ‘Seeco’ Patterson or on a private plane with George Jones after opening for him defies logic. So, for everyone in No Shoes Nation, I realized: you deserved to share the magic.”

To pre-order Heart Life Music, head HERE.

Editorial credit: Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com

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Entertainment Daypop

See the trailer for the upcoming series ‘Daredevil: Born Again’

Marvel Entertainment released its latest look at the upcoming series Daredevil: Born Again, starring Matt Murdock (Charlie Cox), aka Daredevil, and Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), aka Kingpin, who challenge each other over coffee.

Daredevil: Born Again, which will stream on Disney+, is a sequel to the Netflix series which premiered in 2015. Marvel Entertainment previously released a teaser featuring the Punisher (once again portrayed by Jon Bernthal), with Elden Henson and Deborah Ann Woll also reprising their roles as Foggy Nelson and Karen Page, in the upcoming show.

Daredevil: Born Again has been confirmed to premiere the first two episodes of season 1 on Tuesday, March 4, on Disney+. Meanwhile, Season 1 of Daredevil: Born Again will be rolling out throughout the spring, with Season 2 has already been renewed on Disney+.

See the trailer for Daredevil: Born Again: HERE.

Editorial credit: Featureflash Photo Agency / Shutterstock.com