Month: July 2025

In a surprise move, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert is ending in May 2026. Colbert took over The Late Show in 2015 after David Letterman, who launched the show in 1993. Before that, Colbert hosted “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central.

George Cheeks, Co-CEO Paramount Global and President and Chief Executive Officer, CBS, Amy Reisenbach, President, CBS Entertainment and David Stapf, President, CBS Studios in a statement: “’The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’ will end its historic run in May 2026 at the end of the broadcast season. We consider Stephen Colbert irreplaceable and will retire ‘The Late Show’ franchise at that time. This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount. We are proud that Stephen called CBS home. He and the broadcast will be remembered in the pantheon of greats that graced late night television.”

CBS’ statement noted that the show has been No. 1 in late night for nine straight seasons, and added: “Our admiration, affection, and respect for the talents of Stephen Colbert and his incredible team made this agonizing decision even more difficult. With much gratitude, we look forward to honoring Stephen and celebrating the show over the next 10 months alongside its millions of fans and viewers.”

Colbert also announced the news at the taping of Thursday’s show, stating he had found out about the show’s cancellation the previous night. Colbert shared his statement in a video posted to Instagram: “The network will be ending ‘The Late Show’ in May,” said Colbert. As the audience booed, Colbert agreed, “Yeah, I share your feelings. It’s not just the end of our show but it’s the end of ‘The Late Show’ on CBS. I am not being replaced. This is all just going away.”

In the clip, Colbert thanked CBS for being “great partners,” as well as the audience and his band: “It is a fantastic job, I wish somebody else was getting it. It’s a job that I’m looking forward to doing with this usual gang of idiots for the next 10 months.”

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert airs weeknights at 11:35 p.m. EDT on CBS.

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Amazon MGM Studios released a poster and first-look photos for The Pickup, an action-comedy starring Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson as armored truck drivers ambushed by a criminal mastermind played by Keke Palmer.

The poster features Palmer, Murphy and Davidson surrounded by money and the tagline: “They’re armed, but she’s dangerous.”  The official synopsis reads that “a routine cash pickup takes a wild turn when two mismatched armored truck drivers, Russell (Murphy) and Travis (Davidson), are ambushed by ruthless criminals led by a savvy mastermind, Zoe (Palmer), with plans that go way beyond the cash cargo. As chaos unfolds around them, the unlikely duo must navigate high-risk danger, clashing personalities, and one very bad day that keeps getting worse.”

The film, directed by Tim Story, also features Eva Longoria, Marshawn Lynch, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i, Andrew Dice Clay and Ismael Cruz Córdova.

The Pickup is set for release Aug. 6 on Prime Video; see the trailer: HERE.

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Singer Connie Francis, best known for her chart-topping hits in the ’50s and ’60s, has died at the age of 87.

Francis’ copyrights and royalties manager, Ron Roberts, in a post on social media: “It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that i inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night. I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news.”

Although an official cause of death was not announced, Francis had recently revealed that she was “back in hospital” on July 2, telling fans she’d been “undergoing tests and checks to determine the cause(s) of the extreme pain I have been experiencing.”  However, Francis laster wrote in a Fourth of July post on Facebook that she was “feeling much better after a good night,” two days after it was confirmed that she had been hospitalized.

Francis, born Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero in Newark, New Jersey, is estimated to have sold more than 200 million records worldwide in her lifetime. Her first hit song, “Who’s Sorry Now,” debuted in 1958. In 1960, Francis was only 21 when she became the first female artist to get a Billboard Hot 100 No 1 hit, with her song “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool.” Francis went on to have 53 hits on the Billboard charts over the course of her decades-long career. n 1964, she was awarded a special Golden Globe for her contributions to the recording world.

Most recently, Francis’s 1962 hit “Pretty Little Baby” had a resurgence after it went viral on TikTok. The song has been used in more than 17 million videos totaling more than 27 billion views globally on the app. Francis said at the time in response to the renewed interest in her music: “My thanks to TikTok and its members for the wonderful, and oh so unexpected, reception given to my 1961 recording ‘Pretty Little Baby.’ The first I learned of it was when Ron called to advise me that I had ‘a viral hit.’ Clearly out of touch with present-day music statistics terminology, my initial response was to ask: ‘What’s that?’ I’m flabbergasted and excited about the huge buzz my 1962 recording of ‘Pretty Little Baby’ is making all over the world To think that a song I recorded 63 years ago is captivating new generations of audiences is truly overwhelming for me.”

According to PEOPLE, in addition to her music career Francis was an advocate for rape victims and those impacted by trauma after she was raped in 1974 and survived a suicide attempt in 1984.  She is survived by her son,  Joseph Garzilli Jr.

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Filmmaker and actor Mel Brooks and actor-writer Josh Gad officially announced that a sequel to the 1987 Star Wars spoof Spaceballs is officially in the works. Deadline.com reported Brooks, Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis are set to reprise their roles of Yogurt, Lone Star and Dark Helmet.

Brooks said in a video released on social media: “After 40 years, we asked, ‘What do the fans want? But, instead, we’re making this movie. May the Schwartz be with you.”  The words, “The Schwartz awakens in 2027,” then appeared across the screen.

Gad wrote in a separate post: “I was that child who saw Spaceballs before I ever saw Star Wars and then wondered why anyone would do a dramatic remake of the Mel Brooks classic. It is therefore the greatest gift of my life to now help take the reins and work alongside Mel and this incredible group to do a sequel to the movie that first inspired George Lucas.”

Brooks returns as Yogurt (the gold-faced mystic Yoda-esque figure) in the forthcoming Spaceballs sequel, spoofing Star Wars and other films of the era.  Brooks will also produce the film alongside Brian Grazer, Jeb Brody, co-writer Josh Gad, and director Josh Greenbaum.

Gad previously said that Brooks is “incredibly involved” in the creative process for the sequel, and that the film is “a love letter to not only Spaceballs, but to all things Mel Brooks.” The original movie also co-starred Daphne Zuniga and John Candy, who died in 1994, as well as featured the voice of the late Joan Rivers.

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