Grammy-winning artist FKA Twigs has been cast to portray Josephine Baker in a feature biopic written and directed by Maïmouna Doucouré. StudioCanal is producing alongside Bien ou Bien Productions and is launching international sales at the Cannes Film Festival, with principal photography scheduled to begin this fall. The project has been developed with the cooperation of Baker’s surviving sons and the Rainbow Tribe, and Studiocanal will handle theatrical release in its core territories, including France, the U.K., Germany, Italy, Benelux, Poland, Australia and New Zealand. Doucouré, whose credits include Cuties and Hawa, will both write and direct; the casting confirmation follows Twigs’ recent acting roles and her first Grammy in February 2026. The film intends to chart Baker’s rise from St. Louis to Jazz Age stardom in Paris, her wartime work with the French Resistance and later U.S. civil rights activism. The estate’s blessing and the Cannes sales launch position the project for broad international distribution and visibility ahead of the fall shoot.

A surprise hour-long appearance by Stephen Colbert on Monroe, Michigan public-access show Only in Monroe — staged the day after his final Late Show broadcast — went viral and briefly triggered copyright takedown notices from CBS/parent Paramount. The episode, which featured guests including Jack White, Jeff Daniels, Steve Buscemi and a filmed cameo from Eminem, was financed and produced by CBS Studios and posted to Colbert’s new YouTube channel in collaboration with Monroe Community Media and The Late Show’s channel. Several other YouTube uploads had already attracted large audiences, prompting CBS to issue routine copyright notices to unauthorized reuploads. After widespread online backlash and reporting, CBS said it would “waive further enforcement” of takedowns for the episode pending review. The program concluded with the hosts dismantling and burning the makeshift set — a stunt reportedly cleared by Eminem — and drew attention amid continuing debate over Colbert’s July 2025 Late Show cancellation and broader questions about corporate control of content and platform distribution.

Queen Latifah returned to the American Music Awards on May 25, 2026, solo-hosting the ceremony at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas more than three decades after co-hosting the show in 1995. The 56-year-old music and film star said she was “nervous” but excited and pledged to bring warmth and energy to performers and fans. Latifah attended the show with partner Eboni Nichols and their six-year-old son Rebel. The program featured a wide-ranging lineup — including The Pussycat Dolls with Busta Rhymes, Billy Idol, Keith Urban, Karol G, Sombr, Teddy Swims and others — while Taylor Swift led nominations with eight. Broadcasters Dick Clark Productions and CBS streamed the AMAs live on Paramount+; Latifah noted she may release new music in 2026 and has other high-profile projects, including a forthcoming Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Early Influence induction and a role as a coach on The Voice.

A UK anti-ageism analysis published this week found that the 100 highest-grossing films in the UK between 2023 and 2025 were more likely to feature a lead actor called “Chris” or a talking animal than a female lead aged over 60. Researchers working with the Centre for Ageing Better’s Age Without Limits campaign and the University of West London reviewed box-office charts and found six top films led by a man named Chris (half of those featuring Chris Pratt) compared with five that starred a woman over 60. The study also found talking animals were four times as likely as older women to headline a top-grossing movie. Named examples of older-woman-led films in the top 100 include Allelujah, My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, Book Club: The Next Chapter, The Substance and Freakier Friday; Chris-led titles included the Super Mario Bros and Guardians franchises, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and Transformers One. A separate public poll of 4,000 people showed one in three believe there are too few films led by women over 60, with higher concern among women.

Venezuela Fury, the 16-year-old daughter of heavyweight boxer Tyson Fury and wife Paris, married boyfriend Noah Price in a private ceremony on May 16 at the Royal Chapel of St John on the Isle of Man. The couple — described in media reports as in their late teens (Noah reported as 18–19) — flew to Marbella for a honeymoon reportedly paid for by Venezuela’s parents, with outlets citing a £30,000 trip and further gifts including a reported £5 million and a traditional gypsy caravan. Footage of the wedding is expected to feature on the family’s Netflix series. While in Spain the couple posted videos and livestreams defending the marriage against critics who labelled Venezuela a “child bride”; Noah was seen asking followers for gifts during a TikTok live viewed by tens of thousands. On their return to the UK, tabloid photos showed Venezuela wearing socks stained with blood after the flight. The couple plan to move into a static home near the groom’s family in the East Riding of Yorkshire. Media coverage has focused on the age of the bride, family gifts, social media monetisation and cultural traditions cited by the family.

A woman who says she briefly dated Mackenzie Shirilla at the Ohio Reformatory for Women has spoken publicly as interest in Shirilla’s 2022 crash and 2023 conviction has been renewed by the Netflix documentary The Crash. Shyann Topping, 27, told multiple outlets and posted on social platforms that she began seeing Shirilla while incarcerated in 2023 and that Shirilla laughed about the jailhouse nickname “Shirilla the Killa.” Topping said she initially believed Shirilla’s account that the crash — in which Shirilla, then 17, drove at more than 100 mph into a brick building, killing Dominic Russo and Davion Flanagan — might have been an accident, but changed her view after reviewing evidence and seeing Shirilla’s behaviour. Topping also disputed Shirilla’s reported defense that a POTS-related seizure caused the crash and alleged Shirilla discussed plans to pursue fame, suggesting books, social media influence and public appearances after release. Topping said contact ended after her release; she now works outside prison and has condemned Shirilla’s actions and alleged motives.