How Britney Spears,Entourage, and Serena Williams Shaped Betty Who's New Album

If you punch links we provide, we may receive compensation. The Internet,Ego Death “I floundered for the first six months of doing the album. You could hear how I inspired I was by them.Sydis the coolest person in the entire world. Ben Cope Shes not serving Mariah vocals, but shes serving energy and vibe. Britney Spears “I listened to Britneys second and third albums a lot while making my record....

May 1, 2025 · 3 min · 526 words · Amy Morrison

How Carrie Fisher created Princess Leia and reclaimed her legacy

Princess Leia is slumped forward, face buried in her arms. This is not a scene from aStar Warsmovie, but thecover of Fishers 2008 memoir,Wishful Drinking. Heck, maybe thats not even Leia on the cover. Credit: Lucasfilm, Ltd. The face is obscured; it doesnt even look like Fisher. This goes without saying, but the actress didnt own the character. (She would joke, sometimes, that the reverse was true.) Back in 2011, Fisher revealed toNewsweekthat when she signed ontoStar Wars, shesigned away her likeness for free....

May 1, 2025 · 3 min · 486 words · Amy May

How Christopher Nolan crafted his WWII masterpiece,Dunkirk

When studio executives sleep at night, they dream of Christopher Nolan movies. Now theresDunkirk(out Friday), a World War II story not well-known in the States. A 50-mile swath of water, the English Channel, separated them from home and survival. Credit: Melinda Sue Gordon/Warner Bros. The film re-creates that white-knuckle tension in breathtaking detail. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Among directors making studio films, you have a rare level of freedom. When you look at what the event actually is, theres no small version of the film....

May 1, 2025 · 3 min · 542 words · Steve Hernandez

How creating an 18-hour documentary 'exploded' Ken Burns' interpretation of the Vietnam War

And, of course, he releases plenty of shorter docs, like last years two-parter about Jackie Robinson. His career is a case study proving quality and quantity arent mutually exclusive. And, as Burns tells EW, the film is suited for Vietnam War neophytes and experts alike. Credit: Tim Llewellyn It certainly exploded all my preconceptions and I lived through it. Adds Burns: It certainly isnt homework. Read on for EWs full conversation with Burns....

May 1, 2025 · 2 min · 344 words · Thomas Williams

How Dan Stevens learned to sing forBeauty and the Beast

“I sang very very badly in an episode ofDownton. I did sort-of musicals at school, university. But, no, professionally I haven’t done too much. This is another level, really.” The Beast doesn’t have his own number in the original 1991 animated classic. “That song was all about ‘How am I going to fall in love with her?’ It’s a big, romantic, soaring number.” But it’s really good fun. It’s certainly interesting!...

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 145 words · Jennifer Acevedo

How Don Cheadle discovered that he's Kendrick Lamar's Kung Fu Kenny

The video for Kendrick Lamars DNA. begins with the rapper sitting in an empty interrogation room. Then, Don Cheadle, looking stern and suspicious, walks in. Credit: KendrickLamarVEVO/YouTube Cheadle makes it look easy, but theAvengersstar wasnt exactly confident when Lamar gave him the assignment. I listened to the track, and I was like, Youre out of your mind. Like, have youheardhow you rap?' Cheadle tells EW, laughing. And though the DNA....

May 1, 2025 · 3 min · 529 words · Margaret Dixon

How Donald Glover'sAtlantacaptures the city with its music

Then the title card pops up, and No Hook becomes muted. (The possibility of getting some paper of his own is solid motivation, too.) We wanted it to feel like what it felt like when we were on the street in Atlanta. Credit: Matthias Clamer/FX For Paper Boi, that meant making something that felt as realistic as possible. It sticks with you. It needed to feel familiar and honest, he explains....

May 1, 2025 · 2 min · 238 words · Alexis Bowers

How Dragonette conquered the 'Blues' for their triumphant new album

Its such a special thing to be in a band with your spouse, Sorbara says. (The two have not divorced.) You get asked about it a lot. Credit: Gabe Ayala In the back of our minds we were scared, she says. To alleviate the strain, the pair reinvented their songwriting process forRoyal Blues. Dan and I were both running around because we were sad and confused, she says. The new approach had its challenges....

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 114 words · Sandra Love

How early-2000s Timbaland inspired Shawn Mendes' dancey new single

It’s a cycle that happens every time he hits the road, Mendes explains. “It’s become a little bit of a problem when I go home,” he jokes. I wanted to check that we released something going into the tour and summer. Credit: James Minchin I’m really pumped for it. I think it’s a big step. Is this the first time you’ve gone into the studio sinceIlluminatecame out?Yeah. I mean, I’ve been recording stuff and doing stuff in my bedroom....

May 1, 2025 · 4 min · 640 words · Michael Henry

How Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling helped write theirLa La Landfight

The nominated writers will break down select pages that were essential to the stories they were telling. The scene was always there structurally. In earlier drafts, I think it used to get even more explosive toward the end. So we had all of that preparation by the time we got on set. That idea was always there. This is going to be his way of never starting the club. This one thing will lead to another, will lead to another....

May 1, 2025 · 2 min · 289 words · Juan Underwood

How Empire will tackle Black Lives Matter this season

Adds Byers, Its a sensitive subject especially because Im a black man. I have a black brother. Its important that we tell these stories. Credit: Chuck Hodes But its also important I think, for this story to be a part of the collective conversation. And we act out what was happening with my son through Andre. The topic is something the creative team has been discussing since season 2, says co-creator Danny Strong....

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 127 words · Colton Petty

How Fiona the Hippo became an internet sensation (and a potential movie star)

Fiona, a 5-month-old hippo born premature at the Cincinnati Zoo, is the animal kingdom’s newest celebrity. “People have Fionamania.” She’s also stubborn. Credit: Cincinnati Zoo She likes her enrichment toys, especially likes her pool noodle. So she’s smart. Probably a genius, if you ask me. She’s not a person. But we report what we see, and we get a lot of help from her animal care team. We make a run at add some educational information about hippos....

May 1, 2025 · 2 min · 257 words · Larry Wyatt

How Fox'sShots Firedaims to make an impactandentertain

Though it has been years in the making,Shots Firedhas an eerie timeliness. Patricia Eamons (Helen Hunt), they stumble upon an uninvestigated murder of a black teen. Theyll empathize with characters they may not even know in real life. Credit: Fred Norris/FOX The origin story ofShots Firedis serendipitous. The reach of web connection television was exciting to us, she says. We felt this urgency, adds Bythewood. Fred Norris/FOX However, this role gave him an opportunity to use his art as a weapon, he says....

May 1, 2025 · 1 min · 165 words · Eric Nguyen