Naomi Scott, who played Princess Jasmine in Disney’s live-action Aladdin and was recently seen in David E. Kelley’s Netflix hit Anatomy of a Scandal, has signed with CAA. The British actress, who also starred in 2019’s Charlie’s Angels and The 33, will next be seen alongside Pete Davidson and Orlando Bloom in A24’s Wizards! from director David Michod and Plan B. She is also set to star in Amblin’s sci-fi comedy Distant, directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck.

Ariana Madix has entered the Love Island USA villa again — this time, permanently. The Vanderpump Rules star’s projects since Scandoval keep tallying up, as Peacock has officially announced her as the new host of the U.S. version of the hit reality show.  Madix’s stint will begin with the upcoming season six, which airs exclusively on the streaming platform this summer. The announcement comes a day after Sarah Hyland shared in an Instagram story that she “will not be returning to the island this summer,” as she is currently “committed to an exciting project, that will be announced soon, that conflicts directly with the shooting dates for Love Island USA.

Donna Douglas, best known for her role as the tomboy, critter-loving Elly May Clampett on the 1960s fish-out-of-water CBS sitcom The Beverly Hillbillies, died on New Year’s Day.  Douglas’ niece Charlene Smith confirmed the news to The Associated Press and said the actress died of pancreatic cancer in her home in Zachary, La at the age of 82. WAFB Channel 9 in Louisiana earlier reported the passing. Douglas also co-starred opposite Elvis Presley in the 1966 film Frankie and Johnny (she was Frankie, like Elvis playing a performer on a Mississippi River riverboat) and stood out as the hospitalized woman underneath the bandages in the memorable 1960 Twilight Zone episode “The Eye of the Beholder.

Add Bill Maher to small-but-loud anti-Barbie crowd. The HBO Real Time host posted a lengthy critique of filmmaker Greta Gerwig’s summer sensation, which just crossed the $1 billion global mark at the box office. “I was hoping it wouldn’t be preachy, man-hating, and a #ZombieLie – alas, it was all three,” Maher wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). Here’s what Maher had to say about the Margot Robbie hit. Fair warning: The below is a tad rant-y, not entirely easy to follow, contains mild spoilers and is generally a bit of an eyeroll.

Bob L. Harris, a member of the famed Ray Charles Singers choral group and the father of four-time Oscar-nominated actor Ed Harris, died Friday at his home in Evanston, Ill., after an extended illness. He was 91. In 1985, while working in the bookstore at the Art Institute of Chicago, Bob Harris sent Jeffrey Potter’s To a Violent Grave, a biography of Jackson Pollock, to his son and suggested he make a film about the painter.

Dave Chappelle won best comedy album at the 2023 Grammys for his most recent special, The Closer, which received backlash over material focused on the transgender community. The comedian took the honor Sunday over Louis C.K. (Sorry), Jim Gaffigan (Comedy Monster), Randy Rainbow (A Little Brains, A Little Talent) and Patton Oswalt (We All Scream). The award serves as Chappelle’s fourth Grammy and follows C.K.’s controversial win last year for Sincerely Louis CK, his first comedy album since his sexual misconduct revelations.

During the short period that Disney+ has been active across the major markets of the Asia-Pacific region — just a little over two years in most countries — the Walt Disney Co. has gone through a period of uncharacteristic turmoil. A CEO shakeup, a secular reassessment of the streaming business, cost-cutting, shaky box-office results, speculation over asset sales and activist investors clamoring at the gates. But the company’s most recent earnings report beat analysts’ forecasts and gave CEO Bob Iger some of his Magic Kingdom mojo back.

One of the biggest brands on YouTube is planning a significant expansion, and has locked up a massive investment to do it. Dude Perfect, perhaps best known for their elaborate trick shot videos on YouTube and other video platforms, have secured a nine-figure investment from Highmount Capital in a play to build out their business in new areas and to expand their core programming. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, though a source pegged the value of the investment at greater than $100 million, a huge number for a brand originally built on YouTube.

Emma Watson wants to teach you a lesson about sustainable fashion.  The actress/activist has launched an Instagram account (@the_press_tour) for the specific purpose of chronicling her press tour wardrobe for Beauty and the Beast, which hits theaters March 17. Watson is working with stylist Rebecca Corbin-Murray, who also counts Sophie Turner and Lily James as clients, to document her looks. In each of her captions, Watson educates followers on a bit of the brand’s history, highlighting their commitment to eco-friendly practices.

Erik Hayden currently oversees business news for THR.com and news in the weekly print magazine's Report and Deals sections. He began writing and editing for The Hollywood Reporter in 2012 and launched the magazine's flagship Today in Entertainment newsletter in 2016. He previously wrote for The Atlantic Wire, the website of Time and the iPad paper The Daily. ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qbvLpbCwp5%2BZv6a8zqurnqpemLyue8Cuq6GnomSys7XKZp%2BasZSau27Ax6tm