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‎HBO’s Lanterns delivered a superhero series with a very different approach to the genre. From the beginning, the show openly embraced its True Detective influence and maintained that direction through its first season, emphasizing character development and storytelling over CGI-heavy action and spectacle. ‎ Lanterns Season 2 looks likely, with John Stewart, Sinestro and the Green Lantern Corps facing new storylines. ‎HBO ‎That approach may not satisfy every fan hoping to see beloved comic-book stories adapted directly into live action. However, Lanterns ultimately appeared focused on one priority: being a damn good TV show. ‎ ‎The series benefited from an impressive creative team that included Ozark showrunner Chris Mundy, The Leftovers and Watchmen creator Damon Lindelof, and acclaimed comics writer Tom King. Their work gave Kyle Chandler, Aaron Pierre and Kelly Macdonald the opportunity to build layered, complex characters and deliver performances worthy of awards consid...

‎Veterans receiving disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) could see an increase in their monthly benefits beginning in 2027. ‎ ‎The expected boost comes through the annual cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, which is intended to help federal benefits keep pace with inflation and maintain their purchasing power. The adjustment is expected to affect around 6.3 million veterans who receive VA disability compensation for disabilities or long-term health conditions connected to their military service. ‎VA disability benefits could rise in 2027 as a projected 3.5% COLA could increase monthly payments for millions of veterans. Getty ‎ ‎What Is the COLA? ‎ ‎The COLA is an annual percentage adjustment applied to several federal benefit programs, including Social Security retirement, disability and survivor benefits, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and VA disability compensation. ‎ ‎The adjustment is calculated using the Consumer Price Index for Urb...

‎A Staten Island judge has ordered the New York City administration of Mayor Zohran Mamdani to cancel notices sent to property owners under the city’s new pied-à-terre tax and restart the process of determining who is subject to the surcharge. ‎ ‎A Staten Island judge ordered New York City to cancel pied-à-terre tax notices and restart the process of determining who owes the surcharge. ‎Barry Williams/New York Daily News/Getty Images ‎State Supreme Court Justice Wayne Ozzi ruled Tuesday that the city must review all information available to it before determining that a property is a second home subject to the tax. The city must also produce the records supporting its determination. ‎ ‎Ozzi’s ruling did not address whether the pied-à-terre tax itself is legal. ‎ ‎“The pied-à-terre surcharge is about a basic principle of fairness: If you can afford a luxury second home in New York City, you can afford to pay your fair share for the schools, streets, and parks that make this c...

‎The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are underway, with some of the biggest names in music competing for top honors. ‎ ‎The star-studded ceremony is being held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with Snoop Dogg serving as the host for the evening. ‎ ‎'LISA' of BLACKPINK. ‎JC Olivera/Variety ‎ ‎Alongside the usual award categories, several special honors were announced ahead of the ceremony. Nirvana is set to receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, while Taylor Swift will be presented with the inaugural Artist Director honor. ‎ ‎Scroll down for the complete list of winners and nominees, with updates being added live. ‎ ‎BEST POP ‎ ‎Lisa – “Dream” ft. Kentaro Sakaguchi – Lloud Co./RCA Records ‎ ‎Ariana Grande – “Hate That I Made You Love Me” – Republic Records ‎Charli xcx – “SS26” – Atlantic Records ‎Olivia Rodrigo – “Drop Dead” – Geffen Records ‎Sabrina Carpenter – “House Tour” – Island ‎Tate McRae – “Nobody’s Girl” – RCA Records ‎Taylor Swift – “The Fate o...

‎Florence Pugh is opening up about her decision to publicly support Palestine and why she was never “scared” to speak about the issue, even after estimating that she lost hundreds of thousands of social media followers. ‎ ‎Florence Pugh discusses supporting Palestine, losing social media followers and why she was never “scared” to speak out. ‎Tristan Fewings/Getty Images for Netflix ‎In a cover story for Vanity Fair, the Oscar-nominated actress reflected on her public comments about Palestine. Last September, Pugh attended the Together for Palestine event, where she addressed the suffering and spoke about the importance of empathy. ‎ ‎During her appearance at the event, Pugh said, “Silence in the face of such suffering is not neutrality, it is complicity, and empathy should not be this hard and it should have never been this hard.” ‎ ‎Reflecting on the response to her decision to speak out, the East of Eden star told Vanity Fair, “I don’t know why it took so long for people...

‎California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed AB 2319 into law, establishing the state’s first standalone postproduction tax incentive in an effort to bring Hollywood jobs back to California and make the state more competitive with production hubs including New York and Georgia. ‎ ‎Gov. Gavin Newsom signs AB 2319, creating California’s first standalone postproduction tax incentive to attract Hollywood jobs. ‎Mario Tama/Getty Images ‎Newsom signed the bill Friday during a ceremony at the Television Academy offices in North Hollywood. The legislation was carried by state Assemblymember Nick Schultz and focuses specifically on encouraging productions to conduct their postproduction work in California. ‎ ‎Under existing California law, productions that shoot in the state can qualify for tax credits covering postproduction work. AB 2319 expands that eligibility. Productions that filmed outside California can now receive the postproduction tax credit if they choose to conduct their po...

‎The murder trial of Lindsay Clancy, the Massachusetts mother accused of killing her three young children, has ended in a mistrial after nearly seven weeks of proceedings. ‎ ‎The judge declared the mistrial today after the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict, bringing the closely watched trial to an end — at least for now. ‎ ‎Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial ends in a mistrial after the jury fails to reach a unanimous verdict, leaving prosecutors to decide what comes next. ‎Greg Derr ‎The outcome leaves prosecutors with several options. They could seek a retrial before an entirely new jury, attempt to reach a plea deal with Clancy, or decide not to refile the case. However, choosing not to pursue the case does not appear likely. ‎ ‎The court is scheduled to reconvene at the end of the month to determine what happens next. ‎ ‎Clancy's lawyer has indicated that he and his client will be prepared if prosecutors choose to retry the case. A retrial could potentially ta...

‎Sophia Kianni may be known primarily as a technology entrepreneur, but the 24-year-old founder also considers herself a “creative and a storyteller at heart.” ‎ ‎Kianni is the co-founder of Phia, an AI-powered shopping startup she launched in April 2025 alongside her college roommate, Phoebe Gates. The pair also co-host “The Burnouts,” a business and lifestyle podcast. ‎ ‎Phia co-founder Sophia Kianni says creativity and ingenuity are uniquely human, while AI can help creative teams work more efficiently. ‎Kimberly White/Getty Images ‎Despite working in the technology industry, Kianni says she is not concerned that artificial intelligence will take over creative work. Instead, she believes creativity is the most important human quality that AI cannot replicate or replace. ‎ ‎“Creativity and ingenuity [are] always going to come from a person,” she tells CNBC Make It. ‎ ‎Rather than viewing AI as a threat to creativity, Kianni sees the technology as a tool that can empower c...

‎Alan Ritchson is once again speaking out against Donald Trump, with the Reacher star using a new interview to criticize the president and demand the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files. ‎ ‎Ritchson made the comments during an appearance on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, where he acknowledged his reputation for speaking freely and being considered a “loose cannon” because of his words. ‎ ‎Alan Ritchson blasts Donald Trump over the Epstein files and renews his criticism of the president in a fiery podcast interview. ‎Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images ‎ ‎Explaining his approach, the actor said he believes he is saying what people should be saying if they care about humanity. ‎ ‎“I’m just saying the shit that everybody should say if they give a shit about humanity. Everybody else should feel like I feel,” Ritchson said. ‎ ‎His comments then became focused on the Epstein files. Ritchson expressed frustration over what he described as the slow drip of the files and referenced T...

‎American soldiers die in war, but casualty figures have long carried significant weight with the American public. Since the Vietnam War death toll contributed to a generation’s growing opposition to military intervention abroad, the number of servicemembers killed in overseas conflicts has remained a particularly sensitive issue. ‎ ‎The Pentagon’s Iran war casualty count reportedly dropped from 18 to 14 after four servicemember deaths were removed from its official tally. ‎ Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images ‎ ‎Fallen servicemembers are widely honored as heroes, regardless of how justified the conflicts in which they died may have been. But the Trump administration is now reportedly facing scrutiny over the way some deaths are being counted in connection with the Iran war. ‎ ‎On Thursday, the Pentagon’s official list of servicemember deaths attributed to the Iran war was suddenly changed. Four names were removed, reducing the reported total from 18 to 14. ‎ ‎According to The New Y...

‎The Bellarie family story is far from over. Netflix has officially renewed Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black for Season 4, announcing the news before the drama’s third season has made its debut. ‎ ‎The decision comes as a surprise because Season 3 was previously thought to be the conclusion of the Bellarie family saga. When Netflix announced the renewal for the third season back in December, the expectation was that the popular drama would end with that chapter. ‎ ‎Netflix renews Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black for Season 4 ahead of Season 3, extending the Bellarie family saga. ‎ Quantrell Colbert/Netflix ‎ ‎Instead, viewers will now have another season to look forward to. ‎ ‎Tyler Perry, who serves as the series creator, producer, writer and director, expressed his excitement about continuing the story and revealed that he still has more to explore within the world of Beauty in Black. ‎ ‎“Beauty in Black is back for season four and the Bellarie family’s story is far from finish...

François Arnaud has taken on a new role as a global brand ambassador for Under Armour, with the athletic apparel company announcing the partnership Thursday. ‎ ‎The Heated Rivalry star is beginning his ambassadorial role by fronting Under Armour’s new For When It’s Hot campaign, which was released alongside the announcement. The brand had previously teased Arnaud’s involvement on social media throughout the past week. ‎ ‎‘Heated Rivalry’ star François Arnaud is now a global Under Armour ambassador and leads the brand’s new ‘For When It’s Hot’ campaign. ‎ Courtesy of Under Armour ‎ ‎Arnaud has also previously been seen wearing Under Armour as Scott Hunter, his character in Heated Rivalry. ‎ ‎Reflecting on his new partnership with the sportswear brand, Arnaud said the opportunity would have seemed unlikely to his younger self. ‎ ‎ “If you’d told the skinny awkward kid I used to be that one day I’d be an ambassador for a sportswear brand, I would’ve laughed,” Arnaud said in a...

‎Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended President Donald Trump’s decision to begin the war in Iran during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Tuesday, arguing that Trump should be praised rather than criticized for the military campaign. ‎ ‎Pete Hegseth defended Donald Trump’s Iran war, saying the president deserves praise as senators and protesters challenged the policy. ‎Getty Images ‎Trump has faced intense criticism over the past five months as the devastating and seemingly endless war in Iran has continued. Throughout the controversy, however, Hegseth has remained firmly supportive of the president's approach. ‎ ‎Speaking before senators, Hegseth argued that Trump had demonstrated courage by taking action against what he described as the threat posed by Iranian Islamists obtaining a nuclear weapon. ‎ ‎“President Trump deserves the kind of praise he should get for undertaking this effort,” Hegseth told the Senate Appropriations Committee in a hearing on Tu...