Entertainment Tidbits

Pope Leo XIV hosted leading filmmakers, including Cate Blanchett, Greta Gerwig, Chris Pine, Viggo Mortensen and Spike Lee, at the Vatican on Saturday for a celebration of cinema. He called film “a young, dreamlike and somewhat restless art form.” He warned that theaters face “a troubling decline,” urging institutions to preserve cultural spaces. (Story URL)

Production has begun on Sharknado Origins, set for release in 2026. The 7th film in the franchise will serve as a prequel exploring the teenage years of Fin Shepard and April Wexler. Ian Ziering starred as Fin, with Tara Reid as April in all six previous movies. The Sharknado franchise originally aired on SyFy from 2013 to 2018. The last installment was intended to end the series. (Story URL)

Grey’s Anatomy actor James Pickens Jr. has revealed he was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. He told Black Health Matters: “It’s not the kind of news anyone wants to hear, but to be honest, prostate cancer has run through my family.” He said a routine PSA test led to an MRI and then a biopsy, which confirmed a tumor. It had not spread and was removed early. (Story URL)

Shaquille O’Neal surprised young leaders at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta’s Youth of the Year Gala by donating $20,000 in scholarships. The awards supplemented existing scholarships of $10,000 and $5,000 from the David Jernigan Legacy Scholarship Fund. The gala raised $1.3 million to expand programs serving more than 7,000 youth across nine metro Atlanta counties. (Story URL)

Celebrity medium Tyler Henry is recovering after his second brain surgery in six months. The 29-year-old first had surgery in May 2025 to remove most of a colloid tumor near the center of his brain. His husband, musician and artist Clint Godwin, shared Thursday that Henry needed another operation to treat swelling as the cyst returned. He wrote that Henry was “recovering well.” (Story URL)

Britney Spears shared a new Instagram video showing her evening with Kim and Khloé Kardashian. The pop star posted the clip on Saturday, writing, “Such a warm, beautiful, kind family… Thank you for allowing me to play with your kids and dinner!!!” In the video, Spears lies in bed between Kim and Khloé joking about a “vibrating” bed as they laugh. (Story URL)

Production is underway in Los Angeles on the next Jumanji movie from Columbia Pictures, directed by Jake Kasdan. Returning stars include Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, and Karen Gillan, joined again by Nick Jonas, Danny DeVito, Rhys Darby, Lamorne Morris, Bebe Neuwirth, and Marin Hinkle. New cast members Dan Hildebrand and Jack Jewkes. (Story URL)