Zach Snyder directed 2017’s “Justice League” but left the production early following the tragic death of his daughter. The studio then brought in Josh Whedon to oversee post-production, which led to tons of changes. Now, years later, he’s opening up about the ordeal amid promoting his new movie, “The Last Photograph,” at the Toronto International Film Festival.

3

Snyder spoke to Variety in September 2026 following the premiere of “The Last Photograph” at TIFF. During the conversation, which included his reaction to negative reviews of the new film, Snyder was also asked about not only losing his daughter but also having his movie taken away from him, which led him to essentially take his name out of the running to help future DC films.

Specifically, when asked about “having the DC universe taken away,” the director said, “The circumstances around it were so particular. It just kind of crawled over me. What was happening with me and my family was so intense.”

He then discussed learning about the extensive reshoots done for the movie. According to him, “It was so loud — that part was so loud — that, in retrospect, asking, ‘How’s the movie going?’ And they go, ‘Oh, it’s fine! They’re doing some reshoots.’” 

After that, Snyder stated that his wife, Deborah Snyder, went to see the movie after Whedon’s changes. The director added, “And I go, “Oh, OK. F-ck it.” So, Debbie went and watched the Joss [Whedon] version of the movie, and to have her come back to me and say, “You can never see that movie,” and to realize then that it was 60 pages of rewrites that they did for it.”

Zach Snyder Has Never Seen Josh Whedon’s ‘Justice League’

3

Snyder continued his Variety interview by saying that he wasn’t sure if there were actually 60 pages of rewrites for “Justice League.” He said, “I’ve never seen the movie, so I don’t know.”

After that, the interviewer asked him to confirm he’d never seen the movie. Snyder responded, “I’ve never seen it. There was a point when the movie was released that was a low point for me because the pile-on effect was so insane.”

He continued, “Not only did I lose my daughter, but also they’ve released this version of the movie that I had nothing to do with, and my name is on a movie that I didn’t make.”

The ‘Justice League’ Director Says A Warner Bros. Executive Told Him He Was Right

3

“Justice League” was released in November 2017 and debuted to abysmal reviews. Currently, the film holds a 39% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes. In a Variety interview, he also said he heard from a Warner Bros. executive after the movie was released who praised his vision for it.

According to him, “But there was this catharsis of, I met with this executive at Warner Bros. who’s long gone since — I won’t say who it was — and he said to me, ‘You know, Zack, I’ve got to tell you one thing: You were right about everything.’ And I was like, ‘That’s kind of you.’”

Snyder added, “And he goes, “We were fighting you, and in the end you were right.” Snyder was then asked what the studio had fought him over. He responded, “The whole vision for the DC universe and the way I made movies and everything. They did this attempt to control it — and I’m just talking about the regime that was there that’s no longer there.”

Still, he can understand Warner Bros./ DC Studios wanting to “protect” the intellectual property.

He Reflected On ‘Zach Snyder’s Justice League’ In 2021

DC Studios released “Zach Snyder’s Justice League” on HBO Max in March 2021 after massive fan outcry. While discussing the movie with Esquire, he was asked how it felt to finally have his vision for the movie see the light of day.

Snyder responded, “It’s very cathartic. It’s like this incredible relief, to be honest.” After that, he stated that the movie was dedicated to his late daughter before adding, “and the thing I was most stressed out about was, frankly, that the movie wasn’t good enough.”

He continued, “That gave me the most anxiety. But then as we finished it, I felt better about it. She was a bit of a dork, so I thought she would have really liked the movie. Regardless of whether people liked it or not, I took solace in the fact that she would have liked it. It is nice that the fans seem to really love it. That’s good news.”

Advertisement

Snyder’s New Movie Isn’t Receiving Good Reviews

Snyder’s newest film “The Last Photograph” premiered on September 13 at the Toronto International Film Festival. So far, the action thriller hasn’t had the best reception, with an 18% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

The filmmaker reacted to the poor reaction in his Variety interview, with the reporter noting that much of the hate came from the depiction of excessive violence toward women. He responded, “I mean, I don’t know. First of all, I would argue that the violence toward women and men is equal and that nobody is spared — men, women, children, everybody.”

He also blamed the reception on “preexisting opinions” about him and his movies.

From time to time, one needs the catharsis that can only come from banging your head to rock and/or roll. But time is precious, so you can’t wait for the good parts that are five minutes into “Stairway to Heaven” or “Bohemian Rhapsody.” To that end, we bring you 10 bangers that clock in at 2 minutes or under: all thrill, no fill. It’s the adrenaline shot you need when you need it.

1. “Song 2” by Blur

Released in 1997, “Song 2” is literally unlike anything else English Britpop band Blur had released to that point, and almost didn’t make the cut for their fifth album, Blur, with the band thinking it was too short. But it’s the fact that it is so short that makes it work as well as it does. It’s the second track on the album, with its two verses and two choruses clocking in at two minutes and two seconds (coincidentally reaching No. 2 on the U.K. charts), with two drum kits being played simultaneously to create a wall of high-energy sound.

The lyrics are nonsensical, the “woo-hoo” of the chorus is brilliantly simple and catchy, the guitar drives, and the length of “Song 2” doesn’t allow for any downtime whatsoever. Not bad for a track that was meant to be a parody of the grunge genre exemplified by the likes of Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

2. “All I Want” by The Offspring

The lead single off of 1997’s Ixnay on the Hombre, “All I Want” is 1:55 of skate-punk perfection, fast and aggressive from the moment it begins. It wears its anti-establishment “f**k off and leave me alone” bend right up front. It also proves that after the huge success of their third album, “Smash,” they stuck to the fast, aggressive style that got them there, despite working under a major label, Columbia, for the first time after their ugly split from indie label Epitaph.

3. “Stone Cold Crazy” by Queen

According to guitarist Bran May, “Stone Cold Crazy” was one of the first songs that Queen ever played together, a rollover from one of Freddie Mercury‘s earlier bands, Wreckage. At the time, it had an “easygoing riff that didn’t have much pace to it,” but May thought that the frenetic lyrics deserved a frenetic pace. Thus was born the 2:16 thrasher that is “Stone Cold Crazy” from their third album, Sheer Heart Attack, with May saying, “It’s nice and heavy. I still remember going in to do the definitive version of it, and it was faster than ever – we just went for it! There’s a lot of adrenaline.” In that same interview, May alleges that the song may have been “the birth of thrash metal.” A bit much? You decide: Metallica released their cover of the song in 1990, and there’s not much that separates them.

4. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” theme by Nerf Herder

An instrumental has the unenviable task of communicating without relying on words and catchy choruses to do so. An instrumental for a TV series theme has it even worse, needing to summarize the feel of the show in a minute or less. The Rembrandts‘ “I’ll Be There for You,” the theme to Friends, is one example that nails it, a light, breezy song that sums up the series’ premise about the strong bond between a group of friends.

But let’s be honest: “I’ll Be There for You” is hardly a banger. Maybe a pop-music nod here and there, but not a red-hot surge of adrenaline. No, for our purposes here we turn to Nerf Herder‘s excellent Buffy the Vampire Slayer theme. Their “geek rock” cred made perfect sense for a series with its feet in both nerd and mainstream culture, with Alyson Hannigan the one to bring the band to the attention of the creative team. The song marries modern punk with gothic horror, with an ominous undertone, cleverly set by the use of an old bell chime, behind its frantic meet-you-at-the-end surf rock energy. It is, in a word, perfect for a series that does the very same.

5. “Wart Hog” by The Ramones

You can’t have a list like this without including the Ramones, icons of the short and not-so-sweet: “Judy Is a Punk,” “Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue,” and their stunning cover of the theme to 1967’s Spider-Man cartoon just a handful of examples. Another is “Wart Hog” from 1984’s Too Tough to Die, which is one of their most aggressive and unique songs. For one, it’s bassist Dee Dee Ramone on vocals, with usual vocalist Joey Ramone taking a backseat. Inspired by Dee Dee’s time in drug rehab, the lyrics, not so much sang as they are screamed, are practically unintelligible, save for the “wart hog” chorus (but it didn’t stop Sire from leaving the lyrics off the initial album printing due to their explicit nature). The addition of drummer Richie Ramone, the “fastest and most powerful drummer” in the band’s history,” took it over the top, giving the band a harder and faster hardcore element to their classic sound.

6. “White Riot” by The Clash

Like your music with a little social commentary? Check out “White Riot” by The Clash, which comes in at 1:58. The band’s first ever single, it set the stage for their penchant for activism and railing against disenfranchisement. The song was written after Joe Strummer and Paul Simonon were witnesses to the Notting Hill riots of 1976, which saw black youths lash out at police officers after being constantly harassed. It’s a call for white, working-class youth to fight against the establishment, to challenge authority like the black youth were, instead of passively sitting back, too afraid of losing their privilege to take action.

“White Riot” is one of the few songs on the list that could have benefited from a longer run-time, with people misunderstanding the song’s intent. There are claims that the song is a call for a race war, despite the overt lyrics that suggest otherwise, so it’s possible that another minute or so might have cleared it up. Unlikely, however, given how that narrative is likely largely driven by those that don’t get The Clash.

7. “We Are Not Going to Make It” by The Presidents of the United States of America

Arguably one of the most underappreciated bands of the 1990s, The Presidents of the United States of America were seemingly everywhere for a time. “Lump” and “Peaches” were big hits, they recorded the theme for the 1997 live-action adaptation of George of the Jungle, and contributed a cover of “Cleveland Rocks” for the theme song to all nine seasons of The Drew Carey Show. Their winning combination of self-deprecating humor and lively, straightforward rock is best exemplified by “We Are Not Gonna Make It,” off their debut self-titled album. It’s an impossibly catchy earworm that starts with a botched entry before kicking it into high gear, hilariously bemoaning how they’re not good enough to make it big (“We don’t have the talent, and we don’t have the time. We don’t have the patience, and we don’t know how to rhyme”). Fast n’ funny.

8. “Chromatic Death” by Stormtroopers of Death (S.O.D.)/ Anthrax

“Chromatic Death” was originally recorded by Stormtroopers of Death, aka S.O.D., a side project of Anthrax band members Scott Ian, Charlie Benante, and Dan Lilker. It was then covered by Anthrax proper for Attack of the Killer B’s, one of two S.O.D. covers on the album (“Milk (Ode to Billy)” being the second), which also features their groundbreaking cover of Public Enemy‘s “Bring the Noise.” The primarily-instrumental song mixes thrash metal with hardcore punk, with the mischief and intensity both bands are known for.

9. “Fell in Love With a Girl” by The White Stripes

Released by brother/sister married couple The White Stripes in 2001, “Fell in Love with a Girl” is garage-rock at its best, a fast and furious dynamo that is messy and aggressive over its 1:50 run time. Jack White packs a lot of words in that time, singing about the conflict between rational and impulsive, and an earworm-inducing “aah, aah, aah, aah” chorus. It’s relentless, real, and short — like this.

10. “Eruption” by Van Halen

Off their debut album Van Halen, “Eruption” is wholly revolutionary, loudly declaring Van Halen and their lead guitarist, virtuoso Eddie Van Halen, had arrived. Eddie does magical things on the track, at an unprecedented speed, and that he filled it all in at just 1:42 is awe-inspiring. Eddie’s mastery of two-handed tapping, whammy bar effects, arpeggios and seamless lines, played out on his famed modified guitar, the “Frankenstrat,” was unlike anything before it in popular music, and a high bar to hit for anything following it.

It’s a new Big Brother live feeds update. Even though things have been relatively dead in the house, we’ll talk Melody Morris screaming at Drew Campbell in what could be their last moments together in the Big Brother 28 house. And Barrett Pfeiffer‘s in victim mode – is it justified? Plus, Angela Murray losing a culture war.

So, right now, the yard is closed and we’re on the countdown to the double eviction. The Devens-Yash virus spread to Drew who’s feeling sick. Yash Patel‘s recovering. Devens spread the funk around and we’ll see if Barrett brings it to jury on Thursday.

Big Brother: Melo-Drew Drama

If Barrett wins Blockbuster on Thursday, Melody’s likely out and the showmance ends. But let’s start with straddle-gate. After the wild west water comp, Devens and Taylor Brown were in the kitchen.

Melody came downstairs still drenched from the comp and from the stairs, she leapt onto Drew. Melody jumped and he caught her. She wrapped her legs completely around Drew’s waist and then he carried her off to the bathroom.

And Devens and Taylor were looking stunned and Devens was like, “Well all right.” And then he repeated the story to everybody in the house. Also, Drew’s sad because Taylor’s not cooking for him.

Big Brother 28: Barrett’s Family Hurt His Game?

When they got family videos, Melody and Taylor worried because they felt like their moms were withholding information. Drew’s family video was apparently very funny and Dee Valladares and Devens loved it. And now they’re back to loving Drew.

But Barrett’s video from home has the Survivors on high alert. Remember on Barrett’s HOH, he had pulled out the oven mitt when Devens spoke? It was a blatant slam at Devens, who does a little oven mitt thing often.

So, Barrett’s family wore oven mitts in the video. And one of his family members apparently did Mallory Aurichio‘s cut-throat gesture. So, Dee and Devens took this as Barrett’s family encouraging him to continue to go after the icons.

Dee and Devens want Barrett out already to punish him for nominating them anyway. So it’s not like the video shifted their perspective. It just seems to have reinforced their feelings.

And speaking of Barrett videos, this was insane. He was sitting alone in the gym and production had a live feed camera on him. And they zoomed in and then grayed him out like they do post-eviction to the evicted houseguest. Felt like foreshadowing.

Big Brother: Production Hassling Barrett?

Other odd things. Barrett still hasn’t got his clothes back from production when they did the HOH laundry service. Yet Yash’s already came back. Fans also suggested the pressure cooker wasn’t fair because they didn’t accommodate his significant height.

To be fair, they didn’t seem to accommodate the shorter people either. All of the polls and platforms seem to be equal height. But also, the rotating Have-Not bed stopped rotating for a couple weeks but restarted when Barrett’s a Have-Not.

Are they’re messing with Barrett? Also, he’s been self-isolating and crying in the Have-Not room. Devens has given him several pep talks and tried to get Barrett to come hang out with the rest of the house.

Barrett told Devens he ruined relationships last week. But he reassured Barrett, that personal relationships aren’t ruined. Devens said after the game, it’ll be fine. He’s being nice to Barrett and also working that jury vote.

Survivor Talk on BB28

Dee and Devens answered houseguest questions about Survivor. They asked him and Dee if they forage food like leaves. And Devens said that they don’t tell you what you can eat but they do give you a chart saying what you can’t eat because it’s toxic.

Dee and Devens both talked about them both saying they’d never play Big Brother. And Devens mentioned an interview he did saying the fandom for Big Brother is toxic. Devens said, “Now I love the fans.” Dee said that clip’s been reposted by now.

Dee agreed they’re a little crazy. Devens then talked about them tearing apart people in Big Brother. Devens said by the end of the season, the fandom hates everybody. Dee and Devens agreed they are both probably getting torn up right now on X.

Big Brother: Drew and Yash Scatter Lies

By the way, Dee’s fooled. The other houseguests couldn’t hear Drew and Yash’s deal making at the end of the POV comp. The guys told Dee they were arguing and are happy they fooled her. Drew and Yash seem to have made a 2-person ceasefire deal.

Let’s talk about the Culture alliance of Yash, Devens, Taylor, and Dee. And Yash said there’s never been an alliance like that that included an Indian and a Hispanic, a Black person and a white person.

BB28 Block Pouty (not Party)

Dee and Drew were goofing off in the bathroom and Melody shrieked at Drew twice to shut up. Barrett also got irritated and was pouting around. Drew’s fine because he won veto and got himself off the block. Taylor knows she’s safe.

Barrett and Melody know they’re the ones at risk and are losing it. Speaking of the way Melody treats Drew, his dad Buzz commented on that topic. He said people ask if I’d like Melody for my son Drew outside the Big Brother house.

Buzz said, “I would support whatever Drew chooses on one condition. Watch the entire season first.” Also Dee and Devens are really working on their jury vote with Taylor because they are helping clean the kitchen.

Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial in the deaths of her three young children ended without a verdict on September 4, 2026, after a Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial amid a deadlocked jury — leaving prosecutors, the defense and the public wondering what comes next in one of the most closely watched criminal cases in the country.

Clancy had been on trial for nearly seven weeks, accused of strangling her daughter and two sons — Cora, 5, Dawson, 3, and 8-month-old Callan — inside her home in January 2023 before jumping from a second-story window in an apparent suicide attempt that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Her defense team argued she was suffering from severe postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder and should not be held criminally responsible. Prosecutors disputed that claim and claimed she knew exactly what she was doing.

After testimony from psychologists and more than 30 hours of deliberation across six and a half days, the jury remained split 11-1. Judge William Sullivan declared a mistrial, and the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court denied the defense’s emergency appeal to stop it.

Here’s what a mistrial means, what the key players are saying and where the case goes from here.

Related: Can Lindsay Clancy’s Defense Team Claim Double Jeopardy After Mistrial?

The judge in Lindsay Clancy’s controversial triple murder trial shocked court observers by officially declaring a mistrial after more than five days and 30 hours of jury deliberations. Judge William Sullivan was informed by a 12-person jury that it was deadlocked on Friday, September 4, after one lone juror remained in disagreement with the remaining […]

What Is a Mistrial and Why Was One Declared in Lindsay Clancy’s Case?

A mistrial is what happens when a trial cannot reach a valid conclusion — most often, as in Clancy’s case, because jurors cannot agree unanimously on a verdict. When a jury is “hung,” or deadlocked, the judge has the authority to end the proceeding without a decision. The defendant is not acquitted, and prosecutors can choose whether to retry the case.

Judge Sullivan gave Clancy’s attorney Kevin Reddington one hour to seek an emergency stay from the state’s highest court before formally declaring the mistrial. That appeal was denied.

“Intervention is necessary in this case to avoid an avoidable mistrial of a case that is so time and labor intensive and that has captured so much public attention,” the defense argued in the emergency request, per NBC Boston. “It is also necessary to preserve the Defendant’s right to a fair trial by unbiased jurors applying the law and to avoid violating the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth amendments and Article 114, which makes mental illness a protected category.”

Before dismissing the jury, Sullivan invoked Winston Churchill. “I always like that phrase, and I thought of that phrase when all of you were agreeing to be on this jury. You agreed to brace for that duty and each one of you knew how long the case was going to go, you knew how difficult the case was going to be to listen to, facts-wise. But still, you braced for that duty,” the judge said. He thanked jurors for their work, telling them, “You should be proud of what you did.”

Prosecutor Timothy J. Cruz Says ‘Children Were Murdered’

Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz addressed reporters immediately after the mistrial, saying no decision had yet been made on whether to retry the case.

“I appreciate the hard work of the jury in this case,” Cruz said. “The jury obviously worked incredibly hard, stayed with that case for six and a half days.”

He kept the focus on the children. “In the end, I bring it all back to the child victims in this case, Cora, Dawson, and Callan. This was, and it has always been, about getting justice for those three little babies. We’re here at this courthouse today because those children are not.”

“Children were murdered and it’s our job to seek justice,” Cruz added. “I appreciate there are strong feelings and opinions tied to this case however our job is to set aside our opinions and focus on the facts. and the facts are that Lindsay Clancy killed her children.”

Cruz also pushed back on any broader framing of the trial. “This case is not about the health care system or how women are treated in it … those are all important issues, they stir up emotion and sometimes they stir up anger. This case, however, was about Lindsay Clancy and what she did January 24, 2023, and the cruel and calculated killing of three innocents.”

Related: Lindsay Clancy’s Attorney Asks President Trump for Pardon After Mistrial

Lindsay Clancy’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, asked President Donald Trump to pardon the defendant after her murder case ended in a mistrial. “Mr. President, I would hope that you would consider this young lady and the person she is, what she’s been through, and consider a pardon,” Reddington said while appearing on the Tuesday, September 8, […]

Kevin Reddington Blames a ‘Lone Juror’ for Deadlock

Reddington gave an emotional statement outside court, blasting Cruz and singling out the one juror who did not join the other 11 in a not guilty by reason of insanity verdict.

“Well, obviously this is not a time for gloating or bragging, expressing victory. It’s a very sad case,” Reddington said. “[Plymouth County District Attorney] Cruz knows that he was crushed, that he doesn’t have a case, he doesn’t have to stand here and say that he’s advocating on behalf of the victims and then look down to see what their names are.”

He described his client as “a fantastic, wonderful individual” who “stood tall — no pun intended, the poor thing is in a wheelchair as we all know for the rest of her life — sat there through seven weeks of a trial where nobody had anything bad to say about her except for the two prosecutors and apparently Tim Cruz.”

Reddington reserved his sharpest words for the holdout juror. “They know that they were robbed … he stole seven weeks of the life of these other jurors who were so attentive … so wonderful … you could see how defeated they were sitting there. I have a funny feeling they would have gone on for another week. So I hope that guy can sleep at night.”

He said Clancy was “not good” after the mistrial, but praised her strength. “Lindsay is very very very strong, she is a very very intelligent young woman, very emotionally invested and just a classic example of a tragic … her life is a tragedy.”

Related: Inside Lindsay Clancy’s Defense Team’s Failed Emergency Appeal Before Mistrial

Shortly before a Massachusetts judge declared a mistrial in the Lindsay Clancy case, her defense team filed an emergency appeal asking for the removal or further questioning of an allegedly biased juror. “Petitioner asks this court to order the Plymouth County Superior Court, in Commonwealth v. Lindsay Clancy … to inquire into the ability of […]

Donald Trump Responds to Reddington’s Pardon Request

Days after the mistrial, Reddington took to the September 8, 2026, episode of Good Morning America to publicly ask President Donald Trump for a pardon. “Mr. President, I would hope that you would consider this young lady the type of person she is, what she’s been through and consider a pardon,” he said.

Trump responded on September 13, 2026, while in Ireland, telling reporters, “It’s a very sad situation. I, I certainly heard that. But, look — it’s a very sad, there is no winner there. There’s no, there’s no win, no matter what you do. It’s — three children are dead, so I don’t know.”

The president noted he could not pardon Clancy because it is “actually a state situation” and “not a federal” case. Asked whether he might contact Cruz, Trump said he had “heard from other people” that Reddington is “a very good attorney” but stopped short of committing. “I hope they can work it out. That’s something they have to work out. It’s a very sad — there is no win there.”

Related: 3 Lindsay Clancy Jurors Speak Out in 1st Interview Since Mistrial

Advertisement

Three people who served on the jury for Lindsay Clancy’s high-profile triple-murder case are speaking out after their 11-1 deadlock resulted in a mistrial. “He admitted he had reasonable doubt and I started filling out the forms, I was so excited,” one woman, who served as the foreperson on the jury, recalled of the sole […]

What Happens Next in Lindsay Clancy’s Case?

Clancy has now returned to Tewksbury Hospital, where she has been held since 2023. Another hearing has been scheduled for September 29, 2026, and Cruz has not yet said whether his office will pursue a retrial.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

If a second jury were to convict Clancy, she would face life in prison without the possibility of parole. If a jury were to find her not criminally responsible by reason of insanity, she would be committed to a secure state mental health facility, likely for life.

If you or someone you know is pregnant or just had a baby and is in crisis, help is available. Call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline for free, confidential support 24/7 in English and Spanish at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).

This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.

The Emmys may be television’s biggest night, but not every star delivered an award-winning performance on the red carpet.

Fashion Police alum Melissa Rivers opened up to Us about her worst dressed celebrities of the evening, detailing what she really thought of Shailene Woodley and Rachel Sennott’s respective looks at the Monday, September 14, event.

“They were both in Balenciaga, and someone over there clearly does not like them,” Rivers quipped to Us. “Because, by the way, Sarah Snook was also in Balenciaga and looked perfect.” (Snook, 38, wore an off-the-shoulder white dress with a column skirt.)

The host of “Melissa Rivers’ Group Text Podcast” explained that just because an outfit works on the runway, doesn’t mean it translates “in real life.”

“I see Shailene’s look walking down the runway,” Rivers exclusively told Us of her ensemble, which featured a blue top complete with a plunging neckline, gold beaded wide-leg pants and burgundy cloves. Woodley, 34, accessorized with a rainbow stone necklace and wore her brunette hair in a slicked-back ponytail. “It’s not for civilians,” Rivers added.

“And I think this is very often what becomes a problem,” Rivers, who recently launched her YouTube channel, The Joan Rivers Show, told Us. “By the way, Shailene looked great at the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, where she won. I think what happens is people are like, ‘Oh my God, it’s from the runway, it’s a massive designer,’ and get so excited to be able to wear that, that they don’t take into account how it actually looks on them in person.”

Another bunch who didn’t make Rivers’ worst dressed list, but didn’t wow her either was the Baywatch cast, including Brooks Nader, Jessica Belkin and Hassie Harrison, who all coordinated in cherry red gowns, a nod to their iconic swimsuits.

“I could see everyone sitting around going, ‘That’s a really clever nod to the show,’ but I felt like when they were all standing together … It just didn’t look good,” Rivers said. “It felt costumey rather than [like a] pretty gown.”

Rivers described how sweltering it was on the red carpet during the Los Angeles heat wave, adding, “The sweaty men was the trend nobody wanted.”

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

Related: Melissa Rivers Breaks Down 2025 Emmys Best Dressed and Style Faux Pas

Like mother, like daughter! As stars arrived at the 2025 Emmy Awards, Melissa Rivers had her fashion radar fully activated. A red carpet expert in her own right — and daughter of the late Joan Rivers — brought a blend of high-style appreciation and cheeky critique while breaking down celebrity outfits at the star-studded affair […]

Advertisement

She also noticed that multiple stars at the event had beards that didn’t match their hair.

“All these men with dark hair and super gray beard. I asked my husband, I’m like, ‘Is it like their beards come in gray first and then their hair? Or is it just like everyone dyed their hair and they’re just like, f*** it, let the beard be?’”

In addition to her podcast, fans can enjoy a blast from the past on Melissa’s newly launched YouTube channel, The Joan Rivers Show, which features classic and iconic interviews from the late comedian’s daytime talk show.

Believe it or not, kids, but reading can be fun. In fact, it was considered the most fun form of entertainment…before TV came around to rot our brains. Nevertheless, when certain novels are adapted into films, the ensuing result can be magical, to say the least. All the images, characters, and locations conjured up in one’s mind suddenly become 3-dimensional, and for the truly fun films out there, these visual and auditory delights become seared into the viewer’s mind, sometimes for life.

Here are the most fun movies that were created from literary source material. Some of these films stay very close to the plot of the novel they were born from, while others take a more liberal path in telling the same basic story. Either way, all the page-turners turned into moving pictures listed here are engaging, riveting, and most importantly, as fun as a barrel of literate (flying) monkeys.

8

‘Hidden Figures’ (2016)

Image via 20th Century Studios

While the novel and film both deal with some truly heavy themes of racial and gender inequity, the indomitable spirit of both of these works of art is so inspiring that the film version is a pure joy to watch. The novel by Margot Lee Shetterly, Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race, details the true account of how a group of female African American mathematicians were the driving force behind NASA’s space program (from the times of World War II to the Space Race era).

Director Theodore Melfi obviously took quite a few liberties with the literary material in turning this into an incredibly vibrant, poignant, and thoroughly uplifting film. The perfectly cast trio, Taraji P. Henson (as Katherine G. Johnson), Octavia Spencer (as Dorothy Vaughan), and Janelle Monáe (as Mary Jackson), all delivered rousing performances. Hidden Figures was nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 2016, and it’s no secret why; the story is moving, the true-life topic is amazing, the soundtrack features fun tracks produced by Pharrell Williams, and the actors give it their heartfelt all.

7

‘Matilda’ (1996)

image via Sony Pictures Classics

Turning a kid’s book into a film can be challenging. How does one capture the whimsy and innocent charm of a children’s tale and bring it to life on the big screen (without, y’know, being cloying/annoying)? Director (and comedy legend) Danny DeVito certainly found the right formula with his depiction of the 1988 children’s novel Matilda, written by Roald Dahl.

The story is a fun one from the onset. Matilda is a precocious little girl blessed with the powers of telekinesis. Unfortunately, she’s cursed with a dreadful family and forced to interact with a litany of irksome grown-ups (DeVito also stars, alongside his real-life wife Rhea Perlman). Fortunately, for audiences, Matilda uses her crafty powers with ingenuity, as she exacts fitting revenge on all the adults who have wronged her. It’s a mischievously fun concept, and the titular character, played by Mara Wilson, is a delight to watch — for kids and adults alike.

6

‘The Devil Wears Prada’ (2003)

Image via 20th Century Studios

The source material for this film is really what makes the final cinematic product so satisfyingly fun. The author of the novel (of the same name, The Devil Wears Prada), Lauren Weisberger, penned a fictional story…that was largely based on her own harrowing experiences in the fashion world; working at Vogue magazine. Here she received tutelage and terrors from the famed “dragon lady” herself, Anna Wintour. The book is a great beach read, filled with caustic, wry commentary on the cut-throat fashion business. Director David Frankel’s film captures as much of that milieu as possible, and is bolstered by some truly dynamic performances.

Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) is a fresh-faced college grad, ready to make her mark on the world of journalism. She gets a gig as an assistant to Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep, with one of her most striking, bedeviled performances), the editor of one of the most influential fashion mags of all time. Andy endures countless personal attacks and HR-nightmare jabs as she struggles to keep her head above water. A great supporting cast rounds this film out too, with Stanley Tucci (as Nigel) and Emily Blunt (in the part of Emily) delivering the goods (and even Gisele Bündchen was enjoyable in this, as Gisele, er, “Serena”). All in all, a devilishly good time (with a wickedly received sequel).

5

‘The Da Vinci Code’ (2003)

Image Via Sony Pictures Releasing

Naysayers can critique this movie all they want, but the simple truth is that Dan Brown scribed a highly digestible, perfectly-paced page-turner of a mystery, and Ron Howard turned it into an exhilaratingly fun film. While the Catholic Church may not have found the film to be all that “fun,” viewers the world over consumed it with guilty-pleasure glee.

The plot of the film stays pretty true to the one in the book. The curator of the Louvre is shot within the famed Parisian museum, but before he dies he’s able to configure his body in the shape of Leonardo Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man, and leave behind some invisible ink clues. Harvard professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks, having an absolute blast with this role, with some wacky long hair, to boot) is called in to help unravel the mystery, along with a forensic cryptologist, Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou, captivating for all the right reasons). Just like in the book, the audience is invigoratingly invited along to help solve the arty-religious case, and it’s a wild roller-coaster thrill ride the entire run-time.

4

‘The Wizard of Oz’ (1939)

Image via Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Advertisement

One of the most iconic films in the fantasy realm has certainly stood the test of time (aided in small part by the use of “technicolor,” as it was the first big movie to utilize this brand of cutting-edge, colorful tech). The novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, was written in 1900 by L. Frank Baum, and was already a classic “children’s” story (even with its decidedly adult and frightening themes…and witches). When the director trio of Victor Fleming, George Cukor, and Norman Taurog released the film version, The Wizard of Oz, in 1939, audiences were wowed and floored by how downright entertaining the tale was displayed on the silver screen.

The plot is a wild one, full of archetypical characters and thrillingly unique motifs. Dorothy (the songbird Judy Garland, in her career-defining role — that would inspire one billion Halloween costumes), is a simple girl living in Kansas. When a tornado whips her into another dimension, the infamous Land of Oz, she meets a host of kooky characters, and forms an alliance with a cadre of curious creatures all seeking something specific (if only some people could be as self-aware as the Scarecrow (Ray Bolger)…as he knew he was brainless). The original novel spawned countless sequels and reimaginings, like the 70s version The Wiz, and the current Wicked franchise. Simply put, is there anything more fun than flying monkeys?

3

‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ (1961)

Image via Paramount Pictures

Advertisement

Truman Capote is one of the most famed authors in American literary history, with his expansive novels spanning a range of topics (he wrote the first true crime novel with In Cold Blood). While his 1958 novella Breakfast at Tiffany’s was obviously much lighter in tone, it still covered some cerebrally dark territory. The brilliance of the film adaptation, directed by Blake Edwards, was that it eschewed the sometimes melancholic timbre of the book and elevated the tale by focusing on the light-hearted romantic comedy elements that have since become some of cinema’s most amusing.

The story is about a zesty Manhattan socialite, effervescently named Holly Golightly (portrayed by Audrey Hepburn, in arguably her most notable, remarkable role — and definitely her most fashionable one). Holly meets a struggling writer, Paul Varjak (George Peppard), and the two strike up an unlikely “friendship.” The foibles they encounter within each other, all while trying to navigate “high society,” lend to an incredibly charming (and style-defining) flick all around. In the book, Holly and Paul don’t end up together, but, naturally, in the film they find quirky love.

2

‘The Princess Bride’ (1987)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Advertisement

The 80s were loaded with rom-coms that made an indelible mark on the history of cinema (When Harry Met Sally, Say Anything, Moonstruck), but none may have been as simultaneously heartwarming, humorous, and inventive as director Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride. Based on the 1973 novel, wait for it, The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern’s Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure, The “Good Parts” Version, by William Goldman, this classic story is so packed with endearing (and insanely quotable) elements it’s impossible to properly highlight them all.

The whimsical, somewhat mythical tale follows Westley (the dashing Cary Elwes), a farmhand, on his epic quest to find his one true love, Princess Buttercup (the dewy yet fiery Robin Wright). Basically, everyone he meets on his journey is equal parts hilarious and enchanting, with their own idiosyncratic characteristics that help to make this movie truly unforgettable. Cameos by Billy Crystal and Carol Kane are hysterical, and even Andre the Giant is lovable and poignant in his delivery. In an adorable nod to the book, the film is framed by a grandpa (Peter Falk, at his avuncular best) reading the “story” to his grandkid (Fred Savage, never cuter). From the enduring speech by Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) to the Rodents of Unusual Size, this movie is fun on all fantastical fronts.

1

‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)

Image via Universal Pictures

Advertisement

In contention for one of the most fun movies ever, Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park takes everything in the Michael Crichton sci-fi novel of the same name and brings it to vital, T. Rex-chomping life. While Crichton is known for his thought-provoking, and sometimes intensely dark, science-based books (several of which have been made into films), Jurassic Park is pure fun from frame one.

The immediately engaging story is about a small team of scientists who are brought to a theme park island to do some “quality control.” The scientists in question are paleontologists (and one chaos theory-specializing mathematician), as the prime exhibits on this island feature real-live dinosaurs. Just this premise alone is fun for literally all ages. With Sam Neill (as Grant), Laura Dern (as Ellie) and Jeff Goldblum (Malcolm) all delivering stellar lead performances, and Wayne Knight (in the role of Nedry) and Samuel L. Jackson (as Arnold) providing comedic relief, and the collection of dinos (as themselves) all giving the best animatronic performances ever, this is surely the most, hands-(and tails)-down, fun adaptation of any literary work, ever.

Advertisement

Jurassic Park

Advertisement

Release Date

June 11, 1993

Runtime

Advertisement

127 minutes

Writers

Michael Crichton, David Koepp

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Advertisement

Boosie‘s fiancée, Rajel Nelson, has shared a few posts amid Boosie’s apparent encounter with a woman in Kansas, now known as Icelyn.

RELATED: Whew, Chile! Mystery Woman Spotted With Boosie Speaks Out As Fans Flood His Fiancée Rajel Nelson’s Comments (VIDEO + PHOTOS)

Rajel Nelson Shares A Few Posts Amid Boosie’s Apparent Encounter With Woman In Kansas

On Tuesday, September 15, Nelson returned to Instagram and initially took to her feed to share a carousel post with her more than 680,000 followers. The carousel featured photos of her alongside her and Boosie’s daughter, Seven, as well as her sister, Arrie. Furthermore, they appeared to be taken during her and Boosie’s outing at the LSU Tigers’ recent championship game.

Subsequently, on her Instagram Story, Nelson reposted another clip featuring audio and lyrics from Jhené Aiko’s single, ‘Nothing Nice to Say.’

See the post below.

Social Media Reacts To Rajel Nelson, Boosie’s Fiancée’s, New Post

In the comment section of Rajel Nelson’s carousel post, internet users reacted.

More On Boosie’s Apparent Encounter With Woman In Kansas

As The Shade Room previously reported, over the weekend, footage surfaced of Boosie hopping out of a black truck with a mystery woman. A fan reportedly recorded the pair, and they both seemed surprised when she made herself known. Subsequently, Boosie posted a photo of himself and Rajel Nelson at the LSU event, and, apparently trying to get ahead of fan speculation, he alleged that he never “touched” the woman.

Subsequently, the mystery woman identified herself and alleged that Boosie had been texting her, begging her to set the record straight about the clip, per The Shade Room. She explained that they seemed surprised because the fan’s voice “came out of nowhere.” However, she alleged that Boosie didn’t touch her because he “couldn’t.”

From there, Boosie spoke out and appeared to confirm his encounter with Icelyn. Specifically, he alleged that she tried to “sell herself” to him. But he wasn’t down with paying, per The Shade Room.

RELATED: Social Media Weighs In As Boosie Speaks Out Following Message From Mystery Woman: “They Both Just Making It Worse” (WATCH)

More recently, Icelyn shared more details about her alleged encounter with Boosie, claiming that he exposed her chest during their meetup as the internet continued to weigh in.

RELATED: Woman Spotted With Boosie Shares More About Their Alleged Encounter As Internet Users Continue To React (VIDEOS)

Chris Brown is sharing his gratitude for a milestone moment in his career! Not even a week ago, he and Usher received congressional recognition from U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett and Texas State Rep. Venton Jones. Brown thanked Crockett, whom the internet ruthlessly dragged, and Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson on Tuesday (Sept. 15). Also, he thanked Hollywood Unlocked founder Jason Lee for showing him support amid heated reactions to his recognition.

RELATED: Social Media Pops OFF After Jasmine Crockett & Texas Rep. Venton Jones Honor Chris Brown With Congressional Recognition

Jasmine Crockett & Venton Jones Honor Breezy & Usher

As said, Crockett and Jones recognized Usher and Chris Brown during their show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The U.S. Rep and Texas State Rep honored them for their contributions to music and culture. Crockett enthusiastically presented the plaques on stage in her shimmery and black concert fit. Venton Jones, who wore a suit, walked out with Crockett for the presentation, too. She called the moment that highest form of Black joy. At the end of the presentation, Crockett hugged Breezy.

Chris Brown Shares Message & Photo Of Congressional Record Recognition 

This is the first time we’re seeing Chris Brown speak online about the congressional honor. He shared a photo of the framed declaration, signed by Texas State Rep. Venton Jones. Brown kicked off his caption with his thank you to Jasmine Crockett and also the Dallas mayor. He did not address any of the backlash directly. Instead, he went on to thank Texas fans for showing out on his and Usher’s ‘R&B Tour.’

“🙏🏽 wanna send a very special thank you @jasmineforus and @ventonjonestx for this honor! @roccstarmusic love you my brother. This means so much to me❤️. Thank you, Texas, for showing me and @usher so much love 💕 ❤️,” Breezy wrote on IG.

Usher, meanwhile, has not addressed the congressional recognition or the backlash directed at Chris and Jasmine.

Why Did Breezy Thank Jason Lee? 

Chris Brown closed his caption about the recognition by giving Jason Lee his flowers for the conversation with Don Lemon about him. “Thank you … thank you for your support when speaking,” the superstar wrote. Following the recognition, Jason Lee had a conversation with Don Lemon about the backlash over it. Despite his close relationship with Brown’s 2009 assault victim, Rihanna, Lee defended the congressional recognition. He said Rihanna forgave him a long time ago and that their conversations are never about her ex-boyfriend of so many years ago.

“What we’re dealing with is a country, and a world that doesn’t believe a Black man is worthy of redemption. The same redemption they gave the president who is a criminal in charge everyday. And the same redeption that we’re denied every chance that people get. People have moved on, at least in the inter-circles of the Chris Brown, Rihanna saga, but the world seems to be stuck in a place it can’t get out of.”

Some people simply can’t get past Brown’s history, particularly his 2009 assault of #Rihanna. Jason Lee, however, set the record straight, pointing out that Rihanna has moved on and forgiven Chris. She has her own life, a man and children, and isn’t thinking about #ChrisBrown. pic.twitter.com/4YxHbrJanU

— Katrina October (@ikatrinaoctober) September 15, 2026

RELATED: Unexpected Link-Up? Chris Brown & Jada Wallace Spark Reactions After Popping Out With Amber Rose (VIDEO)

Zack Snyder has revealed that a former Warner Bros. executive eventually admitted the studio had been wrong to fight the filmmaker over his vision for the DC Universe.

Speaking in a new interview with Variety, Snyder reflected on the turbulent end of his time overseeing Warner Bros.’ interconnected DC films and the extensive changes made to Justice League after his departure.

According to Snyder, he later had a conversation with an unnamed former Warner Bros. executive who offered a surprising admission.

“I met with this executive at Warner Bros. who’s long gone since — I won’t say who it was — and he said to me, ‘You know, Zack, I’ve got to tell you one thing: You were right about everything.’”

Snyder said the executive went even further.

“We were fighting you, and in the end you were right.”

When asked what Warner Bros. had been fighting him over, Snyder said it extended far beyond a single movie.

“The whole vision for the DC universe and the way I made movies and everything.”

Wayne T. Carr, as Green Lantern [Zack Snyder]

Advertisement

Snyder acknowledged that the studio was attempting to protect an enormously valuable collection of characters and franchises, but said the Warner Bros. leadership at the time repeatedly attempted to control the direction of his DC universe.

The conflict eventually became most visible with Justice League.

Snyder stepped away from the movie during post-production in 2017 following the death of his daughter Autumn. Joss Whedon subsequently oversaw extensive rewrites and reshoots before the theatrical version of Justice League was released.

Snyder says he still has never watched that version of the film. His wife and producing partner Deborah Snyder saw it and advised him not to watch it.

Years later, the massive #ReleaseTheSnyderCut fan campaign ultimately resulted in Warner Bros. allowing Snyder to complete his original version of the movie. Zack Snyder’s Justice League was released in 2021, restoring numerous characters, storylines and sequences that had been removed or significantly altered for the theatrical cut.

Zack Snyders Justice League [Warner Bros.]

Snyder described finally completing his version of the film as “catharsis.”

The filmmaker’s larger DC plans, however, were never completed. His intended storyline would have continued beyond Justice League through additional films, while Warner Bros. ultimately moved away from the interconnected universe Snyder had begun with Man of Steel.

DC has since entered an entirely new era under DC Studios co-heads James Gunn and Peter Safran.

Despite the history surrounding his departure, Snyder said he likes Gunn and appreciates his vision for DC. He also revealed that he has not yet watched the new Superman or Supergirl, explaining that his relationship with the characters remains “a little bit too personal.”

For fans who have spent years debating what might have happened had Snyder been allowed to complete his original DC plans, however, the filmmaker’s account of the former Warner Bros. executive’s admission adds a remarkable new chapter to the SnyderVerse story.

The brother of the now-notorious holdout juror in Lindsay Clancy’s murder mistrial is speaking out, revealing why he believes his sibling voted the mom criminally responsible for killing her three children.

“I don’t think religion had anything to do with it,” the anonymous juror’s brother told the New York Post on Tuesday, September 15, disputing online claims that Catholicism impacted the holdout juror’s decision. (The holdout male juror has decided to withhold his identity from the public following the high-profile case’s controversial mistrial ruling.)

“[He] looked at the case, and he made the call,” the brother continued. “For me, that’s how I would do it. I would just listen to the case with all the evidence, and go from there.”

The sibling then acknowledged that the holdout juror’s decision was met with mixed public responses.

Related: Lindsay Clancy’s Defense Team Breaks Silence After Judge Declares Mistrial

Lindsay Clancy’s defense team is addressing the state of the mom’s high-profile murder case after a judge declared a mistrial. “Well, obviously this is not a time for gloating or bragging, expressing victory. It’s a very sad case,” Clancy’s lawyer Kevin Reddington told reporters on Friday, September 4, after the judge declared a mistrial amid […]

“His choice was good for some people, but not good for other people,” he said, adding that both his sibling as well as the rest of his family have been scrutinized in the wake of the trial. On September 4, Judge William Sullivan ruled a mistrial in the case after jurors were deadlocked 11-1, failing to find Clancy guilty or not guilty by reason of insanity for killing her kids Cora,5, Dawson, 3, and Callan, 8 months, in January 2023.

“My family cannot leave the house,” the brother claimed, adding that their critics “are leaving notes at my mother’s house.”

“They won’t leave us alone and we don’t know anything,” he continued. “People have been calling me, like, crazy.”

Throughout the course of the seven-week trial, the defense argued that Clancy should not be held criminally responsible for the killings — which she admitted to — due to her documented mental health struggles, including postpartum depression, postpartum psychosis and bipolar disorder.

The prosecution argued that she should be found guilty regardless of her documented mental health issues, claiming she was capable of differentiating right from wrong at the time and engaged in the premeditated murder of her children.

The prosecution has not publicly announced if it will retry the case at the time of publication.

While the trial made national headlines, the brother revealed he did not know his sibling was on the jury until the case ended in a mistrial.

“We didn’t know. That’s why I was shocked,” he said. “He didn’t tell us anything.”

Advertisement

Related: Lindsay Clancy Asks Judge to Declare Her Not Guilty After Mistrial

Lindsay Clancy’s attorney has asked the judge presiding over her case to declare her not guilty after her murder trial ended in a mistrial. Defense attorney Kevin Reddington asked Judge William Sullivan to find Clancy, 36, not guilty by reason of lack of criminal responsibility, according to court documents obtained by TMZ. Reddington argued that […]

While the holdout juror has not come forward following the trial, his past has come under scrutiny. It was revealed that the man, who comes from a Haitian immigrant family, was arrested in 2021 after he allegedly attacked his then-wife over the couple’s crying infant. The charges were later dropped.

Four years later in 2025, he was accused of beating the teenage nephew who called police on him during the alleged domestic violence attack, according to court records viewed by the outlet.

The juror was issued a restraining order against the nephew at the time he was picked to serve on Clancy’s jury. The order expired during the trial.

Several of the other jurors have since come forward to reveal they are not sure why the holdout juror refused to find Clancy not guilty by reason of insanity, particularly after he allegedly admitted to having reasonable doubt.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

Advertisement

“There were several times I would ask him to show us, like, evidence or, you know, describe a witness testimony that helped to prove what he was saying, and he couldn’t,” juror Nick Dargie told ABC News on September 9. “There wasn’t a single piece of evidence or witness testimony that he used to prove why he was thinking the way he was, which is why we ultimately sent in that note.”

He added, “Otherwise, there’s nothing wrong with somebody having a completely opposite opinion. That would be a hung jury. That is our justice system.”

If you or someone you know is pregnant or just had a baby and is in crisis, help is available. Call or text the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline for free, confidential support 24/7 in English and Spanish at 1-833-TLC-MAMA (1-833-852-6262).