Entertainment
Mumbi Maina Talks ‘The Matrix,’ African Accents In Hollywood
Mumbi Maina knows just how far a dream can take you.
The actress reached an international audience through the Netflix series “Sense8,” before later reuniting with the Wachowskis’ creative world for “The Matrix Resurrections.”
In this exclusive interview with The Blast, Mumbi speaks about how those experiences changed both her life and her understanding of what was possible as an artist. She also gets candid about Hollywood’s portrayal of Africa, recalling one bizarre encounter involving a supposedly “Kenyan” accent.
Mumbi Maina credits her international work on “Sense8” and “The Matrix Resurrections” with transforming both her career and her understanding of what was possible as an artist. In our conversation, she said the projects had “shifted the trajectory” of her life “in the most wonderful and fulfilling ways.”
Mumbi broke into the global spotlight with the Netflix show in 2017, before later joining “The Matrix Resurrections,” reuniting her with filmmakers and cast members from the sci-fi series.
In a 2023 interview with TRACE, Mumbi recalled receiving an email about a mysterious project called “Ice Cream” during the COVID-19 lockdown. With several “Sense8” cast members involved, she initially thought it was a documentary series being made while production on “The Matrix” remained paused.
Then came another email making the connection clear. “I was done, finished,” Mumbi recalled, describing tears, prayers and jumping around the house. She kept the news largely secret for months, telling only her lawyer-manager while waiting for her German visa.
Mumbi Would Be ‘Ecstatic’ To Return To ‘The Matrix’
Stepping into productions of that caliber expanded Mumbi’s creative outlook and exposed her to a level in the industry she had long dreamed of experiencing firsthand. “I could never have properly understood how eye-opening and inspiring being in those environments would be,” she told us.
Just as important was the way she was treated once she got there. The actor recalled being met with “grace, kindness and professionalism,” adding that she felt valued for her work and presence. The experience also reinforced her belief in the wider impact art can have and showed her the value of working alongside people deeply invested in their craft.
That influence has stayed with her. We asked Mumbi whether she saw potential for more stories in the world of “The Matrix” beyond “Resurrections,” and whether she would return to the universe if offered the chance.
“Yes,” she replied. “That’s the thing about art. Just like the human experience, there’s always room to evolve. If [‘The Matrix’] did continue, I’d be ecstatic to return to that world!”
The Actress Weighs In On Questions Around African Storytelling In Hollywood
Mumbi’s experience navigating both African and Hollywood productions also gave us an opening to ask how she feels African stories and characters are being represented on the global stage.
The conversation about Hollywood’s handling of African stories has found new life with “Children of Blood and Bone,” particularly in its use of accents. The upcoming film, based on Tomi Adeyemi’s eponymous debut novel, has faced criticism well before its release.
To start, the casting of Amandla Stenberg and Thuso Mbedu drew complaints of colorism, and Adeyemi later said she had distanced herself from the film.
Reaction to the trailer has also been mixed. Reddit users criticized everything from the performances and costumes to the production, with several saying it felt disconnected from its Nigerian inspiration.
Mumbi Maina Recalls Producers Searching For A ‘Kenyan’ Accent
For Mumbi, it brings back memories of one particularly puzzling experience of her own. A few years ago, producers approached her about a voice-acting role after seeing her work on “Sense8.” She was cast, recorded the part, and thought everything had gone smoothly.
Then, through a friend who had no idea she had already landed the role, Mumbi discovered the production was looking for someone with a “Kenyan” accent. “We genuinely all scratched our heads at that because… what is a Kenyan accent?” Mumbi tells The Blast.
The actress was born and raised in Kenya and has lived there all her life. Even so, she says fellow Kenyans have occasionally told her that she has an accent. “I just talk how I talk,” Mumbi says. “And that raises a bigger question for me: who is the authority on what an African should sound like?”
Mumbi Maina Wants African Film To Follow The Afrobeats Blueprint
What made the experience even stranger was that the producers already knew exactly what she sounded like before casting her. Mumbi suspects they may have been searching for the generic “African” accent Hollywood audiences have heard for decades.
“I think that’s where the conversation becomes disheartening,” she says. “The narratives that are pushed about Africa aren’t always true to home.”
That doesn’t necessarily mean only Africans can tell African stories, in Mumbi’s view. For her, the bigger issue is how those stories are handled.
“I don’t know if it matters so much who is telling the story as much as how the story is being told, who is included in the process, and whether there is a genuine understanding of the people and culture it comes from,” she explains.
Mumbi ultimately wants African film to follow a path similar to Afrobeats, reaching audiences worldwide without losing the identity that made it resonate in the first place.
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Joseline Hernandez has sparked reactions after opening up to her 9-year-old daughter, Bonnie Bella, about her past as a stripper.
RELATED: Social Media Is Sharing Mixed Opinions After Eva Showed Off The Dress Mimi Faust Made Her Wear To Her 8th-Grade Dance
Joseline Hernandez Opens Up To 9-Year-Old Daughter Bonnie Bella About Past As A Stripper
On Tuesday, August 25, The Shade Room reposted a clip from Joseline Hernandez’s family reality show, ‘The Grandma Is The Baby.’ In the clip, the pair appeared to be sitting down at Hernandez’s maternity shoot — as she’s expecting her second child with her husband, Balistic Beats — and their conversation became very candid.
Hernandez told her daughter that she “started stripping at a very young age.” Then, she asked her if she knew what a stripper was. In turn, Bonnie Bella said that a stripper is a “person who dances naked.” Then, the clip cut to a confessional scene where Bella explained that her mom is “so honest” with her because she doesn’t want her to be surprised by any withheld information as she gets older.
Social Media Is Sharing Reactions To Stripper Conversation
Social media shared reactions to Joseline Hernandez’s transparent conversation with her 9-year-old daughter, Bonnie Bella, in TSR’s comment section.
Instagram user @shineovashade wrote, “Bonnie bella look like she going be a scientist and cure cancer”
While Instagram user @1take_nesha added, “Joseline a damn good mother! Despite her past and what she do! 👏”
Instagram user @theonlyautica wrote, “She felt like it was time to tell HER daughter 🤷🏾♀️ she’s so smart!”
While Instagram user @bigsexyofficial added, “One thing you can’t take way is Joseline is a GREAT MOMMY! This is my favorite version of her! I love seeing the soft mommy side❤️”
Instagram user @mayaaafineassss wrote, “She is a better parent than half the love and hip hop cast who talked bad about her 💯‼️”
While Instagram user @poeticc.justice__ added, “She is really well spoken”
Instagram user @che.jere wrote, “Bro she look exactly like Stevie wtf😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂”
While Instagram user @obey_my_sweets added, “And this is how you should talk to your f*****g children! Tell them what it IS and how it IS ….. so nobody else can come along and tell them other”
More On Joseline Hernandez & Her 9-Year-Old Daughter Bonnie Bella
As The Shade Room previously reported, Joseline Hernandez is expecting her second child. This, with her husband, Balistic Beats. To note, Hernandez shares Bonnie Bella with her ex, Stevie J. Earlier this week, photos were shared from her recent maternity shoot.
“Our family is growing… and so is the LOVE! From a family of three to a FAMILY OF FOUR! 🍼💙 We’re so excited to welcome our newest blessing into the world and share this beautiful new chapter with all of you,” Hernandez wrote alongside photos of the shoot.
RELATED: Royal Reveal! Joseline Hernandez Breaks The Internet With Maternity Shoot As Fans Can’t Stop Talking About Bonnie Bella (PHOTOS)
What Do You Think Roomies?
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly touched down in the U.K. amid news of their planned move.
BBC first reported that the couple were expected to arrive across the pond on Wednesday, August 26, with their two children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5. A spokesperson for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex told the outlet, “This is not something we would comment on.”
According to The Telegraph, the Sussexes landed at Birmingham Airport around lunchtime. (Us reached out for comment.)
News broke one week earlier that Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, were relocating to the U.K. for an extended period of time, six years after stepping down from their senior royal roles. Their children will reportedly start school abroad in September.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are heading back to Britain — kids in tow. Six years after stepping down as senior working royals and decamping to California, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are relocating their family to the United Kingdom for an extended period. News broke of the move in August 2026, with multiple […]
The couple are expected to keep their home in Montecito, California, where they moved after their royal exit in 2020, and will maintain a vacation residence in Portugal.
“Harry is not as happy in the U.S. as he is in the U.K.,” a source exclusively told Us, adding that the pair “aim to be somewhere outside of London,” rather than directly in the city.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry Jonathan Brady / POOL / AFP
According to the insider, “They are open to a new chapter.”
While the twosome are not likely to resume any official royal duties, Harry will be spending more time supporting U.K.-based charities and patronages. Meghan, meanwhile, will continue running her As Ever brand overseas.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to return to the United Kingdom, but will they resume their duties as senior working royals? News broke on Wednesday, August 19, that Harry, 41, and Meghan, 45, planned to move back to England in time for their children, Prince Archie, 7, and Princess Lilibet, 5, to start […]
“Harry still operates as if he were a member of the royal family when he evaluates opportunities,” the source told Us. “He’s seen royals who have left the royal family, like Sarah Ferguson, whose path he does not want to emulate. He wants to do things that are a right fit for him, but that can be very limiting. And, of course, they need to find ways to make money, so they are eager to find partnerships that are the right fit and fruitful for them.”
Us understands that King Charles III was informed of his son’s plans to return to the U.K. just days before the news made headlines. Tensions previously grew between Harry and his family — including brother Prince William — as he and Meghan left their positions as working royals.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold told Us that Harry’s move back to the U.K. isn’t likely to “completely heal” his relationship with William, 44.
“It will take a lot more than that,” Harrold said earlier this month. “Too much happened. It will be a situation where actions mean more than words. … I think they will be poker-faced and play happy families, but behind the scenes, it will take a lot more.”
There is something inherently unsettling about the overly cheerful world of children’s television. The colorful sets, catchy songs, talking objects and giant costumed characters are designed to make kids feel safe. Buddy takes all of that childhood comfort, twists it into something deeply disturbing and somehow manages to make the result as funny as it is horrifying.
Directed by Casper Kelly, the filmmaker behind the cult Adult Swim short Too Many Cooks, Buddy is exactly the kind of horror comedy that could have fallen apart almost immediately. A murderous orange unicorn from a 1990s-style children’s television show sounds like a great five-minute joke. Stretching that premise into a feature film is another story.
Somehow, Kelly makes it work.
The movie introduces audiences to It’s Buddy!, an impossibly upbeat children’s program hosted by Buddy, a towering orange unicorn voiced by Keegan-Michael Key. Buddy sings, dances and teaches his young friends important lessons, all while surrounded by the type of talking furniture, puppets and colorful characters that would have felt perfectly at home on television three decades ago.
Then one of the children stops playing along.
That is when Buddy begins revealing what kind of movie it really is.
Buddy [credit: BoulderLight Pictures]
As Buddy’s cheerful personality becomes increasingly threatening, Freddy (Delaney Quinn) and the other children begin questioning the world around them. Their attempt to escape Buddy’s increasingly dangerous playground eventually leads beyond the familiar television set and into a much stranger world.
Meanwhile, Cristin Milioti plays Grace, a mother in the real world who begins experiencing the disturbing feeling that someone is missing from her life, even though she cannot quite understand who that person might be.
It would be easy for Buddy to rely entirely on the joke of turning a Barney-like children’s character into a killer. Instead, Kelly keeps expanding the idea. The movie jumps between the television program, the outside world and increasingly bizarre environments that make it feel as though audiences are slowly discovering just how large Buddy’s nightmare actually is.
The production design is a huge part of why it works. It’s Buddy! genuinely looks like something pulled from a VHS tape sitting in a box since 1997. The cheap-looking sets, overly enthusiastic songs, goofy characters and dated television production aren’t merely background details. They are essential to the movie’s personality.
And once the violence begins, that artificial happiness makes everything happening on screen considerably more disturbing.
Keegan-Michael Key is particularly effective as Buddy. He never needs to completely abandon the character’s upbeat children’s-host personality to become frightening. In fact, Buddy is often at his creepiest when he is desperately trying to maintain that smile and convince everyone that they are still having fun.
Buddy [credit: BoulderLight Pictures]
The supporting cast is equally game for the insanity. Patton Oswalt voices a talking backpack named Strappy, while Michael Shannon appears as the cowboy puppet Willie. Topher Grace also stars alongside Milioti, but it is young Delaney Quinn who gives the movie much of its heart as Freddy.
Most importantly, Buddy understands exactly what kind of movie it wants to be.
This is not restrained horror. It is strange, bloody, absurd and intentionally ridiculous. Kelly throws children’s television, slasher horror, dark comedy and surrealism into the same blender and rarely seems interested in asking whether he has gone too far.
Buddy [credit: BoulderLight Pictures]
That commitment is what makes the movie so much fun.
Not every gag lands, and there are moments when Buddy threatens to stretch its central joke beyond its limits. But whenever the movie begins feeling comfortable, Kelly usually introduces another bizarre character, disturbing revelation or wonderfully ridiculous piece of violence to pull audiences back into Buddy’s world.
There is also something surprisingly effective underneath all the blood and comedy. Buddy plays with the strange relationship adults have with the television shows they loved as children. Looking back, some of those programs were genuinely bizarre. Giant creatures demanded participation, characters stared directly into the camera waiting for children to answer them and everyone repeatedly insisted that viewers were their friends.
Buddy simply asks what happens when one of those characters actually means it.
The answer is one of the strangest horror comedies of the year.
Buddy isn’t interested in reinventing horror. It just takes an incredibly fun idea and commits to it with enough creativity, nostalgia and unapologetic weirdness to make the whole thing work.
You may never look at a friendly children’s television mascot quite the same way again.
As the world mourns the loss of the great Dolly Parton, her publicist revealed the beloved icon’s cause of death. Parton died on Tuesday, August 25, and tributes from celebs like Beyoncé and King Charles are pouring in.
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Dolly Parton’s Publicist Reveals Cancer Was Her Cause Of Death
The world was saddened to hear of Parton’s death at age 80 on Tuesday. Her publicist Marcel Pariseau revealed that the ‘I Will Always Love You’ singer-songwriter died after “a brief battle with cancer.” Pariseau noted that Parton died in Nashville at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, per WCVB.
“After bravely facing a brief battle with cancer, Dolly departed her Earthly life today at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center surrounded by loved ones.”
According to PEOPLE, Parton was admitted to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center four days before her death for kidney and autoimmune issues.
Beyoncé Shares Tribute To Dolly Parton
Parton wrote hundreds of songs, and many were covered by other artists, such as Whitney Houston’s cover of ‘I Will Always Love You.’ Beyoncé covered Parton’s hit song ‘Jolene‘ for her country album, ‘Cowboy Carter,’ and she shared a tribute to the late singer on her website following her death.
“You were the barometer. The north star. Bold and brilliant. Talented and tenacious. You taught so many lessons on how to be uniquely oneself,” she wrote. “I am grateful for your art, your heart, your generosity, your humor, your entrepreneurship. I’m honored that I had the privilege to work with you. I will treasure that forever. Thank you for your profound impact on the world. You are an angel who has made this world a happier place because of your joyful art. You are truly one of one. Rest peacefully.”
Empire State Building Lights Up For Dolly As Celebs Pay Tribute
The Empire State Building also paid tribute to the legendary country artist and movie star. In addition to being an 11-time GRAMMY-Award-winning artist, Parton also starred in several films such as ‘Steal Magnolias,’ ‘9 to 5’ and ‘Rhinestone,’ and the Big Apple honored the actress with a tribute. A pink light show lit up the Empire State Building on Tuesday night. The “pink sparkle” was in honor of Parton’s 70-year career.
Other tributes poured in from Dionne Warwick, Keke Palmer, Kamala Harris, former president’s Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden, Mick Jagger, Pink, Parton’s ‘9 to 5’ co-stars Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda, Donatella Versace, Kelly Clarkson, Jeff Bezos and The Muppets, and countless others.
Former President Barack Obama noted Parton’s 11 GRAMMY Awards, commitment to child literacy and her assistance in accelerating COVID vaccine research.
It’s hard to imagine many people having a bigger impact than Dolly Parton. Born in a one-room cabin, she earned 11 Grammys and an Emmy, built a business empire, helped millions of kids learn to read, and — as if that wasn’t enough — helped accelerate the research that led to the… https://t.co/gl4KGm4vnk
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 25, 2026
Not only are folks paying tribute to the legend in the U.S., but they are doing so world-wide. The Royal Family honored the late country singer in London during the Changing of the Guard ceremony as the Band of the Coldstream Guards played the theme song from ‘9 to 5.’ A video of the tribute was shared on Instagram with the caption:
“Remembering the late, great Dolly, who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many – including the millions of children given free books through her Imagination Library. We will always ❤️ you.”
RELATED: Oop! Yaya Mayweather Reacts To NBA YoungBoy’s Gift To Country Artist Jas Von (VIDEOS)
What Do You Think Roomies?
Amid his split from Serayah, an old tweet has resurfaced in which Joey Bada$$ called out Tristan Thompson for cheating.
RELATED: Whew! Fans Are Goin’ IN On Joey Bada$$ Following Serayah Alleging He “Repeatedly” Cheated On Her (VIDEO)
Old Tweet Resurfaces Of Joey Bada$$ Calling Out Tristan Thompson For Cheating
On Wednesday, August 26, The Shade Room reposted a resurfaced tweet shared by Joey Bada$$ on X, formerly known as Twitter. Furthermore, the tweet was shared on January 4, 2022.
“Tristian Thompson gotta stop being a sorry ass nigga. Tell Khloe you’re a fucking gyalist and you need more than one woman. Straight up. Whats so hard about being honest with our women fellas? Fuck this western bullshit. Relationships should be expansive and beneficial for all,” he wrote at the time.
Social Media Reacts To Joey Bada$$’s Resurfaced Tweet Amid His Split From Serayah
Social media users reacted to Joey Bada$$’s resurfaced tweet in TSR’s comment section.
Instagram user @unorthodox.98 wrote, “One thing the internet won’t let you do is forget 😭😂”
While Instagram user @melanin_monroe_93 added, “Well well well if it isn’t the pot calling the kettle black 🌝”
Instagram user @evaheartless wrote, “Immediate ick. He is no longer fine 😩”
While Instagram user @sheismoneyyyyy added, “I’m telling you they will dig up ya great granny drawls for info 😂😂😂 tread on this internet”
Instagram user @frizzy_andre wrote, “MEN COMMENTING ON ANOTHER MAN’S RELATIONSHIP WILL FOREVER BE 🌽🏀 ACTIVITIES. He brought this on himself I guess, lol.”
While Instagram user @airjeff__ added, “And that’s why you should always worry about yourself.”
Instagram user @itskardashhh wrote, “Ppl on the internet can literally find out the hospital u was born at 😭😂😂😂😂😂😂😂”
While Instagram user @therealtmann added, “Majority of ppl using social media are performative to cover up their ACTUAL image lol 🤷🏾♂️ this new to yall? Lmao”
Instagram user @mycousinbruce wrote, “One thing about a joke, it literally can write itself. 🙃”
While Instagram user @tonybaker added, “This is why i take people’s judgemental comments in the comment section with a grain of salt. People sittin on high horses with dirty fingernails.”
More On Serayah’s Tweeting Claims
As The Shade Room previously reported, earlier this month, Serayah went online, exposing Joey Bada$$ for allegedly cheating on her “repeatedly” throughout their relationship. Additionally, she stated that she called off their engagement while sharing audio of Joey speaking to another female about their relationship.
Subsequently, Serayah showed off how one of her close friends surprised her with a cake and other pleasantries to celebrate her “release.”
RELATED: Thank You, Next! Serayah’s Friend Gets Her A SPICY Custom Cake To Celebrate End Of Her Engagement To Joey Bada$$
What Do You Think Roomies?
America’s Got Talent judge Howie Mandel claims he “almost died” after self-medicating during the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m medicated and I have a lot of therapy,” Mandel, 70, said on the Monday, August 24, episode of Hoda Kotb’s “Joy 101” podcast. “I have such a fear of those lows, because they’re incredibly painful and hard to navigate, so my life consists of trying to balance up here and manage the medication.”
Mandel, who has long been candid about his battles with anxiety and OCD, further opened up about how he managed his mental health during the 2020 pandemic lockdown.
“I’ve medicated myself, and I’m talking about prescription medication, I’m not self-medicating, though I did that during COVID, and I almost died,” he said. “So, I’m medicated. I’m surrounded by professionals.”
According to Mandel, he particularly struggled getting to sleep during the COVID shutdown.
“I’m sober right now, but during the pandemic I couldn’t sleep because part of my rumination is … I’m a germaphobe, and a pandemic? I live, like, I’m in a pandemic anyhow,” he quipped. “When there’s a real one, it was hard for me to handle. It was hard for a lot of people, but I wasn’t strong enough to handle it. I couldn’t sleep, so I started taking [marijuana-infused] gummies to go to sleep.”
In addition to THC-infused gummies, Mandel began smoking and drinking to “escape and make [himself] unconscious.”
“There were times when my wife couldn’t wake me up or she thought she was going to take me to the hospital,” the TV star recalled, referring to wife Terry Mandel. “There’s no middle ground with me. I don’t smoke or I haven’t had a beer, anything, I can’t do anything in moderation. It wasn’t healthy and it wasn’t good. It’s not an excuse, but it was really bad.”
Amanda Edwards/Getty Images Howie Mandel proves he’s just like Us through his latest binge-watching picks. “The last thing I streamed was Baby Reindeer,” the America’s Got Talent judge, 68, exclusively shares in the newest issue of Us Weekly. “It’s amazing.” The series, which premiered back in April, was inspired by comedian Richard Gadd’s real-life experiences […]
Howie further gushed that Terry, 71, has been “like a hero” in supporting his mental health struggles.
“I don’t know how she does it. She got me to therapy through an ultimatum,” he stated. “My wife just went, ‘I can’t do this, this is really tiring, go talk to somebody.’ The ultimatum was, ‘Try to find some help, because I can’t do this anymore.’ She’s a hero because she put up with it and sent me to therapy.”
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Roommates, Hollywood is once again saying goodbye to one of its memorable talents! ‘Home Alone 2’ and ‘Scary Movie 2’ actor Tim Curry has reportedly passed away. He was 80.
RELATED: Prayers Up! Nephew Of Dolly Parton Announces Her Death At Age 80 (VIDEO)
Tim Curry Dies At 80 Following Health Complications
TMZ was the first publication to exclusively report the death of Tim Curry. Sources reportedly told the publication that Curry had been experiencing serious health issues for over 10 years. He died on Tuesday (August 25) night at his home in Los Angeles. Local police allegedly didn’t suspect foul play after arriving at the actor’s residence at around 11:23 p.m. for a death investigation. Also, the LA Fire Department reportedly visited the home earlier that evening for “a medical emergency.” Officials later pronounced Tim Curry dead at the scene.
His cause of death has not been revealed. However, his memoir last year, revealed he was still unable to walk and wheelchair bound. In 2012, he had a massive stroke that resulted in brain surgery.
Fans Mourn Actor’s Sudden Death
On The Shade Room’s Instagram feed, more than 18,000 reactions flooded the comment section of the Tim Curry post within an hour. Fans recalled some of his best on-screen work, applauding his comedic skills and versatility. Others expressed shock at another entertainment icon dying during the same week as Dolly Parton and a week after Hayden Panettiere.
@thatgirljaycole commented, “AUGUST CHILL MAN WTF!!!!!!!”
@__lashai added, “You know what I love god but lord please get the right ones😂😂😂😂😂.”
“Bro what is happening?!” @shone_brianna said.
“Ffs first Dolly now Tim this is so sad 😢❤️,” @thattattooedchickgoldz commented.
@honeeyy.bee wrote, “Y’all do understand some of these famous people are OLD they lived their lives 💕hate to say it but we all will have to go. Just stay prayed up and do what’s right.”
“Every time I open this app. this too much I’m logging off 😭🤦🏽♀️,” @therealtatted.hippie commented.
“got dam. august got the grim reaper on bankroll,” @prncesspopit_ added.
“ATP THROW THE WHOLE AUGUST AWAY,” @itsjustmarieeee said.
“Mannnn my childhood is damn near gone. Then they closing my elementary school . SMH,” @qveen_sha_sha added.
“Not Dolly & Pennywise in the same week! I am goneeeeeee! 😩,” @seekproverbness commented.
“We’ve had enough. us millennials losing so many people,” @vibesofessence wrote.
“Bruhhhhhh Hayden, Dolly, and Tim and Tim on on my birthday I can’t!!! August, you’re killin us 🥺🥺🥺,” @pittsburgh_girl0826 said.
Recap Of Tim’s Legendary Resume
For more than 50 years, Tim Curry stacked his acting resume with roles that fans still bring up in conversation! Here’s a few memorable roles he has starred in over the years:
- (1975) Dr. Frank-N-Furter in ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’
- (1982) Rooster Hannigan in ‘Annie’
- (1985) Wadsworth in ‘Clue’
- (1985) Darkness in ‘Legend’
- (1990) Pennywise the Clown in ‘It’
- (1992) Mr. Hector in ‘Home Alone 2: Lost in New York’
- (1993) Cardinal Richelieu in ‘The Three Musketeers’
- (1996) Long John Silver in ‘Muppet Treasure Island’
- (1998-2004) Voice of Nigel Thornberry in ‘The Wild Thornberrys’
@paworld007 Tim Curry’s Legendary Journey Through His Greatest Roles – From Rocky Horror to Iconic Voice Work! #timcurry #lifejourney #evolution #memories #history
RELATED: Prayers Up! Montana Man Kills 8 Relatives, Including 4 Kids, At Sunday Dinner Before Setting Home On Fire
What Do You Think Roomies?
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives has already been renewed for season 6 — but who is returning after offscreen cast exits?
Viewers were originally introduced to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives cast after the show premiered on Hulu in 2024. Among the stars front and center were Jen Affleck and husband Zac Affleck, Demi Engemann and husband Bret Engemann, Whitney Leavitt and husband Conner Leavitt, Mikayla Matthews and husband Jace Terry, Mayci Neeley and husband Jacob Neeley, Jessi Draper and Jordan Ngatikaura, Taylor Frankie Paul and then-partner Dakota Mortensen and Layla Taylor.
Miranda McWhorter, meanwhile, joined the show in season 2 after her split from Chase McWhorter.
Amid production on season 5, filming was halted after an alleged domestic violence incident between Taylor and Dakota in February 2026. Dakota and Taylor subsequently filed temporary restraining orders against each other.
The Bachelorette canceled Taylor’s season of the ABC reality dating series in March 2026 — days before its premiere — following leaked footage from 2023 showing Taylor attacking Dakota during a dispute.
A Disney Entertainment Television spokesperson said at the time, “In light of the newly released video just surfaced today, we have made the decision to not move forward with the new season of The Bachelorette at this time, and our focus is on supporting the family.”
Taylor confirmed the assault charges she faced “were all dropped” during a September 2025 interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, describing the incident as “the hardest time” in her life.
In April 2026, authorities confirmed that Taylor would not be charged with any crime for the February incident with Dakota. That same month, Us confirmed that SLOMW was set to resume production on season 5.
Hulu, meanwhile, subsequently renewed the hit series for 20 more episodes, which will span across seasons 6 and 7. Keep scrolling to see who is — and isn’t — returning for season 6:
Taylor Frankie Paul
A source previously confirmed to Us that Taylor would shoot scenes for season 5’s opening montage but was not expected to film anything else at the time. The insider shared that Taylor would be filming her montage scenes separately from the rest of the cast.
It isn’t clear how she would be involved in season 6. Dakota, meanwhile, “will not be involved” in the show moving forward.
Jen Affleck
Jen and husband Zac will presumably appear in season 6 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives amid her fourth pregnancy.
Demi Engemann
Demi Engemann. (Photo by Monica Schipper/Getty Images)
After having a limited role in season 4, Demi isn’t expected to return full time to the show.
Whitney Leavitt
After Whitney and her husband, Conner Leavitt, moved to New York City for her stint on Broadway, the reality star announced her departure from Mormon Wives after season 5.
Mikayla Matthews
Mikayla — and husband Jace — will likely be part of season 6.
For some The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives couples, going on a reality TV show made their marriage stronger — while others crumbled under the pressure. When Hulu debuted The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives in September 2024, viewers were introduced to Jen Affleck and husband Zac Affleck, Demi Engemann and husband Bret Engemann, Whitney […]
Mayci Neeley
Mayci is also presumed to be part of season 6 after her sister McCall DaPron headlined The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County cast.
Jessi Draper
Amid her divorce from Jordan Ngatikaura — and romance with Marciano Brunette — Jessi is expected to be back on Mormon Wives.
Layla Taylor
“We’re not done with season 5, and we’re filming for season 6 right now,” Layla said on an August 2026 episode of Hulu’s “Get Real” podcast before admitting she felt “exhausted.”
“But honestly, it makes sense,” she explained of the timeline. “It’s so hard. We have this battle that we — all of us girls talk about. When we’re not filming, I miss it. And I honestly get kind of bored and so much happens too conveniently when the cameras go down. So, it’s like at this point, just let’s just film the whole year.”
Miranda McWhorter
Miranda is presumably meant to return for more episodes of the show.
Entertainment
What happened to the cast of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”? Inside the stars’ lives after the cult classic
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Following Tim Curry’s death, we look back at the “Rocky Horror” icon and catch up with the rest of the cult classic’s cast.
Open-world games live or die by what happens between the objectives. A giant map means very little when every road leads to another icon, another checklist, and another activity designed to keep the completion percentage moving. The essential ones make wandering feel worthwhile. They give the player enough freedom to become curious, enough systems to create unexpected stories, and enough personality that the world starts feeling familiar long before every corner has been explored.
These eight games changed that formula in different ways. One helped establish the modern 3D city sandbox. Another gave players a world they could physically rebuild. And while Skyrim turned distraction into a lifestyle, later games pushed environmental storytelling, systemic exploration, and player freedom much further. The best open worlds rarely need to tell you where the fun is. They make getting lost feel like the correct decision. That’s what these 8 essential games gave to the world.
8
‘Grand Theft Auto III’ (2001)
Grand Theft Auto III dropped players into Liberty City and made the simple act of ignoring the mission feel revolutionary. This was long before waiting for GTA VI was cool. This was after those 2D graphics of GTA 1 gave the world something actual. GTA III follows Claude as he arrives in a criminal world divided among gangs, corrupt officials, mob families, and hustlers, but the city itself quickly becomes the main attraction. Cars can be stolen almost anywhere, police attention escalates according to your behavior, pedestrians react to chaos, and missions can be approached with enough freedom to encourage experimentation. Earlier open-world games had already explored many of these ideas, but GTA III put them together in a 3D city that millions of players could immediately understand.
Its importance is difficult to overstate because so much of the modern urban sandbox followed its basic grammar. Drive anywhere. Take work from different characters. Learn which districts are dangerous. Cause trouble simply because the systems allow it. Liberty City might look tiny beside later Rockstar maps, and the shooting and camera controls have aged considerably, but the sense of possibility remains easy to recognize. GTA III belongs here because open-world games after 2001 had to reckon with what Rockstar had just made possible.
7
‘Minecraft’ (2011)
Most open worlds give players a place to explore. Minecraft gives them a world and then hands over the construction rights. A new map begins with almost nothing beyond terrain, resources, animals, hostile creatures, and whatever goals the player decides to invent. Survival creates immediate priorities through food, shelter, tools, and danger after sunset. Creative Mode removes those limits and turns the same landscape into an unlimited building space. That flexibility is why a child constructing a dirt house and a technical player designing automated machinery can both be playing Minecraft correctly.
Its procedural generation also changed how people thought about exploration. A distant mountain, cave entrance, village, or strange biome matters because nobody placed a quest marker there asking for attention. The player noticed it. Redstone adds logic and engineering, multiplayer turns construction into collaboration, and years of updates have layered new dimensions, creatures, materials, and structures onto an already enormous foundation. Minecraft may barely resemble the cinematic open worlds surrounding it on this list, but that difference strengthens the argument. Few games have given players this much literal ownership over the space they inhabit.
Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim begins with dragons returning to a northern province already fractured by civil war, and the player eventually discovers that their character is the Dragonborn. That sounds urgent. Skyrim then places a cave, village, ruin, strange stranger, or suspicious-looking mountain in your peripheral vision and happily lets the main crisis wait for another fifty hours. The province is built around distraction, with guilds, Daedric quests, ancient tombs, political conflicts, random encounters, and small stories competing constantly for attention.
Bethesda’s great strength here was making exploration feel conversational. A bartender can mention a rumor that becomes an entire questline. A road can lead to a fort that hides a journal pointing toward another mystery. Character progression reinforces that freedom because skills improve through use, allowing a heavily armored warrior to gradually become a stealth archer through the ancient RPG tradition known as changing your mind. Skyrim has bugs, repeated dungeon pieces, and combat that newer games have surpassed. Its pull, however, remains extraordinary. More than a decade later, people still reinstall it because returning to Whiterun somehow feels less like replaying a map and more like revisiting a place.
5
‘Grand Theft Auto V’ (2013)
Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto V is less a backdrop than an enormous satire with traffic and still sits in the heart of millions because of its online counterpart. The story rotates among Michael, Franklin, and Trevor, three criminals at different stages of ambition and self-destruction whose lives collide through robberies, government interference, and increasingly complicated schemes. Switching instantly between them gave Rockstar an elegant way to move across the map and made major missions feel broader than one character could manage alone.
The world around that story is ridiculously dense. Radio stations comment on the culture, strangers generate side stories, businesses and neighborhoods change the social texture of different areas, and the geography stretches from wealthy Los Santos streets to mountains, deserts, highways, and the communities around Blaine County. Its heists remain the structural highlight because preparation, crew selection, and execution give large missions a sense of scale without disconnecting them from the sandbox. GTA Online later became its own phenomenon, but the single-player map already demonstrated how much activity could coexist inside one convincing region. There is always another road worth taking, even when the GPS is begging you to behave.
4
‘The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt’ (2015)
Geralt of Rivia crosses The Witcher 3 searching for Ciri, his adopted daughter, while war and supernatural danger reshape the Northern Kingdoms around him. The emotional urgency of that search could have made every side activity feel like procrastination. Instead, CD Projekt Red filled Velen, Novigrad, Skellige, and the surrounding regions with stories substantial enough to justify stopping. A missing person can uncover family abuse. A monster contract may expose a human crime. A seemingly ridiculous village problem can become surprisingly sad before Geralt collects his payment.
That quest writing changed expectations for open-world RPGs because secondary content was given consequences, characters, and moral uncertainty rather than functioning as map cleanup. The Bloody Baron storyline remains famous for exactly that reason, though smaller contracts often achieve the same effect on a tighter scale. Geralt’s Witcher Senses, alchemy, signs, monster knowledge, and preparation also connect exploration to his profession. Even Gwent (the card game) gives taverns and merchants another reason to matter. The Witcher 3 contains an enormous amount of content, but quantity is never its best argument. The world stays memorable because so many detours feel authored with the same care as the road everyone was supposedly following.
3
‘Elden Ring’ (2022)
Elden Ring takes FromSoftware’s demanding action RPG design and places it inside the Lands Between, a fractured realm where the player seeks the power necessary to become Elden Lord. The major bosses and legacy dungeons provide obvious milestones, but the game rarely treats them as appointments. A ruined church may conceal an upgrade. An elevator can descend into an underground region large enough to feel like another world. A harmless-looking cliff edge might hide a path that changes the next several hours.
That refusal to over-explain gives discovery genuine weight. The map begins incomplete, quest logs are minimal, and NPC storylines demand attention rather than constant interface reminders. Players learn through architecture, item descriptions, enemy placement, and the simple suspicion that FromSoftware probably hid something behind that wall. Build variety also makes exploration mechanically meaningful because spells, weapons, summons, talismans, and upgrade materials can completely alter how a character develops. The difficulty receives most of the conversation, but curiosity is the stronger engine. Elden Ring keeps rewarding the player who asks what is over there and then actually goes to check.
2
‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ (2018)
Red Dead Redemption 2 follows Arthur Morgan and the Van der Linde gang in 1899 as the American frontier closes around people who built their identities outside conventional society. The gang moves between temporary camps while robberies, law enforcement pressure, and Dutch van der Linde’s increasingly unstable leadership threaten the family Arthur has spent most of his life serving. Rockstar gives that story extraordinary space, allowing camp conversations, hunting trips, quiet rides, and encounters with strangers to build Arthur as carefully as any major mission.
The open world succeeds because it appears to continue without needing the player. Animals hunt one another. Travelers get robbed. Weather transforms roads and visibility. Towns carry different economies and social tensions, while Arthur’s appearance, horse, equipment, and relationships develop through ordinary routines. Some players find the deliberate animations slow. That physicality is also why actions develop weight. Cleaning a weapon, brushing a horse, cooking food, or returning to camp reinforces the feeling that Arthur inhabits this world rather than simply passing through it. Red Dead Redemption 2 is enormous, but its finest moments are often surprisingly small. Give it time and the frontier starts feeling painfully alive.
1
‘The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’ (2017)
Hyrule opens almost immediately in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Link awakens after a century, learns that Calamity Ganon has devastated the kingdom, and eventually receives the familiar responsibility of saving Princess Zelda. Nintendo then does something far more important. It lets the player decide how to get there. Mountains can be climbed from almost any direction, distant landmarks can be marked manually, and the physics and chemistry systems encourage solutions that feel discovered rather than prescribed.
That freedom reshaped open-world design because the landscape itself became the interface. Smoke suggests activity. Unusual rock formations invite inspection. Cold regions require preparation, thunderstorms make metal equipment dangerous, and abilities such as Magnesis, Stasis, and Remote Bombs can interact with the environment in ways that produce wonderfully personal solutions. Shrines teach individual ideas without dictating how those lessons must later be used. Weapon durability remains divisive, yet even that system keeps players experimenting instead of settling permanently into one loadout. All this essentially expands what GTA III or perhaps Elden Ringbrought to the table. Breath of the Wild makes curiosity feel like progress. You see something strange on a mountain, change direction, and an hour later realize the journey there became the story you will remember.
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