Entertainment
Netflix’s Perfect, Offbeat Documentary Is A Masterclass In Undetected Living
By Robert Scucci
| Published
With rent prices spiraling out of control, the average person has to figure out how to be thrifty enough to survive in this brutal economy if they want to maintain a comfortable quality of life. Personally, I freelance full time because it allows me to work from home and keep a flexible schedule. That lifestyle choice lets me stay home with my kids, saving a ton of money on child care. I’m also saving hand over fist on car maintenance and fuel costs because I don’t have a commute. In a past life, I remember dropping about 10 grand a year just getting to and from an office setting that made me miserable, so I don’t do that anymore, and my wallet thanks me for it.
Most importantly, I like staying home so I can actually enjoy what my rent pays for. I’ll stand in the vacant corner of the living room that we don’t quite know what to do with yet, simply because we’re paying for every single square inch and might as well use it. When my wife asks what I’m doing, I tell her I’m getting my money’s worth and enjoying my rent. While this behavior sounds a little silly, it’s nothing compared to what’s uncovered in the 2024 documentary, Secret Mall Apartment.
It’s Exactly What It Sounds like
If you’re wondering what Secret Mall Apartment is about, there’s no need to read between the lines. It’s about a collective of Rhode Island-based artists, led by Michael Townsend, who secretly lived inside the Providence Place shopping mall for four years without being discovered. What began as a creative solution to displacement ultimately became a long term, living art installation and a quiet protest against gentrification. Along the way, the documentary also makes a strong case for using art as a way to reclaim your life, which might be exactly the kind of inspiration you’re looking for right now.
It all started in 2003, when Michael Townsend and his friends Colin Bliss, Adrian Valdez Young, Andrew Oesch, Greta Scheing, James Mercer, Emily Ustach, and Jay Zehngebot needed a new base of operations after the dilapidated Eagle Square district, which functioned as a creative hub for local artists, was leveled to make way for the sprawling shopping center. Providence Place mall was never exactly welcomed by longtime residents, largely because it was seen as a development that would drive up costs and push lower income families out of the area.
While reluctantly wandering through the mall to see what all the hype was about, Townsend discovered a chunk of unutilized space where several structures intersected. That discovery sparked the idea to slowly transform it into a hidden apartment. With the help of his friends, they turned the space into a modest but functional living area of roughly 750 square feet. Using a Pentax Optio camera, they documented the entire process, from sneaking furniture into the space to tapping electricity from a nearby store. They even hauled in dozens of cinder blocks to construct their own wall and a locking door, all without drawing attention from security.
Technically Theft And Trespassing, But Also A Living Art Installment
Townsend was eventually discovered, cited for trespassing, and evicted from the secret mall apartment in 2007. Even so, it’s hard not to admire the initiative behind the whole thing. As the documentary makes clear, Townsend is the kind of person who sees art in everything, and transforming the space was simply another creative challenge. While living inside the mall, the group continued to work on ambitious projects under the radar, including contributing to an elaborate 9/11 memorial in New York City and creating large scale tape murals at children’s hospitals, more often than not working tirelessly for free.
Between these demanding projects, the group returned to their secret mall apartment to talk shop, plan their next ideas, and unwind by playing video games, watching TV, and simply having a place to exist without paying rent. The stunt itself is impressive, but it also functioned as a pointed commentary on gentrification. Providence Place was a massive development designed primarily for tourists rather than locals. After the construction of the 1.4 million square foot mall displaced a thriving underground art community, Townsend felt reclaiming 750 unused square feet was a fitting way to push back.
Secret Mall Apartment is a satisfying watch because the apartment represents more than just a clever place to live. It stands for reclaiming autonomy through unconventional means and tells a genuinely inspiring story about eight people who followed a strange idea because it felt like their calling at the time. Every person who lived in the secret mall apartment still works in the arts today. Meanwhile, the mall itself is currently under state receivership, which feels like an ironic footnote in a story about creativity outlasting corporate progress.
If you’re looking for a feel-good documentary that might spark something in your own creative life, or if you’re just looking for some thrifty interior decorating tips, you can stream Secret Mall Apartment on Netflix.
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By Jennifer Asencio
| Published
If you were recovering from a trauma, would you be able to handle another one? That’s the central question asked in the 1989 psychological thriller Dead Calm, starring Nicole Kidman, Sam Neill, and Billy Zane, set on the open ocean, and currently steaming for free on Tubi.
Anything But Calm
Australian couple John (Sam Neill) and Rae Ingram (Nicole Kidman) are already grieving in Dead Calm. Upon arriving home on leave from the Australian Navy, John is immediately taken aside by the police, who have been looking for him to give him the tragic news of a terrible car accident. Their son is dead, and Rae is psychologically scarred. To retreat from the surroundings that only remind them of their tragedy, the couple sets out on their Yacht and cruises around the western Pacific Ocean. Rae is having nightmares and is on sedatives, but John is determined to not return home until they have worked through their grief.
Their trip takes a turn when they find a distressed vessel floating adrift. John feels obligated to follow maritime law and try to help the stranded boat, but while they are approaching, a rowboat starts heading toward them. It carries Hughie Warriner (Billy Zane), a handsome young man with a harrowing tale of shipmates gone mad and a sinking ship. When John goes to the sinking ship to verify Hughie’s story, Hughie takes over the Ingram’s boat, kidnaps Rae, and sails away.
While John is stranded in the sinking boat containing the corpses of Hughie’s shipmates, Rae is alone with a man who is slowly proving to be a psychopath. His sinister history begins to unfold, and both John and Rae must fight for survival, one from a deadly shipwreck and the other from a madman, all on the high seas with nothing around within view.
The thrill of Dead Calm comes from its paranoid setting. The Ingram’s beautiful yacht has a huge inside like the TARDIS; it’s much bigger than its outside appearance seems to contain. Hughie’s former boat is a mess of libertinism, alcohol, wantonness, and abandonment. The only other thing within view once the couple sets sail is the wide ocean and the ever-changing sky. There is no wind, as indicated by the nautical term “dead calm,” making for a setting that’s as claustrophobic as it is wide. Even the sprawling maze of the sailboat’s interior becomes confining when it’s the only safe retreat within reach.
Explosive Performances All Around
The performances in Dead Calm are exquisite. Sam Neill is masculine protectiveness and desperation personified as he tries to get back to his wife. Nicole Kidman has a much more nuanced performance as Rae sways between navigating Hughie’s machinations and the boat that contains them.
Billy Zane puts on one of his best performances as Hughie, leaving the viewer never quite sure how much of what he is saying is true. The fact that he looks like a Greek god, muscular and shirtless through much of the movie, only adds to his menace.
A fourth character runs around the edges of the setting, yipping and causing so much trouble that if he wasn’t such an adorable little pup, you’d wonder how he wasn’t thrown overboard. The movie manipulates the audience with Rae’s little dog Benji, who is a little too obedient and well-trained for his own safety. A warning to dog lovers is in order here.
If there is anything wrong with the film, it’s that its pacing is sometimes uneven. It becomes very easy to wonder why John and Rae are handling things the way they are, which causes some of the scenes to drag out a little longer than they need to, diminishing some of the tension at times. The movie could have been trimmed by about 10 to 15 minutes without harming the plot, and probably would have tightened the grip of the viewer’s fear for the grieving couple.
It also has a few sexually graphic and violent scenes that can be extremely shocking. The movie takes us into the car for Rae’s accident with her young son and does not spare us the gritty details of his demise. A sex scene with Kidman is consensual but still disturbing given the context. The bodies in the sinking ship are intimately displayed, and the shots frame Rae and Hughie around a grisly background that’s not for the faint of heart.
Nevertheless, the scenery is stunning. A wide, glassy ocean crowned with vast blue skies dotted with puffy clouds gives way to spectacular stormy seas and roiling waves. The luxurious interior of the Ingram’s vessel is augmented by gorgeous exterior shots, especially when they raise their sails. The setting contributes to the action as the sailboat rolls over waves and the distressed boat is slowly swallowed by the sea.
While Dead Calm never holds back with its gut punches, it makes the struggle all the more fulfilling to watch each time John or Rae succeed. The couple’s devotion to each other, even in their darkest moments, carries them through the plot as they work on reuniting after Hughie’s flight in the Ingram’s boat. The theme of the movie is overcoming grief, and it manifests in myriad ways as the story pushes its way through treacherous waters.
Sail away for a chilling experience with Nicole Kidman in Dead Calm for free, because it is now streaming on Tubi.
Entertainment
Where is Manuel Blanco Vela now? Inside the “Predator of Seville”'s alleged crimes — and how he was caught
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The latest on the tour guide at the center of Netflix’s true crime docuseries.
By Robert Scucci
| Published
In 1998, singer-songwriter Cher once asked us all if we believed in life after love, and we were all supposed to nod our heads in unison, as if to say, “Yes.” What Cher didn’t consider, however, is the kind of love depicted in 2014’s Life After Beth, because that’s an entirely different thing. First of all, young love never lasts. Don’t believe me? Go ahead and call your high school sweetheart and let me know how thrilled she is to hear from you.
More importantly, I’m pretty sure the 90s electropop anthem about overcoming heartbreak wasn’t meant to apply to the kind of zombie romance you see in Life After Beth. A horror comedy loosely inspired by the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, the film follows a guy whose girlfriend dies tragically, only to come back from the dead and pick up right where she left off.
I like to think of it as a twisted, far more slapstick version of the 2004 French film They Came Back (Les Revenants). The same concept is being explored, just without nearly as much emotional weight. Both films deal with how loss and grief are a natural part of life, and how catastrophic it could be if we’re not allowed to process these emotions in real time. In They Came Back, there are concerns about housing, food, water, and basic necessities. In Life After Beth, we get Aubrey Plaza spazzing out like Linda Blair while sucking face.
At face value, there’s really not much going on in Life After Beth, and there doesn’t need to be. Zach Orfman (Dane DeHaan) loses his girlfriend Beth Slocum (Aubrey Plaza) after a snake bite kills her, and everybody shows up for the funeral. Devastated after losing his first love, Zach confides in her parents, Maury (John C. Reilly) and Geenie (Molly Shannon). There’s an unspoken bond here because both Zach and Maury want to hold onto the good memories, not the low points.
Zach’s parents, Judy (Cheryl Hines) and Noah (Paul Reiser), along with his brother Kyle (Matthew Gray Gubler), grow concerned about his mental state as he spends more and more time with the Slocums. When they suddenly cut off contact, Zach spirals into a deeper depression.
As it turns out, shortly after Beth was buried, she dug herself out of her grave and made her way home, completely unaware of her own death. Maury and Geenie eventually allow Zach back into the picture once the truth is out, but there are rules. He can’t take Beth out in public during the day, and he can’t tell her she’s dead. What could possibly go wrong?
What Goes Wrong
Being that they’re horny teenagers and Beth doesn’t know she’s dead, Zach immediately breaks the rules, and that’s when everything starts to fall apart. Beth begins to decompose and act erratically after spending too much time in the sunlight, leading Zach to suspect that she’s a zombie. She’s also intensely jealous of Erica Wexler (Anna Kendrick), one of Zach’s closest childhood friends.
As time passes and Beth loses control of her faculties, it becomes clear she’s not the only one who’s come back. The entire community starts filling up with reanimated corpses, and they’re all hungry. Something that could have been avoided if the Slocums were less secretive.
While Aubrey Plaza deserves plenty of credit for fully committing to her zombie freakouts, everybody brings their A game to Life After Beth. John C. Reilly and Molly Shannon play this situation exactly how you’d expect real parents to handle it. They’re grateful to have their daughter back, but equally horrified. They’ve barely begun the grieving process, and now it’s been completely disrupted. There’s a gravesite, a funeral, and a reality they’re trying to ignore while pretending everything is fine.
Zach’s behavior pushes things even further. On some level, he’s totally fine with necrophilia if you really think about it, but I don’t think that’s how he sees it. He’s grieving in his own warped way. When Beth and Maury give their approval, there’s plenty of making out that becomes increasingly uncomfortable the more you bear witness to it.
The real magic happens when Zach and Beth are alone, because they’re exactly as dysfunctional as you’d expect. As Beth transitions further into her final zombie form, her mood swings become more violent, and Zach rolls with it until he can’t anymore. Every couple fights from time to time, and that’s the lens he uses to justify what’s happening.
Surprisingly Poignant Story About Grief
Absurd, slapstick comedy aside, Life After Beth is more than just a horror comedy because it shows how far people will go to avoid confronting their grief. Zach, Maury, and Geenie are all traumatized by Beth’s death, and even more so by her return. Instead of working through it, they lie to themselves until the lie spills over and starts affecting everything around them.
It’s a solid analogy for how destructive unprocessed grief can be. It doesn’t just sit quietly in the background. It spreads, it escalates, and eventually it forces itself into the open whether you’re ready for it or not.
Life After Beth is streaming on Netflix.
HBO Max has plenty of hot new movies and shows debuting in April 2026, but there’s only one series that’s dominating the conversation — Euphoria.
The Sam Levinson drama is finally returning for its third and reportedly final season, and it features original stars Zendaya, Jacob Elordi, Sydney Sweeney, Hunter Schaefer, as well as new additions to the cast like Sharon Stone.
Other notable debuts include Richard Gadden‘s Baby Reindeer follow-up, Half Man, and the streaming debut of Timothee Chalamet‘s Oscar-nominated sports film, Marty Supreme.
Watch With Us has compiled a complete list of all the new movies and shows on HBO Max in April 2026 below.
Sydney Sweeney in Euphoria season 3. HBO
April 1:
A Big Hand for a Little Lady
Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd
Alien vs. Predator: Extended Cut
Alien
Alien 3
Alien 3: The Assembly Cut
Alien Resurrection
Alien Resurrection: Special Edition
Alien vs. Predator: Requiem: Extended Cut
Alien: Director’s Cut
Aliens
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Aliens: Director’s Cut
Abbott and Costello In Hollywood
AVP: Alien vs. Predator
Blood on the Moon
Cabin in the Sky
Captain Horatio Hornblower
Carson City
Dallas
Deeply, Season 1
Deeply, Season 2
Deeply, Season 3
Evil Lives Here: My Child the Killer, Season 1 (ID)
Fort Dobbs
Fort Worth
Gunsmoke in Tucson
Inu-Oh
Man From the Black Hills
Maze Runner: The Death Cure
Mortal Kombat Legends: Battle of the Realms
Mortal Kombat Legends: Cage Match
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge
Mortal Kombat Legends: Snow Blind
On Moonlight Bay
Out of the Past
Practical Magic
Rachel and the Stranger
Rancho Notorious
Renovation Aloha, Season 3 (HGTV)
Riding Shotgun
Rocky Mountain
Roughshod
San Antonio
Santa Fe Trail
Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend
Springfield Rifle
Tall in the Saddle
Tall Man Riding
The Bounty Hunter
The Boy and the Beast
The Devil Wears Prada
The Family
The Flame and the Arrow
The Hole in the Ground
The Left-Handed Gun
The Man
The Man Behind the Gun
The Man with a Cloak
The Mummy (1999)
The Mummy Returns
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
The Naked Spur
The Oklahoman
The St. Louis Kid
They Died with Their Boots On
Thunder Over the Plains
Twister
Wagons West
Welcome to Plathville, Season 8 (TLC)
Westward the Women
Wichita
The 2026 Oscars were good for HBO Max — both One Battle After Another and Sinners won an armful of awards and can be streamed only on the Warner Bros.-owned streamer. But HBO Max has more than just award-winning films — it also streams some of the biggest hits of the past and present. In […]
April 2:
Body Bizarre, Season 8 (TLC)
Expedition Files, Season 4 (Discovery)
April 3:
Alien: Romulus
Dream Stage, Season 1
April 4:
Game Night
April 5:
Teen Titans Go!, Season 9G (Cartoon Network)
April 7:
Tropic Like It’s Hot, Season 1 (HGTV)
April 9:
Hacks, Season 5 (Max Original)
The World’s Tallest Man, Season 1 (HGTV)
April 10:
Artemis II: To the Moon and Back (Discovery)
Christy
House Hunters International: Volume 9, Season 208 (HGTV)
April 12:
Be My Guest with Ina Garten, Season 7 (Food Network)
Building Back America’s Trades, Season 1 (Magnolia Network)
Euphoria, Season 3 (HBO Original)
April 13:
Boy Band Confidential: A Hollywood Demons Event, Season 1 (ID)
Smiling Friends, Season 3B (Adult Swim)
April 14:
Rock The Block, Season 7 (HGTV)
The Dark Wizard (HBO Original)
April 15:
Nanny McPhee Returns
World’s Bargain Dream Homes, Season 1 (HGTV)
April 16:
One Day In My Body, Season 1 (TLC)
April 17:
Dust Bunny (Lionsgate)
House Hunters: Volume 11, Season 253 (HGTV)
April 18:
Belle Collective, Season 7 (OWN Network)
Krypto Saves the Day: Coastal Catastrophe
April 20:
Impractical Jokers, Season 12B
April 21:
Hollywood Demons, Season 2 (ID)
No Hard Feelings
April 22:
Jeff Dunham’s The Cars That Drove Us, Season 1 (Discovery)
April 23:
Half Man (HBO Original)
Jamie Bell and Richard Gadd in Half Man HBO
April 24:
48 Hrs: Escape From Chernobyl (Discovery)
HGTV Smart Home 2026 (HGTV)
House Hunters International: Volume 9, Season 209 (HGTV)
Marty Supreme (A24)
April 25:
Confessions of a Nazi Spy
The Mouthpiece
Stranger on the Third Floor
HBO Max started 2026 off with a loaded lineup of dramas, including A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and The Pitt. But now, it’s time to send in the clowns as the streamer drops two big comedy shows in March. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Enter your email Please enter a valid […]
April 27:
24 in 24: Last Chef Standing, Season 3 (Food Network)
April 28:
Standoff: The FBI, Power and Paranoia, Season 1 (CNN)
NHL on TNT
April 1:
St Louis vs Los Angeles, 9 PM
April 5:
Minnesota vs Detroit
Boston vs Philadelphia
April 8:
Washington vs Toronto
Edmonton vs San Jose
April 12:
Pittsburgh vs Washington
April 15:
Detroit vs Florida
April 19:
NHL Playoffs, TBD
April 22:
NHL Playoffs, TBD
April 23:
NHL Playoffs, TBD
April 24:
NHL Playoffs, TBD
April 25:
NHL Playoffs, TBD
April 26:
NHL Playoffs, TBD
April 28:
NHL Playoffs, TBD
April 29:
NHL Playoffs, TBD
April 30:
NHL Playoffs, TBD
College Basketball – March Madness
April 4:
Final Four
April 6:
National Championship
US Soccer
April 11:
Japan vs USWNT
April 14:
Japan vs USWNT
April 17:
Japan vs USWNT
MLB
April 7:
LA Dodgers vs Toronto
April 14:
Chicago Cubs vs Philadelphia
April 21:
NY Yankees vs Boston
April 28:
Detroit vs Atlanta
Fantasy fans are better served on HBO Max than science fiction fans. There’s some overlap between the two fandoms, but HBO Max clearly favors one over the other. Thank You! You have successfully subscribed. Subscribe to newsletters Enter your email Please enter a valid email. Subscribe By signing up, I agree to the Terms and […]
ALL ELITE WRESTLING (AEW) IN APRIL
April 2:
AEW Dynamite, 8 p.m.
April 5:
AEW Collusion, 8 p.m.
April 6:
AEW Dynamite PPV, 8 p.m.
April 9:
AEW Dynamite, 8 p.m.
April 12:
AEW Collision, 8 p.m.
April 16:
AEW Dynamite: Spring Breakthru, 8 p.m.
April 17:
AEW Collision: Spring Breakthru, 8 p.m.
April 23:
AEW Dynamite, 8 p.m.
April 26:
AEW Collision Playoff Palooza, 8:30 p.m.
April 30:
AEW Dynamite, 8 p.m.
Zendaya always knew what type of wedding she wanted long before finding her perfect half, Tom Holland.
The sensational entertainer has been keeping fans guessing about the status of her relationship with her “Spider-Man” co-star. The pair is rumored to be married, but has yet to confirm or deny the speculations.
Now, a resurfaced clip has confirmed Zendaya never wanted a fanfare for her union, and the reason is quite touching.
Zendaya Once Declared Her Love For An ‘Intimate’ Union
The resurfaced video captured Zendaya on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of the hit movie “Blended” in 2014. She looked stunning in an all-black ensemble, radiating her ever-consistent youthful glow as she flashed her toned midriff in a crop top.
While speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Zendaya was asked what kind of wedding she wanted when she eventually decided to walk down the aisle. The model wasted no time answering the question, revealing that she had always known what type of ceremony she wanted.
“I want, like, a small and intimate. More like just me and like my close family and friends. Relatives,” Zendaya declared, before explaining why she did not want a large wedding ceremony. “You know, I don’t want to go to my own wedding and be like, ‘Who are they?’” she said.
The Disney Alum Addressed Her Refusal To Confirm Or Deny The Marriage Rumors
Zendaya’s past comments matched her recent reaction to speculation about her marriage to Holland. The rumors intensified after her stylist, Law Roach, claimed the couple had secretly tied the knot during a red carpet appearance at the 2026 Actor Awards on March 1.
During an April 1 appearance on The New York Times’ “Modern Love” podcast, Zendaya explained why she and Holland have failed to confirm or deny the rumors. She noted that it felt like there was “this level of a parasocial investment” in her personal relationship, and she wasn’t a fan of it.
Zendaya acknowledged that she and Holland are public figures whose love life played out in the public eye, and she did not want to dismiss fans’ interest in them. Nonetheless, she and Holland needed their privacy and wanted certain aspects of their lives to themselves.
The Couple Isn’t Hiding But Preserving Their Privacy
Zendaya continued that she wasn’t oblivious to fans’ interest in her relationship status, saying, “I hear it, but also my own little boundaries of what I like to bring up and talk about, but then also what I’m willing to share.”
Zendaya stressed that she and Holland weren’t trying to “hide from the world. Instead, their actions stemmed from their decision to “preserve things for ourselves so that we can maintain that joy just within ourselves and our loved ones and our family.”
“In a lot of ways, I’m also a very private person, and I try my best to be able to have things for myself and for him as well,” Zendaya explained. Her words came days after she addressed the viral AI-generated images of her alleged wedding to Holland.
The ‘Dune’ Actress Said People Were Deceived By The AI Wedding
Last month, The Blast reported that Zendaya appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to address the marriage speculation. When the host brought up the AI-generated images of her secret wedding to Holland, she revealed the pictures had deceived people in her circle.
When asked whether people got upset that they weren’t invited to the wedding, Zendaya confirmed that “many people” were mad. She also poked fun at the claims of a secret wedding, using the moment to promote her new movie, “The Drama.”
Zendaya claimed she was sharing footage from her actual wedding ceremony, but it was a badly photoshopped image of Holland’s head on her co-star, Robert Pattinson’s body. She joked about the clip’s authenticity, claiming it was real rather than AI-generated.
Zendaya Fueled The Marriage Rumors In Paris
Although Zendaya and Holland have not publicly confirmed or denied the marriage speculations, it did not stop fans from drawing their own conclusions. The Blast shared in March that Zendaya’s actions had further ignited the wedding rumors.
The Golden Globe Award honoree gave fans plenty to talk about during the Paris premiere of her new movie. She stepped out in a bridal-themed ensemble, rocking a white dress and a curly side bob haircut.
Naturally, eyes were drawn to the three diamond rings on her fingers, particularly the one on her left ring finger. Zendaya’s new movie with Pattinson is set to hit theatres on April 3. The Blast reported that she declared she would take a break after undertaking multiple projects scheduled for 2026 releases.
We got a texttt, Roomies! The weather is heating up, the baddies are outside, and new cast bombshells will soon be entering the villa.
From dramatic recouplings to sweet love stories, many ‘Love Island USA’ fans can’t wait to see who will be gracing our screens this year. Well, the wait won’t be long, because we’ve got the FIRST LOOK at the official cast.
And from the looks of it, that ‘Baddies’ x ‘Love Island’ crossover might be coming sooner than we expected.
RELATED: Huda Mustafa And Louis Russell Speak Out After His Ex-GF Is Granted Restraining Order Against Reality Star (PHOTOS)
‘Love Island USA’ Officially Renewed For Season 8
Earlier this month, Variety revealed that Peacock renewed ‘Love Island USA’ for Season 8. The show is set to premiere June 2nd with Ariana Madix returning as host.
The renewal comes after ‘Love Island USA’ continues to dominate the charts.The show skyrocketed during Season 6, with many viral moments taking over our timelines. It went on to become the most-watched reality series of summer 2024.
Season 7 also pulled major numbers, with a few controversial moments from the cast and even more viral clips, racking up over 18.4 billion minutes streamed on Peacock and holding the No. 1 streaming original spot in the U.S. for six consecutive week
Many Of Your Faves Enter New Eras As ‘Baddies USA’ Officially Wraps Up
‘Baddies USA’ Chapter One recently wrapped on Sunday, many of the outros had us shedding a few tears as the baddies reflected on everything they went through this season. From music to motherhood, it’s clear a new era is underway.
Ahna Mac, who got a bit emotional, revealed this will be her final season of ‘Baddies.’ As y’all know, Ahna recently celebrated her engagement with baseball player Jazz Chisholm Jr. Ahna has been very open about growth and ready for wifey life.
She penned a writing, “Don’t be sad guys, just come watch me on YouTube. I don’t know why everyone is so sad, y’all getting a better version of me! Now I have more time to build my farm and make my day-in-life videos, and I have so much more coming. The journey does not stop here. It only gets better, I PROMISE.”
Scotlyn “Scotty” Ryan is also enjoying her new era as she counts down the weeks until she welcomes her baby with Zeus CEO Lemuel Plummer. The couple recently cleared up misconceptions, revealing that they are not in an open relationship. They shared that they are very much in love and are even talking about having another baby in the future, teasing the idea of a “Lil Baby Lemmy.”
Baddies X Love Island? Here’s What’s In Store For The Season 8 Cast
As new chapters begin and relationships continue to grow, one thing is clear love is in the air, and it looks like we might be seeing another baddie step into a new journey real soon.
A source tells us that if you loved Season 6 and Season 7, this season is set to be even more intense, with a mix of drama and kick-your-feet moments as a new group of strangers searches for love. That means hotter bombshells, more romantic dates, crazier challenges, and even more unexpected twists.
Before we reveal the full cast, we’ll give y’all a few hints about the “baddie” who will be entering the villa. Hint: She’s talented and can spit a few bars, always serves in every confessional look, and never backs down from getting her get-back.
Scroll down to see who…
The baddie who will be entering the villa is the baddest of them all, Ms. April Fools. It’s safe to say June definitely has some expected surprises in store.
If you made it this far, thank you for always being a tuned-in Roomie and staying caught up. Happy April 1st!
RELATED: Crossover OTW? Natalie Nunn & Biggie React After ‘Love Island’ Star Nic Shows Love To His Favorite ‘Baddies’ Cast Member
What Do You Think Roomies?
Netflix has grown quite a sci-fi division over the last 10 years, but no shows have exploded to the same level as Stranger Things. The series arrived 10 years ago, starting as nothing more than a simple supernatural kidnapping thriller, but by the time its final season arrived last year, the show had evolved into something much more complex. Like any show with a big audience, the ending of Stranger Things was quite controversial among fans, but most would agree it avoided the same disaster-level conclusion as Game of Thrones. Many fans were surprised to see such little death from the finale, though. Season 5 may have come and gone, but there are still plenty of stories from Hawkins left to tell.
The Duffer brothers, Matt and Ross, have already confirmed that another Stranger Things series is in the works, but it will focus on the mysterious rock that a young Henry Creel found inside the suitcase while he was exploring the cave. It’s unconnected to the original show. It’s still up in the air as to when this new offshoot will arrive, but fans don’t have to wait that long to return to Hawkins. Netflix has already announced a new animated spin-off, Stranger Things: Tales From ‘85, which will officially be released later this month, on April 23. The animated series is set between the events of Seasons 2 and 3, and Netflix has also released an official synopsis, which reads as follows:
“Return to Hawkins with Stranger Things: Tales From ’85, an exciting new animated series from showrunner Eric Robles and executive producers the Duffer Brothers. In the winter of 1985, snow blankets the town and the horrors of the Upside Down are finally fading. Our heroes Eleven, Mike, Will, Dustin, Lucas, and Max have settled back into a normal life of D&D, snowball fights, and quiet days. But beneath the ice, something terrifying has awakened. Could it be from the Upside Down? From the depths of Hawkins Lab? Or from somewhere else entirely? Our heroes must race to solve this mystery and save Hawkins in this new story set in the Stranger Things universe.”
Reach into the Television Grab Bag and Pull Out a Prize — The Collider TV Quiz!
Let’s test your breadth of knowledge, not depth, with this sampling of your favorite shows. True fans will take no issue with these questions.
Are Any ‘Stranger Things’ Cast Members Coming Back for ‘Tales From ’85′?
Unfortunately, none of the core Stranger Things cast from live-action will be reprising their roles in the animated series. The ensemble cast for Tales From ‘85 consists of Brooklyn Davey Norstedt as Eleven, Jolie Hoang-Rappaport as Max, Luca Diaz as Mike, Elisha “EJ” Williams as Lucas, Braxton Quinney as Dustin, Ben Plessala as Will, Brett Gipson as Hopper, Odessa A’zion as Nikki Baxer, Jeremy Jordan as Steve, Janeane Garofalo as Anna Baxter and Lou Diamond Phillips as Daniel Fischer. Additional voice cast includes Robert Englund as Cosmo, Alysia Reiner as Karen Wheeler, Alessandra Antonelli as Nancy Wheeler, Valeria Rodriguez as Rosario, and Jack Griffo as Jeff.
Check out all five seasons of Stranger Things on Netflix and stay tuned to Collider for more updates and coverage of the first spin-off, Tales From ‘85.
- Release Date
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April 23, 2026
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Eric Robles
- Directors
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Phil Allora
- Writers
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Jennifer Muro
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Odessa A’zion
Nikki Baxter
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Brooklyn Davey Norstedt
Eleven
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Jolie Hoang-Rappaport
Max
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Ari Fletcher is showing off her new look after doing the big chop on her hair!
RELATED: Awww! Yosohn Has Internet Users Tearing Up After Explaining Why He Doesn’t Want Ari Fletcher To Have Another Baby (WATCH)
Ari Fletcher Shows Off New Look After Doing The Big Chop
On Tuesday, March 31, Ari Fletcher took to her Instagram Story to share a photo of some of her hair bundled in her fist. Furthermore, Fletcher captioned the photo with, “I never understood why people cut it all off, but now I see. Free [red heart emoji]” Apparently, moments earlier, on Snapchat, Fletcher had shared her plans and the look she was ultimately going for.
A few hours later, Fletcher returned to Instagram with photos of her new look!
“Ain’t no feeling like being free ♥️,” she captioned her carousel post.
Afterward, Fletcher even shared the footage of her big chop.
Social Media Reacts To Her New Look
Social media users stepped into TSR’s comment section with reactions to Ari Fletcher’s new look and big chop.
Instagram user @kayla_micah wrote, “I feel like there is an age you reach where it really does just become hair. Definitely a sign of growth!”
While Instagram user @_beautifullybloomed_ added, “It’s so pretty , my man gone leave me if i do this though !”
Instagram user @ketraye_ajure wrote, “Hair was thin so I’m happy she made this choice”
While Instagram user @tooskie_b added, “Am I the only one that doesn’t like it? 🥴 I’m glad she’s starting new though! We all need that sometimes! Love that for her 🫶🏽”
Instagram user @champaignetaylor___ wrote, “Grown woman fine 😍😍😍 it’s just hair it’ll grow back”
While Instagram user @prettipantease added, “It looks good. She needed that big chop !”
Instagram user @_aikan__ wrote, “It’s cute but she will have a weave next week 😂😂😂”
While Instagram user @k.ashuri added, “No hate but it was definitely time..she was having way too many different hands in her hair 😍”
Instagram user @prettyshadesofmelanin wrote, “Love this go ahead in free yourself fantasia voice 😍🙌🏾”
While Instagram user @kyeaxo added, “It’s so powering to cut all your hair off. You’ll never understand until you do it.”
Instagram user @sheeza_goddess wrote, “The short hair’d girlies are popping OUT😍🔥”
While Instagram user @iamkaylatene added, “it needed to go boo, that shit was fried and thin. and idk how that happened bc i remember her hair used to be so long and thick”
Before Ari Fletcher Showed Off New Look After Doing The Big Chop, She Spoke On Her “Internal Bra”
Before Ari Fletcher showed off her new look after doing the big chop, she stunned social media users by speaking on her “internal bra.” As The Shade Room previously reported, last month, Ari Fletcher was doing a livestream with Jordyn Lucas when she opened up about her procedures and the “surgery that hurt the most.” Ultimately, Fletcher explained that she had a “bra procedure,” which was “excruciating,” adding that a “metal bra” was “drilled” into her chest.
RELATED: Ari Fletcher Shocks Livestream Viewers After Saying Her “Internal Bra” Surgery Was Her “Most Painful” Procedure (VIDEO)
What Do You Think Roomies?
Roseanne Barr is opening up about some alarming news she recently received from her doctor.
“This doctor says I have to go get my heart checked out because it’s damaged,” the former sitcom star said on the Thursday, March 26, episode of her “Roseanne Barr Podcast.”
She continued, “So, now I’m so pissed because I’m like, ‘I need a new doctor.’ He’s always sending me to other doctors to check me out, and I’m like, ‘Why do I have to go find something wrong when nothing’s wrong?’ And then get in shape so I can have surgery and die on the surgery table. I mean, well, it doesn’t make any sense.”
Barr, 73, said that she doesn’t want to undergo surgery and would rather live out her final days in hospice care.
Roseanne Barr is no stranger to controversy. Long before ABC chose to cancel the reboot of Roseanne in 2018, the actress made headlines for a variety of reasons including a controversial National Anthem performance and a run for president. Years after Barr’s Roseanne character was killed off The Conners, Us Weekly learned exclusive details about […]
“I would rather not get ready for any sort of surgery ever again in my life and just get a heart attack or a stroke and just be put into a home,” she said. “That is the life. Living in the hospice. … That’s all I want. They know you’re dying and they give you morphine.”
In June 2025, Barr opened up about moving to Texas, where she experienced a tractor injury while mowing her property.
“I’m doing a lot of mowing. I’ve got a really fantastic tractor out here and I’m mowing. The only problem is I don’t clear the trees quite as good as I should and I’m always hitting a tree and knocking it over, and it always hits me in the head,” she told Fox News Digital.
“So, I’ve had several injuries recently. I had this one tree … I knocked it and a great big old branch fell right on my head and trapped me in my tractor,” she continued. “So, I knew I had to get out of there, and it weighed about a hundred pounds.”
Roseanne Barr didn’t just play a mom on TV, the actress has expanded her own family off screen over the years. Barr started off doing stand-up comedy before becoming a household name for her lead role on Roseanne, which ran from 1988 to 1997. The series was briefly revived in 2018 but came to an […]
Barr became a household name following the success of ABC sitcom Roseanne, which originally aired from 1988 to 1997.
In 2018, ABC canceled a revival of Roseanne following the star’s racist tweet about former Obama White House advisor Valerie Jarrett. The show was retooled around her fellow cast members, including John Goodman and Laurie Metcalf, as The Conners, which aired seven seasons from 2018 to 2025.
Barr told Fox News Digital in June 2025 that she is no longer in touch with her former costars.
“No, I’m not friends with none of them,” she said. “They’re all in the past. I have pleasant memories of what fun we had — wish them all the best. And no, we don’t talk. I’ve moved on from that horrendous ending and chapter of my life, but you know, I don’t hold any bitterness or nothing to them, but my God, what fun we had on that show.
“And I was sorry they f***ed it all up with their greed and ridiculous stupidity to f*** all that up. F*** them, but I wish them well,” she said at the time.
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