Month: June 2025

Focus Features offered a first look at the ‘Neil Diamond tribute band’ drama film Song Sung Blue, starring Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson. Song Sung Blue is based on the 2008 documentary of the same name by director Greg Kohs.

Jackman and Hudson star as a pair of musicians who form a Neil Diamond tribute band; a photo shared on Instagram shows the duo in costume performing on stage. An official synopsis states it tells the true story of “two down-on-their-luck musicians” who find success in forming a Neil Diamond tribute band, “proving it’s never too late to find love and follow your dreams.”

The film, directed by Craig Brewer, also stars Michael Imperioli, Fisher Stevens, Jim Belushi, Ella Anderson, King Princess, Mustafa Shakir and Hudson Hilbert Hensley.

Song Sung Blue will hit U.S. theaters on Christmas Day 2025.

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Warner Bros. has released the trailer for Weapons, a new horror film from ‘Barbarian’ writer-director Zach Cregger.

Writer-director Cregger also produces, alongside Roy Lee, Miri Yoon, J.D. Lifshitz and Raphael Margules. Michelle Morrissey and Josh Brolin serve as executive producers.

Julia Garner stars in the film as a teacher who arrives at school to find her entire class has gone missing overnight, and the mystery deepens as some parents cast suspicions on the teacher. An official synopsis reads: “When all but one child from the same class mysteriously vanish on the same night at exactly the same time, a community is left questioning who or what is behind their disappearance.”  The film also stars Josh Brolin, Alden Ehrenreich, Austin Abrams, Cary Christopher, Benedict Wong and Amy Madigan.

‘Weapons’ premiers in theaters on Aug. 8; see the trailer – HERE.

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Prime Video is sharing the trailer for the new series Countdown, starring Jensen Ackles as LAPD detective Mark Meachum, who is recruited into a secret task force to investigate the murder of a Department of Homeland Security officer.

The show’s official logline reads, “When an officer with the Department of Homeland Security is murdered in broad daylight, LAPD detective Mark Meachum is recruited to a secret task force, alongside undercover agents from all branches of law enforcement, to investigate. But the hunt for the killer soon uncovers a plot far more sinister than anyone could have imagined, kicking off a race against time to save a city of millions.”

Countdown is created, executive produced and showrun by Derek Haas, and also stars Eric Dane, Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Elliot Knight and Uli Latukefu.

As previously announced, the series will launch with its first three episodes on June 25, with new episodes to follow weekly, leading up to the season finale on Sept. 3. See the trailer: HERE.

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The 31st annual Critics Choice Awards is scheduled to kick-off awards season on Jan. 4, 2026, airing on E! and USA Network. The event will take place at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., beginning at 7:00 p.m. EST.

Per a press release, the awards show celebrates “the finest in cinematic and television achievement,” with television nominations announced Dec. 4, followed by movie categories the next day (December 5th).

Joey Berlin, CCA CEO, in a statement: “The Critics Choice Association is excited to kick off awards season as the first major televised show of 2026. In our expanded partnership with E! and USA Network, we’re joined again in our shared mission to uplift the creative community and their incredible work — while also deepening our relationship with live events audiences and awards devotees alike. Together, we are proud to continue making the Critics Choice Awards a can’t-miss awards season destination, delivering unforgettable speeches and momentum-building moments championing our industry’s best. CCA is excited to build upon our three-decades of experience driving the awards conversation and, this year, take the lead with our show on January 4.”

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A24 is previewing The Smashing Machine, starring Dwayne Johnson as MMA fighter and two-time UFC Heavyweight Tournament Champion Mark Kerr.

Written, directed, co-produced and co-edited by Benny Safdie, The Smashing Machine tells the story of the legendary mixed martial artist and fighter. The biopic marks Safdie’s solo directorial feature debut from a script he wrote (he previously co-directed and wrote the films “Uncut Gems” and “Good Time.”)

Johnson is nearly unrecognizable in the trailer, which shows him wearing a wig and prosthetic makeup to fully transform into Kerr; while Emily Blunt co-stars as Kerr’s wife, Dawn Staples. Mixed martial artist Ryan Bader, actor and former mixed martial artist Bas Rutten, and Ukrainian professional boxer Oleksandr Usyk also star in the upcoming film.

The real-life Kerr competed in matchups from 1997 to 2009, winning four ADCC World Championships over the course of his career. His life was the subject of a 2002 HBO documentary, which was also titled “The Smashing Machine” (a reference to Kerr’s nickname). Kerr posted about the upcoming biopic on Instagram, writing, “I am still in disbelief that this is real. I am so proud of the work DJ put into becoming The Smashing Machine. I have so much gratitude, humility and respect for ever litlle [sic] detail production uncovered. Can’t wait to share this experience with the world.”

The Smashing Machine debuts in theaters on October 3; see the trailer – HERE.

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Comedian Nikki Glaser will return for the second, consecutive year as host of the 2026 Golden Globe Awards ceremony, slated to take place in Los Angeles on Jan. 11. The ceremony is frequently held the first weekend of January, but will shift to the second weekend of January in 2026.

The 83rd annual Golden Globes, honoring excellence in TV and film, will be broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif, airing on CBS and Paramount+. Nominations for the awards will be announced on Dec. 8. Also per usual, the Globes

The Globes announced last month that Glaser would return for a second year in a row as host after helming the award show’s 2025 edition. The most recent Globes posted an average of 9.3 million viewers. Glaser said in a statement: “Hosting the Golden Globes this year was without a doubt the most fun I have ever had in my career. I can’t wait to do it again, and this time in front of the team from The White Lotus, who will finally recognize my talent and cast me in season four as a Scandinavian Pilates instructor with a shadowy past.”

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