Unwavering faith will help you if you’re ever stranded at sea, according to Zachary Levi and the cast of “Not Without Hope.”
Following the release of her new single “Radio,” rising pop artist Cate Tomlinson spoke with The Knockturnal about embracing authenticity and evolving her sound.
There are people born the year RuPaul‘s drag race premiered who are now able to vote. People who have had the show their entire existence. What a wonderful world.
New York City celebrated the 18th season of the show with a star studded soirée featuring 14 Brand New queens vying for the crown – Athena Dion, Briar Blush, Ciara Myst, Darlene Mitchell, DD Fuego, Discord Addams, Jane Don’t, Juicy Love Dion, Kenya Pleaser, Mandy Mango, Mia Starr, Myki Meeks, Nini Coco, and Vita VonTesse Starr.
Aqua Roma hosted a night that was full of surprises and nostalgia, a mix of old and new, as our fresh-faced competitors were joined by 16 previous winners from both regular season and all stars franchises – Alyssa Edwards (Global All Stars winner), Angeria Paris VanMicheals (All Stars season 9 winner), Aquaria (season 10 winner), Bebe Zahara Benet (season 1 winner), Ginger Minj (All Stars season 10 winner), Jaida Essence Hall (season 12 winner), Jimbo (All Stars season 8 winner), Kylie Sonique Love (All Stars season 6 winner), Monét X Change (All Stars season 4 winner), Nymphia Wind (season 16 winner), Onya Nurve (season 17 winner) , Sasha Colby (season 15 winner), Sasha Velour (season 9 winner), Symone (season 13 winner), Willow Pill (season 14 winner), and Yvie Oddly (season 11 winner).
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 09: Alyssa Edwards, Nini Coco, Ts Madison, and Kylie Sonique Love appear during RuPaul’s Drag Race S18 Premiere Event at Aqua New York on December 09, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images for MTV)
Hosts Ross Matthews, TS Madison and Variety’s Senior Culture and Events Editor Marc Malkin kicked off the night hyping up the crowd for some of these queens’ first public appearance since the new season was announced.
One by one, they strutted their stuff in front of a ravenous and frankly thirsty crowd. Sheer madness in our eyes.
It’s so tough for me to guess which of these queens is a front-runner because they all felt like stars. Though I can’t help but root for Kenya Pleaser basked on vibe alone. Hey auntie!
A mother daughter dance of sorts ensued, as our new queens were paired with the veterans in a runway presentation befitting one of the show’s fabulous finales.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 09: Yvie Oddly appears during RuPaul’s Drag Race S18 Premiere Event at Aqua New York on December 09, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Santiago Felipe/Getty Images for MTV)
Then, from the shadows: ‘We’re from the same place.’
‘The Bronx?’
‘The world.’
The ever outspoken, iconic and inspirational law roach appeared from the wings to join our queens and hosts in the final toast before we turned the night fully over to our DJ. Making his entrance while quoting the year’s best meme? Legendary.
Electricity hung in the air as we saw the start of 14 new careers being launched into the stratosphere.
I’m a drag race is superfan and will be tuned into every episode, and I suggest you join me. Viva la dieciocho!
Carmela Zumbado, known for her breakout role in You as well as appearances in The Magicians and Chicago PD, has built a career rooted in a lifelong love of performing. Now featured in Power Book IV: Force, she reflects on where it all began.
Zumbado grew up in Miami as one of three sisters, all of whom became actresses. Their childhood in South Florida revolved around dance classes, theater programs, and school productions. Performing was simply part of their lives. Supported by parents who encouraged their artistic interests, the sisters naturally transitioned from high school drama rooms to full-time work in the industry.
When speaking to The Knockturnal, Zumbado reflected on the early hurdles of breaking into entertainment and the questions she receives from aspiring actors. Zumbado often emphasizes the value of starting in smaller markets with less competition and more opportunities to learn. That approach allowed her and her sisters to build real experience before eventually making the move to Los Angeles.
“It was really hard to gain a foothold in South Florida because [there’s not too many TV and film productions] there.” said Zumbado. “So instead of just making the big jump to LA and being a small fish in a big pond, we decided to build our resumes in smaller markets like New Orleans and Atlanta, where a lot of things were filming.”
Zumbado often encourages aspiring performers to get a feel for the industry by working as background actors in their own cities. She notes that most major cities eventually host a few television or film productions, and signing up for background work can offer an invaluable first look at how a set actually operates. It provides a crash course in the rhythm of a production and the many roles that keep it moving.
Zumbado also points out that the experience can open unexpected doors. While some newcomers may arrive thinking only about acting, time on set can reveal an interest in other creative departments such as costumes, props, locations, or set design. Background work, she explains, is often the simplest and most accessible way to discover where someone truly fits within the world of filmmaking.
It is a strategy that helped shape the career she has today, leading to the roles audiences now recognize her for, including her work in this week’s episode of Power Book IV: Force.
“The Last Dance” Carmela Zumbado (“MIREYA GARCIA”), Joseph Sikora (“TOMMY EGAN”). Photo Credit: Starz
Carmela Zumbado on Crafting Scenes That Resonate With Viewers
When discussing the emotionally charged episode in which Mireya enters an abortion clinic and ultimately decides not to terminate the pregnancy, Carmela Zumbado reflected on the collaborative process behind crafting those moments. The conversations between Zumbado, Joseph Sikora, and the episode’s writer and producer were centered on grounding Mireya’s decision in authenticity and emotional truth. They worked closely to make sure every beat felt earned, especially given the weight of the storyline.
The episode was directed by Lisa Demain, whom Zumbado describes as a remarkable creative force. Demain’s extensive television experience gave her a steady hand in guiding the cast through the episode’s most delicate scenes. Zumbado noted that Demain’s strength lies in her open-minded approach. She encourages exploration and is willing to try scenes in multiple ways, allowing the actors to find the most honest version of a moment.
“She might want us to go level ten emotion here, but then maybe try to bring it back to a five and pull it back a little bit more,” she said. “So the reason Joseph and I were able to really dive into this whole range of emotion is because Lisa was willing to be patient and take the time to decide in every scene, what level of intensity are we going to be at? What’s the backstory here? What happened right before the scene? What’s going to happen later on in the season? That’s going to need to match this? So I give her all the credit for the performances, especially in this episode. She was a really great guide.”
Zumbado also highlighted the dinner-table scene with Tommy and Miguel, a moment that required a different type of collaboration. The three actors approached it with the understanding that their characters are now tied together as a family, and that their choices must reflect a shared future rather than individual impulses.
“Joseph and Manny are my great friends, so it wasn’t awkward at all. We were in between takes, laughing and having a great time, and both of those men are nowhere near as intense as their characters are,” she said. “They’re both goofballs. They’re both hilarious, so it’s just so funny to see them snap into character when the director yells ‘action!’ and have to make it seem like it’s awkward. Because in real life we were just actually having a great time.”
When talking about Tommy Egan finding out he’s going to be a father, Carmela Zumbado said she immediately felt it would push him to change, and maybe even for the better. She sees fatherhood as something that can sharpen a person, make them think faster on their feet, and add a new kind of strength that boosts everything they already bring to the table. In her view, that responsibility could end up making Tommy an even more powerful version of himself.
“I’m interested to see where he takes that. I don’t think he’s going to need to choose between being Tommy Egan and being a father. I think becoming a father might just fortify who he is,” said Zumbado.
Urban Stages was founded to support playwrights in developing and showcasing new work. They now also work to increase access to the arts. Their mainstage program supports artists and presents acclaimed plays and musicals Off-Broadway.
“When I studied at NYU, when I went to NYU film, the first thing they tell you is the hardest thing in film is animals and children,” director Sarah Goher told the audience at a screening of her debut feature Happy Birthday at the IFC Center.
However, being a mother herself helped her overcome this particular challenge.
“As someone who has two children, I’m very grateful I had those two children before I made this film because it just taught me so much about kids,” she said. “Like, if you really prepare kids and you really earn their trust and you really prepare them for what’s to come, they won’t just give you a hundred percent, they could give you a hundred and fifty percent.”
Happy Birthday, Egypt’s nomination for the 98th Academy Awards in 2026, follows eight-year-old Toha, a child maid for a wealthy Cairo family who forms a special bond with her employer’s daughter, Nelly. Having never celebrated her own birthday, Toha becomes determined to ensure Nelly has a perfect party, secretly hoping to experience the joy she’s never known. As Toha’s relationship with Nelly’s mother, Laila, begins to transcend typical employer-servant boundaries, deep-rooted social hierarchies are threatened, forcing the young girl to confront the realities of class division in modern Egypt.
These realities, however, are communicated in the film through soft whispers.
“At some point, two European sales companies, low-key suggested I add more violence to the film,” Goher explained, “I think they were expecting kind of like Parasite, perhaps I would have something that was much more of a ‘big bang,’ a message about class and about division. And I didn’t for two reasons.”
“I didn’t feel that was true to the reality,” she continued, ”I think there’s a lot more nuance to the reality of these situations. And I feel that at the end of the day, I also want to make a film that I’m not trying to get into a European festival, I’m not trying to sell this to the West.”
“I want a film that when I show this to people in my family, to friends who think that this is okay or who don’t want to acknowledge that there’s something wrong with this kind of situation, the invisibility of certain people in society, that it actually gets to them.”
As it turns out, despite the best efforts of child labor laws, this story resonates with audiences around the world. Happy Birthday is very much a film that pushes back against the notion of giving kids a “better life” via servitude in higher class communities.
“I’ve shown this film to lots of audiences. I get people from India, Honduras, Latin America, Mexico, um, even in Spain, which surprised me. This situation happens,” Goher shared with the audience. “Now, by law, child labor is forbidden in Egypt. But there are kids who exist in this [invisible] limbo under the false pretense of goodwill.”
Still, it was important to Goher that Doha Ramadan (Toha), who the director discovered on the streets of Cairo, didn’t just see her character as a servant.
“The other thing is, when I was directing her, I never told her you’re playing a maid because I didn’t want her to project that,” she explained. “I felt like her prerogative was if I’m this little girl, and this is what I saw with the actual girl who inspired the character, she wants to see herself as a child first.”
“And she would come up with suggestions and be like, ‘Sarah, what if I blah blah blah blah blah,’ or ‘why don’t we blah blah blah blah blah?’ And I would let her do what she felt curious about because I started to find myself like while I was shooting the film, it doesn’t matter what, you know, all the kind of ambitious directing stuff you want to do.”
Since wrapping Happy Birthday, Goher also shared how she stays in touch with Ramadan.
“I didn’t want to be one of those filmmakers who plucks a kid out of obscurity, puts them in front of the camera, and then forgets about them,” Goher shared, “And I’ve seen this happen, and it’s very unfortunate. I’ve been to her school, she does go to a school, it’s not a good school. So I got her a private tutor who, since June of 2024, until now, he teaches her three times a week, and now she can read and write really well.”
“There’s not a lot of outreach for the arts in these communities, so I enrolled her at Cairo Opera House’s Youth Talent Center. So she was doing music, and she hated the singing part, so she’s just doing ballet. So she’s been doing that since June of 2024.”
Happy Birthday, which received several honors at the Tribeca Festival, is Egypt’s submission for the 98th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.
Rian Johnson’s Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery feels like the perfect follow-up to his wildly successful Knives Out and Glass Onion. Johnson, a master of twisting narratives and injecting wit into the most serious of situations, has crafted a delectable and intricate mystery that both delights and surprises. In Wake Up Dead Man, the director doubles down on everything that made the original films so iconic—sharp dialogue, quirky characters, and an intelligent, labyrinthine plot—but elevates the stakes, the humor, and the heart. It’s a murder mystery like no other.
Going into Jimmy Donaldson’s MrBeast Games Season 2 brings a whole other beast into the competition. Which raises the question: what would you actually do to survive these challenges? Episode 4 pushes that idea even further, asking contestants to navigate not just one game show, but the clash of two survival worlds at once.
This week, Survivor enters the arena — Jeff Probst’s prize possession — creating a crossover no one saw coming but everyone immediately needed. The hosting duo leans into the unknown, and the mix of styles, generations, and fanbases sets the stage for one of the most chaotic (and genuinely fun) streaming showdowns to hit the internet yet.
Amazon invited us to an early viewing of this episode, and watching it with a room full of fans and press made it clear how much this season has evolved. Season 2 finally leans into the humor it was missing the first time around, giving us the laughter we need in between the frantic, stress-heavy moments that define each challenge. You can actually feel the shift: the pacing is tighter, the beats land better, and the contestants’ reactions carry way more personality. Cutting the number of players down was one of the smartest choices the production made. Instead of feeling lost in a sea of strangers, we actually get the chance to learn who these people are, root for them, and understand their strengths and flaws as the pressure builds.
Credit: Variety
During the panel, MrBeast was honest about what he wanted to change going into Season 2. He talked about how he listened closely to feedback from audiences and journalists – what worked, what didn’t, and what fans felt made the show exciting in the first place. One of his biggest goals was removing the reliance on luck: no more random wins, no more chance-based eliminations. Episode 4 reflects that shift completely. With Survivor in the mix, the competition finally feels intentional, strategic, and built on actual skill. It asks the real question that defines any survival-style show: what actually creates a winner? Is it being smart, being strong, being adaptable, or being just self-aware enough to outplay everyone around you?
Bringing two completely different game-show styles together doesn’t just make Episode 4 feel bigger — it changes the entire energy of the competition. Survivor’s strategic backbone blends with MrBeast’s high-speed chaos in a way that forces contestants to think differently, move differently, and react with way more intention than past episodes. Instead of relying on spectacle alone, the challenges suddenly have layers: social strategy, physical instinct, teamwork, and the pressure of not knowing which host’s rules you should be playing by. Jimmy even admitted during the panel that working alongside Jeff Probst pushed him to rethink his role as a host. Jeff’s calm authority and instinct for when to step in (and when to step back) ended up teaching him more than he expected. Jimmy said he doesn’t mind being humbled by Jeff’s experience; in fact, he welcomed it. Watching Jeff let the show breathe and letting players drive the drama helped Jimmy feel more comfortable allowing MrBeast Games to play itself out instead of trying to control every beat.
Even the bribes got the crossover treatment, blending both shows’ personalities into a hybrid strategy session that felt half-chaotic, half-cutthroat. Contestants weren’t just fighting through challenges — they were pitching, negotiating, and pleading their cases the way Survivor players do when their fate hangs on a vote. The episode leans fully into that format, complete with the tension of who’s staying, who’s going, and what someone is willing to offer to keep their spot. Jeff Probst clearly had just as much fun as the players. At one point he joked about making this crossover an annual tradition, and before Jeff even finished the thought, Jimmy reached out and shook his hand — unprompted, way too enthusiastically, absolutely ready for more. It was one of those moments where you can see the respect between the two hosts, and also exactly how much this collaboration energized both sides.
After the screening wrapped, fans were given the rare chance to meet MrBeast himself and actually talk with him — not rushed selfies, but real conversations about the episode, the challenges, and the direction the show is heading. The space was filled with MrBeast products lined across the venue, a reminder of just how massive his empire has become and how seamlessly he’s built a world around his brand. It felt less like typical promo and more like stepping into the ecosystem he’s created, from the snacks to the merch to the games. And yes, everyone got to take a piece of that world home: the PR boxes were stacked with products, small surprises, and touches that made the whole night feel personal and celebratory, perfectly closing out a crossover event that already felt larger than life.
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 07: Guests attend as Prime Video hosts an advance screening and Q&A with Jimmy Donaldson AKA MrBeast for “Beast Games” season two In Los Angeles at The Culver Studios on December 07, 2025 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for Prime Video)
In the end, Episode 4 does more than merge two shows — it shows just how far MrBeast Games has come. The crossover with Survivor doesn’t feel like a stunt; it feels like a step forward, a sign that the series is ready to grow, experiment, and listen to the people who watch it. From the challenges to the panel to the fan interactions after the screening, this episode proves that Season 2 is finally stepping into its full potential. And if Jeff and Jimmy keep shaking hands on ideas this big, next year’s “annual” crossover might be even better.
Last week Apple Music in partnership with Highsnobiety hosted an exclusive press preview and party to celebrate the opening night of Apple Music’s The Replay Gallery at Superblue for Miami Art Week. The star-studded event was the perfect combination of music, tech, art, culture and fashion. Special guests included Offset, Khalid, Pi’erre Bourne, Julez Smith, Salem Mitchell, Kitty Ca$h, Devon Turnbull, Odeal, Selah Marley, Jay Guapo and more. The space showcased an immersive exhibition inspired by Apple Music Replay 2025, exploring the year in music through contemporary art. This one-day-only exhibit presented visual interpretations from leading contemporary artists that echo the culture, emotion, and creativity that defined 2025. Featured artists included Angel Otero, Calida Rawles, Devon Turnbull, Gabriel Moses, Henry Taylor, Jeremy Deller, Sara Sadik, and Tommy Malekoff and their work explored themes of how music intersects with visual art, geography, identity, and youth culture. Not only did guests get to reflect on how music and art has impacted them over the course of the last year, they got to enjoy complimentary cocktails, an open bar, lite bites like burgers and fries and enjoy a live DJ set by Apple Music Radio Host Tim Sweeney. This amazing space allowed tastemakers from music, art and tech to come together and highlighted how we’re more alike than we are different, especially when it comes to our favorite musical and visual artists.
Photo Credits: Olympia Shannon, Calida Rawles, Apple Music
K-pop group VERIVERY, seasoned performers in the scene, has returned with their long-awaited single album Lost and Found, unveiling a sound the group hasn’t explored since their last comeback two-and-a-half years ago.