Top Entertainment Headlines

Wednesday, May 13

Good afternoon Wypierdalaj,

Below are the latest entertainment news stories.

The cast of “The Fast and the Furious” rolled into the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday for a 25th anniversary celebration of the nitrous-boosting franchise.

This year’s Cannes is largely bereft of Hollywood films. But to help cover the blockbuster-sized hole in this year’s lineup, the French festival is hosting a midnight screening of the first release in the 10-movie series.

On Wednesday, Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez and Jordana Brewster posed for photographers in Cannes. They were joined by Meadow Walker, the 27-year-old daughter of actor Paul Walker. In 2013, Walker died in a Los Angeles car crash.

Hayden Panettiere is speaking candidly about the painful decision to give custody of her daughter, Kaya, to her ex-fiancé, Wladimir Klitschko, while she focused on her mental health and recovery.

During a recent appearance on the podcast “On Purpose with Jay Shetty,” the actress addressed long-running criticism that she “abandoned” her daughter after Klitschko became Kaya’s primary caregiver in 2018.

“I mean, the idea that anybody would think that I would just give away my child and be okay with it is heartbreaking,” Panettiere said. “Couldn’t be farther from the truth.”

A licensed drug addiction counselor who delivered “Friends” star Matthew Perry the doses of ketamine that killed him was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison.

Judge Sherilyn Peace Garnett handed down the sentence to 56-year-old Erik Fleming in a federal court in Los Angeles.

Fleming was the fourth defendant sentenced of the five who have pleaded guilty in prosecutions over the actor’s 2023 death in the Jacuzzi at his Los Angeles home. Fleming connected Perry to Jasveen Sangha, the convicted drug who dealer prosecutors called “The Ketamine Queen.” She was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison.

Conan O’Brien’s era as Oscars host is becoming a trilogy. The Emmy-winner and comedian will be back to host the 99th Academy Awards in 2027, film academy leaders said Tuesday.

O’Brien hosted the last two Oscar ceremonies to positive reviews. Earlier this year, in his opening monologue, he said he was “honored to be the last human host of the Academy Awards … Next year it’s going to be a Waymo in a tux.”

He’ll be surrounded by a familiar team, as well, with the return of Raj Kapoor and Katy Mullan as the show’s executive producers.

It’s been 16 years since Martin Short’s wife, Nancy Dolman, passed away, but the actor still keeps her close to his heart.

“She died in 2010, but I still communicate with her all the time. It’s ‘Hey, Nan,’ you know? How would she react to this decision or that, especially regarding our three kids,” Short told AARP in 2019.

Short said the couple’s bond didn’t end with Dolman’s death.

The new Census data on first names revealed many things about America, but mostly this: the country has shown remarkable commitment to the name Michael.

Recently released 2020 Census tables showed that Michael was the most common first name in the United States, meaning America is still absolutely packed with men named Michael.

More than 3.4 million people share the name, according to the rankings.