Talk Fuse

    Topic: Entertainment

    Entertainment brings together the latest from film, television, music and gaming, tracking everything from big studio releases and streaming hits to the smaller stories behind the scenes. Expect a mix of reviews, interviews and features that look at how films and shows come together, the choices actors and musicians make along the way, and how decisions by studios and networks play out once viewers get involved.

    The topic also keeps an eye on the business and cultural side of the industry: how streaming services are reshaping what gets made and watched, the sometimes tangled relationship between entertainment and technology, and the moments when a franchise, format or platform doesn't go the way its backers hoped. Older films, shows and songs feature too, revisited with the benefit of hindsight on decisions that looked different at the time.

    For readers, it's a way to keep up with what's actually worth watching or listening to, understand the reasoning behind the projects that shape popular culture, and see how the industry's bigger shifts affect the entertainment on offer day to day.

    • Barry Pepper cast alongside Jeremy Strong in Paramount+ drama 9/12

      Emmy winner Barry Pepper has been cast opposite Jeremy Strong in 9/12, an upcoming six-episode Paramount+ limited series dramatising the legal battle to secure compensation for 9/11 first responders who fell seriously ill after the attacks. The casting fills out the lead pairing for a high-profile project written and directed by Tobias Lindholm and co-written…

    • Rolling Stone Video Series ‘The Breakdown’ and ‘My Life in 10 Songs’ Are Headed to Netflix

      Rolling Stone is bringing two of its music video franchises, “The Breakdown” and “My Life in 10 Songs”, to Netflix in the United States and several other countries from August. Both series are built around in-depth interviews in which artists discuss how they created their biggest hits and the songs that have shaped their lives,…

    • Billboard Videos to Be Featured on Netflix as Part of New Partnership

      Netflix has announced a new partnership that will bring videos from a range of digital publishers, including Billboard, to its platform, with the content beginning to appear for subscribers next month. The move is significant as part of Netflix’s broader strategy to diversify beyond traditional series and films into formats such as live events, mobile…

    • Jennifer Hudson, Patti LaBelle & Boyz II Men to Lead MLB All-Star Game Entertainment

      Major League Baseball has announced the entertainment line-up for the 2026 All-Star Game, which will be held at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park on 14 July as part of the “America 250” celebrations marking the country’s 250th birthday. Jennifer Hudson, Patti LaBelle and Boyz II Men will headline the festivities, pairing global star power with performers…

    • Sony responds publicly to backlash over PlayStation physical disc concerns

      PlayStation and several other Sony brands went largely quiet on social media from 1 July, the day the company announced it would cease production of physical game discs from 2028. The decision triggered immediate and widespread backlash that spilled across nearly all of Sony’s social media accounts, including those unrelated to gaming, making it a…

    • David McKenna joins CAA after Lord of the Flies and Narnia roles

      David McKenna, one of the breakout stars of Netflix and the BBC’s recent adaptation of Lord of the Flies, has signed with the talent agency CAA. The young Irish actor rose to prominence playing Piggy, described as the emotional core of the series, having been cast after a search involving 7,000 hopefuls. The role marked…

    • Liverpool begin pre-season preparations under new manager Iraola

      New Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola has arrived at the club’s AXA Training Centre as the squad prepares for the 2026-27 season, with most first-team players due back on Merseyside next week. The Spaniard has just over a month to imprint his ideas before Liverpool’s Premier League opener away at Newcastle on 23 August, and…

    • Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls gains a tie-in comic book series

      Marvel is dedicating its entire August comic lineup to Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls, the tag-team fighting game from developer Arc System Works, timed to coincide with the title’s release on 6 August. Marvel announced two comic-based celebrations of the game, headlined by a dedicated tie-in one-shot that aims to flesh out the game’s story world,…

    • Julia Garner to star in new Apple TV true-crime drama adaptation

      Apple TV has officially ordered a new true-crime drama series titled Guilty Creatures, with Emmy winner Julia Garner set to star and executive-produce. Garner, best known for the Netflix series Ozark, will reunite with director Craig Gillespie, whose recent DCU film Supergirl underperformed at the box office. The commission marks another significant television project for…

    • Album Of The Week: Kelela new avatar

      In this Album Of The Week review, Stereogum’s Margaret Farrell praises Kelela’s new album, new avatar, released on Warp Records, arguing that it renders conventional genre labels inadequate. Farrell contends that the record collapses the boundaries between R&B, electronic music, pop, hip-hop and rock, driven throughout by a “quiet tenderness” that persists even amid its…