[This story contains spoilers for Netflix‘s Animals.]

In the eight years since wrapping up her run as political fixer Olivia Pope on ABC’s Scandal, which made her the first Black woman to lead a primetime network drama in nearly 40 years, Kerry Washington has focused largely on producing, stepping into acting roles only when they push her range. But lately, she has been actively searching for strong directors to collaborate with. That made an unexpected offer to star opposite Ben Affleck in his latest feature, Animals, a welcome surprise.

Listening to Apple's new sound features with Siri as our binge-watching companion.

Billy Steele for Engadget

Apple's "Welcome home" event may have been mostly for the HomeView debut, but the company also announced updated versions of the HomePod mini speaker and Apple TV 4K. After spending some time with the main attraction this morning, I was also able to check out the HomePod mini 2's revamped home theater features and see Siri AI in action on Apple's streaming box. I also listened to a pair of the new speakers connected to an iMac as part of an enhanced desktop audio setup, and can confirm the new colors match up nicely with the company's all-in-one computer. 

Biggest Stage

Spectacle: Michael Jackson at the Super Bowl will arrive February 2027 and feature never-before-seen footage of the King of Pop’s preparations

A new documentary examining the production and legacy of Michael Jackson’s Super Bowl XXVII halftime show will arrive on Hulu and ESPN next year.

Greta Gerwig is inviting audiences to enter the epic realm of Narnia with “The Magician’s Nephew,” for which the first trailer was unveiled on Tuesday.

Based on the classic C.S. Lewis children’s book series “The Chronicles of Narnia,” the story follows two children, Digory and Polly, who are the first to discover the “Wood between the Worlds,” otherwise known as Narnia. Scored to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” the cosmic trailer opens with Daniel Craig’s Andrew Ketterley — the titular magician — opining that “sometimes one story is the beginning of all the others” before he gives the youngsters a magical ring that transports them to various fantastical lands. The kids are spellbound as they come into contact with mythical creatures, beings and beasts including Emma Mackey’s Jadis, the future White Witch and last Queen of Charn, and Fledge, a talking horse who is capable of flight.

Carrie-Anne Moss first heard about the new AMC+ drama Yaga at just the right time. The actress, best known for starring in popular blockbuster fare like The Matrix, Star Wars: The Acolyte, and Jessica Jones, says she just happened to be independently researching the mythology behind the Yaga’s plot right before she was brought in.

Going beyond the number of cameras and megapixels.

Apple

The iPhone Duo has by far the highest starting price of any iPhone to date. Which makes sense in a way, since it's basically two devices in one. But at $1,999, it still lacks the iPhone 18 Pro's more advanced camera hardware. A telephoto lens and variable aperture are out, while tricks that take advantage of its foldable design are in. Most of the differences exist due to the limitations and benefits of any dual-screen phone, including challenges around squeezing more cameras into an already crowded device and being able to use an external display for more content. Here's exactly what your photography gives up (and gains) if you choose the Duo over the iPhone 18 Pro.

On top of writing, directing, producing and acting in his new movie The Debut, Jesse Eisenberg took on an additional unexpected role: songwriter.

For the film — which follows a shy housewife (played by Julianne Moore) cast in a community theater production who loses herself in the performance — Eisenberg wrote seven of the original songs that comprise the movie’s central show, called Nosy Neighbors; one of those tunes, “This City May Have Chewed Me Up (But It Hasn’t Spit Me Out),” is getting a best original song awards push.

John Leguizamo, Indya Moore and D’Arcy Carden will be honored at the 49th Denver Film Festival, which runs Oct. 22—Nov. 1.

Leguizamo will receive the John Cassavetes Award presented by Next50. The actor will make an appearance at the festival on Oct. 30 to accept the honor prior to a newly added screening of Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey,” in which Leguizamo starred as Eumaeus.

Greek Tragedy

The now-former ambassador to Greece was accused of soliciting funds from wealthy donors in exchange for support from her office

It’s really difficult to mess up a Mediterranean vanity ambassadorship, but Kimberly Guilfoyle has managed to pull it off.