Category: BUSINESS

Kanye West releases ‘Donda 2’ album on Spotify, Apple Music, more

“Donda 2” from Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has officially arrived on streaming services amid fan backlash about his latest behavior.

The current version of “Donda 2,” named after his late mom Donda West, appears under the artist name Donda – not Ye – and features 18 songs.

In January 2022, Ye announced in a since-deleted Instagram post that “Donda 2” would arrive that February. The follow-up to his 2021 album, which eventually arrived in August after one of the most unique rollouts in music history, was produced by Atlanta rapper Future. The producer also appears on the album.

At the time, Ye added on Instagram that the release would only be available on his $200 Stem Player platform. Now, the album is available on mainstream streaming services such as Apple, Amazon, Tidal and Spotify. Many of the songs on the 2025 version are on the original version.

Ye’s ‘Donda 2’ album to be released on his Stem Player streaming platform, livestream in IMAX theaters

In Ye’s January 2022 post, he offered no other information about “Donda 2,” but the accompanying image featured his childhood home in flames.

Despite Ye’s past and current behavior, a star-studded roster of fellow rappers appear on “Donda 2.” Louisville, Kentucky, hitmaker Jack Harlow is featured on the song “Louie Bag” and Canadian rapper Sean Leon is a guest on “SCIFI.”

The song “SCIFI” features a spoken-word intro from ex-wife Kim Kardashian, who dropped the rapper’s last name West after the beauty mogul and “Kardashians” reality star filed for divorce on Feb. 19, 2021.

“I married the best rapper of all time. Not only that, he’s the richest Black man in America. A talented, legit genius who gave me four talented, incredible kids,” Kardashian said in the song’s intro.

The streaming platform release comes amid fan concerns about Ye’s behavior.

At the Grammys on Feb. 2, Ye’s 33-year-old wife Bianca Censori shocked press and fellow guests when she removed a black fur coat to reveal a see-through dress. From a quick glance, Censori could have easily been mistaken as completely nude.

Later in February, he took to X in a tirade against Jews in a series of posts (before temporarily deleting his account) and, in an ad, he directed Super Bowl viewers to his website (now down) where the only item he was selling was a $20 T-shirt featuring a swastika.

Last month, the controversial Grammy-winning rapper seemingly released a new collaboration with the embattled hip-hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs in a since-deleted post on X, according to People magazine and Billboard.

The track, titled “Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine,” also featured vocals from Ye’s daughter North West, Combs’ son Christian “King” Combs and Yeezy artist Jasmine Williams. The song was released as Diddy is set to stand trial for federal sex-crimes on May 5. Earlier this month, he released a track “Cousins” which included incestuous themes.

Contributing: Melissa Ruggieri, David Oliver, Greta Cross, Amaris Encinas

April 30, 2025
Steven Spielberg says ‘Godfather’ is greatest American film ever made

George Lucas, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg were among those honoring Francis Ford Coppola recently at the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award in Hollywood.

You and your friends can debate what is the best U.S. film ever made. But Steven Spielberg, a filmmaker who’s made some classics himself – “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Schindler’s List” to name three – has weighed in.

Spielberg made his pronouncement at a tribute to director Francis Ford Coppola held by the American Film Institute on April 26.

His pick: “The Godfather,” the famous 1972 film directed by Coppola.

Before Spielberg and George Lucas presented Coppola with the 50th AFI Life Achievement Award, Spielberg talked about meeting Coppola in 1967 and being asked to watch and critique an early cut of “Apocalypse Now,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Then, Spielberg said he considered “The Godfather,” as “the greatest American film ever made,” a remark which led Coppola to cover his face with his hands.

“Many artists can and do take a bow from their work on a page, on a canvas, on a screen, but our applause for you Francis, is from a different kind of audience. When we’re young, it’s our parents we want to make proud, and then it’s our friends, and then it’s our colleagues, and finally, it’s our peers, but you, sir, are peerless.” Spielberg said, Variety reported. “You have taken what came before and redefined the canon of American film, and in so doing, you’ve inspired a generation of storytellers who want to make you proud of their work, proud of our work, and I always want to make you proud of my work.”

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What other films are considered GOATs?

The American Film Institute lists “The Godfather” as No. 2 on its list of The 100 Greatest American Films of All Time. Atop the list: “Citizen Kane.”

On Sight & Sound’s list of the greatest films of all time, “The Godfather” rests at No. 12. At the top: 1975’s “Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles.”

Stars honor Francis Ford Coppola

Lucas, who encouraged Coppola to make “The Godfather” to spur on the production company American Zoetrope they had co-founded in 1969, told Coppola, “You’re our hero, Francis.” In recalling their early days in the film industry, Lucas said, “We had no rules – we wrote them with you holding the pen. Thank you for creating an era of filmmakers who loved the movies.”

Lucas and Spielberg sat next to Coppola as he listened to tributes from actors including Al Pacino, who played Michael Corleone in The Godfather films, Robert De Niro, who won a best supporting actor Oscar for his part of the young Vito Corleone in “The Godfather II,” and Harrison Ford, who appeared in several Coppola-directed films including “The Conversation” and “Apocalypse Now.”

“Francis, you changed my career, you changed my life. We’re all here tonight because of you. We love you,” said De Niro, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

After Lucas and Spielberg presented the award to Coppola, the honoree said, “I feel as if after many years I’ve returned to the old neighborhood where I grew up, and everything around me is so familiar and yet it’s all changed.”

He concluded, “Now I understand here, this place that created me, my home, isn’t really a place at all but you friends, colleagues, teachers, playmates, family, neighbors – all of the beautiful faces are welcoming me back because I am and will always be nothing more than one of you.”

How to watch ‘A Tribute to Francis Ford Coppola’

The event, “The AFI Life Achievement Award: A Tribute to Francis Ford Coppola,” will be shown on TNT on June 18.

This story was updated to fix an inaccuracy.

Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY’s Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @mikegsnider.bsky.social & @mikesnider & [email protected]

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April 30, 2025
Ellen Pompeo gets Hollywood Walk of Fame star, husband and kids join

Ellen Pompeo is getting her flowers.

The “Grey’s Anatomy” star, 55, reflected that the “stars really have aligned for me my whole life” as she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on April 29. Her husband Chris Ivery was present to help Pompeo celebrate the honor, and the couple posed for photos with their kids Stella, 15, and Eli, 8.

“This is a million miles from where I ever thought I would be,” she said. “I’ve learned how to be here, how to stand here, how to enjoy all of this because of the people in my life, because they’ve taught me so much.”

One of those people was “Grey’s Anatomy” creator Shonda Rhimes, who delivered remarks praising Pompeo as a “living, breathing icon.”

TV viewers just can’t quit ‘Grey’s Anatomy’: Why star Ellen Pompeo doesn’t want to either

The legendary TV producer recalled having lunch with Pompeo when casting her as Meredith Grey on the long-running ABC medical drama, after which she wrote in her journal that the actress “will lay you out with the truth, up, down and sideways.”

“I was absolutely thrilled and a little bit terrified because it’s rare to meet somebody like her,” Rhimes said. “Very few people actually are who they present themselves to be, but Ellen is exactly who she says she is, and you’re one of a kind.”

Rhimes continued that although she created Meredith Grey, the actress “is Meredith Grey, and not just on the soundstage,” adding that she is “fierce and funny and thoughtful and caring,” and the “TV landscape is forever changed for the better by having you shining in it.”

Pompeo has starred on “Grey’s Anatomy,” TV’s longest-running primetime medical drama, since 2005.

“Grey’s Anatomy” star Debbie Allen also spoke at the ceremony and said that “I don’t know anybody like” Pompeo, a “great mother and an incredible friend.”

Why Ellen Pompeo feared her latest television role could be ‘Cancel City’

“Grey’s Anatomy” is currently airing its 21st season. In a recent interview with El País, Pompeo said she doesn’t plan to leave anytime soon, telling the outlet, “That would make no sense. Emotionally or financially. The show was streamed more than a billion times in 2024. More than a billion times.”

Contributing: Anna Kaufman

April 30, 2025
Joy Behar booed over Arnold Schwarzenegger affair joke

Joy Behar landed in hot water when a joke about a decades-old scandal fell flat.

“The View” host took a comedic jab at former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger during the April 29 episode, saying if you date a man with his physique, “he’s going to leave you for the housekeeper anyway.”

The quip was met with almost immediate boos from the audience, to which Behar’s “View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin responded: “Too soon! It’s only been 30 years!”

Behar’s comments came in response to a segment that saw the co-hosts discussing their ideal physique for a male partner. Shrugging off the idea of a chiseled, six-pack clad mate, Behar said: “You have to be perfect if they’re perfect. I prefer a man who’s not perfect. I’m not perfect.”

“I like them to be legally blind even. That helps,” she joked, adding, “I mean, if you get a guy like Arnold Schwarzenegger, he’s going to leave you for the housekeeper anyway.”

Schwarzenegger famously had an affair in the mid-1990s with his then-housekeeper, Mildred Baena, which resulted in a child and the end of his marriage to Maria Shriver.

Joseph Baena, Schwarzenegger and Baena’s son, went on to compete on “Dancing with the Stars” in 2005.

In her recent book, “I Am Maria,” Shriver chronicled the emotional end to her marriage and how she moved toward healing.

“As I sat on the hotel room floor in the dark, terrified and alone with tears streaming down my face, I thought to myself: Maria, this doesn’t have to be the end of the you. It can’t be the end of you. Make it a new beginning of you,” she wrote.

In an hourlong conversation on “The Oprah Podcast,” following the book’s release, Shriver also told Oprah Winfrey that recounting it was still “an emotional thing for me.”

“I wanted to know how that had happened to me. I wanted to know who I could be moving forward,” she told Winfrey, “I think Arnold and I have a great relationship now, and I think there will always be a love there.”

April 30, 2025
Priscilla Pointer, actress and mother of Amy Irving, dies at 100Entertainment

Priscilla Pointer, actress and mother of Amy Irving, dies at 100Entertainment

April 30, 2025
Singer talks diagnosis, details brain surgery

Michael Bolton is opening up about his battle with brain cancer.

The singer, 72, spoke to People magazine about his diagnosis of glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Bolton was diagnosed in December 2023 after having emergency surgery to remove a brain tumor, and he underwent another brain surgery in January 2024.

Bolton told People, in the interview published April 30, that he finished radiation and chemotherapy treatment in October and his most recent scan was clear in early April. He said he has intentionally not received a prognosis, and People noted that glioblastoma has a roughly 90% recurrence rate. According to People, Bolton’s treatments have impacted his “short-term memory, speech and mobility.”

“You’re reaching into your resources and your resolve in a way that you never would have thought,” Bolton told People. “Succumbing to the challenge is not an option. You’re really quickly drawn into a duel. I guess that’s the way you find out what you’re made of.”

Bolton went on to say that he has a “heightened sense of appreciation” for life amid his cancer battle and is asking himself if he is doing “best that I can do with my time,” adding, “I want to keep going. I feel there’s still a lot to do on the fight side. I got a title for a song: ‘Ain’t Going Down Without a Fight.’”

Michael Bolton wishes for ‘health, happiness’ in 2025, 1 year after brain tumor diagnosis

Bolton’s daughter Holly, 47, also told People that her father was “singing within minutes” while recovering from his surgery in December 2023. “I remember one of the nurses (at the hospital) had no idea who he was, and she’s like, ‘Do you know he sings like this?”

The prolific singer’s body of work spans five decades, and he has won two Grammys for the songs “How Am I Supposed to Live Without You” and “When a Man Loves a Woman.” In 2023, Bolton released his first new album of original songs in 14 years, “Spark of Light,” which he followed up with the holiday album “Christmas Time.” He was a contestant on “The Masked Singer” earlier that same year.

Michael Bolton reveals he’s recovering from a successful brain tumor removal

Bolton previously shared in January 2024 that he would take a step back from touring after undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor. At the time, he said he was “recuperating at home and surrounded by the tremendous love and support of my family,” adding that he would “be devoting my time and energy to my recovery” over the following months. The announcement came after Bolton rescheduled a show in his home state of Connecticut in December 2023 due to illness.

“It is always the hardest thing for me to ever disappoint my fans or postpone a show, but have no doubt I am working hard to accelerate my recovery and get back to performing soon,” he said. “I am beyond grateful for all the love and support you have so generously shown me through the years.”

In March 2024, Bolton shared in an update that he was “healing well and doing better every day” while “enjoying the company of my daughters and grandkids” at home.

In December, Bolton posted a photo of himself celebrating the holidays with his family. “Sending warm wishes for a holiday season filled with peace, love, and joy,” he wrote. “May the New Year bring health, happiness, and countless moments to cherish. Here’s to fresh starts and beautiful moments in 2025!”

What is glioblastoma?

According to the Cleveland Clinic, glioblastoma is a “devastating” type of cancer that “can result in death in fewer than six months without treatment.” It begins as a growth of cells in the brain or spinal cord and “grows quickly,” and symptoms can include headaches, decline in brain functions and memory loss, per the Mayo Clinic

The National Brain Tumor Society describes glioblastoma as “one of the most complex, deadly, and treatment-resistant cancers,” with a five-year survival rate of 6.9%. In 2018, Sen. John McCain died from glioblastoma after being diagnosed the previous year.

Contributing: KiMi Robinson

This story has been updated to include additional information.

April 30, 2025
Airyn De Niro, Robert De Niro’s daughter, comes out as transgender

Robert De Niro’s daughter Airyn De Niro has come out as transgender.

The aspiring actress and model came out in a new interview with Them magazine, published April 29, and discussed life as one of the renowned Hollywood actor’s seven kids.

“There’s a difference between being visible and being seen,” Airyn De Niro, 29, told the LGBTQ outlet. “I’ve been visible. I don’t think I’ve been seen yet.”

Last month, tabloids including the Daily Mail wrote about Airyn’s transition after she was spotted in New York City. The outlet called her “Robert De Niro’s nepo baby son” – a term describing the children of stars who benefit from their parents’ fame – despite her largely being out of the spotlight. And none of the outlets, she said, reached out to her before publishing their articles.

Robert De Niro says fatherhood ‘feels great,’ gets emotional over his baby daughter

“Not only did they get information wrong about me… They just sort of reminded me that people really don’t know anything about me,” she said.

De Niro shares twins Airyn De Niro and Julian De Niro with model Toukie Smith. The pair dated from 1988 to 1996.

Airyn De Niro told the outlet she has been femme-presenting – or outwardly expressing a feminine gender identity through clothing, hairstyles and/or behaviors – since middle school, but decided to begin hormone therapy in November because she wanted to maintain her femininity as she got older, calling herself a “late bloomer.”

Though Airyn De Niro doesn’t address how her family has reacted to her transition, she expressed anxiety over it. “I think part of me is concerned that (my family) will maybe still think of me as the person I was before the transition,” she told Them.

She is studying to become a mental health counselor, and has also spent the last several years pursuing a modeling and acting career, she told the outlet. She points out that she hasn’t leaned on her father’s connections for opportunities, including auditions for roles in the video game “League of Legends” and as Jules in “Euphoria,” where she was rejected for actress Hunter Schafer.

“I wasn’t brought up having a side part in one of dad’s movies or going to business meetings or attending premieres. My dad was very big on us finding our own sort of path,” Airyn De Niro said. “I would want (success) to happen on my own merit.”

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Now starting to emerge in the public eye, she wants people to see her as “someone who is trying their hardest to heal from growing up not feeling good about themselves.”

“I’d want to hopefully be an inspiration for at least one other person like me who is Black, who is queer, who’s not a size extra small,” she said. “(I want to) make other people feel good about themselves.”

Robert De Niro kids

Robert De Niro shares son Raphael and adopted daughter Drena with actress Diahnne Abbott; twins Airyn and Julian with model Toukie Smith; son Elliot and daughter Helen with actress Grace Hightower; and daughter Gia with Tiffany Chen.

April 30, 2025
Jesse Eisenberg recruits new magicians

For moviegoers hoping to get hoodwinked, the wait is over.

A new trailer dropped April 29 for “Now You See Me: Now You Don’t,” the third installment of a magician-focused franchise headed up by Jesse Eisenberg.

“It is really good to be back,” Eisenberg tells a crowd in the teaser for the film, set to release Nov. 14.

Eisenberg, fresh off Oscar success with “A Real Pain,” returns to his role as head honcho in a gang of heist robbers disguised as stage magicians. The original crew, which features Isla Fisher, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco, will return for the third film, though their roles appear a bit more sparing.

In the first two films, released in 2013 and 2016, a group of magicians dubbed the “Four Horsemen” are seen as Robin Hood-esque, on the run from the law for devious ploys but motivated by a sense of justice all the same.

‘Now You See Me 3’ cast

The trailer promises a fresh batch of recruits instead, as Eisenberg cycles in a clan of rookies − Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa and Ariana Greenblatt − to help steal the most valuable diamond in the world.

Rosamund Pike adds her name to the cast list, starring as a diamond seller whose family launders their profits through corrupt back-channels. Mid-heist, the remainder of the cast returns, rounded out by Morgan Freeman, who also grounded the original film.

‘Now You See Me: Now You Don’t’ trailer

Now as a band of eight, the crew is seen in a series of high-stakes puzzles and chase sequences, promising a film as action-packed as the first two, more than 9 years later.

“Eight magicians against a worldwide criminal network, I like our chances,” Greenblatt says as the trailer draws to a close.

Halfway between action, thriller, and mystery, the franchise has carved out a loyal audience, endeared to Eisenberg’s charismatic lead and the “what you see if not what you get,” quality that grounds any good magic trick.

April 30, 2025
Amazon’s Shop the Show store: what to know

Amazon is making it easier for fans of its Prime Video streaming service shows to buy, buy, buy.

The streamer and mega-retailer are expanding their “Shop the Show,” initiative, which easily links U.S.-based viewers of Prime series and films to tie-in merchandise ready to put in their Amazon carts. Watching “The Boys” and yearning for a Homelander figurine? Simply search “shop the show” in the Amazon mobile app and, if using the same Prime account, find all the “Boys” merch you could possibly desire right up at the top of your screen. You’ll find T-shirts, phone cases and even the original comic book that “Boys” is based on.

The new storefront is not limited to Prime originals, but has pages for a variety of series, films and live sports, from classic sitcoms like “Cheers” to superhero movies like “Deadpool” to even Netflix series like “Wednesday.” Some titles have more products to choose from than others: Prime’s current hit “Fallout” has plenty of apparel and toys available, but the page for “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” mostly features the books that the John Krasinski show was based upon.

Michelle Rothman, VP-shopping for Prime Video, says the inspiration for the feature came “directly from our customers. We noticed a clear trend where viewers were actively seeking out products they saw on screen.” She says the product has expanded from fewer than 10 series to more than 1,300 as consumers have responded positively, and as they have been able to harness AI technology to link shows with relevant merchandise.

The new initiative is another way Amazon is seeking to monetize streaming content in a world where now streamers like Prime Video, Netflix, Max and Disney+ are fighting for revenue from subscribers, commercials and any other outlet they can find.

Shop the Show is similar to a subsite that launched with Amazon’s “Making the Cut” fashion series (2020-22), where viewers were able to purchase select looks seen on the series, and other apparel by the winning designers. A similar storefront will launch with a new show from stylists Stacy London and Clinton Kelly, formerly of TLC’s “What Not to Wear” (2003-13). Their new “Wear Whatever the F You Want” has a storefront with links to clothes inspired by the series’ participants.

“Shop the Show” officially launches April 30 on the Amazon app.

April 30, 2025
Post Malone and Jelly Roll Big Ass Stadium Tour concert review

SALT LAKE CITY – Post Malone and Jelly Roll are a well-matched pair for reasons beyond their mutual face tattoos.

They both bounce between rock and country with a little hip-hop thrown in, but they are also two extremely gracious artists visibly thrilled to be playing a stadium tour for the first time.

“This is the most nervous I’ve ever been before a show in my life,” a humble Jelly Roll said at the start of his 50-minute set following opener Sierra Ferrell.

Post Malone, 29, added his expletive-laden appreciation during his performance, saying, “I am scared … but the fact that everyone came out means the … world to me.”

The April 29 kickoff of their Big Ass Stadium Tour at Rice-Eccles Stadium was a 3 ½-hour genre-agnostic party, with both guys frequently addressing the crowd of about 45,000 with sincere gratitude in between pulling from their cauldron of beer-swilling hits.

There is also the possibility that fireworks will be scarce this Fourth of July because Post Malone seemingly used the country’s entire supply during his two-hour set, which was as much strobe-light-flashing “Rockstar” as red-Solo-cup-waving “Pour Me a Drink.”

The noticeably slimmed-down Jelly Roll, 40, clad in black with a massive chain hanging down his chest, also zigzagged through songs, both guttural rock (“Liar”) and twangy country (“Lonely Road”), while peppering his set with inspirational patter.

Here are some highlights from the opening show.

More: Post Malone setlist: All the songs he and Jelly Roll played on their 2025 tour

Jelly Roll loves a good cover song

Of course the man born Jason DeFord is a gregarious host, whether wiggling through “Get By,” his voice dipping and diving into his growly lower register, or talking to fans like a friend before “I Am Not Okay” (“It’s OK if you’re not OK today,” he said).

But his set, accented with a backdrop designed to look like a truck stop complete with a neon “Open” sign, took a playful detour when he and his large band thundered into a medley of cover songs.

Jelly Roll often pays homage to Lynyrd Skynyrd with “Sweet Home Alabama” – as he did on this night – but the segue into Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers” was especially amusing to hear with his gruff voice singing, “I can take myself dancing.” To further prove his statement that he and Post Malone share a love of every type of music, Jelly and the band tossed in some of Nickelback’s “How You Remind Me” and a nod to Tupac Shakur’s “California Love.”

Post Malone knows how to make an entrance

Though he also professed to opening-night nerves, Austin Richard Post didn’t indicate he was anything other than a cool cat as the bass drum thump of “Texas Tea” filled the air and he stood on a ramp with a microphone in his left hand and a (frequently refilled) red Solo cup in his right.

In his jeans adorned with a mega-sized belt buckle and white T-shirt bearing the name Ramblin’ Rose, Posty – as he’s affectionately known – crept down the catwalk in shadowy lighting, frequently crouching to get eye level with fans.

But the barrage of fireworks and flames that ended the song injected an unexpected jolt and also set the tone for the rest of his performance.

The bromance between Post Malone and Jelly Roll is real

During their respective sets, both artists expressed their mutual admiration, so it was expected that at some point they would share the stage.

Post Malone rewarded fans’ expectations by calling Jelly Roll back to the stage – which was flanked by a pair of video screens, with two more erected at the back of the stadium floor – for “Losers,” which they recorded for Posty’s country breakthrough, “F1-Trillion.”

The pair sparred vocally on the main stage before taking a stroll down the catwalk together (cue the midsong fireworks) and ending their duet with a tight hug that seemed as much a celebration of their stadium debut as general affection.

More: Beyoncé brings Cowboy Carter to life in flawless tour kick off: Review

Post Malone can make a stadium feel intimate

In a set that weaved pedal steel guitar (“Never Love You Again,” which Posty performed with Ferrell) with electro beats and chest-rattling bass (“Go Flex”), a highlight showcased him at his most vulnerable.

Standing at the end of the catwalk, the pulsing lights dimmed and stacks of pyro momentarily unseen, the multifaceted singer-songwriter started to strum his acoustic guitar, solo.

Of course he stopped after briefly starting the song to chug another beer and take a drag from his cigarette. But when Post slipped into “Feeling Whitney,” a ballad rife with lessons about bad decision making, the cavernous University of Utah stadium suddenly felt as intimate as a club as he exposed his emotions.

This stadium tour is obviously a testament to the sustained rise of both Post Malone and Jelly Roll’s career. But more importantly, it’s a platform that demonstrates nice guys can finish first.

April 30, 2025