Here's everything that's been happening in the world of Pop Culture this past week... in case you missed it! Feel free to comment on any of the stories and info shared here, add any news bits that you caught going on that may have been missed, or at least show us some love if you read the post but have nothing to comment on by clicking on that little heart icon at the bottom of the post...

GENERAL POP CULTURE NEWS:

- Bulgaria’s DARA was named the winner of the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest with her song, the catchy dance bop “Bangaranga”, topping both the jury voting and public voting to earn 516 total points, making it the first time in almost 10 years that the jury and public were unanimous. It was the first Eurovision win for Bulgaria in the contest’s 70-year history; the country will now host next year’s contest. This year’s contest was met with controversy when five countries opted out of participating after the contest’s governing body, the European Broadcasting Union, opted not to oust Israel over questionable advertising for its 2025 entry as well as bullying claims and concerns over Israel’s treatment of Palestine in its ongoing war against the terrorist group Hamas; Israel’s 2026 entry, the ballad “Michelle” by NOAM BETTAN, came in second with a total of 343 points (results that were met with audible booing from the arena in Vienna, Austria), while Romania’s entry, the somewhat controversial rock song “Choke Me” by ALEXANDRA CAPITANESCU (which required the performer to explain to multiple news outlets was about overcoming anxiety and not a reference to BDSM), came in third with 296 total points.

- AUBRY BRACCO was named the winner of season 50 of CBS reality competition series “Survivor”, taking home a cash prize of $2 million and a Toyota Land Cruiser. The season, dubbed “Survivor: In the Hands of the Fans”, featured 24 fan-favorite returnees.  Fellow contestant CIRIE FIELDS won the $100,000 fan-favorite prize sponsored by pop singer/songwriter and super fan SIA.

- Former LAPD detective MARK FUHRMAN, who gained notoriety for his part in the 1995 murder trial of OJ SIMPSON, died May 12^th after battling an aggressive form of throat cancer. He was 78.

- NAMES, HASHTAGS, MEMES, AND TRENDS FROM THIS PAST WEEK –

RONDA ROUSEY/GINA CARANO fight; NBA playoffs conspiracy theory;  UK radio station accidental King CHARLES III death report; DONALD TRUMP’s proposed $1.776 billion “anti-weaponization fund”; The last "Late Show"

THIS PAST WEEK IN SPORTS -

- Horse Racing: Colt NAPOLEON SOLO held off IRON HONOR down the stretch to win the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of the Triple Crown. CHIP HONCHO came in third. Only three horses raced in both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness this year – Derby third place finisher OCELLI, INCREDIBOLT, and ROBUSTA; they finished fourth, fifth, and ninth, respectively. Derby winner GOLDEN TEMPO was held out of the race.

AWARDS UPDATE -

- The Tony Awards: Actors LAURA BENANTI and TITUSS BURGESS will host the live Tony Awards pre-show “The Tony Awards: Act One”, which will stream live on June 7^th at 6:35pm ET on PlutoTV (the Tony Awards will air live on CBS at 8pm ET the same night). Additionally, it was announced that all seven nominees in the Best Musical and Best Musical Revival categories will perform live on The Tony Awards telecast.

ON BROADWAY/ THE WEST END -

- Actress TRACEE ELLIS ROSS will follow MARISKA HARGITAY in the Broadway play “Every Brilliant Thing” when Hargitay’s run ends on July 5^th. Hargitay will officially join the production on May 26^th after original star DANIEL RADCLIFFE leaves the production.

- Broadway musical “Beaches”, based on the 1988 GARRY MARSHALL movie of the same name, announced an early closing date after getting snubbed for any Tony awards when the nominations came out last week. The last performance has officially been set for May 24^th.

MOVIE NEWS:

- Director SAM RAIMI is set to direct a modern update of the 1978 ventriloquist dummy horror film “Magic”, based on the WILLIAM GOLDMAN novel, for Lionsgate.

- Actor ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER and filmmaker CHRISTOPHER MCQUARRIE are reportedly relaunching their “Conan the Barbarian” franchise. To celebrate the 44^th anniversary of the original 1982 fantasy film, Schwarzenegger told fans that they are eyeing a 2027 start for production on the feature sequel “King Conan”. McQuarrie is attached to write and direct the follow-up while Schwarzenegger is set to reprise his role as Conan. 

- Singer/musician BILLY JOEL has blasted a planned unauthorized biopic about his early life that he is not affiliated with, calling the film “both legally and professionally misguided”. Director JOHN OTTMAN and screenwriter ADAM RIPP reportedly secured the life rights of Joel’s former manager IRWIN MAZUR and JON SMALL, a longtime friend of Joel’s, for the film, “Billy & Me” but Joel has repeatedly told the filmmakers they do not have his own life rights for the picture and will not be able to secure the music rights required for the project. According to Ripp, “Billy & Me” is “specifically not a traditional cradle-to-grave Billy Joel biopic, nor is it dependent on Joel’s original music catalog” sharing that the film “takes place during Billy’s formative years – before the fame, before the fortune, and before the iconic songs that made him ‘the Piano Man’… most of the period depicted centers around Billy’s early years performing cover songs with The Hassles and struggling to find his artistic identity as a young musician.” No casting has been announced for the film nor is there a date set for the production to begin filming.

- MOVIE CASTING UPDATE -
- Actor WILL SMITH is slated to star in the action thriller “Supermax” from filmmaker DAVID GORDON GREEN.

- Rolling Stones frontman MICK JAGGER is set to star in director ALICE ROHRWACHER’s adaptation of author AUDREY NIFFENEGER’s gothic drama novel “Three Incestuous Sisters” alongside previously announced cast members DAKOTA JOHNSON, JOSH O’CONNOR, SAOIRSE RONAN, JESSIE BUCKLEY, and ISABELLA ROSSELLINI.

TV NEWS:

- FX has given a series order to “Very Young Frankenstein”, a series inspired by the classic 1974 MEL BROOKS comedy film “Young Frankenstein”. The series will star ZACH GALIFIANAKIS, DOLLY WELLS, and SPENCER HOUSE while NIKKI CRAWFORD, KUMAIL NANJIANI, and CARY ELWES also appear in the pilot (it is unclear if their roles will extend beyond the pilot); Writer/director/producer TAIKA WAITITI is among the executive producers for the series. No premiere date was given.

- AMC is launching a companion aftershow for drama series “The Vampire Lestat”, the retitled third season of “Interview with the Vampire”, on its streaming service AMC+. The companion series “The Vampire Lestat: After Dark”, which will feature interviews with cast and crew, will debut on May 24^th, ahead of the drama’s season premiere in June.

- ABC has given a straight-to-series order to an as-yet-untitled drama series spinoff of current ABC drama series “Grey’s Anatomy” that will be co-created by original series creator SHONDA RHIMES. The spinoff, which will be set at a rural Texas hospital, is being planned for the 2027-28 tv season.

- TV CASTING UPDATE –

- Actor LUKE KIRBY has joined the season 4 cast of Canadian drama series “Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent” (which airs in the US on The CW), replacing outgoing star ADEN YOUNG. Kirby will play Detective Sergeant John Darcy.

- TV RENEWALS* AND PICKUPS/EXTENSIONS** -

* “Knife Edge: Chasing Michelin Stars”, Apple TV, renewed for season 2

* “The Testaments”, Hulu, renewed for season 2

- TV CANCELLATIONS* AND TRIMMED/NOT-EXTENDED SEASONS** -

* “Emily in Paris”, Netflix, will end with season 6

- LAST WEEK’S NEW #1 SINGLES AROUND THE WORLD –

Australia: “Choosin’ Texas” by ELLA LANGLEY

Germany: “Casa Cuba” by CAVE & AMO

Greece: “Bogota” by IVAN GREKO

Japan: “BANG!” by SNOW MAN

- LAST WEEK’S NEW #1 ALBUMS AROUND THE WORLD –

Greece: “Hybrid” by ELENI FOUREIRA

Ireland: “The Essential” by MICHAEL JACKSON

Italy: “Santissimo” by SAYF